Story of my art...

New places to follow ROCKY online

2012-02-15T10:43:00.001-08:00

*NEW*! Tumblr: meowkernaut.tumblr.com
*NEW*! Pinterest: pinterest.com/meowkernaut
~~~
Website: www.rocky-o.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/meowkernaut
Blog: meowkernaut.blogspot.com
Etsy: meowkernaut.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rocky.artist

*Heroes&Bandits is still on HIATUS! Check out why

Happy Valentine's Day! 2012

2012-02-15T10:28:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to my lover-lemur!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!
I don't think I've ever been so lovey dovey before... I'm really having a great time this year. I ate a whole pizza by myself, and my lemur took me to our "special place" last night... I even had Whole Foods chocolate dipped strawberries!! ; w ;

Crochet works

2012-02-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

Late 2011 Crochet works

((If you notice, there are some funny double images in this second photo. I took two different shots Martha took, and put them quickly together in Photoshop. Of course, there are some issues with perspective, but I hope you get the idea ;)))

Photos courtesy and © Martha Benedict • email martha@marthabenedict.com

As part of the Forest for the Trees exhibit November 12 - December 4 2011

Early 2012 Yarn Bombing

1/28/2012
Left: Unknown Artist
Right: Meowkernaut
Photos courtesy of Arzu Kosar

A wild Meowkernaut appeared!

Forest, For the Trees at Craft And Folk Art Museum (CAFAM), Jan 28 2011
5814 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036
Fiber Forest Environment on window Display and Yarn Bombing
This display is still running!

More 2012 crochet creations

Have Yarn Will Travel - show pictures

2011-08-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

YES! I was in a show at MOCA on August 7, 2011!

I had my yarn bombed car on display... oh shucks, just see the images below!

Fellow yarn-bombers in order from North to South:
Arzu Kosar - Red yarnbombed car
Laura DeLeon - Kiddy car
Darlyn Susan Lee - yarnbombed car
Amy Caterina Hill - Grass car
Kacy Treadway - Dolphin car
Jaque Lene - yarnbombed car
Rocky Ormsby - Granny Square Heaven car
Darlene DiBona - Spiderweb car
Amy Inouye + Beth Elliot - Chicken Boy-on-a-cloud car

Also...

This yarnbomb was NOT part of the show... I just so happen to have extra yarn, squares, materials, and BAM!

I would consider this a collaboration with the talented :iconWolfren89: :devWolfren89: (She made the awesome little flowers. They are sooo well made, all tight, snug, and soft!!)

That pipe really did need love, too! It was all corroded and green D:

Stay tuned for more yarn bombings in the future!!

Girls Drawin' Girls Volume 4 SHOW!

2011-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Remember my Joshua Tree maiden?

It'll be on display at Vlad the Retailer, TOMORROW, Saturday August 6, 2011.
AND YES, it is also MY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!

Do hope you can make it to downtown LA tomorrow night... here's the flyer with detailed info!

San Diego Comic Con 2011

2011-07-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

San Diego Comic Con(SDCC) is THIS WEEKEND! I'll be working the Girls Drawin Girls booth @ #5628~

I'll be there on Wednesday 4PM-9PM, Saturday 12PM-4PM, and Sunday 10AM-3PM

Don't forget to purchase our new book!
Girls Drawin' Girls Volume IV:
The Way Nature Made Her

The new Girls Drawin' Girls book, The Way Nature Made Her, is AVAILABLE NOW! My Joshua Tree piece is going to be in there along with a ton of other amazing artists.

Can't promise that there are any bookplates left, but the least I can do is SIGN+DRAW something fun in your book if you purchase it from the convention :) seeing is, that I'd be there at the booth while you buy it and all LOL

This latest volume features over 83 artists, and is our biggest and most beautiful book to date! This will be the premiere of our FIRST hardcover book, and clocks in at an art-filled 174 pages. Page after page of flora-inspired beauties await, featuring art from our mucho-talented ladies!

ONLY $40

Get it at the convention
Or get it here

This is going to be the *BEST* GDG book that has ever been in print! So get yours TODAY ;)

Can't wait! :D
--Rocky

Long time no draw!

2011-04-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since an update, huh? Let me tell you about some work-in-progress yarnbombing crochet work, and then show you pics of the show, afterwards :)

_{I also have a call for yarn and/or collaboration for the up-coming yarnbomb of my CAR!!! Here is a guide (if you decide to make some squares) that might help, too!}

~~~

For the past two months, I prepared for yet another large yarnbombing. If you read my blog, you might remember the show in September 2010, where I yarnbombed a whole magazine stand (check out the only photo of me posing by it once it was completed).

Anyway, if you follow me on Twitter, you would see that I had posted lots of updates of my WIP.

Here, lemme show you!

Here are some bright colors I grabbed. I'm trying to mimic the color scheme of my crochet hook holder case I made:

Here are some square ideas I played around with:

I really liked the idea of alternating the squares:

But at this point, I had no idea what I was going to yarnbomb. Eek!

~~~

What I do know, is that I've got to yarnbomb my car by June 18th!!!

So I made a bunch of pink granny squares:

What do I do with these squares!? Well, after visiting the venue (Tierra de la Culebra down in Highland Park) I saw a wooden swing and a tire swing. PERFECT!

Pink swing, here we come:

~~~

Okay, enough of WIP. Here's how the final turned out!

You can see the car in the background. That's the car I will yarnbomb in June!!

I didn't mention that I did about 3 more yarnbombs in the area. But because I didn't take too many pictures, you'll just have to go back and find out for yourself! Here's a pic of the handrail I did, which is around the corner from the swings:

I worked this one with granny squares, crochet, and knitloom!

~~~

Ok, picture bomb time!

(Sorry, but the swing yarnbombs are already taken town. Everything else is still up though!)

Alejandro Lee (my business partner and good friend), Me, Miguel (my husband), Tesla C (her work is also in the show!!!)

Look at that deathgrip she's got on the Cutie I made her!

And speaking of which, lemme show you more pictures of the Cuties (California Mandarin Oranges) I made:

(yes, I still have some more left, too!)
Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoyed my adventures in crochet! I've got to get back to DRAWING :) Alejandro and I are attending the Gaslight Gathering (Steampunk Convention). I'm halfway done with Chapter 2 of Heroes&Bandits! So stay tuned for more fun!! <3

Xena Week! April 4-10

2011-03-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

In a time of ancient Gods..

As some of you know, I'm a HUUUGE Xena fan! I loove this showwww.... DAMMIT. <3 For the longest time I wanted to be Xena (I still do DAMMIT)

And for those of you who don't know--BUTSHOULD--I'm like.. the biggest xena fan. DAMMIT. I even had a website called ~~Rocky's Xena Page~~...... _{howembarassing}

I think the funniest thing is that I thought Xena and Gabby were totally just friends. I still strongly believe that....!!! But then again, I think it was this whole show that probably turned me all bifurious and such ;)

Woman POWER!

Btw. That round killing thing is a CHAKRAM!! _{fufufufu my first email was roundkillingthing@yahoo.com... I even searched online and tried to find Lucy Lawless and sent her an email telling her I was her biggest fan.. BAHHHAHAHA what a nerd!}

OMG I think I said too much >w<

~~~~~

ANYWAY. There is a group on DeviantArt called "Remembering-Xena". They're having a Xena Week on April 4-10. Everyday there is a different theme:

Monday: Art Noveau
Tuesday: Zodiac
Wednesday: Pin-Up
Thursday: Blood
Friday: Winter
Saturday: Outer Space
Sunday: Rhythm

Honestly, I don't understand how some of them got chosen...! I have something ready for Monday, but that's basically it. Just too darn'ed busy with a lot of work going on right now.. But I thought I'd share that with y'all! Would love to see what some of you draw up :)

Son Jarocho

2011-03-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

iEso!
_{This is something someone says to encourage the singer to continue... Sort of like "great job!" or "keep it up!" The musicians would say this to one another--Sometimes someone from the audience would say it.}

Son Jarocho is a musical style of performance and/or dance that comes from Veracruz. It's fairly new to Los Angeles, and has a growing number of people who are interested in learning this type of music.

Last year, I spent a lot of time going to Fandangos, where big groups of men and women would either dance sapateado (It's very traditional to have a flowy dress and/or use a special shawl to dance with) or play music! The name for these gatherings are called fandango~ If it's smaller, or less informal, fandangito.

The jarochos play music on various instruments.... The jarana is very similar to a ukelele... There are a few different strings. These jaranas also vary in size, and names! For instance, if you're a beginner, you would probably start with a jarana primera. If you want to do solos, you would be playing with a requinto (it is much smaller, and has a higher tone).

Not to mention the quijada, which is a DONKEY JAW!
_{8D JAWESOME, HUH?}

Sometimes there are harpists, someone playing a cajon, or even a marimbol (the marimbol and the quijada are usually the instruments I [try] to play whilst a fandango is going on)~

And there you have it!

~~~

So, if you're interested in hearing some of this music, there are TONS of neat ones on YouTube.
For instance! La Bamba sounds so much better sung traditionally (sorry Ritchie Valen! :P) Here are more of my favorites, and some other popular ones to search for:
El Pájaro Cú
El Colás
La Guanabana
La Llorona

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! :]

iUna!
_{This is sort of like a 'marker'--it signifies the end of the song. It's said when there is one last measure (Uno=one). The musicians usually say this.}

First week of February's creations!

2011-02-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

It's like I've got some SUPERWOMAN powers! (hehe I wish) I finished this little puppy dog in about 4 hours (I spent all afternoon working on it, and took time for lunch and other things.... so I'm estimating it took about that long)~

Oo and a bonus! Here's a WIP image:

Click on the picture below if you'd like to purchase this cute little 'puppy dog' at my Etsy! ;)

~~~

Since I've been doing many bunny commissions, here's another one I finished in the same week!

I love the yarn, and I'm happy how the colors turned out. Hope she likes it too! ^_^

~~~

If you're interested in getting a crocheted plushie of your own (or for someone else), feel free to send me a message at: rocky[AT]rocky-o[DOT]com

NEW Crocheted Amigurumi creations!

2011-02-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

If you're new to the blog, and are wondering what an amigurumi is, then check this out:

And last week, I worked on two amigurumi :] Here is a cuddly lion I worked off of Ana Paula Rimoli's Lion pattern featured in Crochet Today magazine.

Click on the picture below if you'd like to purchase this 'rare white lion' at my Etsy! :)

Check out this squid I crocheted, as well! All made from a pattern my own.

Click on the picture below if you'd like to purchase this 'pink squid' at my Etsy! :)

~~~

During conventions, I busy myself crocheting new things. This is one of the first squids I've made this year:

Click on the picture below if you'd like to purchase this 'white squid' at my Etsy! :)

~~~

On another note, I have been getting lots of commissions lately, to create scarfs! And for men, no less (to me, it's so much harder to do that??)~ Check out what I made for a friend's co-worker!

I made the same exact crocheted scarf for my friend, but his are done in green and grey. (Sorry, I don't have a picture of it!)

