Mall

Work in progress

2012-05-05T01:38:00.002+08:00

Some few fans emailed me how I'm doing. They were worried about me because I didn't update any news on my blog here since March. Thank you very much for your sweet concern. No worries, I'm pretty good and healthy. I know I'm way too busy in working on new pieces for the upcoming 2-person show. All pieces are *almost* done! This May month, I'm working on few clay pieces. For my very long clients / art collectors: I will start working on art commissions in the end month of June. I greatly thank you for waiting for me patiently.

Here are my work in progress photos.

Goodbye my old artworks

2012-03-21T23:04:00.006+08:00

Hello hello! How are you all doing? :) It's time to sell my old artworks. I'm serious. Because I need to get rid of my old drawings / paintings in many folders so I'll pay bills soon, hehe! Anyway, it's hard to say goodbye, but well, I let them go for selling. Hope they will be going to art collectors. No worries, they aren't expensive. :) Here are previews:

" Lite Bite "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2008

USD $15

I made this rough sketch for the group show, "Power in Numbers" @ Gallery Nucleus. Read my old blog entry.

" Stay Strong "

Acrylic & Graphite on Paper

Year 2011

USD $15

" Foxes "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2008

USD $30

Hmmm, I can't remember why I drew foxes in 2008 year.

" Big Gossip II "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2009

USD $30

See my old blog entry.

" Babu at the Torii "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2008

USD $20

Did rough sketch for the group show, "Power in Numbers" @ Gallery Nucleus.See my old blog entry.

" Niwashi no Babu-kun "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2008

USD $40

See my old blog entry.

" Gu! Gu! Gu! "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2008

USD $40

I got inspired by my favorite artist, Maurice Sendak.

" Owl "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2008

USD $40

Again, I can't remember why I drew this cute lonely owl.

" Soledad "

Pencil on Canson Paper

Year 2011

USD $60

Before I created 20 graphite pieces of Innocent Girls II, I drew this for art warm-up exercises. :)

" The Fall of Candy Cane "

Pencil on Paper

Year 2006

USD $60

Perhaps I got inspired by Tim Burton's movie.

" Kaonashi with Babu & Abu "

Pencil on Canson Paper

Year 2008

USD $70

I know we adore No-Face creature so much.

" Big Gossip "

Pencil on Canson Paper

Year 2009

USD $70

See my old blog entry.

" Christmas Time "

Mixed Media on Paper (paper cuts, gold paint, graphite, acrylic & colored pencil)

Year 2005

USD $90

Hmm, I really miss doing papercuts / mixed media stuff.

" Raining Stars "

Acrylic on Paper

Year 2004

USD $80

Quite silverish. :)

" Annoy "

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Paper (ACEO)

Year 2011

USD $25

I didn't reveal this last ACEO piece last year. Because my sis Erica stole & hid it so I couldn't find it for many months. Silly, silly sister.

" Air "

Pencil on Paper

Watch my sketching video

Year 2010

USD $120

I made this for my art warm-up exercises.

" Christmas Night "

Mixed Media on Paper (crayons, colored pencil & acrylic on paper)

Year 2005

USD $80

I created this for my sister Erica. But she changed her mind and said to me "I prefer your painting Witch Girl for my own collection. Go sell this Christmas Night, big sis." T_T

" Big Star "

Acrylic on Paper

Year 2004

USD $150

Yes, this is one of my favorite dupest paintings.

" Babu and his kitten Abu "

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Paper

Year 2006

USD $300

" Babu's First Love "

Mixed Media on Paper

Year 2006

USD $300

Some people don't know who is Babu's crush girl. Her name is Noya.

" Play Time "

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Paper

Year 2011

USD $100

Ah, again... I forgot to post this. Hoho! I painted this for my art warm-up exercises.

I still have other old artworks so I'll sell them next time. TAKE NOTE, the information (sizes, medium, etc.) and detailed images of my old artworks are just only for preview on BigCartel so you guys can see the prices. I'll enable to list them on my BigCartel shop on March 23 at 9:00PM (Philippines time), be sure to check your time zone converter. I only accept Paypal and remember, NO RESERVATIONS.

My shop is http://shardula.bigcartel.com/

Good luck, guys!

UPDATED: SOLD OUT

A Tribute to Dr.Seuss Art Show

2012-03-03T19:39:00.010+08:00

I really want to thank all of you for greeting me & joining my birthday giveaway, much appreciated! Your comments really made my day. Honestly, I enjoy re-reading your lovely comments many times, haha! *me happy* Okay, I am announcing the 4 winners, here are the results!

* Curiousmoth *

* Judith *

* Adela *

* Kass *

Congratulations, winners (i'll contact you guys soon)! No worries, I'll make my birthday giveaway next year. I love you all! Thank you very much!

Look At This, Look At That: A Tribute to Dr. Seuss
March 3 - 24, 2012
Opening Reception / March 3, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

With his iconic characters, charming narratives and whimsical illustrations, Dr. Seuss has undoubtedly become one of the most renowned children's book writer and illustrator. His books, The Cat in the Hat", "Horton Hears a Who" and many others, have become timeless classics, influencing generations upon generations of young readers through their imaginative characters, whimsical narratives and intricate rhymes. To celebrate his achievements, Nucleus is proud to present an exhibition featuring over 40 artists paying homage to the visionary through their own interpretations and re-enivisionings. Find out more about this event here.

When I was young, I discovered the famous book, "The Cat in the Hat". I like his style especially elaborated colors / elements and bizarre imagination. I was quite happy to participate the Dr. Seuss Tribute show so here are my two contributions. My favorite one is "Oh The Places You'll Go". I like this, watch this.

My spontaneous idea: I combined all places, characters and elements of "Oh, The Places You'll Go" into the whole map. Just like a treasure map. Then I added an extra character " The Cat in the Hat " in it so you find him. That's why I got inspired by Where's Waldo. Indeed, The Cat in the Hat reminds me of Waldo.

When my painting was done, my eyes were painfully hurt because of many details and " hypnotic " colors.

Oh, Where's The Cat in the Hat?

