"Little Do They Know" (December 2012) - Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays, everyone!  Below is this year's "Little Do They Know" holiday card.  Here's the outside of the card...

And here's the inside...

Wishing my family & friends a wonderful holiday season...I've learned so much over the recent years, met so many great people & I feel very thankful for all of the ongoing support, encouragement, and inspiration.

PS.  Love you, Mom & Dad :) So happy to spend Christmas with you, Ong Ba, and the rest of our family this year.

Piece for "Retroholic Art Show" (12/7/12)

If you're out & about in the LA area tonight, perhaps you might want to check out the Retroholic Art Show taking place in Westchester, CA from 4pm - 10pm.  I'm happy to be participating alongside many friends & artists...below is my piece:

"Hot Cocoa Party" (original framed 9" x 12" watercolor, pencil, gouache)
Price:  $125

Here is some additional info:

Retroholic Art Show
Friday, December 7th from 4pm - 10pm
6249 87th St.
Westchester, CA 90045

Thanks to my friends Elena & Sarah at Honey Tree / Honey Haus for inviting & curating.  This is just a one-night cash & carry show...so hope to see you there & thanks for the support!

Just a few sketches & updates...

Squeezing in a post at the end of the month...here are a few recent sketches & updates...

It's been a while since I've gone sketching, so I recently joined my friend Erik Caines to check out the Congregation Ale House in Pasadena earlier this week...below are some sketches from the night:

(Taken with Instagram - Early Bird and Hefe filters)

I'm also happy to be a part of a couple of upcoming events...

First off, my friends at Honey Tree / Honey Haus are presenting their next pop-up "Retroholic" art show, which takes place next Friday, December 7th from 4pm-10pm in Westchester, CA.  I'm excited to be participating alongside many friends & artists.  I'll be posting my piece soon...but in the meantime, below is the flyer for the event:

Thanks, Elena & Sarah at Honey Tree for inviting & curating!

Last but not least, Capcom's Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Global Tournament Series - Grand Finals will be taking place on Saturday, December 8th in San Francisco.  I'll be exhibiting & selling limited framed, signed prints of my previous series (pictured below) originally done for the Street Fighter X Tekken launch party.

Many more talented artists will be exhibiting their work at this event!  Click here for more event details & a list of participating artists.  Big thanks to Eric Phan at Tsunami Syndicate for inviting & curating this art exhibit.

Thanks for visiting!

"Monstoberfest" Art Show (10/13/12)

Hello! I'm happy to participate again – alongside other friends & artists – in this year's 3rd annual "Monstoberfest" art show at Rothick Art Haus in Anaheim, CA – which opens this Saturday (10/13) at 7pm.  Below is my piece for the show:

"Amateur Night" (12" x 16" framed original watercolor & pencil)
Price:  $125

And here is some more info for the show...should be fun!

Thanks to Irene Mendonis and the folks at Rothick for inviting / curating.  Hope to see you there!

The Drawing Club - "Red Sonja" theme (9/6/12)

Ahh I've been so bad at posting :P  Before more time passes, here are some sketches from the 9/6/12 session of The Drawing Club.  Stacy Walker posed for the "Red Sonja" theme:

For more information on The Drawing Club and to see results by other artists, please visit:  www.thedrawingclub.com 
I'll be back soon...thanks for visiting!

"Wild Things"

Below is a gift for my friends Tracy and Teresa, who recently gave birth to triplets!  Their nursery is themed after "The Cat in the Hat"...so needless to say, this piece features a couple of Dr. Seuss's iconic mischievous characters (plus one)...

"Wild Things" (9" x 12" pencil & watercolor)
Taken with Instagram / Kelvin filter

Congratulations & best wishes, Tracy and Teresa! :D

Artwork for "J-Pop Explosion" Art Show (7/13/12)

If you happen to be in the San Francisco area tomorrow night (July 13), perhaps you might want to check out the "J-Pop Explosion" art show at Big Umbrella Studios from 7pm-11pm.  This show features art inspired by Japanese pop culture, and I'll have a couple pieces in there alongside many other cool artists.

Below is a new piece drawn specifically for this show (inspired, needless to say, by Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro"):

"Keeper of the Living Room Floor" (framed original 9" x 12" watercolor & pencil)
Price:  $100

Also available at this show is a signed limited print of a piece originally done for the Street Fighter X Tekken release party earlier this year:

"Spinning Plush Kick!" (framed 9" x 12" limited signed print)
Price:  $40

Last but not least, below is the flier for the show, with the complete address for Big Umbrella Studios:

For more information on this event & to see a complete list of artists, please click here.  Special thanks to friends & artists Rick Kitagawa and Eve Skylar for inviting me to participate and for curating this show. Thanks for the support!

