This portrait was based on a photo I took of Gems in Cucina Rusticana. It was afternoon and there was a thin sliver of sunlight that lighted the room. It fell on her face as she talked. When she was worrying about how things were. I took a pic and captured that moment. I never thought I’d be using it as basis for this...
It all started when my brother asked me to do a portrait of his friend. He didn’t want a digital one. He wanted something tangible. A ‘real’ artwork. That’s what pushed me to pick up the brush and do watercolor portraits. I can’t get these thoughts out of my mind. It’s like I’m gripped with a fever and I’m too...
This time I didn’t color over a dirty sketch. I actually ‘cleaned’ it up, closed the lines and tried to remember how I was taught to do the lines. This is the basic sketch. This is the “cleaned up” dirty sketch. I’m still experimenting on coloring. However I did like how this turned out. I will try to document how I did...
“Practise, practise, practise! ” As sensei Gilbert would say. Caricaturization is more than just an exaggeration of features – I believe it is an art form. It is something I never took seriously before, but now I can see its potential, after seeing how technology has taken it into another level. For me, one of the...
My cat has the habit of sitting next to me as I work. It is very distracting. I wouldn’t budge. She would squirm and squeeze herself into place until she falls asleep. When I’d get up to take a break, she’d follow me out of the room and into the kitchen. Once she’s distracted, I’d go back to my room and work in peace. But...
Still a draft sketch. Still thinking – should I color it or not. No time to finish it though. Just leaving it for the mean time so that I can come back to it later. Like..much much much later. Some people think caricatures are easy. Nope. They’re not. Just because you know how to draw doesn’t mean you can exaggerate...
Have you ever tried using a dip pen nib on a fountain pen? Don’t you wish you could have an endless supply of ink without having to dip? You might say, “Well that’s why fountain pens were created”. Yes, but it doesn’t have the flex and expressiveness of a dip pen nib. In order to have that kind of pen, you have to spend...
Even if it is a sketch, a doodle or a simple line drawing – my heart stops and sings. It is a melody filled with lines, curves and color. I love it. I really do. I have always loved sketching, cartooning… mainly doodling. Time stops for me each time I do it. I just never believed myself good enough to make anything out...
I tried using the wire coil reservoir on the Hunt 101 nib. I was as frustrated as anything because I couldn’t get the coil to stay put. The Hunt nib flexes so much that the nib would always get displaced. Then a thought struct me – why not put it under the nib and let it simulate what feeds do for fountain pens. And...
When I get stressed with work, one of the things I do is watch TV shows as a way of winding down before sleeping. I shouldn’t have done that – not with Game of Thrones. Not only did I have Jeoffrey’s purple face in my head, I had this image of Tyrion holding the cup and being blamed for the King’s death. I love...
I never thought that doodling had its advantages until now. My friend Mars introduced me to the world of zentangles a few weeks back. Watching her draw was hypnotic. It wasn’t until I did my first serious doodle that I actually caught the bug. It was a wonderful way to take a break and collect one’s thoughts. One...
I am impatient. It shows in everything I do. Which is why it takes a lot for me to be patient when doing something – anything. From cooking to coding. I have to find something to distract me while I wait. That’s when I browse, do something else or in this case, practise getting used to my pens. I used the 6mm pen for...
I really think I’ve forgotten how to write. I’ve spent so much time working in front of the computer that my hand freezes and aches when I start writing. Hand cramps, is there such a thing? I haven’t even started writing journal entries yet. Yes it is horrible. The letters are uneven and so is the pressure. How has it...
Pat was one of the artists I worked with under Animasia, an animation house back in the 90s. He was among the second batch of animators from Philippine Women’s University that was trained and hired. He owned a beetle [the old Volkswagen] back then. He’s the kind of artist that always brought sunshine into group whatever...