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Paper

14" x 20" inches

USD $1,600

Click to view a large image of my full painting. Have you found the Cat in the Hat? I bet you did.

Here's my 2nd contribution, Thing 1 and Thing 2. Yep, I made another 3D piece. I added the little kitten... that's The Cat in the Hat, hihi! Click to view a larger image of my clay progress.

After I added bold lines & used varnish spray. TA-DAH!

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Epoxy, Resin, Pumice, Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood

10" x 10" inches

USD $450

Now Gallery Nucleus releases giclee prints of my original painting "Oh, Where's the Cat in the Hat?". It's $30 and measures 13" x 19" inches. This print would be perfect for your kid's room, art collection and gift! If you're in Los Angeles, California, don't forget to attend the opening Dr.Seuss tribute show at Gallery Nucleus today! Happy Birthday, Dr.Seuss!

Currently, I'm super busy in working on my pieces for the upcoming 2-person show. I might be inactive & quiet for few months so I need to finish painting them. Forgive me, I'm sometimes slow at replying to hundreds of comments / emails during my workaholic days. Wait for my responses patiently. Hopefully, I might visit States this year for my 2nd US trip & 2-person show, so I'd love to meet lovely people, artists, fans, friends and Gallery Nucleus peepz in real life ( but I'm a shy person hehe! ). let's see, let's see. * fingercrossed * Here's one of my sneak peeks.

My Birthday Giveaway III

2012-02-24T16:03:00.010+08:00

Hehehe, I really miss doing comics especially my old Winsor McCay-style piece. Now I am 31 years old. I'm feeling old but my heart always stays heart (i mean, young), wahaha... *Mall's characters Babu & his cat Abu roll their eyes* My relatives, friends & people sometimes don't believe my age, they think I'm 20 -25 years old, hahaha! Well, I don't have a fancy birthday party today because I got many art projects due deadlines. Yep, busy bee me. When I will be available, relaxed & free, I will have my late birthday party in March so I'll spend time with my family and friends.

OKAY! Are you guys excited about my birthday giveaway contest? Yes, for this giveaway, I will mail these anywhere in the world for free. Take a look at my yummy goodies & read the rules for the giveaway below!

1st PRIZE

Original Painting entitles "Shh"

5" x 5" inches

Acrylics, Gesso & Graphite on Mahogany Wood

Got inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's movie, Spirited Away. I can't stop loving super adorable darumas. I did this painting for less than 20 minutes, hehe.

2nd PRIZE

Calendar

Every year, GA Printing (one of the leading quality commercial printers in the Philippines), comes out with an artistic calendar that showcases the work of a Filipino artist and my work in Rogue Magazine's issue caught their eye. GA Printing contacted me if I would want to be their featured artist for their 2012 Calendar. So they gave me free limited copies, yey! Sorry, calendars are not for sale. GA Printing gives free calendars / notepads to their top clients only. Which means, I got exposed to their 800 of their top clients. Great! So I choose this free calendar for the wonderful giveaway!

3rd PRIZE

Notepad

GA printing also gave me free limited notepads. Cute! Sorry guys, notepads are not for sale. At least I give this special notepad for the giveaway!

4th PRIZE

Kirkus Pocket Mirror

It's adorably perfect for your pocket, purse and bag! It's easy to check yourself out in anywhere!

CONTEST RULES:

- Like my Fanpage and leave your comment with your email address and/or link on this blog entry. ONLY ONE ENTRY. NO ANONYMOUS.

- Tell me if you see me in person, what can you do? I'd love to hear from you guys! ^_^

That's it! I will close the comments after one - two days. I'll use Random.org for picking up the four winners. The winners will be announced when I'll post my next blog entry about Dr.Seuss tribute show. Good luck guys! ;)

New Moon pieces

2012-01-20T22:12:00.007+08:00

Right now, glad I am free to write this blog because I'll get busier with my art projects in the whole day tomorrow. Last year, myplasticgallery curator John contacted me to participate the 2011 New Moon show. I can't do it because the deadline was a little tight so I declined to join the 2011 show. He told me, "I do understand if you can't do it for 2011, but I can definitely put you down for 2012 year." Great, I felt happily relieved!

Regarding the Chinese Zodiac animals, I chose Tiger because I portrayed my huge tiger plushie named Shardul. I really miss drawing tigers!

Click to view this large link.

Done! I'm happy with my new color scheme, it looks subtle & soft. About this piece: my boy character Babu & his cat Abu give their trusted companion Shardul Panthera to play with pearl jewelries, soft flowers & satin ribbons. That's his favorite " fancy " toy so he loves to play with them. Shardul is silly, naughty, active & playful... yet quite powerful.

Shardul's Favorite Toy

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood

8.75" x 11.5" inches

Then, I chose another Chinese zodiac animal, Rabbit. Why, I love rabbits because they are cute creatures, hehe. Since I have done creating my customized toys, my curious mind kept convincing me, "Mall, why don't you try to create a new clay medium for gallery shows?" Good question. At present, I work on 3D to make my characters look real.

Click to view this large link.

I really enjoy working with clay and although it's difficult to work with it. Clay is so fun! I will be making more clay sculptures in the future! About this piece: my boy character Babu discovers a mysterious rabbit mask since he always wears his favorite fox mask. He tries to wear Rabbit mask and a group of happy tiny rabbits come to him & cuddle him badly! Babu is surprised!

Rabbit Mask

Clay, Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood

6" x 6" inches

Don't forget to follow this preview link for viewing artworks of amazing artists! Make sure you come to the opening reception of New Moon 2012 on January 20th from 6-9pm TODAY! Anyway, my zodiac sign is Rooster. What is your zodiac sign?

myplasticheart presents " NEW MOON "

2012-01-11T14:12:00.005+08:00

myplasticheart is excited to present the 4th annual New Moon: Interpretations of the Chinese Zodiac exhibit. We are kicking the year off right with this stellar group show featuring 18 artists' reinterpretations of the 12 animals of the Chinese lunar calendar. Curated by John Wong.

