Only Good Vibes

Ever get that feeling of walking into a store and wanting everything in it? It can be fun, but sometimes it can feel paralyzing to have so many options. When this happens to me, I usually walk out not buying anything. Indecisiveness, what a bitch.

Well, this is the same feeling you might get from visiting Society6.com. With THOUSANDS of artists, each with their own gallery of art pieces, you may find yourself lost and overwhelmed. Honestly, you might think, "ain't nobody got time for that!"

Ahem. I do, actually. And I really don't mind rummaging or sifting through heaps of illustrations, typography or designs. So, I've decided to curate some of the most interesting works I've seen on Society6 and share them here. This is a way for me to help other artists get exposed, a way to collect works that inspire or delight me, and a way to share even more cool images with those who appreciate them.

Aaaaand, out of my own OCD, I've decided to do it by theme. So to begin, I've created a collection of works that radiate:
Only Good Vibes.

***

Palm trees + water + hand-drawn style
This print will look cute in any home.

Good Vibes by Mason Denaro

Because I love simple and playful black and white illustrations.

It's O.K. by DR Clothing Co.

When I read this line, I imagine a surfer dude with the typical lazy, raspy voice saying this with a big smile while tucking his sun-bleached hair behind his ears. So much good vibes. :)

High Fives & Floating Vibes by Ocean Ave // Lettering and Design

If you like to keep a tidy and modern looking place but have that tropical vibe, I think this lovely print would be a good match. 

Good Vibes by Bloombw

I'm also so attracted to geometric designs. This one though pink and feminine (which isn't really my style)is actually very cool.

Good Vibes Geometric by Mmartabc

You can't frame the sun, but you can frame this charming and cheerful print.

How can you not smile when you are greeted by this? :)

Hello Sunshine Gold by Terralogy

'Nuff said. Haha! This is ultimate hippie, good vibes.

Pyramid Scheme by Wharton

Brightness peaking out of dark clouds. Perfect for a kid's room or for a kid at heart. 

Stay Positive, Stay Happy by Alba Blazquez

Wise words, if you ask me. Hand-drawn is just my type. (Get it? :D)

Printable Quote , It's A Good Day to Have a Good Day by AlexTypography

What are those? Kittens? Bunnies? All sorts of cute creatures spilling out of coffee? Sold.

Good Day by Myrakins

Because good vibes are not only for the day. I like the cartoony and storybook feel of this one too.

Good Vibes V.2 by Dan Elijah G. Fajardo

To view the whole collection and order any one of these prints, click on the link below. :)

https://society6.com/denisetolentino/collection/only-good-vibes?curator=denisetolentino

That Inking Feeling - An Anecdote About Inktober

A few of the illustrations I did for Inktober. These were the ones with the most likes.

The Inktober challenge has been going on since 2009 but it was only this year that I decided to join. I'm so glad I did. I usually stay away from online challenges (remember the ice bucket? That's the only one I remember because like I said, I don't join these things), but I may have had a few good reasons to join this particular one.

1. An unopened bottle of India Ink which I impulsively bought months earlier despite having no experience with this medium.

2. The desire to create something tangible. I needed a regular activity away from my digital devices and work with my hands again.

3. My Facebook timeline. It was starting to overflow with bad vibes. Political rants, judgmental brain farts, fake and dangerous news articles--it was getting overwhelming.

4. Fear of having forgotten how to draw. Or draw well. As a graduate of fine arts, people think that we've all got this skill forever but really, it's easy to lose or get sloppy when like me, you spend years working more with your computer. 

5. The need to keep myself occupied. I spend so much time alone, which I usually enjoy, but other times, it gets lonely. Most of my friends work regular hours and that means most days, I am by myself. I felt I needed something to distract me and keep my head in a good space. 

The decision was made. I needed to use my ink, spread some good vibes and improve my technique while I was at it. One cheerful/funny/playful illustration a day for every day of October. That's what I committed to. 

