COLLEEN COLOURED PENCILS REVIEW

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! What did you do on New Year's Eve? Well I made a short video demo with Colleen coloured pencils if you ever wondered about how they perform. Yup while the fireworks were going off in the horizon lol.

Colleen pencils are considered student's grade within the low price range, and are mostly used by childen in Asia. Since colouring books are quite popular now, adults and even artists worldwide are starting to discover them. They used to be made in Japan but are currently based in Thailand, of which the quality feels the same. You can get them on Amazon or Ebay.

They are much waxier, smoother and softer than my other pencils like say... the Luna Staedlers which I had as a child. I don't know exactly how good they are for professional work, because colour pencils are not my forte and I have never tried out professional grade pencils. I DO know I have a soft spot for them as they had the cutest, prettiest packaging back in the 70s-80s and all the cool kids had them in school because they were pricey back then, even the ones in default orange cartoon cardboard packaging. My absolute faves are the ones with shoujo illustrations on tin.

https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/215603558/vintage-1984-little-twin-stars-sanrio
by Lemonshortbread on Etsy


Takahashi Macoto's shoujo girls were featured on many of the boxes. Can you tell why I am biased much?!

https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/247546167/vintage-colleen-japanese-makoto-1980s
by PreppyPastel on Etsy


One of my fave shops on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/240463119/vintage-cute-japan-rare-macoto-t-art
by GGdolls on Etsy.


This was the one I've used before in kindergarten or sunday school, unfortunately it wasn't mine but school property. All I did was stare at the packaging, I am not kidding.

This is a very cool site if you love vintage shoujo!
http://www.harapekodoggybag.com/vintage-macoto-takahashi-makoto-lady-12-color-pencils-colleen-stationery-retro-girl-big-eyes-1970.html

Think I've strayed off topic, anyhow I will post another more in-depth text review. Hope you enjoyed the video anyhow, 'like' and subscribe on youtube if you wish!

NEW PINS RELEASE - SAILORMOON, DESSERT, CUTE CHARACTERS!

Small run of new kawaii pins release, made in USA, metal backs 1.25". All are original art, except Sailor Moon and friends, which are fanart! The dessert set is a different edition from my last one that was released in 1" set of three; there is an additional two candy pins now to standardise the numbers. Three themes have been released before in 1", but I thought they were a little too small for the details to be seen so decided to make them bigger. Each set comes with 5 buttons, I have a few loose ones from unmatched sets, so if you just want a particular character, we can arrange something too - just convo me on Etsy or leave a comment.

Animal Hat Kids
https://www.etsy.com/listing/185263077

Desserts
https://www.etsy.com/listing/185250210

Cute Monster Pets
https://www.etsy.com/listing/185253994

Sailor Moon
https://www.etsy.com/listing/185254999

CUTE PLASTIC BAGGIES

Bought a whole bunch of cute packaging baggies. Goodness knows I want everything on the rack haha. Perhaps the next time. These are primarily for packing merchandise. Yup short and sweet post this round! If you have any cute packaging lying around, feel free to share your link! =)

SINGAPORE COMICON 2009

So I managed to drag myself to the Singapore Games, Toys & Comics Convention 2009 held at Suntec City. I was hoping to see/ meet some local artists and artworks but the convention contained mostly commercial toys and games. The artists' booths were small right at the last row so they're easy to miss compared to big companies like Nintendo & Star Wars but it was nice to see them nonetheless.

It was quite a lovely experience being surrounded by designer toys though I had to refrain from being too *otaku* (this means somewhere along the lines 'fanboy- fangirl obsessed geek') and getting excited that my hands weren't steady enough for proper shots! It was also interesting to note some senior folks enjoying themselves; an old man was delighted at the giant Gundam mecha sculpture below and I helped him with a photo. Also a few energetic senior folks playing the wii were having fun. Very child-like =) Hopefully next year's convention will invite a wider range of toy makers & manga. More indie, handmade, more artists and more art books definitely needed.

Also it was very crowded... it doesn't look like it in the photos but I kept getting knocked about when taking photos. People kept cutting in front of my shots because it was just lots of human and semi-human (aliens and startroopers) traffic.

I believe this is from Gundam (at first I thought it was Macross)

Bandai brought in a massive lot of gachapon machines. I only managed to spin one Tofu Oyako toy because I was rushed into leaving, am seriously regretting it now.

My beloved Tetsuwan Atomu / Astroboy figurines.

Gloomy bear

Beautiful gothic Blythe doll. She has a black doggie even.

Row of Blythe dolls. The display was impressive, the pink Blythe is gorgeous!

Gachapon toys. I got the Poison Tofu magnet.

Domo-kun reminds me of an angry cookie/ abominable snowman. I think he's really cute.

Graffiti wall. See there's Tofu again.

Gary Baseman was here too.

