Another update

Hi guuyyss! I'm back :)

I've been gone for quite a while now.. Not posting or giving any updates for these past weeks...

The reason why I was absent, is because I was busy packing and buying stuff for my move. I'll finally further my studies in graphic design in just a few weeks! (yayyyyyyyy) 

I actually have started packing awhile back, and should have finished it by now. But I  had to unpack and repack a lot of times just because I was very indecisive on the things that I should bring or not. 

And during those times I was absent, I've been thinking whether I should keep this blog or not.. Since I'll begin studying again soon, I want to focus on my studies, so I don't know if I'll have time to keep updating the blog. Writing is still manageable, but DIY posts would take some time to do. I just started this blog, so I really really want to see it grows, but for now I guess I'll just go along with it first and see how it goes...

~Jess

Happy Lunar New Year

For those who celebrate,

Happy Lunar New Year!

And this year, it's the year of..... (drumroll).......    

Sheep! 

5 Easy decorative flowers

I feel like I'm doing a series of Gift DIYs, since I've just posted a gift tag DIY last week. But I have no plans whatsoever for anymore gift-related DIYs, so moving on...

Today I'll be showing you guys 5 easy-to-make paper flowers that you can use as decorative pieces on your walls, curtains, presents and more.  I thought that this decor would be perfect for the Lunar New Year celebration, which by the way is tomorrow!


What you need:

1. Coloured papers, decorative papers, scrap papers, origami, gift wraps or magazine cut-outs
2. Buttons, beads, or other small decorative pieces
3. Scissor, tape, double-sided tape

1. The 4-Petal

1. On a piece of paper, trace out the shape of the template and cut out 4 pieces of petals
    <petal template download> remember to adjust the size
2. Join the 4 petals together and secure them using tapes
3. Using the scrap paper earlier or a new one, cut 12 or more strips of paper (equal length)
4. Make a loop using the strip of paper, joining both ends together and secure them. (If this is confusing, refer to the picture above. The ends that meet are from the same side)
5. Repeat step 4, and stick both loops together.
6. Create another loop (step 4), but this time loop it directly in between the other two strips. Make sure that it intertwine both loops.
7. Repeat step 6 until you create a flower
8. Stick the petals and loops together
9. And for the finishing touch, add a button or bead in the middle of the flower.

2. Fan Flower

1. Using an origami or square-shaped paper, fold about 1cm of the paper on one side.
2. Flip the paper over and repeat the step
3. Keep repeating step 1 and 2 until the end of the paper
4. <Optional> You could round-out both sides of the paper if you want
5. Fold the paper into half. If you think the size is too big, you could cut them into half
6. Open up the paper and stick each ends together.
7. Use a double tape to close the gap in the middle.
8. You can leave the flower like so, or...
9. <Optional> Add other decorative pieces on top

3. Layered Flower

1. On a piece of paper, trace out the shape of the template and cut out 5 pieces of petals. Don't throw      away the inside of petal, you'll need them later.
<petal template download> remember to adjust the size.
2. Cut 5 teardrop shapes from a piece of paper
<teardrop template download> remember to adjust the size
3. Use the petals you cut out earlier and join them together to form a flower.
4. Join the 5 teardrop shapes together and stick them on top of the flower.
5. Using the scrap pieces from step 1 (the insides of the petals), stick them together on top of the flower to create another layer. It's okay to overlap them together.
6. Add a button or a bead in the middle, and you're done!

4. Ribbon Flower

1. Cut 8-16 strips of paper, roughly in equal sizes
2. Fold a strip into half and secure the ends together.
3. Repeat step 2, until you have 8 of them. Then make 2 crosses, made up of 4 strips each.
4. Stick the two crosses together.
5.<Optional> Repeat step 2 again using the leftover strips and stick them around the flower.
6. And again, add a button or bead for the finishing touch.

5. Hearts Flower

1. Cut out 20 hearts with 4 different sizes, from big to small. (So 4 different size, with 5 hearts each).  They don't necessarily need to be of the same shape
< heart template download > remember to adjust the size
2. Leave out the 4 smaller hearts. And using the bigger hearts, create 3 flowers with 5 same-sized hearts each.
3. Join the together, by layering starting from the smallest to the biggest.
4. Depending on the shape of your hearts, stick 4 or 5 small hearts in the middle of the flower.
5. Add a button or bead in the middle of the flower, and there you have it, your own hearts flower.

