Weekly news: June 16, 2021

(This is a news letter I sent out. If you’d like to receive fresh news every week, sign up here! The full newsletter contains surprises and is delivered once a week to your mailbox. Et elle est également en français!)

I hope you are all doing well!

After finishing my little three painting series on indigenous flowers of Canada last week, I wanted to try something a bit different. I went outside and took a few pictures of interesting plants in my garden and decided to create a nature journal spread. It was really difficult to select the plants and flowers as they all seemed interesting! It was so wonderful to research and identify some plants that are beautiful but for which I had no names. I mixed detailed illustrations with more loose ones because I thought it made the eye wander more around the piece and gave it more of a journal feel. After I was done, I decided that it’d make to cutest zine, so I gave that a go!

A zine is a small, self-edited magazine. Some people say zines started with the Punk movement in the 80s were fans would create little magazines dedicated to their favourite bands. Other say that pamphlets were the real ancestors of the modern zine. Whatever the case, zines are so fun because they are a simple way to share idea and art. Most zines are simply photocopied and folded up to make little booklets. I decided on this too, because my zine is not only a little booklet: it can also be used as a small poster when unfolded! I had so much fun creating this zine, I think I’ll do it again in the future! Please check out the zine listing as there’s a little video showing you how it works 🙂

If you want more details, head over to my portfolio for more on this piece!

New in store

As mentioned above, my painting is available as a zine but also as an art print.

I also added some new bookmarks!

Inspiration

I enjoyed this book so much! I was sad when I came to the last page. I hope you will enjoy it too!

Head over to the blog for more details!

A small treat…

What incredible skill! I wonder how long each model takes to complete… (turn on the subtitles!)

Weekly news: June 9, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

Another painting is done! This time I’d like to introduce the beautiful wild orchid, Cypripedium acaule, or Pink Lady’s Slipper. This painting was very interesting from the first sketches to the final touches. It was challenging because the flower has a complex shape and many different colours. I really enjoyed painting them!

This painting also survive the major Kitten attack of 2021: As I was waiting for the final ink border to dry to scan the painting, Kitten decided it was the perfect time to jump on my drawing desk. As it is an inclined desk, she tripped, stepped in the fresh ink and smeared it, panicked and fell dragging my paint water with her which dropped and spilled EVERYWHERE! Fortunately, I comically jumped on my chair with the painting in hand, saving it from any water drops and the cat attack! After mopping all the water, I was able to scrub the smeared ink away and quickly scanned the picture before Kitten put it on fire or something!

If you want more details, head over to my portfolio for more on this piece!

This painting is the third Canadian wild flower I complete, and I think I’m ready to move to other subjects for now. I learned so much with these three painting and especially this third one. It was fascinating work!

In other news, we have had our first heat wave this week, and Kitten Terror had mixed feelings about this. Here is her royal highness, gracefully enjoying the fan!

New in store

If you enjoyed my orchid painting, you will be able to claim your own print or greeting card!

I also added a new colouring letter paper page filled with fresh strawberries!

Inspiration

It’s hot and sunny outside, so let’s balance things out with this gloomy book!

Head over to the blog for more details!

A small treat…

Soft song 🙂

Weekly news: June 2nd, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

I’m done with last week’s painting! I was really intimidated, but it ended up taking less time that what I had expected and planned. Here’s another fun fact in case you’re still trying to guess what plant it might be:

Since I bloom in the early Spring, I use a rotten meat aroma to attract flies and other pollinators.

If you want more details, head over to my portfolio for more on this piece!

Now, I’m going to start the third painting in my indigenous plants of Canada series. I’m excited about this one because I think it’ll match Sarracenia and Trillium quite nicely. Here’s a fun fact on this pretty amazing flowers:

To make sure pollinators get really well coated in pollen, my flowers form a tunnel with an entry and an exit. The bee doesn’t have a choice as to which way to go!

Pretty fascinating stuff, no?

In other news, we’ve just had our first garden grown strawberry! It was so good, and I can’t wait for more!

New in store

A new card featuring my latest painting and its accompanying print are now available in the store! I’ve also added some new colouring letter paper pages for all of you letter writing friends.The lily of the valley painting is available as a greeting card! 3 versions are available, so I hope you’ll go take a look!

Inspiration

A small book full of details and colours 🙂

Head over to the blog for more details!

