MAPLE LAM

Alex and the Gordian Knot

2012-02-03T01:02:00.001-08:00

In about 333BC, this famous Alex conquered and ruled the Western world: Greece, Persia, Egypt, Palestine, Phoenicia, Babylonia, Assyria, Asia Minor, India... He started his military conquer at 19, and he died at 32.

Most of us barely make any big accomplishments at 32.

I particularly enjoy reading Alexander the Great, mainly because he seemed forever young. The man has courage (taming the wild horse Bucephalus when he was still a boy), wisdom (his teacher was the one-and-only Aristotle), and charisma (he was known for his long curly hair and being extremely handsome.)

And wit. Legend had it that there was a knot in the city of Gordium. The knot was so tightly and intricately knotted, no man at the time could untie it. It was said that whomever does so will become master of the world. During his early conquer years, Alexander purposely went to proof himself. He took one look at it (and probably thought to himself: Oh my! What to do with this knot? Can't loose face in front of my soldiers!), took out his sword, chopped it through, thereby "untying" the Gordian knot.

Cheating a little? Perhaps. But he did become master of the world.

Research Process

2012-01-12T20:09:00.001-08:00

Since my passion falls both in illustration and in history, a lot of hours are spent daily doing both. Once again, the wealth of free accessible information (in my case, the local library) serves as a critical part to my research and creative process.

Here is a chart showcasing my work process:

While reading and research are done mostly at home, I enjoy drawing in different local coffee houses. If you catch a girl drawing and sipping coffee and has a small wheel-luggage with her, that might have been me. I like to carry some of my reference books and my art tools with me at all times.

Here is a piece done last week:

Happy 2012, everyone! Wishing you all a great year to come. ☺

Of Theoretical Physics

2011-12-16T01:12:00.000-08:00

I have no desire to pretend I understand many of the theories I read upon in physics. In college, physics was the only science class I opted out. The pulley problems, the projectile calculations... I never took a strong interest.

Which is why when I became suddenly interested after so many years, I was in for a shock myself. My interest only lies on the theoretical side of physics (I will leave all the calculations to our living geniuses.) I love reading about the warping of spacetime, the birth of the universe, multiple universes, dark matter, time travel, quantum mechanics, etc. When I was younger, I used to roll my eyes on this. Geeeeeeeekkk~! Nowadays, I find it very inspiring to be able to look up the sky at night and ponder upon the cosmic oddities. 13 billion years in the making, and here I am, marveling at the very low yet very real probability of me being here.

Two advantages also sprang from this interest:

(1) My love of history dramatically increases, as history of mankind is so short relative to the history of the universe. Recorded history is only about 5000 years! This makes remembering all the historical events so much easier. Memorizing historical facts is not of much use in and of itself, but the more you know, the more you can relate things, and that's where the fun truly begins, and the reason why I love history so much.

(2) I am sure that one day I will work on stories about spacetime — because everything is tied into everything else.

What a blessing to live in the information age!

Sports Injury

2011-12-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Somewhere out there, an urban myth goes about that the more yoga you do, the more crazily addicted you become (unlike me, who has a tendency to fall asleep during the session.) In the end, you will be thrilled to go to each session — something that I do not resonate with. Not with yoga, anyway.

But when it comes to badminton, I am in sync. I crave for it every morning; I swing my racket at home just to make sure I don't forget certain moves. This is why it kills me when I sprained my ankle several weeks ago.

This is badminton's most common injury, especially when one, such as I, wears tennis shoes. I eventually bought a pair of badminton shoes, but I never gave much thought to that sprained ankle of mine. Let it be! It'll heal. After another 2 weeks of vigorous playing, I realized IT DOES NOT HEAL. It continue to be painful at certain angles. Ultimately, I have to stop playing for a while in an effort to let it heal completely before I walk back to the court.

Patience is all my sprained ankle asks for. Restlessness is all me.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2011-11-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

If a movie is made based off a book, I made it a rule to read it before watching it.

With Martin Scorsese as director, Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" automatically became a must-read. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, this is one of two books I have finished.

I was blown away by the story-telling technique. Hugo was half-picture book, half-story book. Where the pictures stopped, Selznick picked up the story with words. Flawless transition! I have never read anything like this before, and I fell in love with it.

