Through Maybelline's Eyes

Speaking of Jr.SCORES....

2012-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

Me work is up on their blog!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out!

Click here to read up on the story!

2012-01-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

2012-01-30T21:53:00.001-08:00

Jr.Scores

2012-01-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

Seems like forever and a million years ago when I was contracted to do this by AmericaSCORES. Well, July of 2011 to be exact lol so it's fair to say this was awhile back ago. They are a great organization that integrates with schools to provide a team based program enabling academic growth through soccer. I used to play soccer a longgggg longggg time ago so I was very nostalgic while working on this curriculum for them.

On the left is a character sketch of the main character/mascot they had in mind for the workbook/story "The Legend of the Golden Boot".

Rough Sketch/Color Study

First Page 8.5" x 11"

Final

First Page 8.5" x 11"

Rough Sketch
Second Page 8.5" x 11"

Final
Second Page 8.5" x 11"

Rough
Third Page 8.5" x 11"

Final
Third Page 8.5" x 11"

I could go on but I just wanted to share a preview of the style I was working in. Vectored in Illustrator and colored in Painter. There were 10 illustrated pages to the curriculum (black and white copies were also delivered to serve as coloring pages). Some spot illustrations and a simple title page. It was a lot of fun and a pleasure working on this for Jr. SCORES.

I'm glad the children enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it!

DoReMi 1-2-3 is now LIVE!

2011-11-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

DoReMi 1-2-3 Available NOW

DoReMi 1-2-3 it up!

2011-11-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

so this is what i have been up to lately...swear i've been very productive! check it out!

DoReMi 1-2-3

2011-08-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

2011-08-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Kitty invitation

2011-08-16T14:16:00.001-07:00

Hidung Merah's First International Festival of Laughs....logo LOL

2011-08-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.rednosefoundation.org/

NO CHILD WITHOUT A SMILE!

oh, and check it out! I spy with my little asian eyes.....my pretty name yo!

LOGO BY MAYBELLINE CHOW! YEEEEEEEEEEE!

2011-08-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

2011-08-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Food Truck - Prospective Client

2011-08-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

So I reached out to a prospective client looking for an illustrator to illustrate characters to put on a food truck that features Mexican, Korean, and Indian cuisine. The style that the client was looking for was "kidrobot/asian/anime with a splash of rawness". Obviously, not my style but I thought I would give it a shot anyways in hopes that my take on the characters would change the client's mind lol

Client: "Remember! 80% SICK and 20% CUTE!"

...The client provided a sketch to work off of as to get inspired by...

Quite excited, I busted out a sketch of the coyote loosely representing the Mexican Cuisine as depicted in the sketch provided

Unsatisfied, I was told that this was representation was too "cartoony" and to stay closer to the style of the original sketch. "Remember! 80% SICK and 20% CUTE!"

Not letting this discourage me, I gave it another shot but this time keep the same pose.

But alas....this was still not close enough to the original sketch.

Guess I couldn't convert that one LOL

Hey...at least I tried!

2011-08-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hidung Merah Circus YO

2011-07-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

The cat goes....meow! meow!

The pig goes....oink! oink!

Maybelline goes.....ROUGH! ROUGH!

GO HIDUNG MERAH CIRCUS!

Doing great things as always

FOO DAWG

2011-07-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

twag! twag!

2011-07-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

check it out!

it's up on www.twaggies.com

Vintage Paper Fair (Overdue!)

2011-06-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

so i actually went to my very first Vintage Paper Fair on January 8, 2011!

Been meaning to scan in the items i got but i got distracted lol. i basically spent all my loose change and i think it was totally well worth it to spend my laundry money. had i busted out the bigger bills i would've been in deep deeeeep trouble i tell you...LOL

hella grimy 90s shirt

2011-06-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

TWAG!

2011-06-10T19:30:00.001-07:00

it's up on the site! Check it out!

http://twaggies.com/2011/06/no-296-hermaeness/

twaggies in progress

2011-06-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

"ate corn in public today and now i'm never gonna get married..."

which one...which one...which one....

Twit for Twag

2011-06-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

"because who doesn't like a visual?"

www.twaggies.com

basically tweets illustrated because funny tweets = funny illustrations!

so here is the tweet i'm drawing up....