Youtube

Here’s my month of May! I take you on a tour of our newly set up garden 🙂 I can’t wait to update you on it as the season progresses.

A small treat…

I’ve completely fallen in love with this artist’s work! How magical!

Weekly news: May 26, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

Things have been a lot more quiet on my side this week. I’ve started working on a new painting, and I’m excited as well as intimidated (once again) by this new plant friend. Here’s a hint to help you guess which one it is:

It is a native (to Canada and elsewhere) Spring bloom that takes advantage of the lack of leaves on trees to access light and to complete its entire life cycle before becoming dormant until the following Spring.

Can you guess what it is?

I’m struggling a bit with managing my energy levels at the moment, so this one is a short and sweet newsletter! I’ll be back with more content next week, don’t fear 🙂 In the meantime, I’m sipping on a matcha latte to get me through the afternoon because I really want to work on my painting. It’s always difficult to select what’s essential and what can wait, but I find that identifying just one task to complete is helpful. Today’s task: complete the first layers of the plant’s leaves. So, I’ll be working in green this afternoon!

Once thing is for sure, this little lady knows how to rest!

New in store

The lily of the valley painting is available as a greeting card! 3 versions are available, so I hope you’ll go take a look!

Inspiration

Beauty is in the details, some say. It couldn’t be truer with Slinkachu’s miniature work!

A Small Treat

If you are a Harry Potter fan and have trouble falling asleep, this is for you! What potterhead wouldn’t love to visit the Burrow and the charming Weasleys? I love this sleep story because it’s all about the details, and it always sends me off to a peaceful night.

Weekly news: May 19, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

It is finally past the last frost date over here which means that we spent the weekend gardening! It was really nice to put all our seedlings outside! It is such a pleasure to watch them settle in and grow now. Around the garden, our tulips are finally in full bloom. They are simply wonderful and a lot more long lasting than what I thought. My favourites are the bright red orange because they are stunning but also because they smell like oranges! It’s a delight for all the senses!

In the Atelier, I’ve painted a Lily of the valley for a custom order. It was really nice to try this plant again after several months of practice. I find it’s a really hard one to paint because the white flowers are so delicate. Still, it’s always nice to tackle a challenge like this! And, since our lily of the valley plants are not yet in bloom, it is nice to have this little sprig to brighten my desk!

New in store

The lily of the valley painting is available as a greeting card! 3 versions are available, so I hope you’ll go take a look!

Inspiration

After last week’s forest, we’re jumping into water this week!

Head over to the blog for a full review!

A Small Treat

From what I understood, these thread books were used by Chinese women to store their embroidery threads. It is so intricate and beautiful!
This blog post has really fun pictures of different ones 🙂

Weekly news: May 12, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

I hope your week is treating you well. This week, I spent some time researching information on Litha, which is coming up at the end of June to celebrate the Summer Solstice. It’s been so interesting to dive into folk tales and traditions. It was also very relaxing to work on a calligraphy piece. As I mentioned before, there is something so soothing in working slowly on a piece like this one. Because you need to slow down, this type of work is almost therapeutic.

And to keep my spirits up, I’ve been listening to a lot of K-pop (Korean pop music). It’s a bit specific, but there is something so relaxing in listening to romantic pop music in a foreign language. It got me curious, so I looked for V-pop (Vietnamese pop music). Now, I’ve grown up surrounded by Vietnamese music, but it had been a while since I listened to current Vietnamese music. Well, I’m now a big V-pop fan! It’s so relaxing and deliciously lighthearted! As I’m writing this, I’m listening to this song on repeat.

As for the atelier, I’ve been researching different plants for my next painting. I’m keeping up on the theme of Canadian wildflowers. I’d like to have another set of three. It’s really interesting to learn about different plants and to see how diverse and rich our environment is. I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve selected the next two plants!

In the meantime, my seedlings are so impatient to go outside, they are actually flowering indoors! Only a few more days before we take them to the garden. I was so happy to have my first harvest of calendula and tulsi for my morning tea!

New in store

The Litha card is now available at the shop! Litha celebrates the Summer Solstice, June 21 in the Northern hemisphere. It is the perfect time to rejoice, make plans, and celebrate on the longest day of the year!

I’ve also added some pretty stickers for your planners and letters 🙂

Inspiration

Another magical forest 🙂

Head over to the blog for a full review!

