PixelReason.com

New PixelReason Website!

2020-11-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

I'm happy to announce a new Blog site for PixelReason! Just go to http://www.pixelreason.com and it will automatically take you to the new blog. You can sign up on the newsletter on the site there to get re-subscribed to the site. Thanks for supporting my art and sticking with me for all this time. I'm back to making a lot of art on my blog, YouTube channel, and Instagram! So I'll see you all soon!

Thanks,

PixelReason

Behind the Scenes: Mixing Skin tone for Seohyun Painting

2013-07-24T23:51:00.004-07:00

Here's a look at how I mixed the skin color that I used for my SNSD Seohyun painting.

All the info for the colors and brushes I used for this painting are available in the

PIXELREASON TOOLBOX section of this website. Enjoy!

SNSD / Girls Generation - Seohyun Watercolor Painting

2013-07-24T23:22:00.006-07:00

SNSD Girls Generation - Seohyun

By popular demand, here's my watercolor speed painting of Seohyun of SNSD (Girls Generation) aka Seobaby, aka Seolady.

She's the maknae (youngest member) of SNSD/Girls Generation and she's known as the "proper" or sometimes "uptight" one (in a good way). She's known to like reading and being educated, hence the books as the background ;)

Some good Seohyun videos:

소녀시대의 로맨틱 판타지 : Seo-hyun - Speak Now, 서현

Seohyun funniest moments (Which is funny, because it's just Seobaby being akward. Which is what makes her so funny)

SNSD Seohyun Speaking in 3 Different Languages (Her awesome language skills!)

Music is the Visual Dreams Remix by Robotaki. He's definitely one of my favorite kpop remixers EVER. Be sure to check out his channel and tell him "PixelReason says Hi!"

http://www.youtube.com/user/robotaki

Check out my Behind the Scenes post where I mix the skintone for this painting:
Behind the Scenes: Making Skin tone for Seohyun Painting

Kim HyunA and KMUSIC Watercolor Painting

2013-03-10T01:07:00.001-08:00

This painting is 4Minute's Kim HyunA (aka Hyun-a aka Hyun ah).

This was commissioned by Jae Sama, the CEO/Founder of the Kpop-website KMUSIC.

KMUSIC also featured me in an article along with an interview! Be sure to check out the article on www.officiallykmusic.com and show your support in the comments of the article!

With Gangnam Style with PSY, HyunA has probably been discovered by millions of people who never even knew what KPOP was/is. But let's also not forget her HUGE YouTube hit Bubble Pop in 2011.

Kim HyunA is known for her sexy image and aggressive dance style, but for her true fans, HyunA is much more well known/loved for her dorky funny personality. Any talk show apperances or her time on IY (Invincible Youth) will have you becoming her fan in no time!

*Point of interest: If you look at the subscribe button at the end of this painting video, you'll notice it's Hyuna's favorite color yellow and I gave it a little bit of the same style as the 4Minute logo (the pixel-squares) :)

My favorite HyunA song:

HYUNA - 'CHANGE' (Official Music Video)

Hyuna funny moments 2

HyunA's new song:

HYUNA - 'Ice Cream' (Official Music Video)

HYUNA - 'Bubble Pop!' (Official Music Video)

A little bit of HyunA's live dancing :20's Choice_Hyuna(현아) "Bubble Pop!"

And please head on over to KMUSIC's website and tell them PixelReason said "Hello!"

KMUSIC

Facebook: http://facebook.com/officiallykmusic

Twitter: http://twitter.com/officialkmusic

Youtube: http://youtube.com/officiallykmusic

Website: http://officiallykmusic.com

Quick sketch: girl's head

2013-02-03T19:05:00.001-08:00

Doodling while on the phone is fun!

Quick sketch of a girl character I'm character-designing while on the phone.

