HOLAS CRAYOLAS

LIBERTY for NIKE

2011-09-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

I was recently contacted by NIKE MEXICO to create a poster for them. They were promoting the new LIBERTY OF LONDON Nike line. They explained that they had chosen 3 people to wear and represent the line so they could market it through them as spokespeople. The three were Paola Espinoza, a (very young) Mexican Olympic high diver who did us proud at the Olympics by bringing in BRONZE and the Mexican group HA*ASH which consists of two Mexican vocalist sisters, Hanna and Ashley.
The colors in the campaign were purple and gold and they explained they needed the girls to be drawn wearing the shoes.
Here's the final product:

Working with the NIKE peeps in Mexico was awesome and very fun :)

OH WOW!

2011-06-25T23:26:00.001-07:00

Hello! I'm very frustrated with my blog. Every time I want to post, it gives me a hard time saying it doesn't recognize me >:( Argh.
Hey, so remember my pinata design? Well it got sculpted out and turned into a real pinata and shown at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico along with many other artists including my hubby, Jorge's! Check it out!

Before...

After, tadah! Woaaaaah! Rad!

The setup at the museum.

The day of the opening. Wish I could have been there :(

A big, big thanks to Cecy, Dave, Clarisa y Jorge at Vertigo Galeria for putting all this event together. It was so much fun! I hope they do it again.

Paco

2011-04-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

PIÑATARAMA

2011-03-18T14:30:00.001-07:00

Hello Muchicos! Long time no see. Here's a little something I've been up to. Jorge and I were contacted by Mr. Jorge Alderete to see if we wanted to participate in an upcoming art show featuring piñatas in Mexico City. A bunch of artists got picked and asked to create their own piñata design and then it would be sculpted out by piñata artisans in Mexico City to be exibited in the prestigious Museo de Arte Popular (please, please go if you haven't been, it's so very, very worth it). HOW COOL IS THAT I ASK YOU!?
Here is my contribution along with an illustration they asked for us to accompany our design.

PS
PS: Luka is featured as the last little boy in the Piñata Parade :)

DIA DE TUS MUERTOS art show in SD

2010-10-25T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hi fellas! It's been a while! I've been busy making papier mache sculptures for an upcoming art show in SD in honor of Day of the Dead. It will be an honor to be showing side to side next to some amazing talent like the likes of Israel Sanchez, Simon Varela, Martin Ontiveros, Amanda Visell, Lorelay Bove, Jerry De Jesus, Sadie Figueroa, Rhode Montijo and of course Mister Jorge Gutierrez the awesome, who not only came up with the idea, but took on the task of actually bringing it all together :)
If you're in the area, go check it out at SUBTEXT GALLERY in SD, it's good stuff, good peeps, good food, good times :)

La Maestra de Ceremonias

El Payaso

El Hombre Fuerte

La Banadora

El Harlequin

*big thanks to Kellie Smith and her lovely long haired assistant Sean Szeles for taking time out to help take awesome pics. of my stuff :)

Negrita Cucurumbe

2010-09-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hello anyone! I apologize for the lack of posts. Really I do. I've been a little caught up making sculptures for an upcoming Day of the Dead art show in San Diego entitled "Dia de Tus Muertos". I'm also doing a piece for a book in Mexico City paying an homage to Gabilondo Soler also known as Cri-Cri, the great Mexican children's song composer!
A handful of artists were picked out to do their versions of a song given to them. Mine is "Cucurumbe", a song about a little girl who doesn't want to be black, she wants to be white like the moon, the shells on the beach and the foam on the shoreline. One day a dapper little fish wearing a bowler hat comes up to her and exclaims " Goodness child! Can't you see that you are beautiful as you are?"
One of my upcoming goals is to have an art show based on Cri-Cri's songs, so this might just be the first step in that direction!
I hope you like it :)

New Stuff

2010-04-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are two characters from a project that Jorge and I have been working on :)

Please enjoy :)

Rei 2

2010-03-05T23:54:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is my second drawing of Rei :)

Guess what my little boy did...