"Illustrated Legends of the Old West" Book Available at San Diego Comic-Con

I'm really happy to be a part of the "Illustrated Legends of the Old West" art book – a collaborative collection of artwork by over 40 artists worldwide, published by Tiki Machine, LLC.  Below is my illustration for the book, as well as an image of the book cover:

"Young'uns!" (watercolor & colored pencil) by Vivian Nguyen

Cover for "Illustrated Legends of the Old West" featuring artwork by Justin Rodrigues,
Maxwell Oginni, Bruno Chekerdimian, Chuck Patton, Sah Tantivaranyoo, and Beth Sleven

This book will finally make its soft-release debut this Saturday & Sunday (7/14-15) at San Diego Comic-Con!  Limited advanced copies will be available.  You can stop by the following SDCC exhibitor booths & tables to check out the book in person (and be sure to check out these artists' other wonderful works & wares too :)

Eric Gonzalez and Erich Haeger at their Muertoons Booth #1802

Sara Jerzykowski and Greg Rankin at Booth #1945

Mark McDonnell at his Cre8tiveMarks Table I-05

Travis Hanson at his Bean Leaf Press Table E-11

Lesley Vamos at her Small Press Table L-06

If you're interested in purchasing a book, but you're unable to attend the Con, please be sure to check out the online store at tikimachine.com within a few weeks after the convention.
I will also eventually have some books on hand, and may be contacted directly at vivian@viviandesigns.com if anyone is interested in a signed copy for purchase.

Thanks for the support – and a big thanks to Mike Collins at Tiki Machine for inviting all of us to be a part of this book!  It's a treat to participate alongside such amazing talent.  For a list of all contributing artists, please click here.

KWESTONE Online Store Now Open

My friend Kwestone just opened up an online store, which includes many of the fantastic limited-run art prints that he and Dou Hong sold at Anime Expo last weekend.

He was even nice enough to include 5" x 7" prints of my art from the Street Fighter X Tekken Release Party in his shop (thanks, Kwestone!).  So I just wanted to at least help spread the word & hope you'll stop by and take a look.

Here's a note from the artist himself, as well as images from his shop:
"THE KWESTONE ONLINE STORE IS NOW OPEN!  Just go to kwestonestore.bigcartel.com and shop away!  I posted most of what I was selling at Anime Expo.  Art Prints, Mini Prints, Buttons, and Art Toys!  I'll be putting some new items and new deals each week.  And since it's my Grand Opening...if you spend $15 or more, type in (GRANDOPENING) at the checkout, I'll give you 20% off your entire order!  Woot!  This deal will be good till the end of August.  When you get the chance, stop on by kwestonestore.bigcartel.com!"

kwestonestore.bigcartel.com

By the way, if you're on Instagram, you can follow him at @kwestone to receive a special code to redeem this exclusive (limited 50) print & button set, as a thank-you gift from the artist :)

(artwork by Kwestone)

Piece for "ISM: 10" Exhibition (7/7/12)

Below is a piece for the "ISM: 10" Exhibition opening this Saturday (July 7) at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, CA.  This exhibition celebrates 10 years of creativity for ISM: A Community Project.  I'm happy to have a piece in there, alongside dozens of other artists.  For this event, we were asked to define our own "ism" (liberalism, humanism, etc.).  So...this is my take on optimism:

"OptimISM" (11" x 14" framed watercolor & pencil)

Here is some basic info for the opening reception:

ISM: 10 Exhibition

Opening Reception:  Saturday, July 7 (7pm - 10pm)

Grand Central Art Center

125 N. Broadway

Santa Ana, CA 92701

For more information on this event & to see a list of other participating artists, please visit:  http://ismcommunity.org/ism10

Hope to see you there & thanks for the support!

This piece is dedicated to Rob :) oxox

Random sketches & updates

Squeezing in a post for the tail end of June...here's a batch of random sketches over the past few sketch outings (including SketchCrawl 35).

Here's a sneak peak of a piece titled "Young'uns!" as part of a cowboy legends anthology book (featuring many other amazing fellow artists) published by Tiki Machine, LLC.  This book will be sold at San Diego Comic-Con in a couple weeks...more details to come in a future post!

"Young'uns!" (photo taken with Instagram & Early Bird filter)

And "Little Do They Know" gets a little reboot with the doodle below :)

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be posting again soon :)

Painting for "An Evening of Artistry"

Sorry I've been lagging on my posts!  Work & life has been busy...in a good way :)  I'm aiming to catch up with some updates soon.  To start...

Below is a painting for "An Evening of Artistry" – a charity event which takes place tomorrow night (5/31), benefitting the Everlasting Smiles Foundation.  This piece, along with many others by different artists (including my good friend Jerome Lu) will be included in the auction portion of the evening, with hopes of raising funds & awareness for this amazing organization.

"Hope in Sight"
(16" x 12" acrylic on canvas)

The Everlasting Smiles Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives & bringing smiles to young people facing life-threatening illnesses.  Many thanks & best wishes to the kind folks at this organization for letting us be a part of this wonderful cause.

