alien mech sketch – first encounter
digital pencil – autodesk sketchbook pro
His first encounter with the alien mech.
landscape sketch – digital pencils
digital pencils
Based on last weeks thumbnail sketches, this is my first landscape sketch using 2b and 6b pencils in corel painter.
landscape thumbnails
pen on textured paper
Landscape thumbnail studies. Next step… digital painting. (Totally inspired by Marco Bucci’s iTouch paintings!)
suit sketch
digital – autodesk sketchbook pro
A new year, a new “restart” for more sketches! While I eagerly await the Apple Tablet, I’m warming up my sketching muscles with some digital drawings.
1000 Paper Cranes Accomplished
I accomplished my goal of folding paper cranes each day in 2009.
You can see a list of the entire gallery HERE. Each image is linked to the Picasa Web Album.
I’m hoping 2010 will be wonderful year. Take care, be safe and remember to appreciate each and every day. You never know when it could be your last.
Rest in Peace – Oliver Mendoza
I just found out a friend and co-worker had passed away Saturday night.
Oli was a super talented artist, photographer and overall nicest guy you could ever meet.
You will be missed brother.
photo gallery
blog
model mayhem site
pen sketches – afghan farmer and jack black
Afghan Farmer sketch 1
pen – pilot p-500
Afghan Farmer sketch 2
pen – pilot p-500
Jack Black sketch (unintentionally channeling Stanley Kubrick)
pen – pilot p-500
I’ve been trying to do more sketching these days. Tonight I wanted to focus on my lines and flow. It’s a continuous struggle. I found the farmer in a local newspaper article and Jack Black in Rolling Stone magazine.
oxen formation – san francisco
cell phone camera
While waiting for my coffee in downtown San Francisco, I noticed this formation for the Chinese New Year parade outside the window. It’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while.
japanese crane sketches
pen – Uchida’s Le Pen – .3mm
pen – Uchida’s Le Pen – .3mm
I finally found my Le Pen! These sketches were done on office note pads while on the phone discussing web edits with the 4th floor engineers. I guess you can say I have had cranes on my mind lately.
Happy New Year! First Three Paper Cranes
dollar bill cranes 1, 2, 3 on mahjong tiles
I am starting a new project this year: 1000 cranes 2009.
This is my first entry.
You can follow my progress HERE.
I wish you all a happy, joyous and safe 2009.
Merry Christmas! Fine art from a camera phone.
Camera phone shots from our visit to the Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco, California.
The Mighty Hand (Main Crispee) – Auguste Rodin – circa 1880
Memento Mori (Remember death) – Christ Head (back and front views) – 16th century – French or German
Virgin’s Child – 1300 – French, Lorraine – Limestone (Kinda looks like Mary is smokin’ a stogie)
The Athlete – Auguste Rodin – 1904
Nude study of Eustache de Saint-Pierre – Auguste Rodin – 1886-87 – Bronze
Found In San Francisco with a Camera Phone
Nash Metropolitan Teeny Tiny Convertible
Found in the Financial District, close to the Ferry Building Plaza.
Metal Dragonfly Sculpture
Found in a Richmond District park off Geary St.
feeling “more” bearish? can the FED repair this mess?
It has been a little over a year since I first wrote about “feeling bearish“.
original illustration – graphite pencil – derwent graphic – August 2007
August 2, 2007 to be exact. The Dow closed that day at 13,463 points. I had been reading up on Housing Bubble blogs hoping to get non-biased opinions on where they thought the economy was headed. Little did I realize that just over a year later the Great Unraveling would explode.
Today, the Dow closed at 8,175. Both the Bears and Bulls have been on a crazy ride, and will continue to be tugged and dragged along until something significant happens.
CLICK IMAGE for larger view – graphite pencil – derwent graphic
Can the FED really repair this mess?
With the Federal Reserve (the FED) at the controls, confidence and fear will be competing factors. Add a little hesitation to lend and borrow and things will just get uglier.
