Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Illustration Friday - Holiday

holiday illustration for illustration friday
I was looking at all the Christmas lights on my way home tonight. We didn't put up any Christmas decorations at all this year. The people on our block must think we are a bunch of Scrooges.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

art stash

This is a cool blog about the arts scene in Seattle, especially street art and some of the more interesting things going on in town. Maybe I'll have to actually get out more and see some things.

By the way, I spent the entire day in my pajamas yesterday.

art stash

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Sailing, sailing


Sailing, sailing... let's pretend it's summer!

Illustration Friday - Blue

blue illustration friday
Once again, just under the wire for Illustration Friday! This week's topic is blue, and I was working on this illustration while thinking of the story of Tatterhood, which was one of my favorite fairy tales as a child. You see, the reason that this story is so great is because the main character (aka Tatterhood) is rambunctious and crazy looking, and rides around on a goat waving a wooden spoon. Yet, she is a princess. She fights off witches, she captains a boat with no crew, and did I mention she rides around on a goat? - I just loved her as a kid.

At any rate, this is the queen, weeping for the fact that she has no children. She will have two soon enough - one beautiful golden haired princess, and my beloved Tatterhood.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Jane Austen Society of North America

Did you know there was such a thing? I guess if I am obsessed with Jane Austen, there must be other people out there who are as well. Jane Austen Society of North America

I'm not even sure how I ended up on this site...

Friday, December 02, 2005

I Heart Rummage this Sunday

I Heart Rummage is this Sunday, December 4th from 12 - 4 pm at the Crocodile Cafe. We will also be there on December 18th from 12 - 4 pm. Rummage is pretty much the coolest craft fair in Seattle, full of great indie designers and artists! We'll have our small paintings, greeting cards, and purses, so come on by!

Also, here are some random cool blogs by people I know:
Fancy, Schmancy, and Pants are three stores in Seattle.

Our pal Bob Rini is a really talented artist and is part of the 7 Deadly Sinners Blog.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Illustration Friday - Small and Free

Anthill illustration
Even the smallest creatures have a lot going on under the surface.

I missed last week, so I'm including it this week, too:
bird illustration

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Cards at Bailey/Coy Bookseller

We just dropped off some cards at Bailey/Coy Booksellers on Capitol Hill in Seattle, so go get them while they're hot!
Also, just sent off some holiday cards to the Sampler!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Pride and Prejudice The Comic Book - Chapter 4

Lizzy Bennet and her dear (but plain-looking) friend Charlotte Lucas discuss Mr. Bingley's sisters and their differing views on captivating the opposite sex.
For easier readability, I've made the images bigger and replaced my handwritten text with typed text.
Again, if you missed anything, here's Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3.

Pride and prejudice panel 1
panel 2
panel 3
panel 4
panel 5
panel 6

Illustration Friday - Strength


Whew! These Fridays just keep sneaking up on me. Here's a very quick and sketchy drawing of a rabbit admiring his muscles (or lack thereof).

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Illustration Friday - Night


Ah, this picture is kind of boring but it's Thursday night so I had to whip something together in a pinch.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Snake picture


Here's a drawing I did for my class... there will be text between the curves of the snake. I'd say more but I have to go watch Top Model.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

sketchdump

sketchdump
This is one of my favorite illustration blogs. His style is great. Plus, Monkey vs. Robot? C'mon! You gotta love it!

Sampler Contribution for November




Well, this has mostly been an illustration blog so far, but finally here's a crafty post! I am proud to say that after several months of slacking off, I finally made 26 cards to contribute to the November Sampler!

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Pride and Prejudice the Comic Book, Chapter 3

I know you've all been eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Pride and Prejudice Comic Book!
The beginning of the book is here. Basically, we meet Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and learn that an eligible young bachelor, Mr. Bingley, is renting the nearby Netherfield Hall.
Chapter 2 is here if you missed it. In this Chapter we meet the Bennets' five daughters, and learn that there is an upcoming ball. We learn that Mr. Bennet, despite informing his wife to the contrary, has introduced himself to their new neighbor, thereby making it possible for the Bennet daughters to meet the young man at the assembly.
chapter 3 panel 1
chapter 3 panel 2
chapter 3 panel 3
chapter 3 panel 4
chapter 3 panel 5
chapter 3 panel 6

Monday, September 19, 2005

Illustration Friday - escape

No. 1 Rescue Squad in Action!
Here's a painting we recently completed for our show that opened on Friday. It luckily fit into the theme so I didn't have to create something just for I-Friday this week. Since we are still in the process of moving and catching up on past orders and getting ready for the next I Heart Rummage, I'm glad to have something already done. But I still kind of feel like a cheater.

