It's been some time since my last post and I have not had enough time to devote to new paintings so I started some quick sketches these days.  You can view most of them at my watercolor journal.

I usually paint fruits or flowers as the subject of my paintings but these days I've decided to change my subjects and turn away from still life. I desperately wanted to paint something colorful and that's when I stumbled upon some images of lovebirds. Lovebirds are gorgeous and they have a color scheme similar to mangoes with hues of yellow, orange and green.

Lovebirds were the perfect subject for me to study and I became enamored with them. I began sketching them in my new Perfect Sketchbook  (review to come shortly). The Perfect Sketchbook began as a kickstarter project by Erwin Lian Cherngzhi in Singapore and I am already impressed with the beautiful finish and paper quality. It reminds me of a higher end pocket moleskine without all the fuss.

I quickly set out to sketch some lovebirds and applied several washes to see how the paper would perform:

I was really impressed with the paper and requested extra copies from Erwin (even though it was out of stock) in hopes of snatching one more for myself and a friend. Erwin was kind enough to release 30 limited copies but unfortunately,they are sold out now. Erwin might consider an A5 Kickstarter run if there is enough interest. I will definitely be the first person to back this up since I am pleased with the initial results.

My lovebird sketch looked a bit empty when I completed it so in light of Valentine's Day - a loving warm pink background was washed in using several shades of Opera Pink and Ultramarine Violet.

The scanned version and photo always differ in color so I prefer to snap some photos during the painting phase and after. Here's a photo of the completed work below: 

I'll have a complete review for this exquisite sketchbook very soon since I am still gathering my thoughts and need to test it a bit more before providing feedback.

I've been losing sleep these past weeks and I apologize for the lack of posts! I am hoping to correct my sleep schedule after I finish a new painting for a silent art auction at the Weill Cornell Community Clinic on March 13th, 2015. I will be there in person during the event.

If you are in NYC, I would love to meet you! Tickets are on sale now and all proceeds will fund the clinic. Here's a sneak peek of what I'm working on (yes, more lovebirds this month):

I always love hearing from my readers, please don't hesitate to leave comments below or send me an email if anyone has questions or feedback.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone and stay tuned!