Choosing colors for a watercolor palette is tricky. I’m a little OC so up ’til a few weeks ago, my palettes were sorted by brand — one for ShinHan, one for Holbein, etc. The downside is that I had to lug both palettes around when I paint outdoors. Very impractical, especially since I acquired tubes from other brands (Daniel Smith & Sennelier) which meant I’ll have to add more palettes for each additional brand. Eek. To avoid that bothersome scenario, I devoted an afternoon to testing all the colors and hand-picking ones I’ll have the most use out of and then I combined those into a single palette. Thought I’d share it here since a lot of folks have been asking me about the paints I use. 🙂

Since I paint mostly people with the occasional landscape or urban background, I decided on a rainbow spectrum of colors — their warm and cool iterations — plus a few neutrals. This way I’ll get to mix a large variety of the other hues I might need.

Top row, left to right: Cobalt Blue Light (Holbein), Marine Blue (Shin Han PWC), Viridian (Shin Han PWC), Hooker’s Green (Sennelier), Leaf Green (Holbein), Hansa Yellow Light (Daniel Smith), New Gamboge (Daniel Smith), Pyrrol Scarlet (Daniel Smith), Quinacridone Rose (Daniel Smith), Permanent Red (Shin Han PWC).
Bottom row, left to right: Vandyke Brown (ShinHan PWC), Helios Purple (Sennelier), Quinacridone Gold (Sennelier), Davy’s Grey (Holbein), Payne’s Grey (Holbein), Permanent Violet (Holbein), Mineral Violet (ShinHan PWC), French Ultramarine (Daniel Smith), and Pthalo Blue (Daniel Smith).  [info on where to shop these brands are below]

Below is an illustration I made using only the paints from this palette.

A photo posted by Cynthia Bauzon-Arre (@arncyn) on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:30am PDT

(If you think the characters look familiar, that’s because they’re based on Augustus and Hazel from “The Fault in Our Stars.” I’m currently working on illustrations inspired by YA films, a wonderful idea suggested to me by talented artist & letterer Abbey Sy. So excited to make more. :D)

I’m very happy with this combination because it has everything I need — just look at the colors that can be mixed from this selection on the charts I placed beside the palette. If you’re looking into getting into watercolors and are panicking over what pricey set to buy, try determining the colors you need first and then purchase individual tubes & pans and make your own set 🙂

ShinHan PWC and Sennelier tubes are from ArtWhale (can be ordered online)
Daniel Smith tubes are from DE’s ArtRoom (they’re based in Cebu but you can also order online)
Holbein tubes are from Deovir Arts (SM North Edsa, Quezon City)

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Last Saturday I had a live portrait session for Hey Kessy’s Father’s Day Celebration. When Dinny (of Hey Kessy) asked a few weeks ago if I ‘d be willing to do it, I hesitated but, as expected, dear husband said that I’ll never know that I can if I don’t try. I practiced using Arnold, random faces on Pinterest, and my cat (:D) as the models, grit my teeth and finally messaged back in the affirmative.

A photo posted by Cynthia Bauzon-Arre (@arncyn) on Jun 18, 2016 at 4:53am PDT

I sat in the store for 3 hours, from 10 am to 1 pm and was able to draw three friendly faces.  I’m thinking that if I had chosen an afternoon schedule, there’d probably be more walk-ins but I was thankful for the relaxed pace.

Each portrait took about 20-30 minutes to make. I was worried about not capturing resemblance exactly but I relaxed once I set my mind that given the setup, all I could do were caricatures at the most…

On hindsight, I’m glad I accepted the gig because painting from life with the models actually knowing that I’m painting them — as opposed to sneakily painting people in a coffee shop — is a great experience. We had to do it for art class in college but the subjects were either classmates or hired models. This time, my subjects really had the intention of having me draw them, which gave me a boost of confidence. Save for Danry who I already know from comic-related events, I got to know really nice people beyond just “hi’s and hello’s” and that was wonderful.

