A small reminder.
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
Steve Jobs
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Armageddon
So so, Armageddon has come and gone...and I must say it was pretty fantastic! After writing that big ass post, Sunday was a lot busier and I managed to get some sales and meet some lovely people :)
Here are some of the commissions I did over that weekend. I think I'm really starting to dig the brown outline and the warm grey tones.
Here are some of the commissions I did over that weekend. I think I'm really starting to dig the brown outline and the warm grey tones.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Why I love what I do.
The things I've learnt from Armageddon and why I love doing what I do.
During primary school, I used to love drawing animals, and try and imitate Disney characters in my sketchbook. As I got older, my tastes had changed (particularly with tv) and was really into the Anime style of drawing. At that time Anime was huge and I loved how they made all the characters cute and pretty. When I was near the end of my VCE, I started to prepare my folio for uni applications. I attended some art classes to boost up my folio where I had to learn how to draw with charcoal, pencil and pastels. It was mainly realistic drawings so I started to practise drawing portraits and figures and also took up a life drawing class at uni. During my 4 years at uni, I got exposed to the illustrator designer market, so I fell in love with more stylised drawings, particularly those that reflected illustrations from a certain decade, like the 1920s - 1940s which have a retro style. After I graduated from uni and my honours degree, I got a job at an advertising firm and started to drift away from drawing due to my lack of freedom and will power to do so. A year plus later at my advertising job, I started to go back to my roots and started to attend conventions so that I could push my art again to where I wanted to be.
After attending the first convention Manifest, I realised there was something which made me different from everyone else who was there. I started to ask myself, why don't I have a particular style of drawing? And why don't I have a folio to show it off? I have been drawing all my life so why was it so hard for me to keep all my work together and why did I always flip flop from one thing to another? Although I drew a substantial amount of commissions during those 3 days there was never one piece of artwork that stood out to me and screamed out YES! this is what I'm meant to do. I would walk by everyone's booths and see how beautifully distinct their artwork was, and you could see the passion and drive they had for their artwork that reflected who they are as individuals. And they had the folio to show it off. Me on the other hand, I churned out my artworks like they were nothing, meaningless to me.
For a while it dug through my head, and it was really starting to upset me. I would see people in my class who had always stuck to their guns and it would be so easy for them to attend exhibitions and conventions and be willing to do all the hard work just to show it off. Me, I decided to use it as practise to figure out what I was meant to do.
And then it occurred to me.
I am writing this after day one of the Armageddon exhibition. Things were so so and I didn't sell that many, nothing I was proud of. It was a very stagnant day. But I realised after all those years of drawing, there was one thing that tied it all together. I drew what I felt like and what represented me at the time. Because drawing was always an escape for me where I could just do what I want and be free. And free I was. Free to flip flop from style to style, material to material, subject to subject. Because I had no limitations. I was never precious. I was never hard on myself. I was just me. And looking back on all those years, I realised I had changed too. I was a different person back then, and to be honest...I never want to go back. I loved what I drew but didn't like how I was hiding in my room to do it, not bothering to open up to people as I did it through my work and only pleasing people to do it. Because if you think about it, art is meant to be a true representation of who you are….and so it should be. And I guess when I look back on my art, it all makes sense now. And that is why I don't have a folio to show it.
Although this may sound quite depressing…there is a small glimpse of light through the stormy clouds. The one thing that has been the same, for majority of my life is that I love drawing for people. Not to please them, but because I wanted to. I wanted to find out their interests, what makes them smile, what makes this drawing special and just draw it for them. No matter what occasion, what style, what material, who it was for I loved to do it. And it continues on to this very day. Because at the end of the day I am not a talented illustrator. I'm too awesome and versatile for that. I like to see myself as more a talented communicator who just happens to draw. Figuring out what they like and dislike was my thing. And I guess that's what I'm meant to be doing for the rest of my life. Whether it's through illustration, graphic design, digital design, advertising or any sort of creative medium, I'm meant to do it. My intentions are the same and they always will be.
So, I guess it's starting to become clearer. Although I'll probably still be kicking at myself for not having a folio tomorrow...at least I found my niche. Now it's time to just take chances and do it.
