Illustrator of Little Things

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What is your name

hmm. What is yours?

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Are you from Toulouse?

No, was just visiting!

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Gift yourself a NO.

Say NO to what does not feel right.

You do not need to be hard, harsh, or cold.

You can say no kindly, gently, yet firmly.

Wishing you many NOs this week.

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I saw these antique lanterns at a natural history museum a while ago. They were used by miners as they worked in the subterranean. These lanterns were designed and improved to consume less oxygen and had a higher light quality to work well in the dark tunnels.

People have always found ways to go forward, to keep the light on.

We will go forward and keep our light on.

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What a place our world would be if our leaders could unlock their sweetness instead of unjust sentences, tariffs…

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Monday.

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There was a photo of these cakes in one of the @ottolenghi cookbooks. It looked so beautiful, the slices, the plates, colors, composition. It reminded me of the Wayne Thiebaud cake paintings. It made me so happy, I wanted to draw it myself.

I always have a vision when I start drawing, but every line, every stroke has a mind of its own. The final piece is the result of an alchemy of my hand, my mind, and the materials, and it is often out of my control. Sometimes I am disappointed, sometimes I am elated. This time was one that made me really happy. I love this cake drawing, its neutral yet vibrant colors, its shine on the cherry sauce.

I wish you sweet moments that make you smile this week. We are in San Francisco, our former city, for my daughters’ school break. I am hoping to visit @SFMOMA and see some of Thiebaud’s work in person again.

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It is good to be the black sheep.

It is good to be different.

It is good to not people please.

It is good to have your own perspective.

It is good to get out of patterns that are not good for you.

Plus, they are very cute. My model for this illustration is from @chateau_orquevaux!

For context to non English speakers, here is the definition for the idiom “black sheep” from @wikipedia:

In the English language, black sheep describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more common white; these sheep stand out in the flock and their wool is worth less as it will not dye.

The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness.

In psychology, “black sheep effect” refers to the tendency of group members to judge likeable ingroup members more positively and deviant ingroup members more negatively than comparable outgroup members

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Just that!

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Wednesdays are for remembering old travels, faraway places, sweet memories. To take a little break from the mid-week, the mid-month, the gray winter. Wednesdays are for keeping sunshine alive. Wednesdays are for looking at old sketchbooks to travel through time.

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I wish I could just read all weekend, but there are other things to do. Some fun, some not so much.

Regardless, it is nice that the madness of school morning schedule does not dictate the weekend mornings. The cats still wake me up at the same time, but I can linger...

The illustration is a true reading list of mine. I have a bad habit of buying books that I want to read, instead of making a list. In some ways, it is a great motivation for me who loves minimalism and order!

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I wish you a wonderful new year of the rabbit where you have space to dream! This year is supposed to be a gentle and patient, will have room for rest and reflection. I hope that you will have time for these.

The Chinese Lunar New Year does not start till January 23rd, 2023. So, I am a little premature to celebrate it, but I am very excited for it. The Chinese Zodiac is made up of twelve signs, but different from the Western Zodiac, the signs cycle through the years, not months. The Chinese astrology also has five elements (Water, Metal, Wood, Earth and Fire) for each year, so the combinations of sign and element are different every year. 2023 is the Water Rabbit Year and the water represents sensitivity, intuition and inner peace.

I was born on the year of rabbit and have special fondness for it. I truly can not wait for this gentle year.

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Since we came out of the pandemic lockdown and started adding more and more of what we used to do back to our daily lives, time started running faster for me. Turns out, the introvert in me was really enjoying the quiet time… How do you feel?

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.Another iconic food duo from Turkey. Raki, the national Turkish anise flavored drink, and fish. Turkey, being a peninsula, has a strong seafood culture, at least for the regions that are by the sea. A fish meal would start with many small appetizers - meze, go on to the main fish, and finish with delicious dessert and fruit options. I love every part of this meal. A little bit of this and that with meze, the simple but amazing whole grilled fish with some arugula, onion and lemon, and the desserts that are different at each restaurant or home. Of course, raki is a big part of the fish meal, for me. This almost sweet, grape and anise based drink is consumed in an unusual way. You need two glasses. One is for plain water. The other has half raki, half water, which is when this clear liquid turns into cloudy white, dubbed lion’s milk! You take a sip of the raki and then a sip of the water. If you are doing it right, you are not supposed to have a hangover the next day. At least, not much. Raki is a controversial topic in Turkey. After years of monopoly and having one brand, with the privatization of the state owned production company, there are many brands and a lot of taxes. Along with the inflation, it became a luxury item.

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The classic combination of Turkish tea and simit! Turkish tea is often a variety of black tea from the Black Sea region in the north. It is consumed especially at breakfast, but then throughout the day, too. At social gatherings, small shops, offices, tea houses, tea gardens… Turkish simit is a baked good similar to the American bagel. There could be regional differences but the Ankara (where I am from) simit has a crispy crust and sesame seeds on top. The contrast of the chewy crust and the soft inside makes each bite very, very inviting!

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This sweet faced antique doll was at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s fashion section. (I love a good puffy sleeve.)

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Summary of a quick visit to London…