I highly recommend the book to anyone who loves a story told differently and ever-so elegantly.

Test Sketches And Beyond

2011-11-20T00:32:00.001-08:00

For the longest time, I prefer watercolor blocks so to skip a step in per-stretching papers. However, there are a lot of limits using the blocks, one of them being the limitation of size.

To make my preferable size, I ended up buying much larger watercolor papers, trimming them down and doing everything old-school (per-stretched, gum tape, etc.) What do I do with all the left over watercolor pieces in odd shapes? I do test runs on them. One after another, after another. Different medium, different brands of ink and color (while budget lasts.) It is a strange thing to see how some ink claims to be water-proof but smeared as soon as water touches it. (Yes, Speedball Super Black!!! That's you smearing all over the place!) (On the other hand, you are the darkest of all blacks I've used. So bravo when I use you for comics!)

These small scraps of watercolor papers are truly fantastic. I doodle on them; I draw on them while waiting for my "real" piece to dry. I cut them down further in slightly off shape and give them some character.

They are now a solid source of my creative process. :)

Oh No — Heat Rash!

2011-11-19T00:46:00.000-08:00

Today, for the first time in my life, I have a heat rash attack.

It was after a couple badminton games. My face started feeling steamy. I walked over to the ladies room and saw my face turned bright red. Oh... Allergy to something I had over dinner? (I am notoriously allergic to a great many things.)

So I rested sitting on the bench. Not the most fun -- I want to play because I am not tired, but logic tells me that under an allergic reaction, I really should let my body cool down.

Later on at home, I looked up what it was that I could probably be allergic to, and I concluded it must be a heat rash attack.

According to Mayo Clinic, causes of heat rash includes:
Participating in intense physical activities. Anything that makes you sweat profusely, especially if you're not wearing moisture-wicking clothing, can trigger heat rash.

Ah-ha! I think I have found the source: I am wearing LONG PANTS today. I NEVER WEAR LONG PANTS to any badminton games, EVER. I thought it might be cold, so this is my very first. It was LONG, THICK PANTS. I will keep this in mind. :)

Good thing these rashes go away within the hour. Still, more games, s'il vous plaît!

Inspiration -- Mike Perry

2011-11-11T14:30:00.001-08:00

Attended a Mike Perry presentation last night at Art Center.

I must say... Waaaahhahhhahhh...

He truly has a sense of color, and the pieces he created are filled with energy and FUN FUN FUN. At the end of the night, all I wanted to do is to rush home and draw like there is no tomorrow. (I did... Inspiration called. Gotta seize the moment.)

Here are some quotes during the talk:

• "Freedom comes from the ability to trust your guts and do things instinctively."

• "A lot of people don't care. Don't be them. Care! Just... Care!!!"

• "The best way to do it (break into the industry) is to GO FOR IT."

• "You have to constantly remind people that you exist. Talk to people. Communicate. Be a member of the creative world."

Thanks, Mike, for caring and for inspiring. :)

Shows I Like - Pan Am

2011-11-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

When Pan Am aired in September, I was thrilled.

Glamourous 60s; fun in the sky; classy design. What's there not to be liked?

Turns out the show is a little inconsistent in scripts. The story has one too many focuses, and it is yet to define itself with a voice, a direction. In the mean time, I am hoping ABC will at least give it a chance to finish the season (as I am already on board!). The good news? I thought the last episode gained better altitude (the first three episodes were great, but after that it got lost for a while.), and I hope from here on it will have a solid ground (or a great take-off, whichever works better.)

Tune in! Sunday night, ABC, 10/9c!

(PS: That's all the shows I watch. Two is a max to stay on work schedule!) ;-)

Shows I Like - Prime Suspect

2011-11-03T21:29:00.001-07:00

Now that I have moved back to LA, I am introduced to something called television. That's right. I have not watched actual TV for a decade (because I have been doing the hulu and netflix thing, which doesn't count.)

After several weeks, I find myself looking forward to two shows every week. Neither has great ratings (How unfortunate!), and I hope the station and the audience can give them a chance to see how far they can go.

