The Summer Travel Vacation

I developed a set of stickers plastered causally over the arch of the bag, just like how you might paste your baggage tag or 'Fragile' sticker before check-in.

The floral or fauna found in South East Asia are often representative of the culture or are used by the community in the region. I learnt so much more during the research I hope I added more meaning and dimension to these travel stickers.

Scroll down to read on how I mixed subjects to make this collection come together!

The "Perahu Payang" sticker is based on the image of the Woolly-Necked Stork. Found mainly on Langkawi Island, the coastal communities believed that these birds can help to attract a bountiful catch at sea. The fishermen adopted the shape of the stork's neck into their perahu (a small vessel), with a colourful carved spar featuring prominently on its end.

Armed with this background knowledge, I used the image of the storks to create a "Perahu Payang" boat ticket tying it back to its figurative reference.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

Rose cultivation in the Malay peninsula was likely introduced by way of China, spearheaded by European traders fascinated with the plant and these beautiful flowers have come to be a consistent motif in Malay literature as a symbol of femininity.

Stamps are the most common collectibles that tells of a place's history, culture or heritage. My idea was to enshrine the beauty of the Alexandrian Roses in a stamp that would allow it to be an "ambassador" of Singapore.

Zebra doves are known as peaceful doves and a true songbird. The scenario I wanted to create for this particular sticker would be to create a South East Asia's version of "Garden of Eden" where we may be enchanted by beautiful flora and serenaded by melodious singing.

What would a summer be without a holiday trip?

This "Summer Holidays" sticker has a different vibe from the rest, being decked out in lively, vibrant colours and images that will remind you of a seaside summer holiday.

The Terab plant, is closely tied to the Puja Pantai (Sea Obeisance) ceremony of the Mah Meri tribe of Selangor, which is carried out to honour the spirits which have protected their tribe throughout the years.

The black-capped kingfisher, commonly seen in Singapore, can be observed diving into Singapore's waterways for their meals.

Here we see the sticker being splattered across the zip, reminding you that it is well, part of the bag after all!

The rhinoceros hornbill distinguishable by its prominent curved casque (a structure resembling a helmet), are revered by the local communities in Borneo. Some Dayak people, especially the Ibanic groups, believe it to be the chief of worldly birds.

The use of a magnifying glass in this "Curious Hornbill" sticker was a playful touch depicting a scene where a wildlife animal interacts with our travelling tools. On another hand, there was also a message behind as these beautiful rhinoceros hornbills are sadly in danger of disappearing due to clearing of rainforests and illegal hunting. If humans do not stop destructive behaviour towards rainforests and wildlife, we may need a magnifying glass if we were to look for them in future.

This "Be Still" sticker is the last of the series and is my personal favourite.

One of Joan's request was to insert the verse "Be Still" into drawings and I was thinking of how to make it meaningful.

The inspiration behind this sticker stemmed from the "Fragile" tags that we get on our luggage and parcels during check-ins. This "Fragile" tag is a reminder for us to handle items carefully and slowly. I switched out the words and it still has the same meaning.

The slow loris was added in for double emphasis. Hanging precariously under the "Be Still" sign, they move in a slow and cautious manner not to upset the equilibrium. It is truly a reminder that in our hustle and bustle, we need to learn to "Be Still" and let God do His work.