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.