I apologise for neglecting this space. I’ve just been immensely busy with the final stretch of my university career… but that doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped being creative in my spare time. Whilst my friends from work demonstrate amazing talent with their musical ability, I on the other hand have rekindled my relationship with my watercolours and my paintbrushes. I’ve also had a slight obsession with painting sunflowers. I blame the Medici family for this. The works that they had collected throughout the Renaissance included a lot of amazing botanical pieces. I was impressed!

So, this is a design that I created over the past couple of weeks. It is meant to be for bedspreads and pillowcases. 

This second one is the striped coordinate. 

It would be lovely to see them rendered in soft Egyptian cotton. 

And here are some progress shots. I’ve missed creating hand-rendered works. And sunflowers make me smile. They’re pretty. 

Just taking a bit of a break from my major project, so I can develop my portfolio. 

Even though I had created a portfolio last year, I believe that my new one is more suited to my aesthetic. It is remarkably more simple and minimalist than the one I previously. 

I seem to enjoy using the self-portrait that I took earlier this year. I like that kind of photography- creamy white walls, with the emphasis on the face. 

More designs coming up really soon, so watch this space! 

Other than my bias for simple graphic design, I also enjoy posting photos of progress. Here is the latest incarnation of the invitation. It has the logos from not only Wakayama U. but also the logo of the plum wine company, CHOYA. 

One of the things that I am looking forward to the most is this exhibition. Not only will people get a glimpse of what I work on. It will act as a way of assessing my work from the university’s perspective. For me, this is another step in my design process- prototyping and packaging my designs. 

I visited Japan early this year with twelve other students for a course about the uniqueness of Japanese religion and the relationship that the people have with the land. As part of this course, our group is having an exhibition. Having a fascination with Japanese aesthetics, simple graphic design and such, I decided that I wanted to create the invitation for this exhibition. 

The design took inspiration from the simplicity of the Japanese flag, as well as its significance in the lives of the Japanese people. I have used the kanji, “iyashi” as part of the design to allude to the environmental art that we had created in Chikatsuyu. Likewise, the kanji, which means “healing” also alludes to the experience that we had. The pilgrimage acted as a way of healing and meditation, which cleansed our spirits and inspired us. Placing the kanji within the red circle is reminiscent of the stamps that many of us had collected along the way. 

I rather like this design. Then again, I am a sucker for simplicity. It may still be a work in progress, like many of my designs.

Watch this space.

2011 has given me a lot of opportunities in the world of design. This is just a small stepping stone. I am positive that the year 2012 will bring more experiences. 

The year started with designs I actually liked. I think that I’d like to venture into sleepwear designs one day. 

Helen and I collaborated with this letterpress piece. It was quite enjoyable. 

In 2011, my friend Helen’s designs got turned into a beautiful rug. My designs were among the staff choices that were featured in the exhibition. Helen was the one who designed this invitation as well. 

I designed a costume for the Little Matchgirl (Hans Christian Andersen) for a costume design class. My original design was better… though I almost burned my house in the process. 

Then came the Integrated project- wherein we had to design something for actual clients. I attempted to do the Leichhardt City Council brief for the revitalisation of the Leichhardt Town Hall. 

I know that I can do better next year! I will be starting it off on the right foot. In less than two days, I will be starting the new year in Japan.