Shoe Art.

I painted my Vans shoes for the 65th anniversary party of the apo view hotel. Because any time you can get away with wearing comfy shoes with your suit and tie, you do it.

  First brush. Always the scariest.

 
 And I dub thee: 65th Legacy Kicks. 

Rescuing not needed.

For those with little princesses.

Things have changed the past 3 years. I have a daughter now and the idea of Barbie dolls and Disney princesses in need of rescue do not seem so appealing to me.

I have hopes that she'll be a world class athlete and the first ever Philippine Olympic gold medalist, but her current obsession with pink dresses and Lalaloopsy dolls don't offer me much optimism. 

She started ballet class last week. In a pink dress.

The Birthday Boy.

Warm up sketch before work. Had to be Kurt.

watercolor

Unc.

Another tribute post for Uncle Allen.

This one I did for art school back in 2002.  He was always good for a pose or two.

Oil on Canvas

Farewell, True Santa.

For Uncle Allen.

Happiest man on Earth.

Seasons Greetings.

Maligayang Pasko, 

Merry Christmas,

Feliz Navidad.

Happy Holidays!

My family Christmas card.

Hurrrrr....due daaaates....

Me after another all-nighter trying to make deadline. Not sure how I got that ear bite though. Probably should have that checked.

I'm hungry.

Gifts.

I'm that weird dude who actually enjoys gift wrapping. That means I spend too much time working on something that will inevitably be torn to shreds the next day.

Working on a 4 year old boy's birthday gift.

Maybe the CBCP will like this

My tribute to Philippine archbishop Oscar Cruz, scourge of the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) & hero to critics of a certain bowler hat wearing, Rizal quoting tour guide.

I drew him kneeling in deep prayer to show my contempt admiration for his bigoted sincere beliefs about family & faith. I also added inverted hearts on the bottom half of the sketch to represent his disrespect compassion for the common Filipino mothers. By defending them from the onslaught of responsible family planning evil, Western propaganda and cancer inducing condoms, the man is a joke hero.

Dad,

I drew this at the Heart Center that first week after your 16 hour surgery. It was done on a wooden bench that I would soon get acquainted to for the next 3 weeks. I even drew a few details on the type of surgery you had.

"Papi" (or pappy) was how you wanted Ali to call you. "Lolo" (grandfather) sounded ancient and belied your outlook on seeing life through youthful exuberant eyes. I admit that my thoughts were on wanting to see you enjoying Ali's company as you watch her grow up.

I don't think I gave you the best eulogy. I'm not one to be shy to speak in front an audience, but like always, my worries about doing you proud got the better of me.

Yesterday, on Father's Day, I visited your grave alone for the first time since the funeral. What I will remember that day is how hard it was to walk back to the car at the end of the visit. I turned back twice because walking away reminded me of the last day I saw you.

It was a Friday morning. I was finally flying back to Davao after 4 weeks in Manila doing hospital night shifts for the family. I remember getting up from that now familiar wood bench & opening the door to say goodbye to you. From that small crack of the door, I saw that your eyes were closed, as they normally were the past few weeks. There was a nurse in the room, her back to me (and you).

At that moment, I convinced myself two things: One, that you were asleep and you needed the rest and Two, that saying my goodbyes would symbolize more than what it normally meant. I closed the door, walked away and told myself that there was no need to bid you farewell. You needed the rest and I will see you again rested & recovered.

You passed away 3 days later. It never dawned on me until yesterday how much walking away that Friday morning affected me. I'm not one to dwell on regrets, but to be honest, I think about taking those extra four to five steps into your room and speaking to you.

It would be tempting to end with some cute line about maybe I didn't have to say goodbye that day because, in some way, you already knew and that I will still see you again in some form of higher plane, but that wouldn't be honest of me.

Yesterday, at the cemetery, turning my back to you reminded me about failing to speak to you when I had the chance.

I wish I spoke to you. Told you I'd be back, to stay strong & that everything will be ok. In hindsight, I'd thank you for everything you've given me and, even if I didn't admit it, how much your approval meant to me. I may have tried to be different, but I wanted to emulate you in more ways than you can imagine.

Last year was the only time we shared Father Day together. I just wish Ali will see me as highly as I saw you. I have big shoes to fill, but you've prepared me for it. Thank you.

Rondooooo!

During the recent playoff run by my beloved Celtics, I did this sketch of Rajon Rondo. Initially, I only meant to do a two page spread with some dynamic figures in mind.

After a few exasperating minutes wrestling with roughs of men in awkward jumping poses that did not make any sense, I settled on the easier route of doing a basketball sketch. I used to do a lot sketches of my NBA heroes back in high school, but I had not done one in years. I was due.

Unfortunately, the team was eliminated from the playoffs two days after drawing this. Sorry, guys. There's always next season.

Update: Rajon Rondo himself shared my sketch on his Facebook & Twitter account. That's purty damn cool.

The plan in Angkor

My master plan in Cambodia was to spend a good deal of the day sitting on ancient stones or large tree roots as I sketched the ruins of Angkor.

So much for that idea.

I ended up spending most my days walking from one ancient site to another. There was so much to see. By the end of the day, after taking a beating from the sun, the rocky trails & finding myself wandering the intricate temple hallways, I was defeated.

I did make sure to do at least one (though admittedly stylized) sketch of Bayon.

Pickle, the hotel's perpetually sleeping dog was also nice enough to pose for me.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Last March, I took a much needed break and travelled to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat & nearby sites.

