MTangDesigns

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery My hobonichi is all set up and ready to go!  In addition, I got one for my daughter too!  This is my daughter's first time using a hobonichi!  I am very excited!  Let me know what planner you are using for 2018.  Please leave a comment below. Happy Friday! #mtangdesigns #hobonichi #planner

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." -- Leo Tolstoy This is my December monthly layout work in progress!  Yup.. Christmas parties, good food, alcohol and presents!  Schools are off for Christmas week!  What a wonderful month! #mtangdesigns #monthlylayout #monthlyspread #watercolor

"Pets are bundles of love wrapped in fur." -- unknown I tried to take some pictures of my bunny, Niffy, with my Christmas drawing.  Niffy is the girl boss!  She doesn't listen to me!  She just moves as she pleases.  I am lucky to be able to snap some good pictures! #mtangdesigns #watercolor #兔子

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! #mtangdesigns #merrychristmas #happyholidays

"There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why." -- William Barclay I still remember my daughter when she was three years old.  Now, she's sixteen years old!  I probably would say the same thing every year!  My daughter gets a lot of homework in general.  A lot of times, she does not even have time to go out to have lunch with me.  I ended up taking my mom out for lunch or dinner on the weekend.  Since it's my daughter's birthday, she finally took a break from school works and went out to lunch with me and my mom!  We had a great time and the food was really good! I am grateful for having such a good daughter! I am grateful for my parents' good health! I am grateful for good food! Happy Thursday, lovelies! #mtangdesigns #gratitude #birthday #生日

"Eloquent speech is not from lip to ear, but rather from heart to heart." -- William Jennings Bryan I never really like to confront anyone.  Personally, I think most people are educated nowadays.  I should be able to reason with them.  However, there are always some people are dishonest, lazy, and irresponsible.  It is very important to stand up for oneself! I am grateful for the courage to speak up! I am grateful for all the good neighbors to back me up! I am grateful for finding a good attorney! What are you grateful for today? #mtangdesigns #gratitude #journal

"Let every fox take care of his own tail." - Italian proverb When I first saw this fox drawing, I think to myself it's easy.  I won't take long.  Well.. it took me about two hours to finish this drawing.  Sometimes, a drawing looks simple but it can be very deceiving!  I love how the grey background looks like graphite pencil but it's painted with sumi ink.  I actually had to paint the background twice to get to the darkness I like. Happy Monday! #mtangdesigns #fox #chinesebrushpainting

"I think confrontation is healthy because it clears the air very quickly." -- Bill Parcells For a long time, I am not comfortable with confrontation.  However, I remember reading about carefrontation from Iyanla Vanzant.  It changes my perspective of confrontation.  You care enough to confront the other person so that the other party has a chance to improve himself/herself.  If you talk to the person from a place of integrity and compassion, the person's reactions tells you a lot what kind of person they really are.  You then can decide where this relationship is heading to. Happy Wednesday! #mtangdesigns   #gratitude   #abundance

"It's important to remember that we all have magic inside us." -- J.K. Rowling I absolute love the vibrant blue color of the coat.  I used Noodler's ink which is a fountain pen ink.  I am challenging myself to use different media to create my artwork.  Sometimes, the result might not come out the way I expected.  Sometimes, the result comes out great!  I am not done with this yet.  Hopefully, it will come out great at the end! #mtangdesigns #noodlersink #sugarsugarrune

"Live for moments you can't put into words." --unknown Personally, I love the monthly layout!  It's such a visual way to document the memories!  When the month ends, I am always amazed that what I have accomplished.  Don't forget to give yourself credits for what you have done! Happy Monday, lovelies! #mtangdesigns #monthlylayout #monthlyspread

"Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever." -- Walt Disney I finally got around to do my December layout.  I saw a picture of Mickey and Minnie cuddling.  It's so sweet!  I decide to draw it for my December layout. #mtangdesigns #mickeymouse #leuchttrum1917

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself." -- Jim Morrison This is a painting I did awhile back for a very good friend of mine!  I really love this picture!  Somehow, I forget to post it!  I also feel something like this would be a very good Christmas gift! #mtangdesigns #watercolor

