Dream A Little Dream Home in the Netherlands

See You See Me Studio · August 25, 2024

Looking at architecture and interior design is a great source of inspiration for me. And I’m so inspired when I see a beautiful dwelling space, or home, like the one in the pictures below.

Every corner of this gorgeous house is so minimalistic, yet it’s warm and cosy at the same time, with its muted and natural palette that envelopes the entire home. Each piece of furniture is also artistically styled and displayed to bring out the essence of each space in the house. When I delved deeper into who was behind the look and design of this home, I learnt that it was by Mamoesjka and I began to follow and like her posts on Instagram.

It wasn’t long before we started to add each other on Instagram and started chatting a little. And out of the blue, Mamoesjka responded to a spontaneous question of mine one day (“Perhaps we could collaborate someday?”) and she said “yes.” I was over the moon! It was wonderful to know that the feeling was mutual. Fast forward to the present, I’m thrilled to share that my art is featured in the beautiful house of Mamoesjka.

If you want to learn more about Mamoesjka, here’s a little short interview that we did with her. You can find out more about this talented woman behind the camera and her beautiful home in the Netherlands.

Who is Mamoesjka?

My name is Ilona Zieltjens and I’m a 40-year-old Dutch mother.My partner, Daniel, and I have been together since I was 16 and he was 17. We have two sons — Tycho, 19, and Fender, 14 and we all live together in Tilburg, a city in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

I love playing with colours and living to the rhythm of the different seasons. What I can't find in stores, I decide to make myself. I enjoy a house full of sustainable materials and natural colours. Quality and authenticity are extremely important to me.

I have been active on Instagram for more than 7 years, where I take daily photos of my interior, my cat, Keesje, and my DIY projects. I love inspiring others and I have worked with all kinds of well-known brands and companies. Always focussing on craft, fair trade and sustainability. My home and interior ideas regularly come back in various magazines at home and abroad. I am extremely grateful for all the collaborations, contacts made, and the friendships.

In addition to running Mamoesjka, I love gardening, hiking, and music.

What does Mamoesjka stand for?

I stand for sustainability. I only choose items in the house that are made in a sustainable way, and preferably, can last a lifetime. My motto is: Conscious, light, and beautiful!

Image Copyright © 2024 @mamoesjka_nl | Featured Artwork: Folks (10 x 8)

How would you describe your interior style?

My taste has changed a lot in the last 10 years. I once lived in a house with bright pink walls and bright colors. Now I like more peace and quiet and I can sometimes have endless doubts about a new color on the wall. I love beautiful materials, such as wood and linen. I love a minimalist interior, which is a place that’s cozy with light colors.

What was the most challenging part of designing your house?

I always follow my gut and I know that nothing has to be forever. Sometimes, I would like to renovate something, but then money holds me back. My husband and I are both very hands-on and have remodeled our house from top to bottom ourselves. When we bought this house, everything was broken, dirty, and worn out. My biggest challenge is that I have to be more patient, and to save up so that I can take on new project.

What is your favourite kind of art? / What kind of art inspires you?

I love little stories in art. So that when I look, I can step into the artwork, and I can move myself around in the artwork — all in my mind. Does that sound crazy? Haha.

I like art that’s personal, so works that are not released on a large scale. Again, I think works by small entrepreneurs are fantastic. I can feel the work and appreciate it immensely.

Copyright © 2024 @mamoesjka_nl | Featured Artwork: Museum Lovers (8 x 10)

What is your dream project?

My husband and I really want to move abroad. The dream is a cottage in nature with animals and a small B&B . Ideally, we would like to renovate and renovate this house all by ourselves, as we have done with our current house.

Copyright © 2024 @mamoesjka_nl | Featured Artwork: Chirps in a City (8 x 10)

t’s still a rather surreal feeling to see my art pieces being displayed in this interior space that I admire and love so much. Thanks Ilona for doing this mini collaboration with us!

If you’d like to see more of Ilona’s ideas and work, or are looking for inspiration for minimalist interiors, you can find Ilona Zieltjens @mamoesjka_nl on Instagram.