In the books…

It’s been a while since I shared a novel recommendation here. I finished When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller yesterday night, and it is such a good one! It is a middle grade book, so it is quite the easy read. Don’t let that fool you! The book follows Lily who moves to live with her Halmoni (grandmother in Korean). She is soon met with a giant tigress right out of the Korean folktales her Halmoni told her as a child. It is a fascinating read that takes the reader through different traditional Korean stories while also exploring the themes of coming of age, being bi-racial, and identity. I loooved this book and devoured it in two evenings. I really hope you’ll check it out!

A Small Treat

Can you imagine working on such a magical project?

Weekly news: May 6, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

Before anything else: yes, the hellebores are okay! They don’t seem to have been affected by the snow at all!

II hope you are all doing well!

I am so excited to share this week’s newsletter because I’m done with a painting! This one took my a while to complete because it is a very detailed plant. But, after three weeks of hard work, it is done!

Did some of you guess which plant I painted?

It is the fascinating Sarracenia purpurea!

This Purple Pitcher plant is simply fascinating! Native from the bogs and marshes of Eastern Canada, it is a spectacular carnivorous plant. I learned a lot when I was researching the plant. Let me share a few incredible details. First, what might appear to be the flowers, the pitchers, are in fact modified leaves. These little pitchers fill up with rain water and are soon colonized by little invertebrates. These wait for other insects to drown into the water and decompose them, providinf nutrition to the plant! How incredible! And as if you weren’t fascinated enough, look at the actual flower!

I had so much fun researching this plant and also painting it. I’m really happy to be done with it, but also a bit sad to be done because I had so much fun adding layer after layer of watercolour.

If you’d like to see some process photos, check out my portfolio by clicking on the picture.

New in store

You can bring this fascinating plant home as a print or a greeting card.

Inspiration

I looooooooove this book!

Head over to the blog for a full review!

Youtube

It’s the first newsletter of the month, which means it is vlog time! Come take a look at my month of April!

A small treat

Feels like a holiday!

Weekly news: April 28, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

Before anything else: yes, the hellebores are okay! They don’t seem to have been affected by the snow at all!

In other news, I’ve been painting a new plant profile, and I’m enjoying it tremendously. I was a bit nervous about choosing this plant because it is a bit more complicated and detailed that my previous pieces. I decided to give it a go anyhow because it is the most fascinating plant! Here are a few clues for you to guess what it is:

– It in native to Canada;
– It has a symbiotic relationship with some invertebrates;
– Its leaves are often mistaken for flowers, which is a shame because its flower is quite beautiful;

Any guess?

New in store

If you want to write a beautiful letter with some customizable letter paper, I’ve got you covered!

Look at all these flowers!

Inspiration

Let’s embark on a travel of imagination and magic!

Head over to the blog for a full review!

Youtube

So inspiring!

Weekly news: April 21, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

It is under a snowstorm that I write you this newsletter. The first thing I thought when I saw that it was snowing was, “My Hellebores!” What a difference a week makes!

In the atelier, I’m starting work on another plant grimoire page. I’ve challenged myself with another light flower, but it’s been so fun to get immersed in all the details and to figure out efficient ways to communicate white petals. I’m not telling you which plant it is, but here are some hints:
I hope they’ll be alright! They’re called Christmas Roses after all. In other news, I’ve completed another grimoire page! I don’t know if you guessed it, but I was painting beautiful Vanilla! It was so interesting to learn about the folklore surrounding this orchid. Isn’t it incredible that we are eating the fruit of an orchid? It was a difficult plant to paint because, like the tea flower, it is very pale. Still, it was so much fun researching it, and I had lovely moments painting it. If you want to see more, feel free to visit my portfolio.

New in store

The Vanilla grimoire page is available as a print and as a greeting card! It would make the perfect gift for all the baking moms 😉

Inspiration

As we wait for travelling to be possible, let’s escape with this book!

Head over to the blog for a full review!

Youtube

Pure magic!

Weekly news: April 14, 2021

weekly news

I hope you are all doing well!

Spring is officially here! The lake has melted, and flowers are starting to come out. The quickest of them all in our garden are the hellebores! I have to admit, I bought these plants last Fall at the very end of the season based solely one their names. Hellebore. Sounds like the kind of flower that would have been used by medieval witches or fairies! Luckily, they settled down well in our garden, and what pleasure it is to discover their wonderfully beautiful flowers!