"With new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -- Eleanor Roosevelt This is the first time I tried a running script in Chinese calligraphy!  I love how it looks but I suck at it!  It just darn on me that I am bad at it because I have been avoiding it for a long period of time.  How can I be good at something when I don't even give it a try!!??  So.. here I am showing my first running script.  My classmates are very kind!  They told me I did great!  It's also nice to have supportive people around you when you're learning a new skill! Hope you get to try something new this week! This is my calligraphy!  I practiced it two times! This beautiful calligraphy is my teacher's work!  Just love his calligraphy!  So beautiful! #mtangdesigns #chinesecalligraphy  #中国书法

"It's true, some wine improves with age.  But only if the grapes were good in the first place." -- Abigail Van Buren I started a Chinese brush painting of grapes this Saturday.  It is still a work in progress.  To be honest, I am not happy with this drawing!  I did think about throw it away and start another one.  However, I remember my teacher always tells the little kids to keep working on their drawings even though they think it's not good.  When something is bad, don't throw it out right away.  See if there is something that you can do to improve the painting.  That's how you can get good at painting!  How to enhance certain features to make it beautiful!  It's the same thing about life too!  :) Happy Tuesday, lovelies! #mtangdesigns #chinesebrushpaintings #国画 #葡萄

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." -- John F. Kennedy I am grateful for the 4 days weekend! I am grateful for my mom's yummy food! I am grateful for catching up on my sleep! What are you grateful for today? #mtangdesigns #gratitudejournal #bujo

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.  Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." -- Roald Dahl I have not introduced myself for a long time.  My name is Mary.  I love drawing since I was a little girl.  I learned sketching for 7 years.  Currently,  I am learning Chinese brush painting.  I love all types of artworks.  I cannot decide which I like more.  They're all beautiful to me.  Therefore, you will see a mixture of artworks with different medium. Feel free to tell me about yourself in the comment.  I would like to get to know you better! #mtangdesign #sugarsugarrune #CinnamonMeilleure #animedrawing

"Calligraphy is an art form that uses ink and a brush to express the very soul of words on paper." -- Kaoru Akagawa I wanted to find out the name of this character style.  Unfortunately, my teacher was surrounded by young students who were in need of his help!  I guess I would find out next time.     The following is my teacher's calligraphy.  I love his calligraphy!  Just beautiful! #mtangdesigns #chinesecalligraphy  # 中国书法

"Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot." -- The Hausa of Nigeria With the holiday seasons, a lot of people are stressed.  Being grateful is the best way to combat stress!  I am trying to keep up with my gratitude journal as much as I can. What are you grateful for today? Happy Tuesday! #mtangdesigns #watercolor

"Evolution is fundamentally creative, and when we align ourselves with the evolutionary movements of consciousness, the universe itself puts wind in our sails. Quantum thinkings goes beyond the thoughts we're aware of; it includes unconscious processing, which doesn't just expand our boundaries, but can also free us from the suffering that conscious processing (sometimes known as the monkey mind) creates." -- Amit Goswami This is a Chinese brush painting I did during last week's lesson.  As I had promised my teacher before I would do a harder painting.  Although the picture looks simple, it actually is quite challenging! This is my drawing! The following is my teacher's Chinese brush painting!  It is a large painting!  I decided to draw the monkey only since it's just too cute to resist! Happy Monday, lovelies! #mtangdesigns #chinesebrushpaintings

"Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into word is all that is necessary." -- Margaret Cousins Happy Thanksgiving! #mtangdesigns #thanksgiving #happythanksgiving #gratitude

"When asked if my cup is half-full or half empty, my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." -- unknown My mom loves to cook.  Since she does not live far away from me, she always bring me food whenever she have lots of leftovers.  It happens quite often!  There are times that my mom will go to my aunt's house and they would cook together.  My mom brought me my aunt's beef noodles.  Yum! Yum! Yum! What are you grateful for today? #mtangdesigns #gratitude #journal

"A beautiful woman delights the eye; a wise woman, the understanding; a pure one, the soul." -- Minna Antrim Working on another drawing!  It's always exciting and scary when I am staring a blank page.  Since I always want to draw Cinnamon Meilleure from Sugar Sugar Rune, a Japanese manga and anime, I decided that I would just draw her.  Since she is not a big character in the storyline, I have to scroll through the manga to find her. Happy Tuesday, lovelies! #mtangdesigns #Sugarsugarrune

