I Love English

Watch this! It's so wrong, it's right!

I Like it Rough

*teehee* Most of the so-called "doodles" I post daily are polished, well, to say the least, finished, drawings. What y'all don't see are my rough sketches--the petit doodles from which my finished illustrations spawn. They're completed in a matter of seconds (which explains why they're terribly crude), but I think the spastic quality about them are worthy of being shared.

Brrrrrrr!

Desperately seeking a a parka. San Francisco summers are terribly chilly.

Release the Beast

From the Far East! A dear friend bought these "Butter Lion" crayons for me as a gift earlier this summer. Hehe.

Occupational Hazard

All my life, I've been advised to dress for the job I want. I know what appropriate dress in a corporate setting entails, but what is "appropriate" in the creative world? I'm fine with tossing in my corporate pinstripes, button downs, and slingbacks, but am uncomfortable with the idea of resorting to a uniform of sweats or overalls day in and day out. The Sartorialist inspires me to get creative, however, I find it difficult to comprehend how it is that the "average" individual he photographs is capable of affording the oodles of Lanvin, Marni, and Margiela garments they layer oh-so cleverly. *Sigh* I remain torn between my choice of a bat suit or the unbeatable combination of "apple bottom jeans" and "the boots with the fur".

Beanie Babies

Sometimes I regret having fixed Beans. The little menace is so darn cute, the world really might have been a better place with a handful of Beanie babies running about. Beans gets free treats everywhere he goes. Took the pup to Petco in Potrero for a bath yesterday and that face of his, that I'm-incredibly-hungry-puh-puh-puh-please-ma'am-feed-me puppy face earned him a hearty bag of treats from the lovely lady who bathed him. Get a load of his loot.

Gaining Momentum

Unbelieveable! I just landed my second private party commission, and the size of this project (well, in terms of dollars, at least) is "may-jah"! I hope I can meet (well, preferably exceed) expectations... YAY!

Meal of a Lifetime

During my July visit to Minnesota, the cougar cub's father shared that the cub's brother, Joe, once joked, that if he were to become the wealthiest man in the world, he'd eat extinct species. Joe was, of course, joking. A lover of animals, alongside his wife, Liz, he's a father to two bunnies, Forrest and Harmar. But his statement inspired me to work on my current illustration project--a ridiculous sketch of an assortment of WWF protected animals sandwiched between two slices of bread. Thought I'd share some concept sketches with you. Pictured:a Grizzly and a Desert Tortoise.

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

The following news may shock a few.

The inevitable has occurred. I am withdrawing from business school and am applying for admissions into the MFA program in Animation at UCLA. I notified the Anderson administration of my decision to do so last week and the Dean is supporting my transition from corporate wannabe to bohemian artist.

Those close to me know that I have always been interested in pursuing a career in children's entertainment in the form of either media or toys. Entering business school, I thought if I were to play my cards correctly, I would find satisfaction and happiness in a marketing or corporate finance career within an industry of interest to me. But the truth is, I thrive on creativity--I looove to draw, paint, and getting involved in development--and over the course of this past school year, realized that I would be happiest in an environment that would more fully embrace my skills and interests. Acknowledging that business school isn't necessarily the best fit for me, I have decided, albeit a little late in the game, to switch gears. It was a difficult decision to make, but I am happy with my choice.

I will always treasure my time spent at Anderson and believe that the education in management that I received during my first year of business school will certainly help me in the future. It's taking a little longer than I had hoped to "figure it all out," but I am confident in my ability to overcome this confusing time in my life and end up pursuing what truly drives me.

All Work and No Play

Makes Beans a sad boy.

A UCLA classmate of mine and I met up at Crissy Field in San Francisco this past Sunday to spoil our pups, Hershey and Beans. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Bay Area, Crissy Field is doggy-heaven. There are rolling hills (baby hills) of green grass on which dogs dash about as well as a strip of clean beach for them to paddle in.

Never have I seen Beans so happy. My MINI now needs a detail job (picture a wet and sandy 80lb dog sitting in the front seat of my beloved vehicle), but seeing the joy in that dog's face was truly priceless.

buy the girl some ice-cream...

