Aileen Kim Watercolors: watercolor

Friday, March 25, 2016

Watercolor Flower Workshop at the first Baguio Craft Fair

March had been nothing but a busy month, full of painting deadlines and creative events. A happy quandary i don't mind having eve...

March had been nothing but a busy month, full of painting deadlines and creative events. A happy quandary i don't mind having everyday in my life. One of the events that i was most excited about was the first ever "Baguio Craft Fair" held at the beautiful grounds of Canto Arellano last March 19 to 20. I was asked not just to co-organize the event but was also invited to hold my watercolor workshop at the fair.

After a brief introduction of watercolor materials, i did a demo on how i paint my watercolor flowers where i also shared the brushstrokes i have developed over the years.

My talented students and their awesome work. Each one of them already exhibits their own style of painting which was quite wonderful to watch.

I also launched the soft opening of my new handmade brand, Pipit which will feature cute handmade clay figurines to accompany my little forest tots illustration. (Pipit.ph is formerly known as House of Isla and however scary changes may feel at times, we trust the universe will carry us to a better, more colorful adventure). Do come by often & watch out for exciting news about this new chapter of our creative journey.

The cutie who helped me man my booth.

The fair was a beaming success and we're excited to bring more exciting gatherings of Baguio creatives.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Stillness: Watercolor Art by Baboo Mondonedo

"I have learned that life is about cycle of breakdown and breakthroughs. This is what keeps the wheels turning. While there a...

"I have learned that life is about cycle of breakdown and breakthroughs. This is what keeps the wheels turning. While there are periods of turbulence, grief, loss, and aloneness, I am many times overcome with heartfelt gratitude for all the blessings the universe has showered and continues to shower me with."

- Baboo Mondonedo (Stepping Stones)

"Painting has given her a new window and she now sees things in fresh, new ways."

I have another artist to add up on my "looking-up-to" list. Though I do not purposely limit myself to watercolor, these days i find myself still enthralled with the medium and I don't think I'd tire of it soon. I first came to know about Baboo and her beautiful work when she had a solo exhibit entitled "Stillness" held at Maryknoll Sanctuary last month. As much as I love marveling at works of different artists, I must say that I have longed so much to just drown myself with the beauty of watercolor works by watercolor artists, and the exhibit was just that...a treasure trove of watercolor masterpieces.

Baboo's story on how she got started with watercolor is also very inspiring. She mentioned in one of her interviews for one broadsheet that she never thought she would find herself painting since her hands were, as she puts it "the stiffest." Her "falling-in-love" with the medium was somewhat serendipitous and at the same time fated....a proof that there is indeed no deadline to become a better version of ourselves!

I could only aspire to be as great!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Padayon: Art for a Cause

Before we move on to more good news, let me share what the world most probably have already heard of...how our country, the Philippin...

Before we move on to more good news, let me share what the world most probably have already heard of...how our country, the Philippines have been badly devastated by super typhoon Haiyan and how it affected millions of people. Though my city is located in the northern part of the country and had only experienced some bad gusts of wind, for many weeks I was caught in deep sadness after hearing the plight of so many families in the south.

Several weeks before the onslaught of the typhoon, I was asked by Katha Magazine, a local online magazine to create a piece for auction. All the pieces that were to be auctioned off was meant to benefit another organization but because of recent incidents and the gravity of the damage caused by the calamity, the group decided it best to donate the proceeds to the victims of the typhoon instead.

This online auction was aptly titled "Padayon" (a Visayan word for "carry on"), meant to help not only for immediate relief but also to help their rehabilitation. They gathered local artists and makers to create original pieces to be auctioned off online and all proceeds will go to Haiyan victims. For my part, I have donated this piece and I must say that i have never painted with so much passion welling up in my heart until this one. It is still up for bidding until the 30th of this month.

If you love art and wish purchase a piece, head to this link and see the rest of the wonderful creations they have for you: KATHA MAGAZINE: PADAYON Every purchase you make can make a difference in somebody else's life. Because even the tiniest act of kindness can move mountains. Thank you in advance!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Say hello to "The Forest Tots"

Projects and opportunities have been keeping me up on my toes the past weeks I neglected to introduce to you the very first set of il...

Projects and opportunities have been keeping me up on my toes the past weeks I neglected to introduce to you the very first set of illustrations that were made available for purchase at a local bookstore. Meet my "Forest Boys and Girls." They are, from left to right; Prince of Birds, Little Kitty Friend, Magical Unicorn Girl and Sweet Little Fawn....my own cute little army of the forest. They are available as mini art prints that could double as postcards. As of the moment, they are running out fast and so if you missed out on buying your favorite I'd make sure they are made available again by December. Also up for sale are my "Avian-themed postcards" inspired by a dear friend who loves, well birds.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Draw an Animal

O bviously, I'm trying to make up for my day one blunder by posting not one, but three drawings. After being torn between a f...

Obviously, I'm trying to make up for my day one blunder by posting not one, but three drawings. After being torn between a forest deer or a cute bunny, I decided, since it is also Easter to do the latter instead. I sat on my workdesk not exactly knowing how to begin and by mid-morning I was already done with Peter Rabbit's rough sketch. I've heard somewhere that before you become your own self in the art world, you must first try to imitate the great artists before your time.

I love Beatrix Potter. Her beautiful illustrations are subtle, whimsical and I love love the way her colors blend. But aside from that I also somehow feel kindred with her taste for the pastoral. I love animals dressed in human clothes prancing around glorious farms and breathtaking meadows. I guess that's prolly the reason this challenge turned out pretty well, I truly enjoyed the whole thing. If there's one thing I could have done differently though, that would be using a watercolor paper instead of a regular drawing paper. It could have had better texture that way. I wasn't actually thinking of doing it in full color but hey, it turned out well in the end anyway.

Below are some quick drawings I did in the past. You might think I sort of cheated by drawing another person's original artwork so I added two of my quick drawings. Now that day2 is out of the way, I think I deserve a cup of good ol' coffee. Hope to see your artworks soon guys!