Paintings!

water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

 water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

 water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

 water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

 acrylic on board. 11 x 14

2011

 water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

water soluble oil on board. 11 x 14

2011

Just dumping the rest of paintings from earlier this year.  Back in school and excited to get into painting groove again.  At least I hope I will.  It's been too long that I've been stuck with this art-block! 

Garbage!

acrylic paint on board. 11" x 14"

2011

Study of a garbage bag.  The semi-transparent and reflective surface makes it the ideal material to study light behaviour on different planes. (It's also very affordable :P)  Anyway, I had lots of fun and had some enlightening moments while painting.  Awesome.

Portraits

charcoal on paper. 18" x 24"

2011

 

It's been a while since I posted something.  Here are some more portraits from earlier this year.  I think the bottom two ladies are the same person... although I wasn't able to capture her likeness in the second one.  The last one was done working negatively, which reminds me... Check out this artist!! ->  http://www.ericyahnker.com/

Awesome stuff.  Hilarious and just amazing.  Most of his works are done by erasing away at the charcoal.

Life Drawing 2011

charcoal on paper. 18" x 24"

2011

From the top: 30 min drapery study, 3 min gestures, and 45 min long pose.

Portraits

charcoal on paper. 18" x 24"

2011

30 minute portraits.  The last one is my instructor, Chris Kuzma.  I can post this because it looks nothing like him.  I was trying something new which did not turn out very well.  But still, time spent well :) I never knew how much I enjoy doing portraits.  

Life Drawing 2011

charcoal on paper. 18" x 24"

2011

Some gestures, 3 tone studies and still life.  (From the top, 3hr, 45min, 30min, and 3min)

World's Weirdest Museums

mixed media. 8" x 10.5"

2011

Another icon project done earlier this year.  The project requested for one page illustration with minimum of 6 museums from the article, 'World's Weirdest Museums' (For the article click here).  They had to be illustrated in their own panels and composed into one page.  

Right off the bat, the center diagonal line is not working.  It's creating too much attention there and the "hair" bubble.  The colours are too close in palette.  It needs another colour for more interest, probably something red or pinkish.   The dots (indicating the location of the museums) needs to be a different colour from white.  And the list goes on...

There are some goodies like the panel with pencil and cockroach illustration.  But the entire image needs more work... When I get some time, I'll update it :)

What's that Supposed to Mean?

mixed media. 8.5" x 11"

2011

My first completed cartoon.  The project was to create a 4 window panel cartoon with a phrase "What's that supposed to mean?"  

I had fun drawing these girls and their slight changes in expression and gesture.  Although I doubt anyone understands what's happening in the story.  This is actually my own childhood episode.  I had difficulty pronouncing the word, piece - I used to say it like piss.  I actually did offer my chocolate bar to a friend saying, 'would you like a piss?'  And of course, she said no.

A Tale of Two Sisters

mixed media. 5.11" x 7.236"

2011

A personal DVD cover project for one of my favourite movies, "장화, 홍련" (A Tale of Two Sisters).  It is a thriller filmed in 2003 about two sisters and their step mother.  It was remade by Charles Guard and Thomas Guard in 2009, "The Uninvited".

"A Tale of Two Sisters" is an unusual horror movie.  At first, it seems like a typical ghostly movie with some unexplainable parts.  Even at this point, the movie is worth watching for the sake of its visual qualities.  However, for those who were curious enough to give a second screening, the movie reveals a hidden true story.  

The movie illustrates guilt of a young girl and her tenacity towards her dead sister for salvation.  The movie is filled with symbolism and hidden messages to convey this.  

The original DVD cover is visually shocking but lacks in portraying the underlying story.  Through the use of reflection, I aimed to show the two different surfaces of the movie. 

The Red Shoes

mixed media. 5.125" x 7.25"

2011

DVD cover inspired from "The Red Shoes" (1948).  The movie was filmed right after WWII.  Instead of death for war, it suggests a different reason, death for art.  The devotion for art is like drugs, intoxicating your mind for greater creation and carrying you deeper into your own realm of isolation. 

The special effects were mind-blowing back then and is still fascinating for this day and age.  It is definitely worth watching if you haven't yet. 

Come Up

mixed media. 8" x 16"

2011

This is supposed to be a fashion illustration.  I say that because it definitely does not look like one, sadly.  All the figures I used to draw looked like fashion illustrations before - meaning they were way out of proportion.   After years of correcting the habit, it feels strange to purposely elongate them.  

Book Cover

mixed media. 6" x 9"

2011

Book cover illustration inspired by Alex Ross' "The Rest is Noise".

The metaphor of travel was used to illustrate the book.  "The Rest Is Noise" is not about the history of music but history told through music.  While reading the book, one feels as if he or she is taken on a musical journey through time.  Through the use of visual representations such as staves as road through time, I aimed to illustrate this idea.

Untitled

mixed media on board. 9.5" x 8.75"

Illustration on article about technology separating world and religion.  

Exploration

pencil on paper. 18" x 24"

2010 

ball point pen on illustration board. 10" x 12"

2010

chalk pastel on Canson paper. 12" x 12"

2010

mixed media. 15" x 15"

2010

ink on board.  11" x 14"

2010

Experimenting with different medium and surface.

Water Soluble Oils

 water soluble oil. 11" x 14"

2010

acrylic and water soluble oil. 11" x 14"

2010

water soluble oil. 17" x 14"

2010

My first attempt at water soluble oil.  I was too afraid to lay on thick paint (because it would take weeks to dry and to fix if I made a mistake...) so I worked with thin, translucent layers of paint.  I wouldn't say it was the best method of approach but it was a good experience. 

The underpainting of the second piece was done in acrylic. (most of the dark purples) While painting with oil, I left some of the underpainting to show through. 

Life Drawing 2010

charcoal on paper. 18" x 24"

2010

Illustration for Business Article on "Super Angels"

mixed media. 5" x 6"

2011

Illustration for a business article on investors called 'Super Angels'.  Super Angels invest small amounts of money, usually in start-up companies.  For the companies, this is much more manageable and allows them to grow.  

Instead of solving this conceptually, I thought it was more suitable for the magazine (geared towards younger audience) to create something eye-catching and whimsical.

Fairytale Book Cover

ink and watercolour on paper. 6" x 9"

2011

It scanned terribly.  All the light washes of colour and details are missing... I will update with a better scan soon!

Braid

watercolour and gouache on paper. 8" x 20"

2010