2PM Wooyoung - Drawing

2013-01-19T13:39:00.002-08:00

2PM Wooyoung (click image for larger view)

This is 2PM's Jang Wooyoung 장우영 (aka Owl aka Mandu Cheeks aka AngAng aka Ssanti). 2PM is one of the biggest KPop boy groups and Wooyoung is known as the dancer and the funny member of 2PM.

There's a lot of things to respect him for (dance, being funny, singing (deuts with IU), acting (Dream High with Miss A's Suzy), hosting shows, Wooyoung's solo album), but what made him really respectable for me was the story that his father didn't want him to become a Kpop idol. So WooYoung would regularly write letters to his dad for 2 years trying to get his father's approval. Finally after Wooyoung proved himself through his hardwork and eventual success, his father accepted Wooyoung's choice and now writes letters to Wooyoung with words of encouragement.
Some good Wooyoung videos-

2PM Wooyoung JYP Audition Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p-mxjKnFuA

2pm wooyoung and psy dance battle eng sub
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp_iLbD1A5c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhguyF9Qro&NR=1

[M/V] Jang Woo Young (장우영) "SEXY LADY" from 23, MALE, SINGLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLZ_Y-4XU8k

Sidenote #1: I made this drawing for a friend's birthday present. She's a major "Hottest" (2PM fan) and Wooyoung is her bias. So I'm looking forward to seeing her reaction when she gets this drawing!

Sidenote #2: I just upgraded my equipment over the holidays so this is also my first video in 1080p HD. From now on, all of my videos will be in full 1080p HD. Enjoy!

KARA Goo Hara Painting

2012-11-14T01:12:00.002-08:00

KARA Goo Hara

This is Goo Hara (or Koo Hara) from the girl group KARA. When I was first discovering KPOP and Kara (at the same time), I found YouTube clips of this funny girl named Goo Hara from different variety shows. After that, I was hooked.

When Goo Hara is Boxing (she doesn't hold back!), Jumping up a slippery wall dressed as a giant stuffed animal, Bowling strikes, wrestling other idols with dominance, and most of all when she eats garlic to impress her mom, you can't help but smile when she gives that funny mischievous smile after she does it.

Click "Read more" for more info!

This one is my personal favorite:

[IY] Goo Hara (KARA) Eats Garlic (Invincible Youth)

KARA's Hara - Dominant Athletic Ability

Goo Hara funny (more dominance!)

KARA Goo Hara can't control her mind after winning a game

IY Hara completely clueless [ENGSUB] (Invincible Youth)

If you want to hear Hara speaking English (or singing English)

kara Hara secret love

If you want to see Hara dance:

Kara (Goo-Hara) Sexy Dance

PSY - Gangnam Style! Painting

2012-08-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

PSY Gangnam Style!

Gangnam Style went viral, got featured on CNN International, had Nelly Furtado cover it, and STILL is going strong more than a month after it went insanely viral.

I have to admit that Gangnam Style was the video that first introduced me to PSY. But once I saw "Right Now" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmHdefsaL6I) and all his other videos, I have to say, I'm very grateful for Gangnam Style going viral, because I LOVE Psy's energy and pure artistic passion. Truly awesome and I'm planning to be a life-long fan!

(Click "Read More" to read ALOT more)
The original Gangnam Style M/V

------------------------------------------------

If you haven't seen the many a spinoff or parody, here's a bunch of my favorites at the moment:

THE MAKING OF: Gangnam Style
Try not smiling while watching this. I dare you :)

PSY performing Gangnam Style at the 2012 AMA (American Music Awards) with MC Hammer!
Check out all the famous people doing the dance and THEN MC Hammer comes in to do a surpise remix to the performance. Something about this performance just made me feel really proud to be a Kpop fan, to be Korean, and to be a part of this moment in history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOyo7JD7hjo

SPINOFF:
PSY (ft. HYUNA) 오빤 딱 내 스타일

PARODY:
JustKiddingfilms Gangnam Style Parody

If you feel like fangirl/fanboy fainting, check out Psy's performance of
Gangnam Style on 07/29 SBS Inkygayo with Kara, Sistar, and After School!

