Author: Rio

Art and travel, painting and photography -- these are the things I most enjoy writing about.

Mont Saint-Michel Watercolor Painting Demo

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Hello everyone! How have you been? I hope you’re one of the chosen few who managed to escape the ire of Omicron. It seems to be very much omnipresent and omnipotent these past few months. Only the hashtag blessed (according to some instagram people) have managed to slip through unnoticed.

I, myself, have been under the weather for the last few days now. It’s not COVID, though. Just the common flu. The symptoms might be even worse than Omicron’s, though. I have been feeling like somebody slapped me around the whole night, every morning I wake up. My whole head hurts, especially my eye sockets, my scalp and even my teeth! I got nasty joint pains the first night. I hardly slept. From time to time, I get sharp nasty pains in my ear. Maybe I should redo the auto-test to check if I really don’t have COVID.

Today, I feel much better, though. I now only have a bit of cough and colds, and I sound a bit like Marge Simpson (or a bit like the sexy French Lola voice you usually hear on French TV doing the voice-over on magazine shows (think Edith Piaf!)… only in France! 😀 ) when I talk. That, and despite the fact that I’ve unwittingly wiped out clean my entire local project folder with all my Python Labs Machine Learning codes in it yesterday morning. Who does that?!!! I wanted to slap myself, but my sickness was already making me feel as if I have been slapped around enough already.

What’s good about all these is that I managed to get some free time (no classes also last Thurs and Fri) to paint again. I have been postponing for the longest time to paint Mont-Saint Michel. My family and I had the occasion to visit this magical place up in Normandie during the summer.

I painted it in a loose, quick, relaxing and fun way, as usual. I don’t want to take my paintings too seriously. I just want to have fun doing them. That’s the most important thing to me.

Thanks for dropping by. Cheers, and keep safe, everyone! 🙂

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New Year Art Haul, Lunch Date, etc

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Hello, hello, lovely people! How’s the first few days of 2022, so far?

As for me, I feel like celebrating since I have just finished completing and passing all the exams (five in all, including the grueling Applied Maths Subjects) due this holiday. And I still have a week to rest a bit before my classes start again!

Anyway, the last day of the year, hubs and I had a chance to go on a date and eat out at a fancy two-Michelin star restaurant called, Py-r. The first time we went there was eight years ago. It didn’t have any Michelin star yet, but it was already quite good.

And just after the sumptuous lunch, we strolled around a bit to help digest all the food we ate. We passed by one of my favorite Art Supplies Shop, Rougier et Plé. I thought I’d check out if I could really get a 10% discount from my student card. And I did! Which is really very nice! If you’d like to see my haul, do check out my Youtube video:

Happy New Year, and thanks so much for dropping by! 🙂

Random Thoughts and Updates

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Hi everyone! I hope you’re all having a good holiday. As for me, I have a three-week school break at the moment. I am only on my first week but I have already finished doing THREE out of FIVE exams. It’s not fun but I’m surviving. I find this course very interesting. I have learned so much in a span of three months! We had classes on Python programming, Machine Learning, AI and Data Laws (very sensitive, touchy subject), Applied Maths (Calculus, Algebra, Matrix Manipulations), Statistics and programming in R, Databases (which was a very good review), etc.

So far, my favorite was Artificial Intelligence and Data Laws. We talked about AI for Good, The GDPR, Patents on Algorithms, Ethics and Morality. I am suddenly ever more aware and conscious about all the information that I share about myself and my loved ones online. I’ve started deleting pictures of myself and my immediate family, which I wouldn’t want anybody (especially my classmates) to see while trying to scrape for image datasets for our school projects! LOL!

As for the Maths, I am still trying to catch up on Calculus. I never really had a strong background on it since, first and foremost, I never really realized before how fascinating it was when I was first introduced the subject. My interest in Maths, back then especially, Calculus unfortunately heavily relied upon my interest in the teacher conducting the class. I would say that my Calculus teacher was mostly absent, treated us like idiots, except for maybe one or two people in the class, and shamelessly collected money from students in exchange of a passing grade. I can only hope that she really needed the money. Otherwise, I hope someday she grows a conscience.

I never totally hated Maths, I was really interested in Trigonometry and even Algebra when I was in HS and College. In fact, I always like to watch a lot of videos about Maths. This one today, I found very intriguing, touching, and surprisingly poetic...

This video talks about Incompleteness and how, after a certain point, we keep getting back to the problems of infinite loops, who guards the guards and turtles all the way down. This might just be connected to this gnawing, nagging thought that I always get whenever I look out into space, especially looking up at night and just seeing blackness and the stars… it always, always makes me wonder whether I am looking outside, trying to see what’s way out there or I am really way outside trying to look deep within.

What do you guys think?

