I.F. Afterwards

These are a few things I took with me, after all that I have left behind.

More Sketchbooks, Illustrations and Art stuff to come!

This whirlwind is starting to settle down. The last couple of years has been full of lessons. Most of which I will take with me. Some lessons, I am sensing will be trouble. But for now, they are wrong lessons at the right time. They will exist within me, until it is time to undo them.

Anyways, back to drawing and making curious little things... Here's a preview.

Theming Blogger

Never really tried theming this thing before. It's kind off a pain in the ass for some sections but not bad overall. I'll spend actual quality time looking into this later...

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 :) //

Uri Geller is a funny guy...

It seems there is a video of me in youtube. It was taken by friends of mine about a year ago during one of my visits. I'm the person with the coin :)

I.F. Match

My 8-year-old sister comes home one day after school and walks up to me and says “Jo-jo came to school with his eyes all bloodshot”.

Surprised, thinking the most horrible things, I replied “Oh no, what happened to him?”

“Well yesterday, he was alone in his room and thought that he could turn Super Saiyan. So he tried really, really hard to a point where he popped blood vessels in his eyes”. She replied with a smile.

Prior to this moment, I was unaware that one could possibly DIE from laughing so hard. But the gods have smiled upon me so I can live to tell the tale. This illustration is for that special kid (my hero for the week) who thought he could turn Super Saiyan. “A+” for effort!!!

Technical stuff:
I’ve always loved making shapes. I create them on my spare time and with the intention to provoke a mood. This shape, the giant mass of floating something is my depiction of tension and anxiety. It’s not anything directly representative… although I am sure if one looks hard enough, shapes become recognizable.

The illustration is about a fight or a match. It is about a little boy with superhero-like imagination, tossing away the gloves to confront the unexpected and overpowering unknown (I call it growing up, or Jee-pee for short). It’s a fight to the finish. Winner takes all, with a touch of “you’re gonna have to drag me to an office desk, kicking, biting and screaming” attitude. Call it my Peter Pan syndrome.

Oh yeah, and the fish. The fish is the sidekick. Because really…who wants to be a super hero without a sidekick? // note: I decided to take out the fish. Although I loved him so, he just wasn't working with the composition. Owell, I'm sure hell come up again somewhere. //

This is my entry for this week’s Illustration Friday

When I was small child living in Manila Philippines, my grandparents whom lived a very meager life worked the good part of the day. During this time, I was left alone to fend for myself, exploring freely my house and town. My grandmother to this day tells stories about how she would come home and find me sleeping in the most awkward, small and cramped spaces. My favorite place she said, were cabinet drawers.

I do recall slivers of those memories. I didn’t have any siblings, toys or many friends, so for fun...I locked myself in small, dark confined areas and imagined magical and fantastic things. I would play out stories in my head, wording out with conviction every moment. I did this...until I fell asleep. This is what I considered “play”.

I.F. "Capture", plus late entry for "Clean"

// This is my main Illustration Friday entry. I'll ellaborate more on it later. I'm sleepy...ZzzZzzzz //

Ok, I'm awake now....well, kinda. This illo is an amalgamation (big word..tee-hee) of thoughts and ideas that eventually grew more interesting partly due to my busted copy of Photoshop. When in doubt, improvise :)
Anyways, I was literally two seconds away from throwing my computer out the window and shooting it with flaming napalm arrows on its way down, when I decided it would be best to take a long walk outside and let things simmer for a bit. Two hours later, Yvonne found me. Or I found her…I haven’t quite figured that one out yet, and she like the very cool person that she is, sat me down and guided me through the painful process of “not giving up”. She stayed up late with me, woke up early and even made me breakfast. She gave the best suggestions and even did some of the crap clean-up work while I was taking a nap!!! I think… I owe her dinner or something…

So anyways, this is the outcome of my weekend.
Oh, Yvonne, if you are reading this, thank you again so MUCH :)


This is a late entry for last weeks I.F. word "Clean". I literally found it Thursday mid-day, so I didn't have much time. But I decided to post it up anyways for fun.

More sketchbook pages

I drew this during lunch the day before my birthday. I finished it off over a fish taco dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant and a coffee dessert at the bookstore afterwards. Watercolor, gouache and ballpoint…

I had a pet arowana when I was younger that I had to free because got too big for my tank. He or she was about 2 feet long. I still go by the lake where I released him/her. On my lucky days, I'll catch a glimpse of him/her swimming by under the shadows. I hid it in this page. Watercolor, gouache and ballpoint…

I got to see the sun come up...

Happy Birthday to me {:^)

I went to Key West and got to scuba dive as a suprise gift by Yvonne. I have done some snorkeling and free-diving in the past but never with full gear. Breathing was a little awkward, my body definitely freaked out as soon as I dove in, but I got use to it soon enough especially during my second dive. The visibility wasn’t great though (about 25-30 feet), it’s been raining pretty regularly down here but it was definitely fun.

Some pages

I will be posting more sketchbook stuff sometime soon. In the meantime, this is a sample of something I’ve been working on.

I have been fighting desperately with the whole process of creating comics. There are certain things I like about these two pages, but I feel like I am pulling punches overall. It is clear that certain influences have managed to seep through, which in many ways can be O.K. But I am unsure if enough of me has managed to come across. I have a certain affinity with confident and distinct lines; something I always try to do when I draw, but I feel like the excessiveness of the textures and colors pull me away from my initial goal. I get way too distracted sometimes when I work… But I am fairly new to the medium so I guess this is all trial and error. Sigh… Things will get better right? Err...right?

On a happier note, Yvonne and I got to see Cirque du Soleil. We sat about 3 feet from the stage. It was truly amazing. If you have the means, I highly recommend it. We were both smiling from ear to ear. It definitely fits in the “thing to do before dying” list....

Study Drawing

This is sketchbook study I did after seeing Gustav Klimt's “Study of The Head of a Blind Man”. It would be fun to reproduce the painting one day...