I am just crazy head over heels in awe of Liyin Yeo’s journaling work.  I first found Liyin on her blog, Liyin The Designer In Pajamas.  You can see her art journaling work on Flickr here.  Liyin’s a trained and qualified graphic designer by profession with 10 years of experience in the creative industry and her role has also been expanded into the area of illustration.  Liyin is also currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Her art journals are honest interpretations of her daily life (most all sketched on a Moleskine daily diary notebook).  Not only do I love the color and especially the penmanship, but also the layouts.  Here’s a page from July 15, 2009 – materials used include:  Lamy Safari Charcoal fountain pen with Noodler’s Ink – Polar Black, Steadtler Karat Aquarell Watercolor Pencils, Daler-Rowney Aquafine watercolour pocket set + Daler Rowney White Acrylic, Moleskine pocket diary.

Here’s a page from June 20, 2009.  It was an art material and book shopping day for Liyin. She got herself two books on drawing and watercolour and found herself an A3 sized portfolio bag she had been looking for for quite sometime, by chance, in an art shop in KL!  On this page she decided not to redraw with black ink like she usually does, but she went on to render it with watercolours over the pencil outlines.  She quite likes the result of the watercolour effect without black outline.  Tool and media used:  Lamy Safari Charcoal fountain pen with Noodler’s Ink – Polar Black, Daler-Rowney Aquafine watercolour pocket set + Daler Rowney White Acrylic, Moleskine pocket diary.

Liyin has an interest in Christian scripture and I’ve reposted her April 2009 entries which in my mind, are just beautifully executed.  Here’s what she says:  I illustrated a scene I pictured in my mind when I read the story of Gideon in the Bible which is found in the book of Judges 6:22–24. Also I bought a book by Joyce Meyer, ‘Battlefield of the Mind’, a book written and meant for women. I was at the restaurant when I was reading the topic on ‘When is my mind normal?’ from ‘Battlefield of the Mind’ book and started jotting down notes. It is one powerful book!  I picked up a few books at the MPH Warehouse sale nearby my house. Caught up with Nick Quah, an old friend from college, after so many years after graduated.  Parable of the sower – is an illustration I did with a local Malaysian style of farmer and village. Tools and media:  Lamy Vista fountain pen with Noodler’s Ink – Polar Black, Derwent Inktense watersoluble colour pencils, Staedtler Karat Aquarell watercolour pencils, Daler-Rowney white acrylic, Dalon brush, Raphaël Red Sable #6 brush, Moleskine pocket diary.