Ho ho ho~~
Nono and I would like to wish everyone a very joyous and blessed holiday~ Stay safe and have loads of fun! \(^.^)/
❤ Blessings, Rheea & Nono
Updates And Result For Giveaway
A few things to update today.
Over the weekend, we had two events going at the same time. Both of these shelters, Gentle Paws and Causes For Animals Singapore (CAS) are one of our beneficiaries. Thank you for those who were there to show them your support. If you know of other animal shelters who might benefit from our merchandise donation, do drop me a message and I'll be in touch. :)
Our DOGs campaign perks...
The parcels were finally packed and delivered to our beloved funders! Yay~ You could be receiving them this week if you reside in Singapore. In fact, some of them told me they'd received it. International shipping usually takes about 2 weeks but since it's the festive period, it could be longer. I hope you'll like your items! :)
Now, the result for our giveaway! Woohooo~~
It was nap time and my boy was reluctant to help, so I had to do the pick myself. Congratulations to Christina Siew, the lucky winner of our giveaway! I'll get in touch with you soon.
Thanks to everyone who took part. I hope you had fun like I did. I'm hoping to do a giveaway every month. Do like (and 'follow') our Facebook page or subscribe to our mailing list to ensure you don't miss our next giveaway.
Have a great week ahead!~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
A Season Of Giving
Helloooooo~ It's my favourite time of the year again. I'm so excited! I hope you've started your holiday shopping?
Well, it's the season of giving and I've decided to give away my latest creation - a 8'' x 10'' custom art print (worth over $90)! You'll get to customise the name, date, hairstyle, attire, colour of the hearts and even have your pet drawn in! Of course you don't need to have a partner to customise this for. You can choose to send it as a wedding/ anniversary/ birthday gift or have me draw two girls instead, for your BFF too!
For full details on the giveaway, please visit, www.facebook.com/DollgiftByRheea
Casual look
Wedding/ Formal look
Also, from now till the end of February 2015, when you subscribe to our mailing list, you can enjoy a 10% storewide discount at our online store, https://www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift
We'll send you the code word once you signed up. There's no limit to how many times you can use it! Sign up form here, http://www.mydollgift.com/(sidebar 'subscribe to mailing list').
Happy shopping~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
DOGs Campaign Update
Hello everyone!
We managed to raise a total of US$1219.40 + S$260 (less Indiegogo and Paypal fee) for our very first campaign. Yeah!! And this wouldn't have been possible without you. So thank you for your kind contribution and support in any way!
Although the fund raised was only 52% of my targeted amount, I'm very happy, not because of the result but for the experience. Raising the money for printing these postcards is never my main intention of initiating this campaign, but rather;
1) To challenge myself to do something out of my comfort zone. This is something I would not have done in the past. People who know me well would know about my lack of confidence in my works and social anxiety issue. Even doing the monthly bazaar at MAAD is enough to make me so nervous I want to cry. BUT I managed to break through these barriers, one after another (with the encouragement of friends and fans of course!).
2) I'm hoping to get more people to know about my works and to interact more with them. In the past, it'd have been contented for me to hide behind my desk and communicate with people from my laptop but I felt it's time I show you how much I appreciate you by connecting more closely.
3) I'm pushing myself to commit to the cause I'm passionate about (animals). This will motivate me to continue to improve on myself and my skills. By knowing that I'm able to make a difference to the life of simply one more being, I know this is all worth it. On the other hand, it changes the negative thoughts I've on what others think of me/my works into something greater. I realised once I got this perspective shifted, I was able to give of myself more freely as I no longer worry about other's opinion. So you see, it's a two-way thing. I'm not the one helping these animals. They help me grow too.
Through this campaign, I was able to count my blessings. People I know and those I've never even met in real life. It also made me realised who are the ones who genuinely love and want to support me. I even got a surprise from one Backer! This lovely couple, Mr and Mrs Bechard, made a contribution to my campaign and dropped me some words of encouragement on Facebook. Little was I aware then that Mr Gorman Bechard is actually a film director, producer and writer in America! All I knew was they're really sweet and are animal lovers. They even went out of their way to promote my works. Boy, I'm SO honoured!
I hope you can check out this latest documentary by Gorman Bechard, A Dog Named Gucci.
"A DOG NAMED GUCCI is a feature-length documentary that looks at animal abuse laws in the United States, told through the compelling story of one determined man and one loveable dog who made it their mission to change the laws in their state."
Here's how you can support the campaign of this moving documentary, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-dog-named-gucci.
