Here is to a Hopping New Year! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy Lunar New Year! The new year of the Water Rabbit ushering in harmony and hope. The Spring Festival of good fortune and prosperity.

The gentle rabbit, the fourth of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, is kind, elegant and patient and is a symbol of hope and longevity. The water element associated with this year makes it a Black Rabbit year, for in traditional Chinese culture, the water is thought to be black. Water also means fortune. And with a leap month added to the lunar calendar, 2023 is considered a year of double fortune. So this year will bring about hope, peace, calmness, prosperity, and a chance for us to take a step back and calmly realign ourselves with our goals and carefully plan for the steps required to achieve them. After all, “goals are dreams with deadlines,” and this year happens to be an opportune time for making our dreams happen.

Luckily, the year of the Water Rabbit is expected to be favourable for most zodiac signs. And to cash in on all that luck, we must celebrate and do things that gain us extra fortune credits. Deck the halls in red, oranges and bunnies, dress in red or your lucky colours, feast on lucky foods, and don’t forget to share the love with red packets. Let’s all have an auspicious Lunar New Year!

New at PICA—Digital Downloads!

Introducing PICA Things We Love Digital Download Prints! You know PICA Things We Love as the high-quality colourful illustration professionally printed wall art print shop. Now you’ll be able to choose between ordering a physical print shipped directly to your door and an instant digital download. The digital download print lets you have the artwork right away, saving shipping time and cost. It allows you to print it at home, at the local print shop you love, or at an online print store you trust. It gives you a choice to have the print in a variety of sizes that go beyond what we offer at the moment for our physical prints and the option to print multiple copies: one for your home, one for your office, and one for anywhere else that you can think of.

The Digital Downloads are available here on our PICA website and on our Etsy shop.

The first prints available are the newly added series of Halloween prints. Over the coming weeks, we’ll expand our digital downloads library, starting with our best sellers.

So what do I get with a digital download purchase?

Each offered digital download print will get you five high-quality, high-resolution 300dpi PNG print files in:

→ 2:3 ratio for printing 4×6 in., 6×9 in., 8×12 in., 10×15 in., 12×18 in., 16×24 in., 20×30 in. and 24×36 in
→ 3:4 ratio for printing 6×8 in., 9×12 in., 12×16 in., 15×20 in. and 18×24 in
→ 4:5 ratio for printing 4×5 in., 8×10 in., 12×15 in., 16×20 in., 24×30 in. and 40×50 cm
→ International paper size (ISO) for printing 5×7 in., A5, A4, A3, A2, A1 and 50×70 cm
→ 11×14 in.

You can downsize each file to any of the mentioned frame sizes within the specified ratio. Each file being 300dpi means you could potentially go even bigger, but there might be slight quality loss in the process. Staying within the provided sizes means you will always get the best quality print possible from the printer.

And if you have trouble printing any files or have a custom size in mind not listed, don’t hesitate to send us a message.

How do I print my digital artwork?

This is up to you! You can print your artwork from your home with the printer you love. You can get it printed professionally from your local or online print shop.

For best results, use a high-quality medium or heavyweight stock matte photo paper with quality ink professional printer. For reference, all our physical prints are printed with bleed on a high-quality heavyweight 189g/m2 stock Epson Enhanced Matte Paper on a professional wide format Epson printer using 100-year lasting pigment ink technology.

This is what our print looks like hot off the press.

How does digital download work?

After clearing your payment, you can access your digital download files on the Order Confirmation page. In addition to the order confirmation email, you will receive a separate email containing the link to your purchased artwork files. This link will expire 24 hours after the purchase. You can then receive a new download link by clicking on the expired one, and it will be sent to your email address used for the initial purchase.

If you are shopping on Etsy, you can access your instant digital download files by going to Your Account > Purchases and reviews. Once you have located your order, click the “Download now” button.

We are very excited to introduce our digital download prints and offer them at discounted prices for a limited time! We hope our illustration prints continue to bring colour and joy to your walls.

New PICA prints: the Halloween edition!

The spooky season is well upon us. Is your home decorated in all its wickedly horrifying attire yet? Or perhaps your walls are missing that something-something? Because we have something new and frightfully delightful for you. Our ever-colourful library of prints just welcomed three new additions featuring ghosts, bats, eerie Daruma and more. So without further ado, please meet our new Halloween illustration PICA prints.

Halloween Daruma Jack-o'-Lantern Pop Art Print

Our grumpy Daruma-san has transformed into a Jack-o'-lantern, accompanied by a cauldron of bats. Why not change up your Daruma print for this spooky seasonal edition?

Wait, what is Daruma, you ask? Daruma (だるま・達磨) is a traditional Japanese doll and a symbol of perseverance and good luck. It is used to set goals by colouring one of the doll's eyes when setting a goal or making a wish and colouring the other when that goal has been achieved, or that wish came true. Interested in hearing more of what makes Daruma so special to us, head on over here.

Supernatural Halloween Ghost Pop Art Print

How about a Japanese-style supernatural Halloween ghost print? Here we have a frightfully hauntingly-cute ghost in this magical starry night, a pair of eerie onibi spirits and a flying cauldron of bats. What a fun ghostly delightful addition to any wall!

Hold on, what are these onibi you speak of, you say? Onibi (おにび・鬼火), literally translated as demon or ghost fires, are a type of atmospheric ghost lights popular in Japanese supernatural folklore. They are the spirit fireballs born from the remains of the departed. They are often believed to be vengeful spirits or spirits with unfinished business. In short, a must-have for your Halloween decor!

Spooky Halloween Bats Pop Art Print

And last but not least, the spooky cute cauldron of bats in the night sky Halloween print! Who doesn't love bats at Halloween? No, really, who? They are just so adorable! Halloween is not complete without them, as they are simply essential.

