June 2020 Doodle Calendar – Changing Seasons

Awonderfulsheep, ,
Summer doodle calendar

Hi friends. It’s been a while. There’s a lot going on in the world, and my life has been busy as well. I’m still reflecting and digesting all that I’ve taken in the past few weeks, hoping that I will come out a more conscientious and compassionate person. I’ve been a bit quiet online, and I’ve missed my lovely corner of the Internet. I hope you’ve all been well.

Here was my June.

Seoul mountaintop view
Seoul mountaintop view

I started of the first of June with a nice morning hike. The heavens were quite heavenly this day.

Seoul Hangang at sunset
Seoul Han River at sunset

I’m looking to move in the near future (hopefully) and have been scouting out different neighborhoods in Seoul. Managed to catch a couple of awesome sunsets like this one on the Han River this month.

korean gelato places to eat seoul
Dangdo Gelateria in Mangwondong

Summer is here. Summer means ice cream! Tried some unique gelato flavors from Dangdo in Mangwondong. I got the salt and basil-milk flavors with samples of fruity gelato on top.

cafe display brown glasses
Moritzplatz cafe display

Love the light streaming in through these big windows at cafe Moritzplatz. This scene reinforces how much I would like a big desk in front of a big sunny window in my next home.

vintage pencil shop
Vintage Pencil shop – Black Heart

Of course the stationery explorations continued. I finally got to check out the Black Heart Pencil shop, which is devoted to all things pencils, especially vintage. It was wonderful, and I’m not even a pencil aficionado. More to come in a future Stationery Sunday post.

minimal aesthetic notebooks
My latest obsession: notebooks

The end of June and the end of the second quarter of 2020 meant a return to the All Write Shop to pick up another 1/4 Year Diary. I love this brand’s aesthetic. All Write shop is moving locations soon, so this was probably the last visit to this store.

korean notebooks stationery haul
My haul of notebooks and notepads

My hefty haul of 1/4 Year planner, a 1/2 1/2 notebook, some passport-sized notebooks and memo pads

korean bookmobile bookshop
Book Damas – Korean bookshop on wheels

Book Damas is a tiny bookshop on wheels. It travels around Seoul (maybe the country?), and the last weekend in June it had a pop-up event at Bear Cafe, one of my favorite cafes.

  • korean cafe near gyeongbuk palace
    Cute little pup at Korean cafe
  • book reading at bear cafe
    Book reading at Bear Cafe

Bear Cafe is a hanok (traditional Korean house) turned into a cafe. It’s run by the publishing company Design Eum, which is a pillar in the self-publishing community here. They often host art exhibitions, classes and literary and cultural events. This day there was a book and poetry reading in the afternoon co-hosted by Design Eum and Book Damas. It was really nice to hear the authors’ explanations behind their work, and before I left I picked up a book of poetry by one of the readers.

Johanna Concejo exhibition gallery wall
Joanna Concejo exhibition 1

Albus Gallery House of Illustration is another one of my favorite places to frequent in Seoul. This day I caught the Zgubiona Dusza (The Lost Soul) illustration exhibition by Joanna Concejo. I hadn’t known of her before I went, but I fell in love with her intricate colored pencil work. It’s fun to search for the tiny hidden details in her illustrations. Her illustrated books are so unique and creative, and the message deep.

Johanna Concejo illustration exhibition closeup
Joanna Concejo exhibition closeup

Nearing the end of the month I finally picked up the ol’ pen and brush again. I practiced some studies of Klimt, Cezanne, and George Stubbs from my Art-a-Day calendar. This calendar is definitely one of my best purchases of the year. The anticipation of discovering new art as I flip the calendar is one of the highlights of my morning.

  • Watercolor studies of Klimt and Cezanne
    Portrait of Helene Klimt (Klimt), Italian Girl Leaning on a Table (Cezanne)
  • George Stubbs watercolor study dog
    George Stubbs – Brown and White Norfolk or Water Spaniel

I also attended my first drawing class of the year, a one-day portrait class once again at Bear Cafe. We warmed up with timed drawings (3 minutes, 5 minutes with limited supplies) before completing one final portrait. I drew the cover model from a magazine I brought as reference. It was nice to be in an art class setting again, and Gaheezy (the teacher) helped me add the finishing touches to the portrait. Adding details like eyelashes and darkening the model’s hair and dress really made the piece pop. I saw firsthand the power of contrast, and I’m excited to apply what I learned.

portrait studies marker watercolor
Portrait studies
I also hit 200 subscribers on YouTube in June! Here’s the vlog version of my month.

