Hello lovely people! I’m Fiona, usually just called Fi or Fio, and I’m 19 year old Japanese girl (今日は～！) currently living in Perth, Australia. I am in my 2nd year of studying Law and Commerce at university which has been pretty intense so far, but I always love to procrastinate by drawing or journaling, or just surfing the internet for photos of absolutely beautiful artworks and journals (just like all the gorgeous articles and photos on Seaweed Kisses!). Other than ‘art-ing’, I love to play the piano and guitar, read and go running around the lake near my house. But to be perfectly honest with you all, it’s usually just me sitting at my desk in between study drawing things in my sketchbook!
To be honest, I can’t even remember when I started drawing, but I’ve got lots of massive files full (quite literally) of pages and pages of drawings I did from when I was a kid, so it’s not surprise that I feel like I’ve been drawing my whole life *laughs*. But I only really started getting into keeping my art in a journal (well it’s more just a sketchbook), when I began to see lots of photos of people’s lovely journals and sketchbooks full of absolutely stunning artworks on the internet. Once I learnt the thrilling satisfaction and just the blissful feeling of having finished a sketchbook, and being able to flick back through it to see my various drawings, there was no going back! Instagram has also recently been a real inspiration for me because there are so, so many absolutely amazing artists and creators etc. out there, and I just love how it’s a large community that shares, comments and sends around the love of art!
- What inspires you and your artwork?
This is such a hard question! Mostly because I literally just get inspiration from anything and everything that I find is…inspirational, I guess! For example if I happen to see a vase full of flowers on my dining table, I’d just have this sudden urge to draw it, and if it’s happens to be a particularly sunny, summer’s day, I’d suddenly just feel like painting a nice, summery watercolour piece! Often, it’s just the things that I really love, that become my inspiration. I have a love for Shoujo Mangas (they’re like Japanese romance comics, for those who don’t know) and the art styles in some of them are just SO beautiful, that I’d sometimes suddenly feel like drawing them myself!
- What time during the day do you find yourself drawn to create most?
Time doesn’t really affect me much to be honest, and I just draw, doodle, journal, etc. whenever I have time! Although I find that I can create better when I have actually finished for the day with my studies and pre-reading, so usually in the evening/night-time, because then I’m not feeling guilty about procrastinating *laughs*.
- How often do you draw?
Literally just whenever I have time, or have nothing else to do!
- Do you have a favorite or preferred art tool at the moment?
Hmmm…not particularly, but I have recently discovered the joy of integrating cute washi tape into my drawings so I’d love to do that more! As for more traditional art tools, I’ve recently started practicing watercolour painting and it’s now one of my favourite art methods!
Nope! I usually just draw in a good old visual diary!
- Do you keep a separate writing journal as well?
Ohh yes I do!!! My lovely friend, Lili, introduced Moleskin notebooks to me, and around about the same time I discovered the bullet journaling system, so I thought, ‘Hey, let’s try it out!’, and I did! It has been really great so far because now I can keep my schedules, to-do and to-buy lists and reminders, all in one notebook! On top of that, I can also just jot down my emotions, which really helps to relieve stress (especially during assignments and examination periods)! Although I’ve got to say, the best part of journaling in my opinion, is decorating it!!! Washi tapes, stickers, doodles with colourful pens and basically anything else to make it look colourful and pretty! Yay!
Such a hard question~ My favourite colour changes all the time depending on the season or the mood I’m in, but right now, I think I’d say blue!
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
People are usually very surprised to know that I’ve never been to Japan before, even though I am Japanese! Honestly, I have no idea why I haven’t been before, but I would absolutely LOVE to visit sometime in the near future and check out the amazing shops and scenery there, as well as to visit my grandparents!
I think the best advice I can give, is to just do it! I feel like some people are often scared or insecure about starting to create because they compare themselves to other artists who have been creating for longer than they have. Comparing yourself to other artists isn’t going to help, because every artist starts their creative journey their own way, and the things you see on the internet and art-sharing communities are the final products of a very, very long process! If you are even the tiniest bit interested in starting a creative art journey, do so! Every flower starts off as a seed, and every plant takes a different amount of time to blossom, so to those who are looking to start creating, take one step at a time and just create at your own pace. I also think that it’s important to realise that the finished creations are definitely not the most important thing in creating. The joy, pride and even the frustration you feel when creating is all part of the journey, so enjoy every step of your creative art journey and just do what you feel comfortable and happy doing!
- Other than drawing, what are some of your other hobbies and interests?
My hobbies include reading, playing the piano, practicing guitar and also going for long runs with my sister and dog ☺ My other significant interest is watching anime, Japanese dramas and reading manga~ Honestly, I spend an unhealthy amount of time watching anime and reading manga to be honest…
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Fiona, thank you so much for sharing your art journal and sketchbook with us!
For all you wonderful readers looking to find inspiration and more of Fiona's illustrations, you can find her here-
INSTAGRAM: @fiodraws
Click here to see more journal inspirations and past guests on The Journal Diaries.
Very lovely work <3 Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your sketchbook! I actually follow her on Instagram so I was excited to recognize your work!
ReplyDeleteRosegold Fox
Beautiful work!
ReplyDeletevery beautiful!
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