Almost suddenly, all these fun illustration ideas came at me, even at inconvenient times. Like, as I was about to fall asleep, or while driving my scooter in the rain, or as I was cramming for a work deadline. But it didn't matter, it got me so excited to execute these ideas and most importantly, share them. I've been too shy to put my work out there the past years but having a small goal, even as simple as getting people to smile, made me push aside any insecurity about my work and just put it out there, on my Facebook page and my Instagram account. I just thought, surely, someone was going to appreciate it. Like, my mom. Thanks Mama! :P

A lot of people joined the challenge and a lot also dropped out. You know why? Because it was fucking hard. It's not really a challenge if it's easy, right? We eventually get caught up with our day to day tasks and concerns that we run out of the energy to sit and draw. For me, it was towards the end. News got heavier, personal affairs brought me down, even the shift to gloomy weather here didn't help. It suddenly felt like so much effort to produce something good. It got frustrating and I wanted to forget the whole thing. The problem was, I also wanted to keep my word. By announcing before hand that I was going to do this challenge I kind of left myself without a choice. (Thanks a lot, past Denise!) So I stuck with it.

In the end, I received so much good vibes back from friends and strangers, folks who messaged me about the way my works cheered them up. I even made new friends and possible business partners! The positive response really boosted my confidence and interest in illustrating again. Apart from that, this whole thing got me to open an online shop. As friends asked if they could purchase my illustrations, I thought that it wouldn't hurt to just put my stuff out there for anyone who wanted a copy. 

Which is the whole point of this post, actually. I just wanted to announce to anyone who still reads blogs (why, by the way?) that I have some of my Inktober stuff out there, as prints, mugs, shirts and my favorite--shower curtains. 

Also, to revive my poor, forgotten blog, I decided to make use of this space for sharing anything related to my new adventures as an illustrator/shopkeeper. Haha! So there you go. If you appreciate, surfing-related drawings or cursing animals. You might find something you like here. They are mostly inspired by life on the beach with a touch of my sometimes distorted way of seeing things. Here is the link to my shop and a preview of some of the available artworks. Thanks for reading! Bravo! That was like, 29 Tweets. ;)

https://society6.com/denisetolentino

You Creature, You

French pet names are classic. Only the French can make calling someone "my flea" or "my duck" sound sweet. I decided to have fun with some of them for Vday (because I think Valentine's day should be fun, not cheesy). The boy liked it :) Hope you do too. And, I hope you had a blast celebrating the loves of your life. :)

Bret

This is Bret. He's one half of one of my favorite bands Flight of the Conchords.
I miss watching their series, it always made me laugh. If you don't know their songs,
I seriously think you should google them right now.
Or check their website, the design is mid-century inspired! Super cool. :)

Back to the Sketch Pad

Sometimes I just need a break from my computer. So now I'm practicing sketching again. Still looking for that style that I would be happy with. So I'll be sharing my experiments with you. :)

This is Josh. I copied his face from his own wedding invite. I really liked the illustration style and I wanted to see if I could do it too.

then I found out that my inspiration was the work of Tuesday Mourning.
So I practiced sketching one of her other guys.
I don't know who this is.

What do you think? :)

Girl on White Beach

Months ago, I made a series of illustrations of people enjoying the pure, white sand of our island. I intended to lay them out into postcards but somehow got caught up with the "money-making" projects. I just checked on them again and they're all still there, waiting to see if they'll ever see the light of day.

I think it would be a fun to have an illustrated island postcard for a change. What do you think?

I Like Your People

As an illustrator, I believe it is so important to have a distinct style. Apart from color schemes, textures and lines, I think style comes out the most in the way one draws people. And this, is one thing I haven't accomplished...yet, and thus is one of my ultimate frustrations.

Even if I have been doodling and drawing caricatures all my life, I find that my characters change, I can never decide if I want them small and round or tall and lanky, with or without noses/cheeks/detailed hands...etc. *Sigh* I bet I sound weird to you, especially to those who don't draw. But such are the concerns of a mildly obsessive illustrator like me. :)

Friends advice me to keep sketching and eventually the characters will develop, my sisters disagree with me and say I actually do have a certain style. I guess I'm just still not satisfied. They say an artist or illustrator's characters are a reflection of themselves (yes, kind of narcissistic), so I guess I should just take a closer look at myself and um... be happy with it. :)

Meanwhile, let's take a look at the characters of some of my favorite illustrators. The simplicity and personality of their people inspire me so much. I hope one day, I can create people as interesting as theirs.

Ashley G

Matte Stephens

Jacob Muñiz

Blanca Gomez

Esther Aarts

Christopher Lee

Clayton Junior

EVERYONE is encouraged to join.

Shut down your computer, have a candle-lit dinner, lie under the stars, cuddle with the one you love - there are tons of things you can do in the dark.
While at it, help save the earth...and enjoy it.