So that was my June. Can you believe 2020 is already half over? To think in the beginning of the year I was hopping on and off planes, trying foods in three countries. It’s been quite a few months, and at the end of it I’m grateful to be healthy and safe. And ever thankful that my friends and family are too. Moving forward, I hope I can help those beyond my immediate boundaries enjoy these basic rights as well.

And here was my May doodle calendar that I never shared.

may 2020 doodle calendar
Doodles from May 2020

This post is part of Su’s The Changing Seasons series. I’ve made some really lovely connections through the community Su has fostered. I hope you’ll check out her blog and see what others have been up to this month. Stay safe and well, friends. With love from Seoul.

Published by Awonderfulsheep

Navigating the creative seas

33 Comments

  2. Lovely to see you back in this space again – thank you for making time to post despite your busy work schedule.
    Love your May & June Doodle calendars – the feel & aesthetic of each month is so unique!
    Peeped into your vlog – nice! (note: Older Daughter is a washi tape fiend as well!)
    Thank you for sharing your sketches from your drawing class – what fun!
    Be safe and well as you enjoy July!

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    1. Thank you Ju-Lyn. I look forward to catching up on your warm and thoughtful posts, hopefully with many yummy goodies to drool over. And good observation about my calendar! It’s funny to me how my doodle styles change from month to month. Still searching for my “style” but happy to keep exploring. Also happy to hear you’ve got a washi tape fiend in your family. Hehe. Have a wonderful last day of June! ❤

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  3. It’s lovely to see you back here. Your doodle calendars are such a joy. I also really enjoy your shopping excursions. NZ doesn’t really have a big enough population to support so many niche businesses and I love experiencing your stores vicariously.

    I hope you find a new home (with a big window for a desk) very soon.

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    1. Thank you Su. I appreciate you letting me know that you like to see my shopping excursions. There are many pros and cons to living in Seoul; so I try to take advantage of the pros (these niche shops) whenever possible to balance out the cons.

      And yes, I hope so too! I took a break from house hunting last week after a bit of burnout. Once the weather clears up again (it’s monsoon season now) I will return to the hunt! Sunny window-side desk, here I come. 😀

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  4. Pingback: The Changing Seasons, June 2020 | Zimmerbitch

    1. The traditional Korean architecture and little courtyard really sets it apart from other cafes. As for the doodles–I think my June calendar shows you don’t need to make it fancy. Most days are just a little two minute scribble, but all together they make a complete calendar. 🙂

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  6. I’m in love with your portrait studies from your one-day portrait course!!! 😍 Those art a day calendars are so inspiring, aren’t they? I have one too and use it for painting my own versions of masterpieces that I love. 😄 (At the moment I’m working on The Great Wave of Kanagawa. 😉) Love your vlog- the food looks so good and the shops are so neat and cute! The sundown pic at the Han river is amazing! Hope you’ll be able to move to a nice neighbourhood and get a place with that big window for your big desk. 😉 So happy to see you back here- missed you and your lovely posts! 😍❤

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    1. Thank you Sarah! It was so nice to be in an art setting again. I wonder if we have the same calendar–I remember seeing Kanagawa’s The Great Wave a while back. I hope you’ll share your version when you finish. And yes, I took a break from house hunting but I need to overcome the heat and excuse of work being busy to start looking again. No pain no gain 😄

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      1. I can imagine!
        My calendar is called “A Year in Art. A painting a day” by Prestel. Love it! 🙂
        I’ll definitely share my Wave but first I need to find time to continue working on it – so far I’ve only outlined it!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. June sounds like a beautiful month and looks like it too. Love that sunset photo and how exciting to be looking for a new place to live. I love the challenge of decorating a new home.

    And more yeaaaas for drawing class and notebooks. So beautiful and nice to see you again 😉

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    1. Hi Lani. I’ve never been much into decorating, but I have found myself looking more at interior design content these days. Now just to find the place to fill with all these ideas. Happy to be back, hope you are well!♡

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  9. Welcome back. I missed you. Glad to see that you are out and about again, and so much to look forward to with a big exciting move coming up. A work space in front of a big window sounds perfect. Hope you find just the spot.
    I loved your portrait drawings. 3-5 minutes though! I could draw nothing in that time. Probably explains why I’ve drawn nothing in a month. 🙂 Seoul looks lovely with all that greenery and beaut cafes. Tell us, how was the gelato?

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    1. Thank you so much. I hope I can share some house photos (of old and new home) here as well. There certainly was a thrill to the timed drawings, but it also freed you up from being too precious and careful. Seoul is lovely, but what you can’t see is the humidity from monsoon season. 😄 And the gelato was excellent 🙂

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  11. This is a wonderful post! I love your drawings and your photos are great too. A pencil shop?? I want to go there now 🙂

    I have always liked your doodle diaries of course. Good to see two of them at once 🙂

    Like

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