Mad for Moleskine
Hello there! My name is Max and I’ve been following Emila Yusof’s twitter account for some time now, which is how I got wind of Cziplee’s Moleskine giveaways. As I’ve always longed for a Moleskine to draw on, I told myself that I would give this a try. I mean, who can say no to Moleskines?! Especially when you can potentially score one for free?
First off, although both the Moleskine Sketchbook and the Moleskine Watercolour Album look good enough to eat, I would have to say that I'd prefer the Moleskine Sketchbook. Why not the Moleskine Watercolour, I hear you ask? Well...even though I’ve read some reviews of the pitfalls of the Moleskine Sketchbook (e.g.: not being able to handle watercolours well), I think the paper will suit my needs more as I usually work with pencils and inks (I am a sucker for the black and white medium). Plus, the thicker paper of the Moleskine Watercolour means that I’ll have to lug around a heavier book with fewer pages to draw on (you’ll see why this is an issue for me later on)!
So, down to the nitty-gritty: Why should I be the one who gets the Moleskine Sketchbook?
Reason 1: To give me a taste of drawing in a Moleskine
Before continuing further with this entry, I would like come clean about something: I’ve tried using a Moleskine before. Wait, wait, hear me out first! My first ever Moleskine experience was with a soft cover ruled notebook (which I bought at...JENG JENG JENG CZipLee Plus), bought one and a half years ago, which I am using as an occasional diary until this very day.
My first ever trusty Moleskine! (P/S: All images in this post can be enlarged.)
The only reason why it’s taken me this long to fill in this notebook is because I draw more often than I write; I’ve gone through about 3 sketchbooks in the same amount of time. I love the binding of the book and how inconspicuous it can be (nobody really pays attention to a person scribbling into a plain black covered notebook in a crowd). I know that I would definitely invest in another Moleskine notebook once I’m done with this one. So who knows, perhaps once I get a taste of *drawing* in the Moleskine Sketchbook, you’ll have another potential Moleskine Sketchbook customer-cum-lover in your hands? =D
Reason 2: To support the hobby of a man caught between two worlds
Ever since I was a kid I always dreamt of becoming an ‘artist’...until reality and parental influence made me arrive at the compromise of drawing in my free time (I'm a scientist by profession). Almost everything I know about art was self-taught, the art of sequential storytelling (a.k.a drawing comics) even more so. I started to draw comics somewhat late in life, which was right after I was done with my SPM examinations.
A peek at some of the sketchbooks I currently have with me. As you can see, none of them are Moleskines.
I used to be content drawing on loose sheets of A4 printer paper for fancomic and occasional original story compilations (which my friends and I would sell at comic-related events around the Klang Valley)...until I discovered Craig Thompson’s Blankets. That was a huge turning point in my artistic direction, and since then I’ve slowly gotten into the habit of keeping sketchbooks. I’m almost done with my current sketchbook that I started early\ier this year, so a new one wouldn’t hurt!
What's left of my current sketchbook. Minus out the cover and that's less than half remaining! (I started it on the 1st of January 2012)
Reason 3: To ‘fund’ my personal project
After participating mostly in group compilations and going incognito most of the time (I’ve only recently gotten into the habit of posting more of my artwork online), this year I promised myself that I would try to self-publish a solo effort. What better time to start than before the (possible) End of the World?
A sample of random pages out of my older sketchbook, which served me from 2010 to 2011. As you can see, I do occasionally work with watercolours.
I’ve been constantly producing journal-sketchbook entries and this year, I thought of putting them all together to form a kind of narration about my life. It’s a good time too considering how much I’ve been travelling this year (mostly by coincidence), so a travelogue seemed like a good idea (instead of just a mundane account of my life...oh wait).
Two pages from my 2012 sketchbook.
Plus, my trip to Japan with my group of good friends which I have been planning and saving for ages will finally come to fruition in about a month's time, so getting a Moleskine Sketchbook would suit my travel drawing needs perfectly! This brings me back to my earlier point: I would prefer the Moleskine Sketchbook because of the number of pages VS weight. Better economy when travelling light! Also, as most of my funds will be conserved for my expenses during this trip, a free Moleskine Sketchbook would definitely be another significant amount saved!
Well, that's all the reasons I have to help make my case for wanting a (free) Moleskine Sketchbook. Should you be interested to check out my other sketchbook pages (at higher resolution), feel free to visit my art Tumblr. I hope that the pages I've shown here are enough to convince you (whoever you are!) that I will put this Moleskine Sketchbook to good use! I would really, really love to get this Moleskine Sketchbook, to bring it around with me as I experience new places and things, and leave my marks on its pages.
