Tulipmania 2015 at Gardens by the Bay

  How has your week been, lovelies?

  Would you like to win a set of Derwent blender pens? You only have a few more days to take part in my giveaway! Link to it right here: http://www.everythingis-art.com/2015/04/march-2015-giveaway.html


  Recently, I went to Gardens by The Bay to see Tulipmania. The last time I visited the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest was when it had just opened. I enjoyed my time there and really looked forward to visiting it once more.

  This visit didn't disappoint either.  :)  I took lots of pretty pictures of the flowers, trees, and shrubs there. I went on a Sunday afternoon. The weather looked a little gloomy, but it was still fine because I stayed in the air-conditioned domes and the sun soon came out again after a while.

  Here are some of the pictures I took...

They had flowers in the Cloud Forest too!

This is Cloud Forest.
The exhibits are all inside the structure.

Then we moved on to the Flower Dome.
There are permanent exhibits of flowers here, and pictured above and below are some of the flowers you'd see in the Flower Dome.

Real pretty, aren't they?

  And then we saw the tulips! I'll be really honest, though... Tulips are nowhere close to my favourite flowers...

And these were the only types I felt were photogenic enough to warrant me taking a picture.
Apparently, though, the streaks in tulips are caused by a virus. Although these days, tulips with this "broken" effect are a result of breeding and not a viral infection.
I thought that was really interesting to know.

   The theme for this year's Tulipmania is "Fairytales", so each tulip had an attached fairytale– Little Red Riding Hood, the Snow Queen, Rapunzel.... My favourite was the carriage for Cinderella. They even had a shoe on a cushion for it.

Here's a view of the ferris wheel from inside the Flower Dome.

Also, if you do visit the Flower Dome, make sure to look out for a dragon made of wood. 

By the time I left Gardens by the Bay, the sun was setting...

  Visiting Gardens by the Bay is a great idea for a relaxing day out and I greatly enjoyed just walking around the domes and enjoying the exhibits and flowers. Bring along good company and you'd have a great time here. :) If you're interested in seeing the tulips, Tulipmania 2015 will last till' 10th May 2015. Otherwise, the other flowers and the Cloud Forest will always be there. The domes are open from 9 am to 9 pm daily. Admission charges apply.

  Find out more about Tulipmania 2015 via this link.

Book Review: Blue 2

  The concept behind this book is just the same as "One Red Dot". On each pop-up page, there is one hidden blue "2" paired with a little rhyme to help you in finding it. Will you be able to find all ten hidden 2s?

And here's a flip-through video of "Blue 2" by David A. Carter, with me pointing out where all the hidden twos are.

Book Review: One Red Dot

  "One Red Dot" is the first of many pop-up books that David A. Carter has created.

  I'm an English tuition teacher to children ranging from 3-16 years old, and the kids that I've shown this book to have absolutely loved it. My current copy is beginning to show signs of distress (not tearing of parts, just general wear-and-tear.. The kids are gentle with the book and I do keep an eye on them when they're reading it), but to me, it just shows how engaging the book is to the kids. They love finding the red dots within the book, and seeing how the pop-ups are tucked in when they close each page.

  Here's a video of me flipping through the book:

  To see me flipping through "Blue 2", click this link.

Try Out Thursday: Journal Enviro

  I was at Orchard the other day and I chanced upon Keepers. The location of their store used to be a Singapore Visitor Centre, but then that got moved a slight distance away. Keepers is a designer store. Initially, I went into the store to just browse. They had lots of really beautiful clothes and jewelry, and also perfume. But then a certain section in the store caught my attention....

  Upon a table near the cashier laid some stationeries. That's when I saw the Journal Enviro.

  The Journal Enviro is part of the Bynd Artisan Enviro Collection. Bynd Artisan is a company that believes in sustainable, eco-friendly bookbinding practices. The idea that a sketchbook be made from organic food by-products was what caught my interest in the Journal Enviro.

  The paper within the book is literally made with recycled food pulp from citrus and kiwi fruits, coffee, hazelnut, olives and corn!

The short write-up within the book explains that the different coloured papers within the book have different textures due to the different organic food material that is used to make them.
And let me just say that the paper feels lovely. 

A gif of me flipping through the book. 

I love the little details. Like this embossed logo.

The pages within the book are all 250gsm.
The size of the book is 20.3 cm by 13.9 cm (7.9" by 5.5")
And yes, it does open flat, thanks to its stitch-binding.

  I haven't used it yet. But I sure am looking forward to it.