Artist Lineup:

Lorena Alvarez

Scott Belcastro

Jonathan Bergeron

Luke Chueh

mr clement

Nanami Cowdroy

Kelly Denato

Daniel Elson

Leontine Greenberg

Martin Hsu

May Ann Licudine

Philip Lumbang

Allison Reinmold

Shonufflove

Tati Suarez

Naoko Stoop

Andrew Uy

Lawerence Yang

New Moon: Interpretations of the Chinese Zodiac 2012

January 20, 2012

6:00pm - 9:00pm

Exhibition runs until 02.19.12

myplasticheart

210 Forsyth St.

Lower East Side

New York

See New Moon artists' wonderful interviews on their myplasticblog. I will post my full two latest artworks here in the 4th week of January. Stay tuned!

Girl & Tiger Cubs

2012-01-08T12:19:00.018+08:00

Hey, that's not what I call, "Girl & Tiger Cubs". I still don't know what my commissioned painting will be entitled. I asked my very cool client Mike about it so I'm waiting for his response. Mike loves collecting original works of Audrey Kawasaki, Amy Sol, Fuco Ueda, Joas Ruas, Stella Im Hultberg, Tessar Lo & others. He is an owner of KMGMT and of course, a super sweet cat lover. Past few years ago, Mike came across my art from a friend & he was really awestruck. I'm so happy that Mike purchased some of my original Innocent Girls I & II pieces. He was also interested to commission me, so I added him to my commission list in 2010 year.

Last November 2011, I told Mike that I was excitedly ready to create a commissioned painting, he was quite happy! We shared ideas, opinions & suggestions with each other thru messages. He really wanted something a little darker, lunatic & mysterious like Fuco Ueda's art but he loves the Arrow Girls I've done. He also wanted something beautiful but damaged. He also asked me about his own three cats, " I just want to stress again that the tiger cubs should just resemble the cats & besides I would only want people to see the similarities once I pointed it out, so it should be subtle, if that's ok! thanks! " Aww, I adore his beautiful cats!

During our discussion about the concept, it was a little bit difficult to understand what he explained about "emotion / expression / body language" of a girl & 3 tiger cubs. I was a bit confused about something like a "complexity of emotion", which is important for my art. I made different poses / emotions of a girl & tiger cubs so I wanted to see what he preferred.

After he viewed my sketches and gave me another few good explanations / suggestions. He finally chose my other rough sketch, down in the bottom left, where she is kind of curled over & he likes that one a lot 'coz the arrows are given a lot of space to themselves. So I fully understood it. Honestly, I never get disappointed by his amazing suggestions, which means his creative mind improves my skills. I realize Mike is quite smart, creative & talented, glad I have learned from him. I revised my rough sketch & showed it to him... He already loves it.

Click to view this large picture.

Mike decided to prefer acrylic medium on wood. He said my 16" x20" inches painting is going between an original Audrey Kawasaki & Amy Sol which are both on wood. So I was extremely thrilled & excited to paint the final piece! Here are my progress shots.

When I painted it with acrylic, it reminded me of my former oil technique / semi-realism style. I stopped using oil paints since 2005, however, I'm not comfortable with the strong scent so I switched from oil to acrylic paint.

Whew, done! When I see her, I know how she feels.

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood

16" x 20" inches

Click to view this large image.

Mike explained about this: She is more concerned for the animals well being than for her own... so kind of pitiful but overall protective of the innocent cubs.

I combined my current illustration + former realism styles into one, it looks quite different. I think this result went cool! Yey, my mission accomplished! Thank you very much for everything, Mike! I want to thank my fans for emailing me, much appreciated! When I'm free, I'll definitely reply to you all soon.

I'm deciding to sell this rough sketch on my BigCartel shop tomorrow. ( sold out already )

UPDATED: Oh! I forgot to tell you guys, my new prints "The Celebration of Ryujin" and "My Search for the Ghost Dragon" are now releasing on Gallery Nucleus! Please visit my Nucleus shop!

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T22:57:00.008+08:00

Happy New Year! I enjoyed spending time with my family, my cousin & her friends during New Year. So yeah, I was a bit drunk, which means I felt quite relaxed, euphoric & comfortable! Currently, I got a new wisdom tooth pain so it's so hard to eat foods. I should go to the dentist soonest... but I don't want, haha. Whew, I have finished 4 artworks for two upcoming group shows & one commissioned painting for my client Mike from November-December.

I think 2011 was my favorite year. Because I concentrated on more commissions & personal works (for selling) than art galleries, which means, I earned a lot & developed more hardworking, positive and productive skills / attitude. No worries, I always love art galleries, so I got three invitations by galleries to participate group shows in 2011 year. I also declined to participate *other* three group shows in States because it wasn't the right time for me. Glad some gallery curators understood me so they'll look forward to inviting me in the future. 2011 was amazingly great.

Anyway, I got inspired by Winsor McCay's editorial cartoon drawings so I drew Babu & Abu on my hand. Babu looks drunk, hehe! Maybe he drank sake. *Mall tries to take pictures when she keeps her fingers crossed* It looks a gangsta style.

I really hope 2012 year will be good for me. Now my commissions are on hold. I am ready to create new artworks for my upcoming 2-person show. I'm really nervous yet excited. Stay tuned, I'll post my finished commissioned painting this January! I have to take rest now, hope my wisdom tooth must be removed & I'll throw it to the tooth fairy soon, haha! Goodnight everyone!

Busy schedule

2011-11-17T17:03:00.003+08:00

Wish I could have Mall clones.

I DO MY BEST!

* Mall stares at her new art schedule longer, drinks coffee & looks at the sky *

Oh Lord, give me strength.

Untitled

2011-10-23T18:30:00.003+08:00

Since I didn't feel good about my personal problems, I started painting it quickly. Painting / Drawing is so good to reduce my bad feelings, aye? I was so lazy to create it spontaneously, like scribble, splatter, wash, etc.

" Untitled "

Acrylic, Ink, Colored Pencil on Paper

( I can't remember what this measures. I think it could be 6" x 9" inches. )

I gave this painting to my very good friend / Filipino artist Patrick Astilla for his belated birthday. Belated happy birthday Pat, sorry for my late gift! Check his artworks out, they are quite cool and great!

