"Little Do They Know" (December 2013) - Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays, everyone!  Below is this year's holiday card...here is the front of the card:

And here is the inside:

Wishing my family, friends, and loved ones all the best & much happiness this season :)

"A Little Goes a Long Way" now available on Amazon :)

"A Little Goes a Long Way" is now available!
www.alittlegoesalongwaybook.com

After several months working with author Ashley Mills Monaghan, I'm happy to share the release of "A Little Goes a Long Way" – a children's book published through Reading Tree Press and is now available on Amazon.

As evidenced by her blog, this has certainly been a passion project for Ashley, who wrote this book having drawn from her own experience as a mom and preschool teacher.  After being introduced to Ashley earlier this year through our friend Kevin Staniec, I provided the illustrations for her adorable story about a little boy named Fin who – along with his dog Sausages – "learn to use only what they need as they help with the chores around the house."

For more information on the book and to purchase a copy, please click here:

http://alittlegoesalongwaybook.com/buy-the-book/

You can also check it out directly on Amazon here.  Amazon is currently offering the book at a discounted price of $8.99 for a limited time...just in time for the holidays :)

Thanks to Ashley and Kevin for this wonderful opportunity & learning experience.  It's always a pleasure to work with fantastic people like you!

And of course – a huge thanks to friends & family who've helped to spread the word and for offering so much support, kindness, and encouragement along the way.  I appreciate it more than I can express.

Piece for the Doctor Who-liday Charity Art Show (12/13 - 12/14)

For any Whovians in the SoCal area this Friday & Saturday...there will be a Doctor Who-liday Charity Art Show taking place at the Tiki Machine pop-up shop in Anaheim.

The night will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and feature themed artwork by artists around the world...best of all, 100% of sales through a silent auction will benefit the Friends & Helpers organization, which offers assistance to those involved in domestic violence situations.

Below is my piece for the show, followed by some basic info:

"The Next Doctor?" (9" x 12" framed watercolor / pencil)
(image above taken with Instagram)

Poster for the show, courtesy of Mike Collins

For more information on this event & to see work by other fantastic artists, please also visit:
tiki-machine-art-shows.tumblr.com
Thanks to Mike Collins for inviting and organizing this event!

Happy White Rabbit's Day

Just got back to LA after Thanksgiving break – and thought I'd unwind with a little doodling tonight.  My mom usually says "Happy White Rabbit's Day" on the 1st of each month as a way to wish us luck for the rest of the month...so here's a quick doodle for this sentiment:

Hope the holiday season is off to a great start for everyone :)

Thanksdoodle #28

Hope all my friends & loved ones have enjoyed a Happy Thanksgiving today!  Very thankful to be spending this holiday with my parents & family in Arizona this year :)

For the month of Thanksgiving, I started this little daily exercise to focus and remind myself of just some of the people & things for which I feel grateful, happy, and fulfilled.  I appreciate all the encouragement & motivation from friends to keep going each day for this exercise.  To see all Thanksdoodle posts, you can click here.

That said, this will actually be the last "thanksdoodle" to cap off a happy Thanksgiving...but there will still be plenty of doodling & feeling thankful for all I have :)

PS.  Thanks for visiting!

Thanksdoodle #27

Stopped in Blythe on the way to Arizona...thankful to be almost home for Thanksgiving :)

Thanksdoodle #26

Always thankful for a lovely girl's night out with my close & dear friends :)

Thanksdoodle #25

Thankful the holidays are almost here...which also means stocking up on holiday ice cream flavors for gifts :)

(taken with Instagram)

Thanksdoodle #24

Reconnected with a couple of old friends recently...thankful for these moments.

Thanksdoodle #23

I visited a dear friend in Palos Verdes, California this morning – and caught a beautiful and calming view of the ocean on this clear, crisp day...thankful for that today :)

Thanksdoodle #22

Thankful for a good night's sleep :)
I've had sleep problems since childhood, so waking up after a restful night can be the best feeling ever :P  Oh yeah...and it's Friday!