Hopefully tomorrow will go well. And please excuse my lengthy post. It will be a good reminder for me later on in life :)
During primary school, I used to love drawing animals, and try and imitate Disney characters in my sketchbook. As I got older, my tastes had changed (particularly with tv) and was really into the Anime style of drawing. At that time Anime was huge and I loved how they made all the characters cute and pretty. When I was near the end of my VCE, I started to prepare my folio for uni applications. I attended some art classes to boost up my folio where I had to learn how to draw with charcoal, pencil and pastels. It was mainly realistic drawings so I started to practise drawing portraits and figures and also took up a life drawing class at uni. During my 4 years at uni, I got exposed to the illustrator designer market, so I fell in love with more stylised drawings, particularly those that reflected illustrations from a certain decade, like the 1920s - 1940s which have a retro style. After I graduated from uni and my honours degree, I got a job at an advertising firm and started to drift away from drawing due to my lack of freedom and will power to do so. A year plus later at my advertising job, I started to go back to my roots and started to attend conventions so that I could push my art again to where I wanted to be.
After attending the first convention Manifest, I realised there was something which made me different from everyone else who was there. I started to ask myself, why don't I have a particular style of drawing? And why don't I have a folio to show it off? I have been drawing all my life so why was it so hard for me to keep all my work together and why did I always flip flop from one thing to another? Although I drew a substantial amount of commissions during those 3 days there was never one piece of artwork that stood out to me and screamed out YES! this is what I'm meant to do. I would walk by everyone's booths and see how beautifully distinct their artwork was, and you could see the passion and drive they had for their artwork that reflected who they are as individuals. And they had the folio to show it off. Me on the other hand, I churned out my artworks like they were nothing, meaningless to me.
For a while it dug through my head, and it was really starting to upset me. I would see people in my class who had always stuck to their guns and it would be so easy for them to attend exhibitions and conventions and be willing to do all the hard work just to show it off. Me, I decided to use it as practise to figure out what I was meant to do.
And then it occurred to me.
I am writing this after day one of the Armageddon exhibition. Things were so so and I didn't sell that many, nothing I was proud of. It was a very stagnant day. But I realised after all those years of drawing, there was one thing that tied it all together. I drew what I felt like and what represented me at the time. Because drawing was always an escape for me where I could just do what I want and be free. And free I was. Free to flip flop from style to style, material to material, subject to subject. Because I had no limitations. I was never precious. I was never hard on myself. I was just me. And looking back on all those years, I realised I had changed too. I was a different person back then, and to be honest...I never want to go back. I loved what I drew but didn't like how I was hiding in my room to do it, not bothering to open up to people as I did it through my work and only pleasing people to do it. Because if you think about it, art is meant to be a true representation of who you are….and so it should be. And I guess when I look back on my art, it all makes sense now. And that is why I don't have a folio to show it.
Although this may sound quite depressing…there is a small glimpse of light through the stormy clouds. The one thing that has been the same, for majority of my life is that I love drawing for people. Not to please them, but because I wanted to. I wanted to find out their interests, what makes them smile, what makes this drawing special and just draw it for them. No matter what occasion, what style, what material, who it was for I loved to do it. And it continues on to this very day. Because at the end of the day I am not a talented illustrator. I'm too awesome and versatile for that. I like to see myself as more a talented communicator who just happens to draw. Figuring out what they like and dislike was my thing. And I guess that's what I'm meant to be doing for the rest of my life. Whether it's through illustration, graphic design, digital design, advertising or any sort of creative medium, I'm meant to do it. My intentions are the same and they always will be.
So, I guess it's starting to become clearer. Although I'll probably still be kicking at myself for not having a folio tomorrow...at least I found my niche. Now it's time to just take chances and do it.
Hopefully tomorrow will go well. And please excuse my lengthy post. It will be a good reminder for me later on in life :)
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
One last thing...
Steve Jobs Speech
For the past year I have been reading the Steve Jobs book. I have always been a slow at finishing a book, as I rarely find myself to have time to read, or even be bothered to read.
Before I purchased his biography, I came across his speech at Stanford which my parents forwarded to me.
My favourite quote throughout the whole speech is this one:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
It makes me wonder if the world was about to end I think one of my regrets would be that I never finished his book.
I guess it's time to make time. :)
Before I purchased his biography, I came across his speech at Stanford which my parents forwarded to me.
My favourite quote throughout the whole speech is this one:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
It makes me wonder if the world was about to end I think one of my regrets would be that I never finished his book.
I guess it's time to make time. :)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Manifest commissions
As promised here are some of my Manifest drawings. I drew a lot more but I didn't have time to take photos.