One group out of the several cosplayers present. They add much colour to the convention.

Crowd-pleasers

TIME WASTING AT UNIQLO SITE

The Uniqlo site always comes up with such cool widgets!! First it was the Uniqlock. Now it's this Calendar widget:

http://www.uniqlo.com/calendar/

It was fun to stare at the funky time-lapsed bird's eye view of Japan. Talk about great web design and marketing! The best thing is it loads pretty quickly despite being mostly different moving scenes. I feel like getting more Uniqlo jeans now =)

Uniqlo is Japan's leading clothing retailer specialising in low-cost quality casual wear. I love their jeans and guy's tees - I dig the guy's shirts more than what the girls were getting. Like... I saw this Casshan/Casshern (70's sci-fi anime) t-shirt but it didn't come in girl's sizes. Guys get all the fun you know.

ART & MANGA-RELATED BOOK PICKS

Dropped by the art bookstore 'PageOne' at Vivocity mall recently! I can spend the whole afternoon there just browsing the design and art section, ooh I just wish I had the money to purchase them! These books below are on my wanted list:

'Illustration File Analogue'. It is a directory of Japanese illustrations published yearly. Unfortunately I didn't find the current year's or last year's edition and they don't have new copies either; it's one of my ultimate fave art books and I've been eyeing it for years! The illustrations featured are beautiful and varied, mostly of magazines, book covers and adverts with contact details of the artists. It's in Japanese.

'Manga Masters of the Art' contains interviews of prolific mangakas; their working processes, materials and other interesting titbits. Insightful although not super detailed but still makes for an interesting read. I was curious on how they met weekly deadlines and which aspects of producing manga were left to assistants.

'One Thousand Years of Manga' traces the beginnings of manga; from ukiyo-e prints to popular manga. A large part of the book are ukiyo-e art features and alot of familiar (and my favourite) manga artists who impacted the scene through the decades. Really lovely book with lots of colour.

'The Garden of Eye Candy'. I think alot of people already know about this book. The edition I saw was a PageOne edition without a box and different grey cover (also cheaper). It contains many artists who work in the style of hmm... eye candy. Girls with distinctive features or a certain atmostphere (lolita, goth, cute, etc). Sigh.

GORGEOUS CHINESE FASHION PHOTOSHOOTS

Check this out, a post on artistic fashion photography made in China, not too recent but still breathtaking. I love the ones inspired by the Beijing Olympics; as if poetry in motion captured on film. Great scans too - highr res!

http://ana-lee.livejournal.com/122540.html

THE JAPANESE GALLERY OF PSYCHIATRIC ART

Sometimes we can discover some really interesting obscure sites - this is one of them! Featuring Japanese psychiatric-related adverts. Some really funky looking images, spanning from the 1920s to 2006. My response: head-scratching. I enjoyed the gallery!

The Japanese Gallery of Psychiatric Art original site:

http://psychodoc.eek.jp/abare/gallery/index.html

English version (less content): 

http://psychodoc.eek.jp/abare/gallery/index_e.html

FREELANCING TIPS

Funny picture time! 'The Shinning' lol. If you own this pic please let me know, it's hilarious!

Here are some articles on freelancing and marketing tips, all from Freelanceswitch.com. They make for concise reads and may provide useful information for new freelancers who need to know more about handling the business.

- How to handle tightwads & charge what you're worth

- How to create memorable business cards

- Freelancing under the table: The Pros and Cons

Invoicing is an integral part of a professional business, this article may help you get started if you've never used an invoice before:

- Get your money: Best invoicing practices for freelancers

This one is interesting, because I've thought of creating stock to sell but that is in my neverending to-do list:

- 9 tips for creating and maximizing a steady income stream by selling stock

Remember freelancing IS a proper job if you work hard at it. Isn't it still income? Doesn't it pay the bills and for meals? It is not lazing around and having money drop on your lap. It's usually a full-day work, sometimes 9-12 hours, besides the 'flexible' hours. Personally I will hate it if people think I can run errands at any time convenient to them because I seem to be have 'flexible' time. That just interrupts my work... especially annoying when there are deadlines to meet. Mostly personal deadlines yes, but I rather keep to it than end up not accomplishing anything and wasting the day.

Many people do not understand why freelancers stay at home all day instead of a 'proper' 9 - 5 job at the office, thus concluding they aren't working at all. If you have this problem, I say ignore them. You'll get used to it. They'll wonder how you ever got money to purchase that new computer or pay your rent on time, then you can explain it nicely to them lol.

CUTE LIP BALM DOESN'T WORK

Ok this is like the cutest lip balm packaging, but the lip balm itself was sorely disappointing. I bought a bunch of different flavoured ones from the US as souvenirs to friends and sorry if you're reading this I hope your balms applies smoother than mine lol.

