Fine Dining with Hot Sauce

VB and I are really embarrassed going to fine dining restaurants. We consider the food to not have enough spice in it. Clearly, we are rather uncultured. 

This picture is an over-exaggeration. We ask for hot sauce everywhere we go.

🎫 Title: Fine Dining with Hot Sauce

⏰ Time to draw: 1.5 hours

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: I am trying to draw furniture properly. It's a learning process...hahaha.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

The Toronto Skyline

VB tried paddle boarding for the first time this summer. We went to @CenterIsland for the paddleboarding experience. It was definitely a worthwhile experience because the #torontoSkyline view was just spectacular. Highly recommended for local folks and tourists!

🎫 Title: Paddleboarding with Toronto Skyline Views

⏰ Time to draw: 30 minutes

😱 Difficulty: Easy

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Was thinking about giving VB a shirt or not. 

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

🖼 Background Photo Credits: Wontosa.com - Center Island, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Early Mornings

VB has some late nights thinking about complex code. I fall asleep at about 10 PM sharp every night. Naturally, this means I wake up earlier. 

With that, I end up trying to make very little noise to not disturb VB's beauty sleep. Everyone needs a good sleep. 

😴

🎫 Title: Early Mornings

⏰ Time to draw: 45 minutes

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Still trying to learn how to draw the furniture and proper backgrounds. Still awkward in various areas!

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

The Grouse Grind

VB and I climbed the Grouse Grind when we were in Vancouver British Columba in July. It took us just over an hour (in comparison, the fastest climber was 25 minutes) - VB was faster than me. We took the Chair Lift afterward to check out the very top.

To stand there with the view of nature, water, boats, and fresh air made me really appreciate what we have. We are very fortunate to be where we are.

Of course, VB made a comment that makes me go 🧐...

-----

🎫 Title: Grouse Grind Views

⏰ Time to draw: 20 minutes

😱 Difficulty: Easy

🎨 Drawing Reflection: I was going back and forth on where to place our cartoons on the page. I didn't want it to block the actual beautiful water view.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

🖼 Background Photo Credits: Wontosa.com - Grouse Mountain, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Me Time

#SelfCare is really big for me. Being in a relationship doesn't mean you have to do everything together. Sometimes, it's just me by the beach listening to an Audiobook on Audible. I love it because it allows me to think, to digest, to reflect on things.

🎫 Title: Me Time

⏰ Time to draw: 30 minutes

😱 Difficulty: Easy

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Attempt at another real-life photo where I layered on my cartoon.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

🖼 Background Photo Credits: Wontosa.com - Toronto Sugar Beach, Ontario, Canada

After dinner beer chats

My dad and VB has long conversations every time they drink beer after dinner. VB's dad is from India and my dad is from China. Our parents have similar upbringing even though they grew up in vastly different cultures. 

Side note: My dad gets ultra excited to tell his many stories. With that, he very often interrupts VB when VB's trying to tell a story. Maybe it's the beer 😂.

🎫 Title: After Dinner Beer Chat

⏰ Time to draw: 30 minutes

😱 Difficulty: Easy

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Pulled this one from the archive from earlier this year. The body on my dad is a little awkward! 

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

Already Tanned

VB obviously doesn't find natural sun tanning very exciting. Being Indian, he says he's already got the natural tan. It's true, I can't deny it. ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

🎫 Title: The Already Tanned Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1.5 hours

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Was originally supposed to be an All-Inclusive Resort. I ended up skipping that and just went with a pool. Sometimes the concept evolves for us beginners...Anyhow, it was also fun drawing quick new characters.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

Eega, the Movie

We watched an Indian movie called #eega. "Eega" (Telugu) means "House Fly" (English).

Ever since we watched it, every time I see a house fly I would break out in a song with my arms in the air. It was a fun movie with some very catchy song rhythms! 🎶

🎫 Title: Eega Movie Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1.5 hours

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: found photo of TV set and the fly from the movie, did a trace on top, and coloured it in. Tried out gradients and textured brushes in the TV screen. That was new!

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

Video in Progress

We all get distracted sometimes. Here's a moment when VB took on the task of booking a flight and I hear several really loud cackles coming from the other room. Turns out, he's watching @TASKMASTER instead.

