Pens to Brushes

M.I.A-What I've been up to

2021-08-03T12:02:00.001-04:00

Dear viewers and friends,

It has been a very long time since I last posted anything on this blog. I'm sure many of you might have forgotten that this page even existed. I don't blame you. The good news is that I have returned and am ready to post my most recent works.

The road to becoming an artist is not an easy one. It requires long hours, an open mind, good spirit, support from those around you and a steady flow of creativity which can prove to be difficult when having to face life's challenges. Along the way I have learned that you need to be confident in your ideas and to trust your instincts, you have to tune the negative forces out as people will often do their very best to sabotage your progress and subsequently delight in your failure. Today I want to encourage all of you creative folks out there to stay focused and work consistently towards achieving your goals. Stay tuned for more soon.

Wai Li

Indian Bangle Photography. Early Morning Sun.

2013-05-10T09:25:00.003-04:00

I've had these sitting in my drawer forever and decided this morning to photograph them. I'm starting to like making use of early morning sun as "back light" for my photographs. I used a ladder as my tripod, opened up my aperture and let her click. So here are some shots of a percentage of my heritage on my arm. (Click to enlarge.)
Wai Li.
Twitter @WaiLiArt

Nature Photos

2013-03-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

This week was hiking week-to the south of the country we went. It was a long drive and a long but fairly simple walk; well worth it. Never have I appreciated owning my camera as much as I did that day. The afternoon was spent photographing everything. Though I did face the challenge of harsh midday sunlight and its shadows, I managed to come away with some awesome shots (well I think they're awesome). Here's a look at some of the photos I took. I may upload more later. Click to my Facebook to view more of what we experienced on the hike. Comment, follow my Facebook page and share with friends. I appreciate all the support.
Wai Li

The Vase- Chalk Pastel Artwork

2013-02-02T13:52:00.000-04:00

After several layers of chalk, much blending and coats of fixative spray, my pastel piece I've been working at is complete... I think. I may go back to it and touch up a few things as always but here is a look at the final piece and the progress. My camera somehow didn't manage to capture the colour as I would have liked but it's close enough. I'd say the pigment is much deeper in real life. The next step is to frame and advertise for sale. Comment, critique and SHARE :)
Peace n' Love.
Wai Li.

Creative Block

2013-01-17T19:50:00.000-04:00

I am currently working on a chalk pastel piece and have found myself in a spot of bother. I just cannot seem to finish it! I was wondering if it was the fear of messing it up/ruining it or if perhaps too many other things were occupying my mind. I believe the latter may be a large contributing factor.
Removing this mental cloud is a challenge. Perhaps a few lifestyle changes are in order. My plan so far is to start doing yoga, to help clear my mind. As we all know, any form of exercise is good for overall health and since I'm continuing formal studies, I need it. Until then, here is a link to my unfinished piece of art.CLICK HERE I press on in the morning to complete it. Feel free to share your methods of dealing with a creative block.

Follow me on Twitter @WaiLiArt
My Tumblr CLICK HERE
My Facebook CLICK HERE

Christmas Photos 2012

2012-12-23T13:59:00.000-04:00

I've been using the Christmas season to brush up on my Spanish and to develop my photography skills. Here are a few photographs I took two days ago at a neighbour's house. I helped her pack cookies and some other sweets for distribution. I also made some dividers/separators for the cups placed in the box pictured in this post. Hope you guys appreciate my work, feel free to comment and have a Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad todo el mundo!
Wai Li.

Twitter @WaiLiArt

Ghoulish Goodies Review

2012-12-18T02:17:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!
I'm going to do a review of some items from Ghoulish Goodies HERE (you'll have to friend her). I've had these items for a while and can safely say that they're sturdy. The package came with two hair clips, (Hello Kitty and Betty Boop) and a bracelet (Don't recognize the character on the cap). All items were embellished using decorated bottle caps.
The hair clips in my opinion are purely decorative as the clip at the back doesn't have teeth and therefore does not clamp into place. It can sort of slip out if you are moving around a lot. The bow and bottle cap however are firmly glued into place.
The bracelet, I love. It's beaded with a decorated bottle cap in the centre and secures with a screw cap clasp. E-mail Ghoulish Goodies at ghoulishgoodies@yahoo.com for orders.

Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty Clip at the back

Betty Boop

Betty Boop clip at the back.

Bracelet

Metal screw clasp

Small objects- Household items. Drawing exercise

2012-12-17T11:22:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone.
Here are some drawings of ten household items. I included the shadows to add to the realistic quality. Everything was done in pencil and sprayed with fixative to prevent smudging.
List of items drawn

Cigarette lighter
Bulldog clip
Eraser
Screw
Bottle of oil
Mug
Sharpener
Pen
Cellphone
Tweezers

Glitz and Glam- Inspired by Tumblr photos.