KPOP world domination in progress

PSY at Dodgers Stadium in my hometown of Los Angeles California. Man, I wish I was there. RESPECT.

TODAY Show Interview:

MOMS ARE THE BEST:
Gangnam Style Mom!

Nelly Furtado
Showing her love for Gangnam Style

PSY on the MTV VMA (Video Music Awards)!!!

Aaaaand best for last?
My favorite PSY song right now. It's called... "Right Now" ;)

What was your favorite GANGNAM STYLE moment in PSY's video? Let me know in the comments below!

*Reminder: Within the next few days, I'll be announcing the details on the original art piece I'll be selling (auction-style starting at $20!)

Happy 5th Anniversary SNSD Girls' Generation!

2012-08-04T23:04:00.003-07:00

This doesn't have anything to do with my art, but Soshified did such a good job with this video to celebrate SNSD (Girls' Generation) 5th Anniversary, I felt the responsibility to share it. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday SNSD Tiffany Watercolor Painting

2012-08-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

SNSD Tiffany Hwang

Happy Birthday SNSD Tiffany Hwang!! Fany, I've made this painting for you and all your SONE fans to celebrate this special day!

Brighter than jewels Tiffany is from the same state I grew up and currently live in (California). So I often daydream about one day meeting her while she's visiting her family in Diamond Bar, California. (Although, I'm here in America, SNSD and other Kpop groups tend to hold concerts down here in Los Angeles once in a while, so there's still hope!)

I really don't know why this is one of the random things that sticks in my memories of Tiffany, but it is. So now it will be for you too ;P Yuri asking Tiffany if she knows what a "bottari" is. Yuri AND Tiffany speaking English. YulTi woohoo :)

I really like these FanCams of SNSD (Girls' Generation) where they look back at the person filming and start being funny (and cute). Perfect example?

Well, I hope Tiffany had a GREAT Birthday today and I'll see you guys in a few days on the 5th Year Anniversary of SNSD/Girls' Generation!

PixelReason is finally on Facebook!

2012-07-22T01:06:00.004-07:00

The PixelReason Facebook Page is officially up, please feel free to join and spread the word!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pixel-Reason/203472623112798

I'll be updating it with lots more stuff as time goes on so keep checking back.

And feel free to become friends with me too!
https://www.facebook.com/pixel.reason

PixelReason Toolbox - Afterschool Kahi Watercolor Portrait

2012-07-11T02:00:00.001-07:00

A lot of people have been asking what tools I use for the pieces I create so I'll be putting up regular posts to showcase exactly what I used for each piece. And if you want a deeper look at my full toolbox, be sure to check out the PixelReason Toolbox section of this website!

I always try to keep things simple as far as tools are concerned. And for the things I do for PixelReason.com, I especially try to keep from making things too complicated, because it always bothers me when aspiring artists believe that it's a magic brush or a magic pencil that will make you an amazing artist. It's not. It's practice. And when you're done with that, there's the real secret weapon:

...more practice :)

But I will say, after you understand what's really important, it doesn't hurt to have good tools. (Good music is always great too)

So here's the tools I used to create the latest piece: AFTERSCHOOL Kahi Park Watercolor Portrait.
(click "Read more" to... Read more!)

THE BRUSHES

I only used 2 brushes for this piece (Both brushes are sable/synthetic blends.).

> WINSOR & NEWTON Sceptre Gold II Brush 2 this is the smaller brush for the details. (And please ignore the one star given by the person that bought the brush to fill in the eyebrows on her face and was disappointed that it turned out to be too big of a brush. funny!)

>WINSOR & NEWTON Sceptre Gold II Brush 8 flat 505 this is the larger brush for the large areas of the painting.

Note: For some reason, the sellers on Amazon tend to show pictures of multiple brushes for their products (even though it's just for a single brush) so be sure to read your descriptions carefully when you buy from them (Don't be the eyebrow girl!).

