Sketch Friday

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. Since I’ve been busy and haven’t posted in a while, I was just gonna post sketches from my brand new sketchbook. Today though, Dyno suggested (via twitter) that we post sketches on Fridays and make it a regular thing. Sooo.. without further adieu, here’s my Friday sketches! (Click to Enlarge)

BTW Click to follow Mynt and Dyno on twitter!

OSS part 4, The Run, The Drive & A Stump Update

That’s right ladies and gents, it’s OSS time again. This SATURDAY 6PM-10PM. IC gallery @ 419 Georgia St Gallery. You know the deal, Open Mic, Open Canvas, Open Turntables, Open Minds.

Make sure you go here to pick up more details about what OSS is all about! Tell your friends!

I myself won’t get to be there cause I’ll be in Long Beach this weekend running my 1st half-marathon (which is 13.1 miles BTW). I’ve been training really hard with a few of my friends and my goal is to make sure I at least finish. I’m kinda nervous, but at the same time time confident as I’ve seen my ability as a long distance runner improve over the past few months.

I’m noticing a change going on amongst many of the artists that I’ve been working with in IC, and I’ve got to say it’s inspiring. A lot of progression, passion and fire have been thrown around the studio in the past few weeks and nothing brings me as much joy as seeing my friends’ excitement escalate when they find something worth working on. It truly pushes me to do more and I’m so grateful to be surrounded by so many passionate people.

Anyways, as always here’s my next Stump update… not much, but I’m really feeling the details in the leaves of the trees. It’s cool to see it all come together now and know that all the time and effort spent zoomed in to 600%+ is paying off. When I’m done I’m gonna make an animated gif of my updates.. I think that’ll be pretty rad. Anywhoo….Enjoy! (As always, click to enlarge)

SPAM! FAM! STUMP! AND DRUNK!

The weekend was insane. Scratch that. The weekend was full… I’ve had an insane weekend, and that wasn’t quite it. Anyways… here’s the haps:

Friday, as you all know, Aldrie, Marielle and myself went to SFSU, to do some live painting for an event called SPAM! (Showcasing Pilipino Artists and Musicians) The crowd was wild and it made me remember my college days, even though I didn’t go to a traditional college. Performances were great, and even though I didn’t know the headliner, the crowd apparently went crazy for him. Our setup was nice, but they turned the lights out on us about an hour in. Luckily a fellow artist, whose name escapes me now, lent us a lamp so we could continue our work. We couldn’t have done it without him. Anywho Here’s my piece that I painted live! (I took more shots, but Blogger is being yucky so you only get one!)

My piece was called: A Great Friend Can Help You Reach the Stars. It has our good friend Stump this time and is part of my Stars series. I haven’t named the girl yet, but I’m leaning towards Matsuri, the name of my late Great-Grandmother… Matsuri is about 7 years old and somehow meets stump while she’s alone. They become fast friends and travel together across the land, having adventures and learning about life.

This piece is a commentary about all the great friends I’ve been lucky enough to meet. Many of which helped me get to where I am today. Granted I still have a long way to go, but I am grateful for what I have now, and I haven’t ever forgotten the people who helped me get there.

It’s painted in acrylic, LIVE, in about 4 hours. The piece is painted on two canvases, that when placed together, create the whole piece. I wanted to make it so each piece could also stand on its own, but I really didn’t sketch too much out beforehand so I think the top one ends up being much stronger.

Saturday was much more chill. Live painting always takes a lot out of me, so I spent a lot of Saturday morning recovering, and trying to get my feet back under me. In the evening, I went to my Auntie’s house and celebrated many September birthdays, my nephew’s and my great-grandmother’s included. After that it was off to the studio to attempt to get some more work done…. but when I got there, I promptly fell asleep….

Eventually, I woke up, and got my lazy ass back to work. Here’s the newest evolution of Stump:

One of the most major changes I’ve made to the composition, was the addition of Matsuri sitting on Stump. She looks on at the moon as Stump rests from a long day of traveling. Hopefully, she’ll be able to sleep soon. I wonder what she’s thinking about…..

After looking at all the detail I added to other parts of the piece, it felt like a shame to leave the leaves in the condition they were in. SO…. I went in for more randomness and details… which, in turn, adds a few more days till it’s finished. I feel like I really want the piece to end, but I keep finding things that I can play with… so on and on it goes. Artists that I’ve spoken to about this (like Chris de Leon and Sherwin) have told me to take my time and step away if I need to. They know what it’s like to keep adding and adding and adding, and these are guys that I look up to, so I take their advice to heart. I’ve gotten great compliments on the progress shots I’ve been posting, so that tells me I’m at least doing something right. I promise though… I will have a print of this guy for sale eventually. So to everyone that’s been encouraging me, you will see it finished sooner or later!

