First collection launch is now live at the shop on Christine Pan | Self Love & Self Care, Fashion, Illustration, Travel, Mindfulness

This first collection is a series of fashion illustrations that I drew over a period of a few months. It is especially meaningful to me because of the joy I felt in finally being able to be free of my fears and get back to what I love doing most, expressing myself through art, no perfection required. A period of rest, introspection self love, self care and opening up my world through a lot of reading, therapy, challenges, struggles, good people and help to find more self-compassion, kindness and truth in order to get back to myself and do whatever I want, unbounded by my mind. The gift of understanding what I was thinking and feeling ultimately led to freedom to just be, surrendering all that said I couldn’t. I can and I am.

Behind the scenes at the studio (table (table-ette))

I needed some brand imagery but I didn’t have any product photography skills like the ones I see on other artist’s websites which look so amazing so I decided to just go with my film camera and take some photos of my studio space. This is where I create my works, on a little floor table, that’s fun to sit at but after about an hour I need to stretch my legs. Well after an hour it’s good to move any way.

I feel so much more back to myself after drawing, it’s like the familiar feeling never left me. I carried this art stuff for years, accumulating.

I just got this watercolour case which I am very excited to fill in with handpicked watercolours.

Off to Officeworks to scan these in. They are scanned at 600dpi, my home computer one is up to…not sure, I should probably check

I love this picture, and the wooly sheepskin, so soft!

I want to get this nib again, the art shop has since closed and I stumbled across another one I really like too

Seen here with the tripod I use for filming

The drawings

Here are snapshots of the works after I finish drawing them. These are finished works, some below are in progress as I didn’t take pictures for some reason.

Love drawing and painting, normally in my mind I thought it would be drawing fashion illustrations of luxury labels like Pravda (this one), Dior etc. and coveting all the styles, but for most of these and lately I’ve just been drawing Australian labels. I love drawing Dior so maybe I’ll go back to that next as everything is so pretty, however I haven’t been coveting as much as I used to, looking at these luxury labels but maybe I’ll start appreciating it more again….maybe. I’ve been loving bullet journalling lately and wanted to do a fashion collection, but not so interested in the making, maybe it doesn’t come naturally that’s why…so drawing more of the luxury labels might inspire me, as I love how well designed and crafted that are.

Love how feminine this one is, it was originally a white dress but I needed a way for it to stand out more…and went with a pink monochromatic look, which I like

Love this dress, so pink and frilly. I wanna be a princess 🙂

Don’t know why I didn’t do a final picture of this one only a progress one…I think at this stage I had started multiple drawings and painting them with colour all at the same time…like I thought it was more efficient as each one takes such a long time to build up the layers. But then I found it wasn’t as enjoyable because I couldn’t devote time to each one and think about each layer as much, hard to remember and think about what came before. So I’m going back to doing one at a time…and I didn’t like churning them out like a factory line anyway, took away the joy! I like just painting when inspiration strikes but then also being able to paint regularly and not forget about it in the humdrum of everyday, so…at lease a couple times a week or daily I would love to have that practice. Not going to a schedule somehow but then having a schedule…that i don’t think about. (Omg woman!)

This is a new post I’ve never tried, but the reference photo looked so good I wanted to try it, and not bad!

This one started out looking really bad…but then I kept going, embracing it at every stage and little by little, layer by layer it became like this, my favourite one!

I just wanted to show off my nails in this one! I’m waiting for mine to grow out right now

One of my first ones in a very long time…felt scary and I was waiting for someone to scold me or tell me it’s not going to work etc. etc. flash from the past…all of which never happened! But only replaying again and again in my head. Orange I glad it never happened again and it was all in my creative imagination.

The launch

I hate launching, just saying. I like having a launch and telling people, it’s here! And seeing everything on the site, I love! But I hate promoting it, and going by a promotion schedule and pushing it and marketing it. So I’m still trying to get a rhythm, well really a person to do it (shout out to anyone in marketing, PR, copywriting, advertising who loves this stuff! Send me an email or a DM on insta). I much prefer just being creative and creating, whenever I feel like, (it’s not a business, it’s a craft, but all works are also up for sale…so it is a..n exchange).

Eventually I would love to have people following, signing up to my newsletter, follow me on instagram and follow this blog (wordpress reader has a follow options which I love because no ads, in depth content, no addictive scrolling animations, no distracting auto play videos – all things that make my mental health worse. I like the blogging format because you can get to writing more substantial stuff that is sort of like one part journalling but also broadcasting and giving people an insight into what you’re thinking and experiencing. At this stage am imagining it is all just me writing to myself, so I’m happy to keep it that way, less pressure haha). But still, feel free to say hi if you want to).

The newsletter launch was an interesting one. On my way to imaging I have 400,000 subscribers on my email list of interested followers and collectors of my art, my first newsletter announcing of my launch I actually successfully created and sent out to all my hearty subscriber database list of 1, me. I opened it, it was sent to my spam folder and it was alright. Short and simple, and I realised that my CTA button still had the old link instead of the link to my shop, which was all as well, lucky it was just me and I got to test out the email first.

So that was day 1. Eventually would love to have people snapping up all the art as soon as it’s released via newsletter and maybe one post online. No promoting needed! I hate promoting and I’m sure people hate being promoted to as well. Professionals, how do you do it so seamlessly and make us want stuff without us knowing it. I’d just like to focus all in the art, so to speak as mentioned and I hope that you future subscriber and collector will also like the art and want to support me. I was actually thinking about doing a Patreon…that model works well for me I think…will make it a few dollars a month – probably will set one up and add it to my site here. But the downside I worried about was the commitment of having people to deliver to…though I like the schedule remember I did want it to be schedule but no schedule, schedule. Maybe if I just said to the members that it’s a schedule but no guarantees, that would be perfect for me! Support me! Even when I procrastinate and gently bring me back on track, I love it.

Ok let’s make a Patreon.

Here it is

Become a Patron!