I've sent the 6 DOGs illustrations for printing yesterday. Because it's holiday season, our printer requires a little more time for printing. Hopefully I'll be able to get the postcards by next Friday and mail them out the following week.
As mentioned, a portion of the cards will be donated to various rescue shelters for fundraising and I'll be selling the rest online, in consignment stores and art fair. Half of the profits will be donated to a local dog shelter, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD). In fact, when you purchase ANY of our DOGs merchandise, 50% will go to them, not just the postcards.
10% of our profits from other merchandise and commissioned assignment will also be donated to SOSD. Feel free to check out our merchandise range or contact me for customisation,
Etsy- https://www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift. (art prints, postcards, tumblers, etc)
Redbubble - http://www.redbubble.com/people/dollgiftbyrheea (ipad/phone cases, pillows, totebags etc)
The end of this funding project doesn't mark the end of this campaign. The journey to promote the welfare of animals has only just began.
Do stay tuned for more updates!
PS: I've emailed all our Backers to get your choice (design) for the Perk since a few days back but I've yet to get a response from a few of you. Do check your spam/junk mail if you've not received my email.
Thank you!
❤ Blessings, Rheea
More exciting Perks (4 days left)!
Time is running out... We're down to the last 4 days of our campaign but still far from our target. Please continue to donate and help us spread the words! Help us help more animals!
We've added a few interesting Perks too - You can now have a portrait of your pet or any animal of your choice drawn in my style.
You can also personalised a balloon house art print with your name(s), and add in a significant date!
You can frame it up and give it as a wedding/ anniversary gift!
AND even have your beloved pet drawn in!
The best part is, you can get these while helping other animals!
More images and details can be found here, www.indiegogo.com/projects/dogs-postcard/x/8916509. Hurry, you only have 4 days left!
Meanwhile, you can start to pick your choice for your Perk if you've already made your contribution. All the 6 illustrations are in! :)
For those of you who have not and would love to get any of these illustrations or all 6 of them, you can find out how to do so here, www.indiegogo.com/projects/dogs-postcard/x/8916509. But I have to remind you that you only have 4 days left, so hurry!
Please continue to help us spread the words too.
Thank you!~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
DOGs 6th Illustration
Completing the 6th illustration of my DOGs series with a night mood. I hope you like it!
Thank you for all the new shares and funders for our campaign over the past week. If you'd like to show your support but haven't done so, you only have 6 days left to do so. Every little support will mean alot to us and the dogs we're helping. Here's all the detail on how you can get our merchandise while supporting a good cause, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dogs-postcard
Please continue to help us spread the message!
Thank you and have a wonderful week.
❤ Blessings, Rheea
DOGs 5th Illustration and Updates
FINALLY, here comes our 5th DOGs illustration! I'm really sorry for the delay. It took me quite some time to come out with the desired 'look' for this piece. I hope you like it!
Hide & Seek
Art Print available on Etsy, https://www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift
Thank you to all my new funders and your sharing on social media about this campaign! I can't tell you just how much I appreciate the constant encouragement and support I'm getting right from the start of this campaign - people I know and people I've not even met before. Thank you for putting your trust in my works and for your love for the dogs.
I'd spent my Sunday at a local dog shelter Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)'s flag day event. Seeing soooo many adorable dogs make me wish I can bring them all home! Unfortunately I'm not able to do that. But what I CAN do is help in small little ways such as promoting the welfare of animals through my drawings and donating a portion of my earnings to aid them in running the shelter. I hope I'll be able to do more as time goes by.
We're down to 12 days before the end of our campaign. Have you already made your contribution? You can donate as little as a dollar or more to receive one of our Perks. Half of the sale proceeds from this campaign will go to a local dog shelter. Every dollar counts!
Find out how you can get one of our adorable DOGs illustrations while supporting a good cause here, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dogs-postcard
Please continue to help us spread the message too! Thank you~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
It's that time of the month
HELLO~
It's that time of the month again! That's right, we'll be at MAAD again this coming Friday, 7 Nov. Our DOGs art prints will be ready for sale too. Do come by for some shopping and to say hi!
We're left with 19 days to the ending of our campaign and still very far from our target. :( Please continue to help us spread the words. Every little contribution will go a long way in helping our fur-kids.
Here's a snippet of what you'll get for our 5th DOGs illustration.
By the count of 10. 9, 8, 7, 6..........
Oh and did I mention there's a new Perk added to our list just today? I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss our special *1 for 1 Perk* - 14 postcards, 2 signed art prints and 2 greeting cards. All for the price of 1!
