happy new year

Rather a solemn start of a new year... as the traditional Chinese saying goes, 年年有余, "May you be blessed with fishes(left overs) each and every year." So, take a mermaid.
this is also an unfinished piece for LMS3 for CA.org. so crits and suggestions welcome~

sw

Benazir Bhutto,12-27-07

Tend to avoid politics on this blog. But when i see this news i can't help feeling shocked and saddened by the untimely death of the hope that was Pakistan's Civil and Female Rights. i just watched "Persepolis", and thought it should win the academy awards for Best Animation because we can't close our eyes to what kind of world we are living in. it's definitely scarier and bloodier than any Zombie movies i have seen. While struggling to create beauty and harmony in my personal paintings, some other people are doing it on a grander scale to better many people's lives. i can't help but wonder maybe that was why i do art as well. the quiet persuasiveness of beauty and wonder, tho silent but unrelenting, might lure people away from so much blood shed and lives wasted in the names of all things grand but darn right meaningless. At least that's my hope.

Sorry about the rant. Have a great New Year and i hope you all hold truth, beauty, love in your hearts, for darkness is so deep and we all, lose our way sometime.

shelly wan

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays~

A little card to all my friends and loved ones in this holiday season~ Though we always grow old may we never grow up.

sw 2007

Sunday Paintings~

My camera died in front of a Liepke painting when i visited the gallery a second time~ So i finally gotten some pics of my sunday paintings from last week and this~ OH and i unwisely took these out under the sunlight so the color is off~~ Hummmmm~

Jeremy Lipking workshop has TWO OPENINGS THIS WEEKEND!

Jeremy told me tonight around 10pm that the Previously filled workshop has magically re-open up for two lucky people~! It won't last long so sign up quick!! I am taking his tuesday night workshops right now and he's been an amazing teacher and a great guy to hang around. He went out of his way to fetch me the pen that Liepke signed my book with! ^0^ So trust me, watching and painting along with him is so so worth it.

The little black strap...

Liepke's show was hot as hell, as one could have imagined... i plan to go back there and take more pictures as there were too many people on the opening night. Please, do your eyes a favor and go feast on these... He even signed my book~ ^o^



and here's my sunday painting. i really messed up the values on this one; the red light threw me off completely~ darn it.

Malcolm Liepke

Malcolm Liepke.

Opening This Saturday Dec 1. Staying up till the 15.

43 originals.

Track 16 Gallery in Bergamot Station, Santa Monica.

I got this info from StuartNg Books' email list; though i don't see it on the gallery's site...? But i am definitely gonna be there~

Listening to "Painted Veil" OST. Found videos on Youtube with real people playing the songs instead of music videos. Quite good they are, maybe a bit too fast/slow compare to the soundtrack for me, but nevertheless amazing.

Happy Thanksgiving~

Again from Felini~ Can't tell from my studies, but he really is a freaking genius. Composition, Lighting, Values, Color~ Not mentioning the Story!!! O____O I shall make a note of visiting his grave and pay my respect if i was fortunate to return to Italy...

I think because i tried to harmonize my colors this time i lost my value structure since i was using white way too much. hmmmmmm~ hopefully i can do better next time. (look at color keys from animation...)

Oh and Happy Thanksgiving! ^____^ I hope all the Indian Casinos are rolling in loads of cash right now~ and passing it on to people with at least 1/8 of American Indian blood~ and they can build houses with strong fences that say "Thanks. But no Giving this time".

That was lame... sorry! :p

Film studies

checking out this show ASAP:

"The Art of the Motion Picture Illustrator" show at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
Drool...Darn. when you have to know how to draw and compose to get a job. i would probably be pedaling shoe laces back then~ :P

just got home after work, so it was a long day. But i do have some film studies. From Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, and Federico Fellini's Satyricon. Two of my favorite directors besides Eisenstein. Yep i am old school~ :)




Big Sam doesn't think my colors are harmonizing enough. He suggested for me to do some still lifes from life. Which is probably what i would do come this weekend. and i also signed up for a Jeremy Lipking workshop~ Fun fun fun~

sw

The Perfume OST

Watched "Beowulf" in the new Arclight Sherman oaks on its opening night, Friday. It's great! The lobby even features costumes and the air thingy from "No country for old man". O___O yeah you know what i mean. The movie was way better than expected. but then again i never expected it to be great. It had a great script thanks to Neil Gaiman, and because i didn't know the story before it was a good surprise.

i kept listening to the OST of "Perfume" this whole week as if i need it to breathe. so i figure i should post it here to get you all addicted as well. Addition's better when everyone's doing it no? :)

edit: Sunday painting.