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  -- Marcel Proust I got a Netherland dwarf bunny, Niffy, for my daughter in the summer.  She is such a cutie!  My daughter and I love her.  Yes, there are times that she misbehaved.  She destroyed earbuds and headsets.  However, she also brings so much joy!  I am really grateful to have Niffy as part of the family! Happy Monday!  What are you grateful for?  I know I am definitely grateful for having a day off on Thanksgiving!     Yes, I was walking Niffy in the summer time.  She was an instant celebrity in the neighborhood.  I had kids running toward Niffy!  There were times that people stopped their cars and asked me to be sure Niffy is a bunny. #mtangdesigns #gratitude  # 兔子 # うさぎ

"Let the currents guide your heart." -- unknown I finished coloring in the mermaid!  I had a lot of fun working on it!  When I filled in the color, my fountain pen leaked a little bit.  Thank goodness!  It was a small leak and I was able to fix it.  Since I didn't use this particular fountain pen for like 2 or 3 weeks, not sure if it impacts the flow of the ink. #mtangdesigns #mermaid # 水彩 # 美人鱼

"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship." -- Benjamin Franklin This is my November expense page setup.  Instead of using Thanksgiving theme for my layout, I decided to use cute characters layout.  Just to switch things up a bit. Do you keep track of your expenses?  If you do, how do you keep track of it?  I would like to learn a better way. #mtangdesigns #leuchttrum1917 #totoro

"If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never say a word too much." -- Mark Twain In my Chinese brush painting class, everyone gets to pick a painting from a bunch of paintings drew by the teacher.  Personally, I always pick a painting I like the most.  Sometimes, it can be the most difficult part-- choosing one painting to draw.  Sometimes, I wish I have the time of the world to draw all of them! When I saw this chinese cat figurine painting, I knew this is the one.   My teacher told me that the painting is for younger students.  I insisted that this is the one I want to draw but  I also promised him that I would try to draw a harder painting next time. #mtangdesigns #chinesebrushpainting # 国画 # 猫

"Letters act as practical and useful signs, but also pure and inner melody." -- Wassily Kandinsky Since my chinese brush painting teacher encouraged to practice more of my calligraphy, I took the initiative to practice chinese calligraphy.  For all the forms of chinese calligraphy, I love seal scripts the most.  These are ancient characters!  For me, it is half-word and half-drawing!  It has a unique beauty that I am really drawn to. The following is my calligraphy.  My teacher suggested me to practice every word twice.     The following is my teacher's beautiful calligraphy.  One can definitely tell the different between the work from a master and a student. #mtangdesigns # 篆書 # 中国书法

"There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality." -- Pablo Picasso   Take a guess of what is the object I was drawing?  Please a comment down below!  👇  You will see the whole picture on Wednesday!  Stay tune!  😉 #mtangdesigns #watercolor #chinesebrushpainting

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." -- Melody Beattie My meditation teacher suggested me to do a gratitude journal awhile back.  Since my daughter's birthday is in November, I decided to start writing gratitude journal again in November.  I will try my best to keep up! What are you grateful today?  Since today is Friday, I am sure a lot of people are grateful that today is  Friday! #mtangdesigns #gratitude #journal

"We didn't realize we were making memories.  We just knew we were having fun." -- quotediary.me I had a lot of fun doing the Halloween theme for my October monthly layout! I hope you got to make a lot of fun memories in October! #mtangdesigns #hobonichi #monthlyspread

"Drawing is the art of taking a line of a walk." -- Paul Klee I went to a charity painting event, Painting with a Purpose, with my good friend on Sunday.  We had a lot of fun!  I would definitely do it again! Since I had not painted with acrylic for a long time, it was nice to have a instructor to walk you over the steps!  I am very happy with the end result.  What's even better!?  My daughter loves it too!  Yup, I am going to hang it up in the living room! This event raised $680 for FurBridge which is an animal rescue/community outreach program.  Everyone at the event was very excited that we were a part of a good cause! #mtangdesigns #paintingwithapurpose #paintingwithatwist

As I had mentioned from my previous post, I supposed to draw a painting of 2 rabbits with cabbages and carrot.  Due to my miscalculation, I had to draw two paintings instead of one.  While I was drawing, my teacher walked over and told me that he thinks I have a great potential in my calligraphy.  I just had to practice more! I never thought I am good at calligraphy.  My teacher's reassurance really gives me a boost of my confidence! "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." -- Albert Einstein Take the time to light up yourself so that you can light up others along the way!  Happy Friday! #mtangdesigns #chinesebrushpainting #watercolor

