That Winter the Wind Blows Episode 4: Song Hye-gyo as Oh Young

The closing scene of episode 4: smitten by Song Hye Kyo’s beauty, even when it's an expression of pain. 

Merry christmas!

Merry christmas everyone! I hope you're stuffing yourself with turkey and log cakes and that your christmas wishlist came true!

I'm traveling till the end of the month, so please forgive me for the lapse in drawings. I've been watching dramas without lapse though (Okay, so I had some free time, but was too tired to draw. Stop making me feel guilty! It's Christmas!!), and Alice in Cheongdamdong is my christmas gift from k-dramaland. Finally! A rom-com in 2013 that has me squealing with laughter and covering my face in mortification every few minutes. Coupled with the sizzling chemistry between Moon Geun-young and Park Shi-hoo that has me gasping for air, I'm not sure if I'll make it out alive.

I've already got some images in mind from Alice in Cheongdamdong that I want to draw, so keep a lookout for it!

Big hugs!

My Tools

Christmas is coming! Are you pulling your hair out over what to get for your loved ones? If there's anyone on the Christmas list who loves to draw or paint, maybe you can consider getting a watercolor set for them.

(Before we go on, I want to clarify that this is not a sponsored post. The brands and links are there for you to get a better understanding if you wish to get the products.)

I've been using the same palette for the last 15 years, and I like that it looks old and stained. To me, a dirty palette exudes an artistic flava' (I know, so pretentious!). My watercolors are from Winsor & Newton and each time a color runs out, I squeeze some fresh paint into the nook that is empty, leaving it to dry and harden for use in the future. There are some artists who believe that the brilliance of watercolors can only be found in fresh paint, but that's just too troublesome, and I'm just... too lazy...

And on the brushes! As you can see, I use round and flat brushes. Round brushes are good if you want to achieve a softer effect, which is essential in painting portraiture. I use flat brushes for anything else, as I love the brush marks that comes with the hard and straight edge. They're particularly good for painting landscapes. My brushes are made of a mix of synthetic and goat's hair, which is the combination that keeps in shape and last the longest from past experience.

Or, if that someone on your Christmas list loves sophisticated toys, an ipad and sensu brush will make great gifts!

Talking fashion: Yoon Eun-hye's magenta lips in I Miss You

I'm an avid follower of blogs on korean dramas to complement my addiction, and from what I see, the content of such blogs mostly fall into two categories: serious analysis (with a dash of humor if you're lucky) (think dramabeans) and news reportage (think dramabeans, again. it's the holy grail of korean drama blogs.) (and of course there's soompi, allkpop).

But c'mon, there's much more to dramas than the directing, acting, writing and casting news. What do you mean, that these are all you look out for?! Stop standing on the pretentious pedestal of intelligence! Korean dramas influences every aspect of my life, right down to my hair. And because I've got no qualms about not being taken seriously, welcome to a superficial post on lip color! 

More specifically, what do you think of Yoon Eun-hye's magenta lips in I Miss You? Do you wear such strong colors? On what occasions do you wear them? Or are magenta lips a daily affair?

I was a 'lil surprised when those magenta lips popped up on screen 'cos the classic rouge is all the rage this fall, but I love it nonetheless for it brightness. And god knows we need some brightness, even if superficial, to counteract the gloom and doom that is I Miss You. 

Halfway through the drama, I ransacked my cupboard to search for the closest shade to magenta I could find - MAC Lipstick in Lustering. The great thing about strong lip colors is that you can achieve an all-made-up look with minimal effort in all of 10 seconds. They make you look good, but in reality, things can become awkward, when...

King of Dramas Episode 7: Anthony on his lofty brick rooftop

For the longest time, I've been looking for a scene to draw from King of Dramas, as it is the drama that I find most enjoyable of those airing right now. But it has been difficult due to the way it is shot, with the narrative unfolding through the juxtaposition of one scene against another. For example, when we get a scene of Anthony contemplating at his rooftop, followed by one of Go-eun looking up, we understand that she is looking at him, even though the they are not captured in the same frame.

If I were to draw either of the scenes above from the drama, it wouldn't make sense as this only works when the images are viewed successively, which is the unique characteristic of television or the moving image. And so, for the first time, I've decided to compose an original drama scene!

I love the symbolism put forth in the scene, of Anthony standing tall and proud on the rooftop of a run-down building decked out in his fur lapel coat. The effect of the contrast is both inspiring and heart-wrenching. We see a man determined to pick up where he has fallen despite the multiple setbacks that have come his way, and I can't help but admire him for his perseverance. But at the same time, the contrast between his luxurious fur lapel coat and the dilapidated building is heart-wrenching. In the initial episodes after being ousted from Empire, we see how he was unable to let go of his former self and glory as a successful producer, and I ache to see him falling so far down the ladder, despite it being part of his own doing. As Min-ah said, the makeshift office is unbefitting of who he had been.

I Miss You Episode 7: 'It's supposed to rain today.'

When I come across a drama that I love, I become so obsessed with it that I will drop everything else that I'm watching. Right now, nothing really catches my eye, and I'm watching nearly everything that's airing right now with a passing interest.

I Miss You is one of these dramas that I’m tuning in to week after week, not because it is good, but because its incongruity makes it a fascinating watch. There is so much pain and suffering in the story, and yet, I don’t feel anything in particular. I’m able to detach myself from what is happening onscreen because I can’t identify with the characters, their intentions and actions. The drama is beautifully shot and I love Lee Soo-yeon’s fashionable get-ups, but the dialogue is conventional, and the plot, which often calls for the suspension of disbelief, is dated in today’s landscape of melodramas. I Miss You is essentially my mother’s melodrama, but packaged visually to catch my attention. It feels like it is stuck in some kind of time conundrum and the disjuncture between the cinematography and the dialogue and plot is what keeps me tuning in.

City Hunter: Still my favorite drama

(The sketch is from City Hunter episode 6.)

It’s exactly one month to the end of 2012!

What’s your favorite drama this year?

You must be wondering what City Hunter has to do with a post on dramas from 2012. For the last two years, I’ve always been able to replace a favorite drama with another, better one that I love even more. In 2010, I was so obsessed with Secret Garden that I would watch it live online, every week. In its aftermath, I moped around for a few months in ahjumma tracksuits, trying to figure out how to adorn my lips with sexy cappuccino foam.