Thursday night "Prime Suspect" has a fantastic casts. Why they decide to name themselves after Helen Mirren's original, I can never guess. Maria Bello sculpts her character as Detective Jane Timony perfectly -- a flawed character whom we slowly began to care for. The rapport of the team builds up well as the story progresses. At the end of day, it's watching how the team interact with each other that makes it real and fun. The actual cases became secondary. But hey, the formula works! Just like Grey's Anatomy. Yes, the audience care less on the criminal/medical cases -- it's the people and relationships that count.

Thursday night, NBC, 10/9c! :)

A Sentimental Journey: The Story of Doris Day

2011-11-02T23:36:00.001-07:00

Tonight, I took Mom to North Hollywood to El Portal Theatre and saw a musical on the life of Doris Day.

Before Mom left the house, she said, "I will bring my binoculars, just in case."

I nodded. What she didn't know is that I got tickets on the first row. What I didn't know is that I have forgotten I bought first row tickets. Happy surprise for the both of us!

I will be honest. Except of "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be)" and "The Way You Look Tonight", I am not familiar with the rest of the songs. Her glorious Hollywood days shined beginning in the beautiful 40s.

Tonight is the first preview night. Perhaps it's because of the time of the week (it IS the middle of the week), the entire audience were young-at-heart seniors. (I am for sure the youngest in the house.) At the end of the show, everyone stood and sang along with the last song. A very sweet moment indeed.

New Hangout Place - Vroman's Bookstore

2011-11-02T00:30:00.001-07:00

Tonight, for the first time, I set foot on Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

Yes, I have lived near Pasadena since the invention of sliced bread. No, I did not know of this bookstore until tonight. Please don't judge me. (Me whispering defiantly: It's a little hidden...)

In a time when actual bookstores close left and right, I am thrilled to walk into a gigantic, cozy, independent, well-lit, well-stocked bookstore. A new hangout place for moi~ This is really exciting!!!

PS: No, I didn't buy any books this round. Me and a couple friends did stay and chat until it closed (making me the worst customer...). Perhaps next time. Good coffee and good read. I look forward to my upcoming visits already.

PPS: Thanks, Mark, for introducing the place~! :)

Riverdance Wonder

2011-10-28T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tap tap tap tap tap tap taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap....

Finally had an opportunity to see Riverdance tonight at the Segerstrom Center. Oh my, oh my! What an AMAZING performance!!! I was jaw-dropped!!! How I wish my legs could move this rapidly and elegantly! What a night!

Bravo!!! Bravo!!!

A New Favorite Sandwich Place

2011-10-26T22:53:00.001-07:00

This evening, I had one of the best sandwiches... and it's a veggie sandwich!

I have always been quite a carnivore. Yes, a good salad is always great (once in a while, when I feel like I should be very healthy), but ideally, it would be a chicken salad.

Oh this veggie sandwich -- I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, and it did taste SIMILAR to a grilled chicken sandwich, except the grilled chicken, I suspect, is really of a tofu-family. So it's a fake, but heavenly tasty.

I highly recommend Veggie Grill. Yum yum yum!

The 11th Hour

2011-10-24T21:18:00.001-07:00

In regards to personal creative projects (The graphic novel!! The Children's Book(s)!! The Illustrative Design work(s)!!), it had been a dry week. Okay. One long dry season, to be honest. I get huffs and puffs of creative moments, but they generally don't last long. It's a good thing I am taking a class in Children's book, which forces me to stay focus.

But this week had been especially busy, and I worry tons I would go to class with a shrug on the shoulder. At the eleventh hour (which is now), I am jumping around at times and meditating on my yoga mat (seriously), trying to squeeze out some creative ideas.

I think it's working. We shall see how this goes.

Workshop - Landscape Painting

2011-10-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

Taking a 3-day landscape painting workshop with the amazing Mike Hernandez. I have never done landscape, and gouache is a medium I have not touched. This is challenging x 3000!!!! Everyone in the class is really good! I am inspired (and a little intimidated, frankly.)

I don't have Azure Blue, so I substitute it with Ultramarine Blue. The other colors are Alizarin Crimson and Yellow Ochre. It is also my first to have to create compositions with only these 3 tubes. (Plus white). I need to understand gouache fast. As of now, I don't understand the medium enough to translate it on canvas. (@__@)

My work at Vasquez Rock of Aqua Dolce today. (I am showing the one comp I feel holds up better...) Need to improve fast...

This is me at the end of Day 2. I am CLUELESS!!!!