We're on Instagram!

Hey guys, I'm excited to say that today Mint Papermint's  Instagram account is finally open! 

Don't forget to follow us @mint.papermint

10 Valentine's Day Gift Tags

Valentine's day is just a few days away, I'd figure that people have already bought their gifts to give. So... instead of giving some tips or ideas on what to gift your loved ones, I would share some templates and ideas on making your own gift tags.

Here are 5 templates those of you who prefer something simple...

1. The Basic 

download:  blank  -  happy valentines day  -  lace red  -  lace pink  -  gradient

2. Square

download: hugs kisses and love red  -  hugs kisses and love pink  -  LOVE  -  With love

3. Round

download:  my valentine light pink   -  my valentine red    -  happy v'day    -   ps. i love you

4. Cloud

download:    blank   -   biscuit   -  quote   -    happy valentines day white   -   happy valentines day  red

5. Rectangular

download:  blank  -  heart  -  chevron mint  -  chevron pink  -  only for you

And here are the other 5 for those who prefer something a bit more unique and different

6. Pixel Heart

download:   blank  -  red   -  purple-pink  -   light pink   -  pink

7. Hearts 

download:    blank  -  love  -  stripe red   -  stripe pink  -   fuzzy 

8. Rose

download:   red   -   mix   -  pink   -  peach

9. Letter

download:   front   -   back xoxo     -   back stamp

10. Lips

download:    blank  -   red   -  pink  -   light pink    -   mix

All templates are in .png format, for easy editing

Here are some tips on to use the templates:

1. You could either print the templates as stencils ( trace over on any coloured or decorative paper ) or print them directly on the paper you wanted, and cut

2. If you don't prefer writing hand-written letter or notes, you can always type over the templates on your computer

3. You can use photos or any images as the tag's background, by editing the file on photo editing softwares like photoshop.

4. You can cut outside the border, leaving about 3-5mm gap

5. Try to use a thicker/ sturdier paper, or print on normal paper then stick them to a thicker one

6. You can trace the template over a thin wood or acrylic/pvc

7. If you have difficulty punching the holes or if you don't have a hole puncher, use a pen knife to cut the holes

8. You can use hole rings to make them neater

9. You can always change the size of the template if you want to

10. Decorate and personalise your tag: draw, doodle, write, paste, be creative! :)

Share your v'day gift tags with us on instagram with #mintvdaytags

Drawing on Black

I love to experiment and trying out different types of drawing tools and materials. One of the types of paper that I like is using the black paper. Drawing on a black paper could create very interesting effects for your drawing. Especially when you use bright colours such as white or yellow, to contrast against the dark background. Although most drawing tools can be used to draw on a paper, not all work well against black paper. They might appear translucent or even invisible. So today, I'll be showing you guys some tools that I usually use for this type of paper, and the kind of effects that you would be able to achieve with them.

The paper I'm using here is Derwent Black Drawing Paper.

To start off, these are some of the tools that I owned, and how they appear on the paper.

Some tools are more visible than others. And there are 3 marks that you could barely see. They are the regular blue ballpoint (third on the left), pen-zai penciltic liner by zebra in green colour (fifth on the left), and red snowman marker (first in the middle). In general, ink-based (regular ballpoint) , and markers (snowman markers, comic markers, highlighters), even the bright colours would appear translucent against black. 

On the other hand, gel-based pen (uniball sign, pentel k108, aqualip) creates the best result as the colour appear very solid, bright and contrasting. Take note that dark colours such dark blue or green might appear slightly translucent depending on the types of gel-pen you used, Bellow are two works that I created using gel pens.

This first drawing was made using Aqualip in orange (Sakura) and Gelly Roll Metallic in purple and green (Sakura) pens. I bought them at a local stationery shop, but you can also purchase them online.

Aqualip

If you want to achieve a glossy-like effect, this is the tool that you should consider. They don't appear too solid though, slightly translucent, but you can still see the colours clearly on black. They're available in pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black and white. Not a huge colour range but at least they have all the basic colours. The downfall of this tool for me are the unpleasant smell when you use the pen, and that they don't dry as fast. If your hand accidentally swipe against it while it's still wet, it would leave a weird mark on it. And sometimes when you draw too thickly, it would create a small lump. Take not that the darker colours such as purple and black, and also white would appear translucent against black.