THE PAINT

>Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour 6 Tube Set
The set contains the following colors: Cadmium Yellow Hue, Cadmium Red Pale Hue, Ultramarine, Viridian Hue, Burnt Umber, Ivory Black.

I also bought a tube of Chinese White and Burnt Sienna separately.

THE PAPER

>Strathmore 500 Series Bristol Board and Pads - 11 x 14, 2-ply, 15 Sheet Pad, Vellum
I hate "bumpy" paper. There's certain times that paper with more texture (more "teeth") is good, but I've yet to run into those times. I like my paper as smooth as possible. So when I decided to use watercolor, I still wanted my paper to be as smooth as possible but still be able to handle getting wet (and not buckle or get super "wavy"). This paper stayed strong, smooth, and was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. There's some paper out there that is probably even better, but the reason why I like this one is because it comes in a pad of 15 sheets (instead of having to buy a giant single sheet of paper and having to get it cut into smaller sizes) and because for the price, it really can't be beat.

AFTERSCHOOL Kahi (Park Gahee) Watercolor Portrait Painting

2012-07-06T23:16:00.001-07:00

Afterschool Park Kahi

This is my watercolor portrait painting (and some pastel too) of Afterschool Park Kahi (or Park Gahee).
Of course, she's now officially a solo artist, but most people will still think of Kahi as the first leader of Afterschool.
(Click "Read more" to read more!)

Afterschool was the second K-pop group that got me addicted to Kpop and Kahi's amazing dancing was one of the main reasons that got me hooked. Yes that's right. I'm a Playboy (Afterschool Fan), a SONE, AND a Kamilia! (I'm a fan of other groups too, feel free to guess who!)

My first impression of Kahi was that she was the cool "bad girl" of Kpop (I even thought of her as the Angelina Jolie of Kpop) because her style was so strong/sexy (and her awesome tattoos! *_* ). She really embodies the word "independent." Then as I saw her interact with the Afterschool members and how she looked after them, I started to see the caring side of her as well and she became an even more interesting/amazing person to me.

So I made this watercolour portrait painting video of Kahi to celebrate the next step in her career. Here's a little taste of her solo efforts:

This video is also to celebrate her "children"'s comeback as the amazing group that "Appa Kahi" raised them to be. So. Awesome.

I got a lot of requests from you guys for color portraits, so this is the first in many color portraits I'll be doing for you all. I'll still be doing pencil sketches too, but I hope to do a lot of watercolor portrait paintings whenever possible.

*Point of interest:
I have to write "pixelreason.com" on my hand from now on in my videos because people have been trying to steal my videos and re-upload them on websites (including on YouTube) pretending that it's their videos. Hopefully this will stop their crazy antics. At first I wasn't happy, but since I was able to stop at least one of them, now I just feel flatterred ;) (btw, thanks to PixelReason subscriber FupaPuff for letting me know about that crazy person!)

*Random Point of interest:
Did you know Park Kahi was born on December 25? Well now you do :D

*Here's a classic performance that I still continue to watch to this day. The whole video is great, but the performance starting at 1:30 is the first time Kahi made my jaw drop:

Thanks again, everyone! And let me know who you'd like to see me draw/paint next!

KARA Han Seungyeon

2012-03-14T01:05:00.003-07:00

KARA Han Seungyeon

Seungyeon falling during Lupin performance and getting up like a BOSS:

Bungee Jumping!

SNSD Girls' Generation Yuri

2012-02-20T01:44:00.001-08:00

Girls' Generation - SNSD's Yuri Kwon

This is Girls Generation- SNSD's Yuri Kwon (aka Black Pearl)

Yul (Yuri's Nickname) is amazing at dance and well known for having one of the most athletic (but still very feminine) figures in SNSD. (Watch the videos in this post for proof!) She is very strong, but also very funny. Which is probably why she's so loved by SONES.