Thanksdoodle #21

Thankful for experiences – good or bad – which help us to learn, grow, and realize what's important in our lives :)

Thanksdoodle #20

Thankful for another simple pleasure today...my friend Jon introduced me to The Beignet Truck! These are hands-down the best beignets I've ever had...and well, it kinda made my day :)

I was also happy to learn that this truck will be making a stop to Glendale, CA every Wednesday near our workplace...so thankful to have something sweet to look forward to each Hump Day :D

Thanksdoodle #19

It's been unusually warm here in LA this time of the year...but thankfully, the fall weather is finally here :)

Thanksdoodle #18

Had sort of an "off" moment today...but thankfully, chatting with an amazing & dear friend can certainly do wonders :)

Thanksdoodle #17

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've been working on illustrations for a children's book by Ashley Mills Monaghan, titled A Little Goes a Long Way.  I'm happy to say that we're finally in the homestretch – and if things go as planned, we could be releasing the book as early as next month...fingers crossed!

Since I was spending lots of time with the characters in the book this weekend, I thought I'd do a quick sketch of Fin & Sausages (a couple of the main characters) for today's doodle:

And here is a peek of one of the illustrations in the book:

(taken with Instagram)

As much as I may fuss about work sometimes,  I am thankful for this opportunity to work on this project (thanks, Ashley!)...it's been a good learning experience so far.  More updates to come :)

** Edit:  I should've added a note of thanks to Kevin Staniec over at Black Hill Press, for connecting me to Ashley in the first place & for continuing to help and support us...sorry for the oversight...thanks, Kevin!

Thanksdoodle #16

Pounding through some work today also meant pounding through multiple helpings of ice cream!
I don't drink coffee...so this is my "caffeine" & a way to get through a busy day :)  Nothing deep nor philosophical here...just thankful that ice cream exists :P

Thanksdoodle #15

Thankful for a nice afternoon stroll with my coworkers Debbie & Heather today :) I don't walk as often as I should here in LA...so this was a little treat after a busy week, especially with lovely friends :)

Thanksdoodle #14

Excited to attend a live Radiolab show in LA tonight :)  I've been a fan of this radio program – which, in a nutshell, explores scientific topics through storytelling & philosophy.  Always up for learning & being fascinated...so thankful for all the wonders, revelations, and discoveries of science – and where it continues to take us :)

(explosion GIF from picgifs.com)

Thanksdoodle #13

Had a wonderful dinner with the sweet & talented HeeKyoung Yum and Mike Cho tonight at the new Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Glendale, CA...such a good time!  Thankful for delicious food – and of course, dinner with awesome friends :D

"Mmm...dumplings..."

Thanksdoodle #12

Whenever I'm feeling stressed or down about even the most trivial of things, there are times in which I'm just thankful for a moment of peace and quiet to get me back on track & gain some perspective.

Speaking of perspective, hearts go out to those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines.  Donations can be made to the American Red Cross to help fund relief.

Thanksdoodle #11

Hope everyone had a nice Veterans Day!  Thanks to the men & women who have served and protected.

Thanksdoodle #10

Part of this little daily blog project is to acknowledge & thank some of the many amazing and inspiring people in my life.  This evening, I made a last minute stop at Designer Con in Pasadena to catch a few friends exhibiting their wares.  I had the pleasure of catching up with my friends Linda "Panda" Hong and Nate Mitchell at their Squid Kids Ink booth – and we even doodled together over dinner tonight :)

Upper right sketch by Linda "Panda" Hong.  Lower right sketch by Nate Mitchell.

Spending time with them and seeing how they've forged their own creative paths made me realize how lucky I am to not only have amazing friends – but to be around such inspiration as well.  So thanks, Linda & Nate!

Thanksdoodle #9

Thankful to have the lovely and ridiculously talented  Carrie Liao as an amazing friend in my life...today is her birthday, so dedicating this post to her.  Thanks for everything & happy birthday, gurlll!

