Ode to the Nab... Bloggy-bloggy-blog

Practicing on a card

2010-11-24T18:27:00.004-08:00

Playing around with water-soluble pencil and "Thank You" card design involving characters (Chuck, RR, and WC), gelato and a sense of friendship. Still playing with techniques but I think I like the line of action between the 3 characters on the second card better.

Working on a t

practice in the sketchbook

2009-12-08T17:01:00.009-08:00

Aside from practicing the characters I've done storyboard tests on in my sketchbooks, I've also been going back to life drawing.

Light: from the anatomy book, using water-soluble pencil and water-brush.

Heads: I was trying to learn the different types of skulls and facial muscles...
From the LA zoo:

Airport PHX:

A regular customer at Scuie Cafe, still don't know his name:

Self-portrait(s) and practicing with brush pen:
Waiting at the doctor's office, someone actually had those glitzy-stiletto boots on:

Quick Life Sketch

2009-03-03T20:54:00.003-08:00

hungry

2009-01-12T01:04:00.000-08:00

Why did I draw this tonight? Well, first off, I was itching to draw and need something relaxing to do before bed, besides watching TV. Second, my animation contract for the current show I'm working on is quickly coming to an end this month. And with the economy being so bad, I am unsure of where or when my next job will be, hence the "starving artist" drawing. Third, I really think that the kids that get played on those children's charity commercials that seem to bombard my TV after every Xmas are truly beautiful. I wanted to see if I can draw the emotions as well as the beautiful anatomy of a child who suffers from malnutrition. That's all.

self portraits

2008-12-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

long time,,, no post

2008-09-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I have been trying to put a more current demo reel together but loading videos, and also pictures, onto blogger has proven to be frustrating. But I'll find a way... For now, I'm pretty happy with this simple drawing because it's my first drawing "clean-up" done in Sketchbook on the Cintiq. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, finally.

old old fashion stuff

2008-04-16T00:46:00.001-07:00

Well, why am I posting old stuff from about 12 years ago? It's because I just got a push to post it for a potential client. Unfortunately, the project got passed on so I am now just doing this for fun and to rehash some old, fond memories of the fashion program. How old school we were with our dot-matrix print computers (honestly, there were ink-jets back then but they were soooo expensive, and our team was awfully thrifty). All the illustrations were hand-painted with gouache, water colour, ink, crayon, pencil crayons, etc. No digital painting here. A lot of us did things the hard way... mainly because we missed art classed from high school. These day, when I go back to visit the gradshow, the new fashion graduates can produce a pretty good-looking portfolio. Where artistic hand lacks, computer can definitely compensate. I think that I'd have to up my game by 10 folds if I were to do fashion all over again (as if!!!)
These five are from my first year fashion illustration class that covered... colour. We had to use a 20th century artist as inspiration to create a line of avante-garde eveningwear. Where most of my classmates chose guys like Milo, Dali, Picasso, etc, I chose a mainstream comic book artist... we can all guess who. I don't know why I chose McFarlane, because he didn't really colour... I think Frank Frazetta would've been a better choice, in retrospect. But I made my choice and it came out pretty alright. Don't let my old instructors know that comic guys may not colour at all... shhhh. They might take my "A: back... har har. Anyway, we had to use colour schemes into each designs: Monochromatic, Triad, Complimentary, Split Complimentary, and Analogous. I think that if I was to do it all again, I'd be a much better illustrator, thanks to 2 years as an animation student and being surrounded by great artists all the time... but the designs were still so raw back then. Meh... who knows...

More old fashion stuff

2007-11-06T01:22:00.001-08:00

These are also from my days in fashion school. A Pastiche project, designing for an old local company, that no longer exists, and illustrating in a style of another artist. I forgot who I was imitating but it was a challenge at the time because I needed to loosen up my drawings. Then we have a few exercises on illustrating different fabrics and textures. We also have here, the Ultimates, a team project to design a suit line. Our storyboard you see is not like storyboards in animation. This style of storyboard is still used in the apparel industry to sell an image or give ideas of lifestyle. It helps with the selling presentation of the line, honestly... And the final one is a spec drawing from my professional work back in the days. Most fashion illustrators, I was told by an instructor, end up making most of their earnings through spec drawings because that is what is most needed in the industry. It can get way more technical...

2007-10-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Trying to post on my blog again. Just got hold of a Cintiq at work. It's pretty sweet. So now, at my desk, there's a Cintiq monitor, reg. LCD flat-screen monitore, Intuous pen and tablet, mouse and keyboard. Yeah, it's pretty crammed. I still have the habit of using my tablet instead of drawing/animating straight on the Cintiq. So not sure if this set up is working for me yet. However, during the slow times or at lunch, I get to doodle. It's been a long time since I've done any drawing which is ironic b/c I animate everyday... This is a rough...

FTTM

2007-09-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Finaly, another drawing... I haven't had much time to draw so this is one of the more spontaneous ones I did in honour of the Fun Tuesday Club. The club members are Shawn, Dennis, Alicia, and yours truly. The goal of our club is to get together once a week and just go to places eat, try different activities, and have FUN. So far, we have not gone to a place more than once as a group. We thought about expanding the club but that would be a little harder to get reservations... so we decided against it. Our long term goal is to have our club in a parade...

Nammer Addicts

2006-04-29T01:08:00.000-07:00

I was staying at my uncle's place in San Francisco, which he shares w/ his wife and sister in-law. they live in a tiny, cozy basement suite w/ 2 bedrooms and a common room that is living room and kitchen altogether. I stayed in that room. It was great. Slept on the floor, smelled the fridge everytime it opened, they always had plenty of food, and experienced watching 'Nammer soaps just about every night (that's means Vietnamese soaps). I didn't understand a word of any of the soaps, so I was listening to they way they talked, and some 'Nammers can be pretty whiny... One night, I got frustrated w/ my handicap in not knowing the language that I drew this.

Choco-holic in san Francisco

2006-04-29T00:49:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: So they have another location opened in downtown SF. And although I did say that they made the best hot chocolate I've tasted, I discovered Chocoatl here in Vancouver since. As comparable, if not, better... well, Chocoatl does make at least 25 different kinds of hot chocolate... CocoaBella still has the best variety of chocolates, though.*************

So i was in San Francisco for about 2 weeks for vacation. My main purpose to vacation there, is to buy some CocoaBella Chocolates... I got a box of truffles from Hamza and Rehana as a grad gift last year and I've been dreaming about tasting these delicious pieces of, shall I say, Heaven ever since... The store is the one and only CocoaBella located on Union and Webster. www.cocoabellachocolates.com
I was fed a lot of samples, probably a whole box's worth by the owner, Mike. I even got a picture taken a/ him which I'll post later, hopefully. And they make the best hot chocolates I've ever tasted. I spend about over $300 (US) there, not to brag but to tell you how crazy those chocolates have made me. Ohhhh, sooooooo gooooood....

Hey! What am I suppose to do?

2006-04-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hellooooo.
OK, I initially signed up for a blog to comment on one of Justin's cardoons...
But I was going to eventually have my own. Great, this means that I need to start drawing lots and get me-self a scanner/printer.... Joy!
Stay tuned.....