2010-03-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

...very funny

Rei

2010-02-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

I love the Sartorialist. I love looking at the interesting people he captures with his camera and I love looking at what they are wearing.
Rei is a photographer that kept popping up in his blog, she is cute as the dickens, so I decided to draw her. Here is my first Rei drawring.

Rei in all her cuteness.

My Rei.

Don Nacho and Camila

2010-01-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

Back when I was 7ish, I remember my dad introduced me to a very round, sweaty, pink, gentleman named Don Nacho and his extravagant wife Camila. Don Nacho was a patient of my fathers' and he proved to be a very happy fun going guy. He always wore a sombrero and jeans and Camila never left the house it seemed without a heavy application of mascara and her hair done up. They owned nurseries where they grew trees and such and sold them to the county to plant on the sides of freeways. Therefore, they were pretty well off (aka, VERY rich). They had a wonderful marriage and you could tell they loved each other very much. They were both loud, jubilant people willing to share anything they had with friends. I remember going to their house back then and being in awe of their living room decor which resembled a small nightclub complete with neon volcano lamps, leather couches and neon signs. Think Scarface with a sunken living room and barely lit except for the neon coming from the lamps. Unfortunately, the friendship with my father ended quite abruptly due to Don Nachos death and we lost touch with them. Nevertheless, they remain in my thoughts as one of the most interesting couples I met when I was little.

THREE

2009-11-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.
I would like to thank all those that came down to see the show last Friday at SUBTEXT. SHowing there is great because they make you feel so warm and fuzzy :)
Thanks to the SUBTEXT guys Dylan and Don.
Thanks to Israel and Matte.

Since the show is up already, here are the pieces I showed this time round.

Señor Pedro Burro (a sus ordenes)

Bucky Wears a Hat

Mrs.Ducks

Mr.Ducks

Jean Pierre Proudly Poses in His Skates

Cats Pijamas

Birdies on a Plane Ride

Mr.Ducks Goes Sailing With the Crew

THREE

2009-11-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!
So this upcoming Nov 7th, I will be in an art show with Matte Stephens and Israel Sanchez, 2 heavy duty amazing artist down in SD at the awesome SUBTEXT gallery. The name of the show is THREE since it's just three of us. The theme was just to have fun with whatever you wanted and I must say they came up with GREAT stuff!
Here is a link to the page:
http://subtextgallery.com/blog/?p=1214
VERY EXCITED :)

Heres a little glimpse at one of the pieces Jorge bought (oh Jorge, when will you learn that I CAN PAINT YOU ANYTHING WHENEVER YOU WANT!!!)

Birdie

Digital Paper Dolls

2009-09-10T10:43:00.001-07:00

Hi all! These are a couple of designs I did for my pal Jon for a Japanese Toy Company. They were meant to be "digital paper dolls" where you could exchange their clothing. Three girls one dude. Hope you like!

Hi!

2009-09-05T16:15:00.001-07:00

I must apologize for the lack of posts. But I have a very good excuse. Jorge and I had a baby boy!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks but miraculously we haven't lost him, broken him or dropped him! Yay!
Anyway, I promise to start updating again! It will be a little slower than before, but there will be stuff non the less!
Hugs to all!

POST IT SHOW IN BERLIN!

2009-03-12T00:48:00.001-07:00

Hello my cheeky monkeys. So our good friend, Jon Gibson, invited Jorge and myself along with other artists to take part in an ever so interesting show in Berlin for the 2000 Pictoplasma Character Walk. We were given a little packet of post-it's and were asked to draw on them. They'll be part of a larger installation created by artist Jude Buffom.
I chose to doodle out the alphabet with animals as fast as I could. Coolio Foolio! Here they are!

MAD MEN WOMEN part 3

2009-03-01T01:12:00.001-08:00

Here's Betty Draper, part three to my Mad Men homage.

MAD MEN WOMEN part 2

2009-02-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves Joan Holloway. She's impeccably dressed to go to work every day, never a hair out of place, knows the ups and downs of the business, knows how to polka and she has a rockin' bod. Heres my version of her.