The ancient sites & ruins definitely did not disappoint.

Of course, Stanley came along for the ride.

Gave my tuk-tuk driver (and architecture enthusiast) a one-on-one sketch tutorial.

Visited the floating village in the massive Tonle Sap Lake.

And did a 45 minute hike up a mountain to see the fascinating Kbal Spean ruins.

Siem Reap's a great tourist town with friendly people in a country rich in history. All in all, a worthwhile trip to take. If you plan a visit, I recommend staying at Rosy Guesthouse, an affordable, clean guesthouse with a wonderful staff who will make you feel at home.

Season's greetings (or ambush)

Every late December, my email inbox starts filling up with holiday greetings of various holiday illustrations done by artists from MB Artists (who also represent me). I'm usually a bystander in all this since I never send in my own artwork/art greeting card (I vaguely recall doing it just once).

This year, I barely make it. Here's a quick black &white Christmas sketch that I sent just minutes ago. It may be a little rushed & I admittedly struggled with a new sketchbook paper texture, but I like the concept (one of many that I had in mind, but I had only enough time to do one pencil sketch. Maybe next year).

Joining the facebook game

Currently, many of my friends on facebook have been changing their profile picture to cartoon characters. This is supposed to promote awareness against child abuse. Like other facebook crazes that have preceded this, it's become quite popular and yet I couldn't wrap my mind on how changing your picture to a Thundercat would help.

As well intentioned as it may be (and, may I add, a lot of fun), I refused to play along.

Then the wife changed her profile picture.

Her choice was the princess in a late 70's Japanese animated film Hakucho no Mizumi. A film that was essential viewing in her childhood as Hugo the Hippo was to mine.

She also was now curious on which character I would choose to put up on my own profile. At first, I said I wouldn't do it. I was just too cool for that... but I did start thinking about it.

DC comic characters were easy choices. A few of the old Warner Bros. animation cast would be a good one too. I could easily have gone for 80's tv favorites like Mask, He-Man or G.I. Joe. And of course, there's my old friend Hugo the Hippo.

In the end, I decided to join in, but only on my terms. I would create my own picture. No cutting & pasting for me. I drew my 10 month old daughter, Alison, as Supergirl. It was fast, easy and, as it turned out, quite relaxing. It's been some time since I've drawn without the thought of a paycheck or deadline in mind. Just drawing for the love of it.

Lastly, here's the video that, according to a friend, supposedly inspired this facebook campaign. Changing a profile picture is one thing but getting involved with your time or money is another.

Heeey batta batta batta swing batta!

As a young boy vacationing in San Francisco, I became a fan of the Will Clark/ Kevin Mitchell Giants team. But, to be honest, I didn't really know the game that much.

When I moved to San Francisco for college in 1997, things got serious. This latest version of the Giants were definitely my team. I'd listen to games on the radio and watch live games at the "Stick" (and later Pac Bell Park). "Pitch to Barry!" that's what we'd all say. Those years were great years to be a Giants fan.

Then, I graduated from college. Barry & the gang faded away. The losses piled up. I left for San Diego and then later to Mexico. I remained a fan & wore my trusty, worn out Giants hat whenever I could, but the team roster were no longer familiar to me.

Along the way, I made picture books (here & here) & illustrations with hints of my fan loyalty to the team. artwork with Giants colors & Pac Bell park quietly slipped into the pages. I just had to. Too easy.

Now, the Giants are in the World Series and I'm reveling in their success just like the old days.

Go Giants!

* artwork from my recent picture book: Baseball From A to Z

I have become what I --

I was recently interviewed by the very capable Nikki G. Tan for the Philippine publication, Zee Lifestyle. Those who know me may get a good laugh or two after reading that last sentence. I'm not sure I want to know what they did after seeing these posted pictures.

Yes, there was a photo shoot. Shoot me now.

leaning against wall? gotta go with the bent knee.

I'm in a lifestyle magazine.

The Annual Men's Issue.

In the Philippines.

Where I don't really have a market for my books.

And I follow a puff piece on (quote) the glamorous (unquote) Imelda Marcos.

There's also an article on skin whitening tips for men.

Did I mention it was the Men's Issue?

On the plus side, it was nice to see published pictures of me & my daughter, Alison (around 2 months old then). My mom gets a kick out of this (and thereby boosting Zee mag's sales all by herself). It does feel good getting a bit of notice from the motherland especially since my work is mostly based in the US. And the writing was fun & well done.

'shop.

For me, painting on photoshop means work. And because of that, it can get tedious & monotonous.

On one of those dreary moments, I took a quick break & decided to play with some of my personal photos. And yes, I did watch that new tron trailer before doing this.

Here, I decided to add a blue visor on the helmet:

This took only a few minutes & may seem odd to some because the highlights on the helmet do not match any existing ambient light. Still managed to fool a few friends though.

On this shot, I took the opportunity to go tron on the suit. Those white lines on dark fabric were screaming for it:

I painted the details on the face & hands a well as the highlights on the figure. Like the first image, this one was also done rather quickly.

(warning: photoshop jargon ahead). Aside from using a blue multiply tint, I duplicated the original photo and placed it as a top layer. Then, I simply lowered the opacity & erased any necessary detail just to get some that original warm skin tone.

Then, just like that, break time was over and I promptly went back to work.

34 years.

... and still petrified of a sketchbook's first page.