Basic Watercolor Class

 This year I had the pleasure of working for the ESL department in AAU to teach a Basic Watercolor class for a wide range of students from different countries, different artistic background and age. It was great fun and my students were all really sweet. Here are some demo that I've done in class:

   1st Demo for all the watercolor techniques

 Most of these are about done in an hour, sometimes a little more if I get to touch up on themevery now and then throughout the class

 

 This is the last demo I did at the end of the semester. Took about 3 hours.

It was great meeting every single one of you! :)

To Kids from 2 to 92

As promised, here is the X'mas promo that I did this year :)

Merry X'mas!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!!

Lots of new updates!

I am so so so so so so SO SO sorry about not posting for almost 3 months!! I am terrible about blogging and promotion to begin with and when facing multiple deadlines, that is one of the first things I neglect. The up side to all this is that now I have plenty to up date you about.

So what have I been up to these last 3 months or so?
Mostly, I've been finishing up my latest book called "Sammy Experiences God". Here is the cover and a few interior pages. Written by Tom Blackaby and Rick Osborne

Some interiors sneak peaks!

Yes, these are all digital and not my usual watercolors. This project really gave me the opportunity to practice painting in Photoshop. I usually paint in the program Corel Painter and only use Photoshop as a adjustment/ editing/ cleaning up tool. Though this time I really took the time and reorganized my brushes, tried out a bunch of new ones and painted this whole project in Photoshop.

While working on this project, I taught part-time at Academy of art University and continued at my position teaching at East art studio for kids 5 to high school. I started teaching an ESL Basic Watercolor class this semester and it has been a lot of fun. I will post some of my 1 hour demos here next week.
BTW, remember I was exhibiting at APE this year in October? Here are some pictures of that weekend:

It was great sharing booths with my friends and catching up with other friends/artists that I haven't seen for a long time. Too bad I didn't get much of a chance to wonder around and check out what other artists are showing/selling. Time passed by toooo fast! Then in November, I went back to Hong Kong and introduced my hometown to my husband for the very first time. It was a lot of fun but ended up being one of the most exhausting trips. Being a tourist takes so much out of you! And I found out the hard way that you can never really get any work done while travelling. The phrase when it rains it pours proves to be truer each year. Though at least I am done with all client work for the year and yayyyy for finally getting some sleep!

Next week, I'll post up my X'mas promo and scans of the 1 hour demos I did for class. So stay tuned!


Oh! and yesterday I found out I've been featured on this french blog:
http://pussycatdreams.centerblog.net/rub-illustrations-divers-artistes-serie-d-.html

New Gallery piece!

Hello Peeps! 

Suanita's Little Gallery is presenting MUNSTERS vs ADDAMS!! This is an online show with works from would wide artists inspired by both TV shows. The opening date is October 8th, 2012 at:

http://www.susanitaslittlegallery.com/en-US/Home.aspx/Index

so mark your calendars!

This is the piece I created for the show. Titled: "Pure Love".  I honestly cannot think of another TV couple more in love than Morticia and Gomez. This time I chose to use Charcoal and Acrylic on Watercolor paper, I want it to have that old school poster feel to it. 

I also took a chance and tired a new method that created the crumbled paper texture for the background. The trick is to use ceramic wrap! After I painted the red background I waited till its half dry (if its too wet the paint will just bleed everywhere), and gently place the ceramic warp on top, then I quickly pinched and pulled here and there to get a pattern I liked. I let it sit for another 15 mins before pulling the ceramic wrap off, letting the paint take shape as well as seep into the paper more. Don't let the wrap stay too long or I'm afraid the paint will seal it to the paper when it completely dries.

And there you have it, enjoy!

Stanley Tails of Love is completed!

I've finally completed my lastest book, "Stanley's Tails of love" last week! The artwork has been sent to the printers and it should be published sometime next year! Can't wait! I had a lot of fun with this project. Tried a few new techniques and really pushed myself use time more resourcefully. For example, I'll try to paint spots with similar elements at the same time, so that I will not need to remix the same colors from scratch again and again. 

