Illustration Friday: Peace

Here's something I drew for the 50th birthday celebration for the United Nations. It was held in San Francisco, the organization's birthplace. This poster was displayed for a three month period in San Francisco subway trains.

Happy holidays everyone! This Sunday, I'm off for a little vacation to my home state of Florida. I'll see you all after the beginning of the new year! 2007! :)

Illustration Friday: Help

Here's my painting for this week's word "help". I painted a vacationing fat cat from the view of a panhandler. I tried to play around with foreshortening a bit with the hand extending from the tourist's body to the tin cup with the cityscape in the background. To add a little intrigue, I show the back of the sign so that the viewer can use his/her imagination as to what it says.

SFG: Pirate

"Hey, you looking at me Kid."
Here's a SFG sketch with parchment paper digitally added to match the look of an old pirates map. Check out the age spots, smudges, ink drops and coffee cup stains. These were done with some Photoshop brushes that I downloaded from the web.

Sketchbook: Laughing Man

I've been enjoying MTV's "Rob and Big" lately and have been admiring Rob's artwork in his home. It's inspired me to draw this. I wanted to play up a sketch that I drew in my sketchbook and combine it with digital coloring to match the same energy. Here's a good hearty laugh to compensate for the sad one I drew earlier. :)

Illustration Friday: Might

Everyone knows the feeling. I bought a deck of cards this weekend that had miniature post-impressionist paintings printed onto them. They inspired me to create this painting with my style of drawing. It just makes the good times seem all that much better.

Have a good week everyone.

SFG: Kid with Batgirl Hat

Here's a quick sketch of a little girl with a Bat Girl hat. I submitted it to my blog artist group www.sugarfrostedgoodness.com when they asked for Batman sketches. If you haven't been there yet, check it out. It will truly inspire you.

Illustration Friday: Invention & Prepare

Sitting at a Starbucks, wondering what next to draw; my daughter and I observed all the "caffeined-out" students studying hard as usual. Each of them give us so much inspiration! Afterwards, we walked around town to a nearby novelty shop. My daughter put on a pair of funny looking x-ray vision glasses. We chuckled a bit and then, I said -- "Wow! Wouldn't it be great if we could invent a pair of glasses that could instantly download information from a printed book and into your head through osmosis?" That would be great, but, it could cut down on the Starbucks sales as the students get more sleep.

This drawing is dedicated to all you hardworking students soon studying for your finals this semester. Knowledge goes a long way in this high-tech world. Keep up the good work and best of luck to all of you.

Sketchbook: Man Fairy

Here's another fantasy drawing from my sketchbook. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sketchbook Entry: Clown

Here's a sketch with a little bit of Photoshop touch-up. I want to experiment a bit creating images not so predictable. After watercoloring the sketch in my sketchbook, I scanned it and imported it into Photoshop. Later, I used the "posterize" filter, then saturized the colors using "image adjustment". It looks a lot different then what I started out with. Thanks again for visiting.

Sketchbook: Bar Scene

A little experimenting in my sketchbook using mixed media.

I've been doing a lot of sketching lately because I'm so excited that Moleskine has come out with a new format for their sketchbooks. Their paper has been pretty descent but in formats too small for me to sketch in (3.5x5 and 5x8). Now they sell a 7.5" x 10" sketchbook that comes in packs of three, so they're not as thick as the recent books and just the right size to carry around. Cool.

Well, take care and keep on sketching! Anyone else have their favorite sketchbooks? Tell me in your comment. Thanks and come again soon.

Illustration Friday: Mask

Here's my submission for this week's word "mask". I designed it for a card shop who seeked drawings along the "fantasy" theme. Hi ho silver! Away!

Illustration Friday: Clear

I often look at my dog and wonder if we could talk to each other. Human talk I mean. Sheesh, if only things could be so simple! Just think if we just could sign a contract and make it all "clear". Have a good week everyone.

Illustration Friday: Smoke 2

This is my second post to this topic. It's been one of those days where I just had to post another IF sketch. Good therapy, you know? Here's a sketch straight out of my sketchbook with not a whole lot of planning. I just drew what came to mind. I hope you like it.

Illustration Friday: Smoke

This week I was lucky. I was able to dig into my archives and find something I did a couple of years ago for this week's topic "smoke". It was drawn for a client who wanted her husband to stop smoking. So, she called on me to draw a caricature of him in a red baseball cap and in front of his favorite hobby: the computer. She asked him to have a cigarette as usual. Great! Ifinished it and heard a little after giving she gave it to him, he had a good laugh and did quit smoking. This might all goes to prove: the pen is mighter then the nagging!

See you next week.

