Life in March changed instantly because of Corona virus (Covid 19). We are now practicing social distancing , wearing masks when we go out, & washing our hands all the time. We have to cancel our plans of travelling this year for our 25th year wedding anniversary, but the worst is not being able to hug and be with loved ones, especially our daughter Bianca & our grandson Luca.
A Board Book I illustrated & designed for our grandson Luca
As an artist, sometimes I feel sad and have a hard time focusing due to the negative things happening right now, but I realized that creating art helps to ease the pain. Aside from continuing my freelance work as an artist, I also participated in some online Illustration groups and classes. One of these are the MATS Editorial Live 2020 taught by a wonderful agent/teacher Lilla Rogers. I’ve heard of the MATS courses before from fellow CBIG illustrators who has taken them, but now that I have more time due to the lockdown, I finally took the course.
#Digital illustration created with iPad Pro, #Procreate
Another online class I took is Sketching People March 2020 taught by a fantastic Italian illustrator, Irene Silvino based in the UK. Not only did I unlearn and relearn how to sketch people, but when I couldn’t focus due to the stress of hearing negative news, Irene took the time to share her tips on how to cope and was open enough to share her own situation-that of being far from her own family in Italy, especially far from her father, a doctor who is helping treat Covid 19 patients in her home country.
My assignment from Sketching People 2020 class (baking)
Aside from creating artworks, I also sewed some handmade masks and yes, l did my share of baking like crazy &
I will try to post some of my recipes next time.
Those are just some of the ways I cope during the pandemic.
How do you deal with the lockdown & social distancing situation right now?
I baked the ff; from left to right:
Almond?orange cake, Carob” Chocolat”e cupcake, Jewish Apple cake, Vegan almond cake