Some great chinese artists

Work has finally gotten its grip on me, so i can not longer post regularly as before. But while i was looking through some of the art books i got in China tonight for inspiration, i decided it might be good to share with you some great Chinese artists' works.


Ai Xuan. His father is one of the most accomplished contemporary Chinese poets. The images are regretfully small on his official site, and some of my favs are not up there.

Xia Jun Na. A very young female artist who strangely embodied my favorite school of painters, the Nabis, all by herself. Her works might be an acquired taste, but i love them beyond everything.


Chen Yi Fei. His works are hailed as the most expensive in China. I have a sort of love hate relationship with his works: sometimes they can be just too cheesy. But the above painting really sets him in the categories of my favorites. Again the only images i could find all have pretty poor quality.

Hope you enjoyed looking at them! :)

sw

film studies~

From the wonderful Barry Lyndon, again. Also saw "No country for old man" at Arclight. Darn. No words come to mind to describe the film. It's soooooo scary i...laughed and covered my eyes. Seriously. I can still see that killer's face. O_____O... i hope that's one actor i would never see on the street. :o(

sunday painting~

Sunday is the official "look around the web for great art" day at the Wankenobi house. And i want to share some Better than Amazing links with you~

For whoever that's left in the world that doesn't know of Paul Lasaine's blog yet, you own it to yourself to check his work out!
and for those of you that love Rackham and Dulac's children's' illustrations, here's a gem of a website i can't get enough of.
and i can't believe some of my friends haven't heard of Art Renewal~ They have very high rez scans of art work by realism painters~ yum~

Oh and then there's my sucky painting from today's workshop. ;P

Murakami~

Remember when i said no photos at the show...? Well guess i was the only one obeying the rules! Found these on line to share with you unfortunate souls who live too far away~ or fortunate if you observe the rest of LA... :(

Still working on Dad's birthday gift, will update once i have made more progress~

wow~

I did a bit of blog surfing after work and was instantly inspired. More like Blown apart. By Eric Tiemens. At least take a look at this piece. Desktop wallpaper, No way around it.
and maybe while you are at it check out Neil Ross and Hans Bacher. Sometimes i feel so spoiled that i could see these artists' work a click away~ it's amazing the little Blogspot can hold so much talent and spirit. :)

Edit: a digital color study of the oil~ i am still working to get all my photo refs together. ;P

Another Portrait?!

Oh well~ It's Dad's birthday in a month, and the portrait i did of him in his office is already 10 years old. So i decided to paint an Oil portrait of him, my little sister and me(!!!!) I have full confidence in myself and my total of five tubes of acedemy grade paints and a bunch of 2.99(it's 2.24 today at Michaels) brushes. Total confidence that i would fail miserably in oil and crawl back to digital brushes. :( Still awaiting my dad to send me his pics... >:(


My sad little crumpled sketch of the ptg~


It's not white anymore, but it's still pretty scary...

