Coffee Shop Hopping!

HAPPY FEB!

I was in Montreal these past couple of days! I've had a chance to fill my stomach with good food and really experience the freezing Canadian winter this French Canada city has to offer ( and yes...all the -20 C of it!!!)

 One of my hobbies is to go coffee shop hopping. There is something about good coffee shops that I love...whether I go with friends or go in alone with a good book.

Of course, I couldn't miss a chance to visit local coffee shops in Montreal. Whenever I travel, I never forget to taste the coffees and teas the cities have to offer!

 Here are some of my favorite coffees shops I've been to in the past couple of years!


Le Couteau/The Knife in Mont-Royal, Montreal, Quebec. Honestly the best soy mocha I've ever had!

Bonjour Records Cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Their mint-apple fizzy drink was especially good in the summer!

Cafe Little Spoon in Asoke, Bangkok, Thailand. Very cute and cozy. Plus, I loved this smiley face latte very much!

And lastly, I went to this cafe in Sinchon, Seoul, South Korea. Unfortunately I did not remember the name. The mocha was wonderful and the cafe staff were very nice!

Next time I might post local cafes in Toronto! There are so many places I have yet to visit!

Design books from Tokyo

Every time I have a chance to visit Tokyo, I couldn't help stopping by Junkudo at Ikebukuro to get some design books. There are some things different about Japanese design books that makes them so interesting. I must admit, I spent hours roaming in the bookstore.

These are a few that I got, on layout design, pencil drawing, and texture.

This book alone is just on processed wooden texture. I love it!

Illustration in Tokyo

Since I'm in Tokyo, the land of art and design, I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out work by Japanese illustrators and artists.

Illustrator Takayuki Ryujin recommended me to visit some local galleries with some illustration works. (Thanks so much for the tips!)

So first I visited Tambourin Gallery ...


They were showing works by 3 illustration girls: Maru, Mine, and Nutsco under the name Kimochiiyatura. Their group show is called 'welcome to our Que rico room'.


It was a very fun, lively show with many tiny framed paintings with a home-like theme. What is interesting is they have interactive art so the audience can participate in sitting in the middle of a mountain of their handmade cushion dolls. (I also bought 1 alpaca named Percival!)


They have also asked audiences to fill out forms and take a polaroid photo as a keepsake, which was very fun! I took one as well! They were very nice and friendly, I enjoyed talking to them :)

The second gallery I visited was Gallery House Maya .


The illustrator whose work was showing was Michiyo Tokuda-san. Her work was mixed media of fun food inspired theme.




Despite my broken Japanese, she was kind and sweet enough to spend time talking to me and explaining the details of her work. Her work has a mixture of whimsical, colorful, and decorative elements that I love. Her work is so beautiful, I am happy I get to chat and share point of views about illustration with her.

Overall, it was a fun and totally inspiring day. I am glad I visited both galleries and made new illustrator friends across the globe. I feel very inspired to paint more and illustrate more! Go illustration!