~~~

Practicing some knitting skills here! Check out this new scarf I'm working on!

I'm taking my time with knitting, since I'm used to crocheting more, and feel like knitting is much slower :P

~~~

Such an exciting month! Not only have I been commissioned to make scarves, I was recently commissioned to create a Zumbie for a little baby (which means, I had to make the eyes out of yarn, rather than real buttons--so the baby wouldn't try to eat them).

Here's what I came up with:

LOL the tag on the butt!

I'm going to make more of these tags, once I get a sewing machine to embroider the edges cleaner.

~~~

Well, off to create more comics, and crocheted toys! :D

~~~

Want to see more crocheted creations? Check out my Etsy store, Meowkernaut!

Check out my comic, Heroes&Bandits, updated EVERY TUESDAY!
Heroes&Bandits online@smackjeeves.com

Post PMX!

2011-01-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

This was a hard convention. I got sick Friday night, and by Saturday, I was a total mess. (WOW I even did somewhere around 3 commissions that day, too)~ Sunday, I was feeling better--I had to drink sooo much ginger. . . .

~~~

Hey look! It's TWO Akihikos!

W-wait.
Did Alejandro, who was just Akihiko, just turn into Mitsuru? @___@

My reliable sources tell me that Mudkips are a prized commodity~

Heyyy! It's Holley!!! (I met her at PMX ;) If you haven't checked out her awesome CUTE and KAWAII artwerks... Then you're missing out on something BIG! 8D

This adorable lolita did an interview with me on the last day. Her name's Ashford. Unfortunately--I didn't get her blog :/ (She was pretty busy that day, and probably forgot to give me the URL!)

Heyyy! It's SesshomaruLOVESme on Deviantart!!! (I met her at PMX She did the Country Lolita outfit! ;) You should check out her awesome characters she draws. They're all from a novel she's writing right now!!!

OMGARZ. Sokirawi, iWizard , and Harusokuze are the BEST company EVAR!!!! I met them through the Anime-Expo group on Deviantart. Last year, the group had a gathering in J-Town, and we all met there and had a lovely time. 8'DDD

Speaking of which! Another fellow who was at the Anime-Expo, came by. I met Mark at Anime Los Angeles as well. A SUPER SHOUTOUT TO MARK!! He was kind enough to make time to stop by the convention and say hi to me and Alejandro :] If you haven't checked out his artwork, you're missing out on some awesome MONSTERS he draws. (The Invocation of Cthulhu, much?)

And chekitout! My new fwend, Cynical Plushie on Deviantart!

We watched each other's spots. It's nice to make new buds!

~~~

Hey, look what Venomous-Cupcake commissioned me!

I had the most fun doing this commission (too bad I didn't take more pictures of what I did during this day. I was so sick on Saturday!)~ It's of her character, Samsara~!! 8D

~~~

All in all, this was another SUCCESSFUL convention. I made small goals and met them, much sooner than expected. I'm excited for the next stop on the Darn Tootin' Tour, which is probably going to be the Gaslight Gathering down in San Diego.

And remember folks,,,

The Dude abides.

Zumbies!

2010-12-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

CROCHET POST~!
Look what I created! I worked on this starting Monday night, and finished them BOTH today, earlier this afternoon!

I call 'em 'ZUMBIES'

Would you be interested in a pattern? If so, would you be ok with paying money for it?
OR
Would you rather I create a bunch, and just sell them on a place like Etsy or on DA?

Hope you enjoyed looking at these crazy critters!

Heroes & Bandits comic ONLINE
ORIGINAL CHARACTERS AND STORY by Rocky
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rocky.artist
Blog: http://rockyportfolio.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/raspberryqueen
Etsy: http://meowkernaut.etsy.com

Post PMX happiness!

2010-11-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

*yay*! Look at how our table setup came out.. many moons of planning 8D

My table buddy, Alejandro (47ness) has a photobucket with lots more photos of our table, and some cosplays!

Here's some of my photos~

I didn't realize how much of a lolita convention PMX was... there were TONS of fashionable people. Checkitout~

Country Lolita is my favorite!!!!!!

=========

I had some lovely mates across from me! I got candy from them throughout the weekend, and LOTS of great conversations were to be had.

Next to me, the lovely Kristen, who was nice enough to buy my squid I worked on during the weekend. She's a very talented artist and NURSE, even! Next year, we're both going to go to either Califur or Antheria to sell furry art! hahaha We'll see how that goes :B

Smorgasboard Productions was there of couse... and I met David once again! He commissioned me to draw anything from Supa Pirate Booty Hunt~ So I drew Zack the pirate with his axe-guitar~!! Because PIRATES + GUITARS need to happen more!!!

Miemie-chan is one of the cutest cats I met at PMX! Right from the start, I had a lot of fun chatting it up with her. I even got lots of cool swag from her, and not to mention, an art trade! 8D

ROFL I hope she doesn't mind the purikura I goofed with!

~~~
And so,

Thanks to everyone who gave me some awesome memories! I've never had so much fun at a convention before... great guests, artists and vendors!

Darn Tootin' will be at Anime LA next. See you NEXT YEAR!!!

Post Fig Knit-On

2010-10-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

As you might recall about my yarn bombing creation I was making, the Fig Knit-On show was this past Saturday. BOY was that a blast! I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked, but others were kind enough to take some lovely photos I can't wait to see (Such as Allison Achauer's photos! The gallery inside turned out more fantastical than I could have ever imagined! I'm so glad I waited that night to check out everyone else's lovely work inside... The pigeons Heather Hogan made were AMAZING, and I wish I could have taken one home :) Ellen Bloom created some awesome 'portraits' if you will, of her and her husband. They were super adorable. Though, I think amigurumi is a better title for what those plushies were :) I also really loved Beth Elliot's installations of crocheted plastic (think streamers). They were beautiful!

Would have really wanted to meet more people during the show, but I spent some time guarding my magazine stand.

Setting up that morning was a BLAST. The kind Vietnamese owners of the Nail Salon came out and spoke with me... They were amazed that I had created such a thing by hand, and was putting it out there in the public for everyone to see and feel.

I'm glad it turned out the way I was hoping!!

===

And now, a flow of some of the things I saw that morning...

Heather Hogan's flower vine.. WIP setup

Julie Keehner's trashcan cozy

WIP of setting up the yarn bombings~

Lauri Mraz's timeline sweater

Heather Hogan's pigeons sitting atop the book rack at the front of Future Studio

Amy Inouye's Chicken Boy sweater

More of Heather Hogan's birds throughout the gallery...

Sorry, I do not remember this artist.. Great work though!

Ellen Bloom standing next to her self portrait amigurumi (her and her husband)

===

To go back to the newspaper stand cozy I created... Well, at exactly 24 hours after setting the 'bomb', someone tried taking it apart! Behold...

Photo courtesy of Stuart Rapeport

Man... Somewhat devastated... Someone STOLE the yarnbombed magazinestand I created! But I suppose.... that's almost expected to happen, considering it is public art. It served it's purpose. Rest in peace granny squares!

===

Overall, the experience was worth the effort. I had so much fun, and cannot express how thankful I am to Amy and Stuart at Future Studio, as well as Heather who helped make a lot of this happen :) I look forward to doing more yarn bombing in the future. Maybe something not as big? haha

24Hr Comic Day - "Space Case"

2010-10-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

It was Oct. 2, 2010 at 12PM. 24Hr Comic Day~ At The Comic Bug down in Manhattan beach. Alejandro (47ness), Sokirawi, and even Harusokuze stopped by. We all made comics together, and probably stayed up for more than 30 hours. I finished this comic at 11:25AM the next day with enough time to spare for a cover... but my wrist was totally shot... (I spent about 2.5 hours reading Strangers in Paradise since I didn't get to read pocket book 5... Ahhh it was so good! I finished it about 2/3rds of the way when I realized I only had 4 more hours to go)
My goddess was that fun! *0*

This is where I created Space Case.
Space Case is a 25 page sci fi story about two people starting a new life in space (on a new planet, Gisele 581)... literally.

Enjoy!

Fig Knit-On

2010-10-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

As a lot of you know, I've wanted always wanted the yarn bombing (knit graffiti) trend to come to LA, like it already has all over the world. And now it's FINALLY here! Check out my artwork along with many many others who will be "tagging" Figueroa in front of Future Studio! The studio will also have knit/crochet artwork inside :) Next Saturday!!

Here are some examples of past yarn bombs done all over the world. The bus has been my inspiration from the START.

Aaaaand for those of you who are super curious to know a little bit about the work I will be showing (it will only be up during the day and for most of the night... Unless someone else takes it down?)~ Here's a few snapshots of my Newsstand cozy:

And here's a shot to give you an idea of how big it is:

I worked on MOST of this over the past month D: I can't believe I did so many granny squares! I'm ready to fall over!

~~~

On another note, I'm getting hyped for tomorrow. It'll be 24HR Comic Day~ What a challenge! So much going on, and so little time. So remember to mark your calendars for the Yarn Bombing extravaganza called "Fig Knit-On"! :]

Wild West Research still in action

2010-09-03T15:22:00.001-07:00

I meant to upload this SOONER! Sorry for delays :P

Introducing the TWINS: Mary and Maria. Both who(m) will be part of a new story arc for my comic, Heroes & Bandits.

Man, the research that went into these characters was SO MUCH FUN. I learned about Siam, and about Chan and Eng--One of the FIRST popular twins, and also so happen to be in the entertainment business (circus). Since they were both popular and from Siam, the name "Siamese twins" stuck,... and whenever any twins would gain popularity, they would be deemed "siamese twins" :B Interesting, no?

Anyway, since these twins aren't technically "Siamese", they are from Paris! So I guess they'd be called Parisian twins?.... These two characters are based off of something that happened IRL when trying to form our Gothic Country band, Rambling Rose and the Bitter Rodeo: We held an audition for two new positions... accordion and banjo. Out of all the people who seemed interesting enough, two girls stuck out and one was Mary, the other, Maria. It was super confusing since they both wouldn't mind being called Mary.
...Ok so maybe the re-telling of that story wasn't as funny as I thought.