And one last thing, all the images that were featured here are from Ilona for the purposes of this blog entry only, please do not use or screenshot these pictures for your own use, without seeking permission from Ilona Zieltjens @mamoesjka_nl.

A Daily Affair

See You See Me Studio · January 15, 2023

How did my illustration journey all began? It started with an iPad Pro, a gift from my hubby (Kenny, the other half of See You See Me). This sparked off a dream and a life that I didn’t think would be possible. (And this is not a sponsored blogpost by Apple by the way.)

I would have never imagined myself as an illustrator and to be able to do what I’m doing now. I was working as a graphic designer in the advertising industry, and had been doing so for nearly 15 years. I’ve always admired and loved art and illustrations. But I hadn’t picked up a paint brush since my last art lesson as a kid in school. My best attempts to draw, at that point, was with a pen and a notebook, accompanied by some minimal colouring on Photoshop. I would call these my random doodles. I wanted to experiment, to see what I could do. To see if there was something I could use for my work or commercially.

Looking back, it didn’t quite work out. These little A5-sized cards were created just for fun. But I don’t think they were good enough to amount to anything.

By default, my mindset then was fixated on how a good drawing or painting had to look realistic, like those you see in museums or like a photograph. All the drawing tools and materials felt really daunting to me. I couldn’t imagine the amount of materials that I’ll be wasting and the mess that I’d have created, even before producing a decent looking piece of work. To all those who think you can’t draw, I feel you. It takes great practice and technique to be able to draw something/someone that looks as though like you’re looking at a photograph. It’s a very special talent and skill. But sadly for me, this was not my talent, and it was this very thought that took away the joy from me to truly enjoy drawing.

Having the iPad Pro however, accompanied by the Procreate app, changed my life. I didn’t need to worry if I was wasting too much paper or materials. Should I learn watercolour, pastels, or simply use pencils to begin with? Well, the Procreate app has so many different types of tools for you to choose from. And I could start to experiment more, to learn something new and to try them all out. For those of you who don’t know about Procreate, it’s a drawing app. To me, it’s like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator combined. Check out Procreate if you want to find out more.

Ok, I digress, back to my illustration journey. I started with no specific plan in mind, my main aim was to learn how to draw with Procreate on the iPad Pro. It was not easy at the beginning. Just getting used to a “Pencil” that wasn’t a physical pencil, and the glass display of the iPad Pro was difficult enough. It made me so uncomfortable and conscious of the surface that I could barely would even rest my hand on the screen when I drew. However, the pros of this new medium soon outweigh the cons. I learnt I could do so much more through my new device. The (almost) unlimited “undos” that I had through the app also gave me a new boldness to draw freely (nothing I drew could go “wrong”). So I started to love it and began drawing more and more. Until one day, and it was an impromptu decision, in 2017, I decided I wanted to challenge myself to keep drawing. And having read about the 10,000-hour rule, I wanted to do something to push myself to get even better at this. So I started my very own 365 Day Project on Instagram — A Drawing A Day.

365 DAY PROJECT ON INSTAGRAM —
A Drawing A Day

When I first started, I didn’t think anyone would care or even bother to look at my drawings and posts. But slowly, I started noticing that I had a handful of followers. I then felt accountable to this invisible audience of mine, I knew that there were at least some “friends” online, who were watching and supporting me. The algorithm on Instagram was also much friendlier to content creators back then. (Oh, Instagram, why have you changed so much? But this is a discussion for another day. Sorry, I digress again.😅)

Ironically, after posting my very first “Set Sail” post — the post that was meant to symbolize the launch of this project — things then became not as smooth sailing as I’d have liked them to be. I remember very vividly that on Day 10, I wanted to give up. I had no idea where this project was leading to. And how I was going to keep going for another 355 days!

Long story short, I’m thankful for an encouraging hubby, who believed in me (Kenny saved the day). He simply told me not to give up, he encouraged me on how I can learn to plan and how to come up with ideas for my illustrations. And more importantly, to enjoy the journey and what I’m doing, and to see how things unfold.