You can’t change the channel fast enough to try and evade the pundits arguing who caused it. There appears to be enough blame to go around. I do not claim to fully understand the true magnitude of what $750 billion can do let alone what that much money even looks like.
All I do know is that somebody is getting that bailout from the FED. As a conservative saver, I feel like I’m on the hook to be paying that huge debt down the road.
Thanks guys!
doors to religiosity
Views from a camera phone, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1:30 a.m.
sunken red door
slightly overexposed light with a strange diagonal spread
doors of paradise
ironically, though security bars…
doors of paradise
… bars with added spikes.
Read more about the San Francisco Grace Cathedral’s Bible in Bronze.
San Francisco with a camera phone
Transamerica Pyramid
Taken at the base on the corner of Clay and Montgomery
Empire Park
Taken at the entrance to Empire Park on Commercial Street
A lonely, imprisoned iMac
Taken in an office basement cage in the Financial District
George Carlin: Gone But Not Forgotten
pencils – derwent graphic 6b
It has been one week since George Carlin’s passing at age 71.
My memory of George Carlin extends back to the early 80’s when I saw him on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He did this one joke on driving:
Q: “At a traffic light, if red means stop and green means go, what does yellow mean?”
A: “Come on, you can make it!”
That was tame compared to his usual fare. But it showed me at an early age that observing human behavior and joking about it can be funny as hell.
The news of his death has been interesting to say the least.
Two of the better write ups I came across were in Time Magazine: “How George Carlin Changed Comedy” and The New York Times: “George Carlin, Comic Who Chafed at Society and Its Constraints, Dies at 71″.
I feel fortunate to have seen him live just as he was turning extremely cynical and some might argue very angry. He reminded me a lot of Friedrich Nietzsche. Many confuse their bitterness as something negative. Humans find it hard to accept truths about themselves, no matter how ugly it can be.
But as much as I wish I could have seen him live one last time, I am glad he has left us with so many recorded performances. I am especially looking forward to watching the award ceremony this fall on PBS The 11th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor: A Tribute to George Carlin.
The master is gone, but he will not be forgotten.
San Bruno Mountain Fire
View from South San Francisco, CA. (8:50 pm)
(click on photos for larger image)
blackened crab: destination, bay area
pen: pilot P-500 extra fine and colored pencils: prismacolor
It’s been just over two weeks since the 65,000-ton cargo ship Cosco Busan struck the Bay Bridge and spilled 60,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean.
At least 2,700 birds have been found dead from direct contact with the oil. Talk of lawsuits have been discussed. This mess could cost local taxpayers more than $200 million. The local fisherman have decided to postpone the start of crab season till the first week of December.
Just recently, it was reported that “nearly 100,000 pounds of live Dungeness crab apparently caught by Oregon fishermen near the Farallones are headed to Bay Area seafood wholesalers for distribution to consumers – a major blow to local commercial fishermen.” (SFgate.com – Nov. 21, 2007)
I love crab. But I cannot help thinking that any wildlife in the area will be affected by this ecological disaster in one way or another. Are these crabs edible? Who knows. I know I won’t be eating any.
UPDATE 11.30.2007 – State lifts ban on fishing, crabbing after S.F. Bay oil spill (sfgate.com) … Enjoy your crab!
The thing that really upsets me are that globs of black goo still floating around my favorite San Francisco spot, Baker Beach. I sketched the illustration above from a perspective usually seen from Baker Beach towards the Golden Gate. (The oil dripping crab boat may been seen in the near future.) When I lived out there, I would hear fog horns and see cargo ships in the distance. Little did I know one of those monstrosities would cause such damage.
Thanks for nothing Cosco Busan.
alternative fuel vehicle
pen: pilot P-500 extra fine and markers: prismacolors cool greys
An alternative fuel vehicle for the San Francisco gas consumers suffering $3.50+ a gallon.
saving some hearts
digital – adobe illustrator
I designed this logo for our American Heart Association Heartwalk team this year.