2 good videos of Yuri's amazing dancing:

PixelReason Channel: Kara Nicole Drawing

2012-02-19T00:26:00.001-08:00

This is Nicole Jung from the girl group "KARA." She grew up in the same area I did in California (Glendale). Kara is the group that got me addicted to K-Pop. So this was a lot of fun for me to make for you guys.

There's alot of great clips of Nicole on Star Golden Bell, Strong Heart, and other variety shows on YouTube showing her charm. So be sure to check out those videos!

I've already shown that I'm a SONE (SNSD fan) with my other videos, but I'm definitely just as much a Kamilia (KARA fan). And it's pretty cool that SNSD and Kara are friends too, so how about us Kamilias and SONEs have some fun together here on the internet!

Music is Jumping Remixed by the awesome Areia Creations. Check out their channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/areiacreations
And tell them PixelReason sent you!

Keep in mind that I'm a big fan of other groups too, so feel free to request your favorite people in the comments and chances are good that I'll draw them too!

KARA Nicole Drawing

2012-02-19T00:24:00.001-08:00

KARA's Nicole Jung

SNSD Girls' Generation- Kim Taeyeon

2012-02-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

SNSD Girls' Generation - Kim Taeyeon

PixelReason Channel: SNSD Girls' Generation Taeyeon Drawing

2012-02-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

By very popular request, here's a drawing of the beloved "kid leader" of SNSD (Girls' Generation): Kim Taeyeon ! (aka Taengoo, aka Ajumma Taeng, aka Jumma Taeng, aka TaeTae)
("Ajumma" means Old Lady (but not quite a grandma) in Korean. And people have nicknamed her an "Ajumma" because she reacts to things and laughs like old korean ladies do)

This piece was drawn with the same #2 pencil that I found and used for my Jessica Jung video. The paper is basic sketch paper that I bought at Office Depot.
I'm also considering doing another drawing of Taeyeon in the future with the famous "Taeyeon wink !"

Watching SNSD Girls Generation perform "The Boys" on Live! with Kelly Ripa got me in the mood for this song. I think all SONEs have been pretty excited about the Live with Kelly performance and other SNSD U.S. events like the Best Buy signing and countless Soshi twitter updates during this past week. It's a good time to be a Kpop fan right now :D

Music is a remix of "The Boys" by the ever-awesome Robotaki! Check out his channel here: http://www.youtube.com/robotaki

*If you're new to SNSD, then you might not recognize what I drew underneath my signature. It's 3 green peas in a pod called "Dukong." They're a character from the movie Toy Story 3 and this character(s) is one of Taeyeon's favorite things at the moment. Fans bring her lots of Dukongs as gifts at fan meets and signings. Taeyeon is also seen carrying around her stuffed doll Dukongs all the time.

Here's some nice clips of Taeyeon acting like an Ajumma. I linked it to start at a nice dorky part, but the whole video is pretty funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDMPm9zoHNE#t=2m

PixelReason Channel: SNSD Girls' Generation on Late Show with Letterman - Jessica Drawing/Sketch

2012-01-30T17:54:00.000-08:00

The latest video on the PixelReason Channel on YouTube:
The Making of: K-Pop Invasion! SNSD Girls' Generation on Late Show with Letterman - Jessica Drawing/Sketch

Original Image:
SNSD Girls's Generation on Late Show with Letterman - Jessica Drawing/Sketch

K-Pop Invasion! SNSD Girls' Generation on Late Show with Letterman - Jessica Drawing/Sketch

2012-01-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Jessica Jung

In celebration (and anticipation) of Korean girl-group SNSD (aka Girls' Generation) appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman this Tuesday (January 31, 2012), I did a sketch of one of the members of the group. This is Jessica Jung.

It's interesting that after years of people telling me I should listen to K-Pop (Korean pop music) and me finally giving in and trying it out this past year, I'm totally hooked. Of course it doesn't make me like other music any less, but damn that kpop is addicting.

