I.F. Red

I cannot stress enough, how fulfilling it is to be able to work on my sketchbook again…

This page, although not by design, is a culmination of the last couple of weeks. I see glimmers of my brief time in New York city, being at the Metropolitan Museum, and recent conversations with Yvonne.

On a side note, I am currently working on my website dexmission.com. I’m kinda bit rusty with the HTML and the Flash but it’s all trickling in drop by drop. The site should be up on happy hearts day :)

Some Portraits

I’ve received a couple of questions on how I go about working on my illustrations so I decided to write a brief summery on the topic. Please note that there are many professionals that work in a similar fashion, and there are also many others that work completely different. There is no right or wrong, just personal preferences.


Although each project runs the gamut, the constant factor lies within traditional core foundations. Everything I create begins its life either as a drawing, a painting or both. This then becomes the groundwork for the computer.

On that note, I must insist to point out that there is a certain amount of care involved when working with a computer. There is a fine line that is easily crossed where the computer can become more than a tool, and consume the sincerity and integrity of the work. Many beginners tend to make this mistake, using filters and canned effects to facilitate their needs. Avoid this as much as possible. Also, I highly recommend using a Wacom tablet. If you have the means, an Intuos 3 is an amazing tool; but the Graphire is also a good choice if you want to be more economical. I use a Graphire… (ehh..for now :))

Each one of these portraits were done under 24-hour period. I was given the assignment at 9 a.m. and had until 6 p.m. to finish and upload via FTP to the printer’s server. It was a little nerve racking but it was a good challenge.


Rendering the drawing well is important because it sets the values throughout the process. This allows me to concentrate more on color because the drawing if done correctly keeps the values honest.

The image is scanned and colored in Photoshop. I use stock brushes with the opacity set to 10-50 percent depending on how solid I want the color to be applied. I build up the color slowly but surely, getting more and more opaque as I work until it evolves to my liking (this is very similar to traditional oil painting). I then finish it off Mr. Mike Wallace by tracing specific outlines using a vector program like Illustrator to get the crisp and clean edges.

This is Dan Rather

And this one is Danny Goldberg

Holidays

I got to visit and spend time with my family these past holidays. I witnessed a wedding, got jumped by a bunch of 9 year olds, got some stuff published in Look-look Magazine, ate tons of Pilipino food, sang karaoke for the first time (Freddie Mercury’s "Bohemian Rhapsody" if you have to know…), learned a new magic trick and took a mini-trip to NY city with Yvonne.

I was the designated photographer for my aunt and uncle's wedding. I shot with a 28-200 mm, Nikon D200 with an SB-800.

My family consists of 90% girls. WTF? :)

Yvonne and her new toy. She volunteered to film the event. It was really great of her. She took about 8 hours of footage. Do you know...what it's like...editing 8 hours...of footage?

It’s a Philippine tradition to stab paper money to the bride and groom as they dance. I didn’t know this. But I didn't have any cash so I contemplated pinning my credit card on them, but my aunt beat me to it.

Check out my feet:) I was in such a rush I forgot my shoes in the hotel room. I think that was the Asian island boy in me trying to come out. Hey, I gotta have my chankletas. And umm..that's not really my head...

My family and friends...

Metamorphosis

I woke up to this. She’s newly hatched, fresh and new. I was lucky enough to capture some footage.

I haven’t posted in a while. I blame occupational hazards. Anyways, that should change from now on.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Have fun and stay safe :)

Sorry for the lack of updates. I’ve been flooded with things as of late, but I promise to make up for it soon. I should have some sketchbook pages scanned in the next couple of days, along with other illustrations and art.

Movie stills

These are stills from a 3-minute film Yvonne created for school. It was a little weird being filmed as I painted, especially since I have not truly painted in so long (some watercolors here and there). But it was definitely great to get back on the horse. Oh, how I really missed the smell of oils…

I am usually a studio painter, but because of the time restraint, I painted this Ala-Prima (wet paint into went paint). As the pictures suggests, I am a pretty messy painter. I’ve been known to use my forearm as my palette and sometimes chew on my brushes.

I.F. Quiet

I’ve been occupied as of late. It’s nice not to think so much and just draw. This is something I did today. I went to the art store and talked to some old friends, and got to play with some new stuff they had. Plus I should have a photo shoot tonight, so it should be a productive day.

Some Drawings...

I went up to Orlando a couple of days ago and surprised my little sister for her birthday. It was really a great time and I was able to sit down after the party and draw a little.
With all this hoopla on stingrays, it managed to leak into my book. I use to see them all the time hiding in the sand during my many visits to the Keys. It’s a real wonder that I’ve never stepped on one.

There’s a phobia in here…somewhere.

The girl with the white hair is my sister… No she doesn’t have white hair. I just carry whiteout with me everywhere I go.

HA! The only time anyone actually stays still for me is when they're asleep... This is my cousin and her boyfriend asleep on the couch.

Old Sketchbook

About 7 months ago I started to draw again.

These are pages from my first sketchbook after a year and a half hiatus from drawing and painting. My lines were somewhat clumsy because of this absence, but I am as much attached to these drawings as I am with anything else I have ever done. Rilke once wrote, “A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity”. Although my ego does not carry me far enough to claim this is good art; its creation was without a doubt the essence of inevitability. This book is a Japanese style bound Moleskin that Yvonne and I share. Within it are stories and images about our lives intertwined.

// My sincere apologies to the "medicine man” for my inability to adhere to his advice. I enjoy my walks in the rain too much to surrender it for any extended period of time :) //