This past friday I dropped off my beloved baby sis at the airport. Thanks to airport inefficiency I get a little time to sketch while waiting for her to check in.

update! I feel like the previous design were a little too cliche, also trying out some color for the mood. this is exciting!

They caught me, eventually.


Markers.

Work in progress, updates coming soon.

I've been tagged by a friend and Im going to share five things about me that no one in California has ever heard about.
here goes

1. I got in a fight only twice in my entire life, first was when I was 12, and the second time was two years later in eigth grade. The first kid, he was practicing his WWF-inspired chokes on me, I was playing along, of course until I had trouble breathing and he wouldn't stop. The second kid, he insulted my mother and tapped my cheek ( it was meant to be a slap). Ever since I was a child, I always had a peaceful disposition towards others, however, these guys went too far.


2. A mob almost killed me when I was 15. I hit a small bus and injured a native indonesian. In a blink of an eye, I was surrounded by an angry crowd.

3. I had a vision of Christ once. He was extending his arms, moving slowly towards me. This lasted for about 5 seconds. It happened when a pastor laid hands and pray for me 5 years ago.

4. I was raised by my grandparents in the second floor of a notebook factory. We had about 20 workers and I know each one by name and their distinctive odors. Paper was always abundant and my creativity was nurtured early on. The well-oiled machines (the stapler, the cutter, the paper press, the liner) were making noise from 8-5 six days a week. The factory was also haunted. There were nights when me and my sister would hear knocking sounds from downstairs.

5. I used to die my hair platinum blonde. It was done at the price of a great deal of pain since I have sensitive scalp.

Study from a reference photo. Trying to sharpen my observation and painting skills.
gouache on paper.

naah just kidding, it's all digital. Artrage for the painting and fake sketchbook effect with photoshop.

There is beauty everywhere. After finishing some leftover fried rice from a styrofoam box, the globules of water on the opposite of the box caught my eye, so I tilted and merged all the drops of water into one big blob or puddle. It turned out to be quite an adorable thing.

This is the first time I have ever did a serious self portrait. But being Felix, I just cannot be too serious. This was done as a participation in Conceptart.org's Self Portrait Day.
I feel this portrait is quite a good portrayal of who I am, a constant contradiction of the somber and the playful.

A day in a life of a happy artist in one of his favorite place on earth, Borders.
Gouache is tricky, please let me know of any books or websites with informations on this media.

Work in progress painting. About a dwarf, I named him Milgo. He is a scout, an explorer, a connoiseur of.... something. He is looking for something. Faeries maybe? Exotic herbs? Would love to hear any rumors about him.

Marker sketch from the back alleys of ol town pasadena. I was freezing as the sun goes down and the temperature declines with me in a Tshirt and jeans.
I learned that day that one needs more than art supply and wallet on a sketching trip.

My favorite guy from the Lord of the Rings.
Guess I have a thing for all things short and stocky, mmm...not women though.

Swing Dancing tonight, glad I brought my sketchbook.

The piece is a total accident. A bleedover from a marker sketch on the other side of the paper that is, surprisingly, much more powerful than its counterpart. Life is beautiful.

Sketch from Fashion Island, Newport Beach. Where I discovered lululemon .

Even though I'm not a real philanthropist but recently the escalating genocide in Sudan is really tugging at my heart. 2.5 million people are currently homeless and depending on international aid, which is opposed by the government, for shelter and next meal. Here is a link where you can send a message to urge President Bush and Kofi Annan to send Peacekeeping force to stop the genocide. http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/darfur/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=5190 I hope you guys will take a minute to change the fate of millions of life threatened by starvation, rape and murder every day. For more info go to http://www.savedarfur.org

A little sketch I did when I was a little stressed out. Its a depiction of a little fantasy that I have since childhood. Shaded in Photoshop.

Experiment is good for the artist. Here is my attempt to imitate impressionism approach to painting.

Trying out more a more sci-fi theme. Great learning experience.

Tryin things out, an exercise to let go and just frolick with pixels.

Fifth and 32nd

A ballpoint pen sketch I did at Manhattan, new York. Popped it in the Photoshop and voila! Lots of fun doing it. I learned that a fairly finished sketch can really help speed up the painting process.

Found a cute little Rembrandt study on my sketchbook tday. A teacher once told me that Master copies heightens our sense of beauty, thus I always try to squeeze in one or two every week. This one was done in ballpointpen and no I did not use it to make the dense blacks, I exercised good judgment and switched to a brushpen for the blacks.
I have gotten better at switching tools in the middle of drawing or painting. Awareness of tools is a discipline in itself. While working, I have to constantly ask myself (for the sake of efficiency) "Am I using the best tool for this task?"

Here's a collaboration I did with my friend Shingo Hikiami, we took turns to paint, passing the wacom tablet to the other person when we run out of ideas. Thanks to our neighborhood starbucks for providing power for the laptop. Words cant describe the satisfaction when the piece starts to emerge from random scribbles that we threw in.

Long and exhausting weapon designs.
So glad that its done. Learned a lot about materials and design through the process.
It's quite amazing how a seemingly simple subject matter like this can teach you so much about laws of beauty. I have by no means achieve absolute beauty but I certainly had a glimpse into how a great design should look like.
The best designs should come from a spontaneous feeling. Execute the lines with a fast sweep that can be tweaked later. Do a couple passes, use Pen tool in PS to refine your initial lines. Always consider flow and rhythm when finding the right shapes. If it doesn't feel right, never hesitate to "murder your darling."

Relaxation plein air sketches from Cal Poly Pomona.
Gorgeous campus!

Amazon Fairy dust.

Welcome to my blog!
With a little determination and persistence, I hope to keep a steady flow of artwork on this blog! Hope yall enjoy my works and feel free to give me some crits.