Apart from that, I'm quite excited and happy to make my first 3D Babu sculpture on wood, yipee! This will be for the 2012 group show. Sorry, I didn't videotape it because I kept concentrating on it for long hours so I needed to improve my sculpting skills. Maybe next time, I'll try to videotape when I'll make a full figure of Babu and Abu. Ahh, I love sculpting! I already bought more new sculpting tools from Ebay. Can't wait to receive them.

Recently, I can't wait to start creating my new commissioned piece for my client Mike! And also, I'll be busier with other stuff. Anyway, how are you all doing? :)

My Dragon pieces

2011-10-09T14:25:00.009+08:00

Moshi moshi guys! I want to thank you all for purchasing my ACEO pieces! I really understand that my buyers felt upset 'coz they missed out. No worries, I'll definitely create ACEO pieces in the future!

I was invited by Gallery Nucleus to participate in the group show, Breath in Embers: Art of Dragons. So exciting, I love Eastern dragon! I started creating my subtle paintings on woods. My first dragon piece entitles " My Search for the Ghost Dragon ". I'd love to share my story with all of you but I'm not good at writing skills, hehe.

All new people are gossiping that the Ghost Dragon is an evil dragon in the dark forest. They never visit there, it's very dangerous. My characters Babu & his kitten Abu aren't sure about their rumors. They explore & go to the forest for finding out what the dragon looks like. While Babu & Abu watching out & staying at the forest all night, the Ghost Dragon arrives. All small spirits awake & praise her happily. Then she feeds them with glowing orbs & stars like foods. She treats them like they are her "children". She notices Babu & Abu, they become afraid. The Ghost Dragon says, " Don't be afraid. I want to thank you both for visiting us here." Babu asks her curiously, "Who are you? Is it true what people says that you're evil..?" She says, " Don't believe what people says about me. In the beginning, dark dragons abandoned me because I was very unusual & different. I left & I was trying to find a good place. I didn't eat for many days and I became extremely sick. One day, kind people found me laying on the ground so they helped me alot. I was getting healthy so I live with them longer. Then hungry dark dragons tried to find me... They figured it out that they really wanted to eat my people! I was trying to save my people from evil ones... But I failed to attack them. My people and I were all dead. At least, we are good happy spirits now. I think new people are afraid of us nowadays. Boy, please spread my word. " Abu purrs happily. Babu & Abu believe that the Ghost Dragon is a good spirit creature.

Click to view this larger work-in-progress image.

See more details.

My Search for the Ghost Dragon

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood

8.75" x 11.75" inches

My second dragon piece entitles " The Celebration of Ryūjin ". Here's my simple idea:

Babu & his kitten Abu and a group of weedy sea dragons are celebrating the sea festival for the sea dragon, Ryūjin. Weedy sea dragons are marine fishes but they look like dragon-style. I combined two different festivals ( Dragon Dance & Leafy Sea Dragon ) into one happy fun unique celebration.

Click to view this larger work-in-progress image.

See more details.

The Celebration of Ryūjin

8.75" x 11.5" inches

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood

Wish I could ride on a dragon so I'd love to fly to Gallery Nucleus right now, huhu! Thanks for inviting me, Wade! Please visit and see other awesome dragon works on Gallery Nucleus site!

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS NEWS:

My friend Diana took pic of Art in Support for Busted Foundation at Mirror Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Don't forget to bid prints & original works including my graphite drawing " Chloe " on Ebay store! Hurry up, the bidding will be ended soonest!

Apart from that, past 3 months ago, my 6-years old half - shell hearing aid was damaged, I lived in a silent world shortly. I really missed hearing & communicating. * cues violin dramatically * GOOD NEWS! Now I finally got it! This is my very first " digital " hearing aid, QLeaf Exsilent! During my elementary, high-school & college years, I wore different styles of old hearing aids, like walkman-like, behind-the-ear, full shell & half shell ones. They weren't invisible so many people & bullies noticed me wearing them at all times. I can't afford a hearing implant ( cochlear implant ), it's way too expensive, like more than one million Philippines pesos (USD $23,000) so I better preferred Qleaf hearing aid. Anyway, my brother's friend & audiologist started to insert QLeaf digital hearing aid in my left ear for testing. Dang, it's so Matrix-ish! It's so amazing to hear many textures of every sound, for instance, ripping paper, whining dogs, fighting neighbors, gulping, dropping waters, strong winds / sea waves, farting (that's mine, but dang, it's too loud, haha!), etc! QLeaf hearing aid is heavenly awesome... * cries happily * I'm really happy to hear again. I'm so glad people don't notice me wearing invisible hearing aid! * nods seriously & is proud of her new device * Technology is awesome, isn't it? This time, I'll save monies for buying another QLeaf one for my profound hearing loss right ear.

Hmm, what else? Oh! While waiting for my current clients' responses about art commissions for more days, I started creating my tiger painting for the upcoming 2012 group show in Myplasticheart gallery in New York. This will be for my first time to expose my art to New York, yey! I hope New York-based peepz will like my art. Here are my sneak peeks. My style seems a rather bit different & new because I'm trying to improve it this time. I really dig on the styles of Satoshi Kon & Studio 4°C. I tried to combine my two different styles (recent illustration & former realism) into new one. So I see the result, it really looks good! I can't wait to show off my new style to all of you next year!

Yep, I portrayed my tiger plushie Shardul. I'm sure he would say, " OMG, you're portraying me, Miss Mall? I can't believe you're doing it for me, huhu! I know you love me 'coz I'm so handsome! " Okay, I stop talking & it's time to eat my dinner now! That's all folks!

The Art in Support of Busted

2011-09-28T22:16:00.005+08:00

I got email from my friend Diana about Busted Foundation past few months ago. I was quite pleased to participate this charity show! I am donating my new original graphite drawing. Busted Foundation is about to help benefit women who are battling breast cancer... and to help women to pay bills & afford treatment.

When I looked at her left hand (holding her hair), it looks so mediocre. So I tried to fill "dramatic" tones on it. I love it, it looks much better. I think I finished it for one day.