Also, in the spirit of total randomness… just wanna say that, it’s always difficult to find that balance in a conversation among friends where each person talks about himself/herself just enough. Sometimes, I feel like I’m being interrogated when I talk to French people. They almost always do not share anything about themselves but like to ask questions instead. I guess it stems from the fact that in most (non-Asian) cultures, it’s considered bad form or impolite to talk about oneself all the time. While the people from my home country are just the exact opposite. Filipinos almost always just talk about themselves. Never really even asking you even a simple, “how are you doing”. We were never really taught a lot of social graces, especially when it comes to oversharing and talking too much about ourselves. Tough. Not sure which one I prefer.

Anyway, hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Hopefully, I’ll be back again with some watercolor video with a Christmasy vibe. Ciao for now.

Filipino Christmas Theme Greeting Cards for SALE !!!

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UPDATE: I have recently added more designs on the shop:

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you to all these people who have been buying my Christmas cards, and other gift items on the shop. I wish I could send them a personal thank you letter. I find it very touching that people from across the globe appreciate my artworks.

Thank you all, kind people for supporting my shop!

It has really inspired me to keep painting and keep doing this part-time, small hobby that gives me so much pleasure. And the pleasure is just multiplied a hundred times over when I see people appreciating my humble work. I can’t thank you enough!

And so here I was this weekend, trying to eke out a teensy weensy portion of my free time to do some painting and update my shop. I hope you like my new designs:

Pasko Paksiw Filipino Christmas greeting card
Pasko Paksiw Filipino Christmas greeting card

Pasko – Paksiw – Pasko is a tongue twister in the Philippines. Paksiw is a local dish with fish and coconut vinegar in a soup. I really miss it. It’s been more than a decade since I last had one!

Tuyo Christmas greeting card

Tuyo is dried fish. I’m not sure how to translate it in English but the fish is usually either Tulingan or Tawilis in the Tagalog-speaking regions. In the South, there are other varieties of fishes they use for Tuyo. Tuyo literally translates to “dry” in English. It is another one of my favorite dishes, especially for breakfast, much to the chagrin of my husband and other foreign friends who do not appreciate the smell of it. 😀

Tropical theme Christmas greeting card

I was inspired to paint a Tropical Christmas theme because I have been terribly missing the warm tropical beaches of my home country. It’s been years since I was last in a real warm beach. This artwork was mostly done in Procreate, except for the starfishes, which were all done in watercolor.

— END OF UPDATE —

Seeing some people already starting to buy again my Filipino / Pinoy Christmas theme greeting cards online reminded me that it’s that time of the year to post them again! They are still available on my online shop: https://riosebastian.com/shop/ and on Zazzle (with 20% to 50% discount at the moment).

My Filipino theme Christmas Greeting Cards featuring prints of my original watercolor artworks

Zazzle is available in the following countries: USA, The UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc. Just don’t forget to click on the correct country in the options (you can see it on the top-right corner of the page, the globe icon).

Maraming salamat at Maligayang Pasko sa lahat! 🎄☃️💕

Watercolor Painting of Santorini

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Finally, after almost two years, I managed to travel outside of France once again. My family and I stayed in the lovely island of Santorini in Greece for a week during the school holiday. We stayed in this beautiful apartment in Pyrgos, a quiet area in the middle of the island, away from the bustle of the touristy areas of Oia and Fira.

We had a lovely view of the sea, some of the islands, and the mountains from the balcony of our Airbnb apartment. The view, and the Bougainvillea flowers at the entrance of the apartment inspired me to paint plein air on the balcony, one day, when I had the occasion to take a break from our usual walks.

I had so much fun, and felt so relaxed doing this watercolor painting of a scenery in Santorini. It was actually inspired by this picture of myself standing under the lush and lovely Bougainvillea of our Airbnb apartment. I just edited it a bit to make it look more interesting in the painting.

Me and my bougainvillea tree

Hope you are all having a fun week. Thanks for dropping by! Cheers!

Watercolor Painting of My Birthday Bouquet

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The hubs and the daughter surprised me with an armful of flowers last weekend. It was so gorgeous, I was inspired to paint it.

It was not only gorgeous, it smelled heavenly as well. For the simple, loose floral watercolor demo, I just used my Schmincke Horadam watercolor palette, Fabriano cold-pressed watercolor paper (300 gsm) and my trusty Da Vinci Casaneo travel brush, size 8. I had so much fun doing this. And also, had some nice thoughts to share while I was at it.

Like I always say, watercolor painting is very relaxing and therapeutic. Even if you do not know how to paint, just watching a video on watercolor painting is enough relaxation already. But why not give it a try? There’s nothing to lose. 🙂

Hope you’re having a fun weekend.

Thanks for dropping by! 🙂

Quick, Loose and Relaxing Watercolor Demo

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Hello, everyone! I’ve just recently posted another YT video while I still can. As you know, tomorrow marks the start of my Master’s Degree classes. I’m taking MSc in Data Engineering for Artifical Intelligence, btw. I could not stress that enough because this will greatly affect my schedule. I probably wouldn’t have as much time on SocMed anymore. So, yay?… or nay. Also, I’m so proud of getting into this class and this school in Paris, I just couldn’t stop talking about it. LOL. Sorry about that.