MAD MEN WOMEN part 1

2009-02-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

I know Jorge and I are kinda late to hop on board the MAD MEN bandwagon, but we got on anyways. The show is so well designed and their use of color is enviable! It's everywhere, from their props to what their wearing to how the actors are framed in shots.
So as a tribute to the show, I've decided to post up my version of PEGGY OLSON from the show. She started as meek as a mouse but the girl is growing more and more in each episode. She's probably the most interesting character...other than Salvatore of course!
Enjoy :)

Tims Family

2009-02-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Tim Yoon was our line producer on EL TIGRE (and a mighty fine one at that!) He's also a very dear friend and one of the first to find out that Jorge and I are having a baby. Once he did find out he was kind enough to take us out to celebrate at a delicious restaurant (Din Tai Fung...yum!), bought me my first baby book, and would call to check up on Jorge and I every once in a while at the first stages of my pregnancy...you can't get any nicer than that! So in exchange I decided to paint him a little family portrait to say thank you :) This is the outcome, I hope you like :)

Radiating Sun Man

2008-12-31T01:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Folksies,
I haven't updated my blog for a while and I have good reasons for it but they're all going to come off as excuses. So without further ado, here is a finished piece I did for an upcoming Kokeshi show at the Japanese American National Museum in June 2009. His name is Radiating Sun Man. He was real fun to paint on. I hope he is to your liking!

Bear and Bird Gallery!

2008-11-29T11:10:00.001-08:00

Hi all!
So, the lovely Amanda up at the Bear and Bird Gallery asked me to be in their upcoming show, Small Stuff 2. I have the honor of displaying artwork with other great artists such as the great Lorelay Bove, Jason Limon, Jack Long, and a myriad of any other great talents!
She's been a real sweetie from the start and has been keeping us posted and updating emails every time she can. This morning, I received another update. This one was about a nice writeup printed out in the newspaper, the Sun-Sentinel, regarding the upcoming show! The kicker was how very surprised I was to see one of my paintings in the article! What a lovely way to start a morning :) Amanda, you are too sweet to have sent this! Thank you!

Yay!

The flyer for the show!

That's me in the center..yikes!

WHAT?!

2008-11-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of the handiest things to do around Spain was to get on the little red tour buses. Not only did we get to learn about Spain and it's history, architecture and customs but our feeties got a nice rest as well which is quite nice after walking around non-stop for 3 hours straight.

Well, it was on one of these tour buses that, on one good day, we were being shown Barcelona's beautiful bay area. From far away, I saw a man coming towards us wearing what appeared to be only swimming trunks. Or very tight underwear. Either way, it wasn't until we drove right past by him that I discovered that his entire torso was tattooed and that his "bathing suit" was tattooed on as well. I only got a glimpse of his rear as he walked away whistling a merry little tune and I could have sworn it was my imagination...but my sister in law saw him as well. So, somewhere in Spain, there is a man walking around strutting in all his tattooed splendor, causing spectators to wonder whether or not what they just saw was real or not.

Viva Michoacan!

2008-11-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Jorge and I were lucky enough to be invited to the prestigious Universidad Tec de Monterrey Campus Morelia in Michoacan to give a small presentation about animation and EL TIGRE. The people were all so nice and it felt even better to talk to kids from Mexico that wanted to learn about animation and everything it envelopes.

I'd like to mention that Morelia, Michoacan also happens to be my parents old stomping grounds. It's where they went to school and they came of age, per say. So it felt extra nice to be visiting and to imagine that I was stepping on the same streets that they stepped on when they were young.

Below is a "guari", a woman from Michoacan culture with the traditional dress. I told the kids at the university I'd design one and put it on my blog. Hope you like it!

Little Maja

2008-10-22T17:41:00.001-07:00

Venga Maja Parte Dos!!!

2008-10-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a series of postcards that I found in the gift shop of a museum called Reina Sofia. They might be a little more "kinder" to the eye than the past majas I posted (sorry Gabe).