"Ate corn on the cob in public today and now I'm never gonna get married"

which one do you like?

(yeah, i'm talking to myself)

His and Hers

2011-06-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

JO FACE!

2011-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

skadooshhh....

2011-06-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

little denim book

2011-05-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

what to put in this little denim book?

i love the 90s shirt

2011-05-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

Guess whooooo?!!

2011-05-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

portrait of friends of minesssss

8" x 10" acrylic/mixed media

status on the OTHER sketchbook

2011-05-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

skretchbrook

2011-05-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

sun shine on meeeeeee.....

2011-05-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

scretch buok

2011-04-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

booksketch

2011-04-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

sketchbookerssss

2011-03-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

another day, a couple more entries

2011-03-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

more FACES! (and a dog...)

2011-03-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

remember the never ending card?

2011-02-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

so its been a year since i've posted this video of one of my never ending cards...and surprisingly i've gotten comments on it requesting for a 'tutorial' on how to make this. i have made a note of it and will be putting together a step by step tutorial for this very soon!

Threadless COFFEE

2011-02-13T15:03:00.001-08:00

www.threadless.com

is the hosting site

basically, the mission is to design an image that would look dope on a shirt and/or thermos. cash prize and exposure...i say no harm done in trying, right?

http://www.threadless.com/submit

is where to submit if you so do please

For starters, i've submitted this on the site for critiquing.

i see thermos...i think coffee...

well this here illustration is inspired by the long lines at starbucks in the early A.M. For the most part, the line consists of a drone of zombies waiting for their coffee fix to get their day started for work. Then, there are the people that have been hopped up on caffeine since they got out of bed and are in line to get yet another caffeine boost - i call these people the true coffee goers.

faces

2011-02-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

these portraits are actually collaborative entries in my sketchbook. so this is what happened...i asked family and friends to hold the sketchbook so it faces away from them. their job is to draw facial features in the order i tell them to draw without looking. then my challenge when they're done is to block out the outline of the face and/or hair with ink and add details to make the crazy ass face they've made come to life!

i call it...problem solving :-)

Sketchbook of the New Year

2011-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

the beginning of a new year deserves a new sketchbook

don't you think?

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

hand painted..hand made...means more than just grabbing something off of a shelf :) you know why? because it's made with loveeeee...Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all!

got some nutcrackers and painted them...the smaller nutcrackers were harder to paint coz they were soooo small! sheez...but they're all done now! woohoo!

special request: i made a stencil of the image and came up with....this! tadahhh!

{medium- acrylic}

Traveling Sketchbook {P R E V I E W}

2010-11-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

to be continued . . .

Traveling Sketchbook

2010-10-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

soooo......

i've decided to start a traveling sketchbook. the cover of the book is actually from my old moleskine and i've played doctor with it to create a new sketchbook. the plan is to send the sketchbook to a couple of friends across the globe. everyone makes a mark on the book. be it drawing something, writing something, painting something...whatever!

{the beginning of the Traveling Sketchbook}

* * * * * * * * * *

so far the sketchbook has been in the hands of...

...Stephanie Vermaas in Jakarta, Indonesia. a talented girl with a her own store in Bali called "this is a love song" [check it out here!] and she also

does designs jewelry! i myself am a proud owner of one of her rings :) DOPE! you can check her jewelry out at www.rbrth.com ! again...DOPE! mind you, i've been complimented on my ring numerous times because of its dopeness...she also does lomography which you can check out here!

...Ayu Peeters in Belgium. She is a jewelry designer who graduated from Artesis Hogeschool '09. on the other handddd...photography is her next area of interest and she's pretty damn good at it! you can check out her photography on her tumblr [click here!] or her account on lomography [click here!]. she just gleams creativity with every shot she takes...you see one picture and you want to see more...no joke...she is amazing! if you don't believe me then you should definitely check her out!

* * * * * * * * * *

currently, the sketchbook is with Ayu in Belgium. talented talented people!

can't wait to see the end result of the sketchbook!

like for cereal!

Samantha (cousin's) cotillion

2010-10-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

My cousin Samantha's cotillion last friday (October 13, 2010)

My present was doing some quick portraits for her guests...