2012-07-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

Hello friends,
This post is a photograph I took today of some costume jewelry. I've been checking out people's tumblr pages and photographs on a site called weheartit.com (Click link) and have fallen in love with the numerous overexposed shots of food, jewelry and just about anything else shiny. Most of the shots look like they were taken using a polarizing filter. Unfortunately, I do not have access to any filters at all so, I just made do with what I have. This was a fun project and I hope you all enjoy looking at the end product. Remember to comment, follow me on Twitter @WaiLiArt and share.
Love,
Wai Li.

Kiskadee

2012-07-18T16:43:00.001-04:00

Attention all! I've come out of hiding and have a completed painting for you. If you follow me on Facebook, you may remember the incomplete acrylic piece I posted of the Kiskadee I spied in my backyard. Well, I finally completed it, filling in the branch and adding some new details. So, here it is. I tried a new technique to extend the "manipulation period" of the acrylics. I added glycerin to the paint to keep it wet. It worked so well that the acrylic sat there for over a month, uncovered and was still wet to the touch. How cool is that? Less wastage! The use of glycerin made it much easier to blend the colours after application.
Comment, tweet (follow me @WaiLiArt). Click HERE to view uploaded photos on Facebook.
Ciao for now.

Leaf Tip- A Photography post.

2012-04-12T12:40:00.000-04:00

I seem to be taking lots and lots of photos of leaves and flowers. Here is another one I took about 2 months ago. I was again fiddling with manual focus. Let me know what you think of it. I am open to suggestions. Tweet or post this on Facebook if you like.
Wai Li.
Follow me on Twitter @WaiLiArt

Tree Trunk- A Photography Post

2012-03-19T11:36:00.000-04:00

Some say papaya, others, paw paw. Whatever you choose to call it, I'm sure many of you will agree that this is among some of the best tasting fruit in the world (if you disagree... well, I can't help you. Ha!) Here is a photo I took a few weeks ago of the trunk of one of the trees in my yard. I'm fascinated by the natural heart-shaped "dent" left where the branches of the tree once were. Do you guys like this photo? Comment below if you do. Remember to subscribe to this blog, follow me on twitter @WaiLiArt and share with friends. Thank you for your continued support.
Wai Li.

Bottle Cap

2012-03-07T11:43:00.000-04:00

Today's post is a sketch I did of a bottle cap. It was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. Drawing circular objects at an angle always takes a bit of effort on my part. So, here is the "mini" sketch, done on the same page as the cigarette lighter CLICK HERE. My aim is to load this page with drawings of tiny objects.
Check back soon for another photography post.
Follow me on twitter @WaiLiArt.
Peace n' Love,
Wai Li.

Cocktail Shaker- A pencil drawing.

2012-03-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I put pencil to paper. Here is a drawing of an old cocktail shaker I resurrected. It's my grandmother's. Does that make it an antique? I used 2B, 4B and 6B pencils and a kneaded eraser to pull out some of the highlights. Hope you guys like this drawing. Leave me a comment and remember to subscribe to my blog for updates.
Follow me on twitter @WaiLiArt.

Romance- A Photography Post

2012-02-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

CLICK IMAGE

I think I have always liked detail. My childhood drawings were always of faces and I would try to appropriately place wrinkles, moles, draw in teeth and so on. As I matured, I gained interest in photography and would find myself trying to take closeup photos of my friends' faces and of any objects that struck me. So here I am again, taking relatively "zoomed in" shots of the only expensive (for me anyway) perfume that I own, Romance by Ralph Lauren. The necklace is a cheap plastic "butterfly" necklace, gifted to me by a ten year old. Never thought I'd end up using it in a photo.
Remember to comment, subscribe, share with friends and follow me on twitter @WaiLiArt.
Peace n' Love,

Wai Li.

Old Board House. Completed.

2012-02-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,

CLICK IMAGE.

I completely forgot to post the final/completed version of my painting done in water colour. CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL POST. There isn't much to say other than the fact that I worked to build richness to the piece by adding layers and that I finished it a long time ago. That being said, take a look at the photo and let me know what you think. Feel free to suggest anything. I'm open to constructive criticism. Stay tuned for more posts. Follow me on twitter @WaiLiArt, subscribe to my blog and spread the word!

The Leaf- Photography Post

2012-02-13T17:03:00.001-04:00

CLICK IMAGE

The hunt is on for a high quality macro lens, one that will capture the little details in nature that we so often miss. Until then, I'll be making use of my two Nikon lenses (AF-S NIKKOR 55-200MM and AF-S NIKKOR 18-55MM). Here are some leaves I shot in my backyard. It rained quite a bit and I couldn't help but notice the droplets that remained on the surface of the leaves. Aren't they beautiful? Guess which lens I used...Wink! Wink!

