lockdown Archives - NorikoArt

Lockdown Cartoon #38: School Reopening

nori — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 13:16:06 +0000

On the first day of school after a nearly 3 month closure. We left home with plenty of time.

Naomi is excited. Fresh air. Flowers. Birds. Dogs. Every little thing makes her happy.

I looked at my watch. Oh dear. We are late again.

“Let’s go, Naomi! We have to run!”

Here is this week’s cartoon.

You can see all my past cartoons here

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here. They are also available on Amazon.co.uk.

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Lockdown Cartoon #37: Guilt

nori — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 18:26:37 +0000

I think lots of parents are juggling work and childcare at the moment. I feel guilty that I’m often working while my children are spending too much screen time at home.

But from the children’s point of view, they seem to be quite happy that I’m not overlooking them all the time.

Well, maybe I don’t need to be too harsh on myself after all?

Since schools are reopening soon and the children will be missing screen time at home?

You can see all my past cartoons here

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here. They are also available on Amazon.co.uk.

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Lockdown Cartoon #36: Taller

nori — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 23:48:08 +0000

The other day I noticed Naomi was able to turn the light switch on by herself. But until recently, she couldn’t reach the switch and always asked me to turn it on for her.

In all this time in lockdown, I’ve been home with my children. But I was too busy to notice that Naomi had got taller!

Children grow up so fast. Before I knew it, they become capable to do various things.

Life is hectic. But I’d like to be more present so I won’t miss the process of my children growing up.

Here is this week’s cartoon.

You can see all my past cartoons here

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here. They are also available on Amazon.co.uk.

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Lockdown Cartoon #35: iPad

nori — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 22:33:35 +0000

I have had an exciting commission to illustrate a children’s story recently. The only downside was the timeframe. It was very tight.

I usually use colour pencils to illustrate my picture books. It’s a slow process. Sometimes it takes me a month to finish one illustration! But this time, I had only three weeks to complete illustrating an entire story!

There was no choice, I had to go digital. So I bought an iPad. I watched YouTube tutorials on how to draw on iPad for a few days. In the New Year I was ready to start my new work.

Then I heard the news. We are in lockdown again!

Children’s schools swiftly moved to online lessons. My children needed my devices. My laptop went to Ichi and my brand new iPad went to Naomi!

Everyday after homeschooling, I grabbed my iPad and worked till very late. That’s why I wasn’t able to draw any cartoons for a while. But here I am. I finished the urgent commission and I’m back in cartooning!

You can see all my past cartoons here

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here. They are also available on Amazon.co.uk.

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Lockdown Cartoon #17: Trampoline

nori — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 07:17:53 +0000

Tummy chubby, double chin. My husband seems to have gained some weight lately, so when I pointed it out, he argued, “Look who’s talking.” Doubtfully I got on the scale, and realised I had gained weight by 3kg!

In normal circumstances, I would walk my kids to school in the morning and walk them home after school. My walking routine stopped in March when lockdown started. I didn’t realise this would have impact on my body till now.

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #17: Trampoline appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #16: MOT

nori — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 03:22:47 +0000

When you don’t drive, it doesn’t cost you petrol. The last time I put petrol in my car was March – three months ago. I thought we were lucky to have saved money on petrol.

But today, we encountered unexpected costs…

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #16: MOT appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #14: Time Tickets

nori — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 21:56:33 +0000

During lockdown, my children spend more time on TV and games. I came across a Japanese article about how to limit children’s screen time. One of the methods the author suggested was ‘ticket system.’

So you give child a certain number of tickets per week (each ticket is worth half an hour). For example, if you decide your child is allowed to spend 14 hours on TV & games a week, give your child 28 tickets at the beginning of the week. Your child can watch TV or play games in exchange for the ticket. The ticket system makes the remaining time visible to the child, so the child will be able to control their screen time.

You can read the full article here (in Japanese).

What a great idea! I decided to give a go. The result is…

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

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Lockdown Cartoon #13: Let’s Exchange!

nori — Wed, 27 May 2020 23:30:33 +0000

My 7-year-old son gets plenty schoolwork during lockdown. I sit next to him and do my work. The other day he looked at my work (I was drawing a picture of fluffy wooly socks), and said, ‘It’s not fair.’

So we exchanged work. He started drawing (he is a really good drawer), and I had a look at his work. I encountered a word ‘fronted adverbials.’ I didn’t know what it means. I asked my husband. He didn’t know either. He is English by the way.

I wouldn’t have thought homeschooling the 7-year-old would be this tricky. The bright side is, I’ve been learning a lot through his schoolwork during lockdown and I feel a bit smarter than before.

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #13: Let’s Exchange! appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #12: Salad Boy & Meaty Girl

nori — Wed, 20 May 2020 15:16:07 +0000

In modern Japanese, there are terms ‘herbivorous men’ and ‘carnivorous women.’ ‘Herbivorous men’ is a term for men who are gentle or introvert. ‘Carnivorous women’ is a term for women who are proactive, or women who know what they want.

The terms ‘herbivorous’ and ‘carnivorous’ remind me of the world of dinosaurs rather than humans. So I will refer to ‘herbivorous men’ as ’salad boys,’ and ‘carnivorous women’ as ‘meaty girls.

My 7-year-old son is a typical ‘salad boy’ and my 3-year-old girl is definitely a ‘meaty girl’. They are polar opposites but they are very close. This is really helpful especially during lockdown. I wouldn’t bear it if my kids were always fighting at home. I’m very lucky. Apart from occasional quarrels, Ichi and Naomi get on amazingly well.

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #12: Salad Boy & Meaty Girl appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #11: Lego

nori — Sat, 16 May 2020 12:25:30 +0000

During the lockdown, our house gets messier than normal. The kids leave toys everywhere. When I entered the living room, I stepped on a piece of Lego. Oh god, I never knew such a small thing could create such a big pain!

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #11: Lego appeared first on NorikoArt.