" Chloe "

9" x 9" inches

Graphite on Paper

Online Ebay auction starts October 1st at 12 noon. It will be a 10-day auction. 100% of Proceeds to the Cause. The pieces (original art / prints) will start rolling out on Ebay every 5 minutes over a 2 hour period. Opening all bids at $25. There will be a gallery show in Chinatown Los Angeles at Mirror Gallery. If you local to Los Angeles, California, you can stop by the auction preview reception at Mirror Gallery on October 1st between 7 - 11pm. This way the pieces will be available to bidders worldwide but lucky Los Angeleans will be able to see the work first-hand prior to bidding. Mirror Gallery is brand new and this will be their first event. More great artists have contributed prints & original art, look at the poster below.

Please visit, the on-line action will start here:

www.artinsupportofbusted.com

GOOD LUCK on your bidding, guys!

Gallery Nucleus presents Breath of Embers: Art of Dragons

2011-09-24T00:11:00.009+08:00

Art by Justin Gerard

Among all mythical creatures, none have managed to continually captivate us like the fire-spewing reptilian beast, revered in all of mysticism as the dragon. A cultural phenomenon, the dragon is rooted in folklores across the globe, having been identified in both Eastern and European legends. The dragon's physical appearance is an amalgamation of humanity's fear of the wild, its body sharing qualities akin to snakes, bats, and wildcats. Of course, the dragon has, through the annals of history, evolved far beyond an icon of fear, having integrated itself into popular culture as a creature of no simplified black-and-white distinction/

Gallery Nucleus presents an impressive collection of original artwork depicting thes iconic creature. This two-level exhibit will showcase a wide spectrum of interpretations in a variety of mediums.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS INCLUDE:

Oliver Akuin
Megan Brain
Sam Wolfe Connelly
Jeremy Enecio
Justin Gerard
Donato Giancola
Cory Godbey
Caitlin Hackett
Cassia Harries
John Hendrix
Edward Kinsella
Mindy Lee
So Youn Lee
May Ann Licudine (MALL)
Austin Madison
Andrea Offermann
Omar Rayyan
Corinne Reid
William Stout
Justin Sweet
Heather Theurer
Eric Velhagen
Shelly Wan
Allen Williams
Jaime Zollars

. . . among other distinguished talents soon to be announced.
The exhibit will run from October 8 - 31 @ Alhambra, California USA. Please visit Gallery Nucleus site to see more details & information.

ACEO

2011-09-07T17:37:00.010+08:00

Moshi, moshi! How are you all doing? I know all of you are way too eager and excited to see my small paintings. Yipee! You know what, when I organized my messy art materials & supplies in my room, I saw extra unused Arches papers. It made me realized, "Oh yeah, I remember a few of my fans asked me to make ACEO paintings for selling. They said to me they can't afford my big ones." They are so sweet! I grabbed Arches papers and cut them into ACEO 50 pieces (I cancelled to make 100 pieces but I'll save my 50 ideas for another time.) ACEO stands for Art Card Editions and Originals. These cards have one main rule - they are 2.5" x 3.5" inches, the size of a standard card. And collecting them is a great way to afford original artwork.

So I was excited to start painting them. It's quite good to focus on painting them for improving my skills / getting more ideas... it's like, I enjoyed doing different color schemes, tones, lines, details / elements, compositions, watercolor techniques (I was a former watercolor lover), brush strokes, contrasts, patterns, more. They look like thumbnails, storyboards or catalogs, haha! I didn't have time to take photos of my work-in-progress stuff, at least you guys have watched my video in my previous blog entry.

And ta-da! I can't remember how many days I kept painting them. I know, I'm sometimes forgetful. It's time to play my magical cards and see! *shuffle cards*

Click to view this larger ACEO I image.

Click to view this larger ACEO II image.

I must admit that I wish these small paintings could be all mine. *evil laugh* Really, it would be nicer to frame & display them on my wall. But well, I let them go, I'm super happy if art collectors / fans would be happy to have Mall pieces at their sweet homes.

And... I also decided to sell these old original drawings which I found & cleaned from my messy art boxes. I still have other old sketches / drawings but I keep them for my personal collection, hehe. So here, here.

I created this rough sketch before I made my sold acrylic & colored pencil on wood for Gallery Nucleus show in 2008 year. Visit my old blog entry about Sea Dragon. Pencil drawing on thin paper. USD $65

This is my old sketch, "Red Tsunami Queen". Do you remember her? I really forgot to post this rough sketch on my blog! I did this before I created my sold mixed media painting for Cubao exhibit show in 2009 year. It's USD $65. Check out this old blog entry.

Ahhh yes, I forgot to post this again! Why am I forgetful? I created this drawing when I was bored last March 2010. My girl character is named Juliette. She's cute when she's sad, isn't she? Graphite on Canson pastel paper. It's USD $50.

And finally, this old drawing entitles "Babu's Confusion" in 2006 year. Yes, Babu is confused. The medium is graphite on Strathmore paper. USD $90.

Don't forget to visit my BigCartel shop for seeing more close-up images & infos! I accept Paypal only. It's so good to sell my pieces this September month... just like early Christmas. These will also be a perfect present for your loved ones, friends, family, birthday people, early Christmas / surprising gifts, etc. Here's my BigCartel shop:

http://shardula.bigcartel.com/

UPDATED:

All ACEO pieces & drawings are SOLD. Thank you!

Apart from that, I walked to the beach from my house after finishing all ACEO stuff, I needed to inhale, exhale, stretch out, view beautiful sunset & explore shells & fishes for my relaxing time. Beach is all good. OHMMmmmmm...

And me. My scar on forehead, freckles & cute panda-eyebags. Indeed, I look so tired... yet fierce. MMMM!

And adorable seaweeds. They seem shy.

Okay, I stop posting more images. Have a wonderful day guys!