This book is about a sweet young Golden Retriever named Stanley going on his 1st adventure as a volunteer! "Stanley Tails of Love" introduces kids to the concept of volunteering, as well as promoting adoption to help many animals in need. To find out more about this book and its case, please visit their website : www.stanleystailsoflove.com 

With the permission of the wonderful author Lori Schneider, 

here are the cover and a few interior pages as a teaser! Enjoy ;)

Once again, I'm sorry I haven't been updating much, I'm just not that great with blogging! Though I have been insanely busy lately: 2 freelance projects (one just completed),  2 part-time teaching jobs,  small painting for a gallery and APE preparation...... 

"When it rains, it pours" That phrase has been true time and time again.

And whats that? APE? YES, you heard right, the Alternative Press Expo is right around the corner. A few friends and I Arthur Lin, Lois Wang, Yuki Yamagata will be there! Come Stop by tables 607 and 608, under our new name "Honey Honey"

Recent News!

Sorry I haven't been posting much new work lately, I'm trying to finish up my current project "Stanley's Tails of Love" and should be done sometime in August. Meanwhile my agent is going through the negotiating process with a new potential project. Back to digital on this new one! Can't wait to show you all my new book once its done! :)


So.................. I got in the 3x3 children's show!!! My "Chicken Little" piece got into Children’s Illustration Unpublished section. Very excited, can't wait to receive the directory. Yay!! :DHere is the link to the list of winners! Congrats to all the artists!  

https://www.3x3mag.com/No9_CBSWinners.html

Lastly, "Peter Pan & Wendy", the ONLINE show opening is on the 24th of July at Susanita's Little Gallery. 29 artworks by 26 artists from all around the world created a very stunning show!  

http://www.susanitaslittlegallery.com/en-US/Shop.aspx/Index/the_peter_pan_and_wendy_show__3



Interested in OWNING the one and only original of Tick-Tock Crocodile (click here to see image)? Go and buy it before its too late! ;)

Baby Workshop

Thanks to Rebecca England and little Selah for a wonder experience!

Spine

Here is some sample art for a potential medical illustration gig I was approached with earlier this year. Unfortunately, the project didn't plan out, but it was sure pretty fun to paint bones!

Happy Belated Father's Day

Happy Belated Father's Day! 

I want to dedicate this to my dearest Father, my american dad Dan Sooter and Mr. Chuck Pyle, 

an "illustration father" to me. They are the wise owls of my life. 

Thank you for everything!

Tick Tock Crocodile!

Recently, I've joined a virtual gallery named "Susanita's Little Gallery". The creator of this wonderful "Riquino" gallery, Susana, understands the joy of artworks created from classical fairytales or from beautifully animated films, as well as how rare this genre is presented in the gallery world. 

I am honored to be apart of her gallery and had so much fun creating my 1st piece for them under the theme "Peter Pan and Wendy". I've decided to paint one of my favorite but least emphasized characters, the CROCODILE! I had a lot of fun trying to capture his eager but patient likeness. I even went back and re-watched Disney's classically animated film "Peter Pan"and fell in love with that film all over again! Here is the final result:

Title: Tick Tock Crocodile

Medium: Watercolor and Ink on Paper.

If you are interested in purchasing this original painting, please visit the "Peter Pan and Wendy" exhibition at Susanita's Little Gallery coming in July, 2012! Know that 20% of the sales from this exhibition will be donated to the foundation to which James Barrie donated his book rights, “Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity”: http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/home/

Right now they are still exhibiting "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Check it out before its to late!

http://www.susanitaslittlegallery.com/en-US/Home.aspx/Index

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is to my mother! And all the mothers in the world! 

Thank you for all your sacrifices, your nurturing ways and your unconditional love.

Originally I wanted to do this mother's day card like usual, with watercolor, but during the drawing process, I got carried away with the details and I ended up with this:

I really loved the drawing at that time and the thought of having to transfer all that to watercolor paper just felt so tedious. So after a good while of contemplating, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to practice painting in photoshop.  