I do hope that you think these two will be interesting though, for the comic. They are conjoined at the HAIR. And no, cutting it off would mean DEATH! I have a silly routine they will be doing as a show. But I don't think they'll be playing those accordions and banjos... It isn't quite fitting into the groove right now :<

Onto my harmonica-playing knife-throwing brown character of mine! I don't really want to name him "Bandito", that's just a placeholder for now :( He will also be a part of the new story arc for my comic, Heroes & Bandits.

I have yet to illustrate it, but the harmonicas he plays fold out into "butterfly knifes" (Example) which he can use for throwing during the Trick Shot show! Based off of my dearest gojisaur, Miguel; he's one bad-@$$ harp player IRL

FULL VIEW PLZ - And don't forget to scroll to the RIGHT>>> There is quite a bit to see. I thought I'd change things up a bit.
Also, please let me know if it's too annoying to scroll to the right. I thought this would be the best way to present this work (side by side) rather than top to bottom.

===

HOMG. This was a super fun week. This isn't even all of my sketches! Just a few favorite pages of mine that I doodled up in the morning. See, I'm much more of a *morning* worker rather than a night crawler! ^^;

It starts off with Wild West/Desert scenes. I was looking at a lot of videos on youtube of Spagetti Western clips, western-inspired songs and commercials... And a lot of clips from a PC game called Outlaw.

Then I move over to wagon drawing. Sorry Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus! I might have to steal ideas from you and Abril Despedacado!!!! :heart:

OMG. Here I realize that my ring leader isn't scary enough. Rob Zombie inspiration, much? ^_^ I also work on Fannie to look a little more gothic lolita, so I can fit the gothic country theme :)

Umm, and the rest is a secret research for another story arc. Lemme give you a hint: The Cramps~

hahaha I hope you enjoyed this insanity!

SUPER Post-San Diego Comic Con 2010

2010-08-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at this year's Comic Con. It took me a while to write a post about it due to SO MANY things happening right when I came home. I'm in the middle of getting our wedding arranged as well as doctors and dentist appointments before the insurance expires :O

Anyway, onto some fun pictures!

Interesting little specimen, hmm?

I loved these GIGANTIC posters!

Becky and Frank were AWESOME! All three of us had a lovely conversation about New Zealand and Indians and playing cards. Plus Frank gave me a glow stick!!!

Don't forget to find Becky and Frank's work through Tiny Kitten Teeth at these fine locations:
TinyKittenTeeth.com | PocketOwl on DeviantArt | Tiny Kitten Teeth on Facebook

Since I was only at SDCC for one day, I tried to get to as many panels as I could. And the only one during that day that *really* sparked my interest (I'm not into seeing celebs), was attending the 24 Hour Comics Panel. I met some awesome artists there, who shared some lovely tips and tricks... Check out my silly doodles and notes I did during the panel:

Check out Ryan's website, ElephantEater.com! (And to get a glimpse of what he looks like)

As everyone knows, the exhibit hall is such a great place to just... walk around. There is SO MUCH to see. I kept going back, and just LOVED the Toynami booth with the Mameshiba perephinelia all over the place!!!

This was actually my FIRST stop. They ran out of the green Mame's on the second day!??!?! T_T

And to top off the day, I met a LOT of awesome dames who dressed to impress!! Checkit out!!!

~~~

Well, after the con, I stayed at Fluffikitten's and C4tsPajamas house... Too bad Fluffi didn't come with to SDCC. She makes a GREAT Harley Quinn!

Anyway. Onto our art jam!!!

We had to draw C4t's character... Which I cannot remember his name right now ;__;

Then onto a raver kitten named Lunchbox

And here I cheated by not showing the jam for my character, Rahki. Instead, here is some lineart *w*

~~~

I had so much fun at Comic Con! I can't wait for next year. So far, it hasn't disappointed me, and I look forward to more years at this extraordinary convention!!! :]

Wild Western Show-women

2010-07-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Attention ladies and germs! As you know, I'm having the circus come to town... (Above is my silly little ringleader, whom I haven't quite gotten the name for, yet) And for the record, this is no ordinary circus show. It's a Wild West Show!!!

Through lots of research concerning my Wild West Circus story arc (Heroes & Bandits), I stumbled upon some fascinating information about some popular Women Trick Shots!!

Florence Campbell was one of the famous women trick shots in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show... Trick shots, for those who may not know, are shots that are a bit "tricky" to do. Such as, instead of facing a 30 pace target head on, the shooter would still stand 30 paces away, but face the opposite direction and use a mirror to shoot. Though, trick shots could practically be anything that is "tricky" to shoot. Like, lying down, shooting from the floor... Better yet, just look at these fun photos:

Annie Oakley is one of the YOUNGEST trick shooters ever[I think]!!! Apparently she started when she was 12, and joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Chief Sitting Bull (who was good friends with Bill, and who was also well treated and paid) was also a part of the show. He was super fascinated by young Annie, and was good friends with her. Part of the reason why Chief Sitting Bull joined the show, was mostly so that he could watch Annie perform her trick shots. Bill made sure every time Annie was on, Chief Sitting Bull had a clear view of Annie performing :)

Annie was so talented, she could shoot a pipe out of a man's mouth from 30 paces away!

Click here for one of the many sites I got some information (and awesome photos) about Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

And so, in my story there is a young parallel, Fannie Boakley, who is 13.. A little too old for world-wide audience's attention. ; w ;

At least she's just as talented [if not MOREso] as Annie Oakley! ;)

Post-Anime Expo Experience

2010-07-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Holy sheez! I had such a roller coaster ride this past weekend at Anime Expo 2010. @w@

This year, I shared a table with Alejandro Lee (http://47ness.deviantart.com/) and Julie Valentine (http://serikaarenai.deviantart.com/)

Honestly, I don't know what to think. compared to last year, the prices have risen quite a bit. I had to pay the amount that was full price at the door for last year (which was $60 for a 4 day ticket), when normally at the time that I paid, it would have been around $35. :( Also, on the forums, I noticed the staff was trying to point out that there were possibilities of having less/more artists, smaller/larger tables next year. Though, based on the new rules this year, seems like things might go for the worse for artists next year.

===
Day 1

Off to a great start! Our setup was much better and snazzier than Fanime, and right off the bat, we can tell that people noticed our booth and were flocking over. We handed out some lovely fliers and met some lovely faces. It had to have been around noontime, when the rush came. I remember two separate people came up to the booth asking about our comics. I handed comics out, what I thought was in a *clear voice*: "Please look through these. Ask me if you have any questions :)" The first gal looked through and handed back the comic. The second person was still flipping through, so I decided to go back to what I was doing (which was a commission at the time). About two seconds later, I look up, and realize the second person was GONE and wasn't anywhere in the vicinity. Alejandro was just getting back from his break. I told him what happened, and like a dummy, realized I should have gone after said person.

Did they REALLY steal my comic? Or did they misunderstand me?! I mean, jeez, I told them to look through, not to take it for free D:<

I couldn't find the person, and alas, I had a loss.

~~~

Shortly after, I saw Elsa (http://blithegirl.deviantart.com/) and felt bad for being so angsty about someone stealing my shiz. Went to security, notified them, and really couldn't do much more. The con was SUPER BUSY for being a first day. I did more commissions for the day, and all was OK.

===
Day 2

Wow. What a day. I started off, not having all the stickers printed for a friend's booth (we were doing a scavenger hunt. Collect all the stickers on this sheet! There were four stickers). And I had to go to AJ's house and print stuff through his printer (my printer had no ink). Wow, last minute, much!?!?!?

Went to the house to pick up the office depot discount card,.. Went to office depot and bought CYAN. Went home, and realized "I BOUGHT THE WRONG ONE" aughhh, so I went back and wanted to trade for PHOTO CYAN. . . They were out of stock. auughghghg, so I went to ANOTHER office depot, and all was well.

I went back home, did the printing, and also finished up the commission I had leftover from the day before! *w* scanned it in, and had all my prints, and went off to the con. I think I started this whole process at 9AM. And being tired from the day before, I didn't really get to the convention until about 1PM. I handed off the stickers, and more fliers for everyone. Yay!

Yay times two, since our next door table people decided to take Friday off. So I was able to spread my comics out and grab more peoples' attention to our booth! Got another commission that day, so while I was doodling said artwork.... I look up and a whole stack of my comics DISAPPEARED.

Why would people choose to do this to me!? Honestly! ;__;

This was too much. angst angst angst, why am I at Anime Expo, blah blah blah. I came back and finished the rest of the day, not really finishing the second commission due to all the commotion and lack of security Artist Alley was apparently having.

Went to a Persona 3 photoshoot afterward (which means we closed shop a little early), and we made a ton of cool friends. We ate out at a ramen house, and tried to keep our spirits up.

===
Day 3

Totally snazzed up the table to over 9000!

This was a cool day, considering there were twice as many people as before, and I got to have a handful of commissions. But unfortunately, not as many as I normally get for a Saturday at at convention. Which also brings me to not really want to go to AX next year. . . .

Anyway, I met a bunch of my DA buddies on this day, and made new friends as well :) I met Lanny (lannyworld.com), the awesome peeps at Frost Studios (frostudios.com), talented crocheter AmiAmour (amiamour.com), and grew closer with our behind table buddies, DJ [+his sister] (http://darkkenjie.deviantart.com/). Not to mention I saw Elsa again, along with Yasemin (http://www.artofyasemin.com/), and Janet (http://jandruff.deviantart.com/)

Fun day, fun friends, let's hope this day never ends. @w@;

But it did

===
Day 4

Wow. Finally, the con is going to be over!

...

Then it was! Slow day, but still enjoyable. We decided to go out to eat in Pasadena. Then we picked up the PS2 from AJ's house and headed over to mine, where we played Persona 3 all night. And ate cookies. And saw fireworks out of the window. It was special *w*

Dropped Julia off at her hotel and said goodbye ;_;

And that's that~

Post-Fanime Experience...

2010-06-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, this past weekend was FanimeCon 2010 up in San Jose. I live down in LA area, so it was quite a drive to get up there!!! My partner, Alejandro Lee and I were super stoked and had a fun time!

Well, I don't want to get tooo much into details, so I'll just show a bunch of crazy pictures I took! :]

The last three are of the Artist Alley at Fanime 2010

Me at the table :B This was the last day,,, I took over the table beside us so we can show up more of our comics, big framed stuff, and to overall get more attention to our lonely corner!

Onto some drawings~

Here are some commissions I did... I really wanted to include a photo of the commission I did with: "Two beatnik vampires drinking coffee at a french cafe in San Fran"~ Oh well!

Let's go onto more cosplay photos,,,

HEE~ Alejandro is the dressed as the guy in green hair XD

POKEMON LUV <3 Pikachu is my friend, Kim, from my Art Center days *w*;

Let's move on outside...

HAY, it's the Adobe building headquarters!!! I didn't know whether to hug it, or to smash it's windows D:

Cool wolf statues on the sidewalk, across the street~

~~~

Now for some fun traveling photos!!! :]

Berry stand! You can see me trying to get some oranges :3

HAHA BUTT MOUNTAIN!

hehe; so this is what it really looks like ;B

haha I hope you enjoyed the craziness!!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!! <3 <3 <3

Back to the Drawing Board!!!

