Sasa's Sketchbook

Finally had time to contribute to Illustration Friday again, this week's theme was 'kernel'.

Back to my blog after 3 weeks of friends and relatives visiting Beijing. Had fun time but it is great to be drawing and painting again too. Here is some new work I got today back from mounting.



Lakeside / 临湖, 2012 (425), 75 X 46 cm, ink and mineral watercolor on rice paper (xuan paper)

This tricycle owner makes and sells jianbing i.e salty/spicy pancakes that have egg and something crispy inside (still don't know what that crispy thing is but the second self has piles of it).

Nunu likes to watch nature programs on TV but is a bit puzzled by them. She walks around the TV trying to figure out how all those animals got inside.

Just noticed that there was a small presentation of me in Illustrator's Lounge, made already a couple of months ago. This old little paintings was among the work chosen to illustrate the story.



Camellia, 38 X 47 cm, ink & color on rice paper, 2011

Two cups and a string, the early telephone!

Another favorite from the latest set of ink paintings:



Behind A Window / 在窗户后面, 74 X 46 cm, 2012 (415), ink and mineral color on rice paper

Had to post this just to test and celebrate that my home connection is finally working (after 3 weeks of wasting money is coffee shops...)

Got back 12 paintings today. This is one of my favorites.



Flower Wheel / 花轮, 74 X 39 cm, 2012 (416), ink and mineral color on rice paper

The bear returns home following her own footsteps.

(When I was about 3 years old I loved painting 'bear footsteps'. You need a really bad and old watercolor brush for the best results, unfortunately the one I used wasn't bad enough.)

Some work I did after my trip to the Philippines in February, got it back from mounting this week.

Another Rorschach experiment. I like this one,it looks like an angry medicine man. (I wonder what psychologists say about me now...)

Many of those Rorschach test inkblots look like a swamp to me. I tried to recreate one but didn't really get what I wanted, this one is the closest I could come out with ( 'insects' proved to be easier to make).

It must be Spring because I have started doodling these cartoony trees again... I have pages and pages of these in my little sketchbook that I carry everywhere and use when waiting or bored or stuck in Beijing traffic. (There has been more of those opportunities lately since the internet connection at my home does not work and I have to go out  to get online.)

Doodled this week's Illustration Friday challenge while watching TV.

This tricycle is turned into a snack bar, selling sausages etc to people returning from work.

What a difficult word in Illustration Friday this week...
I went to get my cat today (she was at my friend's place while I was traveling). She seemed angry and hurt being put into a carrier case, which gave me an idea to use an awkward transition i.e. draw her and quote Confusius (I am too embarrased to write the full quote...)

Visiting Finland, no time to do new sketches. Next week back in Beijing and by the drawing board!



Philosopher's Home / 哲学家的家, 31 X 31 cm, 2011 (372), ink and color on handmade rice paper

Usually you see old couples using these tricycles, the wife sitting in the back and the husband riding, very very slowly.

I have been fostering a sweet little cat called Nunu for a month now. One of her favorite places to sleep is among towels on the top shelves of a cupboard. She is capable of jumping there herself though sometimes (rarely) she fails... (And sometimes she begs/miaows me to lift her there.)

This tricycle owner delivers mantou i.e. steamed wheat buns. (Or maybe those are baozhi, which is the same thing but with some filling, usually pork.)