So after overcoming Day 10, it felt like a small victory. But still there were challenges. And the biggest one yet was — self-doubt! If you haven’t realized by now, you’re often your worst enemy. And I struggled with this too. There was this relentless nagging voice in my head that went on and on. Making me question what I was doing and whether my 365 Day Project was going anywhere. I had so many questions in my head, so much so that I could make a list!

MY TOP 10 SELF-DOUBT QUESIONS

This Procreate app is too difficult, you won’t be able to learn it on your own.
You won’t get anything out of this, you’re simply wasting your time.
You call these illustrations? A 3 year-old kid can draw better than you.
What’s the point of this challenge? No one will be interested in what you share.
What if you give up halfway? Why don’t you stop now, to avoid further disappointment?
You won’t be able to finish such a difficult challenge.
Are you sure this is good enough to post on social media?
There’re so many illustrators out there, one challenge like this won’t get you anywhere near to what they’ve already achieved.
What’s next after the 365 days?
You’ll never be good enough.

Do these sound familiar to you? Or am I the only one questioning myself? Even till this day, these moments still come back to haunt me from time to time, or on bad days. So if you’re struggling with these thoughts about your illustrations, you’re not alone. I’m no therapist or wellness expert, but I found the way to silent these nagging thoughts and questions is to learn to park them aside, and to go with what you believe in and had planned on doing, or in this case, drawing. There’s a saying, “What you feed grows, what you starve dies,” — if I don’t continue to question myself, I’ll be fine. And instead of feeding my self-doubt, I turned to dreaming of what I’d want to draw or achieve instead.

Day 9 of #365DayProject (Quote from Lisa Bevere)

“I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.”
– Van Gogh

I was nothing close to painting my dream like Van Gogh, but it was a good start for me — to start learning how to paint my dream. This became how I kept my 365 Day Project going.

Day 23 of #365DayProject (Quote from Landa Cope)

My 365 Day Project was made up of random combinations of dreaming, of imagined characters, spaces, of daily life, my travels and people-watching, basically anything that came to my mind there and then. As much as how my ideas may sound random, that was exactly my state of my mind at that point of my life. Now that I’m recalling and looking back. I was picking up on things from the music I was listening to, highlighting quotes from the books I read, remembering scenes from the movies I watched, or the places that I traveled to. Because I needed something to inspire me to draw every day, I became more and more aware of the things around me. This was what was helping me dream and to think of new ideas and inspiration for my drawings. This also taught me not to take the small and insignificant things around me for granted. They could all be inspiration for a new drawing or idea.

From dreaming and drawing everyday, I began to come up with lots of different themes. Or series that I can base my drawing on.

Here are some of my favourite themes from the project.

Alone Series

Juxtaposing people with larger-than-life daily objects.

Surprise Momentums

Playing with similar shapes to form a pattern, and adding a tiny surprise in it.

Waiting Series

Creating imaginary spaces with watercolour blotches.

Random Drawings with No Specific Themes

From Top Left: Shark Boy, On the Loop, Summer Sobert, Hide Or Seek, Organic Sound & Swim On…

Mechanical Lives Series

Moods Series

Inspired by Little Shops & Buildings

From Top Left: Ramen craving, Cycladic Love, Little Brickhouse, Stew Chilling, Little Village Dineout & Little Bagel Cafe

Abstract: Playing with shapes and colors

From Top Left: Home Sail, Tennis Thyme, Snail Mail & Rainy Sunny Side-Up

Inktober Series

A month full of drawings, inspired by my favorite songs, using part of the lyrics as the title of each artwork. Here are some of my favourites.

I probably enjoyed this phase the most in the entire project. And I think maybe this has something to do with our vision for See You See Me, which wasn’t to create illustrations in the first place. Our dream is to create our own music, and someday we still hope to do so, and then we can pair our music with my illustrations. This is still a dream project for us and hopefully we can bring it to pass in the near future.

Back to my illustration journey. I’m not sure if you can tell, but the more I drew, and as the year progressed, so did I. My style of drawing back when I was starting was so different, compared to now. And to be very frank, I often cringe now when I look back at all my archives. I’m so glad that my illustration style has evolved (and hopefully will continue to evolve and improve), and I can safely say that my work has definitely improved from where I first started. Anybody remember those doodles in my notebook?