Anyhow, this is part of a series of paintings that depicts the battle between good and evil - the cute deer and girls representing the good and the demons on the side of the bad. Here, the deer had been captured by the demons and imprisoned in their camp. The girls disguised themselves as demons and are seducing the enemy while their comrades in arms are outside liberating the deer.

This is the painting that comes right before it in the series, and depicts the deer being captured:
Vanquished

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Art Opening at Trabant Chai Lounge!

Super Happy Number One Lollipop Fun Land

Opening this Friday, September 16th at Trabant Chai Lounge in Seattle's U-District! It's ArtGhost's first ever collaborative show. Finally Eric and I have combined our artmaking powers for good and not evil, creating a series of paintings that document the epic struggle of cute deer and girls vs. evil demons and robots.

We'll be there around 7 or 8 pm on Friday night, so come see us and say hi!

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Illustration Friday - Roots



This is actually an old painting, but I thought it fit the topic. I was thinking about my ancestry and my lack of roots, my search for identity. I'm half Asian and half Finnish, and in some ways feel connected to both sides of my ancestry, and in some ways estranged from both. I most definitely look Asian and have a Chinese last name, and I'm proud of my heritage. Most people perceive me as Asian because of the way I look, but should I identify more with one half simply because I look that way? I don't really know that much about Asian culture, so am I buying into the whole Asian pride thing just because of the way I look?

It's so complicated. 99% of the time I don't think about it at all, but every once in a while something will happen (like random strangers on the street talking to me in various Asian languages) to make me keenly aware of the fact that I look very Asian, while in reality I feel so disconnected from my roots.

Pride and Prejudice: The Comic, Chapter 2

Well, here it is. The much awaited Chapter 2 of the Pride and Prejudice Comic Book!
Did you miss Chapter One? Click here to see it.





Thursday, September 01, 2005

Crafters United - for Hurricane Katrina


Crafters United is raising funds to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Please visit their shop on Etsy.com to purchase items to help the disaster relief.

Or consider donating to the American Red Cross.

Illustration Friday - Dreams


Here's a poor armless boy dreaming about a miracle from the Virgin Mary.

I'm not sure where this came from, I just starting drawing a boy with a t-shirt on, and then I stopped. He looked like he didn't have any arms. So then I drew the rest. Eric said it was "creepy and weird." But I think it's hopeful.

I didn't have time to color it in properly, since we are in the middle of moving and painting like maniacs in preparation for a show. So, I just put some vague brown shading and have to leave it at that.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Blogs I stumbled onto from Illustration Friday

So, here's some blogs that I discovered from Illustration Friday that I want to go back and check, so I'm posting them here.

The illustration for Reflection from Illustration Friday is incredible! This blog is all in French so I don't know what it says, but the illustrations are great.:
sarah dufour


Here's another one:
fumando con mercedes

And another:
Hypnotik Eye

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Pride and Prejudice: The Comic Book, Chapter One





So, for those of you who know me, you may know that I am completely obsessed with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Many years ago, I was in a major 18th and 19th century English literature phase. Eric kept mocking the books I was reading although he didn't know anything about them, perceiving them as chick lit, which may or may not be an accurate assessment of the genre. Regardless, the mocking got to me, and I determined that, one way or another, Eric would read Pride and Prejudice.
Anyway... eventually I decided that I would make a comic book adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This may not seem like the best choice for a comic book, and I would have to agree in some respects. For one thing, it's 61 chapters and 400-some pages long. After I started this project, I felt that I probably should have chosen a book that was not only shorter, but more suited to the comic book format (i.e., more action, and less sitting around in drawing rooms discussing one's views on the accomplished woman). I do, however, enjoy the idea of taking a really girly book like Pride and Prejudice and putting it in a format that is often more associated with the masculine domain, the comic book.
Unfortunately, working on the comic is rather a low priority since it's something I'm doing for my own entertainment, and not something I am creating for sale or to enhance my portfolio. Consequently, it's taken at least five years to get where I am now, and I'm only about a quarter of the way through the novel.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Illustration Friday - Aging


I had a hard time coming up with something for this week. I have to thank Aaron and Jenny for making this suggestion, an aging house sliding off a cliff, while we were out on the Oregon Coast for a friend's wedding.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

What I did on my summer vacation...

I just got back from Italy about a week ago. Here are some pages from my travel diary:







I was inspired by Craig Thompson's amazing Carnet de Voyage to keep a visual travel diary. He is an incredibly talented guy.

Illustration Friday - Tranquility

I noticed a lot of people used floating in water for their tranquility images. I thought about trying to come up with something different, but this is the image that initially sprang to mind when I thought of tranquility. So, it's not terribly original, but what the heck. I like water.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Bloggity blog blog


Whoa. I just signed up for a blog. I really only have the vaguest notion of how this all works, really.