Looking Back

Seeing as how it's been nearly six months since I've drawn anything (for reasons I won't go into right now), I think it's time I get my act together and start creating again.

But before I do, I thought I'd go through the archives and post some pictures I drew for my friends a while back. I think it's about time I share this stuff with all of you.

Starting off:

"Bushido"

I did this one for my best friend, Brian. It was his 29th birthday present I believe. He's a martial artist and is currently studying Kendo. I was really proud of this piece, and he loved it as much, if not more than I did. I still have to make more like this. I like the faux-Japanese style I used here.

"Golden Gate"

If I recall correctly, I did this at the request of a co-worker. She asked if I would make a picture of the Golden-Gate Bridge for her friend back east. This is what I came up with and I made an 11x17" print. I charged 30 whole bucks for it!

"Koy"

I did this piece for a good friend of mine as a birthday card. There was a time when I would never buy a card. I like to make them instead. I think it makes it more personal when I create something for someone, as opposed to just buying it at the store. It's a bit of a departure from my usual style, as this one is more in the "abstract" territory. If you cannot tell, it's a koi fish, made to spell "Koy" my friend's name.

"NavaJo"

I visited a Navajo Indian art boutique in Sausalito some time ago. I loved the pieces there and I always wanted to do something of my own in that style. My friend Joanne was having a birthday the year I did this, so I went with this piece as her present. With the way my mind works, I like the images I create to make some sort of sense. I chose the symmetrical style here and if you study it, you'll see that it represents the four seasons. The reasoning behind that style choice is to symbolize my friend, Joanne having a happy year. Her birthday was in January, so she would happy time for all four seasons. I did something similar for my valentine's day cards one year. You'll see that when I post them soon.

"Baby Shower"

One of my best friends and his new wife were having a baby and they knew it'd be a boy, so they had me create this invitation for their baby shower. The image here can be a bit confusing for some, so a bit of history: Orlando is from Mexico, and his wife is from China. Their son would be a mix of both, so they wanted the card to reflect that. His instructions were simple: "Make it as stereotypically racist as possible." So there you have it. The baby is wearing a Chinese outfit, a Mexican sombrero, and waving a Chinese fan with a picture of castanets on it. The background in the picture has a 'south of the border' color scheme while the borders have a distinctive "Chinese" feel to it. Though for reasons unexplained they decided not to use this for the invite. No matter. I loved the design and someday I may make another version of it for someone else's invite someday.

"Sanshee"

I thought I'd finish off this posting with my favorite piece in recent years. I made this for a very dear friend of mine for her 30th birthday. If you're detecting a theme here, you wouldn't be far off. I love Asian art, especially the Japanese and Chinese art styles. I used Japanese and Korean styles for this piece. The wardrobe and the fans she is holding are both Korean, while the art scheme has more of a Japanese feel to it. Sandy, the girl I made this for has both a Korean and a Caucasian ethnic background. This piece was printed on canvas and made into a rolling scroll. I enjoy making pieces like these. All the more reason to get to it already!