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Culture Archives - Page 5 of 5 - The Jar of Salt

Jul 14 2014
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What Will Make You Draw Again?

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When I was a kid, I automatically thought that I was an artist. 🙂 I was proud of my messy handiwork, and thought that my drawings were sheer masterpiece.  Yet now, I seem to think twice (or even thrice?) if the art is worth being seen by anyone other than myself.  Or if it’s even worth being called art at all.

calligraphy class singapore

These days, I find myself making one piece of art everyday.

Yes.  (Almost) every single day, weekends included.  I surprise myself at the renewed energy.  From nothing to everything 🙂

It’s not perfect, my drawings can still be flawed but it’s definitely something.  And in art, something is always better than nothing.

So what made me draw again?

A fantastic support team!  And the strange thing is this virtual “support team” consists of people whom I’ve never really met!

1.  WORDPRESS

When I first joined WP two years ago, I lamented about the lack of art in my life.  Then one post led to the next, one comment after another.  And it got the ball rolling.  I managed to produce my first sketch after five years.  And it was uphill from thereon.

2.  ONLINE ART COMMUNITY

I found a group on Facebook that is rooted in a 52-week challenge, propelling us to product one piece of illustration following a weekly theme.  I joined this because I wanted to see other people’s art.  But before I knew it, I started catching up midway and spending more time over my sketchbook, more than I can ever remember.

3. NEW SKILLS

I started taking art classes for the first time in my life other than the default subjects I took in school.  It started with printmaking. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel motivated or challenged enough in class 🙁 So I hope to revisit this someday as I still have a lot of printing ink in my work room 😮

Then just two Saturdays ago, I took my very first calligraphy class.  It’s a skill I thought I can never learn (or even enjoy!) because of my messy penmanship 😀  But with proper instruction and like-minded people, I’ve been on a roll ever since!

For those who’ve hit a bit of a snag, just ride out the silence for a bit.  Then start small — be it a nicely-written grocery list (that’s how I got started in creative lettering!), drawing random stick people on the corner of the newspaper, adding color to a homemade cookie, a hand-written note for a friend, a practice stitch on a sample cloth, or even just splattering paint on a piece of  paper.

What matters most, I believe, is to just make.

🙂

Jul 03 2014
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From The Sketchbook | Snow In October

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snow in new york lowres2The illustration challenge’s theme for Week 27 is SNOW.  All my travel plans never include snow. My first time in NYC one fine October? Lo and behold. A snowstorm!  Everywhere we went, it was all people were chatting abo

ut, “Can you believe this? It’s snowing in October!!!”

Consider this a Week 4: SELFIE theme drawing as well. No one warned me of slush and sleet either.

Using ink blocks and colored pencils, thought I’d try a couple of new things for this sketch:

First, movement.  I’m not good with drawing people moving so it took me an hour trying to plot on paper the position of the falling girl (hands don’t always follow what’s in my head, unfortunately).

Second, snow.  I never ever drew snow as I had zero experience with it (the snowstorm completely made up for that, thank you.).

Next, light lines.  I usually line EVERYTHING with either a black liner or a pencil.  For the clouds, thought I’d make them look lighter by using a pale blue pencil instead.

Then, borders. Usually, my drawing stretches all the way ’til the edges.  Thought I’d try a different background style for a change.

Again, it’s not exactly what I had in mind but I think I choose to be satisfied with how it turned out.  Sorry, no process/step-by-step photos as I did this under dining lamp- yellow lighting after dinner.

🙂

May 17 2013
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Truly Awesome: Moist Banana Bread Recipe

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See those dark purple strands?  That is what I look for in a banana bread.  Sometimes, the most difficult desserts to find are the simplest ones.  Yes there are banana breads around but many of them are too complicated for my taste.  They’re either glazed, have fruit, nuts (or all of the above), some reek of too much nutmeg while others are simple dry and uneventful.

moist banana bread recipe 1

It was my first time to make my own banana bread in the kitchen and can I say, I think I got lucky with the recipe!  I took this photo when I pulled the pan out of the oven.  I just couldn’t wait.  After letting it set overnight, the banana bread now cuts into neat, moist slices.  Best of all, I could have sworn, the bread darkened a tad  bit (no kidding), which is just the way I imagined it to look from the start  🙂

Liz , here’s the recipe!  Let me know how it goes 🙂 Read More

Jun 08 2012
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What Is Okonomiyaki? | From The Kitchen

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After a trip to Kyoto, we discovered the wonders of okonomiyaki and searched for places that served it in Manila. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to scout around as we had to leave for Singapore as soon as we arrived so I thought I’d continue the search here instead.  The okonomiyaki is pretty much a Japanese pizza / pancake made mostly of vegetables.  It’s tasty, packed with flavors and, if done right, should make for a fairly healthy dish 🙂

I wanted to relive that our Kyoto trip by replicating the meal in my own kitchen and am quite fortunate that all Singapore groceries I’ve been to have an impressive selection of both Asian and Western ingredients.

OKONOMIYAKI RECIPE

1. In a bowl, mix 1 c. flour, 1 egg, 1/4 c.  dashi and 1/2 c water.  Mix into a smooth, semi-runny batter. Set aside.

2. While places can stuff the patties with scallops, beef, shrimp and other yummy things, I chose to keep it lean.  For this recipe, I used only minced chicken.  Marinade the meat in some homemade teriyaki sauce, adjusting the sauce with more ginger for a sharper taste.

3. Finely chop fresh cabbage, leeks then add into the batter along with 4 tbsp of *tempura crumbs.  Again, I didn’t measure but placed enough cabbage to turn the batter into a heavy but loose pancake-like batter.

My proportions of leeks to cabbage would be 2:3 approximately.

*I forgot to buy tempura crumbs and made my own by sprinkling some batter in very hot oil.

4. Heat a large, non-stick pan then adjust to medium fire. Cook the seasoned chicken for a minute then pour batter over it to form into a pancake. When bottom sets, use a spatula and flip. I didn’t have a standard spatula so I improvised by using a large butter knife and a flat slotted spoon 🙁

Adjust to low fire. Keep flipping the okonomiyaki until the sides brown.

5. Turn the fire off then slather with tonkatsu sauce (Bulldog brand) using a brush and top with Japanese mayonnaise.  Note that it’s crucial that one uses the Japanese kind to achieve the right flavor.  And yes, it tastes different.

Top with katsuboshi flakes (bonito flakes) and shredded seaweed.

Slice like a pizza, put onto your plate and enjoy.

Itadakimasu!

🙂

Okonomiyaki

(Reposted from my old blog: isuperlovelife.blogspot.com)