Illustration Friday: Wind

Here's my submission for this week's word: "wind". It's the first thing that came to my mind so I just went with it. It was important to me that each character would play their part in the unraveling of this scenario. The challenge was to make Mr. Jones look like he just passed "wind" without actually saying it. The green "gassy" haze seems to do the trick rising up from Mr. Jones' backside. He (Mr. Jones) appears to have no regrets what-so-ever...and looks even proud of himself after the fine meal; as he picks his teeth with a toothpick.

Have a good week everyone!

Black and Orange, A Creative Halloween Contest

This is my submission to a Halloween contest put on by Penelope Dullaghan of illustrationfriday.com. The only requirement is to use "orange and black" as the main colors. Here's the link if anyone is interested in participating: Black and Orange, A Creative Halloween Contest. There's a lot of good artwork and some neat prizes to win as well. Good luck and "may the force be with you". :)

Salon Sketchbook: San Francisco Bay

Here's another sketch I drew with the GAG Saturday Salon. This time it's a view from the other side of the Ferry building overlooking the bay. No, that's not the Golden Gate Bridge, it's the Bay Bridge which currently is under construction for a brand new one. An "earthquake proofed" one. You can't see the construction because they started at each end -- the Oakland side and the San Francisco side which are miles away. This is the middle: they just haven't gotten here yet.

BTW, it's a got a great view from there towards the San Francisco skyline. It catches a panoramic view of San Francisco that you can't get anywhere else. You've probubly seen it on television or movies.

Check out all the boats on the bay at one time. The wind gusts are supposed to be great for sailboats. That's probubly why a lot of sailboat fanatics live in the Bay Area!

-The Graphic Artists Guild Saturday Afternoon Drawing Salon

Illustration Friday: Ghost

I attended a play this weekend which used shadows to symbolize how an actor felt without actually saying it. It worked out pretty well. So, it inspired me enough to use it for my this week's theme: "ghost" . Submitting an image having something to do with the upcoming Halloween theme would have been great, but I couldn't get this image out of my head.

One challenge was trying to make the couple look like they were in different rooms. My uncolored sketch didn't make it too apparent until I started painting it. I realized I could change their room colors to give the illusion of being in different places. Later, I added the heart shape just in order to finish off the composition. It tied everything together and gave a backdrop so I could tone the opacity down of the "cyber couple". If I had to give this piece a title, it would be "cyber-ghosts".

Happy week everyone. :)

Salon Sketchbook: Tower at San Francisco Ferry Building

Yesterday, I participated in The GAG Drawing Salon. Here's a painting of the ferry building tower which I enhanced with PhotoShop. It's appropriate because this week is the 17th anniversary since the big San Francisco Bay Area earthquake. The flag pole that you see at the top of the tower was shaken crooked and in disrepair. Not to worry. Almost immediately, it was straightened and repaired giving everyone a symbolic sign that everything was going back to normal. Whew! How time flies.

For those of you interested, here's the group which I participate: The Graphic Artists Guild Saturday Afternoon Drawing Salon. A special thanks to Teresa who has been organizing the salon for the past two years.

Illustration Friday: Smitten

Here's my sketch for this week's word: "smitten". I don't use it in my everyday language so I had to look it up on www.dictionary.com to get the definition. Hope it works. I had no idea of drawing it in this red monocolor but when it came the time to paint it, thought color might be appropriate for the topic. Have a good week everyone!

Illustration Friday: Trouble

Hey there! I am so jazzed. I was able to use the sketch I drew high on a San Francisco hill from a previous posting. Cool. Click here to see my blog posting that I'm talking about. See what I mean? Another reason that keeping a sketchbook is good. I didn't know "when" I'd use that image again, but I knew one day I would! It so happened that this week's image for IF could use it. By the magic of Photoshop and a little bit of ingenuity, I used it! Happy sketching everyone! :)

Sketchbook: San Francisco Rooftops

Here's a quick sketch I drew sitting from a set of concrete steps overlooking the San Francisco skyline. It's good practice hoping one day to use them in my illustrations.

Illustration Friday: Quiet

Lately, for my current artwork, one goal is to create entire scenes instead of spot illustrations with no backgrounds. Here is my latest attempt with emphasis on the little boy and his dog in the foreground. I tried to add more color to them and less to the woman and elements in the background. After painting everything in watercolor, I scanned the painting into my computer. Then, I added noise and a gussian blur though Photoshop. I had to crop a lot of the painting out because the room just got too busy. It was difficult to see the humor of the little boy's mischief in a room too big in scale. Enjoy.

Have a good week everyone.

Illustration Friday: Phobia

My drawings have grown too predictable lately. I wanted to experiment this time by getting back that spontaneity that my artwork has been lacking. I was inspired by vegetarians and what they must be thinking when they see carnivores gorging down a slab of meat.

I painted it in color but it turned out way too gory then expected. The meat just turned out a beat red and it wasn't funny anymore, just gross! So I desaturized the color a tad in Photoshop and got the effect and humor I was looking for. Enjoy. Doesn't it just want you to go out and slam down a big juicy 10-ounce? Yummy. Mmmm Mmmm Good!