It feels like candle wax on my lips - dry and paraffin-ish. The scent is Dr Pepper alright but more of a lingering taste on an empty cup that used to contain Dr Pepper... and it's got too much sweetener. Oh and the ingredients - nothing much  natural! I think I'm used to the handmade yummy balms from Etsy... so get this only if you're a sucker of nice packaging (like me) haha!

ANOTHER PACKAGING

I don't know what else to blog about so here is my newly minted packaging for my floral brooches to add some professionalism to my goods. The floral designs are recycled from my old vectors (finally able to use them!) and printed with inkjet printer on matt coated paper. The baggies I bought from a packaging store nearby my home. I think it's worth the time and money to package an item since many sellers are already preparing for Christmas season. Are any of you guys preparing for Christmas as well? I'm totally not, lol.

ART & ARTISTS -NIKLAUS STOECKLIN

Niklaus Stoecklin (1896-1982), Swiss

I'm going to start regularly featuring eye candy on my blog for you and me to be inspired. Niklaus Stoecklin is famous for his poster design. I Iove his commercial posters, they still look remarkably modern and popish.

Weber Menziken Cigars

Bi-Oro, 1941

Bell (turkey), 1955

MOONCAKES PACKAGING - TUNG LOK

I just thought the packaging for mooncakes this year from Tung Luk (group of restaurants) is SO pretty! Even saved a clipping of their adverts for future reference =) There was a feature on mooncake packaging (for the upcoming Mid-autumn Festival/ Mooncake Festival) in the papers today as well. I collect tin boxes so if there's any chance I can get my hands on one of these (the yellow one especially) it'll be awesome. I recall in the previous years Tung Lok used old-school Shanghainese ladies painting, but this time they got a gorgeous real model!

Visit their site here: http://www.tunglok.com/

Unfortunately I don't like mooncakes so the other festival pastry option is the 'Pig in Basket' biscuit (Zhu Long/ Zhu Zai Bing) which are made from the same dough as the skin of the mooncakes. They are totally cute & yummy! Will blog about that another day =)

TYPOGRAPHY & ILLUSION - YEHRIN TONG

Time to time I'll come across a designer with awesome skills while surfing around. 

Yehrin Tong Illustration: http://yehrin.proteinos.com

Wonderful typography making use of lines, curls and optical designs, his repeat patterns also remind me of one of my favourite artists, M.C. Escher's, work.

Talking about optical illusions, I simply love them! I can't find an image of my favourite counter-rotating spirals so here's another famous spinnng spirals illusion:

WACKY PRODUCTS - ATYPYK

ATYPYK (http://www.atypyk.com)

I can't even pronounce their company's name or remember how to spell it but their site left an impression on me.

Welcome to the quirky, unorthodox, things-that-people-don't-need products known as ATYPYK from France. No matter how ridiculous or useless your merchandise may be, take it from these guys: packaging does help to sell. To see their list of items, go to the 'Products' tab on their bottom menu and click on the small grey arrows to see each item or use their drop menu. Makes fun gifts or to kill time!

SAKUMA SHIKI DROPS COMMEMORATIVE TIN

I blogged about the Sakuma Shiki Drops in March and look what I saw in my neighbourhood store! The commemorative tie-in with Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' (Hotaru no Haka) design! More expensive but the movie is one of my faves, I just gotta collect it... I still have a tin of candy from my last purchase so not opening this for now.

If you haven't watched the movie, and am in the mood for a poignant historical film, check this one out. Produced in 1988, it is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka about 2 siblings who struggles to survive near the end WWII in Japan.

NEW BUSINESS CARDS!

For my beading & vintage costume jewellery blog shop! Previously I had cheap self-printed kinds on cardstock because of a last minute bazaar to make do, but finally! I thought customers will be more likely to keep a nicely printed card rather than toss them = less wasteful =)


It's dual use where the back is plain so I can either write a thank-you note, or use it as a necklace card. Matt laminated, stiff card and unlimited colours for offset printing(!!), 300 pieces for only S$30 (abt US$23)! What a deal. I printed it locally and the printer was near my home (I printed my Lemon Shortbread biz cards there too and was very satisfied tho they are a very new company - at that time their studio seemed halfway renovated).

I wish my designing skills could be better & cuter, looking at the Etsy Packaging pool on Flickr, those packagings really make me drool! I would love to know what you guys think, and if there are any spots I can improve on? There is a cropping problem on the back tho (my image was placed too low digitally and overcropped =P)

SODA ICE CREAM

Kaku Ten Bou Ice Soda by Meiji!! I wanna gobble them up (all 10 sticks). They are too small I need 2 per sitting lol. They taste of soda or more of tutti-fruitti and inside is vanilla, a tad too sweet for my mom but they're so nostalgic. Bought them because of what-else but their packaging! The weather has been hot so ice lollies are the way to go.