#5 (part 1) Digital Arts
Hi everyone!
It has been a while since I posted anything on my LiveJournal account. Life has been stressful lately (mainly because of job loss and starting all over again). But even with how difficult it is to manage and keep your life on the right track, doing hobbies that you love helps you relax and sane (i.e. writing and art)!
Today, I wrote some blog posts about the recent artwork that I created. Since April, I became a freeloader and it depressed me a lot. I lost my job as an apprentice at an architectural design company, which was not a rare occurrence during this pandemic. To cope up with my depression, I kept myself occupied by creating digital artwork on my phone, a Huawei P30 Lite. Yes, just a mere phone because I’m too poor to buy a tablet for myself. （⌒▽⌒）Well, I don’t think a tablet is a necessity if you’re just a hobbyist.
My phone is running on the android system, and I’m using an app called Medibang Paint. I highly recommend this app to anyone who would like to start on digital art because mainly, most features can be accessed even if you’re not a premium user. But in my case, I’ve purchased the premium one because; (a) I don’t want to see ads (b) The premium has an extra palette feature, and (c) I need the tone curve feature. It only costs PHP 300+ to support the developers, and it was a one-time purchase too.
For the stylus, I’m using a universal pen made by VKTech. It has no palm rejection, but it works smoothly and can be controlled easily. I bought my pen on SM Megamall for PHP 1,800 with a one-year warranty, but if you find the price expensive, the device is also available on Lazada for less than PHP 1000; but keep in mind that the warranty on online shops is not guaranteed.
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| https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/vktech-2-in-1-universal-stylus-touch-pen-capacitive-tablet-stylus-pen-drawing-pens-i319952159.html |
The negative thing about this pen is it will only last for less than 6 hours. Sometimes, I got annoyed because I have to charge it first to continue with my work.
So, here are some of my artworks made with Medibang Paint:
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| To be honest, my hair is no longer brown anymore. I was wearing a Uniqlo Hello Kitty shirt in this art, and yeah, I love that clothing brand and that cartoon character. |
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| This one is my cousin, Gavi. I made it for her phone’s wallpaper, and she loves it so much! I had so much fun making this art! |
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| This is my entry for the Huawei Matepad contest. I didn’t win, but this was still fun to create. And oh, that was me and the same cousin that I mentioned earlier! |
Here is a short description of my entry:
My four-year-old cousin who was living with us has inspired me to be more creative during this pandemic. She was the youngest family member in our home and was our little ball of sunshine.
As a child, my cousin loves to see cute illustrations like any other kid out there. I like to draw things for her, and because of that, I even made an anime version of her! That made her so happy, and she set it as her phone’s wallpaper!
Before the pandemic changed the course of the world, I was the type of person who was often busy at work. I will leave the house at 7 am, (when she was still asleep), and knowing how terrible the Metro Manila traffic is; I will be at home when she was already sleeping. My cousin and I were already close because she was already living with us since she was a baby, but our bond before wasn’t that strong.
The crisis has begun, and I had no other choice but to work at home. The quarantine had given us the gift of time and because of that, my cousin and I became closer than ever! One of our favorite activities to do together is to make art. There were times that while I was working, my cousin will ask me to draw with her - and that was the principal theme of this artwork. I didn’t create it just to join the contest, but also to preserve our pandemic summer memories.
My cousin is now my inspiration not just in art but also - to keep on living. Many unfortunate things have happened because of COVID-19’s socioeconomic effect, and sometimes I feel hopeless, lost, and just want to give up. However, thinking of my cousin’s smile and how she radiates happiness helped me divert from the negative voices in my head. Being creative with her is not just a hobby during this pandemic - hence, it’s a special bond between us and a constant reminder to be strong during these trying times.
♡´･α΄･`♡
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| A quick drawing for my brother's YouTube icon. |
As you can see, I was stuck into some “lonely phase” when I lost my job because losing one could equate to losing your identity. (δΈͺ_δΈͺ) I was so lost back then, and it’s beautiful how making art helps me to feel better and be productive at home.
For my job, well, I feel like a baby even if I was just a rehired employee! It was more challenging now compared to before, and I was doing my best although I was messing up with work and had difficulty grasping verbal instructions. I was like, “Oh, I’ll be fired and jobless again!” (δΈͺ_δΈͺ) It overwhelmed me a lot to the where I cried at night because I felt stupid, insecure, and the weakest member of the team. (╥_╥) This weekend, I plan to study and practice so that in the coming week, I will perform better and be more organized with my work.
So yeah, I hope you had fun reading this post.
Stay safe everyone!