Minimal pictures of these (because i kinda, sorta lost my camera-booo!)

new toys are always fun

2010-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

i know they're just color pencils....but STILL! woohooooo!

Spring Show 2010

2010-08-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

back to reality in my tiny room...just remembered that i had something in the spring show. i got a book into the show, it's entitled The Things I Like. it's a pity that they decided my name didn't deserve a 'Y'. imma call them about that...they have me down as Mabelline Chow - lame...they've even decided to claim a book mine even if i didn't make it. damn the system....i also got my sketchbook into The Salon de Refuses (i had to look that one up lol) that reminds me, i need to get those books back. i'll do that...

i Maybelline Chow will take better care of my blog

the wheels on the bus goes round and round....

2010-05-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

i like that song...you know...the wheels on the bus. if you don't know what i'm talking about...i think there's something wrong with you...but seriously...awesome song...gotta hear it...limewire it lol man i crack myself up

* * * * * *

as you may have realized...i'm almost done with school and just got my first final out of the way so i finally have time to update my blog! woohoo! thank you to all my subscribers...yes, all four of them lol i don't even really know who i'm writing to when i do this but it's all good new age fun i suppose lol

* * * * * *

so this is my final...it was pretty much open to anything as long as it's a book..i decided to make a school bus book/toy thing! i had a lot of fun making it..paper mache...bottle caps....skewers...thumbtacks and all! sooo...

w h o o p there it is!
{ from start to finish}

click HERE to see my sad attempt of videotaping the school bus in action

another box...

2010-05-13T18:22:00.001-07:00

not too long ago, my brother brought my nephew to his first WWE fight thing. obviously i know nothing of what this is, but i know that it was a big thing for my nephew. i'm going to be making a box for him so as to 'frame' the tickets for him. fun little project. got all the pieces for it. just need to box jig it up!

nothing is always something

2010-05-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

honestly, i don't really know what this was for...

all i know is that it was a nice little piece of wood...

and i hate letting things go to waste...

a box of....

2010-05-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

something we made in class....

pretty neat i must say....

might be an alternative way of framing something

hmmm....

The Fox and The Cat

2010-05-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

I've posted the in progress work for this before, so here is the final outcome of this two page illustration!

*":. E N J O Y .:"*

on to the next i say....on to the next....

2010-04-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

so have i said that Book Arts with C h r i s R o l i k

(only the most fantastic teacher to walk the face of the earth!) is...

how do you say....

the shit!

not in a bad way of course lol

i can honestly say...i've been having wayyy too much fun in that class...i've developed a rare disease...i've become Boukartystic lol

i've fallen in love...

i don't know what you call it..but that's what i call it lol

when class started, i've only just begun making changes to the way i work in my sketchbook. i'm still growing, but then again - aren't we all? not too long ago, i made a new years resolution for myself to work in my sketchbook more. there was a time when school work was all that was on my mind. my sketchbooks became work books full of homework....draw what you see...practice what you've learned in class...i realized that there was nothing in my so called 'sketchbook' that was genuinely me. it felt mechanical. like i was doing it to do it. it's not supposed to feel that way. i'm supposed to want to do it. heck..i'm supposed to love it! well, now i can honestly say that i love love working in my sketchbook! i don't even know if i can still call it my sketchbook...hmm..i don't just sketch in my book...i constructively mess things up is the way i would put it. i'm under construction lol i can hear it already...

If you were to describe your style in three words or less

how would you describe it?

under construction

* bow and exit stage *

i have yet to figure out a name for my books of sketching and painting and gluing.....i can go on you know, but i that would be too long a list lol "No, not sketchbook," I shall say, "it's my Sketching & Beyond book." LOL

since my ex-book ( retired but still dearly loved ) has run out of pages to play with and suffered so much damage it had to be brought to the ER - the time has come for a new book *queue AWESOME music*

I present to you (whoever you may be...) my sketchbook in its glory of black album cover type leather super forgiving to work with since glue just rubs off it and can be sponged clean :) and 6 needle coptic stitch! i got fat ass headache from sewing it, but it was

worth it! definitely! really pleased with how it is so far.

it's 9" x 7.5", it's about an inch and half thick, and it has 60 pages

i'm so ready to get to working in it!