Since feeling the effects of kidney disease first hand, I’ve been on a mission to help promote positive, healthy living. I’ve quit smoking, cut out soda, decreased my Filipino fatty food intake, and have been exercising more often than before… although removing the spare tire around my waist has proven to be really, really hard.
captain starkist
pencils – Derwent Graphic 2b,4b 6b and Faber-Castell Aquarelle
illustrationfriday.com
feeling bearish
graphite pencil – derwent graphic – 6b, 4b, 2b
Feeling Bearish
Following Wall Street today can be as stressful as following the news coming out of Washington DC. With the talk of a “housing bubble” bursting at the seams, the thought of a correction to an inflated market sounds enticing. To a hesitant bear living in the Bay Area California, I have witnessed the exponential rise of fake equity the last five years. I feel a bit of resolve having been sitting on the sidelines watching this slow moving train wreck just now starting to unfold.
I also feel sorry for those families who got duped and swindled into signing those creative loans. I hope they find some kind of resolve. As for the speculators and flippers, shame on them for trying to make a quick buck. The greedy are going to get their comeuppance, just you wait and see.
bear bull study sketch
graphite pencil – derwent graphic – 4b
initial bear study sketch
graphite pencil – derwent graphic – 4b
r2d2 in san francisco
usps official r2d2 mailbox – 4th and townsend caltrain station, san francisco
r2d2 model – ilm lobby, presidio, san francisco
r2d2 in san francisco
I’ve been cleaning up my macbook pro hard drive and have come across a large amount of photos to archive. These two are just the beginning of more photos to come.
saving the suit
digital – corel painter and adobe photoshop
Topic: Suit – illustrationfriday.com
Running late for his job interview, Mr. Slowski took the expressway through underground utility pipes. While saving his suit from water, a fellow commuter decided to hitch a ride.
gaining a higher perspective
pen: pilot P-500 and markers: prismacolors cool greys
Epic Battle concept – original post: March 2006
Almost two months of crazy work deadlines and recouping by traveling to the East Coast to visit family and friends, is to me, time well spent.
After attending my college roommate’s wedding in Jersey, chowing down on cheese steaks in South Philly with a grade school buddy, and tending to some family health issues in Virginia, my sketchbook is now tapping me on the shoulder.
My pencils haven’t seen much action lately, although the wheels in my head have been constantly spinning with ideas. Now to bring them to fruition.
virginia tech mourns
vector illustration – adobe illustrator
As a Virginia Tech alumnus (1997), I offer my condolences to those that are most affected by this tragedy; current students, family and friends of the injured and deceased. As the flurry of media swarms on this story (I have been contacted personally by local Bay Area California media) I truly hope there will be a resolve towards peace and understanding in this world. This violence needs to stop.
this ole man loves trane
traditional – gouache on canvas – 8″ x 8″ – value study
There is nothing like a little John Coltrane to celebrate 34 years on this earth.
The recordings of the mid 50’s to early 60’s are my favorite. It’s funny how a simple ballad can transport me to another world, hypnotizing me to a state of utter bliss.
While most of my peers love the modern music coming from their satellite transmitters and cell phones, I feel like a relic who would rather dust off a classic LP and absorb the crackling of the needle into vinyl grooves.
My birthday playlist:
- In A Sentimental Mood / Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- My Little Brown Book / Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- The Feeling Of Jazz / Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- Blues To Bechet / Coltrane Plays The Blues
- Nancy (With The Laughing Face) / The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane
- Mr. Syms / Coltrane Plays The Blues
- My Favorite Things / My Favorite Things
- Everytime We Say Goodbye / My Favorite Things
- Blue in Green / Kind of Blue
- My One And Only Love / The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane
- When I Fall In Love / Steamin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet
- Blue Train / Blue Train
- I’m Old Fashioned / Blue Train
- Soul Eyes / The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane
- Lush Life / The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane
- Dear Lord / The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane
- Take Five / Cool: Dave Brubeck
- Flamenco Sketches / Kind of Blue
I encourage you to come along with me and dive into these recordings. You will not regret it.
Gong xi fa cai! Prosper little piggies!
My wife received a Happy New Year email from her aunt in Taiwan.