So there you have it—our Halloween collection just for you and your walls. But don't wait too long. Halloween is just around the corner.

Oh, I almost forgot! Don't want to wait for your print to arrive at your door? Well, we've got some news for you! All our Halloween prints are available as Digital Downloads, and for a limited time, they are on SALE! So, what are you waiting for? Head on over here to shop now!

The roaring Tiger is here to rule! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy Lunar New Year of the Water Tiger! A year of change and taking confident, daring actions!

Today we ring in the year of the new brave water zodiac and with it the year of new directions and bold actions. Water is a powerful force of nature, conquering obstacles and changing its path without losing its way. And the Tiger, the king of all beasts in Chinese culture, is a symbol of strength, courage and big undertakings. But Tiger is also temperamental. While it is kind and adventurous, it can also be aggressive and short-tempered. So with the Water Tiger taking charge for the next twelve months, be ready for a capricious year ahead of us, and with it many new daring and exciting exploits to come.

Now don’t put off putting on your best hear-me-roar outfit, and go on and celebrate the new year! There is still time, as the festivities last till February 15th. So if you have a rad red outfit, dress up and party! Especially if you are a tiger yourself, it means extra good luck for you in your birth year.

Happy New ‘22 Year to You!

The brand spanking new year is here! With the new year come new resolutions, new goals, and new ambitions, which hopefully lead to new milestones, new success stories, and unforgettable experiences.

Here is hoping 2022 will be good to me and you!

Happy New Year!!! Cheers!

Fun fact: In Japanese 22, which can be pronounced as ni ni (にに, two two), sounds close to nyan nyan (にゃんにゃん) — a sound that a cat makes (meow meow) in Japanese. And thus, 22 is often associated with cats. In fact, in Japan, February 22nd (2/22 or にゃんにゃんにゃん, nyan nyan nyan) is considered to be a 猫の日 (neko no hi, Cat Day). So, this nyan nyan year also happens to be the year of the tiger! What are the chances?! Yeah, I am feline good that this could be a purr-fect new year. 😻

Interested in learning more about the big New Year or Oshogatsu celebration in the land of the rising sun? Then head on over here to fuel your knowledge for all things New Year in Japan.

Happy Ho Ho Ho to You!

Today is the day! The fun ugly sweater weather extravaganza. (If it’s cold where you are. If not, fun ugly tank tops?) Stretchy pants for dinner attire. The cheesy songs about snow, jolly old Saint Nick, his flying reindeer, and O Christmas tree. You know, all the fa-la-la-la-la and such. It’s finally the time to let go, be silly, happy, and generous with gifts! And maybe be a little naughty with all that cookie dough...😏

Here is to a very merry Christmas from our PICA family to yours! Cheers!

Oh, and if you are here because of a deep desire to know if Japan celebrates Christmas, then head on over here to fuel your need for knowledge on all Japanese things ho ho ho.

The Ox has moo-ved in! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy 牛 Year! Happy Spring Festival and Lunar New Year! Dress in red and celebrate, for today marks the beginning of the year of the gentle and good-natured Golden Ox.

Last year’s Rat marked the beginning of the 12 animal Chinese Astrology cycle as it was the first to arrive at the Jade Emperor's place on the back of the Ox. So this year it is Ox’s turn to shine, and hopefully leave us with a much better experience of this new 12-year cycle emerging under the metal element, denoting the next 12 months as the age of ambition and progress.

The Ox is grounded and gentle. It is hardworking, reliable, and valued for its honesty. The Ox is all about positivity. And we definitely could use some of that right now.

On top of that, the Ox is seen as an auspicious animal with the power to grant wishes. So taking advantage of that, this year we would like to wish for all of us to be able to emulate the great Ox by embodying all the exceptional qualities of this year's animal zodiac.

May this year live up to its potential by grounding us, giving us the strength to pursue our ambitions, bringing about progress, and helping us find harmony in loyalty and reliability in each of us.

Cheers to the new year of the mighty Ox!

Welcome, 2021! Happy New Year!

The year 2020 has been a challenging one for everyone. It has turned our world upside down. Yet, it showed us that despite anything we have the power to adapt.

I am sure to all of us last year’s countdown meant more than it ever did before. It was the countdown to starting anew, turning the page on 2020 and hoping for a fresh start as we ring in the brand new year.

So we say, here is to new beginnings, to a chance for a happy year ahead of us, and most importantly to a promising possibility of safe family reunions! May this year be everything we all wish it to be!

Happy New Year! Happy 2021!

Happy Christmas!

The winter holidays are finally here! And we suspect your Christmas trees or your choice of festive dwelling decorations have been up a lot sooner this year than usual. I know ours were! We went all out this year as we wanted to cram in as much ‘joy’ as we could. And we all could use a little bit of joy this year, can't we? We truly hope this winter holiday season you all found your joy under the tree, on your doorstep, in a zoom call, in a letter, Christmas card or a box nicely wrapped and delivered to you by your friendly neighbourhood postman or postwoman.

Wishing you the best this holiday season from our PICA family to yours!

Stay in. Stay safe. Celebrate. Happy Christmas! Happy festivities! Cheers!

Our shop’s site got featured!

This week our website got featured on Freelancer in an article titled “Top 10 Squarespace website designs of 2020”! As the title suggests, the article lists top 10 inspirational creative sites that utilize the Squarespace template capabilities.

At PICA we customized this site ourselves and are very honoured to have made it on the top 10 Freelancer’s list. That being said, we don’t only do illustrations. We are designers first, and this is not the only Squarespace site that we took under our wing. If you have time, check out our portfolio / alter ego at buoyantstudio.com ( ^_^)ノ

Click here to read the full article. We are listed as #5. :)