I had a mentor who told me,
“You’re only as good as your last award or last work.”

Of course he didn’t mean to dismiss my achievements or who I was as a person. He meant it in way to encourage me to keep going and to grow. I’m sure he meant, to keep going, as a creative, we have to keep honing our craft and to never stop learning. I’ve held on to this piece of advice ever since. Every new piece of work for me is an invitation to do something greater and better the next time round.

The next tip I want to share, at least that’s what I learnt, is that there’s no fixed formula in my 365 Day project, the only secret ingredient, or formula, was consistency. The only rule I gave myself was to draw something, anything, every single day. You just need to keep it going. Or to find a way to do it every day, or as often as you can.

To help you get started, or if you need some inspiration, the themes I shared above are not a standard to follow, nor are they in chronological order, so you don’t have to follow or come up with such. You can pick what you like and create your own series and themes. I’d have loved to showcase all my ideas in this post but it’s impossible. If you’d like to see the full 365 Project in chronological order, you can scroll all the way back down on our Instagram page and view from there.

Side note: I also read one book during this project, and I highly recommend “Wreck This Journal” by Keri Smith. This book is fun and creative, and there are many exercises that make you think out of the box. There are a few cover editions, so you can buy one to wreck it up, I’m sure it’ll help you come up with fresh ideas.

Beyond the Finishing Line

As I came to the final few weeks and days of my 365 Day Project, little did I know, the routine and practice of drawing a picture a day had become a part of me. Besides picking up a new skill and craft that I could keep honing, through learning to find inspiration and new ideas from different sources, I also started to pay more attention to the works of different artists/illustrators and this led me to fall in love with picture books and wanting to work on one. I find that picture books are so deceptively simple but yet, they require so much thinking, and skill and craft from both the author and illustrator, to make it a really great picture book. Had I not started my 365 Day Project, would I have wanted to read and explore picture books? Probably not.

And the more you do it, the more you realize, there’s so much more to do. Inspired by all the great artists/illustrators that I had been reading and admiring, my desire to improve my illustration skills continue to grow. I started to explore beyond digital drawings and painting on the iPad Pro. As I researched and looked for other materials and methods, I realized there was so much more for me to learn and to try out — again. First, I discovered water-soluble color pencils and pastels. These new tools opened another brand new world for me. And that led to another new style of illustrations and many, many new approaches to my drawings and paintings again. So if you keep at it, this process will literally sustain itself!

Materials Used: Caran D’Ache Neocolor II & Supracolor Soft

In closing, to be able to draw every day, like what I’ve been able to do, is a true blessing. Again, it’s something that I never would have imagined could happen when I first started.

As I was concluding the project, and the more I posted then, our audience began to grow and grow. It may not be 100% similar now, but being able to gain an audience on social media has opened up many, many doors and opportunities for me. It was through See You See Me that we’ve met and are able to work with so many amazing people around the world, from like-minded artists, authors, small business owners, and not forgetting our followers (it’s because of you now, that we continue to do what we do).

What has happened to me since is something that brings me immense joy. Something that all my years of working as a graphic designer could not bring. In fact, it was this daily affair with a 365 Day Project that brought forth a new career path for me.

I’ve had the opportunity to work on three children’s books (and counting). The first two were introduced on our blog archives, dated Sept 02 & Nov 11, 2021. The third one that I’ve just completed is with a Danish author, Mia My. The book is called “A Tale of Life. If you’re a subscriber to our Little Musings newsletter, you would have seen the cover reveal of the book. I’ll keep you all posted when the book is going to be officially released.

Not only that, I’ve been blessed to be able to start my own online shop and very own small business. Working with small business owners, and seeing my prints going round the globe, going to more places than we can ever imagine is, till this day, something that I can hardly believe. I’m ever so thankful for all of you who’ve supported me. And by the way, I cannot talk about having my own small business, without again introducing my stockists, whom I’m very pleased to be working with. Here are some of our stockists who carry our products. Drop by for a visit if you’re nearby.

We’re also currently working on some new stuff for our shop and new projects. To learn more about these, and to be the first-to-know, subscribe to our Little Musings newsletter!

