Little Do They Know (1/31/07)

Here is this week's comic (please click above to enlarge)...thanks for checking in!

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Song of the Day: "Time Has Told Me" – Nick Drake

Froodle.

Fruit of g-loom...

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Song of the Day: "Forever Lost" – The Magic Numbers

Little Do They Know (1/24/07)

Just wanted to squeeze this week's comic into a rather crazy week (please click above to enlarge)...

Cheers...

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Song of the Day: "The End Has No End" by The Strokes

Latest Paintings

Above is a series of paintings entitled Pathos – a commissioned project I finished last week for my friend (thanks for the support, G!) as I'm trying out new things :)

This has been added to my site – along with a recent cover illustration for the Pasadena Weekly (an attempted spoof, as you may see, on "The Colbert Report"). You can view the updated portfolio section here.

More site updates to come...soon!

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Song of the Day: "Why Do I Keep Counting?" by The Killers

Getting Comical

Thanks to all who have given such positive response to the previous post (1/10/07) of my little comic strip, now "officially" titled Little Do They Know. Above is the latest installment (please click to enlarge).

Needless to say, this little strip is still in its fledgling state – a personal source of catharsis at least...a glimpse of better things to come at best. I'm aiming to make this a weekly post. So stay tuned ;)

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Song of the Day: "Off the Record" by My Morning Jacket

Plugging away...

...at a few paintings this weekend. (At least this is keeping me off the streets.) They'll be posted on my site as soon as they're finished – thanks for checking in...

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Song of the Day: "So Here We Are" by Bloc Party

Drawing Club sketches 1/11/07

Posted above are my sketches from tonight's session of The Drawing Club in Los Angeles (please click for a larger view). Emily Marshall posed as "The Beatnik Chick." Great fun :)

For more information on The Drawing Club – and to view the work of others on the site's blog – please visit: www.thedrawingclub.com

Cheers!

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Track of the Day: "Comptine d'un autre été : L'après midi" by Yann Tiersen (from the score to the film Amélie)

Here we go again!

Is it already nearing the middle of January? :P
Busy past week...lots of to-do lists, various projects, catching up on stuff in general, and more to-do lists...

Above is a little comic strip that just...came out. I intend to dabble with a series of doodles called "Little Do They Know" – I suppose this is a start. Anyhoo...back to the bills!

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Song of the Day: "Miniature Disasters" – KT Tunstall

Happy New Year Animation

Happy New Year!

In celebration of 2007 (which I hope will be a healthy & prosperous one for all), I created a quick little animation...aptly titled Happy New Year...which has been added to my site. To view, please click here.

It's been a while since I've played around with one of these. So allow me to also thank: my trusty ballpoint pen, a pack of scratch pads from Staples, the magic that is Photoshop and Apple iLife, and – last but not least – my family & friends who have always encouraged me to keep my love for traditional animation alive and kicking (even if it is on the back burner & remains in an amateurish state).

Please forgive me if the usage of balloons in animated shorts has become a bit trite – I just thought it might be a simple way of conveying a simple message: reaching new heights with every year that becomes of us.

Cheers :)

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Word of the Day: copious
Song of the Day: "Everybody's Changing" by Keane

Site Update

In addition to adding three new paintings (see previous post below), I've also refreshed my site with some "new old" works. I say "new old," because many of these newly added pieces are – admittedly – oldies...but hopefully still considered goodies. (Post-holiday cleaning around the apartment prompted me to dust off the paper portfolios.)

Thankfully, there are some new projects in the coming month which I'm looking forward to adding. So stay tuned!

And now for a brief frequently-asked-question...and answer:
Q. What's up with the watermarks on your site? They're kinda distracting...and a bit ugly.
A. While I may come across as a raging egomanic by stamping my site address/copyrights onto virtually all of my web images...I've learned that, unfortunately, lots of not-so-nice people lurk the cyber community and have no qualms about stealing other people's work for actual profit & gain. Friends and loved ones would always remind me to sign my work – and a couple bouts with identity theft have only reinforced the cause for these ugly (yes, they are ugly) watermarks. By the way, I'm not trying to flatter myself by thinking that my work is even desirable enough to be taken & used just like that...but with all due respect to anyone out there, it doesn't hurt to play it a little safe in this day and age :)

To take a look at the refreshed portfolio section, please click here. Thanks for the interest & support!

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Song of the Day: "Mushaboom" by Feist

New Paintings

After a nice holiday break with my family – and too many failed attempts connecting to the internet – I'm now trying to get back on track with things...all the while suppressing a case of the post-holiday blues and reclaiming a healthier, reduced-cookie diet. Alas, there seems to be so much left to do in the remaining hours of 2006.

3 new paintings (including the one shown above) have been added to my site – these were given as gifts to my parents, brother and sister-in-law, and Uncle Dave. I'm trying my hand at abstract painting and finding enjoyment at doing so (it's still new to me).

To view, please click on the link below. They are the last three in the bottom row under the "Featured Artwork" section. And thanks for checking in.

http://viviandesigns.com/portfolio.htm

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Song of the Day: "Oh Lately It's So Quiet" by OK Go

Warmest Wishes!

I am heading off to the San Diego area to be with my family this weekend & will resume my blog antics after Christmas.
Sorry to those whom I missed speaking with this holiday season...hope to touch base with you soon...

Peace and happiness to all!
Viv

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Song of the Day: "Song For a Winter's Night" – Sarah McLachlan

Back to the Drawing Board

I need to get back into the habit of regularly attending drawing workshops! This became painfully evident when I went to The Drawing Club workshop a few weeks ago...and found that my drawing-from-observation skills had regressed to the verge of oblivion. OK, so perhaps I was fine with some of my drawings (after some warming up), but it's amazing what a 4-year drought can do.

The Drawing Club is hosted by Mr. Bob Kato – a wonderful & prolific artist whom I also had as an instructor back at Art Center. The atmosphere is very cool, very laid-back. At $20 a session, you have: a great model (usually in a themed costume/setting), various dynamic poses, refreshments, and the presence of other talented individuals looking to hone/improve upon their skills. Thursday night sessions are typically from 7-10pm; there is usually a monthly Sunday session (long pose) from 10am-1pm.

Posted above are some of the sketches I did when I finally got around to attending. John Findlater – who posed as the "Football Fan" – was excellent. I wish I could've done more justice to him, but ah well...hopefully, this is a start of better things to come :)

For more information on The Drawing Club, please visit: www.thedrawingclub.com

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Word of the Day: feckless
Song of the Day: "The W.A.N.D." by The Flaming Lips

Insomnia Sucks

Enough said :P

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Song of the Day: "I'm Looking Through You" – The Beatles

Serenity...please.

Sorry to rant...but yeah, this is how I feel at times.

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Track of the Day: "The Diver" by Thomas Newman
(How to Make an American Quilt film score)