Her message contained the following pics:
(I do not have a photo credit or a name of the artist that created these wonderful pieces, but if I find one or more, I’ll post them).
Words this time… with a twist
this is about right… feelin’ somewhat twisted (March 2006)
-
About writing and expressing thoughts
After some feeble attempts to write personal thoughts on this blog, I have realized from the beginning that I am not a writer.There are so many authors of blogs who can artfully place words together containing wonderful structure, grammar and most of all, logical sense. This is not one of them. I stopped trying to pontificate my thoughts through the written form and focus more on expressing in a way I have always done since I was a kid: attempting to draw.
As with life, so many unexpected tragedies fall upon all of us. This is one of those times.
So my goal to post drawings at least once a week has stopped… until the latest speed bump is cautiously passed over.
Once the very faint light in the distance becomes clearer and in focus, I am hoping the artwork will once again flow.
I will be taking a quick flight to Virginia to check up on things… maybe this trek will relieve my anxiety.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
alien – sprout part 3
graphite – Faber-Castell Grip 2001 2b / Aquarelle
part 3 – the surprise turns to disbelief…
alien – sprout part 2
graphite – Faber-Castell Grip 2001 2b / Aquarelle
part 2 – the distraction turns to surprise…
alien – sprout
graphite – Derwent Graphic 4b
The alien is a bit distracted by the sprouting flower.
As you can see, he’d rather investigate than complete his mission:
a smurfy red demon
digital painting – Corel Painter
This is one of the coolest Smurf figures I found at a local toy shop, the
Sausalito Ferry Company Gift Store.
Not to be outdone, the other week I found a Frankenstein Smurf at Kar’ikter in San Francisco.
I’m a real sucker for interesting toy figures.
San Carlos Caltrain Station
graphite – Derwent Graphic – 2b, Pilot – P-500, Prismacolor Greys
Over a three week period (spread out from Oct ‘06 thru Jan ‘07) I would sketch this section of the Caltrain Station at San Carlos a little bit at a time. Even if I arrived at the station just as my train was pulling up, I would still take a mental snapshot of what I saw and put several lines down as I settled into my seat.
This was more of a mental exercise than anything else.
mask – an epee dream
pen in sketchbook – pilot p-500 extra fine
This week’s topic for Illustration Friday is Mask.
The other night, I had this dream of a masked man with an epee. Today, I continued the dream during my morning break at work…then sketched him while taking the train home.
pen in sketchbook – pilot p-500 extra fine
Dreams are a wonderful thing.
mighty present
digital painting – corel painter
This weeks’ Illustration Friday topic is “MIGHT”.
Here are some additional rambling sketches for the topic, done with a Berol Verithin Sky Blue 740.5 blue pencil I found deep in my pencil case: 
smoke break
derwent graphite 4b – pilot drawing DR pigment ink – faber-castell art grip color pencils
It’s been almost exactly 1 year and 6 months since I quit smoking. Even though I believe it was one of the best decisions I have made, I must admit that when I did smoke it was always accompanied with feelings of extreme euphoria.
There are times when out of the blue, a very strange craving taps me on the shoulder. After breathing deeply and counting to 10, the feeling goes away and I’m good to go. A note to all the smokers out there… it does work.
The above concept was something I sketched this morning. I originally wanted to paint that female character pose in Corel Painter with no cigarette. But right after one of those cravings hit me, I added it to the color pencil sketch.
Invention – Da Vinci Fish Flier
digital painting – Corel Painter
Back in March of 2006, I came up with some concepts for a weekly sketch group topic Evolution. The original idea I had was how fish would eventually evolve into flying creatures. I believe Da Vinci had postulated the same theory, but no one took him seriously. Since the topic this week for the Illustration Friday is INVENTION, I decided to take one of my original sketches and paint it.
If you are curious, you can see my other Flying Fish concept sketches here.
thanksgiving – juicy
This time of year, one should be careful what they advertise.
digital illustration – Corel Painter
This is my second contribution to the Illustration Friday site.
rubber ducky
digital painting – corel painter.
concept pen sketch on blue steno pad.
