I’m loving these lazy weekends where it’s too cold to venture outside… brrr.. better just have a productive day indoors in my toasty apartment with a hot cocoa and catch up on some illustration.
Perfume Bottles by Lili Cabena
I didn’t have to venture too much further than my dressing table for inspiration on this one. These are some of my favourite scents and each of the bottles are so pretty! I’ve to use all of these up before buying any more. One for almost every day of the week – love them all!
The weather’s been too chilly to venture out too much lately so I’ve been staying in catching up on some illustration. Today’s has a blue theme and was a very quick acrylic illustration but fun to do and good to get back into practice!
I’ve still got a couple days left of the Drawing Challenge, which I started ages ago, so I’ve finally time to blog day 29.
‘Somewhere I’d Like to Go’. I’d wanted to live by the beach in Sydney for years and finally got to do so last year and couldn’t be happier! I did this quick illustration of sea urchins to capture what it is I like about the beach – the pretty pastel and subtle colours and blue shades of the ocean.
Came home with lots of art goodies from Finders Keepers Markets in Sydney this weekend. So many lovely pieces of work and talented people! #finderkeepers #art #letterpressart #prettythings
Staying on the subject of food, nothing really springs to mind when I have to draw something I dislike…I’m a foodie and I eat everything! I quite like pineapple but I’m pretty allergic to it so that means it’s something I can’t eat so I’ve featured it here!
Only four more days of The Drawing Challenge – tomorrow… someone you love 🙂
This acrylic on canvas depicts an imaginary dreamlike landscape. I called it ‘After the Rain’ because after the rain the colours of the grass and foliage are brighter and more vivid. I wanted to show how when you go through a very difficult time, you come out the other side and everything looks more beautiful thanks to the rainstorm that has passed.
Or Day 23: Something I Need
I don’t know about you but these days I am needing less coffee, less processed foods, more sleep, more activity and less sitting down all day. But with studying, deadlines and working a desk job it’s hard to do all those things – especially for us design folk – coffee is our refuge when creativity is called for. So I’ve compiled a list of 6 things to do to feel healthier when I’m tired and just have no time to hit the gym!
Something I Need: Vitamins!
Acrylic & Watercolour on Paper
1. Move Around!
If I can’t get to the gym at lunchtime I try to start the day with a 15 minute workout before I leave the house. It’s easy to fit in before a shower and wakes you up leaving you feeling so positive for the day ahead! These 15 minute workouts are easily downloadable on Pinterest (Save them to your phone) – 15 minutes is so short but better than nothing and hey, it all counts! And it might just put you in the frame of mind to go to the gym later that day so throw on your favourite tunes and do thoses jumping jacks!
2. Get Outside!
Get out in the sunshine! If you don’t feel like a morning workout, a 20 minute walk in the morning (45 mins if you can) before breakfast does wonders for your mood and concentration that day. Even if it’s rainy, stick on the headphones and jacket and brave the elements! You’ll feel better you did!
2. Fruit and Veg at Every Meal
Start the day with something unprocessed – a piece of fruit or wholemeal toast, spinach and a poached egg. Replacing processed foods with clean foods, even for this one meal, will leave you with so much more energy. For the remaining meals, eat colourfully, so fill up on lots of fruits and veg of every colour making this the largest part of the meal. Thereby decreasing the calorie intake without having to cut your portion size.
Eat colourful! Having a salad? Think of the opposite colour to salad greens (which is red) and add red accents to liven it up such as pomegranate, watermelon or red grapes!
3. Replace your Barista Coffee with a Green Smoothie
Yes I know a green smoothie is not as satisfying as a coffee and cookie when 3.30-itis sets in but you can’t beat that virtuous feeling when you’ve just had a green juice. It’s much the same price as a coffee – why not hand over your $5 for something that’s good for you for a change? Besides 3.30pm is too late to be grabbing a coffee hit. Coffee after 2pm is risking a sleepless night that evening.
4. Drink More water
Obvious but so important. While working at your desk, try to consume 8 tall glasses of water a day. Remember, if it’s not a meal time, you’re not hungry, you’re bored. Go drink a large glass of water and you’ll feel better. Flavour a chilled jug of water with mint leaves and lemon to make it more palateable.
5. A Little Less Sugar
I don’t mind in indulging in a little sugar but for me, lollies and chocolate are addictive. If I have some I will crave more that evening. So I try to challenge myself to go off them for a few days at a time and replace them with a snack like an apple or nectarine. It just takes 3 days for the addiction to leave me and before long even the smell of lollies and sugar is sickly*. Go on, challenge yourself and see how long you can go without your usual sugary vices!
6. Bed Before 10
I’m the worst culprit for late nights but it makes such a difference to how I feel next day if I get to bed before 10pm. You’ll also sleep better as you’ve had less coffees and had your last coffee before 2pm. Try it for one week and see how much easier it is to wake before your alarm in the mornings.
* Authors note: I can’t stay that I stay in this healthy state for more than a few days!
Hope you’ve enjoyed my tips to a healthier day – now I need to stick by these rules and keep up the good habits!
What could be better than new shoes?! Over half way through now on the 30 Day Drawing Challenge – tune in tomorrow for ‘Something Orange’.
I wonder if anyone else has the habit of drawing miniature versions of their clothing before any trip or holiday? I always did this when I was younger, as a way of organising what to pack and what outfits to wear on which days. Yes I was super-organised! It was quicker for me to ‘see’ the item of clothing in my minds eye and draw it, deciding which pieces it matched to make up an outfit, than it was to write lists. Most designers think visually in this way – it’s a useful skill we never lose!
Lili Cabena 