Museums and an oil painting~

Sometimes i wish i was still back at the east coast. Such as this weekend when i heard about the JMW Turner rethrospective in Washington; or the Rick Berry show in Boston. But LA has something to offer as well! Murakami, the main character behind Japan's Super Flat movement~

Above are pics taken of his animation. The exhibition itself did not allow any photography, which is a total shame. But if you are in town, definitely check it out!!! It's like going to Disneyland on speed~ i have no other way to describe his crazy fun installations and funky mushroom sculptures with a gazillion eyes. i can't help but smile and applaud his voodoo god sculpture. i was feeling a lot happier and dizzier when i walked out of Moca. I went to several museums in the area as well, but Murakami is the one that would stay in my head for a long time~

Sunday~ did a portrait at LAFA again. Second oil portrait in forever it seems. Costumed figure is so much fun~~ next week the theme is Turkish Belly Dancer~~~ Can't wait. ^_____^

Self Portrait as Salome

Wow, it's Nov 1, the second annual Self Portrait day of CA.org! the rule is to do a portrait of yourself on TODAY~ So here's my contribution to the bunch:



here's the original drawing. the rest is digital.



it took about 6 hours and now i am exhausted~ Good Nite!

Happy Halloween~

Funfunfun~ this is the first Halloween in a long time that i actually dressed up for~ and what do you know~ It was GREAT! and i also carved my first pumpkin ever! ^0^ it's after one of the characters in the film so i will have to hold off showing it.

Me and Liz! The compsition with the spider is a total lucky accident! Too bad we couldn't stop smiling or it would really look like a deadly duel!

Me, a Slytherin student! Potion would have been my best subject~ Draco would have found his match since Snape is my favorite teacher OF ALL TIME. Today had been so much fun i am thinking of dressing up as an armored bear next time~

Gouache studies of the night, again from "Barry Lyndon". Big Sam gave me some great notes on my previous works:
1. use a BIG brush. i am using a no.2 flat wash now;
2. Don't copy. Try to put down colors that RELATE.
3. Get rid of white. Choose a color!
4. Simplify! It's not drawing.
I will have to remember these~

Shameless Self Promotion-Part II

Wawawewa! I took a look on Tor's website and look what i found! Mad Kestrel ready for preorder~ :) Question: Does the cover make you want to read it...? i am too close to it to tell.
and what gave me a big shock was that on a closer look, the painting in the mock up is not the finished piece! i take it that it's normal...? hmmmm~ O____O
Edit: two frames tonite from "Barry Lyndon".

Shameless Self Promotion~

It's everywhere on the net already, so i guess it's about time to show you all a preview of what i have been working on:


Dangdangdangdang(drums)! The amazing Astroboy! for those of you not familiar with the property, it's by the Japanese "God of Manga", Osamu Tezuka San. I was a great fan of his comics when i was little(well, actually i still read them), such titles as "The knight with blue ribbons" and "Black Jack" forever shaped my mind about the world~ So when i had a chance to work on this i jumped right on board~ i had a bit of part in painting this teaser poster too, hope you enjoy it. It will be in theatres everywhere 2009!

and here's a book i picked up today after work:


It's the Spectrum Fantasy Art Annual. This year there are a lot of people i know! Congratulations gang~ It has three of my paintings as well. ^___^ Check it out here~

and here's another find of the day that i thought i should share with you! Vasily Surikov:




I saw them in my friend Randy's Repin book, and was blown away by it! Crowd pieces are my favorites~ Enjoy your monday night! :)

Edit: Film studies of the night. From the amazing Prince of Egypt~

back to the basics~

Wow, what a weekend! I had Nathan Fowkes' Color Workshop, which was amazing and very inspiring! i was totally pumped afterwards to do gouche studies from films! How hard can it be right?

(3 hours later)
DARN!!!!!!! wow. So that's what happens when you abandon traditional medium for 4 years. it's... well, Crappier than crappy!!!! it's really embarassing to show them here. But oh well, the shame would probably keep me doing them better next time. They are all done between 5-10 mins. the first two are done Saturday, from "Children of Men". the last one is from "Wallace and Grummit COWR".


Oh, and i also went to a costumed figure workshop! Armed with my $2.99 brushes and student grade paint since i havn't touch oil for 5 years(O___O). This took 3 hours. the drawing is totally Wacked!!! no "flip horrizontal" tool on the canvas board... next time i need to take it into the bathroom and look at it in the mirror.... Live and learn darn it~


But what a great weekend~ feels good to paint with real paint again~ ^______^ what's everybody gonna do for Halloween? I got my costume today~ hehe.