One more day. Tomorrow's Laguna Beach. I look forward to it. :)

When There is a Gap...

2011-10-10T18:35:00.001-07:00

One entire day staring at a blank canvas and got nothing done.

Productivity: 0%
Frustration: 100%

Not my best day. Perhaps a better night to come? I remain hopeful.

Travel Journal - Stockholm, Sweden

2011-08-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I traveled to a few places in Europe. Here is part of my illustration journal of my trip from London to Stockholm. While names in my journal are usually altered, the encountering and experience are real~ Good old days!

Workshop - Visual Storytelling

2011-08-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Took a Visual Storytelling workshop with Sam Michlap and was very inspired. I have decided to do quick studies of old films to help understand composition, just as Sam had suggested.

Here are some of my studies. :)

Eureka~ Newton's Moment

2011-07-11T20:38:00.001-07:00

Ancient Walrus

2011-04-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I picked up a non-digital tool to draw. Perhaps it's the letterpress class that I am now taking at night every week (which is fantastic, btw.) -- I have rediscovered the joy of the old-fashioned way.

Here is a quick fun drawing of an ancient walrus -- inspired by a recent paleontology & archaeology project I am working on at work. :)

Mock Project - Polar, A Novel

2011-02-22T00:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, Life Needs a Little Grrrrrrr.

2011-01-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

All the misunderstanding

All the weirdness

Please disapparate as I turn another year older soon

Please

Please

Please

Because while life needs a little Grrrrrr

I don't want to carry it with me at all

2011 Reading Plan

2011-01-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

When it comes to reading, I am an addict.

Libraries and bookstores are my constant hangabouts. Come shopping time, my friends know better to avoid Borders or Barnes & Nobles, for these stores serve as gigantic vortexes to me. Once I set foot in, the energy needed to drive me out becomes disproportional.

The worst part is this: I book-hop. Rarely do I find myself reading, or even finishing, an entire book. I skip around books everyday, collecting bits and pieces of knowledge, and I quite enjoy the process. It is like spa for the brain.

For 2011, I tried to force myself into reading within a pattern. The plan is to read only one category per month. For example, January could be politics. February, business. March, philosophy. April, physics. So on, so forth.

The plan is instantly proven useless. The 12 books I am currently reading are a big mixture of genres, ranging from sociology to economics to mystery to design theories to geopolitics. The only thing that seems to work so far is that I've promised myself to read at least one fiction a month, and I've completed this month's quota.

I derailed from my 2011 reading plan, but the outcome is still refreshing.

2011 is still off to a great start.

Once Upon A Pancake Breakfast

2010-11-23T20:19:00.000-08:00

Once upon my middle school years, we had an annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser in school. I was a 6th grader, and it was my first American Pancake fundraiser ever. Everything was an eye opener for me -- from the whole school being there on a weekend morning, all with families and friends, to the line of olds and youngs waiting to get their pancakes and scrabbling for the free sausage coupons. The experience is something I secretly cherish. One of those that leaves a feathery mark on me.

If I were to design a poster for the Pancake Breakfast, it would have to be extremely economical, as it is a fundraiser. Chances are, any school event notices would be printed on a black and white copy machine, and color is not an option. (Unless you use a color paper to begin with, which I should explore as a separate project.)

Perhaps, one day, I will get to work on a similar project. For now, I will reminisce the good old days. Ah, the smell of the sweet syrup...

Little Muggle Fan

2010-08-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to JK Rowling, reading among children (and adults) had a huge come-back. What a lucky time for us to be able to enjoy a series of Children's Literature of very high standard.

Alohamora! Unlock that book cabinet lock of yours and enjoy a read tonight.

Mock Project: My Poster of Swim Instructor

2010-07-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

There is a section in my local library where they stock postcards and flyers of events happening in the community, and I spotted a postcard asking people to become a Red Cross certified swim instructor. The first thought I had with that postcard was: If it were up to me, I would make it visually more fun than just some text and a stock photo.

So I went home and drew this poster.

If I were to design poster for the American Red Cross Pool Lifeguard and Swim Instructor...

I would make the pool with a David Hockey style of water reflection. There is something very luring and calm about the way he does water.

I would make the kid look like he is excited, curious and a little scared. At least that was how I felt when I first learned how to swim.

