Interview: Chupadoodles!

Oh my gosh!! Get ready for the cutest interview with the maker behind the cutest notebook ever! Meet Natasha, behind Chupadoodles and the maker of the All-In-One Kawaii Notebook! It's so inspiring to read the journey of Chupadoodles, how it was started and how Chupadoodles produced their first Notebook! 
Did you know the Chupadoodles All-In-One Kawaii Notebook was started with a Kickstarter Campaign? It's amazing how far they have come in such a short time! We love Chupadoodles and we hope you do too!

Read below for the full interview:

Tell us a little about who you are and what you do? Hi everyone! I’m Natasha. I am the artist behind Chupadoodles and I make/design stationery and other cute items! I was born in Singapore and have settled down in this vibrant city: Melbourne!What does your daily routine look like? I don’t really have a fixed schedule but definitely coffee first thing in the morning! Any coffee lovers out there? After that, I usually do some household chores and then would go on Instagram or TikTok to post and chat with the Chupa Fam community. I have a quick lunch and start working on Chupadoodles: drawing, packing orders, stocking inventory or planning Chupa projects. Normally, I take a break in the evening to prepare dinner and then I resume working on Chupadoodles! I go to bed in the wee hours of the morning.Do you like to bullet journal or use a planner, yourself? What are your tips for planning and staying organised? Yes, I try to stay organised and I really wanted a planner that would help me organise my time. I designed the All-In-One Kawaii Notebook by Chupadoodles that contains planning tools, space for doodling and dedicated pages to practice gratitude, alongside art of the Chupadoodles Family. My intent was to create a notebook with cute art already in it, to make you happy and tools to help you organise your time. So…that is the notebook I use to plan! 

This year I tried to plan each month with a specific project or vision I want to focus on. Then I write it out in a yearly spread so that I have a bird’s eye view for the whole year. I usually have a general plan for Chupadoodles’ social media content or other projects at the start of each month. In particular, every Sunday of the week, I plan out my week in detail. However, I try not to put so much pressure on myself to be productive! At times, I have to remind myself to rest and go slow and to practice gratefulness at the end of each month. I don’t want the months to go by in a frenzy!
How did you get started making stickers and planner items? I was inspired by other sticker business owners on YouTube! It was during the pandemic and it really made me stop and think about what I really wanted to do. I was in a dilemma. Eventually, I bought my first Silhouette Portrait and started making stickers of things that inspired me! But, I plan to start a Podcast-style YouTube series of the story behind Chupadoodles so please stay tuned!
You have such a distinct kawaii style! Where do you get your inspiration from and how did you develop your own style? It took me awhile to develop my own style. I’ve always loved drawing chibis from a young age. When I got back into drawing in late 2019, I was experimenting and just trying to improve my anatomy skills. In mid 2020, I saw so much kawaii art on Instagram and I thought it would be fun to get into it. Initially, Chupa and Barky (characters from Chupadoodles) were based loosely on my sister’s dogs. As I developed as an artist, I wanted to introduce 2 more characters – Bun Bun and Berry.  
Tell us about the process of making your Kawaii All-In-One Notebook. I started out planning the sections I wanted in the All-In-One Kawaii Notebook. It took me a while to finalise the sections: planning tools, monthly vision pages, ample areas for reflection and free space for doodling. Yet, I also wanted the Chupadoodles family to accompany you throughout the year with cute art. I separated each month into a theme and drew each member of the Chupadoodles Family according to that theme. After many drawings later (over 50 original illustrations), I used Adobe InDesign to collate all the drawings and to design the layout of the notebook! It was a long but satisfying process. 
What exciting things do you have planned for the rest of the year? Is there anything you’re looking forward to? Yes, I am looking to start a Chupadoodles subscription service with exclusive items! These items will be created according to a specific theme each time. Can you tell I love going by themes!? I will also be updating Chupadoodles main store with other cute items. I also have a special project that I plan to launch in October and I can’t wait to let the Chupa Fam know about it! Where can we follow you? The Chupadoodles Family is most active on Instagram: @chupadoodles. Feel free to DM me to chat if you have any concerns or questions. Stay updated with the Chupadoodles Family at these links: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chupadoodles/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chupadoodles

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwj4nb_RXQzrYEXnTyIrSVw

We would love to meet you! 

Thank you for reading! We had so much fun getting to know more about Chupadoodles! If you'd like to find a copy of the All-In-One Kawaii Notebook by Chupadoodles, it's stocked at our WashiGang shop! 

Who would you like us to interview next? Let us know in the comments!