I've been using photoshop for quite awhile now, though I have always preferred to digitally paint with Corel Painter. Thanks to some photoshop friends that showed me their ways, and after downloading and testing tons of brushes AND organizing them, I was finally ready to take on this opportunity!

I liked it, and when I printed this out on watercolor paper, I have people think it was done in traditional mediums! Also I'm feeling a bit more comfortable painting with photoshop, though I do suspect I will go back and forth between the 2 programs. All and all, a nice little success!

Animal Sketches and other random doodles

   

These 1st 2 images are from the AAU's Big Cat Day. Thanks to all that made this workshop happen and thanks for welcoming alumni! It was such an awesome opportunity to get so close to big cats and see their tender interactions with their wonderful caretakers! They were so fun to draw, though they also move a whole lot! (i'm only posting the decent looking ones)

These are from the SF zoo I went to earlier this month. It was great fun sketching with Arthur Lin and Yuki Yamagata. Must go again! It's free for SF residents every 1st Wednesday of the month you know?

and of course, some chicks ;)

Summer Reds

This couple of weeks, I've sorta been in a rut and felt rather negative about things, and I realized I haven't just paint for fun in a long long time. So, as advised by some peers, here a painting of some juicy red tomatos and peppers. And YES, I finally remembered to take photos throughout the process! 

***I've actually referenced a friends photo for this painting, (I WISH I ate this healthy!)

So here is a big shot out to him: "Thank you Matt Bucholz!!"

I do a lot of "wet-on-wet" initially to create more seamless and spontaneous blends of color. I've always wanted to adapt a looser style, though almost always towards the end, I go back to old habits and render the hell out of everything. Guess I gotta keep practicing!

Ta-Da!! Here is that final scan! I like this orientation much better than the vertical way. Now, it is time to go back to working on my next book. Hope you liked it. :)

Stanley's Tails of Love

Hello All!
Sorry for not posting for a while, I'm so bad at blogging. I promise to get write more soon!

So so so, I've been busy working on my lastest book, Stanley's Tails of Love by Lori Schineider. It is a book about a young golden retriever named Stanley off on a adventure to be a volunteer for the very first time. This book is designed to share with children the joys of volunteering and the concept of adopting/helping animals in need. This children's book will also raise money for the animal shelter or rescue books for your choice!

On your right is a sample of one of the interior pages.

I am trilled to be working with such a wonderful client like Lori, and to be a part of such a great cause. Her story warms my heart and brings a smile to my face, and I can't wait to finish it and see it published!

To know more about Stanley or Lori, to learn more about volunteering or to reserver a book (available by November)

please visit:

Blog:  http://www.stanleystailsoflove.com/

Website:  http://www.volunteerkids.biz/index.html

Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/volunteerkids

Hansel and Gretel

Spring is almost here, to be exact, only 1 month away! Time to melt away the winter glooms and add some color back in our lives!! So here is my spring promo for 2012:

"Hansel and Gretel"

Quote: ""Nibble, nibble, gnaw,

Who is nibbling at my little house?"

Medium: Watercolor on Paper

I remember I've avoided doing Hansel and Gretel the entire time while in school, simply because there is just too much elements/details, which will mean I'll have to spend a lot of time on it. 

Now here I am, a year after graduating, working on a Hansel and Gretel. As much as I dreaded working on it in the past, I actually quite enjoyed painting this piece. It really pushed me to work on my values, color and explore decorative elements.

I hope you'll like it and thanks for dropping by!

Back to work now, until next time :)

3 x 3 directory

Hi Peeps,

Sorry I haven't been updating a lot lately, I've been so occupied with dealing with the business side of things I've hardy got much time to paint! I've been working on a couple sample art for a potential medical illustration gig as well as a spring promo piece of Hansel and Gretel for my agency. I will post those up once I get around in scanning them. Meanwhile, the 3 x 3 Directory is finally out! I've been looking forward to this... so here is a couple photos:

ahhh.... my name amongst so many other talented artists! 

And finally my page!

Thanks for looking :)