A Drawing A Day14

scared

a captured Siren, illustration by Bre

A Drawing A Day13

a very fashionable eskimo

an eskimo huntress illustration by Bre

PopkinGarb Post Hiatus

Finally, after a long break PopkinGarb is back. I have made changes to my Etsy shop however, it's now entitled La Mer de Reve. there are also revisions in the product line up, and I think it's best if you check it out yourselves. just a sneak peak...

Shishigami version2 by Bre

La Vie En Rose: magnetic bookmarks

and these are finally out, for Php150 ($3.50) for a set of 4. or you could also purchase individually at Php45 ($1) each. all hand-drawn and handmade by Bre. just email me for orders at ea.senga@gmail.com

more to come!

ERRATUM: This set has been sold already

A Drawing A Day11

how i would want to commute in a slouchy coat

Commute illustration, by Bre

A Drawing A Day10

it was a busy week, the previous one. i wasn't able to draw daily, but here's one i was able to do last week.

and it's contagious

her smile, that is...

Contagious illustration, by Bre

Sneak a Peek: La Vie En Rose

a glimpse of my work area

here's what's i've been up to lately. one of friends, Vins of Tawambuhay, piqued me to create stationery items. we were supposed to be a tandem, with her coming up with the words for cards/notebooks, but haven't yet brainstormed on our project. one thing stuck to my mind though, her mentioning of La Vie En Rose. the phrase i found out has many possibilities, and here are some. 

i've yet to post the finished bookmarks here and on etsy, but i'd just like to share with you this WIP. thanks, Vins, for the inspiration!

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



ExLibris: SPQR kids

like an angry Roman child of Camp Jupiter

here's the latest addition to my shirts: SPQR: Fulminata, white on black.

my son and his big tummy

new artwork

kiss me and be mine

i love long weekends as it gives me more time to draw/paint. and here is one of my finished works. i got the inspriation of a winged mermaid from manta rays and sea slugs. plain old mermaids tend to be boring, even if you get to kiss one. this artwork is all done in pencils and watercolor.

possibly a new collection

here's a shirt a designed for my husband during the long weekend. we both like reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and thoroughly enjoyed the new series Heroes of Olympus, with Son of Neptune being the latest and the inspiration of this shirt. i used white fabric pastels on a plain black shirt.

Senatus Populesque Romanus

he liked the shirt (of course he would!) but my husband told me that the shirt wasn't complete, it needed Fulminata (armed with lightning) as the mark of the Roman camp. shoot, how can i forget! while that might have been a slight folly, i need to experiment more on using white fabric pastel as i kind of melts in the fabric when pressed with an iron, giving the print a rather dull rendering. apart from that, i was spurred into making new prints on shirts based on books that i read. how does Ex Libris Collection sound?

some WIPs

here are some WIP (work-in-progress) artworks i have posted recently. the colors are a bit dull, i have no idea what happened to the scanner, but i do not like the scanned versions. the colors came out too pale. the second image did not turnout into anything at all and i had to rework the contrast, hues etc. that's a nereid, by the way. 

all artworks done and yet to be finished by EaBrea aka me

i'll be sure to take photos instead the next time i post artworks.

Craftpreneur Files: MQuin

there will be a new section on my blog called Craftpreneur Files, where i will be featuring very talented crafters in interviews. i've discovered that there are a lot of undiscovered talents, both in the Philippines and abroad, and this is a way to spread the word about their beautiful work. As debut of Craftpreneur Files, I've decided to interview one of my team members from Etsy Pilipinas and seasoned sellers on Etsy, Milka of MQuin.

hi, Milka! welcome to PopkinGarb. Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

My name is Milka, I am wife to a wonderful husband for 8 years and we have a 2 year old boy. I started fashion design a little bit late than most when i turned 30. Before that I was a banker and also managed operations for a call center. I stopped working and decided to pursue fashion design and studied at Slims Makati.

I now have a one-woman shop in Etsy. I design and make the garments I sell online. I also am trying to go into the wedding clothing business here in the Philippines.

seems like you've been through a lot before crafting. how did you start your crafting business?