For more information about their programs, services, and future events, please visit their website at:  www.everlastingsmilesfoundation.org

Piece for "CRAYnial" Show (5/11/12)

Sorry this is a super last minute post...but if you are in the San Francisco area tonight (May 11), you might want to check out the "CRAYnial" custom vinyl toy show at Big Umbrella Studios.  This show, in collaboration with Boombotix, features the Boombot vinyl toy/speaker.  I'll have a piece in there, alongside many talented artists.

It may come as no surprise (to anyone who knows me) that I love the Jabbawockeez dance crew...so here is my piece for the show:

"Boombotiwockee" (acrylic, felt, Boombot vinyl toy).
Price:  $200

Below is the flier for the show, with the complete address for Big Umbrella Studios:

You can also click here for additional info & artist roster.  Special thanks to friend & artist Rick Kitagawa for inviting me to participate and for curating this show. Thanks for the support!

Piece for Kwestone!

Big hugs to my dear friend Kwestone, who celebrated his birthday this past weekend!

For those who don't already know, Kwestone is not just an amazing artist – he's also a wonderful, inspiring person with an infectious sense of humor and an enormous heart.  I still feel like that was an understatement.  Anyhoo...he means a great deal to me, as well as to many of his countless friends.

Below is a watercolor/pencil drawing for his birthday.  Kwestone is incredibly supportive & loving to all of his family & friends...so this is just a small way of telling him how much we love him back.

"We Got Your Back! ('cause you've always got ours)"

Okay, you get the idea about Kwestone...so enough mushiness!  Kwestone would tell this post to stop crying!  But before you go, here's his blog so you can check it out:  www.kwestone.blogspot.com

The Drawing Club (3/8/12) - I Love Lucy

Below are my sketches from the 3/8/12 session of The Drawing Club.  Vikki Paschetto posed for the "I Love Lucy" theme...and she was fantastic.

For more information on The Drawing Club and to see results by other artists, please visit:  www.thedrawingclub.com
Thanks!

The Drawing Club (2/23/12) - Tank Girl

Below are my sketches from the 2/23 session of The Drawing Club.  Tiffany Chin Sim posed for the "Tank Girl" theme.

For more information on The Drawing Club and to see results by other artists, please visit:  www.thedrawingclub.com
Thanks for visiting!

Pieces for "Street Fighter X Tekken" Fight Club /Launch Party

While I'm admittedly no good at the popular Street Fighter games, my good friend Kwestone kindly invited me to exhibit pieces in the upcoming "Street Fighter X Tekken" Fight Club / Launch Party, alongside him & many other very talented artist friends.

I decided to use the same general approach as my previous interpretation of DC Heroes, depicting little kids idolizing their favorite characters.  Each piece is a framed 9" x 12" watercolor/pencil original.  They'll be up for sale at the event.  Here they are below:

"Ha-Broken!"

"Spinning Plush Kick!"

"Rawr!"

The event takes place tomorrow (Thursday, March 1) at the Majestic Halls in downtown Los Angeles from 8pm-12am.  More details on this event & other artist bios can be found here.  Click here to RSVP.

Huge thanks to Eric Phan for organizing the art portion in this event – and of course, to Kwestone for inviting me to participate & for always being incredibly supportive.  Please be sure to check out his amazing pieces for the show on his blog at:
www.kwestone.blogspot.com

The Drawing Club (2/16/12) - Arabian Nights

Here are some of my sketches from last week's session at The Drawing Club.  John Tucker posed for the Arabian Nights theme:

For more information on The Drawing Club and to see results by other artists, please visit:  www.thedrawingclub.com
Thanks for visiting!

Happy Hearts Day :)

Here's a quick little sketch for today :)

Hope everyone is having a good one :)

Drawing for Linda Panda

This is a drawing for my friend Linda Hong - aka Linda Panda - who had her birthday last month.

Linda is an amazing friend & she's like a little sis to me.  Pretty much everything you see above is true :P  She's also a great designer and illustrator.  You can check out her blog here:  www.lindapanda.blogspot.com

Also...the second caption is in reference to one of our favorite blogs:  "My Milk Toof" by Inhae Lee.  Go check it out...it will bring a toofy smile to your face :)

The Drawing Club Sketches (1/26/12) - Steampunk

Below are my sketches from this past week's The Drawing Club session.  Jonathon Cripple posed for the "Steampunk II" theme.

For more information on The Drawing Club and to see results by other artists, please visit:  www.thedrawingclub.com

Thanks for visiting!

New Year...New Sketches

Hope everyone is having a great 2012 so far!

I've been joining a group of friends for weekly sketching sessions...so here are some sketches from the last couple outings:

Thanks for stopping by & best wishes for a happy new year! :)