My WIP painting

2011-08-28T18:16:00.003+08:00

Merrily, Merrily

2011-08-07T18:22:00.004+08:00

Hello hello guys! How are you all doing? Finally, I'm writing my blog entry here. My lovely sweet friendly client Anne was so excited about the three commissioned paintings so she planned to surprise her hubby with my paintings for their 25th wedding anniversary! Aww, sweet! She explained to me about the travel theme, they love traveling. she requested me to capture their traveling experiences into the painting. Here are the details / elements:

- Anne riding on gondola & her hubby (gondolier) biting a long stemmed rose

- Royal Hawaiian (where they got married), Paris (Eiffel tower), Japan (cherry blossom), Venice (gondola), Italy (Roman Colosseum), England (red telephone booth)

- sculpture of David

- surreal melting clock (so symbolic of their time together gone by so quickly, seeming in the blink of an eye)

- butterflies, fishes & bees, flowers

- cottage-type buildings with their hint of stonework & steepled roofs

- outdoor cafe with a cup of espresso on one side & an old-fashioned fountain glass ice cream sundae with parasol on the other)

- a man sitting on top of a nearby building.

- green trees

So I replaced coconut trees with green trees. I tried to improve the perspective of the building, haha! I'm not good at doing perspective drawings. During my past college years, I learned from my former art professor Sir Darnay Demetillo, who taught us about perspective drawings. His complex lesson made me frustrated & crazy so he said to me "May Ann, you have many mistakes. Try again." At least, now I tried to improve my crappy perspective drawings, hehe! Hopefully, my perspective drawing skills will get better when I keep practicing.

Merrily, Merrily

11" x 12"

Acrylic + Colored Pencil on Paper

Anne requested me: she & her hubby can be riding on their shiba dog named Soba's back... then standing in a field of dandelions with her hubby hugging her. She really loved my previous commissioned piece, " The Dandelion Dream " so she liked green color scheme.

Hang on Tight to What You Love

8.75" x 11.5"

Acrylic + Colored Pencil on Wood

Finally for the third commissioned piece, Anne also requested me to make a Babu & Abu painting. I was surprised! She said it's up to myself about my idea / concept. I remember that Anne replied to me that she loved fish balloons. Then I also added statues of Maneki Neko. Surprisingly, I didn't know that Anne & her hubby collect old and modern Maneki Nekos so the idea really appealed to her from the very beginning. It's an awesome connection between me & her, haha!

Babu's Night Flight

7.5" x 8.5"

Acrylic + Colored Pencil on Wood

Thank you so much for everything, Anne! I really enjoyed working with you. When Anne received my package, she surprised her hubby with my paintings. He was so touched by the "Merrily, Merrily" painting & he kept staring at it for the longest time... until there was so much to see, & he recognized all places, awww! I'm so happy that they love them! Hooray, my mission accomplished! *dances*

Apart from that, whew, I have finished my two paintings for the upcoming group show, "Breath of Embers: Art of Dragons @ Gallery Nucleus. I'll post them in October. I really enjoyed doing my new color scheme: subtle, pastel & dreamy colors.

And also, this is my sneak peek of my original graphite piece "Chloe" for donating to the charity art auction show in States. The charity show got quite the roster: Brandi Milne, Craola Simkins, Shepard Fairey, Liz McGrath and others. I'll keep you guys updated about this in the late week of September.

That's all folks! I think this blog entry is long, haha! Hope you guys enjoy reading this. Soon, I'll continue working on my recent art commissions since I haven't gotten any future shows yet. Ciao!

A Magical Tale to Tell

2011-06-26T18:01:00.007+08:00

Moshi moshi guys! How are you all doing? Hope you guys are all fine. Sorry, I am sometimes inactive on internet because of my busy stuff. I really miss doing my blog entries. Anyway, it's time to share my story with all of you about my new commissioned piece. Remember my past commissioned painting for my client Dary in 2009? Dary was quite excited to commission me again. He planned to surprise his beautiful gorgeous wife Paige for her birthday with my painting. So sweet! He said to me:

" It would be cool to have you transform our daughter Kara's room into a magical forest-like atmosphere. For example in the background: her crib might have vines growing up and down the bars, and her drawing table might be made out of tree stumps for legs, and large flat slice of tree for the table top... instead of carpet, it could be moss, or short grass, her bookcase might have a waterfall that trickles down over the books slightly hiding the books, her diaper changing table could be some sort of ancient stone alter, etc.. I'm imagining her room being ALIVE, instead of dull lifeless furniture, everything is magical and has a life of its own... But, the magical furniture SORT of resembles the original furniture - it morphs into being alive, you know what I mean? "

He also requested about his wife Paige reading Kara a night time storybook in Kara's rocking chair, Kara's two most favorite stuffed animal plushies (two pink bunnies), cherry blossom tree, fireflies, bright moon in the distance, stars, their beloved cat Yoda riding on train (Kara really loves trains) with flamingo birds, ducks and alligator... and also a small manhole cover with a heart. Dary said that his daughter Kara has this weird obsession with dancing on manhole covers, hehe cute!

So Dary showed me some pictures of Kara's room. Then I kept walking alone in my garden while imagining the concept what Dary explained his requests. Then I made my rough drafts. Dary really loved both sketches! So he chose the 2nd sketch. Perfect!

Here is my painting progress. Click to view this large image. Before I started painting, I always used colored pencil for drawing.

Busy mode. Hahaha, I looked emo. *cues dramatic violin*

See more detailed close-ups.

A Magical Tale to Tell

14" x 20"

Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Paper

Click to view this large image

Paige got surprised when she saw my painting. Dary hung it without her knowing. Then she cried happily, awww. Paige and Kara absolutely loved it! Happy Happy Birthday, Paige! Glad my painting made you big happy! Thank you so much for everything, Dary! I enjoyed working with you!

Other miscellaneous things: I forgot to post this... I got featured on Mabuhay Magazine June 2011 Issue, yey! Thanks for interviewing me, Blanche!

Currently, I'm working on my three commissioned paintings for my client Anne from Hawaii. Oh, busy days.

When my commissioned pieces will be done, I really can't wait to paint my two paintings for the upcoming Dragon show @ Gallery Nucleus. Ciao!

