#DannyDoesArt | Arya Stark Watercolor Portrait

Hola! I am so stoked to announce that—drum roll—I got back into painting!

It's been 84 years since I last touched a paintbrush and I gotta tell you, it took a few good minutes of warm up to get cosy with these slender pieces of magic again. For the longest time, I have been uninspired or perhaps just incredibly distracted that I haven't found time to make art. I have always been into art and this creative itch has been something I've been waiting for. I'm glad I've found my way back into painting as this has been a big help on relieving stress and keeping my sanity amidst the pressures of adulthood.  

I kicked off my journey to the Land of "Happy Accidents" with a tribute to one of my favourite Game of Thrones characters—Arya "badass MF" Stark through a medium I had zero knowledge of—the fabulous aquarelle or simply watercolour.

Like some of you, I had no clue how to start—all I had was a set of student-grade watercolour cakes (a Christmas gift from a dear student of mine), a palette, a plain sketchbook, YouTube tutorial videos on my iPad, and some cheapass paintbrushes I got from the dollar-store Daiso. But let me tell you something, never underestimate the abilities of Daiso paintbrushes. I love using them! Very affordable and they don't disappoint when it comes to quality.

At the time of writing, I have upgraded to Holbein Artists' watercolors, which are just absolutely wonderful to work with, and have been stocking up on better paint tubes and paintbrushes. I don't know if it's a practical idea to use such artist-quality paints for beginners, but I didn't mind. I like short-cuts.

For this particular art work, here are the materials I used:

☑️ Guitar Watercolour Cakes

☑️ Daiso paintbrushes (blue handles)

☑️ Tombow Mono HB

☑️ Maruman sketchbook

I started by sketching the character's face which was a fairly quick process, even though I was a little rusty.

 2017 © Dana Eve Valencia

Then onto a combination of the wet-on-dry and wet-on-wet techniques which was quite a "trial and error" struggle as it was my first time to deal with watercolours. I had a blast, though, with discovering how the colours move and blend on paper. The highlights, midtones, and shadows gave me a real challenge, fun nonetheless.

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia

As you can see, I have applied the splatter paint technique by just a few flicks of my wrist—Aguamenti! 💫

I know I still have a long, long way to go, but I must say I'm very happy with my first legit watercolour art piece. It was such a thrill relearning the brush strokes, tricks, and experimenting with watercolours!

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia

A girl is Dana Eve Valencia of Japan, and it feels good to be back.

#DanaDoesHaiku IX

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia 

#DanaDoesHaiku VIII

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia 

#DanaDoesHaiku VII

2017 © Dana Eve Valencia  

#DanaDoesHaiku VI

2016 © Dana Eve Valencia  

D is for Different

2015 © Dana Valencia

The girl's always different from anyone. She didn't strive to be different; she just came out that way. Because she's got something—this uniqueness that most people don't seem to comprehend. She wasn't particularly a misfit; she just doesn't live to please or be accepted by people. She said when you're aiming for people to like you, you lose your uniqueness, and, therefore, your excellence.

Dare to be different.

At the Mountaintop of Life . . .

2015 © Dana Valencia

11:11am. Sitting on the edge of a rock about 260 ft high, overlooking the whole city, as if I were a more seasoned, wiser and more compassionate version of myself at the mountaintop of life, looking down and watching as the younger minded, current version of me hacks my way through life.

I see myself holding on to false beliefs and making epic errors of judgment as I maneuver through life's many obstacles, growing up in challenging times that test my sense of self-confidence, yet pushing forward bravely, and learning through my mistakes.

And I wonder: Would this wiser version of myself conclude that everyone in their own unique way was doing their very best. And if everyone is trying to do their best, what needs to be forgiven? Not being perfect?

Perfection doesn't exist. Forgiveness is oftentimes the simple realisation that there is nothing that actually needs to be forgiven.

#DanaDoesHaiku V

2016 © Dana Eve Valencia