😂😂😂😂😂

🎟️ Title: Video in Progress moment

⏰ Time to draw: 50 minutes

😱 Difficulty: Low

🎨 Drawing Tip: got inspiration from a comic artist while in their class. Followed their door open idea, and gave it my own swirl!

💻Software: Procreate on the Ipad

Masala Chai

Masala Chai is one of my favourite drinks. It sometimes slips and I call it a 'Masala Chai Tea'. 

VB gets second-hand embarrassment when I do it in public. He tries to remind me and I still forget, all the time. 🤦🏻‍♀️

🎟️ Title: Malsala Chai Tea Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 2 hours

😱 Difficulty: High

🎨 Drawing Tip: inspo of restaurant background was from an online photo, traced on top, and coloured based on original image. Still added my own touch. Drew the masala tea as separate components before the rest of the concept came alive.

Human GPS Moment

VB's dad was basically a human GPS. When he was my passenger, I never had to put on Google Maps because he always had the directions ready to go. ✇🚙🚗

🎫 Title: Human GPS Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1 hour

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Introducing VB's late father was a sentimental moment. The new character turned out so well because it really reminded me of him. 

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

What's a Curry?

Google Defines "Curry" as: "a dish of meat, vegetables, etc., cooked in an Indian-style sauce of hot-tasting spices and typically served with rice." 

This is by no means specific enough. 🥴

Seriously, can someone tell me what a curry is? 

🎫 Title: "What's a Curry?" Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 2 hours

😱 Difficulty: Hard

🎨 Drawing Reflection: I recognize that some of my food dishes here are a little lopsided. It ended up just being a mish-mash of drawings that look like food and its associated dish.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

Yogurt Rice Moment

Is yogurt rice weird?

Many of the foods of Indian cuisine is spicy. Yogurt helps cool the stomach after a very spicy meal. Not to mention, it also tastes rather good!

VB taught me that there was such a thing as yogurt without flavour. I always thought yogurt's plain flavour was vanilla. 😂

🎟️ Title: Yogurt Rice Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1 hour

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Tip: the platter was the difficult part. Found inspo online and traced, coloured, duplicated the second one.

Share your drawings with us! We would love to see.

Homemade Pizza Moment

We were inspired by Blaze pizza's unlimited toppings. We decided to make pizza at home, on the regular.

We take unlimited toppings very seriously so we put triple of EVERY PIZZA INGREDIENT in the house.

It's pretty much a flat subway sandwich.

Yum!

🎟️ Title: All Pizza Ingredients Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1.5 hours

😱 Difficulty: Low

🎨 Drawing Tip: tried different brush sizes and opacity, change colours, and dot everywhere on the pizza like toppings. It makes a great view.

Hotpot Moment

Hotpot is one of the shared foods which we eat often. It has a great blend of spicy and non-spicy for both my dad and VB. The thing is, every time we have hotpot together, VB eats everyone's share of lamb meat.

🎟️ Title: Hotpot Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 2.5 hours

😱 Difficulty: high

🎨 Reflection: the food plates were a lot of fun to draw. Got a little carried away with it. It looked so delicious...

Translation Moments

After a decade of hearing my mom speak mandarin, VB picked up some along the way. Clearly, my on-demand translation assistance is not needed anymore. (Or so VB thinks)

🎟️ Title: Translation Not Needed Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1 hour

😱 Difficulty: low

🎨 Reflection: introducing a new character was fun. Picking their shirt colour and hair style so it stays consistent in the future is the hard part. Other than that, it was relatively easy!

Amazon Orders Moment

Sometimes, I browse cool hacks on Amazon. Sometimes, I have to buy items for organizations I am part of. Every so often, I see a very useful item to use in the house.

I give VB a heads-up notice that it's going to show up on the credit card bill.

🎫 Title: Amazon Orders Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1 hour

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: One of our first drawings. Has some inconsistencies but we pulled it out of the archive and decided to do something with it. Still fun and got the concept through.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad

Bubble Tea Order Moment

When VB and I order bubble tea, we order the exact same thing. Every single time.

When you find the perfect drink, you know it. Why stray away from it?

🎫 Title: The Already Tanned Moment

⏰ Time to draw: 1.5 hours

😱 Difficulty: Medium

🎨 Drawing Reflection: Characters are a little more chub-style than what we did later on.

💻 Software: Procreate, on the Ipad