Lastly, I hope this share about my 365 Day Project can spark off something for you to pursue this year. Whether you’d like to commit to a 365 Day Project or a smaller, more manageable, project, I hope I was able to inspire you to start somewhere, or to stay the course, and to see where it leads you. The situation, exact circumstances, and outcomes for you may not be like-for-like with mine. But there’s one thing I know for sure, and that is, you’ll definitely learn something valuable about yourself — or your illustrations, or this journey you’re about to embark on — along the way. I hope you’ll find the journey to be as rewarding as I’ve found mine to be. May you set sail and discover a whole entire brave new world for yourself!

p/s: If you have comments, I’d love to hear them. Free to drop me any questions on illustration and the creative process as well. I’ll try my best to answer them as much as I can.

Be a Child, Again

See You See Me Studio · August 3, 2022

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
– Pablo Picasso

To confess, I’m definitely nowhere near the level of Picasso, far from it, as I’ve got so much more to learn and grow. However, these quotes made me realised that it’s so easy to lose our enthusiasm in what we love, if we stop learning, discovering, and seeing things with a child’s perspective.

One of my favourite writers, Landa Cope, said this, “You can't create anything that doesn't reveal who you are. You can't create what you want to be, you create out of what you are.” To paint from the heart is to paint like a child, I believe. I love to art jam with my nephew who’s turning 7 this year. He loves scary monsters and is afraid of the dark, but he enjoys creating and drawing new creatures of his own. Funny, right? Children build their worlds by reimagining the things they find or see around them. So what is the imagined world in my heart?

Palettes of Imagination

In my last blog entry, I mentioned that I really enjoy the moment when an artwork is created by design, yet spontaneous at the same time. It’s the spontaneity that makes all the difference. Spontaneity is where the fun begins. One of my go-to, warm up exercises, before I paint or illustrate, is to play with colors.

First, I select a palette of colors for the day and I just make random color blobs out of them. Then I re-imagine these blobs differently. Suddenly, I can see a hundred different things to the blobs. One blob can be a hat, another a mushroom, one is a chair, the others are a vase, a plant… and you get the idea. Try this method and you’ll be amazed at where your inner child’s imagination can bring forth.

Beauty of Imperfection

In my early years of studying art in school, our artwork was often graded according to how well, or rather how realistic, the piece was. This was what turned me off art when I was a kid. Yes, I disliked art. Hahaha. My illustration journey only began in 2017 when I started a 365 project on Instagram. Perhaps I should share more about this journey of mine in the upcoming blogs, but that’s for another day.

When I realised that art is not just about how realistic it should be because there are so many different styles of painting and illustrations. As artists, we should constantly find the best way to express what’s in our soul, and hopefully, the end result, or artwork, will resonate with the audience.

I’m personally very drawn to abstract art. I also love work that shows an artist’s vulnerability and imperfection. I guess that reflects life, and where beauty lies. Those raw and loose strokes, be it in any forms, textures or colors, they resemble a child’s bold attempt of drawing freely, without having any cognitive process or overthinking things. I’ve learnt to appreciate mistakes in my pieces, and the white space on a blank sketchbook page is less daunting to me now.

These are images from the Wonky Series. I’m proud to say that this series was born out of simply just having fun and creating crooked strokes out of these architectural forms, buildings, and houses.

Stay Curious

If we’re not constantly in a place where we’re trying to learn and figure out what we don't know, we won't be able to create anything new. This is food for thought for me constantly – when we think we know it all, then we know nothing at all. So, stay curious and inquisitive like a child, always. I know I am! :p

Slow Dance

See You See Me Studio · January 16, 2022

It’s midway through January and this is our first blog post of the year. We’re so thankful that we’ve got a handful of new subscribers. We thought we should give a little intro of See You See Me. We’re a husband and wife duo. Kenny is the “sleeping partner” and I, Shermaine, am the illustrator behind this studio. Being the “sleeping partner” may not sound much, but Kenny actually works harder than me because on top of this, he has a full-time job. Without his support, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love through SYSM. You can read more about us.