Venga Maja!

2008-10-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am in awe of Spanish Majas. Same goes for Flamenco dancers. Along with their beauty and femininity, there is a strength about them I admire so much.
Ruben Afanador is a photographer who happened to have an open air exhibit in Sevilla while we were there. Through his (raw) photos, he portayed a very different type of Spanish woman. I absolutely loved it!

Me next to one of the "photos". Awesome.

BACK FROM SPAIN!

2008-10-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hello! We're back from Spain! So inspired and so tired! So much to show and write about but for now I just wanted to touch base! More in upcoming entries!

Please Stand By...

2008-09-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't posted anything in a while...thank you all for the lovely comments on Doña Norma. I've been a bit busy finishing up a project before I leave on my trip to Spain (WHAT? SPAIN?)
So here to keep you company for a little bit is me next to an ice cream vendors cart in Tijuana. I thought it was pretty funny.

Doña Norma...my cat lady neighbor.

2008-09-10T01:58:00.000-07:00

When I lived back home, we used to live next door to Doña Norma. She usually wore a scowl on her face, curlers on her head and a muumuu. Despite her cranky exterior, she had a good heart. She was the official voluntary hotel for the neighborhood felines. She had about 30 cats living on her premises. The place REEKED. One day, Doña Norma sprayed insecticide around her garden. She completely forgot she had 2 female cats that were pregnant. Well, I don't want to go into specifics, but those were the scariest kittens I EVER saw. Some came out with only one eye, others were missing an ear. But Doña Norma, patron saint of stray cats, bless her soul, kept them anyway. And they went on reproducing, even to this day.

U is for Unicorn

2008-09-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

The Mexican graphic design magazine known as TIYPO has been asking different designers to participate in their upcoming issue. Each designer is given a different letter of the alphabet and has to design something that starts with it. Therefore, U is for Unicorn. Again with the unicorns...I know, I know.
Jorge got the letter G and I must say, it came out R-A-D. So rad in fact that it got the cover! You can check Jorges design on his Super-Macho Blogo.

MIAO

2008-09-06T00:59:00.001-07:00

Other than the MUNNY, the folks down at SUBTEXT were nice enough to let me participate in a vinyl art show that will be happening towards the end of the year. The star of the show will be a cat sculpture called the MIAO. A blank copy of the cat vinyl toy and his mouse buddy was given to several artists to customize. Here's my version. His name is Simon. The mouse pal is Teeny. Together they are Simon and Teeny.

Teeny

Simon

Simon and Teeny!

Tino Bambino

2008-09-04T01:24:00.001-07:00

Hidee ho everybody. I've been painting away once again. I just finished painting a MUNNY for the SUBTEXT gallery. It's waaaaay overdue, so I'm happy I finished it! I hope you like it!

Front...

and for your viewing pleasure...the back.

Don Raul...or my first experience with a cigarette.

2008-08-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my dad would tend to bring home guests to have lunch with us. These people varied and would sometimes be relatives, sometimes friends other times acquaintances. Don Raul was a gentleman my dad brought home around 3 times. He really stuck out in my head because he was an unusually tall, lanky man with a sadness to him.
He was a construction worker, except he wore dress pants, clean work shirts and really awesome (HUGE) shoes. He looked like he had an office job.
Well, it happened one day that my father hired Don Raul to help us build a back room to our house. I would frequently go out back and play with little pieces of wood that were left over from the construction. Don Raul rarely spoke except to tell me to be careful. On his breaks, he would have a smoke. I would watch him light up, finish smoking and then he'd continue working.
One day, Don Raul didn't come to work.
But he left his ciggies.
Being the curious little monkey, little Sandra lit up and inhaled ... DEEEEEEEEPLY.
Little Sandra almost threw up.
I had never known such excruciating pain! It felt as though someone set my lungs and throat on fire! I tried to remain calm but I must have been hacking and gagging out there for what seemed hours. I felt so dizzy.
Well, lesson learned. I didn't like cigarettes.
To this day, every time I see a little packet of Marlboro's, I remember Don Raul and my smoking incident.

