THAT FLORALS WORKSHOP WITH PLAY CRAFTS PH

What's up guys!?

We have officially entered the second quarter of the year, yo! Unfortunately, 2019 hit me with a series of not-so-lethal blows. I have a feeling that this decade would give me a helluva reasons to step up my game. Well, I'm here to take challenges one at a time!

And speaking of challenges...

I would like to share with you something that took me almost a year to contemplate on. Remember when I started my painting therapy last February 2018? Four months after my Grandpa's death, I turned to watercolor painting to somehow cope with my grief and depression. I knew I had to go on with my life - I still have to pay bills, put a roof above my head, eat and spend for other adulting stunts. I basically have to get my shit together, and I don't know why but I chose to pick up a paintbrush in an attempt to do that. 

I've been watching quite a lot of painting vlogs on YouTube, but there's this channel that somehow got me hooked because it's quite different from the other ones that I've seen. It's called PlayCrafts PH. Now, I've been seeing round brushes in most of the video tutorials, so the triangle brush used by the artist really piqued my interest. What the hell is a triangle brush???

I kept watching video tutorials all throughout 2018, I tried to make more artwork and eventually I've experienced the benefits of painting even just as a hobby. It's like a friggin' mind spa! I started visiting arts and craft stores, checking out brushes and watercolor pads but no matter where I go, I just can't find a triangle brush! So, come 2019, when I felt like I can finally afford to shell out some cash for this hobby and since I'm getting a bit more serious in improving, I signed up to one of PlayCrafts' workshops sometime in January. Woohoo!

After signing up, I immediately talked to my manager (Hi MJ! Domo arigato!) to ask if I can do an under-time work on the day of my workshop. Workshops usually fall on a weekend, and since I work during the weekends, it's pretty hard for me to work around my schedule without jeopardizing my employment. It was worth the shot though, I was given permission to act on my whim, yay! 

So, here's what happened at our workshop!!!

When I got to the venue, my 'classmates' were already there. We had the workshop at Art Bar Rockwell. I hopped into a GrabCar right after my shift that day because had I taken a jeepney, I wouldn't have made it on time. And I hate being late! 

For the first time, I've met my teacher, Ms. Beth. I couldn't believe I was actually about to take her class after spending months just watching her on her YouTube channel. 

When I got to my seat, I saw this kit plus a card with my name on it. We all know I'm a sucker for anything that has my name on it! Haha!

Our craft kit includes two triangle brushes, a manual, gouache set and cold-pressed papers. 

We started with a short introduction about ourselves and how we ended up taking that painting workshop. I am so bad with introductions and I rarely give good first impressions. I know I have to work on that! I can blabber all I want when it comes to written words, but even if I talk for a living, my introversion still kicks in especially when I'm talking to real human beings. When everyone had their turn to speak up, we started digging through our kits and eventually started with the basics.

It felt weird using the triangle brush at first. I was a bit disappointed with my drills actually but it helps that there is a real teacher guiding you as well as 'classmates' who encourage you to keep going. We started at 1:30 PM, then, we took a quick break halfway through. By the time we ended around 5 PM, I was almost ready to sleep! 

It was really fun to sit and paint with these people from different walks of life. It's not a big crowd which was totally fine for me since I tend to work better with fewer people. And simply being surrounded by art materials is just like heaven for me these days!  

I've learned how to paint sakura (cherry blossoms), hydrangeas, cone flowers, carnations and Chinese peonies using a triangle brush from this workshop. It was my first time to use gouache as well. I've always been using watercolor for my artwork but it feels good to explore another medium! We were also given access to Google classroom in case we need to review the strokes that we've learned from the workshop.   

Here's my very first sakura branch using a triangle brush and gouache! This is my first collaboration with my teacher! 

A few days after my class, I practiced doing more sakura branches and I gave them to a few friends and relatives as gifts. I'm also trying to make and sell bookmarks these days though my clients are still limited to friends, co-workers and relatives.   

I still don't know how far I could go with this painting gig. At the moment, I'm just having fun doing it. I don't have a regular schedule, it really depends on my mood. But once I get a chance to sit down, I almost always find it hard to stop. I'm still looking forward to another painting session with my teacher, but I have to wait for time, money and energy to be in sync again! 

Have you tried painting or doing any form of art before? Leave a comment down below if you'd like to share your "artsy stories" with me. I would love to hear from you!