2010-05-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

It's so nice borrowing my friends' Cintiq ;) It helps me get some of my digital inking done so much faster/easier!

Working on my Heroes&Bandits comic. Think: Gothic + Country Western. :3 You'll recognize the three characters from some pages in my Portfolio. These thumbnails are some of my page layouts I had in mind... a little tweaking and I've got about 10 pages set for the first chapter.

And yes! This poster was actually used to advertise my ol' band for one of our shows.

Well, back to the drawing board!

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature: UniqueDesignsbyMsP

2010-05-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by the small inventory this shop holds... There are great treasures to be found ;) Here are a few of my favorites from UniqueDesignsbyMsP:

Mother's Bracelet (Zircon/Dec) - Don't let the month fool you! I've always believed that stones had magical energy, and even if they belong to someone else's birth month, doesn't take away at energy or the beauty it holds! :)

A Taste of Berry - The title makes me hungry! These are super colorful and run all the way up to the elbow!

Heaven and Earth - Don't you love the colors!? :]

Mother's Bracelet (Ruby/July) - Another great find, just in time for Mother's Day! :)

Other places to find Paula:
UniqueDesignsbyMsP's Blog
UniqueDesignsbyMsP's Etsy

Summer Convention (tour)

2010-04-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! The spring/summer convention season is practically started! As Meowkernaut of the First Order, I'm preparing for some funkadelic flights. Also declare that I shall be present at these fine locations:

Fanime Con - May 28, 2010 - May 31, 2010; San Jose Convention Center - Artist Alley
Anime Expo - July 1, 2010 - July 4, 2010; Los Angeles Convention Center - Artist Alley
Tentative:
Bak Anime
Comic Con LA

At both locations, I'll be sharing a table with my talented table partner, *47ness (Alejandro Lee) ! We'll be touring under the name Darn Tootin'. Who knows, it may even be our studio in the future? :]

We'll be selling:
Comics
Bookmarks
Stickers
Buttons
Meowkernauts
Hentai
And possibly more!

I look forward to possibly meeting some of you
So stay tuned for some exciting fun!

~Meowkernaut
Portfolio: [link]
Blog: [link]
Twitter: [link]
Etsy: [link]

~~~
~~~
~~~

¡Entonces, vamos a practicar Español! ¡Es la hora otra ves! Voy a ir a los siguientes eventos:

Fanime Con - May 28, 2010 - May 31, 2010; San Jose Convention Center
Anime Expo - July 1, 2010 - July 4, 2010; Los Angeles Convention Center
Posiblemente:
Bak Anime
Comic Con LA

Voy a compartir una mesa con mi amigo, *47ness (Alejandro Lee) ! Nuestra mesa se llamarà llamada Darn Tootin'. Es posible que vayamos a hacer un estudio con este nombre.

Estaremos vendiendo:
Historietas
Señaladores
Adesivos
Botones
Meowkernauts
Hentai
¡Y posiblemente más!

¡Què excitado!

Tengo ganas de conocer a algunos de ustedes, posiblemente~

~Meowkernaut
Carpeta: [link]
Blog: [link]
Twitter: [link]
Etsy: [link]

_{Eeek, I really did try this Spanish thing. Please correct me if I'm wrong! jajaja}

Post Earth Day Celebration

2010-04-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

I never got to mention what fun I had on Earth Day...

On Earth Day, I spent most of my time outside (yes, it rained too). We were transplanting a bunch of veggies from our backyard into the plot we have at the Milagro Alegro Garden.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Notice how we still have tons of lettuce and fennel! Arg; I love the idea of more plants, we just need to figure out WHERE to put them!

Here's another before-shot. There were lots of plants needing to be transplanted. Luckily we have all those pots!

Tiny little tomatoes

You can't tell much of a difference, but I took out as much as I can so that the lemon tree can grow better. We still have much work to do :/

Off to Milagro!

Carrots!

Above is a photo of a bunch of squash that decided to start growing.

Arg! Weeds that were trying to pass off as carrots. Man, it was huge!

Isn't it wonderful? Tending to plants, working the land, harvesting goods you know are safe... and to top it all off, you did the hard work yourself! ;)

It feels SUPER good to do this. I absolutely LOVE this "hobby" of mine!

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature: Blue Forest Jewelry

2010-04-29T01:49:00.000-07:00

Magical, quirky, energetic, and HANDMADE!!! Blue Forest Jewelry has a wide selection of colorful handmade jewelry.

Here's my favorites:

Lemon and Lime Lucite Flowers - Doesn't this look like it could be candy? Or maybe even coral? What great use of material! I guess you could say I love the composition :]

Unakite and Rhondoinite - I love how earthy, yet divine this necklace is!

Turquoise and Freshwater Pearl Necklace - Once again, another natural creation. Great use of colors in this piece.

Lucite Flower Earrings - This is definitely something to pick up just in time for Mother's Day! Not to mention the lovely spring and summer themed colors!

Agate, Carnelian and Pearl Bracelet - Delicious candy-looking bracelet!

It's amazing to see handmade creations with great style and color sense. Cheers to Blue Forest Jewelry!

Here's Blue Forest Jewelry on Twitter.
Don't forget to check out their Blog!

New Projects and Listings

2010-04-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

During the last part of the weekend, I had a burst of energy and started creating some new projects, and finishing some of my old ones.

Pink and Blue Crocheted Bikini - Click the picture to view more Crocheted goodies at my the Meowkernaut Etsy store!

And here's a peek at this fun new project. . .

Crocheted chess pieces!

I going to make this a whole set of black and white pieces, along with a board for travel-light fun! As expected, this is taking a little longer than I hoped; but I'm getting LOTS done in just the past two days.

Well, back to work! Enjoy the rain (well, here in SoCal), and stay warm and dry :]

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature: Waterwaif

2010-04-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

I love finding other creatives on Etsy who not only create merchandise,,, but also create ARTWORK!!! Check out this Etsian - Waterwaif's paintings and jewelry! Here are a few of my favorites:

Drops of Aqua Cluster Earrings - She made these just YESTERDAY! Isn't that amazing? I love the subtle play of blue and orange.

Blue Opal Crystal Charm Bracelet - She only has a FEW bracelets beautiful crafted such as this one!! I think these are some of her strongest pieces :)

Turquoise and Red Love Bird Cardinals - Aww, I wish I could see more paintings by her! But as an artist, I understand it takes times for these things hehe~ But like the bracelets, there are only a FEW listed, so grabbing one would be ideal ;)

Carnelian Freshwater Pearldrop Earrings - Pearls! Need I say more?

Hot Pink Chalcedony Gold Pendant - This looks good enough to EAT! <3

Besides Waterwaif's Etsy shop, find Waterwaif at these other fine links:
Waterwaif Blog - She even holds valuable sales information! A must-follow! Don't forget Twitter and Facebook!

German Chocolate Love

2010-04-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Warning! Super long post with lots and lots o' pictures!!! - Just trying to catch up on the past few days with no new posts.

~~~

I finally got my package from my swap partner (super late for a March swap, huh?) Ropetrix on Ravelry.com sent me some AWESOME things from Germany!

Man, DO I LOVE RITTER SPORT! <3 But besides German chocolate, here's my favorite part!

A turtle dove! Haha, get it? The theme was "hybrid animals". I sent her a polar bear you might remember me posting a while back.. I added wings, though, to fit the hybrid theme.

~~~

A very small ammount of you readers may know that I own quails! I thought I'd spend some time to actually share what our backyard is looking like right now...

Aren't my little "pea peas" so cute? :] I love calling them that! hehe~ As for these strawberries, my were they delicious!

So, the strawberries are located here...

We're running out of space under the lemon tree. The gardeners were giving suggestions, and what it boils down to, is that this beautiful little area is going to be cleared out soon! At least I'll keep my strawberries put... All the other plants (tomatoes, onions, lettuce, fennel, yams, chard, etc) will probably be transplanted to our other garden in Milagro Alegro.

~~~

Back to my love of yarn!

Look at what I've been collecting over the past 2 weeks. . .

I'm thinking of making a vest with a turtleneck collar. . . Here, it's better to show my drawings I had in mind:

I have nowhere NEAR the ammount of yarn for my original itent... so I think I'm going to go for something more like the idea next to it on the left. I'm so stoked!

And so... I should run off and do these ideas before I start posting more and more and more... and more...

giveaway: ♥elycia

2010-04-16T10:58:00.001-07:00

Noo, I'm not holding the giveaway, but you can view more about the LoveElycia giveaway here!

Here is more about LoveElycia:
Hi I'm elycia. I am a girl who lives in a basement. I have 1 boyfriend and 2 cats. I love being creative.

My indie business journey starts In 2008 when I took the knitting skills I learned from my grama as a little girl and started making knit and felted purses decorated with cute felt designs. I always signed my gifts ♥elycia so I thought it would be a cute business name. It was like I was giving people little gifts made with love.

In late 2009 I made myself a headband...and then another one...and another one. Pretty soon I had way too many headbands with ideas for more floating around in my head. After some thought I decided to reopen my etsy shop and now I love making and sharing my little creations with everyone.

I love drawing so I have been making myself some 'helpers', the girls who represent my headbands. Each type of headband is associated with a unique girl who has a cute personality and story. I am super excited about my future plans to expand into different products involving my girls, stay tuned!

I have developed a love of blogging and I really enjoy sharing my journey with everyone. Thanks so much to anyone who is interested and I hope to see you all again soon!

LoveElycia is also a bud of mine I found through Boosting Etsy Street Team :] You can also find her on Twitter and on Facebook.

Have fun, and good luck joining in this awesome giveaway hosted by the snazzy My Girl Thursday!

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature: MissPrettyPerfect

2010-04-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Talk about handmade!!! MissPrettyPerfect has some beautiful and sassy purses at her Etsy store! I actually want to learn to make my own purses,,,I just don't think I could pull it off the way she's got it down :) Here are some of my favorites:

Petite Messenger Pouch - Juicy Grape and Raspberries - I can imagine a younger me using this bag for everything :)

Texas Bluebells

Miss Rosa Gathered Wristlet - This is such a wonderfully crafted leather handbag! (Good price for leather, too)

Sasha Sling, Custom Order - This is super awesome! I think it's great that shops have the option for customers to order a custom item.