(Carrie in her infamous french fry outfit, alongside her cute kitty)

Thanksdoodle #8

It's Friday!  Thankful the weekend is pretty much already here :D

Thanksdoodle #7

I'm looking forward to a concert tonight...which got me thinking about music in general – and how it can play a huge (and often meaningful) part in our lives.  So thank goodness for music...I know it's helped me get through some ups & downs in life...not to mention countless hours of LA traffic :P

(As some of my friends know, I don't retain song lyrics well for some reason...so unless there's a karaoke screen involved, the depiction above is somewhat accurate.)

Thanksdoodle #6

Thankful for simple pleasures in life...on my way home tonight, I stopped at Priscilla's Coffee in Burbank for a cup of their raspberry hot cocoa (so good, especially now that the weather is getting cooler).  Did a little doodle while I was there.
Nice, relaxing way to cap off a busy day...so yay for these little moments...and extra yay for extra whipped cream.

Thanksdoodle #5

Thankful to have a super best friend with whom we can get through the good & not-so-good times...this one is dedicated to my bestie Kendra :)

Thanksdoodle #4

I have my moments where I may complain about work...but when it comes down to it, I'm very thankful to have a job in which I can wake up & draw for a living.

I've enjoyed drawing ever since I was a toddler...so to be fortunate enough to have this kind of career (and to have the support of family & friends throughout the years) is a pretty wonderful thing.

Thanksdoodles #1, #2, and #3

I've done my share of taking things for granted over the years...so now that the month of Thanksgiving is upon us, I figure I should take some time to list some things I'm thankful for.  I'm going to try and do a quick little "Thanksdoodle" each day for the rest of the month.  Since I missed the first few days of November...here are three to catch up:

#1.  I'll start with something obvious...thanks to my parents!  I can't even begin to describe how much they've done for me...even in my brattiest moments.  They were actually in town recently & I had the pleasure of celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary with them.  Congratulations, Mom & Dad!

#2.  Thanks for health!  I got hit with a nasty cold early last week...each time that happens, I realize the value & importance of good health.

#3.  Here's another obvious one...but always thankful for a roof over my head.  Sometimes it's the little things that are the big things in life, right?  In fact, I feel like raising the roof...for roofs!



Okay...that's it for now...thanks for visiting!

Catching up with The Drawing Club (9/19/13 Charlie Chaplin theme), a sketch dump, and a children's book project...

I've been terrible at updating this blog...but yes, I'm alive :P   Rather than let another seven months (!) go by, here is a catchup post to get it rolling again...

Most of the sketches below have already been posted on social media sites like Instagram & Facebook, but I thought they could have a permanent spot here too.

Here are some ink sketches from the 9/19/13 session of The Drawing Club, which featured John Mackey as Charlie Chaplin.

And here is a dump of sketches from the last few months – from the most recent SketchCrawl, a trip to the Pacific Northwest, pub outings, and just random doodles...

Last but not least, I've been helping to illustrate a children's book titled "A Little Goes a Long Way" by author Ashley Mills Monaghan.  More info & updates can be found at: www.alittlegoesalongwaybook.com
We're nearing the final stages, but below is a peek of the characters.

Thanks for visiting!

Some recent sketches...

Hello!  Just rounding up some recent people sketches...

(taken with Instagram)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year!  Or "chúc mừng năm mới" as I would say to my family :)  Hope the Year of the Snake is a joyous & prosperous one, and full of new beginnings.

Some sketches from this month...

Hello!  Just thought I'd round up some sketches from this month...

(taken with Instagram)

Thanks for visiting :)

Happy New Year! Just a brief catch-up post...

Happy New Year, everyone!  I certainly plan on posting more this year, but thought I'd share a few things from the end of 2012 in the meantime.  Here are some holidoodles (holiday doodles), which were given to some of my friends:

(taken with Instagram)

And here are a few sketches done at a recent visit to Congregation Ale House in Pasadena:

(taken with Instagram)

Looking forward to a great year.  Thanks for visiting!