Now that work has slowed down a bit and my freelance gigs are all completed, I had some time to play more with Painter.
I based this sketch of a duck with rubbers and a rain coat from wooden sculptures I saw in an store window two weeks ago. They were of a mama duck and her chicks all dressed in rain coats and hats with tiny foot rubbers. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
ghost – illustration friday
My first submission to the Illustration Friday site.
Sketched with Derwent graphite 4b, Prismacolor greys and thin lines with my friend, Mr. Pilot P-500.
I’ve been struggling with coloring the Mariachi sketch in Painter. I’ll chip away at it more this weekend 
.
mariachi – base layer
Several weeks ago, Dan Segarra’s AM sketch topic of the week was “Mariachi”. I whipped out some thumbnail sketches which evolved into this. I never posted it because it was stuck as a bookmark between the pages of Al Gore’s book “An Inconvenient Truth” which I thought I lost, but later found underneath my bed.
I wanna try coloring this in Painter. Wish me luck
As for the animation, besides polishing some of my past AM assignments, I’ve been working on some thumbnails for a 2d pencil test, inspired by a Duke Ellington jam I stumbled accross on iTunes called “Track 360″ on his “Blues in Orbit” album. Originally recorded in 1959, this “impression of a train ride” was only released on CD in 1988, then remastered in 2004. I’ll post the thumbs and some quick tests in PAP in the coming weeks.
assassin revisited – in color
This is my first attempt at coloring with Corel Painter. I wanted to take this application for a spin, figure out the dense interface and play around with the pens and brushes. I’ve always wanted to try it, but I never had a wacom. Now that I dove in and picked up the Intuos 3, I have no more excuses
See the original pen sketch here.
assassin
Inspired while watching Kill Bill, Volume 1.
It’s been a while… the cpu/scanner was outta commission because of a BIOS error. I finally fixed it… after not knowing what the heck was going on. Oh wells…
In addition to more sketches, I’ll be posting some animation soon
wool mustache
pen – pigma micron 05
Topic: special mustache – illustrationfridaynight
After 7 years of the current U.S. Administration’s ineptitude, this can be my only assumption why 32% of Americans still support these criminals.
alcatraz
I was in the city today and had some time to walk around the pier 39 area.
rough sketch – 60 seconds – 2″x2″
detailed sketch – 30 minutes – 7″x5″
Click here for the 900px wide version.
memory – balloon
I really don’t know why, but lately I have been dreaming about the balloon that got away when I was 5 years old.
My dad was driving us home from McDonalds in his 1975 Volkswagon Beetle. I was a happy little boy, full from my mini hamburger and fries and a green balloon handed to me by the big happy clown, Ronald. Maybe it was the sugar in the soda or the desserts, but I was pretty hyper. So hyper, that when my dad pulled up to our driveway and my mom got out the front seat to pull her chair back, I jumped out and tripped on the running board underneath the passenger side doorway.
As my face hit the pavement, I gasped as I let go of the balloon string. Looking up with a stary-headed blur, I saw my mom and a passer-by try and jump for the string.
As the balloon disappeared in the sky, I felt like the I lost the best gift I had ever received…
until we returned the next weekend to see Ronald again.
calendar
Sketching on a small canvas, waiting for my doctor to arrive at Kaiser.
Here’s a detail of the Japanese Maple outside my window.
Since it has small foliage, I had to squint to capture the shape thru the contrast of values from the sunlight.
customer service phone rep
Whenever I receive a “courtesy call” during dinner or at 9:00am Satuday mornings from a bank or credit card company asking me to buy into one of their useless products, I am always curious what the person on the other end of the line looks like.
With her calm and soothing voice, I assume she looks like this:
But after 20 minutes wasted listening to her marketing drivel, I end up picturing her like this:
jazz n blues
mingus
thelonious
coltrane
billie
getz
louis
ella
miles
These were the table names and cards for our wedding.
sunblock
I’ve been sketching a bunch lately. It’s very therapeutic!
This is a quickie while waiting to depart on the train.