  If you'd like to purchase one for yourself or a friend, you can click on this link. You can also find the Bynd Artisan flagship store at 2 Chin Bee Avenue, Singapore 619927. If you need to, give them a call at 6267 5066.

  And before you ask, no, this is not a sponsored post. I just like quality products and will stand behind companies who really care about the quality of their merchandises. :)


  Hope you liked this review~ (It took me quite a while to create the gif.)

Painting of the Day: Red

"Red" by Igor Piwowarczyk

  I love how  Igor Piwowarczyk depicts the light of the sun in a rich, bold red. I can see some oriental influence within his paintings. I also love how all the details are simplified and that he uses a very restricted palette.

  His style is really diverse and you should definitely check out his other works via his Behance.

Recommended Artist: Samuli Heimonen

  Samuli Heimonen is a Finnish artist. Through his surrealist paintings, he explores the big questions of humanity, using metaphor and his love for animals and nature as a way to tell the story.

  You can view more of the artist's works via this link.

Illustrated Poem Series #007 and #008

"Destiny is not a matter of chance; It's a matter of choice. 

It is not a thing to be waited for; It's a thing to be achieved."

-William Jennings Bryan

"Hatred paralyses life; Love releases it.
Hatred confuses life; Love harmonises it.
Hatred darkens life; Love illuminates it."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Also, I've just updated my Instagram name. You can now find me @havepen_willdraw.

Also also, my March giveaway is still on-going. Remember to join it for a chance to win a pack of Derwent blender pens. To view the giveaway, visit this link: http://www.everythingis-art.com/2015/04/march-2015-giveaway.html

Recommended Artist: Aleks Klepnev

One of the two drawings in the series titled, "Last Attempt".

Pictured above and below are drawings from a series titled "Education".
I really like the symbolism behind these drawings. How children are represented by baby birds and a young bonsai plant... I'm sure you're able to form the other half of what he's trying to say.

  Aleks Klepnev does watercolour works as well, but I feel his pen and ink works hold the most charm. He uses a little digital manipulation to complete his works (to add colour to the background and also to add texture), and I think it adds more interest to the pieces. The subjects he chooses to depict are really interesting.

  If you'd like to view more of his works, you can do so via his Behance.

Book Review: Enchanted Forest

  "Enchanted Forest" by Johanna Basford is a gorgeously beautiful colouring book. People have complained that her previous book "Secret Garden" had beautiful drawings in it but was printed poorly. Even though I cannot say much about that because I do not own that book, I can say for certain that "Enchanted Forest" was well above what I had expected.

  The paper within the book is a semi-gloss paper that takes coloured pencils and markers very well. The cover of the book is delightful, with gold details on the front, and even the inside of the cover has illustrations. The actual cover looks to be made from recycled cardboard material and is of a toned-brown colour. I also just love it when the protective cover and the actual cover have two completely different designs. :)

  The illustrations within the book are very well printed. All the lines are crisp and clear. My only complain is that some illustrations go across two pages, and some parts of the drawing gets swallowed in the middle.

  The book takes you on a journey through a wonderful forest, in search of hidden animals, keys, and nine square tablets with symbols on them to unlock the castle door at the end of the book. A surprise is hidden behind the castle door, so if you want to find out what that surprise is for yourself, don't watch the video till' the end!

  In all, highly recommended. Delightful book to have in your hand.

April 2015 Giveaway

  I can't believe this will be my fourth giveaway already. ˆ-ˆ

  If you recall, I did a review of the Derwent blender pens before and loved them. They're really great for coloured pencil artists who are looking for a smoother "look" to their drawings. (Link to review here.)

  Since then, I've bought three more packs of Derwent blender pens and have also decided to give you one of you lucky readers a set!

Rules:

• You must live within Singapore to join this giveaway. I'll cover the postage fee so you don't have to worry about that.

• Giveaway starts on 6th April 2015, 10:00, Singapore time and ends on the 4th May 2015, 10:00, Singapore time.

• Please provide an e-mail that I can contact you with if you win the giveaway. The winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends.

• If you have any additional questions, feel free to send me an email- stephanie_jennifer@ymail.com

Other than that, you can join via the widget below. Anddd~ Good luck!

Update: Here's a post with proof that I sent out the prize to the winner ---- (click me)

Recommended Artist: Tobbe Malm

From his Bolt Poetry series

  Tobbe Malm makes these bolts look so human-like. The bolts were found in a barn in Sweden. Then Tobbe heated, forged, bent, and twisted them to make them into these little sculptures. Each tell a story. Each elicit different emotions from the viewer. They're also all untitled because Tobbe wants you to form your own thoughts and stories about the little bolt people.

  View more of the series via this link.