ROUND ROBIN Book signing & Gallery opening at Rare Device

Thank you everyone who made it to our event at Rare Device yesterday ! We were so happy to see everybody and to present our work from ROUND ROBIN 2 in close to orginal sized prints ( 11x14").  We'd like to thank especially to people who made it happen: Giselle at Rare Device for hosting our event, Asaki who made a beautiful window display, and also to Liz and James who helped us tremendously setting this up.

The exhibition will only be up till Tuesday, 11/08,  stop by when you have a chance !

ROUND Robin at Rare Device ! This Saturday 11/05

It's this Saturday, 11/05, 2 ~ 5pm, me, Daniela Strijleva, and Katy Wu will have a book signing/gallery opening for our new ROUND ROBIN 2 at Rare Device ! For the gallery exhibition, there will be some selected sequantial prints from the two ROUND ROBIN books, as well as some small original book plate painitngs from the three of us, and it will be up from 11/05~08. Also, our friend, the amazing display artist, Asaki Oda, is making the ROUND ROBIN window display at Rare Device ! it'll also be up on 11/05. Please come take a look !

ROUND ROBIN now available online !

ROUND ROBIN online shop has now been moved to our new independent blog, you can find all related information and updates the blog, please click here !

Thanks ! A great weekend at APE !

Thanks everyone who came visit us at APE ! We had such a wonderful weekend meeting many art/book lovers and also great artists in person! APE was such a fun feast, wasn't it ? And for us, especially rewarding and a treat, to see everyone's reaction and hear your thoughts on ROUND ROBIN, I hope you'd enjoy reading ROUND ROBIN 2 !

Thanks !

  

ROUND ROBIN at APE this weekend !

APE is coming up this weekend ! Me, Daniel Strijleva and Katy Wu will be at table #328 presenting our newly illustrated book, ROUND ROBIN 2, along with our special prints and totes! We'll be sharing the space with Tr!ckster and many other amazing artists, much thanks to our generous host, Scott Morse. If you're in S.F. this weekend, please come by !

ROUND ROBIN 2 - Work in Progress

Just 9 days before APE ! I can't wait to receive our newly printed ROUND ROBIN 2! Before you see the book in person, I'd like to share some of my work-in-progress with you.


I shall reserve the two words for this piece for now to leave you with some surprise for later. To start a Round Robin piece, I started with researching about the two given words - looking up their definitions in different dictionaries, typing them on web search and seeing what images or related things would come up.. .but, sometimes after taking in so much informations, my brain started to over think it. I had to go away from the words for a while but always kept them in mind. When getting more used to the words and the meanings, I would try in everyway to break the logic and break away from the most convenient ideas, then see what other possibilities could describe the words. Or actualy, almost counter intuitively - How to be inspired by the words. Although there were times some word was just so identifyable on its own and very attractive to just illustrate it straight as it is...

Here are some initial thumbnails and sketches

In this piece, I tried to use graphic compositions to help tell the story, as there just seemed to be an off-balance blind spot in my eyes..., I had to flip and work on the sketches front and back to make sure the shapes would be balanced in either side. Also it got tricky to be selective of how informative 

the graphic shapes should be. 

Got my tools ready ! I fell in love with jam jars and sardine cans !

Block in the initial composition in watercolor.

As layering in the pencils, I constantly checked in the mirror for 

the reverse image to see if the value, layering, shapes were working.

 Peeling off the surounding masking tape for clean edges 

is always the most rewarding - finished !

...or almost ! still couldn't help to go work back in !

 Well, I hope this would get you excited about ROUND ROBIN 2, and hope to see you at the Alternative Press Expo on October 1st. in SF !
Also, don't miss to check out Daniela's piece for the book !


cheers !

Here we go again....Round Robin 2 !

Last year, me, Daniela Strijleva and Katy Wu had such a great time collaborating for Round Robin, we once again, are working together to make Round Robin 2 ! It'll be out in time for the Alternative Press Expo on Oct. 1st in SF. 


This time, though same as the 1st book, playing the add-on word game, we now are more familiar with the logic of this "brain exercise" and trying to push the limit of our imagination. Interestingly, while working on the list for the 1st book, we had a hard time to break away from objects/nouns, it just seemed so convenient to put down the first familiar object popped into our minds... so this time, we started to go as far as possible, more adjectives, verbs, colors, feelings ~~~ ...........and the list started to go whimsical... or,... a bit too abstract. So we played the word game a several more time, push and pull of different kind of words between the three of us, finally cut down to a list of 15, where we feel it's a little more balanced, and still has a different feeling from the first book. 


In the few weeks before APE, I'll be sharing some work in progress, please stay tuned ! 

The Meadows - tribute to Edinburgh

*Still haven't figured out how to post audio on the blog, so try this - 

click "command" +

Just came back from Edinburgh, Scotland, for a wedding of my dear friends, the city was as lovely as my last visit in Winter, and even more alive as ever for the Frindge festival and the lush green from summer rain.