Featured Artist: Stasia Burrington

2011-05-27T21:43:00.006+08:00

Last April, I discovered Stasia Burrington's adorable Ema tablet from Christina Conway's Ema project for Artsts Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relieve Fund at Give2Asia. I became very interested with her style.

Then I kept looking at her stunning sweet cute original illustrations and mostly, Japanese-inspired artworks. I became a new fan, hehe. I love her style, really. Stasia is a nomadic freelance illustrator & sequential artist who is currently living in Bellevue, WA. She is inspired by art nouveau, ukiyo-e, textiles, flowers, tattoos, manga, lines, insects, many... She loves to create ink, watercolor, graphite, paper-cuts, embroidery, mixed media, jewelries, etc. So fresh, original & interesting!

This is what I want!

I visited her Etsy shop & I loved them all. I was quite eager to contact Stasia about making custom stickers of her illustrations " Secret Yazuka Girls" for my Magnus (I named my Macbook Pro laptop) and she accepted! She's really sweet, friendly & communicative! Until then, I got the parcel, weeeeee!

I was planning to buy a limited edition hand-bound shunga book, " Pleasure, Pretty Please ". But I changed my mind. I purchased 12 Naughty Postcards because I'll decide to frame them for my wall. Wow, I looked at her detailed colorful prints, they are beautifully amazing... (hey, I'm not pervert! I just love her style, you know what I mean).

Thank you so much for everything, Stasia! You're a very wonderful amazing sweet person! I'll look forward to seeing more new pieces from her.

Check out her sites for more amazing artworks:

My POST-IT® works & Ilona's custom toy

2011-05-04T22:05:00.007+08:00

Don't forget to attend the POST-IT show at Atticus BCN Gallery, Barcelona Spain tomorrow on May 5! Wish I could visit there, huhu! It's USD $20 each Post-It piece! Very affordable!

So I created my Post-It paintings, woo hoo! It's quite easier to paint them fast because of small size. Wish I could do more hundreds of Post-It pieces but I didn't have time... so I made 8 artworks. Thank you so much for inviting me, Crajes! I really appreciate it so much!

updated: ALL SOLD.

Babu is so tiny!

Anyway! Remember the 2nd winner of my February birthday giveaway named Ilona from Netherlands? I was quite surprised that she made something for me! She's such a big darling! She sent me her photos of her custom toy progress. She created my characters Babu & Abu on DIY Munny toy! She said she got inspired by my old painting, Hide and Seek. Speechless...I super love it! Click to view this large image.

Ilona also sent me her beautiful images in the plant! When I enjoyed looking at her photos, I got a simple idea about making my story. Click to view this large image.

Finally, I received Ilona's package after more than 3 weeks (gosh, the shipping was way too long)! I adore this koi stamp & Netherlands postal stamp!

Her writing is super adorable!

Ilona portrayed my characters fish, Abu the cat & Daruma on a packaging box! Her girl character Cream (and her little creature) is way too cute!

Cute oh cute! I am still speechless, I never expect that Ilona created this amazing custom toy for me. Oh wow... I must admit that this is my future dream / wish to make a real Babu figurine someday. Ilona really makes me happier! Click to view this large image.

Then Ilona asked me to make some pretty photos of Babu for her. Sureness, I enjoyed taking photos today. Circusy. I can't stop giggling when I see Abu on Babu's butt. Abu is truly mysterious.

Babu loves a pretty bougainvillea flower.

And he climbs, lol.

I love to cuddle him.

I put Babu on my large mixed media painting, From Dreamland. Perfect!

Classic black & white photography.

The sunset is over. It's time to rest, Babu. I really hope you like my photos. Thank you so much for everything, my dearest sweetie Ilona!

Rabbito

2011-04-23T14:57:00.011+08:00

When my client Nini saw my previous custom toy Yoka, she was quite eager to ask me to make another piece after finishing my commissioned paintings. About the concept for creating a custom toy, Nini requested me to combine all flowers, rabbits, Olivia and Oliver, nature, stars, rainbow colors, etc. I have made rough sketches. I asked Nini to create a name for my third custom toy ( Teddy Troops, it measures 10" inches). She named him "Rabbito". Sweet!

Photoshooting time! I really love taking photos of Rabbito in the garden. He's good at posing!

Click to view this larger image on Flickr.

And glow-in-the dark, I love it! (I increased the contrast level on Photoshop, hehe!)

Before shipping, I took images of me and Rabbito... I almost cried 'coz I really miss Rabbito as I also miss Yoka and Mr. Owl. Sigh... I'm glad that Rabbito is already blessed to have a new family in Hong Kong. Thank you very much for everything, Nini!

Finally, it's time to watch my Rabbito short film. I filmed it with my Panasonic Lumix GF1 camera, Voigtlander Cosina Nokton 50mm f/1.1, Lumix 20mm f/1.7, SLR Magic 26mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.7 lenses by using my handheld and Joby Gorilla tripod. Yes, it was a rather bit hard to film myself while working on Rabbito toy... But I enjoyed doing my big challenge. Like I said before, I wanted to become a film maker someday.

I recommend you to use HD on Vimeo so the images look quite clear! If you're a YouTube fan, go to my video on YouTube. Enjoy watching! I got inspired by my favorite music named Tycho. His songs make me so dreamy.

Olivia & Oliver II

2011-04-17T14:39:00.005+08:00

Remember my past commissioned pieces Olivia & Oliver? Yes, my wonderful client Nini asked me to make another commissioned artworks, yey! She can't help, she always falls in love with my art, I greatly thank her for supporting me! Nini requested me about portraying her kids, Olivia & Oliver & their cousins. Enjoy viewing!

Olivia

15" x 15" inches

Mixed Media on Canvas

Olivia and her favorite creatures, Dragon, fairies & others. She loves warm mystic colors & adventure theme.

Oliver

15" x 15" inches

Mixed Media on Canvas

Oliver and his favorite adorable plushies, Turkey & Chicken. He loves cool cozy colors & winter theme.

Fairy Circle

8" x 9" inches

Mixed Media on Wood

I also portrayed Olivia, Oliver and their cousins. Olivia & Oliver finally met their cousins after years, so they missed each other badly. Aww sweet.