*Point of interest: I wanted to do a drawing of SNSD so I looked up an image of Jessica on my cellphone real quick and just used for reference as I drew this. To top that off, I drew this with a random #2 pencil that I found lying around.

Btw, Girls' Generation will also be appearing on Live! with Kelly (no more Regis? Wow, I'm out of touch :P ) later this week.

*Video of me drawing this piece is coming very very soon...

Introducing the PixelReason Channel

2012-01-23T22:56:00.000-08:00

A little video for you guys and gals to enjoy!
I filmed myself putting the finishing touches on the latest requested piece: AZTECHKA.

If you guys like this idea, I'm planning to incorporate as much video as possible to compliment the artwork on this site.

PixelReason Channel
http://www.youtube.com/pixelreason

AZTECHKA

2012-01-12T02:57:00.000-08:00

(click image for larger view)

Happy New Year everyone! It's amazing to think that this site was started just over a year ago. And to celebrate, I'm going to be adding a new feature or two to this site very soon. (Hint: the first feature will involve a little treat with this latest piece. )

Which leads me to the latest PixelReason request - Aztechka ! This concept combined the Aztec feel with the connected technologies of today. It was a lot of fun making it and it's got me eager to make more art for you guys!

As usual, I can make this piece fit to any dimension you would like to use it for. Cellphone, desktop, laptop, etc. So if there's any specific size you would like, please let me know!

Alternate color version:

Work in Progress: Aztechka

2011-11-27T01:25:00.001-08:00

Hey Guys,
Here's a work in progress for you guys. I'm going to be filling in the second ring of this design with website url's of today's best (or more popular) tech sites and I'd like to include urls that you guys recommend. So leave it in the comments and I'll put it in the drawing!

Behind the Scenes: Johnny Bravo: Superhero!

2011-03-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

BEHIND THE SCENES is where we take a look at the early steps taken to create the finished artwork featured on PixelReason. I will always try to include some insights as to why I made certain creative decisions during the process leading to completion and also share some of the techniques I used to create the piece featured.

Welcome back to another installment of Behind the Scenes! This time we show you the making of Johnny Bravo: Superhero! Hope you enjoy!

This request was for Johnny Bravo as a superhero. So I wanted this piece to reflect Johnny Bravo's perception of himself as compared to what was actual happening. At the same time, I wanted to give this piece little bits of "epicness" either through the coloring and/or the far background.

My initial idea was to put Johnny on top of a restaurant table striking a classic Johnny Bravo pose (which also happens to be a superhero like pose as well). He would be thinking he's the greatest thing on Earth while in reality he's just making a mess at a restaurant.

Then I began adding the paint-like colors to take care of the dramatic mood. I would add swirling clouds in the background and hint to some heat or fire coming from off camera (you can see the secondary red light sources I began adding to the edges of the wall).

Around that point, I decided that it wasn't giving me the feeling of greatness that Johnny Bravo sees himself having. It also looked too much like a scene you could just see straight from the cartoon.

So I asked myself: What does Johnny Bravo equate to greatness? Answer: Lots of girls. So I completely reworked the drawing to show lots of popular comic book women/girls adoring J.B. I also wanted to open up the background to give it a larger feeling (to make it look more epic). So I took the scene completely outdoors.

This was the ratio/size I worked in since the request was for a piece that could be used as an avatar (which are almost always 1:1 squares). This would ensure that the piece could look good within this square frame. I would later extend the background so that it could also be used as a computer wallpaper if so desired.

Notice a difference between the image above and the image below? I originally thought about making Spidergirl into a Venom version. But the color scheme didn't play well with the other girls, so I changed her back to her classic Spiderman colors.

So after finishing the main colors, I added the finishing touches: small amount of shading (not too much because we still wanted this to feel like we're in Johnny Bravo's world), eye colors, Invisible Woman being...invisible, rays of sunlight and a few highlights to the ground/mountain they're all standing/laying on.

Which brings us to the finished image:

Hope you guys enjoyed this Behind the Scenes. There's plenty more to come!