The text and logo can be at the bottom, with only the main slogan. As Edard Tufte called it, "Confusion and clutter are the failure of design, not the attributes of information."

Mock Project: My Poster of LA Marathon

2010-07-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

If I were to design a poster for LA Marathon...

I would pour in what I think is the nicest of LA -- our ever bright sunshine. What best to capture light but a dab of the California Impressionist palette?

I would also showcase our signature palms. What other big metropolitan city has that, really?

A fun self-made mock project. What an enjoyable way to make me think I've done some work out~! :)

Why We Do What We Do

2010-04-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

The pump of adrenaline,

After countless days and nights of trial and error,

All funneling down into a condensed form of energy,

Waiting for that one moment,

The stomach lurch, the dry throat,

The buzz in the brain so low in frequency the ears felt popped.

That moment is the reason.

Margo Muse

2010-04-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Are words capable of expressing the level of excitement in meeting with inspiring artists in the field?

Margo Chase, a celebrated and influential graphic designer, was invited by the Art Institute of Orange County to give a guest lecture regarding her design process and strategy in art direction. The 2-hour lecture is very informational and helps me understand more on how to bring a design project to the next level of the game. The intensive research and the process of compilation of the research data are particularly an eye opener for me.

And the opportunity to talk to her after the lecture! I asked her regarding how she approaches pitches in drastically different industry, and just as I suspected, sometimes imaginary projects are necessary to open that creative envelope(s).

I tried to look normal and smile when I talked to her, and I am sure I did just fine. But if she happened to look down (thank god she didn't), she would have seen that my legs were shaking. No, it was not fear. It was excitement. I was THRILLED Hearing her talk and seeing her studio's projects in the exhibition made me want to run back home and jump on 15 different projects.

Margo was like a muse tonight. It was as if the muse has struck me on the head with a baseball bat, leaving an aura of ideas circling my now fueled brain.

iPad Pro Rhapsody

2010-04-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

There was a college moment: I decided to be a creative, full-time, for life. One of the first things I did to help prepare myself was to switch to Apple. I figured Apple the Sleek was the industry norm, and knowing the platform could be tremendously helpful.

I am not saying that using Apple turned me into a creative, but it helps when the interface is so much more intuitive, not to mention the crisp graphics I am staring at everyday. Everything of Apple is splurged with design and up-to-par graphic standards.

Then there are times when I sat in the petite space of an aircraft, trying to work on my illustrations on my 17" MacBook Pro and the USB Wacom Tablet connected. I thought to myself: either they should enlarge this tiny tiny tray table, or Apple has to come up with something that is even more travel friendly.

Ah! Ask and you shall received! The iPad is finally released... BUT WAIT! It's designed not to create but to consume. If you want to check your emails, surf the web, play a video game, read a book... this handy gadget is perfect. The moment you want to do creative work, old school is still best school. Bulkiness, apparently, is still a mandatory course. For the moment, at least.

I wish there will be a creative professional iPad, just like using MacBook Pro versus using the MacBook, depending on the consumer's needs. The professional version can run all the Creative Suites programs (even Flash!), and it has a USB hub and a Firewire hub. Let's face it: Most of our work files get big fast, and without an external drive storing these data, the iPad's 64GB will be filled up too quickly. Personally, I lean towards the more stable firewire. So please, Jobs, bring it back.

It would be great too if I can multitask on this creative iPad. I know how often I switch between programs to get what I want, and it's almost impossible to work between the vector and pixel-based graphics without this function.

Lastly, I hope it comes with a mouse-pen, just like a palm-pilot (of which I never owned). Don't get me wrong: I love using my iPhone with my finger. But when it comes to drawing, (and yes I have tried using the sketchpad app), it just did not feel right. If there can be a mouse-pen in addition to using my finger for this iPad, Christmas would have come two Christmases early.

Museum Fan

2010-02-23T23:32:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it has to do with how I was brought up. My family loves going to art galleries and museums, and that shapes who I am today. There is not a single trip I embark upon without going into a museum, even if it's a tiny tiny exhibition.

Of course, it is now so much more interesting to go, as I begin to understand more on what makes an exhibit fair vs total-awesomeness. It is a whole art in itself indeed!

