Ex Libris Collection: Isis

i have kind of forgotten that i've made this shirt during the first half of the year. my closet's been a disaster lately and i didn't realize i had bought clothes which up to this date haven't been worn. anyway, i saw this last week while looking for something to wear for a lunch with my friends (a very sumptuous lunch!) and decided to wear it.

 i take the lousiest photos... this is Isis, wife of Osiris, inspiration from The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series by Michael Scott. she is depicted in full warrior regalia, with ceramic armor to boot. i'm supposed to sell this, but somehow i can't let go of the women's shirts that i make...

an attempt at Street Photography

i'm at home today, and frustrated with the dismal internet connection i have (and i thought the office has the worst connection). but my day's been made because Yanick posted my favorite street photo which i sent him on his blog. you can check it out here. i know it's not at par with the others' submissions, but to each his/her own. 

a funny Christmas card

my son made this card from school before the holiday break, and i just had to laugh out loud when i read the message inside! since when did we slay white horses on Christmas?

after that was a thorough lecturing on the lyrics of Jingle Bells (with proper spelling of course). i just don't get the angry bird that came with the message. when i asked him why there was an angry bird, he said it was his favorite (everything's his favorite lately). 

Happy Holidays to all of you! hope you all had a grand time! :)

Craftpreneur Files: Noemi Manalang of Noomiedoodles

before the year ends, it's time for yet another feature on Craftpreneur Files. let me introduce you to a very talented fashion illustrator, Noemi Manalang and her shop Noomiedoodles.

hullo, Noemi. it's a pleasure to have you here at Craftpreneur Files. do tell us a little about yourself and about your work.

My name is Noemi Manalang and I am an illustrator. I just graduated fashion design in ESMOD Jakarta a year ago and now continuing my passion in fashion illustration. I own an online shop in Etsy where I sell my original illustrations, prints, cards and I also do private freelance commisions.

how did you start going about your craft business?

It started on a long summer break during college. During that time my best friend introduced me to this site called Etsy. I was so fascinated by the creative and crafty things people were selling there that I wanted to start my own thing too. So I convinced my mom to help me out with etsy's credit card thing and just started the shop.

lucky you to have a very supporting mom not to mention being so successful at young age. but where do you draw inspiration from?

For years I enjoyed having painting lessons ever since I was small. Back then I painted more in oil landscapes and still life. Then I got pretty busy with fashion illustration in fashion school. I used to watch clips by this famous fashion designer named Isaac Mizrahi do live fashion sketches in his online site. He was my inspiration and still, to this day in making something out of fashion illustration.

well i can't blame you for loving Isaac Mizrahi, i'm also look up to him for his works and not to mention his humor! you mentioned that you have a shop on Etsy. how's it been doing so far?

It's been a very exciting experience selling my art. But what I love the most is having the opportunity to show my art to a wide audience and making friends in the Etsy community. I actually haven't experienced selling locally since I've spent most of my life in Indonesia. Now that I am currently in the Philippines, I get to see the art scene here and know what's around. I'd love to give it a try.

i could see that your shop's got quite a lot of admirers and sales on Etsy, kudos to that! but were there any drawbacks you encountered especially when you were just starting out?

At first I was pretty skeptical and had issues on shipping original art internationally because it is very far away. Well, it has been going good so far. So researching beforehand about shipping and customs would saved me a lot of time in online selling. There I made sure to let customers know in my policy that shipping would take some time and to plan for some worse case scenarios too. I'm also learning to balance my time in doing different things in my business.

from all the projects you have done, what's the most memorable so far?

Every art project has been memorable to me. One in particular was just recently when someone emailed me to request a custom illustration for her first book cover. The publishing is still ongoing so I may not provide some details here yet. It's new to us both and we're excited for the outcome!

all artwork by Noemi Manalang

we're excited to know more about it too! we hope you'll be able to share it with us through your blog once it's done. any last words for aspiring craftpreneurs?

Always be resourceful. Make the best of what you have and keep improving. I think it brings up the creativity in you.

thank you for the insights you shared with us, Noemi! i'm sure many will be looking up to you someday, as you looked up to Isaac Mizrahi.

for more of Noemi's works, you can visit her wonderful blog Noomiedoodles, and her etsy shop of the same name here.

thrifted: International Arts & Crafts book

the lovely cover

as a predecessor of my favorite art movement, the short-lived yet flamboyant Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts has been close to my heart as well. the femininity and stylized figures are what drew me to this movement, as well as the craftsmanship of each work.

all photos by Bre

what a wonderful treat for me! i bought this copy of International Arts & Crafts and would you believe that i got this for only Php100 ($2.30)? it's not very old either, with a 2005 publishing date. i just love scavenging around bargain carts of practically any store. you never know what you might come across hidden beneath those piles of what-have-yous.   

Week old doodles

can't focus... need to let out some ideas. 

the holidays are almost upon me!



oops, spilled some tea on my unicorn horn



the deal with Trese

thanks to Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo for reviving Phil folklore/myth in a Filipino graphic novel Trese (thirteen in Spanish). i bought my first copy last week. after reading it, i instantly knew i had to grab a copy of the next 4 issues. so i bought the 2nd issue yesterday. i didn't want to buy the other 2 issues yet for fear of having to wait so long for the new one (aside from the fact that i had a tight budget).

what i really like about Trese is that it is set in the present, with all-too familiar locations, and current events that does not take us too far away from present Manila. the mix of the supernatural and contemporary times blends in seamlessly, you'd think you'll come across a tikbalang when you go to work. or in my case, when i turn off my cellphone after reading (yes i read in the dark!) i'll meet a duwende in my bathroom before going to bed. Kajo's illustrations are also astounding, using chiaroscuro, no greys mind you, to depict the very dynamic scenes of Trese. of course, there's also the story line that does not mean to make every issue connect, yet the cohenrence is there. though some issues require a little background/research on Philippine monsters/artifacts. having a heroine with a murky past also helps in becoming attached to the series.

Alexandra Trese conversing with a Tikbalang

Alexandra Trese with her Kambal lackeys

what's not to love about the series? well, be honest the fact that there are only 4 issues to date! to quote Kirsten Dunst in the Interview with a Vampire, i want some more. but i hope the Kambal (twins) are with me when the other issues get released.