Little boats

Hello! How was your week going so far? :)

I managed to finish up the third illustration for my Origami series and listed it on Etsy. You may purchase this work and other lovely art print/ merchandise here, www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift

I'll be adding more illustrations to this series including some patterns.

Besides that, I'm VERY thrilled to share that I'm working on my VERY FIRST picture book! Yes, it's both terrifying and exciting at the same time! I know my dream is coming true. \(^.^)/

Here's a little snapshot of some sketches I'd done so far...

Tell me you're as excited as me?! 

Okay, that's all I'm going to share for now, but I promise to keep you posted! :) 

Have a sweet day~

❤ Blessings, Rheea

Origami Series

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was fun.

As promised, here are the two pieces of works I did for my Origami series. Art print is available on Etsy. Do check out my Etsy store for all other lovely art pieces and merchandise, www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift! :)

Sunrise

Sunrise

Come Away With Me

Come Away With Me

Do you like this series?

I'm working on the third piece now. You can follow my Facebook page or Instagram for first-hand update on my works! Don't say I didn't tell you ;)

Have a great new week ahead!

❤ Blessings, Rheea

Lighthouse

As promised, part III of my Sea Houses Collection is here! 

Lighthouse

Lighthouse

I had also created two patterns for this series.

Oh by the way, if you are looking for tutorials to learn how to create patterns such as these, you wouldn't want to miss the one by Andy Mathis, HERE. I did quite abit of research and this is still my best recommended tutorial. Don't worry, Andy explained everything in a very clear and easy to understand way. Seriously, I never thought creating patterns can be so easy and fun until now!

Pattern 1

Pattern 1

Pattern 2

Pattern 2

Finally, I did a product mock-up with the complete collection. 

Product mock-up

Product mock-up

These lovely art prints are now available on Etsy, HERE.

Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Freedom

Freedom

Swimming With Fishes

Swimming With Fishes

That's all I have for you today.

Take care and have a beautiful day! :)

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

freedom

I have lost count on the number of times I have to 'explain' to people why I refuse to find a full time job over the years. My answer is simple. I hate being controlled by any corporate employment system. And I love my freedom too much. Of course this comes with a price; inconsistent paychecks, being judged by people as 'lazy' and 'unrealistic' etc.

It doesn't help growing up with critical parents. Although they have pretty much given up on me finding a job, my mom still enjoys throwing in negative remarks when the mood strikes her. Just the other day when I was working on this drawing below, she glanced over and commented, 'Why are you drawing these houses? There's nothing special about them.'. Sigh. And I remember vividly the day when I made my very first sale on Etsy a few years back. I was eager to share the news with her. However what seemed to be a casual joke immediately felt like a thousand knives stabbing right into the middle my heart, 'Oh? Which silly customers would want to spend their money on your drawings?'. :(

Honestly, I don't blame my mom for behaving this way because deep down I know she is a very loving and caring lady. Perhaps she was brought up by parents who showed their love in the same manner. Undoubtedly her remarks still affect me a little sometimes, but I have learn to take them with a pinch of salt.

On the other hand, I am very thankful to have a bunch of really encouraging friends and fans. Yes, if you are reading this right now. Thank you!

Well, I have chosen this less travelled path and I have never been happier. :)

Coincidentally, I have named this piece 'Freedom'. The two pieces can be put together to form a larger drawing.

If you like this, stay tuned for part III of my Sea Houses Collection!

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'Don't give up too soon. Not even when well-meaning parents, relatives, friends and colleagues tell you to get 'a real job.' Your dreams are your real job.' - Joyce Spizer

Have a beautiful day~

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Swimming With Fish

HelloOoooo~

Apology for neglecting my blog for a while; I've been really tied up with my freelance and paperwork.

Anyway, here's the latest piece of work I'd completed and posted on my Facebook Page some time ago. So remember to 'like' my page for any first-hand updates in future - www.facebook.com/DollgiftByRheea! :D

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Swimming WIth Fishes

Swimming WIth Fishes

The weather has turned so warm these days that Nono decided to take a dip in the sea with the fishes! Well, I really like the colour of this one. It must be one of the most colourful works I'd done so far. What do you think? :)

As I won't be listing it on Etsy till I complete the full series, do let me know if you're keen to purchase this as art print.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for the next piece which is coming up REAL soon! 

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Wonderland

Happy Sunday!

As promised, here is the complete collection of my Sunflower theme (scroll one post down if you missed my previous introduction).

Wonderland~

Wonderland~

Pattern I

Pattern I

Pattern II

Pattern II

Product Mock-up

Product Mock-up

I hope you like them! :)

If you would like to purchase my Wonderland art print, you may do so on Etsy, www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift

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For licensing enquiry, please contact my agent, Hannah (from The Bright Agency), hannah@brightartlicensing.com

Have a beautiful next week ahead!~

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Don't forget to play

Hello! I have created these two drawings for my portfolio and they are from my Sunflower Series (more pieces for this series coming up soon!). Well, I hope you like them. :)

I will work on creating 'collections' of art instead of individual pieces from now on, as I learned that this is preferrable for licensing.

