a winters romance

It's finished a bit later than I wanted but... this is second winter holidays painting.

I have some paintings I want to create but winter always brings some creative depression with it. It's probably best to just work through it, but sometimes that just won't happen...

octopi are funny

... Not that this guy would know. He has nine legs.

Winter does funny things to my brain. The sooner it is gone, the happier I am.

greetings..

Oops. its been nearly a month since the last post.

Well, almost finished production of current project, everything is printed, just putting all the pieces together.

Also, have finished first holiday card. Maybe its a bit early. maybe not. Here we go anyways.

Been in sort of low spirits lately, but that isn't a very good excuse so I am going to force self to do some more painting.

More rejects

Just some more rejected sketches. It may be a little while before I post anything finished, since a lot of what I am doing right now is formatting/design and things that will be up post-christmas. Been drawing animals I have either never or rarely drawn before. Still really love this Rhino, though I decided against him in the long run.

Cat Rejects

So here are some rejected sketches and other symbols of my failures. Flipping through my sketchbook, I realized the last 6 pages are all cats. It would be a lie to say that I don't regularly draw cats (after all, cats were half of all I drew in my final year in school). But I definitely have even more of an exaggerated cat fixation as of late. It's no secret I am desperately waiting to have a pet... but still.

Anyhow, I have been neglecting the blog and website terribly and maybe even neglecting to create art. I am done at my job for the next few months SO I am hoping now to concentrate on my freelance goals and own projects. Though the big thing I want to get working on now I wont likely post until after Christmas.

Well, this isn't the most interesting post, but i hope someone at least will enjoy some terrible cat drawings.

watcha doin'? ....reading.

A companion to the other book illustration. over here. Well reading is awesome whichever way you do it.
Is it too obvious I enjoy cats way more than dogs? hah.

ugly duckling

This was for our weekly sketch blog. Goes with a weekly theme, here it was "ugly." Reeeeeaaally enjoyed painting this ugly sweater.

Green Tea Turtle

The latest installment of my delicious tea characters.

the Green Tea Turtle.

This is a very important tea to me.

painting ADD

so haven't been getting anything finished the last little while.

here are a few paintings I have started though.

Plan on getting the green tea turtle done this week though!

books make good coasters.

Figuring ways I can work a little faster, also trying to make some images that are more of a vignette.

no backgrounds for me.

Link link.

So, I have been playing the N64 zelda's again....

so much fun. Finished ocarina of time and moving on to majora's mask. Keeping productive though. I swear it.

loves me not

So, trying to keep a narrative focus in these last paintings. It keeps me more engaged in painting at least.
Here is a sort of romantic girl in the city.

stealing is wrong

Oh man. Can't believe summer is already (almost) nearing its end. Trying to finish up some of the paintings I have started but left behind.

This one was a blast to paint. And I feel like I learned a lot doing it. Which is definately the way painting should go.

Also, not sure if anyone is interested in seeing how things go from sketch to final, but here we go anyways.

portraits

Trying out doing paintings from some life drawings I have lying around in the sketchbook. Not necessarily to create a hundred percent likeness, but trying to create a paintign that would suit his or her interests.

This one here is for the lovely Miss Stefenescu. Think I might do a few more of these.

Riff - Raffi

This is my submission for the group show, Riff Raff. This is a portrait of a performer who was a star in my household growing up...

For Everyone in Toronto, here is more information about the show.

Show Date: Opening August 12th running to August 29th.

Show location: Pentimento Fine Art Gallery, 1164 Queen Street East, Toronto.

One image will be selected for banner on building at Hastings & Queen East. The winning image will be selected by attendees of the show between August 12-29th, so if you are in the area drop by.

books are here!!

Well hello there.

So today I just received copies of the books I illustrated some stories for last summer. How thrilling. The lovely team of designers at Rubicon did a wonderful job, and its great to see how this whole project turned out for them.

Each book I illustrated two stories in. Here is an example of how things looked.

in other news: tomorrow is my birthday. It is a lovely week. :)

Earl Greyhound

Here is the second character of my tea projects.

Earl Greyhound.
I am having a blast doing these. Not sure if I will go with the classic green tea next or do Mr Bengal Tiger Spice.

In other news, I got my copy of the book Life of the Party, that I worked on the cover of. How exciting. It's very nice to see it in print.

xylopholks

yeah i saw these guys in toronto today. Living in the city is great.

tea time

Here is one of the tea projects I have been designing/illustrating. I figure I should combine those that I love most. Art and tea. (sorry nik!)

First up is White Crane Tea.

(and yea, the song crane wife may have come up in sketching for this.)

Next up: Earl Greyhound

won't say anything.

Well, I don't have very much to say here. I have so many projects started, and not enough finished to post.
This here is a portrait (I guess this is a portrait) of a charming young man I know.

EDIT: Oh! and I revamped the website. check it out. amillustration.com

...

Summer dress shopping. I always feel like I need to work extra hard in the summer just to support all the dresses I want to buy.... then come fall I never have anything to wear because it is too cold for all of my clothes. tragic.

deliriously happy

one of a series of birthday cards I am making. Working on some other seasonal cards as well. Mmmmmm.

Got a few projects on the go right now. Taking a break from books right now to try my hand at a few different kinds of work. a traditional (woah!) painting series on the way, as well as more cards and some fantasy stuff.

I like you

So it's pretty fun to take characters you created as children and age them a few years. (Boy and Girl from the Boy who Sailed around the World.) Just wait until I get to the Boy who Hates Everything.... who grows into the Man who Hates even more Everythings.

.....So, it's also kind of fun to take super silly sketches and take them to a finished level. For example:

it's love

something lighthearted to keep me painting.

glasses glasses

So, I made this piece to accompany the boys and glasses from earlier. It seems appropriate for the summer.

something a little different

After spending most of school doing children's work, I did 2 pieces as a final project a little less cheery.

these pieces was inspired by the song Romulus by Sufjan Stevens.
It was a bit of a challenge to move from the happy energetic stories I have been immmersed into these.
Still, I enjoy doing these type of pieces as well and its sort of refreshing to tackle something different.

In other news the Grad show was great. Thanks to everyone who came out. It was real nice to see what we had accomplished over the 4 years at sheridan.

illustrators are multidimensional!

http://www.sheridanillustration.com/

Illustrators are Multidimensional!!

Come join us!

Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 7:00pm

Location: Burroughes Building, 6th floor
639 Queen Street West

it's here.

Received my first copies of the Boy who Sailed Around the World. It's a great feeling to see it in print. For anyone around Toronto the end of this month, it is making its debut at Sheridan's Illustration Grad Show.

R.I.P.

Was he really all that terrifying ?

rose up their noses

Here is a sample of how I am reworking the story casie and liz.

The Mysteries of Casie and Liz!

Well, this is just the draft but this is a new story I am working on.

Will revamp the illustrations a little in the Final.

In other news, the deadline for the Boy who Sailed Around the World is March 31st, so I am busy tying everything up with that project. It will be great to see it in print.

happy valentine's day

....please?

decisions decisions

so, I wasn't quite sure which sketch to go with for the cover of this short story I am working on... so I painted both.

And now I am not sure which painting to go with. I am leaning towards the first one. Stll not sure if it's the right call.

In other news, I should have the boy Who Sailed Around the World done by the end of March. Can't wait to see it off hthe computer monitor.

warming up

Feeling pretty good about my last semeste off school. Psyched to get back to work on projects I have started and to start a few new ones.

Here, i just revisited an old sketch I had to do a quick painting to warm up for the new year. This has been a very inspiring week, from talking with the proffesors to seeing what everyone else has been upto. Just need to do more more.