Find out how you can get this amazing reward while supporting a good cause here, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dogs-postcard
Thank you very much in advance!
❤ Blessings, Rheea
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ^^
What are you dressing up as today?
Whatever it is, have FUN and have a fabulous weekend!~~
❤ Blessings, Rheea and Nono
More about our DOGs campaign
Our DOGs campaign is now live on Indiegogo! As mentioned, the objective of this campaign is to promote the welfare of dogs through a series of adorable dog illustration merchandise, starting with postcards. I'm doing this to also challenge myself to take my venture to the next level by contributing to a cause I'm really passionate about.
A portion of the postcards will be donated to a few dog shelters for their fund-raising events, sold on Etsy, consignment stores and art events in Singapore. Finally, half of the sale proceeds from this series will be donated to a local dog shelter.
Below is the 4th illustration of this DOGs series that you'll get to see printed. You can make a contribution for as little as $1 or contribute more to receive one of our exciting Perks! Every amount will go a long way in helping the next dog.
Click on the link for full details of the campaign >> here.
Pure Bliss~
The art print is already available for sale on Etsy as with the rest of the illustrations.
Thank you in advance for joining us on this beautiful journey.
I'll be posting more updates as we go along, so stay tuned and continue to spread the love! Have a great week ahead~ <3
❤ Blessings, Rheea
About DOGs project and my last basic illustration lesson
On Saturday, I attended the last lesson of our basic illustration course.
Besides imparting more Photoshop skills and tricks to us over the past few lessons, Jimmy also did paint-over demo over each student's assignment to show us how we can improve on our works. It was really exciting to see the transformation of each piece and more amazing to witness the improvement of each student in a mere 12-session course.
Here's what I did for my last assignment. A guardian mermaid of the ocean.
Version 1
Version 2
In conclusion, I'd thoroughly enjoyed this course conducted by Jimmy. I certainly feel more confident in working with a tablet now, using various brushes/ modes to create special effects and light source to make an illustration more dynamic. Therefore I'd highly recommend this course to anyone who wishes to take your Photoshop skill to the next level. If you've missed any of my post on this course, you may read them all >> here.
Those of you who have been following my works will know that I'm currently working on a project about dogs. Here's the 3rd illustration I'd completed for this project. You may see the previous two illustrations >> here.
Rain or shine it doesn't matter. As long as I've got you and you've got me, it's enough... <3
Under The Mushroom
Art print for this series are already available on Etsy >> here. Other products will be available soon so stay tuned!
A little more about this project:
When I started out my creative venture in 2008, I dreamed to put a smile on faces with my light-hearted drawings. Today, it’s even more rewarding knowing I can do more with this gift. I’ve always love animals especially dogs. Over the years, I often donate my works to animal rescue shelters for fund raising events and contributing a small portion of my sale proceeds to local dog shelters. As time goes by, this has become one of my greatest motivations.
This year, I got involved in designing collaterals for a dog shelter. I'm also working on a campaign to promote the welfare of dogs. The idea is to promote the welfare of dogs through a series of adorable dog illustration merchandise, starting with postcards. Half of the sale proceeds from this project will be donated to a dog shelter on top of the 10% from my other merchandise/ commissioned assignment. If everything goes well, I’ll work on another collection with various animals theme. Of course, your encouragement and support is very important!
Please join me on my journey towards helping more dogs (and animals). I'll post updates about this project as we go along, so do remember to subscribe to my blog by clicking on the RSS link below to make sure you don't miss out on any update. You can also follow us on Facebook >> here. Note: Choose the 'Follow' option when you hit the 'Like' button.
Thank you so much for your love and support! Have a lovely week ahead.
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Thank Youuu!
A BIG thank you to everyone who came down to support us at MAAD last Friday! We actually made the most number of sales that day. Of course this wouldn't have been possible without your love and support. It was really heartwarming to see familiar faces among the customers.
Special thanks to my bunch of crazy and awesome friends - Claire, Berri, Alivia, Adric, Ezra, Dennis and Don who popped by just to say hello, bought me yummy food (because they said I'm too skinny) or offered their help! I'm really blessed. ^^
With Berri and Alivia
With Berri and Claire
Looking scared sandwiched between two hulks. lol
Oh! Do remember to check our Facebook page to find out if you're the winner for our lucky draw! We hope to see you again next MAAD.
Have a fabulous week ahead~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Dollgift @ Maad (Market for Artists & Designers)
HELLO HELLO!