A Long Winter

2010-02-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

Winter seems to linger on a little longer than the previous years. =)

Olympic Fever

2010-02-20T16:36:00.001-08:00

The exciting men's figure skating final came to an end, with Lysacek taking home the gold. A great week to appreciate all the skillful and artistic talents put on together their best work on their finest moments.

I ♥ Johnny Weir

2010-02-19T01:32:00.000-08:00

Such an inspiring performer and fantastic athlete!

Shaun White Won Gold 2010

2010-02-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

Marco Polo

2010-02-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

In reality, unless I am wrong, I think Marco Polo was a kid when he started traveling east accompanying his father. Well, then this would be a shot of him traveling back home. =)

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

2010-02-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes inspiration strikes, and it may not necessary reflect my mood, but I have the image in my head out of the blue, and I want to try my best to capture that moment, with those lights and those contrasts. Here is the resulting image.

Be Green. Bike To Work.

2010-02-11T13:04:00.001-08:00

As Time Gone By

2010-02-08T22:13:00.001-08:00

More Business Illustrations

2010-02-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

Hurry Up an Wait.

Flight Squeeze.

How We Spend Our Money.

Show Floor

2010-02-04T18:08:00.001-08:00

One of the benefits working as an exhibit designer is the chance to observe the entire show from start to finish. The oversight could be at times fun and exciting, or it could be the exact opposite. Regardless, the experience is always an eye-opener.

New Gadget

2009-12-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Finally got a scanner at home. Hopefully, I can generate more creatives in the upcoming year with this new hardware.

A test-run on the scanner. So far, so good. Satisfactory.

A Little History of the World

2009-12-03T21:18:00.001-08:00

One of my all time favorite books is E.H. Gombrich's "A Little History of the World". Most famous for his book "The Story of Art", Gombrich is a gifted story-teller and has the ability to sprinkle magic to engage readers. "A Little History of the World" is written for children, but I would recommend it to anyone who wants a brief and entertaining overall understanding of history.

For fun, I started drawing a comic based off the summary of the book, and here are the first three pages.

Dance of the Minoans

2009-09-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

Bull leaping is a major sports or rituals of the Minoans of ancient Crete.

8000 BC Life of Our Ancestors

2009-08-29T16:05:00.001-07:00

Homo Sapiens gathered nuts and berries and hunted animals for food.

Winged Bull Travel

2009-08-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Riding a famous Winged Bull of Assyria on a time-travel journey.

The Musician of Ur

2009-08-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

A Sumerian boy playing the Golden Lyre of Ur,
once upon 4,550 years ago.

Romulus and Remus

2009-08-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

I have always loved this Roman mythology tale.

In fact, back in the days when my office still used two monitors instead the one-flat-LCD nowadays, my two monitors are named "Romulus and Remus". The apple tower, of course, is name the "she-wolf".

My office desk in late 2007.

Santa Monica Beach

2009-05-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

Lovely old friends were in town over the weekend, and we headed to Santa Monica to enjoy the beautiful SoCal weather. Baby Carissa LOVED the ice cold Pacific water. Her eyes widened with amazement every time the wave came in.

Never ceased my inspiration how a child bond with mother nature.

Recommendation: The Museum Book

2009-05-03T21:59:00.001-07:00

There is something magical about Jan Mark's writing -- it engages your full attention, and on top of that, add a layer of wonder and amusement. Put that together with the visual-savvy design of Richard Holland, and we come across a fantastic book about the what-when-why-how-s of the origin of the museum.

It is from this book that I've decided "Clio" as my favorite Greek goddess. (Trivia for those who ever wonders.) I highly recommend the book for anyone who seeks a good spoonful of delicious knowledge and inspiration.

Sketchbook Doodle

2009-02-16T18:04:00.001-08:00

Sketchbook Doodle

2009-02-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

SBS - 02/11/2009

2009-02-12T13:11:00.001-08:00

Last night, I joined the Nucleus Sketch Book Society in Pasadena and hang out and sketched. It was fun, as I met a group of very talented artists and we all sat and sketch. I look forward to attending more sessions in the future. Here are some of my sketches.