"sketchbook emergency" update

2010-04-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

my sketchbook has finally made it out of the emergency room!

she is encased in a box (that i learned how to make me-self) and is bandaged to conceal surgical procedures.

she is doing well now - thanks for asking.

i've been putting together a whole bunch of little books and am still wondering as to how to display them on this here blog...i was thinking of making a video of my sketchbook...hmmm...must find the time to do this...

To infinity and BEYOND!

2010-03-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

i made one...i made two...

then i ended up making 15...

and now...

i want to make more!

tun tun tunnnn...

2010-03-25T10:07:00.001-07:00

...am i going to hell?

that i suppose is debatable, but really i don't think it's a big deal. proof is that this same snail (and a couple of others) still roam around outside my window (and sometimes ON the window). yes, world they are still alive. the way i see it is, i just gave their home a makeover :-P

sketchbook emergency

2010-03-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

today my sketchbook decided to tell me it wanted to retire...

i told it to suck it up...

then i brought it to the ER...

after all...

sketchbooks never die...

revisitation

2010-03-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

the mission: to leave no blank pages

speaking of sketchbooking

2010-03-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

portfolio prep-ness

2010-03-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

so i'm taking this class called Portfolio Prep...it's one of those classes where i actually have to sit down and take notes and actually listen to somebody talk. was pretty stoked to find that my assignments weren't all going to be essays. for midterm i decided to illustrate a story from the Brothers Grimm entitled "The Fox and the Cat" (the title totally makes you want to read it, no? lol) It's funny because the last illustration i did was from a story called "The Lizard and the Frog".

"it happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to herself: 'He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the world,' she spoke to him in a friendly way. 'Good day, dear Mr Fox, how are you? How is all with you? How are you getting on in these hard times?' The fox, full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat from head to foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would give any answer or not.”

that is the excerpt i chose to illustrate. this will be of a sequence. i'm working actual size (9"x24" double spread). when i was first assigned the assignment i was thinking of doing it digital, but i realized how big of a file that would be and how much of a pain in the butt it would actually be working in slow motion - needless to say i soon decided to go traditional.

-------------straying off--------------

i've had a sketchbook for as long as i've known. i started off with just using pencil, then a pen, then incorporating color with color pencils/watercolors. for a couple of years i was stuck in that comfort zone of using those as my medium. this year, that changed. frankly speaking, i like that change. i honestly feel that this decision to add to my limited choice of mediums for my sketchbook was the greatest decision i've ever made! it's soooo much fun! i feel like all these years of having a sketchbook i've been missing out lol mixed media-ing = too much fun its dangerous. this is what called for a new desk specifically for the art making :0)

-------------just realized i've gone off topic--------------

so this assignment, i wanted to approach it like i approach my sketchbook. i haven't actually done this before for an assignment, but i'm giving it a shot. it's going to be a challenge, but who doesn't like a challenge? and besides, if i have fun working mixed media in my sketchbook, how crazy fun would it be to work on a larger scale like i work in my sketchbook?!

it's work in progress, but enjoy!

pizzafolio

2010-03-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

so i totally forgot about pizzafolio but managed to scramble to make some name cards. i made 47 name cards exactly. the actual making of the card wasn't hard. i had made the stamp from heaven knows when and was smooth sailing from there until it got to writing on each card..the same thing over and over and over again *sigh* the things i do...

the funny thing is...everyone was pretty hesitant about grabbing one lol people would pick it up...take a gander...then put it back down. i kept having to tell everyone they could take one!

and the beat goes on....

2010-02-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

it's an ongoing thing...

2010-02-17T10:12:00.001-08:00

...if you know what i mean

blog |bläg|noun a Web site on which an individual or group of users produces an ongoing narrative

keyword: "ongoing"

sketchbookology

2010-02-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

i found some self laminating paper in my room and came across petals that i had left in a textbook to dry and this is what evolved.

i just want to say that, just because this entry looks 'emo' i am not at all 'emo' lol it just turned out looking creepy and emo-like.

just a fun lookin' purple tree for you fun purple tree lovers out there.

sketchbook-ism

2010-02-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of my favorite entries so far. It just makes me laugh. I don't know if its that readable but it says "know no bounds. want more kisses." :)

My brother insisted that he be in my sketchbook. He wanted me to draw him being attacked by pistachios, but I think something quite different evolved....hahahaha I haven't shown him this yet, but I'm pretty sure it's not really what he had in mind - woopssss lol

mess be gone!