Don Raul

CAROLINA

2008-08-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I hadn't blogged recently was because Jorge and I went down to say hi to the peeps. On this particular trip, my sisters 4 year old daughter (who also happens to be my godchild) really caught my attention. She is very quirky and can't seem to sit still. She'll begin her day perfectly coiffed and 5 seconds later it looks as though she walked through a hurricane. She's going through a maternal phase in her life where she puts Kleenex on top of everything pretending to put things to sleep. The Kleenex is the blanket of course. She also has a passion for cookies, LOVES her green crocs ( I don't get it), and likes to try on grown up lady shoes.
She's a total reminder of why it's always good to stay young at heart. I love her to bits.

Carolina

Tammis Keefe

2008-08-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Who says a bad thing cant lead to a good thing?
So I got sick yesterday. I was happy pappy and then my body suddenly decided to cave in. It felt as though someone hit me with a huge stick. I had a sore throat, my body ached, I had a fever and I had serious chills...not the spooky kind.
So I slept...and slept. And slept some more. So much in fact that when night time hit, I just couldn't go to sleep. So I surfed the net...til 6:30 am. As I was surfing the net though, I discovered Tammis Keefe. She was a textile designer graduated from Chouinard Art Institue. She passed away when she was just 46. Anywho, she created tons of amazing little illustrations for hankies. Without further ado, I give you some samples. Enjoy ;)

Her shapes are so simple!

Her limited palette is awesome!

I love this one because the cows are wearing boots and hats.

Soledad

2008-08-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

There is a group that Jorge and I grew up listening to called La Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio (look 'em up on ITUNES). They play a song called El Tieso y la Negra Soledad which translates into The Stiff Guy and Negra Soledad.
The song is narrated by a guy talking about his cousin who doesn't like to dance at all at parties. He's as stiff as a board (hence the name) That is, until one day he sees beautiful Soledad at a party and learns to dance everything from Mambo to Cumbias, just because of her.
The song inspired me to draw Soledad. Sooooo....here she is. Just the way I imagine her :)

Soledad dancing.

FRUITS!

2008-08-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Something exciting is happening over at Monkeyhouse Toys this Saturday. Its a group show! And the theme is Japanese Fruits! How fun! I'll have two pieces there along with Gabe Swarr, Katie Rice and many other happy people. See you there!

"Fruiticorn"

Snippet of "Ring Around the Fruits"

FASTER PUSSYCAT...

2008-07-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

So this weekend, my husband Jorge was in an ASIFA panel where he was asked what films he thought animation students should be shown. He recommended watching foreign films but he emphasized that FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL is a definite must.
A while back, Gallery 1988 had a "Crazy 4 Cult" show. Jorge almost peed himself when he found out what movie I chose.

Jorge bought my painting.

COMIC CON

2008-07-27T00:31:00.000-07:00

It came and it went. This picture sums everything up for me.

I'll post some more up tomorrow ;)

SNEAKERS

2008-07-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

A while back, I was asked by the cool peeps at the SUBTEXT GALLERY to participate in a sneaker show. All artists got sneakers mailed to them and got to paint whatever they wanted on them. I've never painted on shoes, but they had a canvaslike texture and proved to be a lot easier to paint on that you'd think!

Twitch and Lucy Color Rough

2008-06-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

I Won An Emmy!

2008-06-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

I still CANNOT believe it!!! It's so surreal! Here I am in the middle of Times Square N.Y. lifting my EMMY up into the air. So exciting!

Too cool...

2008-06-18T10:04:00.001-07:00

Way, way too cool!!!

Twitch Nuthead and Lucy Lemondrop

2008-06-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

I like to space out and when I do like most of you will tend to do as well, cool stuff happens when you doodle on post its. Introducing Twitch and Lucy!

MORE DRAWRINGS, YAY!