Travel & Inspiration

2008-09-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

I traveled to several different cities in Europe this summer. What a fantastic inspiration jam! The top drawing shows me on a traditional Swedish horse. The second is my exact reaction looking at Gaudí's architecture in Barcelona. The last is an inspiration based off a sculpture Miró did. :-)

L x Mignola

2008-04-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

Finally a chance to rent the long recommended manga "Death Notes". The story is quite a mix of Robin Hood x Kindaichi Case File (金田一少年の事件簿), and I don't usually particularly enjoy materials too dark. Nevertheless, it's quite enjoyable. One of the characters, "L", is really nicely developed and carved. Developing a strong character can really push a story to an extraordinary level.

Also went to a nearby used book bookstore and got a very nice condition "The Art of Hellboy" for a stunning deal. Mike Mignola's bold simplicity is always an inspiration.

This sums up my weekend.

Story Concept

2008-04-25T22:45:00.001-07:00

Watched (or re-watched) several classic anime, mostly related to robots of the future (Appleseed [蘋果核戰記], Ghost in the Shell [攻殻機動隊], all the Mobile Police Patlabor series [機動警察]) Got really inspired to work on a grand epic...

Hmmm... How to go about with the story... Hmmm...

On the Road

2008-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Narration Study

2008-02-03T23:48:00.001-08:00

Wanting to work on something new this year, like short comics. Wanting to incorporate my love of less-is-more aesthetics. Wanting to explore story-telling.

That's a lof of "wants" alright... Girls want want want want want...

Studies

2007-09-16T18:42:00.001-07:00

Animal Kingdom

2007-06-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

I am quite a project-oriented person, and I love coming up with different projects. Among the many things swirling in my bizarre mind, I have this idea of a project on mammals. Because the project is still taking form in my head, I don't have a direction of what purpose it does ultimately. For now, I have immense interest in reading books about them and taking notes on interesting facts. I do quick sketches of my vision of them in my small sketchbook for the fun of it. Above, a Brazil capybara (a rodent/mouse-like family larger than alligators), a South America llama, and a scan of my Moleskine notebook.

If the project ended up not going anywhere, at least I had fun and learned something. :-)

Adventure of the Gentle Giant

2007-06-06T20:47:00.001-07:00

Perhaps subconsciously I like elephants more than any other animals... I like drawing it, I have figurines and toys of elephants on my shelf. I am just insisting that my favorite is zebra (I did see a set of zebra figurines handmade from Kenya in a museum store in Chicago, but the price range is out of question. I think of it a lot though... I guess I do like zebras...)

Doodle

2007-05-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of fun these days playing with the new pen tablet :-)

Red Fox in the Woods

2007-05-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 6 in the morning and was ready to give my new pen tablet a try. :-)

Sour Grapes

2007-05-04T18:27:00.001-07:00

Doodle

2007-04-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Archaeologist at Work

2007-04-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Silent Escape

2007-04-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Nap

2007-04-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

Haven't updated for a while. I'll try to be good this year. :-)
Here is a watercolor piece I did recently.

Tomato Voyage

2006-09-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Fiddler on the Roof

2006-08-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

Fly Away

2006-07-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home

2006-07-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Pangolins and Birds

2006-07-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Trying to loosen up. Having a little Paul Klee-ish style in mind, who, by the way, is on my top 3 list of favorite artists.

Sketchbook Doodles

2006-07-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

This was some doodles I made a while ago on my sketchbook when I loved Sea Lions (still do).

Buddy and I

2006-07-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

Panda buddy and the kid embark upon a journey... A story I have been developing in mind for some time using my second favorite animal as one of the main characters.

Swing

2006-07-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Trying to come up with a simpler composition to create a quiet feeling.

Girl with Yellow Hair

2006-07-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have this Picasso postcard pinned on my wall, and just for fun, I created my version of the same composition. The background is inspired by another postcard next to it - a Kandinsky watercolor work.

Light Study

2006-07-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to play around with light a little, so I made a quick study but decided that I would actually like some warmer lights (versus the dark brown I used on the left).

Sketchbook Doodles

2006-07-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

's For You

2006-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Park

2006-07-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Once Upon a Seed

2006-07-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

Catch

2006-07-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Pick Me!

2006-07-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

England Fan

2006-07-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Me supporting England all the way. Notice that I am wearing the number 9 shirt - Rooney, my favorite footballer. This was drawn before Rooney got red carded and England losing the game at the quarter-final.

Paper Airplane

2006-07-04T18:15:00.001-07:00

Welcome

2006-07-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Blog!