July, a Month of Goodbyes

For the month of July I've said goodbye to many things, like:

• My students, until schools starts up again in September  o(^_-)O
  This is the ideal time for me to start my #30DaysofWatercolour challenge in August.
  
• Friends who are leaving Japan   。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。
  This is a tough one, not fun at all!
• My long hair  (＾ｰ^)ノ
  I've gone for a short and sweet summer style.
• Student loans \（＾ν＾）/
  Not gonna miss this, not one bit!

Below are the paintings that I've completed this month.

 

This watercolour illustration of two koi fish swimming is my first commission for a friend.

I've kept the illustration simple and let the colours do the work.

 

Delicious grilled salted salmon. In Japan it's called sake (spelt the same ways as the alcohol but is pronounced shake) very confusing for me to understand at first.;P Grilled salmon is something my husband and I love to make ever since moving to Japan. Note: This will be in the calendar project.

  

This sunny side up egg was a fun illustration which I painted over a long weekend. All chilled and relaxed.

30 Days of Watercolour

Join me during the hot Japanese summer holidays. From August 1st to the 31st, I'll be painting the world around me each day. Inspired by Cynthia Koo's class on Skillshare "How To Start (And Finish!) Your Very Own 365 Day..."  

Here's a bit more information about this 30 day challenge.
What is my project?
I'll be painting one watercolour illustration a day for 30 days to build a fun and personal body of work.

What will the daily deliverable be?
I'll be posting one painting a day or a photo of a painting in progress. 
(Depending on the complexity of a painting it may take two days to complete. If this happens, I'll post a photo of the work in progress.)

When will I find time to fit in the time to paint?
I'm an ALT (assistant language teacher) here in Japan so even though it's the school summer holidays, I'll still be at school. 
I'll have plenty of time to sketch and paint at my desk. I've also taken leave for my 1st wedding anniversary so I'll get to paint as I go.

How will I keep motivated and accountable for 30 days?
I have a few fun ways to keep track of my project's progress which keeps me engaged, so I'll be using my 30 Day Progress Map. See below.
I also plan to blog and post on social media everyday.

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What will I do for the first few days? I've decided to only plan for the first 5 days, I'd rather it be spontaneous.
   Day 1 – Something I've been itching to paint! An octopus tentacle from my local supermarket.
   Day 2 – Naoshima, art island day 1 – Red Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama.
   Day 3 – Naoshima, art island day 2 - 1st wedding anniversary! Wedding rings.
   Day 4 – Naoshima, art island day 3 - Yellow Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama.
   Day 5 - Train station sign. My Japanese home town.

Why is this important to me?
I've only been painting for 3 months so I hope to improve my painting skills and build a body of work that has a personal touch.^__^) v