Don't Forget To Play

Don't Forget To Play

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Field Of Gold

Field Of Gold

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If you would like to purchase any of these art prints, you may do so at my Etsy store, www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift

For licensing enquiry, please contact my agent, Hannah (from The Bright Agency), hannah@brightartlicensing.com

Have a beautiful weekend~

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

dreams do come true

Ahem. I am thrilled to announce that I have found an agent!

Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!! 

If you have been following my works, you would be aware that I have been busy preparing myself for the art licensing industry for the whole of last year. I read up articles and followed groups on Linkedin to learn more about the industry, make changes to my usual style by incorporating more colours, did product mock-ups, browse through tons of agency websites etc etc... THEN just two weeks ago, a UK agency, Bright Group International responded to my submission that they are keen to represent me. What a fabulous start to my 2014!

I know this is a very competitive market and it is extremely challenging to find an agent with so many brilliant artists/illustrators out there searching for one to represent them. Therefore I am really thankful to Bright for this opportunity. I am so looking forward to working with Hannah, my agent to create more beautiful (and marketable) collection. How exciting!!!

Well, hard work does pay off and dreams do come true eh. :)

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Artwork Submission

Happy belated Halloween!

Sorry for the sudden disappearance. No, I wasn't kidnapped by some scary monsters, I was merely busy with work.

After months of preparation - searching for greeting cards/ art licensing companies, reading up articles, experimenting and creating new artworks, I'm happy to announce that I'm done with the submission! I should get a respond in 3 - 4 weeks' time if my works get shortlisted. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Here are some of my submission. 

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You can find more sample mock-ups here.

I'll be sure to keep you updated. Meanwhile, please pray hard for me!

Have a great weekend!~~ ^^

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

 

Updates

HELLO!

It's FRIDAY once again!! Are you doing a happy dance behind your desk? Speaking of dance, you wouldn't want to miss Nono tap dancing in his sleep. Catch the adorable moves on our Facebook Page! He must have smelled Friday.

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Before we proceed, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who went down to show us your support at MAAD last Friday. I hope you had fun and managed to bring home something you like. 

As some of you may know, I've been working on my greeting cards line lately. Getting into the greeting card business is my next plan for Dollgift. Though I've designed and produced two collections in the past (everyday and Christmas collection), those were illustrated for my very own line. With much research, I've learnt a great deal more about the real greeting card business out there.

The very first challenge for me is to create illustrations that consumers would want to buy. And I'm not talking about a handful of consumers.. Greeting cards companies have to make sure my illustrations would generate lots of sales for them in order to want to carry my works. Almost all the the articles I came across would recommend doing more colourful designs. With that said, I'm known to create illustrations with very little colours (usually as highlights), sometimes simply plain black and white. I love clean, minimalist style and have been very happy with this signature but I'm ready to step out of my comfort zone to explore more colourful works. I already have friends commenting that my drawings are looking happier with more colours now! :)

I decided that several pieces of my drawings were a little too dull for greeting cards and probably need some changes. Here are two pieces I re-worked on. 

 

 

Faith (before)

Faith (before)

Faith (after)

Faith (after)

 Fly Me To The Moon (before)

 Fly Me To The Moon (before)


 Fly Me To The Moon (after)

 Fly Me To The Moon (after)

Fly Me To The Moon (after)

Fly Me To The Moon (after)

Do you like the experiment so far? Let me know your thoughts! :)

By the way, these illustrations are available as art print on our Etsy store HERE. Remember to LIKE us on Facebook for more updates.  

Oh, and I got to mention our Pinterest. I've added a couple more boards for illustrations; categorizing them under different styles eg. dreamy, surreal, cute, fashion etc. You can easily find the style you like now, so go follow us there!

Have a FUNtastic weekend~~~ 

❤ Xoxo, Rheea (and Nono... zzz)

 

Sweet Surrender

Happy happy Monday!

Here's sharing with you another illustration I created for my gift card collection. As usual, I did a few variations for licensing purpose.

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Added colour and texture to background

Added colour and texture to background

A different variation

A different variation

Balloons pattern

Balloons pattern

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If you like 'Sweet Surrender' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Remember to follow my Facebook Page to receive any first hand update or other interesting art related info!  

Have a sweet new week ahead~

❤ Xoxo, Rheea & Nono

 

Teddy

Another design for my gift card collection!  

As I'm working towards the licensing industry, I've been experimenting with more colourful artworks. Some of you may have noticed the gradual change from my black and white style to pastel coloured illustrations over the years. I guess the challenge is in trying to create drawings that more people would buy (I dislike the word 'commercialized') but at the same time not losing my style.

Well, I did a few variations on this piece. Let me know what you think! :)

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If you like 'Teddy' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

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Oh by the way, if you have subscribed to our RSS feed, you may noticed repeated images for my last few blog posts. I'm so sorry for any confusion. I'd feedback to the Squarespace team and they are addressing the issue now. Hopefully the error will be resolved soon. 