Magical Garden

16" x 20"

Mixed Media on Canvas

Olivia & Oliver in garden.

Whew, all commissioned paintings are done! But who's that custom toy??? Well, that's my upcoming 3rd custom toy named Rabbito. Nini was very eager to ask me about creating a custom toy. I'll post my Rabbito photos & video next week. See you guys soon!

Ema Art Auction (Artists help Japan)

2011-04-04T13:36:00.008+08:00

(100% of Proceeds to Benefit Give2Asia Earthquake & Tsunami 2011 Fund)

Christina Conway, who is a wonderful curator of Kokeshi custom shows, asked me to participate the super amazing event, Ema for auction to benefit Artists Help Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund at Give2Asia. Ema are traditional small Japanese wooden tablets left at shrines with an image on one side, and wish or prayer on the other. Christina said, " Taking inspiration from these simple, traditional and specifically Japanese gestures of wish-making/prayers this auction allows everyone of any culture, religious background and dynamics a similar talisman, using the "if you will it, it will be" thought belief. A small of art for a big cause. " I love her brilliant idea!

Here are my photos which I was working on Ema piece. It measures 3" x 5" inches.

Photoshooting time.

There are many wonderful participating artists including me: Allison Sommers, Lorena Alvarez, Yoskay Yamamoto, Fawn Fruits and more! Bidding begins Sunday, April 3, at eBay Giving Works for Give2Asia. Bidding for each ema is open for seven days. More ema artwork will be added through April 20. Check more artworks and details on Ebay auction. Don't forget to bid them, hurry! Thank you so much for everything, Christina!

Innocent Girls II

2011-03-31T18:02:00.022+08:00

I was quite happier that my past Innocent Girls pieces were all sold except last available one " Saika " last year. Now I have created 20 new graphite pieces again. They are more different than previous ones, I really enjoyed improving my skills.

I explain why these girls got hit by arrows. I heard a lot from my real friends who are broken-hearted girls. They said to me, " I feel hurt 'coz he got cheated on me! " " I can't believe that he loves spending time with his friends more than me! " " He doesn't like me because he doesn't enjoy my low-class job so he broke up with me. " " I broke up with him because he isn't sweet to me anymore. " " I'm happy that we broke up... I figure it out that he isn't my right guy. " etc... I felt quite sad for them and realized that their hearts are hitting by bad arrows, I mean, they could break their innocences. I saw their real expression: angry, depressed, confused, hurt, unlucky, paranoid and go on. So that's what I got ideas and started drawing girls. I also got inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's lead girl characters, Nausicaa & Princess Mononoke. I learned from Miyazaki how he created many different expressions / actions of his girl characters.

The original drawings are done with graphite on thick papers. It measures 7" X 7" inches. The price is USD $110 each. Anyway, enjoy viewing!

" Chouko "

( sold )

" Kaoru "

( sold )

" Izumi "

( sold )

" Ryoko "

( sold )

" Naoki "

( sold )

" Miwa "

( sold )

" Akane "

( sold )

" Rin "

( sold )

" Miyoshi "

( sold )

" Hinata "

( sold )

" Yuina "

( sold )

" Setsuko "

( sold )

" Fumiko "

( sold )

" Shiori "

( sold )

" Aoi "

( sold )

" Ayame "

( sold )

" Chiyoe "

" Junko "

( sold )

" Makoto "

" Kaeda "

( sold )

More details.

My shy Toomoo plushie is way too distracted by my girls, haha. Toomoo would love them to become his adorable girlfriends!

TAKE NOTE: I'll enable to list them on my BigCartel shop: http://shardula.bigcartel.com/ on April 9 ( Philippine time / date ) at 9:00pm, be sure to check your time zone converter. I only accept Paypal payment, NO RESERVATIONS. If you have any questions, please email me.

Now who is your favorite girl?

Giveaway Winners

2011-03-01T23:03:00.003+08:00

Moshi moshi! I want to thank you all for joining my birthday giveaway! I'm back from spending time with my family & friends during birthday celebration. Surprisingly, I received many comments so I was jawdropping, hehe! Your warm sweet comments really made me BIG SMILE. Thank you so much for making me happier!

Alright, I have counted how many contestants... so they are 157 people, whoa. I used Random.org for selecting 3 winners today. *DRUM ROLLS*

FIRST PRIZE:

Lesley

SECOND PRIZE:

YummyCream

THIRD PRIZE:

Kenneth

Congratulations guys! Don't feel bad that you didn't win, I'll definitely do my giveaway in the future again. *winks winks* Currently, I'm working on my customized Teddy Troops toy for my client Nini. I'm very happy that my sculpting skills are getting improved.

And still, I make more graphite pieces. Can't wait to release them.

My Birthday Giveaway II

2011-02-24T13:57:00.005+08:00

Happy Birthday to me! Gosh, I am 30 years old now ( HU HU HU! I'm kinda old...) I can't believe it, time flies so fast! My brother Jeremy gave me a vintage Bradley Pie Eye Mickey Mouse watch for my birthday! Unbelievably, this watch still works! I supah love it! Thank you, bro!

I'm so sorry that I broke my promise that I could make a full colored Winsor McCay-style comic about my birthday... but I failed because of my busy schedule. In the future, I'll definitely create a comic. Anyway, my birthday giveaway is back! Are you all excited? Look at my delicious prizes below!

FIRST PRIZE

Original Drawing, " Miu "

SECOND PRIZE

Pocket Mirror (choose one what you like)

THIRD PRIZE

Art Postcard (choose one what you like)

CONTEST RULES:

- Just leave your comment with your email address and/or link on this blog entry. ONLY ONE ENTRY. NO ANONYMOUS.

- Tell me how you discovered my art. You know, I'd love to hear from you all guys that will make me happier!

Okay, I will close the contest on February 26 or 27. (I might be away from the internet for few days because I'll spend time with my family & friends during birthday celebration). I'll use Random.org for selecting 3 winners. I will announce the winning results soonest. Good luck, guys!

Finally, I have created my official fanpage on Facebook, please visit to see my art progresses, old artworks, sketches, etc. Ciao and Cheers!