Thank you CZipLee and Emila Yusof for organizing this wonderful giveaway and spreading the love for Moleskines!
First off, although both the Moleskine Sketchbook and the Moleskine Watercolour Album look good enough to eat, I would have to say that I'd prefer the Moleskine Sketchbook. Why not the Moleskine Watercolour, I hear you ask? Well...even though I’ve read some reviews of the pitfalls of the Moleskine Sketchbook (e.g.: not being able to handle watercolours well), I think the paper will suit my needs more as I usually work with pencils and inks (I am a sucker for the black and white medium). Plus, the thicker paper of the Moleskine Watercolour means that I’ll have to lug around a heavier book with fewer pages to draw on (you’ll see why this is an issue for me later on)!
So, down to the nitty-gritty: Why should I be the one who gets the Moleskine Sketchbook?
Reason 1: To give me a taste of drawing in a Moleskine
Before continuing further with this entry, I would like come clean about something: I’ve tried using a Moleskine before. Wait, wait, hear me out first! My first ever Moleskine experience was with a soft cover ruled notebook (which I bought at...JENG JENG JENG CZipLee Plus), bought one and a half years ago, which I am using as an occasional diary until this very day.
My first ever trusty Moleskine! (P/S: All images in this post can be enlarged.)
The only reason why it’s taken me this long to fill in this notebook is because I draw more often than I write; I’ve gone through about 3 sketchbooks in the same amount of time. I love the binding of the book and how inconspicuous it can be (nobody really pays attention to a person scribbling into a plain black covered notebook in a crowd). I know that I would definitely invest in another Moleskine notebook once I’m done with this one. So who knows, perhaps once I get a taste of *drawing* in the Moleskine Sketchbook, you’ll have another potential Moleskine Sketchbook customer-cum-lover in your hands? =D
Reason 2: To support the hobby of a man caught between two worlds
Ever since I was a kid I always dreamt of becoming an ‘artist’...until reality and parental influence made me arrive at the compromise of drawing in my free time (I'm a scientist by profession). Almost everything I know about art was self-taught, the art of sequential storytelling (a.k.a drawing comics) even more so. I started to draw comics somewhat late in life, which was right after I was done with my SPM examinations.
A peek at some of the sketchbooks I currently have with me. As you can see, none of them are Moleskines.
I used to be content drawing on loose sheets of A4 printer paper for fancomic and occasional original story compilations (which my friends and I would sell at comic-related events around the Klang Valley)...until I discovered Craig Thompson’s Blankets. That was a huge turning point in my artistic direction, and since then I’ve slowly gotten into the habit of keeping sketchbooks. I’m almost done with my current sketchbook that I started early\ier this year, so a new one wouldn’t hurt!
What's left of my current sketchbook. Minus out the cover and that's less than half remaining! (I started it on the 1st of January 2012)
Reason 3: To ‘fund’ my personal project
After participating mostly in group compilations and going incognito most of the time (I’ve only recently gotten into the habit of posting more of my artwork online), this year I promised myself that I would try to self-publish a solo effort. What better time to start than before the (possible) End of the World?
A sample of random pages out of my older sketchbook, which served me from 2010 to 2011. As you can see, I do occasionally work with watercolours.
I’ve been constantly producing journal-sketchbook entries and this year, I thought of putting them all together to form a kind of narration about my life. It’s a good time too considering how much I’ve been travelling this year (mostly by coincidence), so a travelogue seemed like a good idea (instead of just a mundane account of my life...oh wait).
Two pages from my 2012 sketchbook.
Plus, my trip to Japan with my group of good friends which I have been planning and saving for ages will finally come to fruition in about a month's time, so getting a Moleskine Sketchbook would suit my travel drawing needs perfectly! This brings me back to my earlier point: I would prefer the Moleskine Sketchbook because of the number of pages VS weight. Better economy when travelling light! Also, as most of my funds will be conserved for my expenses during this trip, a free Moleskine Sketchbook would definitely be another significant amount saved!
Well, that's all the reasons I have to help make my case for wanting a (free) Moleskine Sketchbook. Should you be interested to check out my other sketchbook pages (at higher resolution), feel free to visit my art Tumblr. I hope that the pages I've shown here are enough to convince you (whoever you are!) that I will put this Moleskine Sketchbook to good use! I would really, really love to get this Moleskine Sketchbook, to bring it around with me as I experience new places and things, and leave my marks on its pages.
Thank you CZipLee and Emila Yusof for organizing this wonderful giveaway and spreading the love for Moleskines!