About Parka Blogs

Parka profile cartoon

Welcome to Parka Blogs!

Parka is my online alias and I'm from Singapore.

How I started

Parka Blogs started as a personal blog but has since evolved to feature more art products and artbooks relating to animation, movie and comics.

Often, when you're buying books online or even in bookstores, you can't see what's inside. You can't buy what you can't see. That's especially true for art books, because art is subjective to the individual. I realised there were readers, just like me, trying to figure out what's inside these books.

The purpose of the reviews is to help readers make informed purchases. The mission statement of the blog is to make sure you know exactly what you're buying..

Fun trivial: I've been chased out of libraries before because I was caught taking photos of pages from artbooks. Apparently you can't use cameras in the libraries but you can pay to use their photocopying machines.

I also review tech products occasionally, especially if they are related to art or graphic design.

Currently, I'm managing this blog (3K unique visits/day), my Youtube art channel (276K subs), Youtube tech channel (25K subs) and my Instagram page (27K followers).

Where do the books or products come from?

Most books, about 80-90%, were bought. I spend a lot on books monthly so this is a high expense blog.

Some were borrowed, from friends, the library and some from my sponsor Basheer Graphic Books, a local art bookstore that I visit often — those books are marked as review copies.

I would receive review copies of books occasionally from publishers too, but not that regularly to the point where I put out reviews consistently.

The tech products are either sponsored or review units on loan. I don't do paid reviews though.

Are the reviews biased?

I spend real money on the books so I like to think that I can write more unbiased reviews that way.

Art is subjective. So that's where the pictures and videos I posted come in handy. You'll know instantly if you like the book just by looking at pictures posted.

Just because I like a particular book doesn't mean it will appeal to everyone, vice versa. I normally state the group of readers who will enjoy it most.


Sometimes it's just easier to show it with a picture.

If you have noticed, I don't usually put out upcoming book announcements. I don't believe in featuring a book if I've not seen what's inside. I don't want you to waste your money.

And just because some publishers give me free books doesn't mean that I'm more likely to give them favorable reviews. I don't really care about their feelings because if I don't have the book, I'm likely to buy them anyway to feature on the blog.

You can read more about the ethics of reviewing products at
https://www.parkablogs.com/content/ethics-of-reviewing-products

Why don't you post news about upcoming artbooks?

I rarely promote things or books I've not personally seen or read. I don't like my readers to buy anything without knowing exactly what they are buying, but I do maintain a list of upcoming artbooks.

However, I do post about new books occasionally on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/parkablogs

Where do the books go after review?

Some are kept. Many are actually sold at much lower prices to people who need them more, some are given away as lucky draw prizes for local art events and sold are donated to the local libraries.

Due to space constraint, there's no way I can keep all the books I've reviewed.

What's with those Amazon links?

Those are affiliate links. If you purchase a book through those links, the website gets a little monetary commission. There's no extra cost to you, no additional hidden charges above the listed prices.

The existence of those affiliate links doesn't mean the reviews are biased in such a way to sell the books. I have given negative reviews for books, e.g. Neoludica, The Art of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Digital Painting Tricks & Techniques, Muscles in Motion, Expressive Drawing, Abstract Comics, Figure Drawing Without a Model, Exploring Character Design, Tate Watercolour Manual, etc.

The money earned from the commissions are used to get more books to feature and to offset the expense of running the blog. As I've said earlier, most books are bought. I buy good and lousy (ouch) books to feature. You won't know a book is lousy until you've bought it, and if it's a lousy book then I want to tell you first before you make the mistake.

You can support the blog directly by buying through the Amazon, Book Depository, Dick Blick and Jackson's Art.

Parkablogs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Web hosting

My website is hosted with a Singapore web host called Vodien. Their customer support is excellent. Previously I was using Bluehost, also great and worth the money, but I outgrew the plan when I reach around 2,000 visitors daily.

As of October 2020, the blog is visited by 3800 unique visitors with 7000 pageviews served daily

Can I buy books from you? Do you have a shop?

No, I don't have a shop. You can buy the books from the links and bookstores I mention in the reviews.

Can you scan the pages of an art book for me?

No. It violates the Copyright law. I won't even respond to requests for scans.

There are more information why I won't do it here:
https://www.parkablogs.com/content/i-was-served-copyright-violation-notice

It's cool to support artists who make a living from their art, and who have spent great effort producing their books. As an artist myself, I enjoy helping other artists.

It's free to promote your art books on Parka Blogs

Your book must be related to art, animation, movies or comics.

If you mail a complimentary copy to me, I can review and promote it on the blog for free. Electronic version is fine with me, actually preferable, because you get to save on shipping charges.

No promises on a positive review though. I've given negative reviews for books someone mailed me before.

Do not send me abstract art books because I'm not into abstract art.

Ways to support Parka Blogs

There are a few ways to support Parka Blogs directly. And I appreciate any help I can get.

1. Link to Parka Blogs or share the reviews on your website or social media pages. This is incredibly helpful.

2. Buy books using the affiliate links provided which do not cost you anything extra.

3. Support me on Patreon or get my online drawing courses.

Milestones

Brands I've worked with

Contact information

You can contact me through website's contact form.

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