Year end: Fall like Summer, Winter like Fall

On the last day of 2012, here are my year end tribute from S.F. As usual, the weather was unusual in S.F. comparing to other distinct four season places - Summer was chilly, Fall was sunny and warm, and we've been having colorful winter sky with double rainbows now and then! It's truly a subtly beautiful city… Happy New Year 2013! 

 Fally-Winter

Summery-Fall

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

This year has been quite a year for me and my husband with challanging work and personal projects, we've been non stop hecticly busy but happy. And especially, now we are expecting a baby boy soon - in a few weeks in the new year! Nervously and excitedly, we can not wait to welcome the new member of our family!

We'd like to share the happiness with you, and wish you a fun and relaxing holiday break wherever you are, and whatever you do! And all the best in the new year! 

  

a Friday tune

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a Friday tune

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Heylo, it's been while since I last posted,...it took me some time to recover and recompose myself after all the great adventures with ROUND ROBIN in the last few months... So now, I finally feel more rested and ready to go again ! This month, I've been going back to join my friends painting on early Friday morning before work, we'd meet up at 7am and go painting outdoor or do surface study indoor for 2 hrs, the goal is to study the scenery or objects and express them with 'efficient' paint indication,.. needless to say, it's very challenging for me ! it's nice to do something very different from in-studio illustration and a great training and reminder for the eyes... it's been a lot of fun and so much more to learn ! Have a great weekend !

ROUND ROBIN promo video is up !

I'm very excited to announce that our ROUND ROBIN promo video is up !

For the past 3 months, me and the Robins have been working hard on making this promo/making-of video for our new book, and the up-coming exhibitions with Galerie Arludik and Rare Device. We hope it will help introduce you to the ROUND ROBIN project and to our creative process. 

To make the promo we've worked closely with many talented and brilliant people. Their expertise and generous help has made it all possible. We'd like to give credit to:

Editor and Original Music - Zach Johnston

Motion Graphics - Craig Foster | Zach Johnston

Camera - Tony Kaplan | James Robertson

Producer - Elizabeth Thiers

A special thanks goes to the talented Zach Johnston, who not only edited the video and animated some of its charming motion graphics, but who also composed the original score! If you haven't seen his work, check out the beautiful animated Sketchtravel short, which he collaborated on with Dice Tsutsumi. 

ROUND ROBIN upcoming events:

San Francisco -

ROUND ROBIN 3 booksigning and exhibition at Rare Device 

Sat. 5/5, 3~6pm. Exibition of bookplate paintings and prints, show through the month of May.

Paris - 

ROUND ROBIN Exhibition at Galerie Arludik 

Exibition of all 45 original paintings from the three books plus 30 bookplate paintings. Exhibition opens on 5/29, reception on 5/31, 18:30 ~ 21:30.

ROUND ROBIN 3 at Rare Device !

Finally, the exciting news ! ROUND ROBIN 3 will be out next Saturday, May 5th ! 

To celebrate the launch of the book, our wonderful local San Francisco host, Rare Device, is holding a ROUND ROBIN 3 book signing and gallery opening for us from 3~6pm. Please come join us then !

Along with the books, the gallery will be exhibiting our new 15 original bookplate paintings (4x6"), and 10 selected exclusive gilée prints (10x12") from ROUND ROBIN 3. The exhibition will be up from 5/5 to 6/1, 2012.

Rare Device has moved to its new location at 600 Divisadero St. at Hayes St. in San Francisco, the new space is lovely, full of sunlight, and as always, full of wonderful gems of design products, books, and art ! 

Also, once agian, our amazing display artist friend, Asaki Oda, is designing the all new window display for our exhibition, and it'll also be up at Rare Device on 04/30. Below are some sneak peaks, work in progress shots !

We hope to see you soon next Saturday, 5/5 !

( Check out our dedicated ROUND ROBIN blog for more updates this week ! )

ROUND ROBIN 3 - the making of !

From this month to the next, before our ROUND ROBIN exhibition with Galerie Arludik in Paris, three of us will be taking turns reavealing our new artwork from the up coming ROUND ROBIN 3 ! Please take a look on our dedicated blog here. 