The meadows is a park in the old town part of Edinburgh, it is literally wide and open meadows connected by trees, walking/biking paths. When in Winter, covered with snow, strolling across the Meadows was quiet, peaceful and fresh, and a great place to juggle fire at night; in Summer, whether rain or shine, it's populated with people playing golf, cricket, croquet, football( yes, succor), picnic, jogging, rehearsing plays, music..., and dogs and seagulls.. it's lush and alive !

If Everyone has a tune....

 

If everyone has a tune......

( sorry...could't find a better version of the song ..... )

Tr!ckster !

If you're in San Diego for Comic Con this week, make sure you stop by TR!CKSTER too !
It's a free venue open to the public,  a retail space specializing in creator-owned work, including small run and limited edition books, fine art prints, toys, clothing, and also a gallery exhibiting different shows,  and hosting a series of Symposia focused on creator driven demos, discussions, and screenings. 


Tr!ckster is located right across the street from the Comic Con, hosted at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center - 



200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92101






Our signed Round Robin book will be available in the TR!CKSTER shop, as well as the limited edition Round Robin prints from Daniela and Katy. 


Also, Tr!ckster has put together a themed art book, including 48 artists contributing their takes of a Trickster god. The book is available at the shop and the originals will be up in the gallery show on Saturday. Here is my contribution to the book - 

Happy 91st Ronald Searle !

Mr. Searle turned 91 this year, Matt Jones had invited several artists to put together a sketchbook to wish him a happy birthday ! 

A tune to start the day

It's been so sunny in the Bay Area, we even had a clear warm night for the 7/4 ! Though most time of the week I spend in an all-year long-ac windowless office, I often start the work with this tune, so to remember the sunlight and fresh cool air in the early morning.

"O N E - ひとつ" - Maverix Art Auction and Benefit For Japan Relief

"It was quiet..."
Watercolor + Pencil
10" x 7"

Here is a piece I've made for the  "O N E - ひとつ" benefit art auction event held by the Maverix Studios this Saturday, April 2nd. 100% of all proceeds from this auction will be donated to Artists Help Japan Fund. There will be 50+ amazing original art donated by artists from the animation and film industry, and will only be up for exhibition at the Super Frog Gallery for one day ! Silent auction starts at 7pm and ends at 9:30pm. If you're in San Francisco area this Saturday night, please do come join the fun event, seeing the art, and this will be a great chance to own an original artwork, and also contribute to a worthy cause ! 


Super Frog Gallery is located 
in the NEW PEOPLE building at -

1746 Post St,
San Francisco, CA 94115

To see more recent updated artwork by other artist, check out Maverix's blog - http://maverixstudios.blogspot.com/

  

Special Edition ROUND ROBIN for Japan

Thanks very much everyone who supported our efforts with Red Cross to help Japan! Thank you for your generosity!

Here are what we made - 

 

 

If you wish to donate through other venues, please consider the "Artists Help Japan" fund, organized by friend and co-worker Dice Tsutsumi and the Give2Asia Organization, or Red Cross.

Artists Help Japan

"On March 11, an 8.9 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan near the city of Sendai. It is the most powerful earthquake they ever experienced. Artists Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Fund is responding to the immediate needs of survivors as well as short-term to long-term recovery projects undertaken by the affected communities. "

Art Blocks for Ghana

Here is an amazing online art auction put together by The Picture Book Project Foundation, artists in animation and illustration fields around the world were invited to make their artworks on wood blocks in the theme of "Home" and contribute them for this auction.

"The Picture Book Project Foundation presents Art Blocks for Ghana – a charity art auction of original works created by top artists within the animation and illustration community to provide boarding and education for orphaned children in Ghana, West Africa. Online art auction coming March 12-20. 2011.

* In addition, The Picture Book Project Foundation will be donating part of the proceeds from Art Blocks auction and events to help in the awareness and support Dice Tsutsumi's Artists Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Fund and Give2Asia.  


Here is my contribution to  "Art Blocks for Ghana" - 

Happy Rabbit Year !

2011

Happy 2011 !
Hope everyone had a great holiday break, and having a great fresh start of the year ! I've been delaying on posting for my travels...due to the extreme cold weather conditions, disconection from the internet, food poison, pollution, and holiday laziness... and so on ... "f(-. _ -.);,..
but here they are, a clearing of 2010 -

After setting off from NYC, I arrived to Edinburgh, Scotland, in December, visiting my friends Alice & Andrew for a week. It was absolutley a beautiful city ! Even in the coldest Dec. winter since 1962 ( -13C ~ -3C), and with the heaviest snow ever seen in the history (!?).  The sun rose low around 8:30am and set around 3:30pm, I went out sketching, but could not stay in one place ever too long.... my toes and fingers would got totally frozen! So most of the time I could only get the drawing down quickly, take a mobile photo, and finish coloring the sketches next to the heater with a cup of hot tea !

Then after the week in Edinburgh, I went on a 3 weeks trips with my friends, which you'd find out as the sketches are posted -

- Edinburgh - 

                                                      

  - the Cameo Cinema  -            

      

- Paris Apartments - 

- Rainy Sicili - 

- Rome -