Some of these aren't great in my opinion, but managing to drill through so many commissions in a short amount of time is a huge achievement for me. I'm hoping to take a different approach at Armaggedon and try and stick to using 2 colours as opposed to colouring it fully. Armaggedon is in 2 weeks so stay tuned as I'm going to be selling t-shirt designs there too!
Some of these aren't great in my opinion, but managing to drill through so many commissions in a short amount of time is a huge achievement for me. I'm hoping to take a different approach at Armaggedon and try and stick to using 2 colours as opposed to colouring it fully. Armaggedon is in 2 weeks so stay tuned as I'm going to be selling t-shirt designs there too!
Feedly your brain
Was at work the other day and came across this website...
Speaking of interface good job to Blogger for making it easier to post! (And having google analytics too)
For those of you that use google reader this is the most amazing thing ever. The interface is so much more appealing to look at, and makes it easy to go through your posts. The only thing I would recommend is having the favourites section in folders so I know what where to find my favourites.
It also has an app version on Iphone and Ipad which is very similar to Flipboard.
Speaking of interface good job to Blogger for making it easier to post! (And having google analytics too)
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Manifest 2012 + lots of new links!
Hello!
It's been a while since I've updated my blog but thought I'd give you guys an update on what I've been up to.
Last weekend I decided to set up a stall at Manifest with my friends Liz, Jordan and Winston (with help from my PR bf Arv) selling commissions and my Greetings from Looi card range. Although I only sold 5 cards lol, I managed to make heaps of sales through my commissions which was surprising! I haven't drawn anime since high school, so it was a real challenge for me to do portraits in anime style. I'll admit some of them weren't very anime-ish lol, but it was still really fun to draw for people under pressure. I managed to draw 39 portraits over 3 days, so I'm very happy with myself that I managed to churn them out that fast. A fear I had was that my stuff wouldn't sell that well (seeing as I don't really draw anime often) but to my surprise people still really appreciated it and were happy with the pictures they received. I was also very happy that my sign managed to get people's attention (thank you to my year working in a advertising studio!)
I think after doing Manifest it has really ignited my passion again in illustration, something which has been lacking for a really long time. Hopefully I'll be able to attend more conventions and hopefully find that signature style I have been craving for! (I'm aiming for Armageddon but we'll see)
When I have time I might post up some of the work I did from Manifest.
All I have is this picture which, if you were there you probably remember passing by the Pikachu and Squirtle. My friend Jordan requested Charmander and Bulbasaur to make an appearance...
(And by the way they are in a conga line!...so many dirty people around :P)
In the mean time if you'd like to see more of my work you can find my work in the links below!
Greetings from Looi card range research blog
My graphic design portfolio
Tumblr account for random inspiration and projects
My old work on Deviantart
:)
It's been a while since I've updated my blog but thought I'd give you guys an update on what I've been up to.
Last weekend I decided to set up a stall at Manifest with my friends Liz, Jordan and Winston (with help from my PR bf Arv) selling commissions and my Greetings from Looi card range. Although I only sold 5 cards lol, I managed to make heaps of sales through my commissions which was surprising! I haven't drawn anime since high school, so it was a real challenge for me to do portraits in anime style. I'll admit some of them weren't very anime-ish lol, but it was still really fun to draw for people under pressure. I managed to draw 39 portraits over 3 days, so I'm very happy with myself that I managed to churn them out that fast. A fear I had was that my stuff wouldn't sell that well (seeing as I don't really draw anime often) but to my surprise people still really appreciated it and were happy with the pictures they received. I was also very happy that my sign managed to get people's attention (thank you to my year working in a advertising studio!)
I think after doing Manifest it has really ignited my passion again in illustration, something which has been lacking for a really long time. Hopefully I'll be able to attend more conventions and hopefully find that signature style I have been craving for! (I'm aiming for Armageddon but we'll see)
All I have is this picture which, if you were there you probably remember passing by the Pikachu and Squirtle. My friend Jordan requested Charmander and Bulbasaur to make an appearance...
(And by the way they are in a conga line!...so many dirty people around :P)
In the mean time if you'd like to see more of my work you can find my work in the links below!
Greetings from Looi card range research blog
My graphic design portfolio
Tumblr account for random inspiration and projects
My old work on Deviantart
:)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Sketch 1
I drew these over my annual break. I wanted to get better at my technical drawing but kind of lost interest in finishing it. Referenced these girls from my Japanese magazines. They kind of don't look Asian here for some reason :/
The second one kind of looks like Sunny from SNSD but it isn't.