Gelly Roll Metallic 

I believe that the brand also has non-metallic colours available, but the ones that I owned are only the metallic pens. They come in a slightly similar colour range as Aqualip. If Aqualip gives off a glossy effect, this one gives off a slightly glittery, metallic effect. I personally like them better than Aqaulip because the colours appear to be more solid and vibrant. Just like Aqualip, dark colours such as purple, might appear more translucent than the brighter ones, and it also has the same unpleasant smell, though not as strong.

On to the second drawing.... I used the Pentel K108 Hybrid roller (white, gold, silver) and Uni ball Signo (pink ) pens for this one. Personally they're my favourite tools to use for drawing on black, because of how solid and vibrant the colours look.

Pentel K108 and Uni ball Signo
Both pens create similar result, but they come in different colour range and thickness. The Pentel pen is in 0.5, while the Uni ball Signo is in 0.7. I usually use the Pentel pen for my outline, and use the Uni ball to fill out the drawing. Sadly, it's very difficult to find the Pentel pen now that I'm back in Indonesia, so I have to opt them out with the Uni ball Signo pen when I have used up all of them. The Uni ball Signo has a bigger range of colours than Pentel, but Pentel has a range of metallic colours. They dry faster than the Aqualip and Gelly Roll, but try not too smudge them when they're wet.

For the last drawing,  used different types of colour pencils to draw Mint. If using gel pens creates a solid, vibrant, contrasting effect, colour pencils creates a softer effect. You can also use chalks or pastels to achieve a soft effect, although I prefer using colour pencils over them because they're less messy.

Faber Castell - Polychromos, Classic Colours, and Derwent Studio
Between the three, Faber Castell Classic Colours creates the most vibrant result, Polychromos creates the smoothest result, and if you want a more rough effect use the Derwent Studio colours. But overall, they only have slight differences in everything, so it does not really matter which type you're using, it's more of a preference matter.

These are some of the tools that I like to use, but of course, there are hundreds of other tools that I've never tried before. If you guys have some particular tools that you like to use, please do tell me about it, I would definitely like to know!

~Jess

Blog update

Hello helloooo,

I was so into tweaking the blog's layout that I almost forgot to update you guys with a new post this week. Whoops!

Although IT (information technology) used to be one of my favourite subjects at school and I was doing okay in class, HTML and CSS are at a whole different level. Thankfully, a lot of kind bloggers took their time to share some really helpful tips and tricks, and it really made things a whole lot easier. I can't imagine how bloggers in the past learned all these things by themselves. And fyi, I haven't settle in for the blog's final design yet, so you will probably see some tweaks here and there once every few days.

On my previous post I mentioned that I would be posting more information about Mint, the blog's character/ mascot. But instead of a post, I thought that it would be fair to create a page for it, so here is the link to Mint's page.

By the way, I'm still not used to blogging yet ( you could probably tell from the way I wrote ), but so far it's been pretty fun and interesting. I'm excited to write more posts and can't wait to further expand my blog.

Oh! And I'm currently writing a draft for a post about some drawing tips, will probably post them in a day or two, so see you guys then

~Jess

First Post

Hey guys! Jes here
I'm soooooo exited to finally start my own blog! Yay!!!

Let me briefly introduce myself.
So my name is Jessica, but you can call me Jess for short.
Born and raised in Indonesia, arts and design has been my passion ever since small.

Find out more on the about me section here.

Moving on....

About this blog:

So... I've actually been thinking about creating a blog since ages ago, but somehow always failed to post anything.

The funny thing is, I'm not the type of person that would usually update my Facebook status every now and then, or tweet about my annoying neighbours (just an example :) ). In fact I don't even remember the last time I tweeted. It's not like I hate sharing my feelings or what I'm doing, but I just don't find the need to. So why do I want to start blogging? well...simply, I just want to express myself, I want to be friends with a group of people that share the same interests as I do, and have a platform where I can share my experience and channel out my creative side.

I thought that it would be fun to create a character for this blog, so I created Mint the sheep. Mint would appear in almost every post in this blog, basically just to illustrate things related to the post or just to spiced up the blog, so please do look forward to seeing her often! The name of the blog itself came from the character's name. Keep an eye on the blog, as I tell you more about mint on my next post.


~Jess