I made it to my Chinese brush painting class last Saturday.  My teacher brought in a lot of books regarding famous painters and their artworks.  I picked a painting from Qi Baishi.  It's a painting of two rabbits with cabbages and a carrot.  I miscalculated how much space I need.  My drawing could only fit in the cabbages and carrot.  Sorry!  No food for the rabbits!  Anyway, I drew the two rabbits in another painting.  That is the difference between a master and a student.  I still have a long way to go. "The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is  choice."  -- Brian Herbert Don't forget to take the time to learn something you have a passion for!  It will light you up! #mtangdesigns #chinesebrushpainting

Happy Halloween! I drew Chocolat from a Japanese anime, Sugar Sugar Rune.  When I used my fountain pen to outline the character, the fountain pen had irregular flow which caused excess ink on some areas.  I was a bit upset the fact that it kind of ruined my drawing.  However, I decided to use another pen and fixed it up the best I can since I don't have time to draw another one.  I used to be perfectionist!  The old me would not show a lot of my drawings because it is not perfect.  As I get older, I realized life is not about being perfect all the time which is impossible.  It really is doing your best, be kind to yourself and keep on learning! If your costume or makeup is not perfect, who cares!  Just go out and have fun! "Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing" -- Harriet Braiker #mtangdesigns #happyhalloween

When I walked into Starbucks one day, I saw the anniversary blend package with the starbucks logo siren on.  I love the design of the package! I could not resist.  I have to draw her because she is so beautiful!  I changed her from two tails to one tail.  For my personal preference, I love the one tail mermaid better! Although this is not a drawing of a coffee, I hope mentioning of Starbucks mermaid will spike up your energy a bit! I love the following quote!  Don't forget to shine even it's Monday and you don't feel like it!  Happy Monday, lovelies! "The sun  is a daily reminder that we too can rise again from the darkness, that we too can shine our own light."  -- S. Ajna #mtangdesigns #mermaid

My daughter is going to the Fall Out Boy concert this evening with her friends.  I can't wait to hear all the details about the concert.  I am so glad that she got to make some memories with her friends. "Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable." -- Leonard Bernstein #mtangdesigns #falloutboy

I wanted to buy a pink harness for Niffy but it was sold out.  Since I did not want to wait for the pink one to be restocked, I brought the blue one.  After I put the harness on Niffy, I realized she looks like Peter Rabbit. Walking a rabbit is very different from walking a dog because my bunny spends a good amount of time eating grass.  Let me say I did not get to go far with her. "Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest." -- Beatrix Potter #mtangdesigns #peterrabbit 

 When you see a beautiful chinese brush painting, the painting always has beautiful calligraphy by the painter.  Honestly, chinese calligraphy is my weakest link.  Since I love drawing so much, I really don't like to practice doing calligraphy.  A teacher always knows his/her students' weakness.  After I was done with my first drawing, I tried to draw another picture.  My teacher nicely reminded me to practice calligraphy if I have some extra time. "Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember.  Involve me and I learn." -- Benjamin Franklin    I am posting my calligraphy here to keep myself accountable.  I would try harder to improve my chinese calligraphy.    Can you tell which one is my handwriting and which one is my teacher's?  Yup!  The much better looking is my teacher's.    Are there any weakness that you are working on to improve? #mtangdesigns #chinesecalligraphy #calligrap...

    My chinese brush painting teacher instructed all the students to sketch a live orchards using sumi ink and bamboo brush!  It can be challenging because we were not allowed to sketch out the flowers using pencils.  If you made a wrong move, the painting would be ruined.  He taught us to be patient, to take the time to observe and think about the composition of the picture in the mind before we started drawing.  Every time when he wanted us to do something like that I always made me a bit nervous!  However, I am always very happy to dive in and take on the challenge!     "Bloomed where you are planted." -- Anonymous     I have been learning chinese brush painting for several years.  I was horrible at first.  I am glad that I had kept on trying and learning!  I am still not masterful with my skills.  However, I have come a long way.  Have you planted any seeds in the area where you want to see bloomin...