Indian Princess Blouse - These blouses are made to order, just like the bags I linked up above. I love the design and use of fabric, too! :)

For more information on where to find Miss Pretty Perfect, check out these links...
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/missprettyperfect
Blog: http://www.missprettyperfect.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/toiyah
Video: http://www.youtube.com/missprettyperfect1

Post Art Market

2010-04-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

WOW! Thanks to everyone who came out on a semi-drizzled day to support the starving artists out there. The Pasadena Art Market was a BLAST, and I even got rid of almost ALL my inventory (well, my crocheted inventory!)

Here are some pics :)

Here's a quick preview of Miguel's Art:

And here are those stickers I slaved on this past week:

Don't forget ART TRADING!

I used leftover granny squares from my bikini and created some gloves at the market!

We were so busy manning the tables, it was hard to get away and take more pictures. Or get away to art swap ;) I got some AWESOME yarn from a yarn spinner down the way, and also traded some crocheted goodies and stickers with other fellow artists at the market! It was a lot of fun. Can't wait for October!

Friendly reminder!

2010-04-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Don't be shy! Come out to the Art+Design Open Market tomorrow to check out some awesome artwork by Art Center College of Design Students, and Pasadena City College students! (This time, I'm the latter~)

I worked real hard making new stickers, and the image of this lovely Naga is just a sample of what I have to show you :> So if you have the time, I'd love it if you stopped by and said hello!

Lost Half

2010-04-08T15:21:00.001-07:00

Finally, got a lot of sketching out of the way, and I'm working on the inking part. But where are the Mermaids and Satyrs?

Right here!

Mermaids - Christopher Columbus claimed to have seen mermaids when he landed in "America"

Satyrs - Usually depicted as male, these pesky creatures are lighthearted and playful.

I'll try not to spoil the rest of the fun... And I hope to see you at the Pasadena Art Market!

Preparing for the Art Market

2010-04-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Drew this Sunday, colored Monday :P Isn't Easter stuff weird?

I hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend with lots of egg-eating and chocolates! I had fun with some relatives while playing drunk scrabble (I think I was the only sober one). I even got some crocheting fitted into all the fun, too! :)

~~~

On another note, I'm slowly but surely getting my sticker ideas done. Here are two of the types of mythical creatures I had in mind for my sticker/stationary set...

Nagas - Snake women that tend to be prevalent in role playing video games.

Sphinxes - Based off of a design Claire Wendling drew.

Before you know it, the images will be done... I just don't know how I'm going to get stickers out of them. . . >:B I got Mermaids done as well, and I'm moving onto Satyrs!

So don't forget to stop by the Pasadena Art Walk this upcoming Sunday!

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature: Gilliauna

2010-04-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Want a colorful addition into your life? Gilliauna's Bits n' Beads is the Etsy store to check out! With a wide range of beaded works, I had to come to a hard decision and show some of my favorites ones from her store!

Handmade Beaded Earrings - Floating Peonies - YES! You heard that right. It's all HANDMADE. Isn't this amazing? Beautifully colored jewelry arranged in sleek design fit for a queen.

Handmade Beaded Wrist Cuff - I love it when big and beautiful stones are well designed into jewelry that doesn't look gaudy or unfashionable. Great work on this bracelet!

Handmade Charm Bracelet and Earrings set - This must be very fun to wear :)

Handmade Beaded Eyeglasses Holder - I love how she titled it "Loosing My Marbles".

Handmade Beaded Choker - This is another beautiful piece... Don't forget to click on the link to view more!

+Fan Gilliauna on Facebook to catch the latest news and sales. Or +Follow Gilliauna on Twitter!

Various stages of crocheting...

2010-04-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be fun to take a gander at my "working station" over the past few months of crocheting...

Here's where it all started... or maybe right after it had all started. I'm learning how to make "booties" here, from a good friend who is from the AMAR collective.

I watch Sailor Moon while I crochet :]

I guess from those photos, you can see that I really like wearing that green knit jacket. It's very warm and soft.

Remember? I DRAW! Haha, I've been having so much fun crocheting. And it helps since I'm not quite fully recovered yet.

It's never fun trying to undo a knot of yarn~

~~~

Look what I finished today! A little amigurumi polar bear :D

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature: Gardenmis

2010-03-31T21:37:00.001-07:00

With beautiful and sweet designs, Gardenmis has a simple design that anyone can fall in love with!

Here are a few of my favorites...

Frayed Flower Brooch

Aztec Adventure - Okay so maybe I'm favoring this so much since it's got the word "Aztec" in it... I can't help it if the amazon in me is coming out! :)

Rosette Hairclip

Handmade Brooch - Now this is a FANTASTIC example of great design!!! I love the materials and how they're working so great together :D

This charming creation isn't for sale, unfortunately...But I thought I'd share it since it's got such creative design! I love how it's a flower made with a ZIPPER! Great work, huh!!! :)

Be sure to find Gardenmis here or on Etsy!

Final Product - Granny Square Bikini

2010-03-31T15:42:00.001-07:00

Final Product - Granny Square Bikini
Originally uploaded by raspberi

I finally finished it! My Granny Square Bikini!! :) I had to improvise the design I found in a Spanish Crocheting book. . . I got confused with the metric measurements (including the different hook sizes and yarn). So a lot of this really came from my head.

Even though I'm still getting better from surgery (and am not certain as to exactly WHEN I'll be wearing this. . . IF I have the confidence to, either)~ I can't wait to try it on. :]

Here's to hoping that you had a lovely Craft Month/National Crochet Month this past March. Happy Hooking!

Cheers!

Feeding Frenzy!

2010-03-30T21:18:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by raspberi

This past weekend was a BLAST! I had a super fun time making a goat cheese and asparagus quiche. I also made veggie and chicken patties for the BBQ we had this past Saturday. I wish I had more photos to share of the good, healthy and delicious food that was created. . . But I guess you'll have to use your imagination :)

~~~

Besides food, I've been helping Miguel come up with a new website! Check it out if you have the chance. . . I'm loving his fun and creative animations :D

~~~

Today's post is kind of short... But stay tuned! I'll be doing another Etsy feature this week :)

Creature Feature!

2010-03-26T01:44:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing away at 2AM... I can't wait! I'm just too excited! I finally FINALLY finished this commission my friend asked for... Ryo Ohki, the Easter basket!

For those of you who don't know, this is what Ryo Ohki looks like:

She's a cute "Cabbit" from the anime series, Tenshi Muyo! I'm just so happy about how it came out. I had to re-do a lot of the parts for this basket, and wanted to call it quits. But having eyes that just didn't look right... I had to do it over just once more to get it down perfectly! And there you have it.... A fuzz bucket!

Now, it's onto making some other amigurumi creations of sorts. I do have a TON of orange yarn. . . .

~~~

I'm gearing up for the Art Market, as well as some Anime Conventions coming up. Fanime, and Anime Expo are around the corner, and I want to draw out SOME comic... I have 2 in mind. One is definitely an on-going series, while the other one, I'd like to keep under 24 pages :) The 24 page story probably wouldn't fit in with the kind of crowd that goes to these conventions, though. . .

Anyway, here's some merchandise ideas I had for this year. (Doodled this up on Wednesday) Mythical creatures!

Sphinx, Naga, Satyr, Mermaid! And who knows what else!!!

Open Market and Sunshine

2010-03-23T19:42:00.001-07:00

That's right! The Pasadena Open Market is BACK. Sorry to give false alarm a while back. I guess Pasadena also decided to just call it "Open Market" once again? Rather than "Art+Design Open Market"?

No matter! I'll be there happily selling some Crochex creations, as well as some artwork, as usual! :) If the stars align correctly, I may even have my adult comic done by then...
_{Surprise surprise?}

It's such an exciting time of the year. Not only am I planning on selling there, but also planning on attending/selling at Anime Expo 2010 as well as Fanime Con if things work out properly. My good buddy, Alejandro Lee will be dining with me yet again!!! He and I have grand dreams of traveling the world (eventually) and selling comics as well as our artistic services. It's a dream of mine to do traveling like that~ I love conventions, and I love the idea of doing at-con sketches! I can't wait for the convention season to kick in!~ I just have to finish all the things I'm working on ; . ;

~~~

Speaking of which! A friend of mine commissioned me to create a bunny basket based on the character Ryo Ohki. Boy, this was a challenge. This was definitely one of the hardest things I had to create (Jirachi is still one of the first hardest)!

~~~

I have a few Thanks go give out!

First, to Thea for nominating me for the Sunshine Award!

It's so awesome of you to be thinking of me, Thea! I appreciate the nomination... Never got a blog award before :] It'd be awesome if she got one, considering she makes AWESOME scrumbles and felting projects! Constantly working with yarn (which I love oh so much) and baking goodies, Thea has a lot of great things to share with the blog community and the internet, in general :*)

Now, I nominate these wonderful individuals and their blogs!
Yasemin's Art Blog
Candice Lee
Ho Who?
Janstuff
Funny Cute
Aubergine Verde
The Tuna Blog
Els-a-Sketch
Becoming X
The Meandering Musings of a Consummate Shopper
Light Keeping
Poppy Luxe Designs

Here are the rules for accepting the Sunshine award:
1. Place the logo within your blog or post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within the post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

. . .

And I can't forget to give a big thanks to Guilliauna for the thoughtful writeup on her blog about my Etsy! :] _{I guess all those years of Art Center stressing PRESENTATION is finally paying off? :B}

Weekly Etsy Botique Feature

2010-03-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to feature Lightkeeping! I love the Czech designs of her beads/jewelry, and coming from Ireland, these creations are definitely unique!

Lilac Czech Glass Flowers & Leaves Earrings

Teal Jade Cluster Earrings

Purple Flat Czech Glass Bracelet

Lily Earrings and Pendant

Flowery orange lampwork and coral necklace Hehe, this includes a lovely poem to go along with the jewelry!

It's great to see such colorful jewelry. Springtime is around the corner, so this would be a great buy! Not to mention, that a lot of the jewelry is also very affordable, too :) I'm definitely thinking of getting some for myself~ Especially since a lot of these creations are very authentic and unique!!!

Follow Friday for Poppy Luxe Designs!

2010-03-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sew Dandee for doing the awesome feature about my artwork and Etsy shop! It's so great to have wonderful BEST members to help support you :)

So, for my Follow Friday, I was going to pay forward the love to Poppy Luxe Designs (Formerly known as Karmascrafts).

I'd like to share some of my favorite items in her shop:

Check out this listing! (Bridesmaid Upcycled Mason Jar)

Check out this listing! (Southern Belle Upcycled Mason Jar)

Check out this listing! Too bad it's reserved, but at least you can take a gander at this beautiful box!

Check out this listing! (Lovebirds Jewelry Box) Such a simple design well executed!

It's simple creation with such a great presentation like these that make me wonder what else the handmade/diy community can share with the world! It's also great to see upcycled creations. Not sure how many of you know, but I try my BEST *no pun intended* to save the world and recycle/upcycle as much much MUCH as I can!

So check out PoppyLuxeDesigns on Etsy, to see more of her colorful creations, and follow her on Twitter!

Old Sketchbooks...

2010-03-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Looking through my old stash, I found some fun drawings! And also found out that in my senior term, I blazed through 3 sketchbooks, easily! :o What a crazy ride that was... And to my surprise, I didn't realize how much I liked to draw sexy women

On a side note... Is this content considered mature? I might need to change my blog in the future. . .

