Ruggedness

This is some old stuff I rediscovered and scanned. It's always fun finding old drawings you've forgotten about. Made me realize how much I miss getting messy with charcoals.

And a silly doodle.

Actually, while I'm at it, I did these sketches last year while visiting my father in Phoenix. We like to go on bike rides, sometimes with his posse of biker friends, sometimes it's just us two. One morning we woke up before the sun and got ready to ride wherever the wind takes us, just head north and keep going. Being the father that he is, he made me wear several layers of sweaters/jackets (including leathers), long underwear under jeans, boots, beanie, scarf, gloves, goggles, the works. I was grouchy because of it. But I was so grateful after about an hour of riding that I was wrapped up so well. It had to have been 45 degrees when we started out, and on the bike ascending in altitude I swear it could've been 30 degrees. But it was one of the best rides I've ever been on. I absorbed the changing scenery from flat desert to red rocky sharp rocky mountains to pine-layered hills to ghost-towns to working aged farms and hidden cabins. Anyway, these are a couple of the images I got down on paper when we got back to the house, bull-legged and wind-chapped.

Something Different

This is an image I had trapped in my head for awhile.

Sidenote thought for the weekend: Do butterflies poop?

Random Persons

Flower Dancer Fairy

a quick one from lunch

Old Ghosts

...Was the subject of an email I received a couple weeks ago. I almost deleted it, thinking it was spam, but the name attached to it seemed somewhat familiar. To my surprise, as I began reading it, I realized it was a teacher I had in high school some 15/16 years ago....wow had that much time gone by already? (I'm dating myself aren't I!!)
I hope he wouldn't mind that I share this excerpt:

"So here's the deal,

I get this new kid in class today. Her name is Nicolette. So I go to type her name in my gradebook and I put Davenport for her last name. But it is actually Jimenez...I know that, I have her brother in class too. So where did "Davenport" come from? I sat there staring at the screen trying to get my aging brain to figure out the mystery. Finally it hit me. After 17 years of teaching and some 2000 students, I had come across the second girl named Nicolette. You were the first.

Now that the neurons were firing full throttle I could remember that classroom and a few of the students. It was a marine science class out in I building by the water in beautiful Waianae. We had a bunch of fish tanks in the room, went fishing with bamboo rods out back on the reef, and we did a lot of drawings of marine species...."

Not only was it was so nice to be remembered and contacted out of the blue, but his descriptions of what he remembered from my class stirred many things I hadn't thought about in a long time. Being out on the reef behind the high school, smelling the salt and sea life in the air, and hearing the waves crash on the rocks so loudly in some classes it was almost distracting. The way the dusty tiled floors felt under spongey slippers. The sharpness of the reef, and attempting to walk it with slippers sliding out from under you....



-For Mr. Wilson, if you read this, thank you for making my day and bringing back more of my Wai'anae childhood that I hadn't thought of in years.
This reconfirms how overdue I am for a visit back home. *off to expedia*

L.A. Myth 2009 - @ Meltdown Comics

I'm late in posting this, as the opening already passed, but here is the piece I submitted for the show. It's currently up in the gallery until the 24th, and Meltdown even placed all the pieces online here. The title is "Exhibit 254: Career Outfits of Hollywood Fairies, cir. 2009" (it's incorrect on the site though). Each outfit is roughly 5 inches in height, and made from fairy magic. Many thanks to Dee Chavez for all her hard work in pulling the show together! (and to the fairies that let me showcase their outfits).


Here are each fairy's write-up for your reading pleasure, from left to right:

Happy Valentines

Here's a lil lunch sketch I didn't get to color yet, but thought it appropriate for Valentines. Have a lovely love-day today and every day.

Fairy 1

UPDATE: I looked at it earlier today and it didn't seem quite right. I tinkered with the contrasts but just don't know. Are my hues off? Would the shadows be more blue? What is wrong here? Sigh. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hadn't realized how long it's been since I've tried to paint semi-realistically. It's addicting. I'm addicted.

Lately I've been drawing a lot of pin-up style fairies, and decided to have some fun with digital painting. I'm not sure the values are very correct and it could be a lot cleaner, but I think I like it so far.

Winter Doodle

I had been daydreaming about winter in a foreign city.

Robotic Pin Up

Why? Why not!
This was just a quick exercise.