Due to the nature of Kenny’s job, his work has already kinda set the pace for him in 2022. But for me, I chose to take an approach, that I call — ‘Slow Dance’ — for us (SYSM) this year. I’m learning to take things slow so that I can enjoy the creative process more, and so that I’m not just focusing on the finished artwork.

A slow dance requires me to pick a slow song to accompany the dance. As the tempo is slower, it enables me to enjoy every little thing. Through this metaphor, it simplifies my approach to setting simple daily routines, and keep the creative momentum going. So here we go…

Getting started.

Selecting the right paper when you’re about to illustrate a new artwork is like picking the right song for a dance. Besides the color palette, the paper subtly sets the tone and texture for the piece.

The hardest part when I’m getting started on a new piece of work is… the start. Yes, at the very beginning, when there’s nothing on the canvas. Sometimes, my creativity flows and I’ll be able to draw and paint non-stop. Sometimes, and often times, I may get stuck. And that’s where I turn to different sources for inspiration.

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come from anywhere, it could be a quote from a book, a color, or something playing on the TV. There’s one other source that I draw inspiration from (pun not intended). And that’s the paper that I use. I have a list of favourite papers for different types of illustrations or different works.

For me, the texture and feel of the paper is so important. The thickness and density of the paper, or gsm per se, is key too, and can sometimes determine or influence my artwork, or finished product, in more ways that one. Here are some of my favourite, go-to papers:

1. Arches Aquarelle Watercolour, 300g/m² - 140lbs
This may be a little pricey but the texture of the paper is so, so good! I love it when I use it to draw scenic nature views like mountains, rocks, and seas. Some of my favourite artworks are drawn on Arches paper. E.g: “Sharing Dreams” – the paper simply gives the mountain in the artwork the “natural” texture it needs, without requiring a lot of effort to blend the colors. Below are some of the close-ups of the artwork’s textures.

Featured artwork: Sharing Dreams 8” x 11”

2. Moleskin Watercolour Sketchbooks
I use this for most of my book projects. Partly because of its handy size, plus it fits to my scanner perfectly. I painted most of the background images for my latest picture book — ‘The Boy Who Talked All Day’ — on these sketchbooks. Here are some of the details from the book, that I was able to come up with using this sort of papers.

3. Ebony Artist’s Sketch Book, 150g/m² - 101lbs
Disclaimer: This is not recommended for water colours, but I use it anyway! What I’ve discovered while using this paper is, I just need to control the amount of water on my brushes, and the textures come out pretty amazing too. However, as the color smudges easily, I usually prefer to draw small items on this paper, so that I can have better control of how the color blends as I paint. These examples are some of the tiny things that I find joy drawing on this type of paper.

Following the rhythm.

One other major element of any dance is rhythm. I find that rhythm is not about being fast or slow. It’s about consistency, like the beats to a song. It gives you a pattern, and the momentum to continue, to repeat what you’re doing.

I’ve spent quite a number of years trying to be creative, and constantly coming up with new ideas. And I realized, not every day is going to be a bright and sunny day. There are moments where you’re not inspired, or fluent, and some days just feel grey and gloomy, because you simply don’t know what you want to draw, or create. When the grey and gloomy days come, I try to remember how I need to maintain the rhythm, and the song that I’m dancing to.

These are the days that I just need to push on. And sometimes, I feel like just drawing very simple sketches. Just to keep going, just to maintain the rhythm. Armed with a simple black brush, I keep plugging away, sketching, and doodling whatever comes to mind. I find that when I’m able to do this, it can be rather therapeutic.

It’s such a simple concept, there’s no fuss, I just learn to keep going with the flow. And sometimes, you’d be amazed at what the results are like.

Letting go, enjoying the dance.

Finally, when you’re in the midst of the song, dance like no one is watching. When I’m illustrating, I find that spontaneous movements — and strokes — give me the most satisfaction in a piece I’m working on.

I love it when I cannot replicate the same spontaneous brush strokes (try it, it’s near impossible, hence it’s spontaneous!). This also gives me the freedom to try new painting techniques.

