Desire To Achieve...

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."


This piece wasn't an original idea. I was just really eager to try it out. I have seen pictures EVERYWHERE of people doing this. So I wanted to go ahead and give it a shot. I love color and simplicity. So this project was really fun to mess with. I want to take the idea of doing this and turn into something original. Using this as inspiration got me in my crazy brainstorming mode. I'm so anxious to start new projects. I already started!! I am officially now in my crayon phase. Hahaha. Can't wait to show you all everything I'm going to be doing. I'll probably post another piece by the end of the week. :)


All it took was a 64 pack of crayola crayons, some glue, a canvas, and a blow dryer. You glue the crayons down and blow dry over it until it starts melting. You just lean the canvas upright so the colors can drip down the canvas on its own. I went over the crayon a couple times to get a the look that I wanted. But it only took like twenty minutes. I am so happy for how it turned out.

I like how it looks upside down better. I just think it gives it a little different kind of feel when looking at the piece. Hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think. I really want to hear critiques, ideas, and whether you like it or dislike. Art is subjective...so I promise not to get offended by your opinion.

Cheap Yet Priceless...

"Others have seen what is...and asked why. I have seen what could be...and asked why not." -Pablo Picasso

It was coming to the end of my third year in high school and the one thing that was on my mind was Student Government elections. Everyone running needed a game plan. A game plan that included being smart, funny, and the ability to think of what snack/candy you would buy to bribe the student body. Hahaha. 

The tricky part in actually making your game plan successful was that you weren't allowed to spend over 20 dollars for your campaign. So I reviewed my checklist of things to get. Posters...check. Markers...check. Assorted flavors Tootie Frooties...check. The morning came when everyone running for Student Government was restless to get to school so that we can hang our posters in thee best spots so everyone can see. My "U Gotta Vote For Uata" posters were ready to go!!

After hanging my posters...I walked around the school to check out all the other posters. And all I could remember was seeing big posters with three letters that instantly grabbed EVERY person's attention. The three letters that spelled out the name "AYA" out of paint pallets! The first word that came to my mind...BRILLIANT. Paint pallets are FREE!! So of course that is what allowed Aya Watanabe to still afford popcorn...America's favorite munching food! Snaps for her! How could you not vote for her?!

That simple idea has always been stuck in my head for a long time. Why not make a complete picture out of paint pallets?? Its free. There are so many color options. You can literally make ANYTHING. Possibilities were endless. So that is what led me to create this...

Aya's campaign was really cheap and affordable...but the response she got was priceless. So here's my little take of how free little paint pallets from Walmart can turn into something magnificent!! All I had to do was buy a white foam board, and some glue sticks. Total Cost: 3.00$$ :)

Remaining An Artist...

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once the child grows up." -Pablo Picasso

My childhood artistic problem: Not being able to draw hands. I have no idea why, but I just felt like I was cursed. They were never good enough.

So I practiced. I would grab random scratch papers and just start drawing my hands. Although I still feel uncomfortable drawing hands, I think I've definitely improved because I was determined enough not to believe that I couldn't.

This was just a doodle I did with sharpies (yellow, orange, red, and purple). I just wanted to see if I could still semi-draw a good decent looking hand even if I haven't for a long time.

But I think I did what I needed to remain an artist even after growing up. The answer: Practice! 

Makes Me Wonder...

"I wanna make a jigsaw puzzle that's 40,000 pieces. And when you finish it, it says 'GO OUTSIDE'."
This quote just makes me laugh. Once I start a project and I am in what I call "The Creative Zone," no one can stop me from doing what I need to do. I can spend hours, and even days, just getting something I see in my head onto paper. Just spending that much time on something, it just makes me wonder...how many people say that about me when I'm working?? But then...when I finally finish, people finally understand why I spend all that time. Because they finally get to see what creative mess was floating around in my head that kept me awake at night, or what kept me quiet for so long so I can focus. But as long as I can get people to see what I see...it makes all the time I spend on my artwork worth it in the end. So...note to whoever sees me working on my stuff...I'll go outside...AFTER I'm done and ready.

One Lil Girl's Craziness...

"One man's craziness is another person's reality."  -Tim Burton


So I have a journal that I draw and doodle in every now and then. One day I was helping my sister Nia by watching my nieces Elina and Talanoa. While I was watching Talanoa, I had forgotten that I left my journal out and look over to see Elina dragging a pen across one of the pages. I was going to B-Flip!! I grabbed her and saw all the scribbles she made and tried to see if I could do something to get rid of them. But then I figured, its already ruined, why stop her? So she kept drawing.


Later that day I looked at the same little scribble marks and decided to make something out of it. I think Elina and I did pretty good considering that she didn't know what she was doing. Hahaha. But what I did was watercolor yellow over the page. Then I thickened each scribble that was made with pen. I decided to do flowers because that is what I saw when I looked at the scribbles again. An extra line here, a little watercolor there, and me and Elina had made our first picture together. Aren't you just so proud of her?! I know I am!! Uncle loves you babygirl. :)

A Beautified Mess by Elina Samani and Me

Just Like Budduh...

"Art is the bread. Your perspective is the butter."  -Idk my BFF Jill??

So here it is folks. My first painting that I'm posting on this blog. This is the butter to the bread. My perspective on how I view things. If theres one thing you need to know about my aesthetic, its that I LOVE to mess around with different designs and textures. So I wanted to play on that...and BOOM...I ended up creating this. I've done sketches with a palm tree before...but never to this extent. So tell me what you think about it. I started this furrevvers ago and just never really found the motivation to finish it. So this is a huge step to actually call it complete and share it with you.



brainstorming
"BS" (hehehe)



The Bread and Butter

brainstorming
"BS part dos"

I used only spray paint and pen to make this. The spray paint colors I used were Red, Yellow, and Blue. Then I did the rest with ink. I changed the design for each different element to the painting. Stripes run throughout the entire image...but the palm tree, sunset, sand, and water each have different designs to make each stand out individually but come together collectively.

I'm not going to sell this one...just want to show you guys the kind of work you will probably be seeing a lot of through this blog. So let me know what you think. Love it...Hate it...Like it...Dislike it...it doesn't matter. Just let me know. :D

Sincerely,

the guy who doesn't want to end up like Van Gogh.

That Darn Pebble...

"Often it isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, its the little pebble in your shoe." -Muhammad Ali

The mountain: To be a successful artist.

The pebble: Nerves.

I'm not scared to share my artwork with people. I'm scared to share my artwork with people and have it be rejected. I don't want to be a Vincent Van Gogh...paint...not sell a painting...have people tell you your paintings suck...die...then have my paintings sell for millions. Not exactly how I want my art career to go. So what do I have that he didn't have?

The Answer: Blogspot, Facebook, and Twitter.

This is me taking initiative and actually trying to take that first step without that little pebble in my shoe. I need to know that as an artist people are going to have their opinions. And I have to learn how to take those opinions about my work, and make it constructive. I'm going to share my artwork with you. I want to branch out and show people what I can do. So through this blog, I will try to post some things that I am working on. I'll try to show you my crazy brainstorming process and then the finished masterpiece. So wish me luck:)

Sincerely,

   The kid going out on a limb trying to make a living doing something he's passionate about.