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Speaking of Hey Kessy, I have a Shrink Art Workshop there on July 2! I resurrected my Youtube Channel and made a How-to Make-Shrink-Art video so you’ll have a taste of what we’ll be doing there,

Please sign up via this form if you’d like to learn how to make shrink art out of your doodles too! Class fee is P1500, inclusive of materials and light snacks.
*More details here.

Hi guys! First of all, a quick reminder that my Shrink Plastic Crafting Workshop is happening this Saturday, November 21, from 1-4pm at Hey Kessy in Katipunan .Please head to this link to view the details and/or sign up for a slot. The fee already includes basic materials and snacks but participants can get extra shrink plastic sheets from me at a discount.

Below is an example of what you can learn to make. among so many other fun things, with shrink film. 🙂



A photo posted by Cynthia Bauzon-Arre (@arncyn) on Nov 9, 2015 at 10:49pm PST

And if you’re wondering about the doodles in the background of my shrinkydink “sampayan” collar pin, those are some of the illustrations you will find in my coloring book FLUTTERBY.  😀

Thanks to Chamber Shell Publishing, Arnold and I both have our own adult coloring books.

LOCAL COLOR – A Philippine Fantasy Coloring Book features (as the subtitle says) Arn’s Filipino fantasy themed illustrations that depict both modern and classic facets of our mythology. Think diwatas, aswangs, people from a techno-future and what-have-you.  🙂  It has 30 of his original drawings contained in 64 9″ x 12″ pages, perforated so you can tear out and frame your finished colored work! SRP is PHP 295.00

A few more preview images from Arnold Arre’s LOCAL COLOR —

FLUTTERBY – A Daydreamy Coloring Book has my doodles of girls in dreamy, breezy scenarios that typically involve flowers, leaves, and, on occasion, birds, butterflies, and cute furry creatures. There are 20 original hand-drawn pen and ink drawings in 44 pages, also perforated. SRP is P150.00.

A few more preview images from FLUTTERBY —

The covers for both books aren’t glossy on purpose so you can color them too if you want! They will be in bookstores soon but you can also order directly from the publisher at orders@nautiluscomics.net for stress-free delivery to your doorstep! Bulk and overseas shipping are available as options. 😀

UPDATE: Limited quantities of Flutterby are now available at my online shop!

I will also be bringing a few of my books to the holiday bazaars which I’ll be participating in soon. So far, here is my schedule.

November 28 (Saturday) – BGC Art Mart
December 6 (Sunday) – BGC Art Mart
(unconfirmed date) – Steady Sunday Bazaaro

It might get even quieter here on the blog as I prepare for the art fairs but you can always check my Instagram for (a bit more) regular updates. 😀

A photo posted by Cynthia Bauzon-Arre (@arncyn) on Oct 26, 2015 at 6:21am PDT

I’m teaching my first ever workshop and it will be on Shrink Plastic Crafting! If you’d like to learn how to turn your doodles into wearable art in the form of necklace pendants, bracelet charms, pins, and earrings, I will show you how to do it and share some techniques and tricks I’ve learned along the way. It will be on November 21, Saturday, from 1-4pm at Hey Kessy (31 E. Abada, Katipunan).

The workshop fee already includes shrink plastic sheets and all other materials, design templates, a take-home zine, snacks and refreshments. (Additional shrink plastic sheets can be purchased from me at a discounted rate if you’re a participant. 🙂 )

See you there? Please go to www.heykessy.com/register to reserve your slot!

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Callalily’s 5th album “Greetings from Callalily” was released last Friday, October 23, and I’m very happy to have been part of it! It’s been a while since I’ve designed a full-blown album because almost everyone prefers buying MP3s, right? But then this is Callalily — I heard that their albums’ sales can hit Platinum — so I wanted to design something that a fan would love to have in his/her possession. I’m happy with the end result and I can’t wait to share it with you. Please see the portfolio to see what we came up with. 🙂