~~~
While perusing the internet, I found an awesome advertisement made in Belgium. Talk about YARN BOMBING!

really liking the orange Lion Brand Yarn I got

As for me crochet-wise, I've got some new yarn from some lovely swaps last month. I'm really liking the orange Lion Brand Yarn I got. I just don't quite know what to create with sport weight yarn. I've always wanted some, too! I've got 3 skeins of the same color, but don't really know what to create? This tends to happen (me receiving tons of yarn), so maybe some project down the line I'll figure out exactly what it'll work for!

Finished a new pair of gloves the other day, too. Unfortunately, my camera isn't working so it'll be a while until I can post up new things on my Etsy store. . .

Food food FOOD!

2010-03-12T13:09:00.001-08:00

Lately, I've been feeling like making more baked goodies, again. As you know, I absolutely LOVE to make cookies :] Recently, I shared with ya'll the swap that I did with ndfox on Ravelry. She sent me a packet of red velvet cupcake mix along with some cream cheese spread.

The other day, Miguel made the mix and we flew over to the Highland Theater with my good friend, Alejandro Lee, and watched Alice in Wonderland.

Alice had BEAUTIFUL costume designs. I had fun looking at the Red Queen's head, too. But other than that, I couldn't really get myself to say I loved the movie. I suppose you have to just watch it ;P

Poor Alice. Too much eye-poking for my liking :P

Anyway.... Thea mentioned VAMPIRE COOKIES!!!

Common, how cool is THAT!??! :E

The Odd Couple

2010-03-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who does a comic called The Odd Couple. About two girls who have almost nothing in common, dorm together in college. One is super smart, and the other is super.... hmm, you should just check the comic out! :P

~~~

The days seem to be going by slow, but I'm seeing that I'm getting work done. Remember I mentioned some amazons?

Well, they're more like cave girls... I haven't been able to find any meat around these parts, and thought I'd express that through the hunt for rabbits... better 'n nuttin', eh?

Cupcake Amigurumi Swap!

2010-03-09T14:20:00.001-08:00

Cupcake Amigurumi Swap!
Originally uploaded by raspberi

This is the lovely package I recieved from ndfox on Ravelry.com… THANK YOU SO MUCH! (Note, this is excluding the Red Velvet cake mix + cheese frosting) hehehe You are so thoughtful! :3 It's so nice to be part of gift-swapping!

See, you don't need Christmas or any other Hallmark holidays to give things to people!

Bikinis in the winter

2010-03-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

I found a granny square bikini pattern in a Spanish crochet book... Lots of translating!! All of the patterns are VERY abbreviated, so I had to just make do with what I already had, and what I sort of know when it comes to improvising :]

Loving how the top part turned out!!! Now it's off to working on the bottom half of this bikini!

~~~

In the meanwhile, I continue to sketch up some cave-women looking amazons. More to come, soon!

Early spring cleaning

2010-03-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

WOW! Each day has more and more life to our lovely planet (enough earthquakes, already!)--I'm also feeling more energized, as the days since my surgery increase over time. I've been continuing this crocheting fanaticism, and have added some goodies to my Etsy shop! Check out some of the gloves I haven't posted on this blog--at my shop!!

So, this morning, I woke up and started crocheting Tinyowl's Rosy Wristlettes Pattern. I replaced a lot of the suggested materials with my own, but it didn't come out quite the size I thought... I'm happy with the alternate color scheme, though! I still have much to learn about reading patterns. There were a few places where I had to improvise (such as the flowers), since I didn't quite know what to do.

Took me about 3 hours! :]

I've been feeling fuzzy lately. . .

This is my interpretation of a friend of mine, who is probably not feeling as fuzzy.

Inspiring articles I think everyone must read!!

2010-02-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

I have so much fun reading the weekly Etsy articles that come out every Tuesday. A while back, they posted up four MUST-READ articles involving entrepreneurship and small business. Here is the list of articles. I found that Should You Be an Entrepreneur? was very inspiring... And I love the tips that 4 Things Your Outgoing Orders Should Contain had to say. (I always loved looking at those thoughtful invoice receipts)

It all started by checking a LinkedIn email. I'm in the 2D&3D Illustrators group, and this article, 15 Places to sell your work online had me going. Not to mention this other article, How do you make money as an artist?, really had me going with what users mentioned in the comments section!

Just thought I'd share some wonderful articles with you! Check them out if you get a chance!!!! :]

Amigurumi!

2010-02-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

Since I've been getting into crocheting more and more, I've been really hyped in an amigurumi adventure!! :] I made this owl and another "sleepy" owl about two weeks ago... I can't blog fast enough to keep up with all the new projects I've started. SINCE I finished this image, I've finished about 4 other projects including the second owl I mentioned :] I'm figuring out a 5th.

The 2010 Ravelympics started at the same time as the Winter Olympics... and will be ending soon!! I'm trying to think of some quick projects I can finish up in time...

On Friday, I went to a local knitting loom group that meets at Xokolatl Cafe (best hot cocoa EVER)! Lorena, the teacher, was kind enough to let us borrow her looms and work on our own project. She's the one located sitting in the back...

Hehe, yes, Miguel decided to join me in on this one...

...

Meanwhile, on the drawing side, I've been really obsessed with anthropomorphism~

I can't wait to finish the projects I'm working on! :) And I'm really glad to be feeling better, too!!

Valentines Day Cuties!

2010-02-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY WEEKEND!!!
Not to worry. That bloody heart is a gluten-free cake with some dashes of lemon extract, and decorated with cherry halves. It's a lot tastier than

Since Miguel and I sort of have a ton of plans for the weekend, we decided to celebrate Valentines Day a lot earlier! We went out to eat some yummy Mexican seafood by Lake Mission Viejo at a restaurant called Tortilla Flats. Yay for Groupon! Beforehand, we went to the estuary down in Bolsa Chica. At this time of the year, we saw a TON of species of birds. Very colorful and excited to eat whatever was in the water. But since it was 61* and WINDY... the sun's warmth didn't do enough, and we had to leave early.

Since I love to do crochet, I found on a blog (here is the flicker account of the Cuties Cozy). I wanted to re-do this 'Cuties Cozy' and made two different Valentines Day themed cozies for cuties! I love how the sticker says "Give your sweetie a Cutie"

Here's the first design I tried.

I was going to post these up on Etsy, but I think it's a little too late, considering I JUST got the images from my camera onto the computer!!! Oh well, for now.

HIATUS ALERT

2010-01-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

On December 21st, I underwent emergency surgery. I'm slowly recovering, since I had an incision that took 23 staples~ No worries though! I'm doing much much MUCH better now... It's just taking much longer than I expected, to come out of surgery.

I'm keeping myself busy by crocheting lots. I don't really have the energy to be at a desk and drawing like I used to :( But with crocheting, it's opening up a whole new world for me that I never knew had such possibilities! I've discovered Yarn Bombing (The picture posted is a bus in Mexico that was yarn bombed) and Free Form Crocheting. Both have peaked a high interest in me, as an artist, and I hope to come up with interesting new work this year, since I probably won't be drawing as much due to my bed confinements (FOR NOW, AT LEAST!!)

The last project I finished was a pair of gloves, via this pattern. I made mine white with little pearl buttons. :]

So now, it's just a moment of being optimistic and going through post-surgery recovery. I'm excited for this new year. It's bringing a lot of opportunities that look grim to some, but I'm finding the light in life!

Stay positive, everyone! :D

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

It's funny to ring in the new year by recovering from surgery!!! Slowly feeling better every day, I just gotta hang in there.

I wish there were an easier way to upload pictures and what not. It would of course, make blogging much more interesting to read what with neat pictures and all~ Though, I can try to capture my audience with storytelling?

Or, maybe a cheap quiz-meme thing:

In 2009, I...
[x] took up a new foreign language
[ ] had Chinese food for dinner
[x] smoked
[ ] got a new car
[x] went clubbing
[x] read a book
[ ] got annoyed by whole vampire trend
[x] had a new year’s resolution
[x] made last minute plans
[x] regifted a gift
[x] purchased something from thrift stores
[x] got a job
[ ] fell in love with Lady Gaga
[x] visited family over the holidays
[ ] drank alcohol for the first time
[x] did well in school
[x] took pictures of my friends
[x] got something nice for Christmas
[ ] got annoyed with friends
[x] had trouble making up my mind
[ ] stole something
[x] lost something important
[x] dated someone new
[x] got in a serious relationship
[ ] got a new phone
[ ] kept a secret
[x] lost weight
[x] gained weight
[x] had an epiphany
[x] gained more confidence
[x] did something that I’m proud of
[ ] did something that I regret
[x] pulled an all-nighter
[ ] exercised regularly
[x] spent too much time on the computer
[ ] was jealous of someone
[ ] checked under my bed for monsters
[x] broke a bad habit
[x] loved someone new
[x] was loved by someone new
[ ] was insulted
[x] had a summer romance
[ ] met a celebrity
[x] sang along to the radio
[x] made new friends
[x] lost friends
[x] cried from sadness
[x] cried from happiness
[x] laughed until I cried
[ ] found my house on Google Earth
[x] had a late night phone conversation
[x] forgave
[x] missed someone
[x] was let down
[x] faced a challenge
[x] matured
[ ] learned a lesson
[ ] experienced unrequited love
[x] had good dreams
[x] had bad dreams
[x] thought that 2009 was a bad year

January 2009
1. Did you kiss someone on New Year’s? Yea
2. Did you stay up until 12am on midnight on New Year’s eve? Yea
3. Did it snow this month? No

February 2009
1. Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? No
2. Did you receive flowers from anyone this year? Yes, but not for Valentines~ It was another month though.
3. Were you tired of long nights/short days of winter? YES

March 2009
1. Is this month significant to you? No
2. Were you in a relationship at this moment of time? Not really
3. Were you tired of school at this point? OH GOD YES

April 2009
1. Did you have allergies? Yea! I had a puffy eye
2. What did you like about spring this year? I thought it would bloom new opportunities for me (but it didn't, really)
3. Did you participate in a prank for April Fool’s? No

May 2009
1. What do you love most about May? Meeting Miguel!
2. Did you graduate this year? YES, I'M DONE WITH COLLEG
3. Did you feel accomplished in school? Yes, sure did!