Sunday, we went with Melissa, Phil and Michelle to the Oktoberfest in San Francisco and that was a blast… Lots of beer, polka, sausages and tomfoolery… I got thoroughly sloshed. Let’s just leave it at that. Here’s my beer…

Ahhhhh… Refreshing! The Germans really know how to party. :1

SPAM! & Stump update 5.0

Super late promo, but I’ll be at SPAM (Showcasing Pilipino Artists and Musicians) at San Francisco State University FRIDAY… 6PM — $10 Will Call $12 at the door. The flyer below has more details:

Myself, Marielle and I think Aldrie will be in attendance representing IC. I’ll be live painting as well as selling a few pieces and taking orders for a couple of different prints, so come through and get yours!

Annnnnnnnd here’s the latest on Stump… As always, click to enlarge and ENJOY!

More grass and star detail, as well as the moon is now getting some more attention… I’m planning to be able to put in some hard work tonight, so hopefully I’ll be able to have a preview print by tomorrow… We’ll see!

OSS, Samus Piece Sold, Stump 4.0, Ramblings and a Cookie!

Hey all… Let me start by thanking all the amazing folks that turned out for OSS part 3! It was another fantastic show, finished off by a legendary freestyle session that I’d like to see a video for. It was REALLY that good… In case you missed it don’t fret my pet, the next one is on the 10th of October.

I sold my Samus piece (pictured below) to a gentleman from San Francisco, who happened to see it in the window at the IC gallery. It was one of my favorites, so I was sad to see it go, but I’m always glad to share my art with others who would appreciate it. So if you’re reading this, thanks Rick! With all the excitement from OSS going on, I totally forgot that I wanted to get a picture with him, but in lieu of that, here’s a photo of the painting.

Also, here’s my latest update on Stump. Filled in more foliage, grass and background. Also did some minor detail work to the character in general. Like I said, this project was from a while ago, so the early stages were more about cleaning up the mistakes and refining the look, than making any drastic changes. Anyhoo… Enjoy! (Click to enlarge, of course!)

I’m going to warn you now, LARGE amounts of rambling are incoming…. if you make it to the end you get a cookie.

I’ve had the misfortune of attending two funerals within a span of a few weeks and amidst all the grieving and sadness, there’s a newfound respect for life. I think every human, at one time or another contemplates his or her own mortality. These recent deaths have reinstated the dialogue I sometimes have with myself with a renewed sense of urgency. As I pile on project after project and goal after goal, I can’t help but feel like this a drastic attempt to accomplish as much as possible in my infinitely small time on Earth. Not that I’m going through it, but maybe this is the true meaning behind midlife crisis… The struggle to leave a lasting legacy, something immortal, that will live on long after I’m gone. More marks made as proof of my existence.

As my horizons have grown, I’ve come to realize that the world is a huge immense place, with billions of people living their own lives, with their own beliefs, fears, hopes and dreams. Upon that realization, you realize how truly insignificant your part in this is. THAT was my realization that my life’s affect on a large scale was impossibly small, and that more important was the the impressions I make on a smaller scale and the lives I could affect that were directly in contact with my own. This was a few years ago. And I think it’s where most of us stand. We affect our own little worlds because that’s as far as we can reach. It’s kind of a microcosm of how we’d LIKE to affect the world. At least for those of us that think of it anyways.

I think, in some way, that by not being a spiritual person, I actually value life more than the pious. The religious folk I’ve had the pleasure of talking to, for the most part, believe in life after death. That there is a second life when they perish, which is what they are working towards. That is the life of true value for them. Their existence here is merely a means to that end, a test of their faith, to see that they gain access to whatever their religion promises. People such as myself, though, have it in their heads that this life is all that we get. When it’s done, it’s done, and that nothing will be left of us besides whatever memory we leave behind. When you realize that all you’re given is all you’ll get, I’d like to think that you value it more. Every second matters, not because its a chance to prove your faith, but because it’s a chance to prove you EXIST in the first place.

I think this is why I try to do so much, and try to affect every person I meet. The term “validating your existence” is usually taken with a negative connotation in humor. I believe that in fact, it is our true goal. Once we realize that our time is temporary, we realize the need for the memory of our existence to be preserved. That, in turn, is why the arts are necessary. Why creative endeavors are so important. And why we should never balk at a fellow human being seeking to validate their existence.

It’s the proof of our inner thoughts. It’s the proof that we were unique. It’s the proof we were here.

Here’s your cookie:

Stump 3.0 and Events!

Here’s the latest update for Stump! More tree detail, and I started the highlights… It’s slow going, but keep in mind, sometimes I only get thirty minutes to an hour a day to work on my own stuff, so it takes a while to get a piece done. Trying to keep a consistent posting schedule of Monday, Wednesday and Friday is motivation for me to continue working on projects so I’ll just keep em comin. But check it out and tell me what you think! I’m hoping to get prints of this guy in the future, along with some of my better digital stuff. As always, click to enlarge. Enjoy!

On another note… It’s looking like a busy three days. Last night I got to kick it at Fluid in SF and watch 3 eye elephant paint live. Homeboys/girls Albert, Kris (Happy Belated!), Chris and Sadie (Did I spell that right?) were in attendance. The guys from 3 eye elephant are quickly becoming some of my favorite NEW artists. All three of them are great to kick it with and bring something unique to the group. Here’s what they did last night (via crappy iPhone Cam)

I was also rewarded by Chris de Leon for doing some side work for their group with this awesome painting!

