"Little Do They Know" (December 2014) - Happy Holiday Card!

Happy holidays!

Here is the front of this year's holiday card:

And here is the inside:

Hope everyone is enjoying the season...sending much love to my family & friends :)

Some Neopets stuff...

Hello!  I know it's been a long while since my last post – but before I let a whole year slip by without posting anything, I thought I'd at least share some work I've done on Neopets while I was a Flash artist at Nickelodeon Games.

This is a short animation for the Advent Calendar event in 2013:

And the following are "cinematics" for the War of the Obelisk game event in 2013.

These were basically short introductions for each faction in the game, and I had the privilege of collaborating with fellow artists Ivan Mendoza and Vincent Odien.  I worked mostly on the character drawings and layout, while Ivan and Vinny worked on backgrounds and animation/motion graphics, respectively.

Please note that all work relating to Neopets shown on this blog are © Neopets / Nickelodeon Games.
Thanks for stopping by!

"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 :)