Use bold strokes, mix it up with gentle strokes. Try twisting the brush heads, using semi-dry brush heads. I even mix pastels with coloured pencils before blending the colors. Or sometimes, I even mix using blunt and sharpened pastels, or even coloured pencils. These are the different, spontaneous ways that I employ. And through these spontaneous ways of working, it allows me to explore, to combine, and to discover new techniques.

I love it when my pieces are painted with very deliberate brushstrokes, but can also look like they are accidental. But I know they’re definitely not all accidents, because there’s still some skill involved. And when an artwork gives me that feeling — that it’s created by design, yet spontaneous at the same time — that’s when I find the essence of the artwork is complete. That’s when I know I’ve captured the mood of what I want the artwork to be. Of course, I’m still learning how to grasp this technique and to continue to hone my skills. It’s a lifelong journey. And down the line, as I blog and journal more, I hope to share more of my techniques with you.

I hope this simple approach — of looking at illustrating and the creative process like a ‘Slow Dance’ — has given you another approach to start, to explore, or to enjoy your work. Remember, there may still be days that you don’t even feel like dancing, and that’s totally fine. Keep finding and following your rhythm, and learn to enjoy the creative process and spontaneous movements in the midst of it. That's where the fun is.

Comfort Food

See You See Me Studio · November 22, 2021

One of my favourite dishes, possibly of all time, is Ochazuke. It’s a simple Japanese dish that’s made by pouring green tea, dashi, over cooked rice.

I absolutely adore Ochazuke. It’s my comfort food. I can have it every day. Okay, maybe not every day, but almost every day.

What makes my version of Ochazuke, unique, is my interpretation, or preparation, of it. I enjoy preparing the dashi with katsuobushi (bonito flakes), soy sauce, sake, mirin. I love to add garnishing like spring onion (lots and lots of ‘em), umeboshi (a type of pickled plum), and I usually have it with white fish, Shirasu or salmon. Last but not least, I top it up with my “secret ingredient” — yuzu kosho. Yuzu kosho is a condiment that’s made from fresh chiles and fermented with salt.

Ironically, I didn’t get to taste yuzu kosho in Japan, instead, I fell in love with yuzu kosho when traveling in Melbourne, Australia, where I first had it in a cafe called CIBI – a simple Japanese-inspired cafe. The Ochazuke came with a grilled salmon fillet, and when paired with the umami dashi, it just tasted heavenly.

Just writing this entry makes me crave for ochazuke. I think I just might make it tonight again. Time to go shop for ingredients.

Now that you know my favourite comfort food, what’s yours?

New Picture Book

See You See Me Studio · November 11, 2021

New picture book launch! I’m so happy and proud to present ‘The Boy Who Talked All Day’! This is my second picture book — but my first — working with a publisher, Epigram Books. Written by Linda Locke and illustrated by Shermaine Cheong — yes, that’s me, the illustrator behind See You See Me.

This book is about a boy who’s curious about everything. And someone who likes to speak his mind wherever he goes! Despite the danger he meets along the way, his curiosity knows no bounds and he’s always intrigued and keen to keep learning.

You can now get your very own copy of the book here. For wholesale orders and publication rights, please contact the Epigram Books.

Happy reading and listening to the boy!

When Waiting Is No Longer Waiting

See You See Me Studio · November 9, 2021

Most of the time, we do not like to wait. Or at least I used to dislike waiting.

But I found myself enjoying waiting when I was painting a series on companionship. Perhaps it’s the solitude and time spent at home during this past two years, that made me realized that it’s OK to wait.

I’m also blessed to have my husband and working partner with me. We could share moments together and confide in each other. And some days are just spent… waiting. I guess that’s what most of these illustrations are trying to show. Good days or bad days, to have a companion — is the best type of support. And that’s something to be thankful for, always.

It’s alive, alive!