June 2009
1. What do you love most about summer? Night hiking!
2. Do you like summer weather? HELLS YES! 114* in the shade <3
3. Did you spend a lot of time with your friends this year? This YEAR? Don't you mean SUMMER? This year, I spend lots of time with friends~ This summer, I spent lots of time with Miguel

July 2009
1. Did you go to wild parties? No
2. Did you stay up late to just lie under the stars? YES!
3. Did you learn something important this summer? Um, ... not really? I don't see summer as a time to learn :B

August 2009
1. Were you excited about returning to school? NO, because I graduated already, but have to go back to defer loans ;____;
2. Who are some of the new friends you made? Some friends from Japanese and Spanish class... but they're not really friends 'cause I never really saw them OUTSIDE of class. Claudia at least went to a film screening of ours.. :B
3. Did you start off this new semester of school well? Yes, it started really great... then I screwed it all up with my health problems near the end.

September 2009
1. Did you procrastinate? No
2. Were you struggling with grades? Yes, only because I missed so many classes for doctors appointments T_T
3. Did you get involved in any drama between friends? Yes, but the friends I'm thinking of aren't from PCC... friends from ACCD.

October 2009
1. Did you celebrate Halloween? OF COURSE
2. Did you see awesome costumes? No
3. Were you ready for autumn? I was ready for autumn at the end of autumn :/

November 2009
1. Did something significant happen this month? Yes, I was scheduled for an operation :o
2. How did you celebrate Thanksgiving break? I went to dad's house for Thanksgiving day. The next day, I reluctantly went to my mother's house. TOO MUCH TURKEY~ I like ham better <3
3. Did you participate in Black Friday shopping? Yes and No... we went to Toys R Us to find an ipod touch, but of course, it was sold out at 6AM

December 2009
1. Did you cram for finals? Yes. I think this was the first time in a LONG time where I actually had to CRAM information for a finals test the next day.
2. How did you celebrate the holidays? IN THE HOSPITAL UNDER LOTS OF ANESTHESIA AND PAIN KILLERS
3. What is your overall rating of 2009? This is like when you are in the hospital, and the doctors and nurses keep asking you: "Rate your pain on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is the most painful"... And my year on a scale of 1 to 10 is more like 5 though, I want to say 7 because lots of good things happened, and only a few bad things happened (it's just that, the bad things really affect me)

In 2009, I...

( ) kissed in the snow.
(x) celebrated Halloween.
( ) kissed in the rain.
(x) had your heart broken.
(x) broke someone else's heart.
(x) had a stalker.
(x) mooned someone.
( ) made out in/on a car.
(x) went over the minutes on your cell phone
( ) someone questioned your sexual orientation.
(x, but then again I feel like I almost always am with people who don't know) came out of the closet.
( ) gotten pregnant.
( ) had an abortion.
(x) had/have a relationship with someone you'll never forget.
( ) done something you've regretted.
( ) kissed under mistletoe.

OTHER
(x) painted a picture.
(x) wrote a poem.
(x) ran a mile.
( ) shopped at Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch.
(x) posted a blog on Facebook
( ) visited a foreign country.
(x LOL ANIME EXPO) cut in a line of waiting people.
(x but I'm always busy ... and NOT at the same time) told someone you were busy when you weren't.
( ) partied to celebrate the new year.
( ) cooked a disastrous meal.
(x) lost something/someone important to you.
( ) lied about how old you were.
( ) prank called someone.

In 2009 I...

[ ] broke a promise.
[ ] lied.
[x] cried over a broken heart.
[ ] disappointed someone close.
[ ] hid a secret.
[ ] pretended to be happy.
[x] slept under the stars.
[x] kept your new years resolution.
[x, near the last half of the year] forgot your new years resolution
[x] met someone who changed your life.
[ ] met one of your idols.
[x] changed your outlook on life.
[I'm not marking this because I'm technically recuperating right now] sat home all day doing nothing.
[ ] pretended to be sick.
[ ] left the country.
[x] almost died.
[ ] given up on something/someone important to you.
[ ] lost something expensive.
[ ] learned something new about yourself.
[x VEGETARIANISM, MUCH?] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it.
[x] made a change in your life.
[I still don't know sometimes] found out who your true friends were.
[x] met great people.
[x] stayed up til sunrise.
[ ] cried over the silliest thing.
[x] was never home on weekends.
[ ] got into a car accident.
[x maybe] had friends who were drifting away from you.
[ ] had someone close to you die.
[x] had a high cell phone bill.
[X TO THE MAX] spent most of your money on food.
[ ] had a fist fight.
[x] went to the beach with your best friend
[ ] saw a celebrity.
[x] gotten sick.
[ ] liked more than 4 people at the same time.
[x maybe] became closer with a lot of people

2009 was awesome for me, because:
-graduated from ACCD!!!
-met Miguel
-changed my eating habits with intention of saving world
-changed other habits with intention of saving world
-met beautiful souls from the AMAR collective
-even though lots of crappy things happened, lots of bigger and better things happened that will make this year memorable for a long long long long time.

~~~

Happy New Year, everone!

Up and coming EVENTS!

2009-11-30T22:37:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd give another friendly reminder about the Viernes de Pelicula happening at the Eastside Cafe in El Sereno, this FRIDAY! There are only two more showings left. This Friday, we're showing The Garden. After the screening, there will be a discussion about the film. I'm looking forward to it ;D

Also, this Saturday there will be a Sustainable Art Show at the Tribal Cafe near Downtown LA~ I'm working hard to finish pieces that I'm making out of plastic bags. I'm quite excited for this show, since sustainability is what Art Center had been pushing on us designers (it seemed, even more so during my last semester). I really feel impacted after learning what a few harmless looking objects in large numbers can do to our environment... I'm trying to create artwork that will hopefully entertain, yet give people insight to what we can do in order to continue creating or recycling to save and love our beautiful and only planet.

Salt & Paper

2009-11-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

Over the summer, I was able to master creating cookies--start to finish--within 40 MINUTES! Behold, some of my creations:

Mostly 'normal' chocolate chip cookies: Some have walnuts, orange juice, cinnamon and white chocolate in 'em~

Hermits: Figs, walnuts, chocolate chips, oatmeal, agave nectar and cinamon!

To follow this theme, Miguel and I are working on a company called Salt & Paper Studio. I'm very excited, since we are taking some great first steps. Here is a peep of what we are working on...

I'm quite excited for our next project... All I can say is: FLYING CATS!!

~~~

On another note, I'm working on more Meowkernauts to adopt~ I'll have more during Thanksgiving, just in time for the holidays! Stay tuned :D

Art+Design Market

2009-10-02T19:32:00.001-07:00

This Sunday, I'll be at the Pasadena Art+Design Open Market!! Next year the market won't come around in Spring (due to budget cuts)... So I hope ya'll can make it this Sunday! :)

I'll have some framed prints, matted prints, bookmarks, buttons, original artwork, and even a small comic book! So come on down and have some fun at One Colorado!

Viernes de Pelicula

2009-09-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

This past summer, my good friend, Miguel hosted film screenings at the The Eastside Cafe in El Sereno, CA. Viernes de Pelicula is BACK for the fall....

SEP 25: ABRIL DESPEDACADO
OCT 9: MACHUCA
OCT 23: AMERICAN POP
NOV 6: HOLY MOUNTAIN / FANDO Y LIS
NOV 20: THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION
DEC 4: RUDO Y CURSI
DEC 18: CHILDREN OF PARADISE

Organic Films and Snacks every other Friday 7:30-9:30pm
Feature starts at 8pm
In a Non-Commercial setting

SPREAD THE WORD!

All taking place at The Eastside Cafe
5469 N. Huntington Dr, El Sereno, CA 90032
http://eastsidecafeechospace.blogspot.com/
questions: olivaresmandato@yahoo.com

I can't wait! Hope ya'll can stop by! Food, fun and movies... how can it get any better? :]

Upcoming Events!

2009-09-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

Once again, the Amar Collective is having another art show at Tribal Cafe, along with some awesome bands from the Collective! Come check it out this weekend and see what the Collective is up to :]

And speaking of Amar Collective... We've been striving vigorously to keep the Historic Firehouse no.23 as an Art+Music Hub for the Skid Row community, but the City of LA is trying to SELL IT! Help us out by donating. Check out TheCHAC.net for more information.

I set up a website, Meowkernaut Adoption. Check out the cute kittens that are still looking for a loving home. 50% of the proceeds go towards helping the Firehouse!

On another note... My friend, Carmin, was nice enough to have me as one of the artists in her gallery! Come by on September 12, 2009 from 6pm to 9pm on Chung King Road in China Town/LA! This is a Red Carpet Event for the Stairway Gallery's first premiere, so come join in on the fun! :]

La Crescenta Fires

2009-08-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

During this time of year, lots of fires happen down in Southern California... In La Crescenta (no more than 6 miles from where I live) there were fires. Last night, Miguel and I went up towards the Art Center mountain and painted what we saw... It was sort of like a fireworks show without the fireworks! We saw explosions from (probably) some homes. The colors were astounding! Though, it was hard to really see what we were painting (we didn't have any good lighting except for the street light we were under)~

And so! I painted these last night while looking at the interesting light show before us...

Post Amar Fest

2009-08-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

August 21-22 was a successful two-day festival hosted by The Chac and Amar Collective, called Amar Fest. I sold a few crocheted kittens and other animals to help support Amar in creating an Art+Music Hub in downtown LA, in skid row. Visit my Meowkernaut Adoption page to purchase one of your very own Meowkernauts! There will be another festival happening in September as well! Stay tuned for more exciting information :]

Also, check out the first issue of PxlDust Magazine, where I've got a two-page feature! Don't forget to buy a poster, if you can't purchase a magazine copy!