2010-02-12T09:13:00.001-08:00

It had dawned on me not too long ago that I needed another table to serve as an 'artistic work space'. The desk where my laptop is doesn't really allow enough room to work - hence that ginormous mess on my floor! I had been discussing this extra table with my boyfriend for a couple of weeks now - low and behold here it is! Thank goodness for my handy boyfriend lol Thank you, Luis! You see, at least now it can be an organized mess ;)

Oh, and I got this pretty sweet brush caddy from Flax. It was on sale or something...it went for only $2.45! Totally well worth it! My boyfriend had came along to Flax that day, and I remember him examining it and later saying "I can make that..." my response? "It's $2.45. Can you make it cheaper than that?"

It's like a bouquet of brushes for my new table :)

it's growing!

2010-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

...the mess, that is

revisitation [is that even a word?]

2010-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

I had posted this page of my sketchbook before (I think...and if not...well, here it is!), but I really wanted to show what was in the little pocket that you see on the left side.

took me awhile to figure out the puzzle aspect of it, but it turned out. i personally feel it has that 'cool' factor to it ;) lol i just really enjoy interactivity in a book so here's my jab at interactivity! woooooo! and pretty proud of it might i add - so here it is!

oh, and here's another page that i also had posted before and made a video so you guys (you guys as in 'my imaginary friends who read this blog lol) can enjoy the quirky functionality of the pages of me sketchbook-o :)

so this entry in my sketchbook was actually made on my birthday last year. the yellow guy and the pink part of it are the remains of a singing birthday card my cousin gave me lol i mean its better than throwing the card away or letting it collect dust somewhere in my room, you know? ya, you know what i'm talking about.

The Work Station

2010-01-24T22:21:00.001-08:00

unlike other artists that are well off, i do not have a studio per say. my room is the studio. one day, when i have enough moolah and have my own house i will have a separate room from the room i sleep in converted into my studio - i feel it's very necessary. hell..if i had a crazy mansion type house i would have a separate back house for me just to work in! yadadaminnnn....official! lol yea, i'll let you guys know how that works out lol

my room has been 'under construction' for the longest time (random fact). i have that desk but its not enough, so i'm going to have another desk specifically for the making of the arts...soon.

coz really...shit on the floor is just not happening. my room isn't all that big, but i want to make the best of the space i have, you know? i'm a girl with simple needs, but keep in mind, i'm an asian girl with a random outbreaks of ocd lol even my man can tell you i have a thing for containers/organizing bins.

i'm always conjuring up ideas on how to make better use of the space i have. how about we use tin cans that i got for 99cents a piece at goodwill as medicine boxes or cigarette caddy type thing? yeaaa! tellin you...i'm bringing the whole 'sewing kit in a skyflakes container' to the next level (the filipinos know what i'm talkin bout lol)just to break that odd tradition (well, not really that different) i used a moon cake tin container for my sewing kit. that's kinda breaking it i suppose...rightttt but to continue the skyflakes cracker container ordeal i decided to grab me some premium and ritz cracker containers. wut wutttttt! i mean they were only 99cents! i can't refuse! i keep them rite by my mini pantry set up in my room lol

My precious container finds

are better than yours

because food is art...

2010-01-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

I love baked macaroni and cheese with a passion...

and so to show my devotion, i dressed her up and held a photo shoot for her...

don't hate, appreciate...

4 cheeses: provolone, mozzarella, gruyere & cheddar...

linguica, italian sausage, turkey hot dogs (lol), and good ol' bacon...

makes me wanna go mmmMMMMMMmmm....

*the little dots are just dots of hot sauce from a bottle - srirachaaaaa!

decorative Illustration FINAL - finally...