See You See Me Studio · September 2, 2021

I’m so, so, so excited today. Can you tell? One of the picture books that I worked on with Rachell Booker, “We All Honk The Same”, is now available on PIBOCO, a digital picture book collective platform. Check it out here ›

It’s been such a great experience seeing the book and story come to life, and working with PIBOCO. I’m so in love with the animations that they’ve created, based on my illustrations, and with the words and dialogue that Rachell wrote being spoken out loud, and the quirky, original music that the PIBOCO team came up with. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

If you haven’t had the chance to see what’s on PIBOCO, I’d recommend that you jump onboard, especially if you’re a big fan of picture books and illustrations. You’ll find a huge selection of picture books that have been expertly curated and brought to life by the incredible team at PIBOCO. And you can get a new picture book every week!

I hope to share more of my work on PIBOCO with all of you, hopefully soon. Watch this (animated) space!

P.S: If you prefer to get hold of the actual book, you can purchase it here ›

Hidden Cafes

See You See Me Studio · June 22, 2021

One of the many things I missed the most during lockdown is to visit my favorite cafes, or to go cafe hopping. That’s probably why I’ve illustrated quite a few cafes or scenes around such.

Kenny loves coffee, but I’m not a big fan (although I do like a good hot chocolate from time to time). I also love to hunt for cafes in hidden corners of the cities we visit. Or, to discover some new local joint with the best brews.

Nothing beats finding a good spot with a delicious cuppa and some nibbles. For selfish reasons, it’s even better if people have yet to discover the cafe, so it’s nice and quiet. Then you can really take in the sights and sounds. And aromas. Just thinking of this makes me want to head out to my favorite cafes again. Do you have a favorite cafe — hidden or not — in your city?

Like our cafe illustrations? Check out our online shop to get your favorite print!

The Smell of Packing Orders

See You See Me Studio · May 20, 2021

Do you have a favorite smell? I have a funny one. It’s the smell when I’m packing the orders of all my lovely customers!

There’s quite a bit of a process that goes into every order before it’s shipped out. And I love it.

I usually pack my orders first thing in the morning. The sun is shining, I can feel the wrapping tissue, I can smell the products and my stationery. And I can imagine your happy faces when you receive your order. Your support means so much! Maybe that’s why this is my favorite smell?

Quite the Character

See You See Me Studio · April 29, 2021

It’s been a while since I updated the blog. Where did all the time go? Well, I’ve been busy working on a new picture book project. One of my favorite things to do, when working on a new story, is the creation and design of the characters.

Every character, to me, is unique. And that’s what makes the story or illustrations interesting.

When designing a character, I love to put myself in their shoes. Or, I’d think about what they’re like, or what quirks, features and characteristics I can infuse into the design. There are so many possibilities and variations I can come up with, but I must stay focused.

Here’s a peek into a recent character I worked on. I had a lot of fun coming up with the overall look, as well as the features, expressions and actions. I can’t wait to show you more!

Not So Noisy After All

See You See Me Studio · March 30, 2021

Music is a big part of our working process. It drives us, consciously or subconsciously, and there’s always something playing in the background.

The thing about music is, just like inspiration, it can come from anywhere. And we discovered one of our favorite songs in recent times by accident, in one of the strangest places. It was playing in the background in the mall while we were using the restroom.

We both noticed the song in different ways. I thought it was quite distracting and Kenny thought it was a nice song. When we Shazam-ed and found out the title of the song — ‘Urusai Tori’ (or ‘Noisy Bird’ in Japanese) by Asobi Seksu — we had a good laugh.

True to the song’s title, it was rather noisy, yet adorable, after all. Needles to say, the song has been looping on our playlists, and it isn’t that “noisy” after all.

My Current Favorite Palette

See You See Me Studio · March 27, 2021

I love colors and exploring different colors, if you can’t already tell, haha. I find that colors are like ingredients in cooking, or like the tools of any trade. The right color palette can help to shape and affect the mood of my work. Sometimes, I can start coming up with an idea for a piece, based solely on a unique or interesting color. Here are some of my current favorites. What are some of your favorite colors?

Our First Entry

See You See Me Studio · March 25, 2021

Is anybody here? Of course not, it’s our first blog entry.

We’ve decided to start one so that we can share more. More of what we love, more of what inspires us, like our holiday plans (just kidding). And maybe, some little quirks along the way.

We hope you’ll enjoy reading and catching up with us, as much as we enjoy putting these entries together. Stay tuned!