I’m gonna study it and steal his techniques Kakashi style! (Had to get my anime nerd on at least once in this blog)

Today, marks the opening of “Off the Wall” at Space gallery. Homies Dyno and Tim (DAT:AA) have pieces hanging and I’ll be there showing support! These guys are some of the most talented and hardest working members of IC, so if you get a chance, head down to Space gallery in SF and show support for these Vallejo natives. Check out Dyno’s site for more details. After that is my good buddy Kris Mestizo’s birthday bash at Poleng Lounge in SF. He won’t tell me how old he is so lets just say: Happy 88th birthday buddy!

I can’t party too hard tonight though, because tomorrow morning I’m running my first double digit distance. That’s right! 10 whole miles in preparation for the half-marathon (13.1 miles) I’ll be running in October. I’ll be going down to Long Beach CA with a few friends who’ll undertake this adventure by my side. I’m excited and nervous at the same time so I’m just gonna focus on finishing. THAT will be an accomplishment on its own. Later that night is Open Session Saturdays part 3. The 3rd installment of Individual Collective’s open mic extravaganza. You know the drill… OPEN mic, OPEN canvas, OPEN minds. Be there:

Individual Collective Gallery

419 Georgia St

Vallejo CA

You can check out details here or here.

PEACE!

Stump 2.0

Soooo… posting about Stump made me want to attempt to finish the piece. Here’s the results of a short session of cleaning up and starting the detail work – all in Photoshop. As always, click to enlarge the image… Enjoy!

Here’s a detail of the branches… which is where I spent the majority of my time:

You ever look at some old work and wonder what the hell you were thinking? This piece isn’t THAT old but looking at it the past couple of days, all I could do was SMH at how I put it together. On one hand, I get a little ashamed at how I used to do things. On the other hand, it’s nice to see my growth since I last visited this piece. Can’t wait to see it when it’s done!

Stump (Throwback)

Well since I haven’t been able to get much work done lately here’s a throwback (read: copout) I did a while back. According to the file, it looks like the last time I worked on this was March, so it’s a little dated. But if you were to look into my Artwork files on my MacBook Pro, you’d see a lot of unfinished projects that are really near completion. Most of the time I get bored and the way my turnaround works, I’m usually in possession of a shiny new project before I have the chance to finish the ones I’m already working on. But I digress, here’s “Stump”… done in Photoshop and re-rendered for the web (It was originally made for print). Enjoy! (as always, click the image for a larger size.) But please be quiet about it… He’s sleeping….

The character has some history… but the short version is that he’s a traveller who grows a huge tree on his back. The tree represents the burdens that we all carry as we travel through life. When he’s young, the tree is small, but as he grows the tree grows with him and becomes heavier and heavier. Despite this, he still travels on and the tree both teaches the value of persevering now matter how heavy the weight is. If you look close, there’s a little creature perched on his tree. The creature represents the malicious people in life that can weigh you down even more if they’re not dealt with. There’s a lot more backstory I built for this guy, but that will have to wait for another post I think.

He’s seemingly more “heavy” than my usual characters. The truth is, though, I developed the backstory after I created the image, which in turn made the image even stronger in my mind. Either way, the drawing is still for the most part, unfinished. Maybe posting this will inspire me to finish it. Amongst all my shiny and newer projects…

OSS part 3!!!

That’s right! Next week Saturday marks the 3rd OSS! We have Paulie Think and Spends Quality doing live performances and as always IC will be live painting during the whole thing! Come down between 6PM-10PM and get on the Open Mic and share your song, poem, rap or whatever you got inside! Or bring a canvas or paper and paint, sketch or draw with Vallejo’s own Individual Collective. Tell your friends!

The Individual Collective Gallery is in the heart of Downtown Vallejo at 419 Georgia St. We’re open during the Vallejo Farmers Market and welcome interested artists to join us during our meetings/sessions every Tuesday @8PM. Hit up individual.collective@gmail.com or 411@individualcollective.com for more info. PEACE!

OSS 2

Open Session Saturdays 2, which was held this past Saturday was another great success… We had some open mic performers, and the talented guys from 3 eye elephant came across 2 bridges to get down with our live painting. I only have one photo from the event that I took with my iPhone before I got down to painting. This is our setup outside the IC gallery positioned so those who were watching the performers could see the paintings as they were being completed.

The theme this time around was for all of us to have a horizon line that continues through the piece from one side to the other. Then we’d connect all the paintings side by side making a long landscape. Below is my piece, “If it wasn’t for the darkness of night, we’d never see the stars 2″. We’ll have some photos up soon taken by the talented Albert Lam, but until then enjoy more crappy iPhone photos!

I got some great compliments on the piece, especially from people who saw the first one that I did for BYOA. A couple of the guys said it felt like following a storyboard which got me to thinking of actually making a series out of my concept. Talking to Chris de Leon about the series he’s planning and checking out the sketches in his book inspired me to possibly take the “stars” series a bit further. If you’re reading this Chris, big thanks for sharing that man!

The next OSS is on the 26th of September, so if you missed the first two, don’t fret. There’s more coming around the corner! Hope to see you there!