2010-01-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

My Decorative Illustration teacher hated this...absolutely hated this! along with every other piece i produced for that class. i swear she was trippin...anywhooo...the final was to paint a box, so i painted a box! it was open to any medium, any style, and any theme (and yet somehow i managed to 'not fit the criteria' and not have 'followed instructions' lol) i wanted to do something ethnic..something related to my background...like the chinese side...i mean at that time i had just gotten my goldfish so i was still (and still am) pretty stuck on expressing my chinese background - this didn't mean anything to the teacher of course. the crit for my final goes as follows: "the colors clash and the execution is sloppy" i don't know about her, but i enjoyed the process of making this and am quite pleased with how it turned out (considering my lack of motivation caused by the teacher lol) i'm still not over it lol hope you guys enjoy it more than she did!

a card for my uncle because i'm thoughtful like that

2010-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

decided one day that i should do something with all the prints i had made for Printmaking. figured i hadn't actually sent out cards in centuries...lol so i decided to make a card for my uncle! like i said...because i'm thoughtful like that ;)

The Envelope

The Card

happy new year sketchbook!

2010-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

2010 has rolled in and i've decided to approach sketchbook-ing a little differently...

let us not stick to the pencils and pens. let us befriend all the other 'junk' that lies within this messy room of mine...the pieces of paper...the receipts in my wallet...the gouache i haven't touched since Color&Design...the brushes....let us smack it all together to make something pretty...make something 'interesting'...something retarded...lets make art!

i don't really care if it doesn't make sense to you...

it's MY sketchbook, i can do what i want! so HA!

the sketchbook is forever...

2009-11-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

And now...after being bombarded by these pictures...lol i have a little something to tell about them :P i may have already told you this in a previous post, but what's the harm in telling again, right? well...it goes like this....most of these sketches evolved from random marks i've had my little cousins...older cousins...grandfather....pretty much everyone in the family took part in this 'random marks' making! anyhow...so i had each person make random marks on my blank page...i mean when they heard random a lot of them went crazy! like i had my one little cousin throwing pencils from across the living room to make 'random' marks on the page! lol so trust me they are quite random...and then from these random marks i try to make them into something. and when i'm done its always a pleasure to show them and tell them that they drew this :)

p.s. i'm not going to tell you which ones are the marked ones and which ones aren't. you'll just have to guess and use your imagination

Decorative Illustration

2009-11-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

yet another class that i'm currently taking - but this one i'm taking online! its different...we've been making a lot of die-cut cards for that class...what do they look like? like thisss! first some roughs with, which i made with random magazines and scrap paper i had lying around...

...and now some actual assignments that i ended up submitting. apparently, pop up cards were not an option for the assignment (boooo!)

Printmaking

2009-11-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

i'm taking printmaking...only the coolest class in history! no, really though...it's a great class if you like experimenting with new techniques. so far we've done linoleum...etching...monotype....and lithography! pretty awesome, yeah? I put up some of the products from that class so far...I'll post some more when i actually transport the prints from class to mi casa...lol Enjoy!

Goldfishes make an appearance...

2009-11-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

stationary

card {back}

card {front}

forgot to say that i actually decided to incorporate my fish on my stationary and business card design. i mean they're going to be on me forever, so i thought this to be fitting. My goldfish even make an appearance on my resume! lol

eugene's foo dawg!

2009-11-12T22:17:00.001-08:00

a little after i got my tattoo a good friend of mine asked if i could sketch out a Foo Dog for him. i had time on my hands and came up with this so far...it has a ways to go, but this is going to be the base of the drawing. i talked to him about it and we both agree that it needs to look more 'grrrrr' (for lack of better words lol)

to be continued...

"World, meet The Goldfishes..."

2009-11-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

sooo...it's been a minute since I've posted anything...boooo! it's cold and i'm sick...double boooo! what else is better to do than blogging rite now! why not? latest update...a couple of months ago (like September-ish) i believe i posted a tshirt design with some fish on it. those fish were actually fish i wanted tattooed on me. i have 2 tattoos on me, but both aren't really tats that i'm exuberantly excited about. last saturday my cousin had a tattoo party (it was...how do you say this...poppin'!) and so i decided there was no better time to get them then at that party! pretty good deal..the tattoo lady, Sara (check her website out at www.inkcrazysara.com) let me trace the fish myself on the transfer sheet :) pretty happy with how they turned out so i'll put up some pictures from that :) it was a 3 birthdays, tattoo, stripper party btw hehehe....