Anyway, this post is about my new Youtube post. I will try my very best to be able to still upload a post once a week. But maybe I will end up doing it once a month, or maybe even less.

So here is the usual loose and quick watercolor doodle that I’ve posted on Youtube, I keep saying.

Here, I used my Holbein watercolor pigments, my Silverbrush Black Velvet brush, etchr lab’s The Perfect Sketchbook and this cute palette by Portable Painter Micro. I also talked a lot in this video (at least in the captions). More than usual. I get like this sometimes when I’m stressed out. It’s more difficult for me to talk about my anxieties in person. I do it better in writing, and seemingly, even way better in Youtube videos. LOL.

Anyway, hope you enjoy my video. And if you did, you know the drill. 😉

Cheerios!

Watercolor Painting Demo – Okra Plant

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This morning, I was just looking at my Okra plants, and I was filled with so much joy when I saw one of my plants with more than one flower for the first time. Just when I thought I had already harvested the last Okra fruit from all my plants! 🙂

I never really liked Okra as a kid, even as an adult, to be honest. But I fell in-love with the plant, and most especially the flowers! I didn’t know Okra flowers were so beautiful. They have a bit of resemblance with Hibiscus flowers, which of course, I later found out, was due to the fact that they are from the same plant family.

So, here is a video of my Watecolor painting demo of my Okra plant. I used Schmincke Horadam watercolor pigments for this painting, and my Lamali Indigo sketchbook. And of course, my Silver Brush Black Velvet brushes.

I have enjoyed doing this loose watercolor painting so much. The flower could’ve been better but I’m still quite happy with the end result. Also, it’s always such a therapeutic and relaxing experience to paint with watercolor.

If you enjoyed watching this video, please remember to hit the like and subscribe button.

Thanks for dropping by and have a fun weekend! 🙂

Youtube 100 Subscribers, Master’s Degree, Travels, and Other Updates

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Hello, everyone! It’s been a long time since I last made an update. My family and I went traveling for half a month in the Northwestern region of France last month. We were trying to make the most out of the seemingly very few “sunny” days of summer this year. It has been sooo rainy and windy. It felt more like autumn than summer.

Anyways, I was surprised this morning to find this email from Youtube:

Just when I was about to give up on this channel… hope to find more time for videos soon!

It’s been a long time since I last updated my Youtube art channel. I was surprised to find that I have actually been getting more subscribers. It was such a pleasant surprise. I do hope to be able to post more videos soon. I will try my very best. Although, I am going to be really very, very busy starting next month.

I have actually applied to a Master’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence. I managed to get accepted in the two schools here in France where I have sent my application. I chose the one whose campus is in Paris and Nice. But I’ll be taking live online classes since I live in Toulouse. As you know, my day job is actually IT-related, not the arts. I have decided that I am just going to keep doing art as a hobby, not as a main source of my bread and butter. Maybe someday. Maybe I just might be able to find a happy mix of art and IT, like maybe something along the lines of NFT’s… maybe. But for now, I’d like to focus on Artificial Intelligence coz I believe, there is a lot of opportunities there. The possibilities are infinite. 😉

As for my travels, my family and I went on a Food Trip Road Trip holiday going from Toulouse to the Northwest of France. It was quite tiring, but nevertheless, wonderful trip to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary this year. We saw a lot of nice places and dined in Michelin-starred restaurants. I think I will write more about this in my travel blog.

Continue reading “Youtube 100 Subscribers, Master’s Degree, Travels, and Other Updates” →

Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal Piano Cover

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This classic piece by the great Ernani Cuenco always reminds me of Lola Haide, my landlady back in the dorm in Manila in the early 2000’s. She would play the original version so beautifully on her old German piano almost every morning. It always gets me in a very good mood waking up to this song as my alarm. It is also what inspired me to study the piano. But then I moved out of the country in 2007, so I stopped playing.

I have been self-studying the piano again since the start of this year (2021). The version that I am playing is a shortened and simplified arrangement of Digna Agra Roxas. This piece is probably way above my level but I tried very hard to give it justice with my playing, having practiced more than a month to arrive at this speed. 😁

By the way, the ear cuff I’m wearing in the video thumbnail is that famous Miss Universe (Catriona Gray) ear cuff (replica bought from etsy) inspired by the Philippine flag. I have actually updated the video with a more recent one where I have incorporated the use of the sustain pedal in my practice. I’m not sure if I was doing it correctly, though. I just tried to make some notes sound legato and louder in some parts of the song. Any advice from piano experts out there is very much welcome! 🙂 Also, it’s best to listen to it with a better speaker than the mobile phone or laptop’s internal speaker. Even the iPhone earbuds already make the sound a lot better. 😉 But I do know that I really need to get an acoustic piano if I want to improve… and a teacher. Well, someday… someday.

In the meantime, I thought it’d be fun to play this piece in perfect time to commemorate the 123rd anniversary of Philippine Independence.

Thanks for watching and I do hope you enjoyed listening to this Original Pilipino Music as much as I did.