CTWW Challenge Two - Check!

That's my answer to last wednesday's challenge. Living in a 7km stretch of island, getting around by walking is very doable and is my number one mode of transportation. To walk is free and it is such a pleasant experience when you live in a lovely island. But sometimes, I get lazy or am in such a hurry that I take a motorbike or tricycle. This week though, I got through my errands simply by walking to and from the laundry shop, photo store, grocery, beach etc. So even if I usually walk, this week, I walked more.

To choose to walk simply takes a little common sense. Stay on the safe side of the road, look before you cross, take an umbrella if the sky is gloomy, wear comfortable shoes (or in my case, flip flops) and leave earlier because it will take you longer. My favorite: take some music with you. It always makes walking more enjoyable, it kinda makes me imagine myself in my own music video. I even have a playlist on my Ipod called: "Smiling While Walking" with songs like A Beautiful Morning by the Rascals or 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale. Choose your own strolling music! :) Just remember: NOT TO LOUD. Make sure you can still hear if a car horn is beeping closely.

Since we're on the topic, I want to share this AWESOME AWESOME ( it's so awesome, I had to say it twice, or thrice) artwork done by pedestrians in China to encourage more people to walk for nature. Must see! :D

Thanks to CTWW for another challenge that makes me double-check and appreciate my home and my lifestyle. Looking forward to the next one. :)

Happy Sunday + weekend project

♥ woke up to love ♥

beach run with Marshall

lazy breakfast, lunch and dinner at The Lazy Dog Bed and Breakfast

an afternoon with my paintbrush, putting words of good vibes on our wall.

I wish all Sundays could feel like this. :)

* * *

The inspiration came from the beautiful typography of this lovely video series by EF International Language Centers

before

after

Right now, the photos are actually postcards. But I will transfer them somewhere else and put real photos in their place. :)

Hope you all had a happy sunday. :)

CCTW Challenge One - Check!

Using toilet paper isn't big in the Philippines. People here usually use a pail of water and a manual bidet or water dipper called a Tabo (tah-boh) to wash. Fortunately though, the house we are currently renting comes with a bidet spray, which is even more convenient. And this is how I have been reducing my use of toilet paper. Which answers the last Change the World Wednesday Challenge! :D Yey!

To those of you who are iffy about using a bidet, (and I know there are a lot of you) you may want to read this. To learn more about bidets and to check where I got my toilet paper facts, you may click here.

Living on the beach also requires us to bring water with us all the time. And one of the ways I have reduced disposing of plastic water bottles is to bring my own bottle with me everywhere I go. I am especially concerned with plastic water bottles ever since we watched this video. Please feel free to share it too to create more awareness.

That's it! I'm sure there are a lot of alternatives for our usual disposables. With a little creativity we can come up with so many things. And for some, a step out of our comfort zone, could mean a step to Changing the World.

All Aboard

Dragon boat season has started.
Sore arms, sore backs, dark skin, smiling, proud faces ahead.
Oars up!
:D

Anywhere With You

Here's to more laugh trips and colorful adventures.
Happy birthday. :)

My Works

I just joined a world of awesome creative people on Behance.net
I'm so humbled by the AMAZING works I see there but I started my on own portfolio anyway which you can check out here. I'm still shy, but if you have time, drop by. :-)

The Best Pet Ever

In a perfect world, I would be living in a beach-side villa, with glassy waves breaking along the coast and a an elephant in my backyard (where I happen to have an organic vegetable and herb garden.) But to spend the morning sipping coffee while discovering talented new artists and finding elephant illustrations is good enough for me...for now. :-)

Click on the links to see the works of these people and lose yourself in the magical world they create. It is after all, a long weekend.

Yelena Bryksenkova

Isol

Dan-ah Kim

So Long Summer!

Missing the sun while I enjoy a reunion with family and friends in the rainy city.
I wonder why blogger has poor resolution when uploading images. I swear, this illustration is cuter in real life. hehehe.

Whatever happens...

:D

The TREEtment Project

The Treetment Project is an environmental initiative I helped start with Mandala Spa, Boracay. It's Mandala Spa's pledge to plant a tree for every spa treatment purchased. After all the earth's wellness is our wellness.

I wish more establishments had environmental initiatives. Is it possible for the government to give tax breaks to companies with earth-friendly practices? I wonder.

More about the Treetment Project here.