The second one kind of looks like Sunny from SNSD but it isn't.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Yuki 7
I came across this video ages ago but noticed they had a new trailer out, so thought I'd share it with you!
This is the first Yuki 7 trailer
Yuki can be seen on posters, short film, movie trailers, tshirts, bags, cds, books, art...it's pretty awesome how far you can take just a single character.
I also like how they've kept the same style but tweaked it up more in the second trailer. The 3D and 2D elements works well, I can really imagine it becoming a movie now.
Check out the Yuki7 site and the creator Kevin Dart
Looks That Kill - HD from Yuki 7 on Vimeo.
This is the first Yuki 7 trailer
A Kiss From Tokyo - HD from Yuki 7 on Vimeo.
Yuki can be seen on posters, short film, movie trailers, tshirts, bags, cds, books, art...it's pretty awesome how far you can take just a single character.
I also like how they've kept the same style but tweaked it up more in the second trailer. The 3D and 2D elements works well, I can really imagine it becoming a movie now.
Check out the Yuki7 site and the creator Kevin Dart
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Trying to be one with nature
One of my goals this year is to do more creative things outside of work. I recently went to the Berwick Botanical Gardens and Healesville Sanctuary and took some snaps of flowers and animals. Healesville hasn't changed that much since I was a kid, and majority of the animals kind of sleep all day which is kind of lame. At least when its ferocious lions and majestic elephants its kind of cool to be in their presence...but kangaroos and koalas not so much...
Berwick Botanical Gardens
Healesville Sanctuary
Berwick Botanical Gardens
Healesville Sanctuary
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Hi everyone,
Hope you have all been well!
Looking back on 2011 it has been a pretty interesting year. I said goodbye to my job, my bum life and said hello to my first design job at Woof Creative. I feel very lucky to have landed this job. I've had a few design interviews in the past and its rare to find a place which has exactly the right environment and people you are looking for. The real surprise I could say was landing into the Advertising stream. It wasn't something I thought about during uni but I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. Kind of opened new doors for me...and hopefully be one step closer to what I really want (which is ? atm)
As well as the highs of landing this job, I also got to see some amazing sites in Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, got to meet some pretty cool people and made some pretty awesome friends along the way.
But as the saying goes, with every high there's gotta be a low too, and for me there were times which were pretty difficult. The transition between bum life to full time work was never easy, and finding that balance between work, family, friends and personal time was definitely a struggle. Nevertheless 8 months on, I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it.
I've also managed to shake off my obsession with Kpop Music (sad to say it was an obsession). Not saying it was a low point of my life but listening to the music again it's not as great as I remembered it to be. Putting good looking, skinny, stylish idols in flashy music clips with auto tuned beats definitely sucked me in! I still have my favorites but I can finally move on from that phase in my life. Perhaps it's a small step to growing up? and getting old....time for some Buble please.
So now to look forward to 2012 filled with over time, old age, bad eyesight and better experiences to come.
Happy new year everyone :)
Haha who can resist? I think I can always have a soft spot for this group
Hope you have all been well!
Looking back on 2011 it has been a pretty interesting year. I said goodbye to my job, my bum life and said hello to my first design job at Woof Creative. I feel very lucky to have landed this job. I've had a few design interviews in the past and its rare to find a place which has exactly the right environment and people you are looking for. The real surprise I could say was landing into the Advertising stream. It wasn't something I thought about during uni but I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. Kind of opened new doors for me...and hopefully be one step closer to what I really want (which is ? atm)
As well as the highs of landing this job, I also got to see some amazing sites in Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, got to meet some pretty cool people and made some pretty awesome friends along the way.
But as the saying goes, with every high there's gotta be a low too, and for me there were times which were pretty difficult. The transition between bum life to full time work was never easy, and finding that balance between work, family, friends and personal time was definitely a struggle. Nevertheless 8 months on, I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it.
I've also managed to shake off my obsession with Kpop Music (sad to say it was an obsession). Not saying it was a low point of my life but listening to the music again it's not as great as I remembered it to be. Putting good looking, skinny, stylish idols in flashy music clips with auto tuned beats definitely sucked me in! I still have my favorites but I can finally move on from that phase in my life. Perhaps it's a small step to growing up? and getting old....time for some Buble please.
So now to look forward to 2012 filled with over time, old age, bad eyesight and better experiences to come.
Happy new year everyone :)
Haha who can resist? I think I can always have a soft spot for this group
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