Katy Wu

Daniela Strijleva

Artist Help Japan Final Group is Up !

The finale of this month long auction for Japan is up now ! In this final group, there are many beautiful pieces from artists I adore, like the amazing Yoko Tanji, Ronnie Del Carmen, Sho Murase, Robert Kondo, and Dice Tsutsumi's... and many more !

And, especially special in this auction, there are 3 sets of 15 doodles done by different Pixar artists in art, story and animation departments ! They are definitely something rare to find and fun to see. ( Not Pixar production art.) I've also contributed my Mr.R doodle which was in a "if everyone has a tune..." post few weeks ago, in one of the sets here.

Have fun bidding, and Thanks for your support !

Yoko Tanji - "Midori"

 Acrylic on Paper

Ronnie Del Carmen

Sho Murase - 

Graphite, Gouache, Acrylic & Resin on Wood

Robert Kondo

Pencil on paper

Dice Tsutsumi AHJ Original 

Watercolor on 9" x 10" Watercolor Paper

ROUND ROBIN 3 and ARLUDIK

I'm very excited to announce that Katy Wu, Daniela Strijleva and I have completed our new and the final book in our series, ROUND ROBIN 3 ! It'll be available in May in time for our ROUND ROBIN exhibition with Galerie Arludik in Paris ! The exhibition will feature all 45 paintings from the three books, plus related bookplate paintings. The show opens on May 29th with a reception on May 31st. More details to come, for now, please read on on our dedicated blog.

Artist Help Japan

At 1 year anniversary of the devastating disaster in Japan, Dice Tsutsumi along with Artist Help Japan once again are hosting a series of 4 on-line art charity auctions dedicating to help the cause. In effort for contribution, me along with Katy Wu and Daniela Strijleva each have donated an original ROUND ROBIN bookplate painting for the 2nd auction, which has begun at 6pm today ! There are also many great artists around the world and famed Pixar directors have contributed their original artwork and rare signed & sketched books for the auctions. Please take a look, it's a great oppertunity to own a great art and contribute to a good cause. All proceeds will go to Japan through MercyCorps.

Daniela Strijleva

" Rescure", 4" x 5.5"

Gouache and pen on watercolor paper

Katy Wu

" Shy", 4"x 5.5"

Gouache and pen on watercolor paper

Jennifer Chang

" Message", 4"x 5.5"

Watercolor and pencil on watercolor paper

Spring !

Here is a tune to start your week.

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ROUND ROBIN - the making of !

From this week on, me, Daniela and Katy are going to take turns sharing some making of process for our collaberative book project, ROUND ROBIN, you can find it on our dedicated blog. please take a look! We're also curious to hear what you think about our books, please feel free to leave us a message on the post comment! 

This week is my turn to start, sharing some process in the making of "Child + Web" from ROUND ROUBIN 2.

If everyone has a tune...

I've been listening to this song repeatedly today, it brought up lots of memories of the Meadows. Although the poetic lyrics may be a bit sad, I couldn't bobbing my head left and right with the mellow bitter-sweet tune...then, an image slipped into my mind that, Mr.R would come to the Meadows on a fresh sunny day, put down his pouch, start to celebrate the good travel day.....

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While searching for a good web version of the song, 

I found the song has a claymation music video ! 

If everyone has a tune......

Do you hear the weekend ?...

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If everyone has a tune......

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ROUND ROBIN bookplate paintings

Over the holiday break, we found a well wrapped paper package in a cookie tin box in the botton of a cardboard box in the deep corner of a studio...inside the wrapping, it was a stack of original book plate paintings we made for ROUND ROBIN book 1 ! 


the bookplate paintings were made to celebrate the release of the 1st book, and it grew into a further exploration of the worlds and charcters we created for the book ! Here is one of mine, and you'll find more from the three of us there.

Happy New Year 2012 !

Happy 2012, let's start fresh !

Hope you had a great holiday break, whether it was full of fun traveling or just relaxing/recovering in your comfiest spot ! Here are some sketches from my holiday week - visiting family and traveling. I found this tea bag size sketchbook that fitted within your palm and back pocket, which turned out to be the best thing to do quick sketches during busy trips.(btw, I love train travel!)