A lot of people automatically assume they are Koi fish, but they aren't - they are GOLDFISH! just to put it out there....lol why goldfish? The goldfish is a classical Chinese symbol to represent gold, wealth, abundance, and harmony. Furthermore, I did some additional research and found this about fish in general:

To fully appreciate the symbolic meanings of fish, we must first consider their watery domain.

Water holds ancient symbolic meanings dealing with the subconscious and depth of knowledge. Water contains all the mysteriousness of the unknown.

Consider the murky depths of the ocean – we never know quite what to expect there. Even seasoned oceanic explorers are still awed by their findings from the deep.

Water holds endless mystery to us – it represents that which is certainly there, but cannot be seen.

Water has also been known to be a womb symbol and as such, an emblem of birth, fertility and woman-ness. This association comes from many ancient flood myths, and the “from water springs life” concept.

Given the wonder that its domain holds, the fish too has similar symbolic meaning. There are numerous species of fish, but the creature in general holds some prime symbolic meanings:

fertility
eternity
creativity
femininity
good luck
happiness
knowledge
transformation

The goldfish being a symbol of abundance doesn't necessarily mean i wish to be filthy rich. i don't feel that wishing for prosperity and monetary stability has negative connotation. the goldfish being a symbol of abundance does not, by any means, imply greed or selfishness. i mean...everyone wants a level of comfort when it comes to money and paying bills and what not...am i right or am i right? the goldfish therefore represents specifically the humble wish for stability. additionally, the goldfish's constant movement keeps things flowing. i got two goldfish because even numbers are regarded as being more auspicious than odd numbers. two is better than one ;)

decorative illustration - online?

2009-09-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Taking Decorative Illustration...ONLINE! never done a class which involves drawing over the web. the first assignment was to come up with a tshirt design...thought that was funny since i had been looking at that tshirt deal on that website www.moderntee.com if you haven't already...vote for my tshirt! El Diablo! I had fun doing these sketches...have yet to get feedback and get a 'go ahead' from the teacherrrr....

to touch my brushes again...

2009-09-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

relative requested this portrait of her hula teacher. it's their anniversary and she wanted to give her teacher some sort of sentimental present - that's where this painting comes in! i had the spare time, so i said why not? haven't touched my oils in super long so this was fun :)

Summer >> New Media-ing (continued...)

2009-08-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just finished New Media! woohoo! Ok, so I'm not the best at flash but i got it to work! I talked about this earlier on. but if you are anything like me i won't really bother to look at the older posts to read lol I posted sketches I made to illustrate a poem called 'The Story of Flying Robert" and was planning to 'animate' it using flash. and here's the end result! check it out! www.maybellinechow.com

p.s. i need to get on with the actual website action thing tho....FAST!

2009-07-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I was trying to scan in some more of my sketches, but....my scanner started acting up and these are all i got into my laptop! boooo....more to come (once i get my scanner up and running!) Enjoy!

Modern Tee

2009-07-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

I just submitted an entry to ModernTee! They select a winner every month - so I said why not?! I put one of my sketchbook sketches onto a shirt template. I called it 'El Diablo' so please show some support and vote for my shirt! Heck...why not even try your luck and submit a shirt design of your own! Who knowssss......

Summer >> New Media-ing

2009-07-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

This summer I'm taking New Media. I've never actually touched Flash, but from what I've learned so far....Flash is for the organization freaks! (which luckily I sort of am...lol) I'm one of those people who have a lot of layers when working. Be it Photoshop, Illustrator, or Painter - I have a lot of layers...all labeled accordingly haha

A couple of weeks have passed, and I can actually 'work' in Flash. I mean, I'm no pro but I can create the basic stuff. I would show the little things I've made with Flash, but I don't even know how to show it on here! lol Hopefully, by the end of this class I can make these sketches into an interactive story and have a website up :)

sketchbook it up!

2009-06-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

Found an abandoned sketchbook in my closet. It's always exciting to start drawing in a fresh sketchbook. I find that every sketchbook I've ever owned has its own personality. The styles and technique used in every sketchbook always seem somewhat different. I find myself executing every sketchbook I have differently. In this sketchbook, I've been working in colored pencil first then going back page by page just back and forth between these pages. I've been working with a limited amount of color pencils and black pens...and honestly, I kind of like what's coming out of it. Its very different from what I'm used to doing.

