I have been “One Red Robin” for over 6 years now (time has flown by so quickly!). One Red Robin started as a place to share my crafty experiments and discoveries, and soon it became a label through which I designed, made and sold mostly soft toys and dolls, sewing patterns and fabric. It has been an AMAZING, AMAZING six years being One Red Robin and I am so grateful for all the people I have met, the friendships that were formed, and experiences I have had through this blog.

But it’s now time to move on. My focus has changed, and I think it’s time to stop being “One Red Robin” and to just start being me. So I hope you will join me at my new website and blog over at Jhoanna Monte Aranez Design + Illustration.

This blog will still be around for a few months but I won’t be updating it anymore.

So it’s good bye to One Red Robin, but hello to a new adventure. Hoping to see you at my new ‘home‘!

Please note that I’m selling the original illustration (not an Art Print).

Watercolour + markers + ink on 300gsm Daler & Rowney Aquarelle watercolor paper.

You can find it in my etsy shoppe here: “Merci”

I really enjoyed working on this one! And here’s a little animated GIF on its progression (sorry for the poor lighting – I was working on this one at night!):

This is an original illustration using watercolour paint and ink on 300gsm Daler & Rowney Aquarelle watercolor paper. This is the original, so I only have one of these and won’t be making Art Prints of the illustration.

I had a lot of fun working on this one! The size of the paper is standard A4-size and looks great in a simple white frame.

You can find more photos of the illustration in my etsy shoppe here: “Cold Out” by One Red Robin
(If you would like to purchase this illustration but don’t have an etsy account, please do drop me an email and we can arrange payment via Paypal!)

I have always loved to draw – I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned that numerous times before! When I was in High School 20+ years ago and it was time to start applying for Uni courses, my parents encouraged my creativity as a hobby but advised it was better to study business or information technology in order to build  stable future. And like a “good Asian” daughter, I followed!

Since moving to Hong Kong 18 months ago, I rediscovered my love for drawing and illustrating. And although I didn’t want to admit it – I’ve realised that I DO love it more than sewing and making soft toys. And it’s something I want to invest more time in and develop – and more importantly, I’ve realised that it’s something I want to learn more about.

With encouragement from hubby, I decided to apply for a course in illustration (even though I have no formal qualifications in Art whatsoever!). I looked at options here in Hong Kong but the ones I wanted to do were taught in Cantonese. So I looked at distance learning courses (part-time) and applied. And guess what?

I got in!! I AM SO HAPPY AND SO EXCITED!!! And I start next month! With family life and work and other commitments, it means I will have to be SUPER organised but pursuing something I love is worth it! I have one simple goal, and that is to be a better Illustrator.

And I am excited to be able to share some snippets of my progress on this new adventure with you :-)

Other snippets of life here in Hong Kong recently:

The Mid-Autumn festival is close (end of this month) and the decorations in public places are up, like this amazing lantern-inspired scene that can be found at Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade:

Butterscotch brownies from Awfully Chocolate in Mong Kok (so good!):

And growing my collection of Sonny Angels. They are like a lucky dip where you don’t know what’s inside the box when you buy one. I’ve been wanting the Owl one but still haven’t found it yet!

:-)

Pencil + Watercolour Paint + Digital Lettering

Happy Friday!

I took home up a few Prima coloured boards on my recent visit to the local art store, with the intention of trying something different with my watercolour illustrations. I’m really pleased with how she has turned out.

“Dandelion Bride” (watercolour paint + silver pen + pencils):

The texture of the board was tricky to work with at the start, but after a few adjustments, I found out how to get the coverage I was aiming for and I think it adds character to the end result. I really like how the lighter colours pop out from the caramel base too.

This illustration is larger than my other illustrations and measures 29.7cm by 40.5cm.

I’ve made this illustration available in my etsy shoppe – please note that it is the original illustration (unframed) and not an Art Print, so I only have one of these available :-)

You can find it here: Original Illustration – Dandelion Bride

It’s been a gorgeous weekend – lovely family time, a fantastic run, and a fun catch-up with friends. The weather is finally starting to change and it’s starting to feel more like Autumn (my favourite season!).

Cloudy morning:

Afternoon:

Dusk:

Evening:

Apparently Hong Kong has has more buildings above 500 ft (or 150m) than any other city. It also has thirty-six of the world’s 100 tallest residential buildings; and more people in Hong Kong live or work above the 14th floor than anywhere else on Earth, making it the world’s most vertical city. The other side of this, of course, is high-density living and small living spaces (the average apartment size in Hong Kong is 600 square feet).

This view definitely helps our small home feel less claustrophobic!

I’ve blogged about these two illustrations previously, and now they are available as Art Prints.

“Suspicion”:

Available in my etsy shoppe here: Art Print – Suspicion.

“Audrey H.”:

Available in my etsy shoppe here: Art Print – Audrey H.

I should probably also add that if you do like something in my etsy shoppe but don’t have an etsy account and not interested in signing up for one, you can drop me an email instead and we can arrange payment through Paypal.

And finally here’s a something I was working on over the weekend while my family were happily napping :-)

I’m hoping this new burst of energy/inspiration will remain for the rest of the week!

And this is what it would look like framed:

You can find it my etsy shoppe here: Art Print – “A Ponte de Promessas“

How has your past week been? Is it just me or is this year just zooming by! I must be honest and say that I cannot wait for the end of this month – it’s when the 5 months of consecutive 30°C+ days and high humidity in Hong Kong will finally come to an end! I am SO looking forward to the cooler months.

It’s also Mid-Autumn Festival at the end of this month, which is such a pretty and colourful celebration here. In preparation, the lantern decorations are starting to appear:

And I have happily started indulging in Mooncakes! This one is a snowy (non-traditional) Mooncake filled with black sesame paste and a dollop of peanut butter!

So, so, so good (nom, nom, nom).

I literally let a out of squeal of happiness when I stumbled across this book.

SO MANY cute embroidery patterns influenced by Scandanavian design – Moomin, teacups, kitchen utensils, iconic furniture, woodland creatures …. and that’s not all of the patterns you’ll find in this little treasure trove.

It also has sewing patterns for a few home and personal items like slippers, bags, book covers, cushion covers and a tea cosy. This book is written in Chinese (Mandarin) but includes easy-to-follow illustrations on how to put the projects together.

This book is now out of print and I only have one copy, so if you love Scandanavian design, this is a fantastic craft book to add to your collection!

More information on the book:
Paperback: 88 pages
Publisher: Reascend (2007)
Language: Chinese (Mandarin)
Book Weight: 300 Grams
Condition: Brand New

It’s now in my etsy shoppe here: Love Small Nordic Scandanavian Style Embroidery (Out of Print) – Chinese Craft Pattern Book SOLD!