...for today calls for celebration! i delivered my first commissioned piece today -- cha-ching -- to a fellow blogger, no less. i am grateful for his vote of confidence in me as i do not consider myself a professional, and hope that the momentum of good business will continue to grow with the launch of my website end-September.

caps button is not working today so y'all are going to have to settle for midget text. miso sorry.

IF: Enough

Illustration Friday topic: Enough
One can only endure so much.

Sneak Peek

The linework in these pieces run off the page so that they can be mixed and matched with other pieces in the series. Imagine them inked and framed and hung on a wall. It would be fun to collect them all.

Kaboom!

A fireworks pattern found in the "Petit Pattern Book" I purchased during from the MoMA shop during my last trip to New York.

Before Summer's End

I hope to formally launch the Flaring Nostrils website.

Flaring Nostrils is a design studio offering letterpress greeting cards, giclee prints, and soon other “bits and pieces” for folks with a penchant for the disturbingly-cute.

The company was founded in August of 2005 by me and my best friend, Pamela, in an effort to monetize my unstoppable habit of doodling, to satisfy our shared desire to spread our “unique” sense of humor, and to carve out a spot in an industry that has, to date, been oddly dominated by the boys! (Paul Frank by Paul Frank, Sanrio by Shintaro Tsuji, David and Goliath by Todd Goldman, Tokidoki by Simone Legno to name a few.)

I am nearly finished designing the website and will soon be seeking out help to build it. Any takers?

End of a Romance

Inspired by Casey's pledge to swear off processed foods, I am going to attempt to do the same. Being realistic, I know that it'd be impossible for me to go cold-turkey and never have a Cheez-It, Haribo, or frozen meal again, so let's just say the goal will be to limit intake rather than swear off intake. Good-bye, my loves.

Miniature No. 1: Chicken Breast

Painting larger pieces has been draining. Working on 6x6 miniatures makes me feel productive.

IF: Foggy

Illustration Friday topic: Foggy
Approaching 29 and still haven't the foggiest idea as to what I should be doing with myself.

Working Girl

Mock-up for the Ambassador Hotel Mooncake Project. Emerging designers and illustrators were asked to submit designs to be used for Limited Edition mooncakes. My submission was the little red octopus. Thank you, Jean, for the opportunity.

Chemical Warfare

My apartment is a battlezone. Beans' ear stench, body odor, and puppy breath paired with the cougar cub's gas attacks have left my nose paralyzed. Somebody get me a match!

Getting the Party Started

I've finished my first piece to show to gallery-owner, Celia. No one has seen it yet--not even the cougar cub--but I'm genuinely looking forward to receiving his honest feedback. What troubles me is that I am not sure if my doodles offer a solid point-of-view...Grr.

Minnesota Nice

Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, is actually home to over 10,000 plus lakes. The cougar cub pointed out the state’s numerous “puddles” (as John references them) to me as our plane was coming to a landing. Interestingly enough, during the course of my stay in Minnesota, my lake count totaled a pathetic ONE.

My Fourth of July weekend was anything but pathetic. It was chock-full of expectedly-interesting and exciting moments.

For starters, I met the parents. In fact, not only did I meet them, I stayed at their home. Josh’s parents could not have been more hospitable. His freakishly buff father (I really did not mean to look, but since he sports a wife-beater at home, the sight was unavoidable) shared cute tidbits about Josh’s early years. My cougar cub was, apparently, a “free-spirited” child. Hee-hee. His incredibly sweet mother cooked for us several times over the course of the weekend. While the results were simultaneously tasty and healthy, I wasn’t all that surprised by the pleasing outcome, for Josh whips up similar recipes back in LA! I think the cougar cub has a lot of his mama in him. And that’s a good thing.

Another highlight was the time spent drinking, barbequing, and Rock Band-ing with Josh’s fantabulous Minnesotan friends. (Alan, Julie, Billy, Amanda, Diana, Kyongdo, Matt, Albert, Venora, Mai, Cory, Jessica, Andrea, Dave, and Mary.) I’d heard so much about each and every single one of them and was looking forward to finally meeting them in the flesh.