San Francisco Sketch Crawl XI: Sausalito

What do you get when you have 85 sketchers get together for the day? Sketchcrawl XI. This one broke records! Fellow artist Don Kipatrick III and I met the other crawlers in the town of Sausalito. We didn't take the ferry because we each live across the bay. The weather was perfect with plenty to draw.

Here's my painting of "Hotel Sausalito" on the corner of Bridgeway Road and El Portal Ave. I sat on concrete steps accross the street from the hotel as every once in a while, a bus would stop in front of me. Tourists and bus patrons would stop and observe what I was painting. They blocked my view on occasion and I had to stop. Eventually, they would hop on their bus or be on their way. The talent of the artists that day was so incredible! Proud to be part of this sketching group, here's what we sketched for the day: Click here for the San Francisco Sketch Crawl XI.

A great day had by all.

Illustration Friday: Change 2

I've already submitted something for "change" this week but I also sketched this and thought of submitting it. This is how I feel sometimes when I paint. If everything just isn't going just right for me one day, I sketch my heart out and I feel great again. Isn't that what art is all about or what it's supposed to do? To all my peeps, thanks for clicking on my blog again. See you next week!

Sketch: Bldg on Main Street in Walnut Creek

Waiting for the annual "Walnut Festival Parade" down Main Street (in Walnut Creek, CA), I drew this popular building in my sketchbook. I'm getting ready for the Sketchcrawl next week where a group of artists get together and sketch plein-air. We meet every 3 months. I'm out of practice because I don't draw outdoors too often. I've learned it teaches me to observe better, therefore better art! I like the end result because what I learn I take onto the next outdoor drawing.

Illustration Friday: Change

Okay all you fellow hard working artists: it's time we pushed yourselves from that computer screen or easel and get to the local gym! I know because I'm one included! If not to the gym, how about a stroll on the beach to enjoy the healthy sun. This painting is dedicated to all us big guys/gals who need a little bit of motivation. Let's help this "little guy" inside of all of us just busting to get out. Seriously though, this is how I feel on my 30 minute treadmill every weekday (except Friday). I hope it's working. Have a good workout from me! :).

Illustration Friday: Farm

Here's my take on this week's word "Farm". I tried to think up as many farm animals possible but there were just too many letters and words, so I had to use an ear of corn and a mouse to join the chorus. Oh well, the more the merrier! Have a happy Friday everyone.

Illustration Friday: Safe

Here's my submission for this week's IF word: Safe. The image is motivated from those magazine ads where some unfortunate person is saying he/she has his life insurance policy paid up just before some freak accident is about to happen. Feel free to give me a better caption if you can think of one. Thanks.

Illustration Friday: Match

Wierd. When I went to edit my post in "blogger.com", I accidently hit "save draft" and everything disappeared and I couldn't retrieve it. Does anyone in cyberspace-land know how to get my post back after "saving it as a draft" in blogger? Much appreciated. (Anyways, I will retype and repost what I had earlier. Here's goes.)

This week's IF word was "match". It took a bunch of research on the web to get it all together. First, I had to research how a "sumo" wrestler looked. I found it intriguing to see how they start a match putting their 600 pounds on their tiny tippy toes like a ballerinas. Next, I had to see how their little loin clothes worked front to back. I found out they were like huge g-strings for the plus size. That was one thing I had to get in the final painting (and I did. lol.) Finally, their hairdoos. Thinking back to the latest "Star Wars" movies with Natalie Portman, I liked that so I used her 'doo. What would an illustrator do without the internet?

Illustration Friday: Match

The word "match" was a tough one for me. First of all, I had to do a bunch of research on the web to see how "sumo" wrestlers looked. I was intrigued by one photo that showed them on their little tippy toes like ballerinas. Can you imagine, 500 pounds of weight on their teeny tiny toes? Next, how do their loin cloths look? I found out they looked like huge g-strings. (I had to get a shot of that in the final painting. lol.) Finally, the hair. I researched Natalie Portman's hair from the newer "Star Wars" movies. Sheesh, the miracle of the internet. What would an illustrator do without it?

Illustration Friday: Fun 2

Yippeee! I guess it's better late then never. I couldn't work much on this illustration last week, because I was super busy working on a huge deadline. Well, the deadline was completed and now I have time to paint. Fall begins on the August 21st and I wanted to say goodbye to summer. This year in Northern California was a scorcher!!! It broke all kinds of records! It inspired me to produce this watercolor painting. The beach scene was composited from photos I found from the web. Does anyone recognize the beach? Enjoy.

Illustration Friday: Fun

Hey, I've been super duper busy at the office these days but I can't let up on my commitment to Illustration Friday - so here's my submission for this week's word "Fun". It's an illustration I did a few years back but I think it fits the topic alright. What could be more fun then a clown on a unicycle? Have a good week and thanks again for coming.