Other than that, I'm catching up on a lot of scanning I must do. It's hard living without a computer~ I'll have one soon though! I've got to build it this weekend, and hopefully things will get back to normal. ;)

I'm also going back to school, so that I can avoid those pesky student loans D: I'll be attending PCC. Hopefully taking Japanese, Spanish and Motion Design. We'll see though; it's hard to get classes added if you hadn't gone to the school prior @___@; Or so it seems.

Not to worry! I'll show ya'll some scans soon! Stay tuned :D

Kittens for ADOPTION!

2009-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, I'll be at Amar FEST this upcoming weekend. There, I'll be selling some kittens...

The blue kitten, even though guts are coming out of 'im, will LOVE YOU TO DEATH! What with him handing you his heart and all. - $20

The green kitten is a little bit smaller than the blue kitten. Lucky her, her guts are sewn in securely for safe-keeping. - $15

The colorful kitten is still a kitten-in-progress. Same size as the green kitten, but with all of her bowels still intact, she will psyche your world! - $15

Last but not least, the smallest of the bunch, the black kitten: She can fit in the palm of your hand. With gentle care, this kitten is sure to bring a delight. - $7

Hope to see that you can give these kittens a loving home!!!

EVENTS!

2009-08-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ohhhh there's soo many things happening this month! Right now, I'm getting ready to go to the Art Center College of Design GRAD SHOW!! Tonight specifically is Industry Night~ it's much better to check everything out on this night compared to Friday night, which is Grad Night for friends and family... Plus, you have to get on a list as either Alumni (which I am) or be a part of a company :B

And then coming up next week, we have Amar Fest!!!! This is going to be ONE AWESOME EVENT featuring lots of artists and musicians who are trying to raise a culture center in a historic firehouse in skid row! It's going to help out the community by providing lots of jobs for the people in the area, as well as offer resources and such. It'll be a fun two days of music and art, so check out the flyer!

The week after that, there is going to be a Smash Brothers Melee Tournament at Pal Cabron in Huntington Park. I created the flyer, and I'm going to participate in the tournament, too! :D My favorite character to use is Bowser, so watch out!

Ah, such a lovely month!

Tribal Cafe show~

2009-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was a BLAST! Thanks to AMAR Collective and of course--TRIBAL CAFE!!!!!!!

Some AWESOME musicians played that night, and I'll never forget how great the night was!

I sketched those while a band called Get In More Fights was playing. Fun and very personal stuff!!

My partner in crime, Miguel drew this lovely piece in my sketchbook.

And here's a sketch of Veronica Bianqui I did after that night. (drawn last night ;)

Amar Shares LA - Art Show This Saturday at 7PM

2009-07-31T13:43:00.001-07:00

Also, I have one piece in this show! Wow, my first art show~!!!

Seems like Andrew from the AMAR collective will be in charge of this showing. They are still looking for artwork!!!! If you have time, you better email the collective or call Andrew: (626)354-1207

For anyone interested in hanging up art for this show, we're gonna be at the cafe having meetings on a few different days: wednesday from around 7:00pm-11:00pm, thursday from 1:00pm-6:00pm, friday from around 1:00pm-6:00pm, and saturday from around 1:00pm until the show starts. you can drop by at any of these times and someone from the collective will probably be there to help you out. send us a message or something ahead of time just to sort things out.

====

Also, this event will also be the start of a new beginning for the collective and others around LA. Amar is officially moving forward with the effort to preserve fire station no.23 on 5th street and convert it into a cultural center serving the skid row community! we need more help now than we've ever needed, so now's the perfect time to jump on board! come by to our next show at the tribal cafe and talk to any of us, and we can fill you in on all the ways you can help! this saturday at 7pm. 1651 w. temple street.

Find out more information at AmarCollective.com!

PxlDust Magazine Winning Entry!

2009-07-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

Well, as it turns out on the Winners Page, both of my pieces (first two in gallery) made it into the PxlDust Magazine!!!

So check out the the PxlDust Magazine already!

Eaton Canyon hiking at night~

2009-07-24T00:48:00.000-07:00

This was a long-awaited comic that needed to be colored!!!

~~~

This weekend I'll be down at Comic Con, lurking about. It'll be my second time ever going! I'm really excited, and hope that I can meet up with the awesome artists I admire! Wish me luck on the portfolio reviews :]

200,000 miles

2009-07-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

I am SOO excited! My car just turned 200,000 miles today!!! I've got a '94 Red Ford Mustang... She's getting so old. My bro helped me snag these photos right before I dropped him off at the train station~ Great timing, huh?

Got this picture taken at Anime Expo 2007~

I remember when we FIRST bought her... in 1994, that fall we took a trip to San Francisco. What a way to celebrate, huh? I didn't really start owning her myself until about 7 years ago~ She's in very good condition still (considering how old she is), and I've used her ALL throughout Southern California!

~~~

And on another note, I've been working diligently on the Cartoon Network promotional commercial storyboards (not actual Cartoon Network; student film)-- Here are a few more doodles of Chowder and Chicken (from Cow and Chicken)

Did a few more comics, too. I'd like to color them when I get another chance at the computer labs. It sucks not having your own computer to work with :<

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

...To my good friend, Miguel Olivares~ And from what I gather, he enjoyed the scarf :]

~~~
This all started as a one page comic (left side) for Fishbowl Weekly. . .
I was getting mad at my mom's cat, Sylvester. He's big, fuzzy and black with white paws and face~ He loooves string! As I was crochet-ing a scarf, Sylvester put his fur everywhere.

I drew this (pen) in a book given to me by Cartoon Network during the portfolio reviews at Anime Expo :D I colored it in Photoshop~ Tried to make it look like a marker drawing done by Lisa Frank...

Caricatures

2009-07-14T16:23:00.001-07:00

A while back, I never got to upload the drawings I did while I was at the Pasadena Open+Design Market! How silly of me ;_; So here are just a few of the many drawings I did that day :) I had a TON of fun doing little cartoony caricatures of the awesome visitors there!!

Also, I'm doing a small Cartoon Network promotion, that a friend of a friend is hiring my services for.... Here are a few sketches I did to warm up!

I've never seen Dexter's Laboratory before, but doing these sketches makes me interested in the fun that the characters have to offer!!!!

~~~

Next week, the LA Zoo has an event called Music at the LA Zoo. I'm already an LA Zoo member, so I might stop by! Still mulling it over, since tickets cost $12.50 (member price).

Either way, lots of fun is happening this week, and I'll keep ya'll posted!!

PxlDust

2009-07-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! I heard back from PxlDust about getting one of my pieces from Heroes&Bandits into the PxlDust magazine. Perhaps today I might find out if I'll be elligible~ The catch! You've gotta VOTE for my entry!!!

VOTE HERE!!!

VOTE HERE!!!

Right now, it's a close tie between Oops... and Rambling Rose and the Bitter Rodeo!~ Vote for both, if you get a chance!!! To check out more of my artwork on PxlDust, visit my Artist Profile! Sign up and add me, and upload some artwork, too! :]

Post AX fun

2009-07-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

I'm soo glad to be done with Anime Expo's Artist's Alley. I had a TON of fun, and can't wait for next year, where me and my pals will be a lot more organized and dominating of our space :] After being told that we were a fire hazard with our display, I couldn't help but think of how "HOT" we were, anyway! We all had so much fun conversing with the crowd, and will probably come back again next year.

It was great making new friends and meeting new faces this year. I can't wait to meet those of you who weren't able to make it this year, next year! Stay tuned for more updates in the near future.

Rocky, signing out.

AX2009 LAST UPDATE!

2009-07-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Anime Expo 2009 is here! Check me and my friends out at our Artist Alley table located in the Exhibit Hall:

E21

Me, Alejandro Lee, Candice Lee, and Janet Kim will be located at Row E, table 21. If you look at the map, we're practically on the complete opposite end of where the entrance to the Exhibit Hall is (we're up against the wall). And yes, we'll be there all four days!

~Selling~
Rocky
~ Limited Edition Prints (matted and "framed")
~ Pins
~ Bookmarks
*FREE postcards!!!

Alejandro
~ Prints
~ Comics
*He will even have an animation available for viewing!!!

Janet
~ Prints
~ Rub-on Tattoos

Candice
~ Figurines
~ Miniature paintings (that also glow in the dark!)

Get your ticket to Anime Expo 2009, and we'll see you there! :]

jandruff - Janet Kim
47ness - Alejandro Lee

~~~
Other fine chaps that will be there:
thenumber42 - C04 and C05
kumagoroPOWER - A25
samurai-bebop - A55
Linda Chung - C54

Anime Expo 2009 Artist Alley - Our location!

2009-06-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I just found out where our location will be... Here is the map for Anime Expo's Artist Alley 2009:

Me, Alejandro Lee, Candice Lee, and Janet Kim will be located at Row E, table 21. If you look at the map, we're practically on the complete opposite end of where the entrance to the Exhibit Hall is (we're up against the wall).

As far as I'm concerned, most of us will be selling prints of our artwork, along with some bookmarks and pins. Alejandro will have some comics, and so will Janet. Candice will be making sculptures. Stay tuned, we'll definitely give some more information as to how to find us! Get your ticket to Anime Expo 2009, and we'll see you there! :]

Anime Expo 2009

2009-06-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

It's that time again! Anime Expo 2009 is here! I will be there sharing a table with 3 other great friends: Alejandro Lee, Janet Kim/Janet Kim and Candice Lee.

Other friends who have a table:
Linda Chung

TheNumber42

Anime Expo will take place on Thursday July 2 to Sunday July 5 at the LA Convention Center. Apparently the Artist's Alley will be located inside the Dealer's Hall. So come and stop by! Most of us will definitely be there for all four days :) Can't wait to see you there!

Fishbowl Weekly

2009-06-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

My friend, Shelley, started a new blog that I'm going to be participating in... Fishbowl Weekly. Weekly, the website will be updated on Sunday, with new themes. Every week, each artist who is participating, will upload pictures based on that theme. It just started this week, so keep an eye out for what's to come! :)

~~~

On another note, Nikko and I have been working on storyboards for a music video with the awesome space-kitty meowkernaut, Kate Crash!!! Check out her spam-tabulous music!

Storyboarding for Kate Crash

2009-05-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, I took up a storyboarding job with my friend, Nikko Faber.. He will be directing Kate Crash's music video of Chinese Finger Trap.

I'm really excited to work on this project, considering it's a song that confronts the idea of America's consumerism. I don't want to give away too many of the details since we're still working out a lot of the kinks in the script. Next week I'll be able to post up some of the concepts for the film. Stay tuned for more excitement! :]