2008-05-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't really been posting up a lot of artwork, so here are a couple of more sketches from my sketchbook. I hope you like :)

Eddie and Brandy

2008-05-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest couples I've met in past years are Eddie and Brandy. They compliment each other like a ying and a yang. They are both quirky, funny and good natured. They also live for each other.

One of the coolest things that could have happened this year happened. On a warm and beautiful 18th of May, the two married at LA's gorgeous Arboretum.

This warms my heart because I truly believe they were born to be together and when you witness the union of two people with this kind of destiny, it's a one of a kind moment in life and I feel fortunate and lucky to have been able to be there to share their happiness on their special day.

Congratulations to the both of you!

Dee, me, Jeanie, Su, Kellie, Roxie

Miss.Mindy & Dee

Kellie & Stella

The lovely and talented Janet Klein sung.

Some of the boys.

Mr. and Mrs.Trigueros

Brandy's Fantastical Bachelorette Party!

2008-05-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

So a couple of days ago, my friend Brandy had her bachelorette party at The Edison, an amazing bar in downtown LA. Prior to being an amazing bar though, this place was LA's first private power plant, so it made it all the more interesting. It's interior design is incredible, staying as true as possible to it's original concept, the entire place is a combination of "industrial" and "glamorous".

The theme that night was the 1920's.

STOP! Flappah time!

Did I mention that there was a show there that night? There were acrobats, stilt walkers, dancers and actors all doing their thing. The performers went from room to room putting on little skits for the guests.

Don't ask

Roxy takes a bite out of Cotton Candy Lady's bustier.

Amazing dancers, especially the one on the right!

We had a couple of drinks and had some flatbread with sauces (they were actually really, really good...or maybe I was just hungry...or a little tipsy)

Mindy "stealin' " some elixir

All in all it was a great time. If you weren't there admiring the interior of the place, or watching the old black and white 1920's films being projected on the white walls, or ogling the acrobats, or drinking and eating...you were simply hanging out with a couple of good friends wishing Brandy the best in her upcoming adventure called marriage, and that's what that night was really about, no?

Happy Bachelorette Brandy!

My Art Show...Yay!

2008-05-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

It came and went by so fast, I don't even remember certain parts of it! All I can say was that it was an incredible experience!
I'm so thankful to everyone who supported me during this entire ordeal from the start! First and foremost my wonderful husband, Jorgito! He was with me through thick and thin and I love him so much for that.

My super Jorge!

Second, a big hello and thank you to the boys at the SUBTEXT gallery for allowing me to show my work in the first place. Don and Dylan, you guys are kickass!!!

The boys: Dylan on the left Don on the right.

And third and best part of it all...a big GRACIAS to all who came that night and all those who wished me much luck and happiness even though they couldn't be there that day. Thank you Cheekymonkeys!

The gallery was pretty darn full and everyone seemed to be having a good time. My mom, dad, Karla (thankyou Karla!) and Gabe and older sister Ady and her family were there along with my mother and father in law and I'm proud to say the show is close to selling out! It makes me happy to know that I made pieces that will make other people happy. I think that's what really matters, no?

Below are pictures of the pieces in the show. I hadn't posted any before because I wanted them to be a surprise. What's the point of showing everything before the big event right?

Elements

The Happiest Sad

If You Love Something...

Sun, Moon, Stars

Happily Ever After

Careful

Beautiful Growth

She Said...

They Said...

She Said

Careful What you Say...

Careful What You Say 2...

Bittersweet Ending

Two Faced Monsters

Mexico City Rocks My Socks!

2008-05-12T17:14:00.001-07:00

Mexico City was so awesome! So, the purpose of our little visit was to go down and present EL TIGRE as a show that could help sell or promote Mexican brands such as SABRITAS or LALA. Most of the previous meetings we had had with the people down in Mexico were through email so when we arrived it was so nice to put a face to the "voice".

We were greeted so enthusiastically by Darlene (Senior Director) Romina (Senior Marketing Manager for NICK Latin America) and the ever so awesome Erik Steinhold (Senior Creative Manager) such a cool guy.

Super Darlene!

Super Romina!

