art school relic

found an old college assignment illustration, dusted off from the depth of the multi--folders of my computer. it's been years since i've seen this one.

 i think it was for the intro to photoshop class in the early years (i may have even used a mouse!). 

the assignment was to choose from existing objects & turn them into an illustration - no made up stuff. the only objects i remember was a toothpaste, typewriter & veggies (watermelon, carrots etc). 

i now get a good laugh at some of the techniques used, but i'm still pretty happy with the over all effect - unusual since i'm usually my worst critic, especially stuff from art school.

i don't remember much about this one, except that the dog was a proud moment for me.

changes & advertising

late last year, i did a concept illustration for a book project that was being negotiated. in the end, i decided that i could not take the project. though it had potential to become a series & already had a built-in buyer base, something else came up (more on that soon).

my rep & i decided to use the existing art for advertising. she recommended some changes (more color!) and i shifted things to the right size format. it's now the artwork for my page in an illustration annual (last year's art was from the second ant book).

here is the original piece:

a long time ago...

i had no idea this book existed until a friend ( i call her boss -- my orig art editor & the reason for my ongoing fascination with pen & ink) asked me about it.

thanks for discovering the book for me!

in my last year in college, i was paid to do a series of acrylic paintings for a proposed poetry book. i remember just getting excited about being paid to illustrate.

i think there were 10 paintings. i had my then fiance (now my wife), a few classmates, cousins & myself as models. i also took photos of some homeless scenes in sf. i remember being inspired by the serious tone of the poetry, which i think is evident in the final work.

i'd like to create paintings with somber themes again. i have some ideas, but that's for my show. someday.

not really concerned about being published, i soon forgot about the book after i graduated. it was for a small publisher after all, and the chances for it going to print may have been remote at that time.

the book's amazon link.

earth (two) hour(s) and the (electric) power of music

last saturday at 8pm, we did the earth hour thing. we shut off all our lights and lit the candles for an hour -- because nothing is more important than having some one look up at our huge condo building and noticing our dark tiny 5th floor window and getting inspired by such compassion for the earth ... and maybe just maybe shed a tear & turn vegan.

earth hour wasn't a big thing here in SD. non-existent really. maybe it was in the bay area.

since i didn't want to go jose rizal & read a book by candle light, i decided to take a short nap. maybe it was the silence, the peace, that snoring dog or maybe i'm just not a fan of, how you say, "waking up" -- i woke up 2 hours later. that's an extra earth hour! such an earth lover, i am.

amidst the soothing candle light and the energy saving, i could hear the electric guitars & music from outside. our neighborhood annually hosts the san diego indie music festival. the event was about 2 blocks away with multiple stages in closed streets. indie bands rocking out in north park. sweet. add the indie fest to my growing list of san diego events i plan to go to "next time".

my point is? i thought it was funny that while we were doing our earth hour thing in darkness, a block away power generators & bright lights were blasting away in what was probably a rocking party.

switching off our lights for an hour probably didn't amount to anything in the grand scheme of things, but we felt it was important to be a part of.

*illustration for pk press

cover's out

tis a good day when i find a finished book cover on the net. this one i saw on amazon.

here's a summary from the publisher's website:

"Kids love searching for Christmas gifts, and they can get a head start on the holiday with this joyful twist on the popular carol. You’ll recognize most of the words from “On the Twelve Days of Christmas,” but instead of “my true love” giving the presents, jolly Santa’s leaving them all around the house. Sharp-eyed children can accompany a curious little bear to look for St. Nick’s cheerful handiwork—as well as some festive extras that artist Macky Pamintuan has playfully added to the art, including jingle bells, a candy cane in the toothbrush cup, and bright snowflakes floating over the bathtub. As the items accumulate, the delight heightens, with ten frog lords a-leaping and sliding; nine pretty pink pig ladies dancing a ballet; and cow maids ready to do their milking.

The best is saved for last in a big ending: a huge double gatefold that’s actually four pages long, containing all the items delivered during the twelve days."

christmas is FINALLY over & i can now shave

last week, after 13 months, 3 cities, 2 continents & a severely worn out back, i finally finished painting a christmas hidden picture book. this one took so long to get done.

on the final month, i swore not to shave until it was completed. i take pride in not missing a deadline. i've always wanted to be that illustrator who got things done on time. well, in this one, we were months behind. the first time i ever missed a deadline. i think.

sketches were revised, schedules changed, babies born (congrats to my art director) & not to mention me practically going cross-eyed trying to keep tabs with the ever growing characters i tried to hide each page.

the book is based on the 12 days of christmas & was designed as a hidden picture book. i was excited to do a hidden picture book & a holiday theme at that.

all i had to do was illustrate & place every character mentioned on the song. by the time i got to 8 maids-a-milking, things got really confusing. by 10 lords-a-leaping, i was the one who wanted to do some leaping.

it wasn't the hardest book to paint, but the number of characters i had to "hide" was tough to do. i was also running out of space for the characters as well as maintaining extra space for the ever growing text.

i regularly worked till dawn, on christmas day, new years day & right after watching that nba game on our anniversary.

well, it's done now. i'm glad, refreshed & clean-shaven.

the book should be out by, well, the christmas season (not sure what year - no date released yet).

it's time

even nixon resigned for lesser charges.