On another note, my 'Rain or Shine' art print was featured in the Etsy treasury by Inkspired. Check out this lovely treasury HERE

Have a beautiful new week ahead!

❤ Xoxo, Rheea & Nono

 

Rain or Shine - Part II (story continues...)

It's still drizzling away...

But well, I don't think I need to tell you how much these two are enjoying the rain. ;) 

Please drop us a comment to let us know if you'd enjoyed their story or what you would love to see next! :) 

Oh, and be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed below for any update.

If you like 'Rain Or Shine - Part II' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Thank you for reading!  

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Rain Or Shine - Part I (story continues...)

''Wait for me!''

Nono woofed out excitedly.  

But Binnie could no longer hear him. She is already far ahead, running with the moving clouds. 

Seems like the pair are really enjoying every minute of their adventure!

Now, now.. even the rain would not dampen their mood.

Do you like the adventure of Nono and Binnie so far? How would you like the story to enfold? 

Leave us a comment to let us know! 

And don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed below to ensure you don't miss out any update. :)

If you like 'Rain Or Shine' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Thank you for reading!  

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Sail Away (story continues...)

Gently, the clouds float across the clear blue sky.~

The magic umbrella has landed amidst the fluffy clouds after a night's ride.

Nono and Binnie are not tired at all. In fact, they are both overjoyed! Who wouldn't anyway?

Everything seems so surreal.

They can feel the softness of the cotton-like clouds caressing their tiny faces. They see stars everywhere and............. wait a minute... is that a fish?!! Yes! They are not dreaming, it is indeed a fish swimming in the clouds! Wow.

Could this be what they call... heaven?   

Where is the magic umbrella floating to? 

What interesting happenings will Nono and Binnie encounter next? 

Be sure to return for the answer. Or better yet, subscribe to our RSS feed below to ensure you don't miss out any update!

If you like 'Sail Away' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit our Etsy store HERE

Thank you for reading!  

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Going Up (story continues...)

Nono and Binnie quickly became inseparable after they met.

Day and night, night and day.

When you see Nono, you see Binnie. When you see Binnie, you see Nono.

So close are the pair that Nono wouldn't want to go anywhere without his dear little friend...

Not even on the magic umbrella adventure.  

What is going to happen to them?

Where is the magic umbrella bringing them to?

Stay tuned for the answer. 

If you like 'Going Up' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Thank you for reading!  

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

 

When Nono Meets Binnie (the adventure of nono and binnie)

My boy is so happy today.

For almost half his life, Nono has been a very shy boy. I'm glad things changed when he met Binnie today.

He even offered her his favorite balloon.

They got along pretty well probably because they are both equally shy.

I can tell these two are going to be friends for life.

If you like 'New Friend' and would like to purchase the art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Thank you for reading!  

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

F.A.I.T.H

It's the Friday again. Where has all the time gone?! 

Gosh. Before we know, it's Christmas again. I LOVE Christmas, but please don't come so fast.. I have tons of to-dos on my list that I've yet to cross off. :(

It's been awhile since I drew a tree (even though these are just part of a tree. lol)! I've decided. I shall include trees in my drawings more often from now on. Afterall they are beautiful and so fun to work with! 

I believe we need a little faith in everything we do in life. This is the message I want to remind everyone, including myself, to keep that faith even when life gets tough.

 

If you like F.A.I.T.H and would like to purchase an art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Thank you for reading! Have a fabulous weekend~

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Bliss~

Done with my latest work!

The challenge of this piece? I nearly went cross-eyed doing the flowers. @_@ 

I'd started out with more clouds/swings on my sketch but felt the composition makes my drawing looked more like a nursery art after filling in the colors. Ha. I think it looks better now. Oh, I added more flowers too.

If you like Bliss and would like to purchase an art print, please visit my Etsy store HERE

Some product mock-ups I did for this collection.

If you're an art licensing company or agent and is keen to license my works, drop me an email: info@mydollgift.com!

Thank you for reading!  

❤ Xoxo, Rheea

Fly Me To The Moon

If you've been following my works, you may notice a little more details in my recent drawings compared to my past works. I'll let you in on a little secret.. I'd discovered the pleasure of seeing my plain white paper covered with little pen strokes.. the more the better. I know what you're thinking; my boyfriend and friend think I'm a pervert too. Lol.

The challenges I faced on this particular piece were the cloud's shading and funnily, the moon! I had to google on the color of the moon and got confused further since it's color tone varies on different days. After finally deciding on an orange-yellow tone and happily filled up the moon, I realized it was looking more like a sun. -.- I was on the verge of changing the concept to a sun instead but decided to give it one last shot. This time, I added in more shades of yellow and some chickenpox-like detail (what a nice description). Honestly, I'm still not very satisfied with the result but that should be the best for now. 

To purchase this print, please visit our Etsy store HERE.

❤ Xoxo, Rheea.