Studio Snippets Issue No. 1 - Reintroducing Myself, Sketchbook Moments & a Sticker Story
Welcome to the latest addition to the Hamletta Studios Blog—Studio Snippets! Think of this as your exclusive look into my humble little art studio. (Ok, full disclosure-- my "studio" is really just my laptop on the move along with my zillions of notebooks falling out of my backpack, as I juggle mom life at the same time.)
In this inaugural issue, you can find the following:
A re-introduction to me, the artist, and how I balance art and life
A peek inside my sketchbook
Inside the Hamletta Studios Workshop
Hello! I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself. I'm Janice Lau Perez, the artist behind Hamletta Studios. I’m a homeschooling mom of two little boys, living in sunny California.
Before diving into the world of art and entrepreneurship, I worked as a planner and data analyst in parks, recreation, and conservation. I spent my days working with data to help create better parks for everyone. I loved my career as a public servant and still look back on it fondly.
But after the birth of my second son, my intuition told me it was time for a change. I needed to be home with my kids, giving them the time, care, and presence that a full-time job just couldn’t allow. That was over three years ago, and it is wild how fast time has flown.
In those years, my little family moved away from my hometown and our village to start fresh. Now we homeschool and embrace a flexible lifestyle, following my children’s interests and nurturing their natural curiosity. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey.
About six months ago, I decided to bring Hamletta Studios back to life. It began as a small creative outlet while I was working full-time before my first son was born. For a brief moment in 2017, I ran an Etsy shop selling handmade stickers. Seeing people buy my art was such a thrilling experience. It made me so proud.
But life moved quickly, and my little shop faded into the background until recently.
Now that I have settled into my new routine of homeschooling and being a full-time mom, I find myself craving that creative outlet again.
Art has always been a part of my life (though not always encouraged, but that's another story for another day). The little characters I draw have been with me since childhood, and I have been sketching variations of them for as long as I can remember.
My goal is to grow Hamletta Studios into a business that fulfills my creative spirit, becomes something I can truly be proud of, and makes my children proud of their mom.
I thank you for being part of my journey and I hope you stick around!
Here is a completely ridiculous picture of my current collection of notebooks, planners, journals, sketchbooks and drawing supplies. As I mentioned earlier, I carry an absurd number of them everywhere, and it is a constant struggle. What’s a notebook lover to do? (No need to answer... I am not looking for a solution!) To be honest, this isn't even all of them. I'm currently writing this during a visit to my parents' house and this is all that I actually brought with me...
I've been keeping a sketchbook since I was a kid, and I still love spending hours doodling and journaling! It’s kind of funny how I haven’t outgrown it. If anything, I’ve embraced it even more as I’ve gotten older.
Lately, I’ve been really enjoying a pocket notebook. I’ve already filled one notebook and I’m almost halfway through the second one.
I really love how compact a pocket notebook is. It fits perfectly in my backpack, so I can grab it whenever inspiration strikes. I find myself doodling all over the place—whether I’m waiting in the car for grocery pickups, waiting for my son at his swim lessons, unwinding in bed after a long day, or even first thing in the morning when ideas pop into my head. It has become a fun part of my daily routine.
Imagining an alien universe
Doodles of the Hamletta Squad and random tidbits I like to draw while I'm out and about.
Some random doodles I drew while dreaming about summer adventures later this year.
Some days, I feel a little guilty for neglecting my digital art in favor of analog. Lately, I’ve really been enjoying stepping away from the screen and simply creating on paper. It’s been grounding and creatively refreshing. But at the same time, I know that staying off the screen isn’t exactly helping me move forward with opening my shop… and that tug-of-war has been real.
On the other hand, the analog drawings inspire me to turn them into products! I have been hard at work developing products for my online shop, focusing on stickers. Stickers have always been a favorite of mine. I personally use them to decorate my laptop, water bottles, journal covers, journal spreads, my planners and calendars. I have collected so many from different artists over the years. They are such a fun and easy way to support artists while adding a little personality to everyday items.
Here is a sneak peek at some of the sticker sheets I am designing, along with the sketches that inspired them!
So, while I was waiting for my older son to wrap up his swim class, I hung out with my little guy, Dylan (who just turned four yesterday!). As I was doodling, he sweetly asked me to draw a picture of him with Mama and another one of him painting. He’s such a little artist, always ready to create, and we end up drawing together almost every day. That moment got me thinking, and the sketch I did turned into inspiration for a new sticker sheet. I really love how it turned out! Even though the drawing of Dylan didn’t make it to the final design, I included the whole Hamletta squad, so it still feels like a piece of him is in there too.
I've always loved drawing robots. When I was 16, I painted a giant cardboard box bright red, cut out arm holes, and proudly walked to school dressed as a red robot for Halloween. Hey, I was never normal and I embrace it. It was such a fun, silly memory...
I am continuing to brainstorm ideas, sketches, and collections for my online shop, and I cannot wait to launch later this season! While I am not setting a definite date just yet, my goal is late spring or early summer. You’ll be the first to know!
I hope you enjoyed the first issue of Studio Snippets! My goal is to share studio updates regularly. Stay tuned for the next one!