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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Happy Friday + A Flower Shower

April 6, 2018

Happy Friday! I've been painting a lot lately, experimenting with the many, many watercolor and gouache paints that I have. I'm in between big deadlines right now so I gave myself a break for the entire month of March to basically goof off. These illos aren't for any particular project and it's lovely to just aimlessly sketch. The plan was to simply read and sort of putz around for a month, but then - as per usual -- I found myself making a massive to-do list of sewing, home improvement and ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 2 Comments

Happy Holidays + Freebie Printables

December 23, 2016

Happy Friday! I've been on a mini-wrapping-paper-making bender, my friends. Just in case you are a champion procrastinator like I am, I wanted to offer up these designs for any last minute packaging needs. You can print them up on regular 8.5 x 11" paper on your home printer, and voila! Instant wrapping paper for those tiny stocking stuffers. Feel free to download them below (click on image, and right-click to "save as" to your desktop before printing for best ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, illustration + art, watercolor • by sanae • 16 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

August 5, 2016

Happy Friday! Keeping it super duper short today since we're attempting to get out of town this weekend. Above is one of the projects I worked on recently for the Seattle Japanese Garden that I believe is already printed by now. I had a wonderful time painting this, and it will be part of their self walking tour brochure. Fun! I hope to work on more maps in the future. I recently saw this book and this book in a store, and deliberated long and hard about purchasing them, but in the end, I left ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 7 Comments

2015 RECAP: Sewing for K

December 28, 2015

Good morning! I hope you all had a restful and celebratory Christmas, and perhaps you too are now looking back upon all the happenings of 2015. It's been a big year for me: one book launched, another completed. I inadvertently started something that could be considered a side business. My little family of three had highs and lows, but the good times outweighed the bad. I hadn't been quite prepared for the emotional turbulence that was part of this year, but in hindsight it stretched and pulled ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, ink, sewing, sewing for K, watercolor • by sanae • 12 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

December 11, 2015

Happy Friday! Thank you so much for all the comments from my last post!! I'm overwhelmed by the kindness! Slowly, slowly I'm decompressing after months of chasing deadlines. The upside is that the holidays are going to be a piece of cake - I've vowed to really (really!!) keep it simple this year and I'm not ashamed to admit that most people are receiving gift cards. Even kids. Maybe next year I'll wow you all with an array of handmade presents, but not this year. Now that the Advent Calendar is ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, life, watercolor • by sanae • 2 Comments

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When my daughter was a baby, oh, nearly two decade When my daughter was a baby, oh, nearly two decades ago, I read roughly a zillion board books to her. My favorites were Lucy Cousins’ Maisy series, Taro Gomi’s and anything with food. It’s with not a little awe and delight that I am creating my own baby board books these days. I adore my sumo books (I especially love seeing them in libraries), and I’m giddy with anticipation for GOOD NIGHT, NINJAS. Eight more weeks till publication! Preorder link is in bio 😊📘🥷I keep dreaming that these sumo and ninja baby books will become well-thumbed and beloved storytime staples…if you’ve been in the trenches of reading to babes and toddlers, do you have a favorite board book?
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