work in progress Today I’m Just a Cat Felt awful today—this doodle was all I could manage. So I drew myself as a cat, curled up and useless.
work in progress Reviewing My Struggling People This week was all about people straining, stressing, and grimacing—and I’m proud I kept pushing through my weak spot!
work in progress Ouch and Brrr! Drawing Practice Today’s drawing drills: people in pain and people freezing. Needles still terrify me, and Chicago winter is already creeping in!
work in progress Drawing Practice: Full-Body Protest Today’s sketch theme was “angry and resisting”—basically full-body protest poses. Way more fun than I expected, and I couldn’t stop laughing while drawing.
work in progress Just Another Lazy Day Practiced drawing, went for a walk, snacked, lazed around… and somehow the day’s already gone.
work in progress Some Days You Just Draw Bad Tried sketching at a café today and… wow. Truly terrible. But hey, still my “progress,” so up it goes!
Shredding Music with a Fan?! Stumbled onto a YouTube thumbnail of a guy rocking out on a fan like it’s a guitar—and wow, it turned out epic.
inspiration August Street Art Forage (With a Side of A/C) Too hot to wander outside all summer, so this month’s street art forage includes a few things I spotted indoors too.
news POP NEWS Cover by Me! Got to illustrate the “Last Drop of Summer” cover for Amsterdam’s RISO POP monthly newspaper—such a fun project!
My Epic Quest for Norwegian Brown Cheese A magazine article sparked a craving for Norwegian brown cheese—what followed was a little urban adventure worthy of a storybook.
Discovering "Friluftsliv" Learned a new Norwegian word—friluftsliv! It’s all about outdoor life, and now I can’t wait to step outside again.
work in progress Gold Star for Just Picking Up My Pen Today! Finally feeling better, and my doodling urge is back! Today I sketched a boxer and a tipsy characters as rehab practice.
inspiration A Morning Detour to McKinlock Gate An early downtown errand turned into an unexpected art encounter—Chicago’s full of these surprises if you just take the long way around.
inspiration Caught the Design Ah NEO Exhibit Just in Time! Living in the US, I never thought I’d catch “Design Ah NEO”—but I did, and it was awesome!
inspiration What’s That Green Thing Crawling Up the NEW CITY Building!? Spotted a giant green balloon installation stretching up four stories—Chicago balloon artists really went all out.
work in progress Hang in There, Little Quarterback! Back from Japan and still wiped out, but my husband’s “Hang in there, my little quarterback!” pep talk weirdly hit the spot.
inspiration Found: A Leo Lionni Exhibit Found it while transferring trains in Shibuya! This surprise Leo Lionni exhibit pulled me right in—with scissors, textures, and childlike joy.
inspiration Paul Klee and Friends: A Lucky Encounter in Shizuoka I randomly found out there was a Paul Klee exhibit happening in Shizuoka—and I’m such a fan I even own an art book! Total lucky timing.
inspiration Cute Posters & Random Design Finds Around Japan Japan is a paradise of characters and cute posters—you stop every five seconds to take a photo and never make it to your destination.
inspiration The “Design Ah” Record I Found in Japan Saw the “Design Ah” exhibit in Japan—saving that story for later. But first: the dreamy record I grabbed at the gift shop!
inspiration The Art of Food Samples in Japan Plastic food displays: cute, realistic, and ridiculously helpful. Why don’t we have these everywhere?
inspiration The Funniest English Prints Ever in Japan Back in Japan for a week—ran errands, went shopping, and laughed way too hard at the weirdest English prints.
work in progress I Need a Doraemon Door, Urgently Had to rush somewhere out of the blue and kept thinking, “If only I had Doraemon’s Anywhere Door right now…”
monthly recap Monthly Charlie’s Playground: July 2025 July’s over! Here’s a recap for anyone who missed posts (or doesn’t know where to start).
inspiration Corn Season Is Here and I’m Losing It! Corn season in Illinois = pure happiness. I’m literally going downtown just for corn now.