Illustration Friday: Capture

"Captured" moment at three in the morning. Hope that piece of cake is worth every bit of happiness. Oh well, tomorrow's another day, so live it up for now.

Illustration Friday: Clean

Hey, has this ever happened to anyone out there? It did to me once. I always go to one of those chain haircutters. I went to one real late one afternoon as it was real close to closing time. I got a hairstylist who never cut my hair before so she looked at her computer to see what I usually got it cut. It told her that I always got a number 2 clipper. Yes, it did, but it didn't mean all around my head -- which she did! I was furious! Now I can use the emotion of how I felt for this illustration.

I guess it's not a total loss, at least I got a good illustration out of the whole experience. lol. :)

Illustration Friday: Opposites

This is what I painted for this week's IL word: "opposites". I painted a vacationing fat cat from the view of a panhandler. I tried to play around with foreshortening a bit with the hand extending from the tourist's body to the tin cup with the cityscape in the background. To add a little intrigue, I show the back of the sign so that the viewer can use his/her imagination as to what it says.

Illustration Friday: Sacrifice

Here's my take on this week's word: Sacrafice. For those of you that aren't up so much on baseball or softball lingo: it's a strategic move by one player that advances another player to the next base while the he (the first player) is "sacrificed" for an out. I hope that clears it up. Go team!

Illustration Friday: Sticky

Coming up with an image for this word was tough. I wanted something different and then this image just popped up. The sushi and chop sticks were hard to draw believable, so I cut and pasted them from the web. Hey, they turned out pretty nice with the rest of the hand drawn stuff. Yummie...Dinner time.

Sketch Crawl X: San Francisco Landmarks

To start the four day Independence Day weekend, I joined a sketching group called Sketch Crawl. These folks meet every other month and sketch all over town. It's international. Click the link to see if there's a group that meets in your area. Here's some watercolor paintings that I came home with:


High on top a hill overlooking the great San Francisco skyline is the Grace Cathedral. The walk to this building is half the fun because in order to get there if you're on foot, you must go up sidewalks so steep that you need handrails. What a workout! Although, when you get to the top, the view is spectular. I tried to start with the basic geometry of the building and get the details as the painting progressed. I ran out of time but got just enough detail of the round stained glass window to move on to the next sketch. Afterwards, I noticed that the sketchy feel of the parts unfinished and without much detail added more to the middle portion of the church.


I painted this from a plaza overlooking Chinatown's "Empress of China Restuarant". I've attended many weddings at this place and everytime I went would say to myself "I've got to paint this one day". Today I did.

Illustration Friday: Rain

Northern California experienced record breaking rains this year. I tried to remember that as I painted this piece. I wanted to make everything look as green as possible. The hint of golden sunlight breaks through the sky as this happy couple doesn't let the weather distract them from each other's attraction.

Tickled Pink: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer / Illustration Friday: Run

Here's two drawings I just completed for a friend's participation in the "Avon Walk for Breast Cancer". My friend was looking for t-shirts and baseball cap images using her theme called "Tickled Pink". It represented their walking/running team.

Luckily, they're also good images for this week's Illustration Friday word: "run".

Sketchbook Page: Victorian Building

I want to sketch more architecture. Here's one that I drew from a photograph.

San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts

Looking down from a tall hill and onto the San Francisco skyline, I sketched this drawing of the Palace of Fine Arts. I'm sketching with a group that meets once a month. Today we met at the "new" Letterman Digital Arts Center. George Lucas and other media businesses built their offices on an abandoned San Francisco Army base called the Presidio. It was a spectacular day with well designed landscaping surrounding grand buildings. The sketching group has grown to be a lot of fun. By the end of the day, I go away with some nice drawings and meet some interesting artists as well. For those of you interested, here's a plug for the group that I meet these terrific people: The Graphic Artists Guild Saturday Afternoon Drawing Salon.

Illustration Friday: Jungle

I began to draw Tarzan swinging vine to vine but as I was drawing it, I realized it's something we've all seen before. So, for a twist, I tried to show him in a paprozzi photograph of him hanging on for dear life. I zoomed into his facial features and included a band of animals equally as scared. We'll probubly never view Tarzan the same way again!

Illustration Friday: Dance

A little drawing from my sketch journal. I was inspired by a popular dance show that's currently showing on tv. I wanted to animate the dancer's moves as he rotated from one side to the other.

Illustration Friday: Portrait

Initially, I Googled "uniform with medals" for images having to do with this week's word. I decided on this Canadian Mounties' uniform because it was the most colorful and what I considered the best design.

Illustration Friday: Cake

Here's a quick sketch I drew for "cake". I will always have the fond memories of all my birthday cakes as a kid. Thanks for all the great memories Mom!