It's been a really busy week for me but a happy one! Sorry that I'll have to skip my illustration class recap this week as I need more time to complete the assignment.
If you're free this Friday, 10 Oct, I'd hope to see you at MAAD, Red Dot Design Museum! We'll be there from 5pm till midnight. Admission is FREE.
All our products will be on SPECIAL price that day. Plus, 10% of our sale proceeds go to a local dog shelter when you shop with us.
More details can be found on our Facebook Event page, https://www.facebook.com/events/473525849454269/
Hope to see you there! :D
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Dogs Onboard & Basic Illustration Class - Lesson 8
It's sci fi time again! In lesson 8, we'd to create a stylized/realistic character for the media/gaming industry.
Besides looking a little stiff, I think she looks pretty cool (and hot?). What do you think? :p
Moving on to a totally different style...
Tiny little things are spotted on a boat carrying huge lollipops! Direction of where they're heading is still unclear.
I've always feel a strong connection with dogs and I really hope to do more for our fur buddies, be it raising awareness for adoption or understanding the importance of giving them a 'forever' home. I'll be creating a series of illustrations with dogs (lots and lots of them!) and having the illustrations printed on tote bags, postcards, calendar or t-shirts. Half of the sale proceeds from this project will be donated to a local dog shelter.
At this moment, I do not have alot of fund to start with so I'll have to look to collaboration or platforms like Kickstarter and Threadless for help. If you've any other suggestion, I'd love to hear them.
Thank you in advance for your support and your love for our fur buddies!
Meanwhile, art print for this piece is available on Etsy.
Have a lovely week!
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Basic Illustration Class - Lesson 7
Hello! It's yet another week so here's the recap on my basic illustration lesson 7 with Jimmy.
It was a very challenging lesson for me as we'd to create my FIRST EVER sci fi art! I only managed to complete this piece at home but boy, I love the end result! Without further ado, let me show you my proud creation. Heh~
For a start, we experimented with 'custom shapes' and brushes. The textured effect on my island/mountains were done with the help of custom shapes and special brush for the grass. You can actually download free interesting brushes and customs shapes online. The ones I used were from Jimmy's collection and it was very generous of him to share it with us.
I got bored with this and started on a new piece. Ah.... this is much better.
After creating a basic form using a combination of custom shapes, I got this.
Then putting what I've learnt to good use by adding in the details with various brush effect; multiply, soft light, hard light and my favourite guy ---> color dodge.
I thought of creating some spacecrafts but quickly dismissed that idea. Then. I had another idea... How about an iron pegasus?! Woo. I love that idea!
I found a horse image which I'd like to work on.
And came out with this. I LOVE IT!!
I then consulted Jimmy for feedback and suggestion on how I can create a magical effect around the horse. This was what he came out with. Wow! It looks like a fantasy sci fi piece. I liked that the focus is fully on my magnificent horse (prince) now.
Have a magical new week ahead! ^^
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Nono's Birthday & Basic Illustration Class - Lesson 6
Lesson 6 was something new and very fun! Haha. You probably heard me say the same thing every week but I really enjoyed every lesson.
For this lesson, we learned how to use references as a base to develop on (paint over).
I created this from an image reference. Unfortunately I forgot to create a new layer before painting over it, so I don't have the original image now. :/
Exploration. Alien invasion?
Oh no! More aliens?!
Then I got bored. And changed the colour... I love my new colour!
And added this. A devilish fairy! Things start to get exciting...
Then Jimmy suggested that I put in a frozen villain. So I came out with this!
I'm pretty proud of the outcome. This must be the BEST fantasy art I'd created so far! Heh heh. What do you think? :)
If you liked what I've shared so far, do stay tuned for our lesson 7 recap next week!
Also happening last week, we celebrated Nono's 12th birthday. Since his diagnosed with mast cell tumor nearly 3 months ago, I'm glad he's still active and eating very well. There are around 8 masts all over his body at the moment; some have since reduced in size but the one at his mouth is not looking good.
We're still praying for the best and hope we'll get to celebrate his 13th, 14th, and more birthdays with him. Stay strong my boy!
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Basic Illustration Class - Lesson 5
Today I'm going to share with you what we did for lesson 5. Sorry to skip lesson 4 as I need more time to complete it.
In lesson 5, we learnt to draw the basic structures of animal forms and how we can then transform them into interesting creatures. Fun fun fun!
Jimmy's version:
First of all we tried to get the basic form out. Boxes are great way to get the right perspective.
(I was a little upset by these images. They remind me of poor doggies trapped in tiny cages waiting to be slaughtered in some countries :( ).