Kickass Erik with a kickass t-shirt!

It was this same group of people that put together an AMAZING presentation at TELEVISA including goodie bags for the audience, a delicious breakfast and even a walkabout of EL TIGRE! So cute!

Jorge and I with EL TIGRE! Yay!

Jorge and I left feeling so very appreciated and we were just totally on cloud nine. We wished all of the people that made EL TIGRE possible could have been there to enjoy the moment just as we did because they deserved it as much as we did.

Im back!

2008-05-04T22:43:00.001-07:00

I'm back from Mexico. Unfortunately, Jorge has the camera and he's still there so I promise the next entry will be about that.

In the meantime, here are two pieces I did for Grey Delisle. She's a wonder that Grey. Not only is she a phenomenal voice actress (she did the voice for Frida on EL TIGRE along with a ton of other ones) she's also an incredible singer and she always looks amazing!

Anyway, we had a cowboy themed show at the NICK gallery and she bought "COWGIRL". She comissioned me for another piece for her friend who happens to like mermaids.

Grey (isn't she lovely?)

Cowgirl

Mermaid

Phew!

2008-04-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Ok...so it's been a super fast paced couple of days. Jorge and I will be leaving to Mexico City (aka the motherland!) to promote EL TIGRE. Yay! I will return with all the gory details and a couple of pictures.

I didn't want to leave without posting for a long period of time, so I will leave you with a couple of sketches I've been scribbling in my sketchbook. Hopefully I'll have enough for an actual book pretty soon (please pardon the sketchiness).

Hasta luego!

Sculpture Fun!

2008-04-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've been getting reprimanded left and right for not putting up any artwork.
So without further ado, here goes.

I'll be having an art show May 10th down in San Diego at the SUBTEXT gallery. Among some of the pieces I made, four of those are four 12 inch wooden sculptures called "Two Faced Monsters". The idea sprung from some little wooden figurines I had done previously for another show entitled "It's All Wood".

Charlie and Carolina

Next I began to sketch out some designs (I apologize for the nasty looking presentation, I think I might have used that paper to wipe my mouth at some time).

Initial sketches

Afterwards, I contacted Bernie Peterson to help me actually make the hourglass shapes you see below. If you don't know Bernie, you should get to know him. He's so nice, he's Bernie Peterson, patron saint of Bernie Petersons.

Ready to painted on!

But not before some color comping.

Painting them was a ton of fun. If you flip them over you get either a "nice" face or an "evil" face. You choose!

Tada! Finished product!

New Week, Freshly Relaxed!

2008-04-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hello mah crazies. So I've been doing this thing for a while where I wake up pretty darn early for a Saturday and I go on hikes with a group of friends. Usually our excursions take place in Temescal or Runyon Canyon. This week, however, we trekked up to Santa Anita with my friend Kristen, Kyle, his sister Corey (and her delightfully cute doggy, Wickett) and Dee.

It wasn't far at all (it's in Pasadena) but the road up to the hike was so swervy I almost puked (I get carsick REALLY easy). No matter though because it was all worth it when we got there. It was beautiful! Our goal was to reach a waterfall at the end of the trail. It was mega-chilly that morning but once we commenced our journey we completely forgot about the weather...until we reached our destination and Wickett decided to dive into the lagoon. Just seeing her shake made me cold all over again. All in all, for those of you who like to hike on trails, I highly recommend this one.

It's so cold, yet so pretty.

Wickett after her swim.

Corey warming Wickett up in her "special bookbag cocoon".

Kristen and Dee.

Kyle agrees with Hootie Owl.

Inspired

2008-04-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and happy Friday. I'm not sure what your plans are for this weekend but I highly recommend going to watch "Young at Heart".
It has been a while since I watched a movie that inspired me so much. Especially the gentleman known as Fred Knittle who sings the most beautiful version of Coldplay's "Fix You"
I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Just watch it :)

Hello World

2008-04-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank my friend and brother in law Gabe Swarr for nagging me to get a blog. So here I am! Thanks Gabe!