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Follow me on Twitter @WaiLiArt
Peace n' Love, Wai Li

Quick Sketch- Cigarette Lighter

2012-02-07T17:30:00.001-04:00

CLICK IMAGE

I did this one last night while listening to some unfamiliar music. The photo is cropped so you cannot see the rest of the page but my intention is to fill it with sketches of various objects. The lighter was done with a 2B and 5B pencil. Comment below if you like or have questions. I enjoy reading comments!
Follow me on Twitter @WaiLiArt
Subscribe to my blog for updates.
Love always,
Wai Li.

Bottles n' Clocks- A Watercolour Post

2012-02-06T18:21:00.000-04:00

CLICK IMAGE

Greetings viewers/fellow art enthusiasts. Today I share with you a piece I've been working on for a while. I really took my time with this one. As many of you may know, working with watercolour is a slow process. If rushed, you may find yourself with a muddy, sloppy looking piece of art. It just is necessary to let the layers of washes dry before moving forward with the painting process.
This piece is far from finished but I thought I'd post a photo of its current state. The thing with watercolour is that the paint looks so much lighter when it dries. I am aiming for a richer tone so, I have a couple more layers to go!
Here is a photo of the alarm clock and wine bottle. If there's anything you'd like to see me paint, comment below this post.
Love always,
Wai Li.

Coins Through the Lens- A Photography Post.

2012-01-28T20:04:00.002-04:00

CLICK IMAGE

This weekend I was determined to get the hang of shutter speed and aperture settings on my Nikon. Though I still have a way to go in understanding the two, I think it's safe to say there has been some progress. My subjects were some coins I gathered from about the house. As usual, the camera remained in manual mode/setting (manual has become my best friend). Hopefully I'll have some photos of coins from other parts of the globe but for now we'll stick to this handful of U.S. coins. CLICK HERE for a surprise!
Hope you appreciate my hard work. Comment below, follow the blog (GFC) and remember to check me out on twitter @WaiLiArt.
Peace and Love,
Wai Li.

The Watch. Another Photography Post

2012-01-23T17:11:00.002-04:00

CLICK IMAGE

So. I have the flu and it seems not to want to leave. I wish I could say that my ears and nose were the only things clogged but unfortunately, I can't think straight either. Anyways, I just had to do this post on a photograph I took of my new ICE watch (Popular on Youtube). I tried to be creative with the whole process.
I thought of how I could give the viewers the impression of a watch without doing the obvious: snapping one of the watch's face. BORING! After twirling it for a bit (the watch) I decided that the plate at the back was the next best thing. (Comment and let me know if you agree).
Here is the image of the ICE watch. If you follow me on Twitter, it may look familiar. I use a Nikon D40x. Sadly, this is not a tutorial, so I did not note what settings I used. I can tell you, however, that this photo was taken in the evening under natural light. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to write below this post.
Twitter- @WaiLiArt

Chalk Pastel Vase.

2011-12-24T14:37:00.000-04:00

The title says it all. I swear this looks better in real life but I may still try to add some colour and darken the pre-existing pigments in the near future (for more vibrant photos). Here is a glass decorative vase I completed earlier this year, using brown recycled paper. I tried to capture the frosty aspect of the actual object. Let me know what you think. Hope you guys like.
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Twitter @WaiLiArt

Digital Photography Edits.

2011-12-23T19:35:00.000-04:00

So, I am no pro at photoshop as I may have previously mentioned. The other day I got really bored and decided to fiddle around with some photos I snapped. Here's the end result. I'm not even sure I fully remember what I did. LOL. Go figure. Anyways, let's see if you folks can guess what the first edit is. I think the second image is pretty obvious, right?

Charcoal Art.

2011-12-06T11:06:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I last posted on this blog and there's a lot to share. Let's start with this charcoal piece: a flashlight and some batteries that I did some time ago.

CLICK ME

This flashlight was significantly more difficult to draw than I'd anticipated. I totally forgot that drawing a line down the centre would have helped with symmetry. I won't make the same mistake twice!

The batteries were easy. Nothing spectacular. A combination of charcoal sticks (the soft, messy ones) and a charcoal pencil (hard) were used. I don't remember the kind of paper this is...oopsie.

Charcoal is a wonderful medium but very messy. It is also sure to show up any splits or cracks you may have in your fingernails and isn't always easy to wash out. If you get any stray charcoal fingerprints on your artwork, remember you can always use a kneaded eraser to clean up.

Comment, Tweet, Follow this blog.

Wai Li

Amy Winehouse Charcoal drawing

2011-10-12T13:19:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone,

Today i'm sharing with you a charcoal drawing of Amy Winehouse. I've been meaning to do this one for a while. I used a combination of charcoal sticks and a charcoal pencil and completed it in about half an hour. My next assignment will be to get a good sketch pad. I used the worst paper ever and it made blending really difficult.

Below are two photos, one slightly closer up than the other. Hope you like. Comment below this post.

Wai Li.