HOW TO SHAPE YOUR LANGUAGE

Have you ever felt stuck? Creating similar art to your reference or inspiration or maybe even drawing the same thing over and over? One of my mentors, Catia Chen, challenged me to think about exploring my own style through breaking with my old habits. One tool we discussed was breaking things!

Thinking about how you design your characters is another extension of your voice. Circle, triangle, square are the basic shapes that most character designs come from, what if we exaggerated it? Or pushed it to it’s limits where the character sits on the edge of being believable. Experimenting with these shapes and concepts helps me to loosen up and PLAY. And play helps me get into my own art flow which then allows me to create pieces unique to my voice.

I’m experimenting with a short short story where the main character is a duck. Ducks make me think of the Hans Christian Andersen’s Danish tale The Ugly Duckling, a story of a late blooming transformation which seamlessly triggers thoughts of my own awkward adolescence.

I am keeping the shapes round with curves and short straight lines to give the design contrast. Something that was common in mid-century animation character designs. This character is sweet, kind maybe slightly naive. The roundness of his body helps to convey this characteristic. His stylized neck is purposefully awkward.

GUACHE STABILO PENCILS AND PAPER

Next, I will be putting Little Duck into scenes to explore his mood through color and lighting.

BUNNY AND MEI - ADVENTURES OF TWO BEST FRIENDS

Meet Bunny and Mei. Bunny wakes up worried about the day while Mei is overly curious often risking both their safety. Follow along for more as we witness their everyday adventures and mayhem.

(HAR) GAO POWER

I’ve been recently inspired by graphics from contemporary and vintage food poster art. This poster explores how food can be a friendly gateway into culture and personal history. A quote that inspired me:

“Food is everything we are. It's an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from the get- go. “ - Anthony Bourdain

Like many nervous daughter-in-laws, my husband’s mother was coming to San Francisco for a visit. My last attempt to introduce her to Chinese food failed miserably.

I ordered a wide variety of dishes (after consulting my mother meticulously on the phone) from a local Chinese restaurant in East Hanover, NJ. Let me rephrase, it was the ONLY Chinese restaurant in this small New Jersey town, where I was visiting for the first time. We all know where this story is headed, yes, that’s right, down the toilet.

So this was my moment for her to see what the San Francisco Chinese food scene was really like. Dim Sum was the meal of choice. We ate at the famous Koi Palace in Daly City. Har gao arrived in steaming circular trays, the shrimp noodles soaked in soy sauce were placed on the spinning tray and our two families sat around the circular table eating these dishes like many generations before us. This time, we bonded over steamed dumpling dishes and we even ended with an order of spicy chicken feet which my mother in-law whole heartedly ate.

"DJ'S BUSY DAY" IS HERE!

Picture taken by Memoire Studios

So excited to announce that DJ’s Busy Day launched this Fall. Together with the Clinton Foundation, Scholastic and Talking is Teaching, I was able to illustrate this wonderful picture book about DJ and his fun filled day. This picture book is both in English and Spanish and is targeted towards early development.

THE RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say "hi", to the people who peeked in and especially to the people who purchased my work. The Renegade Craft Fair was such a wonderful and positive experience. 

I prepared for the show for over two months and it was so rewarding to see everyone and talk to people who wanted to share about their own creative experiences. I also spoke with the scrappy small business owners who were working their butts off. Congrats to them for putting themselves out there! 

Here are some important tips I learned as a "Maker" at The Renegade Craft Fair:

- Create a quality product

- Bring promotional materials

- Create a compelling booth that speaks to your work

- Bring some ice breaker treats (free lollipops or stickers for the kids)

- Bring food and water for yourself 

- Have a card reader as an option for payment

RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR: JULY 15-16 COME SAY "HI"

I was born 20% extrovert and 80% introvert. Even though meeting new people can be scary for me, I am still very excited about this upcoming event! I am showing my illustration work and selling prints.

It has taken me a few weeks to prep my illustrations and research art printers. Everything has been printed on archival water color paper from Candela Fine Art Prints in Oakland, Ca. I love seeing the texture of the paper, it adds a little depth to the brilliant colors. 

This event has taken a few months of preparation and the handy work of my husband. He has been selflessly building me shelves for the event. I showed him an inspiration picture and he his handwork and talent created me these beautiful display shelves. 

Come see the labor of our love at The Renegade Craft Show. Stop by and say "hi".

RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR BOOTH: SUMMER 2017

I am excitedly preparing for a half booth at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco for July 15 +16. Additional 4x6 cards will be printed for retail. I will also be adding more signage for pricing and information about my journey from feature animation to freelance illustrator. 

DICK BRUNA: Office Supply Graphic

Sometimes, I like practicing with a different hand. My last post was also an exploration of a more graphic style. Playing with different styles helps me to loosen up and explore creative problems in a fresh way. 

I was working on the an illustration called "Play Your Heart Out" and I was feeling unhappy with the color tones. I took a step back and started working on "Supplies." Working on something different enabled me to loosen up and resolve the creative issue in a different way than how I started. I came in with a dark and saturated direction for "Play Your Heart Out" but I realized the mood was too scary.

This Graphic illustration also allowed me to pay tribute to one of my favorite picture book artists Dick Bruna (the creator of Miffy).  

LE TIGER: SKETCH

I wanted to explore a different kind of hand with my illustration work. This is still inspired by mid-century design but a little looser and whimsical. Practicing this different style made me feel more free to explore my own style.

Le Tiger is foraging for food and runs into fresh spring treats. Although the composition is very loose, a story inspired these elements. Le Tiger is like a little boy who is attracted to the sweet fruits of the spring. 

I also thought about thick and thin lines, scale and adding variated rough textures through out the illustration.  

ANDREA BROWN LIT: JENNIFER MARCH SOLOWAY

I am so excited to be represented by Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Lit. It has been several years of hard work and lots and lots of doodling but I am super excited to be working with Jennifer. This journey is not linear and nothing is guaranteed but it is exciting to reach a goal.

MAKE BELIEVE: PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION

This illustration was inspired by mid-century animation but more immediately our currently political climate. I want to live in a world where our daughters feel empowered to "make" and "believe" in their ideas and power. 

Old Navy: Assistant Accessories Designer

I had the wonderful opportunity to freelance for Old Navy this past month. I learned how illustration can be used in several disciplines like illustration for products like shoes, hats and socks. I worked with Newborn and Toddler accessories. It was a great way to expand my children's illustration work to another area. I had great mentors like Se Sook and Alicia, they made my experience even more fun. Learning something new challenged me and made me grow in wonderful ways!

Madeline: For Sketch Dailies

I had a wonderful time reinterpreting Madeline for @sketch_dailies blog. I used rounded and simple shapes to communicate Madeline's sweet character. I love these series of books and started reading them when I was a child. I love the way Bemelmans used positive and negative space in his illustrations. 

Room In The Trees: Podcast with Sabrina Ward Harrion

I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with my first mentor Sabrina Ward Harrison and talk about my internship experience at her Berkeley, California studio. In the podcast we talk about our serendipitous meeting and how my internship molded the creative life I live today. Please check out more of her work here. The Episode 10 podcast airs Friday!

Listen to it at www.roominthetrees.com

Valentine's Day

"We were together.

I forget the rest."

- Walt Whitman

SKETCH: Snagglepuss

This was a sketch created for Sketch_Dailies! Hanna-Barbera cartoons were constantly on while I was a child. I would spend most of my Saturday mornings in front of a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. 

PET PORTRAIT: Malcolm

Day in and day out, our dog Malcolm has been a constant companion. Painting in my studio can often be solitary. It always puts a smile on my face when he eagerly greets me at the door. He is a Pitt Bull rescue dog and is the most gentle loyal dog. Oh and he's a total poop machine! 

TGIF: Birthday Invitations

It was so much fun creating this Park Party Invitation. I was influenced by mid-century animation, Mary Blair and other influential artists of her time. 

LIBRARY TREASURE: The Story of Paul Bunyan

I found this amazing woodcut book illustrated by Ed Emberley in a bag full of old library books my mom brought back from a book sale. What an treasure (I know I use that word a lot but I really do feel like these vintage books are like inspiration gold!). 

Ed Emberley is best known for his instructional drawing books for children. He was a Caldecott Medal runner-up in 1967 and in 1968 won it for Drummer Hoff. Ed studied at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and collaborated with his wife Barbara on many children's picture books. He included his whole family in his book art. His children are also in the business of print and illustration. 

Picture taken by Nichole Wong Forti

I was attracted to the mid-century design. His contrasting line work is wonderful. Ed uses pattern like textures (look at the wonderfully designed trees above). I also love the use of his color. It is used strategically through out the book to emphasize different characters and environments. Ed uses bold shape language that draws in the reader and gives the woodcut illustrations depth like the hoof marks from the blue ox. Inspiring!