From these...
To this.
Moving on, we have our horses! Beautiful horses by Jimmy.
And mine. Jimmy commented that they looked like little pony. Lol.
Look at the transformation by Jimmy... Interesting eh?
Here's my little pony... transformed into a flute centaur.
Birds! I've always been fascinated by their wings probably because of my obsession with Angels.
My lizard-looking phoenix. Ha!
And lastly, one of my worst nightmares... bats!
Heh heh! What do you think of my bat creature? I find it so hard to draw evil/ scary looking creatures.. they always turned out looking cute or comical. Or both.
Okay, that's all I have for you today.
I've been working on a project I'm very excited about lately. A little hint: it's related to dogs; something I've been wanting to do for a while. I'll tell you more when the time is right. Stay tuned! ;)
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Basic Illustration Class - Lesson 3
Hello guys! Thankfully I was able to retrieve the files I lost on Saturday! So here's what I did for my illustration class few weeks back.
Before the lesson starts, we always do a recap on our previous lesson:
Perspective
1 point and 2 point perspective
3 point perspective
Moving on, we looked up for some references and came up with our 3 point perspective desert illustration.
Ta-dah!! Here's my incomplete version with funny looking little stick men walking across the desert. They're probably searching for the legendary giant! See the huge footprints? :p
And here's Jimmy's version. I know, mine didn't even come close. Lol.
If you're free this Friday, do come by to the Red Dot Museum as we'll be there again from 5pm till midnight with lots of lovely stuffs for you. As usual, all our items will be on SPECIAL price that day. And 10% of our sale proceeds will go to a local dog shelter.
More details can be found on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/DollgiftByRheea
See you this Friday! Have a lovely week ahead.~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Updates and Some Desserts
Happy Monday again!
I know I'm supposed to be posting updates on my 3rd illustration lesson today... BUT I've actually DELETED the files from my thumb drive over the weekend thinking that I'd transferred them to my computer. OMG! Please pray that I'll still be able to retrieve the files on our shared desktop in school this Saturday. -____-'''
Okay, enough nightmare for today. Here's a latest piece I did. Anyone would like some desserts? ^^
I'm giving myself a pat on the shoulder for completing this entire piece with a tablet. All thanks for the practice during my illustration class! Heh.
If you've LIKED our Facebook page, do remember to hit on the 'Get Notification' button to ensure all our updates appear on your newsfeed. If you haven't, you may do so here, www.facebook.com/DollgiftByRheea
Also, I've added more designs to my Redbubble store. Do check it out! :) www.redbubble.com/people/dollgiftbyrheea
Have a great new week ahead~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Basic Illustration Class - Lesson 2
For our second lesson, we learned about one-point and two-point perspective. Below is how an object will look in a one-point perspective drawing.
With a two-point perspective drawing, we're able to create a more dynamic look.
(Yet another funny looking monster by me. Haha!)
For second part of the lesson, we learned to create a two-point perspective piece completed with colours (on tablet and Photoshop). It was SO fun!
We also learned that objects that are nearest to us tend to be darkest in tone... the further they get, the lighter the tone and less sharp they become. Also, the further the objects, the cooler the shades will get. Notice we've added shades of blue to the mountains.
*Tip: You can start off with painting the entire piece in a light shade of blue. This is because the colour of the sky can affect the objects around.
And this was what my lecturer, Jimmy came out with in just 2 hours. Love the depth of the art piece!
I'm really glad to have such an amazing lecturer. Not only is he very talented. He's also very generous in imparting his skills and knowledges to us. His passion and enthusiasm is indeed inspiring.
You can find some really great tips on Jimmy's facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Dreadjim
Meanwhile, I posted a question on facebook a few days back. I'd like to know on what product(s) would you most like to see Dollgift on? Something you'll buy for yourself or as a gift. Is it tota bag, mug, pouch, wall decal, calendar or something else? Your suggestion could determine what I'll be launching next.
I understand the pricing on our Redbubble store can be a little steep (especially for the phone and ipad casing). Unfortunately they're a print-on-demand store, the cost price is already very high. I'm seriously considering mass production. However I'm only running a very small business alone and do not have much resources. My true passion is in creating art, but marketing and production is already taking up 80% of my time and energy. Thus, please be patient with me.
With this said, I'm very thankful for all your support so far. Now would you please head over to my facebook to throw in your suggestion if you haven't already?
Thank you and have a lovely week ahead~~ :)
❤ Blessings, Rheea