I started residence in Madrid, Spain in 2008. My husband was working there at the time. I wanted to start my fashion experience fresh from graduating so I decided to put up an online shop. I chanced upon Etsy from an article I read from a blog and everything started from there.

where do you find inspiration for your work?

My design inspiration comes in every aspect of my everyday life. From interesting pieces of furniture to enticingly arranged meals, I get some ideas. I am also inspired by books I read, and movies I watch.

looks like we share the same muses. how has it been selling on Etsy? how about locally?

It has been and is still a GREAT experience. I am still excited to know that my pieces travel all the way around the globe to a customer I haven't even seen and turns out that the clothes I have designed and sewn for them fit perfectly. I have not tried selling my clothes locally, though.

wow! it does feel good when others appreciate one's work. however, have you encountered drawbacks for your business? any lessons learned from them?

I haven't encountered any major drawbacks when selling on Etsy. Minor ones include time constraints and problems with customs, and like any other problem, we learn our lesson from them. Adjustment is the key.

what has been your most memorable project?

My first designs. I was excited but more nervous when I started making clothes for my shop in Etsy since I do not have a vast experience making clothes for others. I had the notion that no one would buy clothes online since most want to fit the dress before buying. I was ecstatic when I had my first sale!

any tips for aspiring craftpreneurs?  

Optimism!

Do not be afraid to dive into business. Remember that doing the thing you love brings out beautiful work that everybody will appreciate. Welcome criticisms and learn from them.

Thanks for the great insights, Milka! We hope you continue creating more of those wonderful dresses of yours and be known for it.

you can also visit Milka's website, http://www.milkaquin.com/ for her past works, her Etsy shop or become a fan of her Facebook page here.

images from MQuin shop on etsy

Free Shipping in my etsy shop!

the holiday season is just looming around the corner. honestly, i have been scouting for Christmas presents to give to my friends and relatives since July. and i have eyed a few gifts worthy of my budget. i know people will be stressed on what they will be giving out this Christmas what with the Western markets teetering on its toes.

so starting today until the end of October, PopkinGarb will be offering free shipment (to anywhere!) on selected items! drop by PopkinGarb on etsy to check out these items! 

new shirts

here are the shirts i have accomplished during the long weekend (yes! overdue!), modeled by my funny little boy. this is only the second time i've worked with textile paint, and i found it very hard to work with. looks like i have to research more on painting methods with this type of medium.

look out for these in my etsy shop soon. :)

100th post: i'm featured on Of Pinks and Fairytales!

image from Of Pinks and Fairytales

what a wonderful thing for my 100th post! i've been featured on Of Pinks and Fairytales as part of Creating Success Around the World blog hop. Janelle, the blogger behind Of Pinks and Fairytales, is a mom and crafter like me. she has been a very kind and accomodating blog host, and a million thanks to her for this feature. :)

you can check out the feature here.

a new button

cheers to my sis-in-law, Rica, for making me a button for my blog! i tweaked the size a bit to fit my blog and added the name.

to grab my button:

• right click on the button image, at the side bar of my blog
• click Properties, then copy the URL address

~OR~

• drag the button directly on your desktop

~Then~

• upload the image to your website and link to http://popkingarb.blogspot.com/

i am in deep gratitude to all those who will be linking back to my blog.

etsy shop update

image from PAWS website

PopkinGarb will be giving a portion of each sale to PAWS (The Philippine Animal Welfare Society) for the rehabilitation of abandoned and rescued animals (mostly pets) in the Philippines. sad to say, but here in the Philippines, breed is highly regarded when it comes to pets that often, local or native dogs and cats are neglected.

you may also give your own means of support (monetary donation or in kind, you can also adopt a pet) through their website.

Bluebird and Sakura

yay! i finally was able to take a photo of my new tote, Bluebird and Sakura. it was raining for most of the time in Manila last weekend, so i just had to make do with a cloudy lighting.

i bought some retro-looking ribbons and buttons a few months ago and used them for a button closure for this tote

back detail

Bluebird and Sakura is already available in my etsy shop.