Green Alien Girl

Meep.

Cruella Deville

Hello, blogland. Weeks into the new year and I'm finally making my first post of 2009 (hooray for sleepless nights!)..These are some ink drawings I did weeks ago at the Drawing Club. It was a rough night to start because Daniella was wrapped in so much amazing costume detail and shapes, I was too nervous and careful, but finally by the last few poses I just went for it straight-on with ink.

Sk8ology

Over 150 artists, celebrities, and skaters mixing mediums to produce one-of-a-kind, rare skate deck canvases in support of ISM: a community project and Now That You Know, two worthy non-profit organizations. The opening is this Sat, Aug 23rd, in Long Beach. Several colleagues and artists that I admire have contributed boards, and I can't tell you how excited I am see this thing come together. I was able to submit one at the last minute, thanks to Kevin at ISM for allowing me. This was a first, and a lot of fun. (Sorry for the horrible shot, it's the best I could do at the moment).

Some Sketchbook Pages

Here's a mish-mosh (where did that phrase come from btw? just kidding)...of heads I drew at a charity poker tournament before the holidays, some quick sketches in Hawaii when I went back home for a visit a few weeks ago, random people at airports, and people I invented.
Oh, and polar bears.

"Good stuff, Maynard"

So I said that today, without thinking, because I don't think I'd heard anyone say that in oh, 10 years or so and I don't know how or why it would've slipped from my mouth, because I don't know anyone named Maynard, and I was in fact talking to my friend Tony about this unbelievable Strawberry and Lime chewing gum I had and I looked at him in shock and thought, "Wow, I wonder where that saying came from."
Well, hold on to your britches, because you (all 2 of you that read this) will be very happy to know that it came from a commercial in the 80's, where a father gets his kid to eat his food by telling his kid's imaginary friend, "Good stuff, Maynard."
And there you have it. Has your day improved? Mine has, because it was something that would've killed me had it not been for the wonder that is google.
I wonder where "hold on to your britches" came from.

Nature of Water Show

-An Art Exhibition Inspired by the Philosophies of Bruce Lee- Opening Night this Sat, Jan 5 at Nucleus in Alhambra. I'll have two pieces up, and hopefully if I'm not still sick as a dog I can make it out. (Drinking my green tea like crazy!) It should prove to be a great first show of 2008 for Nucleus.
Oh, and since I've been such a bad poster lately, Happy Belated New Year!!
Now back to my pillow...and Labyrinth....oh yeah.

UPDATE: Here are my pieces from the show (sorry they're not that large):

"Concentrate"

"Watching Bruce Lee"

tiki heads

These are birthday gifts I just finished today. They are 2 cubes of wood (about 3"x3") with a painted tiki head on each side. This was so fun to do, it may be the start of a series or ongoing theme. The tiki-ness is invading everything.

happy thanksgiving

Hope your holiday is filled with only wonderful things. For some free holiday-themed wallpapers for your phone, check out: www.myxertones.com, where I have a few downloadables available. -This one shown and a few others (just type my name in the search field). I plan to have more up soon, including some MrTiki - themed goodies too. Have a great holiday....mmmmm...cranberries and pumpkin pie. I can't wait!

mrtiki.com !

This is a biiiigggg project that's been in the works, and finally officially launched into the internet-world as of a couple weeks ago!! Here's what it's about:
"MrTiki.com is a FREE, family-friendly online world featuring single and multiplayer games, unique challenges, interesting stories and characters, and just a touch of whimsy. MrTiki updates every week, each time further expanding upon the scope of the island and the variety of the content, creating new and exciting ways for everyone to enjoy the adventure."
From the moment you join the site, your actions affect whether you are aligned with MrTiki and the inhabitants of Tiki Island, or with the power-hungry businessman, Mr. Woo, who sees the magical paradise as an opportunity for tourism, money, and control.
Check it out, make your friends check it out, make your mom check it out. And maybe even your friends' moms.
No really.
I'm very proud of this baby. :)

T-Shirts!

I posted previously a couple shirt designs I did, and now here they are in their printed glory, just in time for the holidays: http://willisclothing.com/ (Pay no attention to my hacked bio on their site, heh.)
Willis Clothing and non-profit org ISM teamed up with 6 other artists for this limited edition shirt line. I think they all came out great and everyone should buy at least 11 of each.