On our first evening there, we hung out in “uptown” Minneapolis (which is, ironically, south of downtown) at a bar called Stella’s. Julie ordered fried cheese curds, and I had my first taste. The following day, the 4th, was spent pigging out at Mai & Cory’s. Alongside usual Fourth of July BBQ fare like burgers and sausages, Mai served vodka-infused watermelon and Mai’s homemade triple chocolate cupcakes. Mmm. T’was a wonderful way to start Independence Day. With full bellies, Josh, Albert, and I then hit up Amy & Julie’s parent’s home for more Fourth of July fun. I watched Josh attempt (yes, attempt) to play badminton and then watched everyone else play a strange, and somewhat dangerous, game of badminton-volleyball. We then gathered around the driveway at dusk to watch celebratory fireworks. I wish they set them off to sound… The evening ultimately came to a rocking conclusion at Alan and Julie’s turtle-filled apartment (they’ve got four huge ones) with one of Josh’s all-time favorite activities, Rock Band. I’m proud to announce that I’m now a medium-level bass player. Thanks to the encouragement of Alan and Matt 

And then there was the wedding of Billy and Amanda—the reason for the trip out in the first place. See the above scanned comic strip that Billy’s friend whipped up. Isn’t their story amaaazing? (Josh insists that I enjoy telling the story of their meeting more than he does.) Their wedding, Hawaiian-themed, was casual and fun. How casual and how fun? The bride and groom were throwing water balloons at guests!

I have yet to hear back from Josh as to whether or not I “passed” and gained their stamp of approval, but whether or not they enjoyed spending time with me aside, I really enjoyed spending time with them. Considerate, witty, fun-loving, peeps. I wish they all lived closer.

Doodle to be posted. Scanner's acting up. Grr.

True Love

Has anyone else been watching “The Bachelorette”?! The show came to a roaring conclusion tonight and I am so happy for Deanna! (Yes, the bachelorette and I are on a first-name basis.) Jesse (with an “e” or with an “I”? I’m not sure…) is a perfect match for her, and as pathetic as this is going to sound, I got a serious case of the goose-bumps watching them (two strangers... well, strangers to me) officially get-together at the final rose ceremony. They’re so incredibly cute together. I was hoping that she would pick long-haired, fun-loving, pink show-lace wearing, snowboarder Jesse. And she did! I hope they last.

Funny Bunny

Josh's brother and sister-in-law are the proud parents of a toothless bunny. Pictured: Toothless bunny, Forrest, shopping for a food processor.

Dunce

Spent the weekend catching up with old friends whom I neglected during my first year at Anderson.

Caught the highly-anticipated "Sex and the City" movie with worthy "Sex" viewing companion, Koo in San Mateo and was *WARNING: SPOILER!* disappointed, no, by Carrie's final decision to end the glorious saga with her decision to fall back into the arms of the fickle-hearted and undeserving Mr. Big.

Had drinks with Moy and fellow Yahoos at Bay Area douchebag central, Medjool's and the cute-but-smokey Rosewood Lounge. Followed up drinks with cheap and greasy dim sum in Chinatown the next day. Alcohol is great when washed down with pork buns.

Shopped with "le cougar cub." We picked out gams for his friend, Billy's upcoming wedding in Minnesota. A seersucker blazer from J.Crew for le cougar cub($32.50, tax included!)and a turquoise, chiffon cocktail dress from Barneys for me (also on sale, but not quite $32.50). Ended the evening with a viewing of WALL-E. Our first movie (in a theater) together. Aww.

Sunday morning was spent brunching at my favorite bakery, Tartine. Le cougar cub, partial to savory breakfasts, enjoyed his quiche while I inhaled the Tartine morning bun. Afterwards, we drove out to Berkeley for a change of scenery. Cougar cub took me to the Takara sake museum out in Berkeley at which we went sake tasting. A first for me :) We then met up with Dai and Emily at Ici on College Avenue for homemade ice-cream.

The weekend was topped off with good conversation and company over sushi at Shimo with le cougar cub, my cousin, and my Anderson bff, Mr. Lynch.

Time flies when you're having fun.