When I first came to the Academy, I was taught to draw exactly what I see. Did that for a very long time....so long that (dare I say) I had forgotten what it was like to just draw. Drawing for myself...drawing with no thinking...just drawing! I started to worry that I had no distinct 'style'. I had been so accustomed to drawing exactly what I see that I had forgotten that that is not the only way to draw. I had forgotten that it is acceptable to draw HOW you see and not just WHAT you see. I figured that I just needed to stop thinking so much and just let my pencil do the thinking.

napkin scrapkin

2009-06-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sitting at a party full of...lets just say people who aren't my age...could barely stay awake sitting there...tired of pretending to be interested in what they were talking about...thank goodness I had a pen with me!

Twilight kix

2009-06-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

My little cousin is obsessed with this new vampire drama thing...Twilight is what its called. She's 10 and has read and owns all the books, has the dvd, has Twilight posters all over her room...and she's on 'Team Edward'. She had been shown me 'Twilight' inspired shoes online and they cost wayyy too much for shoes, so I decided to customize her converse for her :) because I'm just cool like that :) I figure why not...I'm on holiday lol We conjured up a design for her shoes and came up with this. I don't really know what Twilight really REALLY is about, but I know that the apple and the chess piece mean something.

Took me longer to find the right red fabric paint for the project than it did to make it, but it was fun nonetheless. Oh! And the quote glows in the dark..oooOOOoooo....

Progress

2009-05-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Progress on the bald guy/girl

"Oncom" dedication

2009-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

From sketchbook to painter...then illustrator...then came up with this!

Dedicated to Stan aka "Bang Oncom"

Back in the dayz

2009-05-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Back when I had to lug around a piece of plywood every single day

Random pieces from what seems like way back when

Practice makes perfect...right?

2009-05-13T18:14:00.001-07:00

I made this sketch awhile back ago for Illustration 2 (I think) I had painted it in watercolor and I didn't really like how it turned out...I thought since I have a lot of time now, I would mess with it on painter.

*crosses fingers for the link to work...again*

Lets try this...again...

2009-05-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I'm a total retard when it comes to technology...as you can tell from my first post lol I was able to link the last post...now lets see if I can do it again! In theory, I should be able to....

Here's something from my sketchbook *crosses fingers*

Hidung Merah Circus = Red Nose Circus

2009-05-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago a friend of mine, Dan Roberts, who is a professional 'clown' asked me to make him a logo. He just recently embarked on an expedition throughout Jakarta, Indonesia in association with Clowns Without Borders to help spread smiles and laughter in places suffering from the crisis. I was honored to be a part of this and willingly came up with a logo for him!

You can read more about his expedition and what the organization is all about here (and of course see me logo on the site lol)

I think its time....

2009-05-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Starting an actual blog has been wayyyy past due, so I thought I'd just go ahead and jump into it! No better time to start than now! Just finished with my last class for this semester, so I might as well start the blogging, no? Don't really know how this works, but slowly I will figure it out - in time...lol

Speaking of whichhhh....why don't I just go ahead and show you my final for Children's Book Illustration! Its based off of a myth from Uganda. I would love to say it had some cool title, but 'The Lizard and The Frog" is all I got lol

click here to supersize

I did this on Painter...during the last couple of weeks of this semester, I remembered that I had an option of doing things digitally (totally forgot!) I got pretty stuck on doing everything with watercolors...my bad! With this revelation...for Illustration 4, since the final was to bring in all your work for the class, I decided to feed almost all of my pieces into my scanner and rework them some before turning them in. Forgot how convenient digital can be :")

For example....here's the first assignment in watercolor....

click here to supersize

As a sketch in black and white it seemed like it would be alright to leave the background blank so as to keep the attention on the baby and what was going on around her. But after having painted it, I regretted leaving the background plain white. The characters in the piece seemed to dissolve into the white. If you ask me, going back in watercolors to get a background base color down would be a pain in the...you know what...so on to the after image....

click here to supersize

Here's another before and after piece for that same class....

click here to supersize

And here are the other ones that I turned in that I worked on digitally. Enjoy!

click here to supersize

*Ok...I tried editing this post like ten million times already just to get the pictures to link to an enlargement and it won't let me do it! %$#%$@%! So I improvised....lol