Hi there! :D Answering this publicly because I’ve been getting this question a lot in the past week.

I use a 0.5 mechanical pencil for smaller works. I also use an ordinary unbranded pencil like the cheap ones that kids use for school or Faber Castel. The lead is often HB so it’s not too dark or light. If I want a cleaner look, I erase unwanted pencil marks but a lot of times, I leave light strokes behind before I paint.

Before I start, my works usually look like this image that I posted a few days ago: http://valeriechua.tumblr.com/post/50462230251/

That’s about it! :)

Bedlam, watercolors and washi. Blog entry.

I’ve recently been getting a lot of questions regarding art school, education, and career, how I learned to draw, so I’ve made a post which hopefully answers these questions from a personal viewpont. Feel free to comment on my blog for any follow-up Q’s. :)

Here’s the winner:

Winner will be contacted for instructions. Thanks to those who joined. :) And thanks for being patient with me. Lots of things came up last week that I barely had time to sort out the entries.

Hi there! :) How I gained exposure is a little bit varried. First the internet is easily accessible by anyone and marketing yourself there is free. I set up blogs and a Facebook page, though they were never intended for getting exposure. I just want to share my work and I think the exposure is just an added bonus. If people like your work, they will share it. I’m happy that people share my work but if they don’t, it’s okay as well. :) And then there’s also going out. I think that being behind a computer doesn’t come across the same way as meeting someone in real life. I have Marj Sia to thank for that. There came a point where she brought me to so many social events that I was able to meet people who I eventually got to work with. Sometimes how more real or how more tangible you are makes a person remember you more. I’m incredibly quiet and socially passive so I rarely go after people. I’ve submitted my portfolio to a few companies and I never got a call. Haha! How I get work often has nothing to do with me being the initating party. A lot of times it’s because someone else talked about me or I was sumbled upon accidentaly and they’re very kind to feature or talk about me (referral). There are some people who are very persistent in marketing their work and themselves, sending in their porfolios to several firms and companies. I’ve seen people in social gatherings who flash their phones with their works to people like a proud dad saying “look at my wife and kids!!!” Haha. If you want exposure, this is the way to go! You have to get yourself out there!! I admire people who can confidently show their works to others and wave the “hire me” banner. I’m very reluctant and I get occasionally scolded for this. :( My exhibit’s promotion was really simple. Just facebook and tumblr, I think. And we (Heima and I) just sent emails to the people we know. That’s about it. :)

Sorry to everyone who’s been sending me messages in my ask box. I finally had the diligence to go through them recently. ;_; For those who are planning to ask something private or sensitive, or something really detailed like career advice, I’d really really appreciate it if you don’t ask as Anonymous, or if so, just leave an email address for me to reply to. I’d be happy to answer them. Sometimes I get really conscious answering a private question/advice in public. But of course, if it’s a general question and if you’re shy, I don’t mind Anon questions. Though as much as possible, I’d answer everything privately to lessen posts. :D

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Thanks! *u* My friend got the bird figurines for me from Germany for 2.2euros each. It comes with a cut-open egg. I always ask people to buy me bird stuff whenever they go abroad. :D

Hi! My sister made it. She started making them a year ago but she stopped because of school. Just email me at chua.valerie@gmail.com if you wish to make an order. :)

You mean watercolor brands? Prang is a good brand or Reeves or entry-level Talens. Windsor and Newton is great as well but pricier. It depends on your budget and how far you want to take it. :)

Hi! Thank you! Coco says thanks as well. :) My room is being renovated right now so I don’t have full photos to show you. Some of the fabrics are still on its way. So far the furniture have been painted, but they’re still naked:

I promised myself to have all fabric and color choices in within the 1st week of Feb but I kept going back for 4 consecutive weeks, 6 different stores, to change the fabrics. Until now I’m not sure about the curtains yet. I don’t exactly have freedom over the look of the room. I still have to work on the former French Neo-classical style and I wanted it to meet country halfway. It looks confusing at the moment (much to my mom’s disdain). Haha! I hope to finish this by mid-April. I wish I wasn’t this indecisive. :(

I’ll be sure to take photos when it’s done.

The one I’m using is called l’ebauche by Sennelier. I buy it from Fully Booked. I hope they still have it because mine is about to run out. XD They’re definitely more expensive than canson but it has 130 sheets so they last long. You can even watercolor on it. The paper will buckle but it holds water well. :)

Super long reply. *u*

I studied at the University of Asia and the Pacific. I took up BA Humanities. History is actually one of my weakest subjects. A lot of times, I like math and science better than history and the social sciences. I had a really tough time though I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of our history subjects involve creating historical studies based on a theoretical framework. I discovered that I have a knack for researching. I’m surprised that I actually liked doing it. What’s great about college compared to studying history in high school is that instead of just studying the facts, you’re cracking puzzles and trying to push or shed light to what is already there. There’s also that eureka moment you get when you tackle history just like that eureka moment in discovering scientific breakthroughs. That’s one of the things that make studying history fascinating.

Literature is a bit different but they’re not too far from each other. I love stories but I’m not fond of reading books so I had to crawl through them. We had to read hundreds of pages of excerpts every week. I think that there’s something difficult in every course/major that you can get into. I really think that if you enjoy stories or if you find the lives of people (in general—not gossip) fascinating, then all that difficulty and crawling is worth it. I really think that these subjects are very fulfilling and you’ll be surprised to hear people in class saying something that you’d ponder about until you sleep at night. There are days when you feel fulfilled and days when it seems as if the class has left a hole in your heart.

Thank you so much! I really do hope I’d get to travel and maybe teach outside the country one day. I love to share what I can. Thank you!! I will keep painting. :D

Yes I will open another batch on April. The current class is full already and applications are still pouring in. I want to accommodate as many people as I can so I’m opening another batch. I’ll keep you guys posted. :)

Nope, pencils usually don’t smudge when painted over with watercolor. Just don’t vigorously rub your brush over them. And try to use HB or B lead, avoid darker ones unless you’re trying to achieve a certain effect with dark lead. Dark leads are usually less dense so they have a tendency to smudge or powder up. :) Hope this helps!