In which I go hiking

So my best friend decided it was a good idea to go hiking (to let me take a break from working on Anime Expo stuff), and so – off we went!  To Eaton Canyon!  (At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what its called…)

Anyways, when we got there, there was absolutely no parking!  It seems like everyone felt like taking a hike this morning, because there was even a school bus with a whole group of elementary school kids (the little rascals). 

Just so you know, my friend also has a miniature Australian shepherd named Sebastian, and he’s a very sweet (and hyper/energetic) dog.  As we passed by the little kids, one kid exclaimed, “Whoa!  I thought that was a BEAR!”  After trekking and climbing over random rocks, we managed to finally reach the end, where we were rewarded with a small waterfall.  (In case it wasn't obvious, I'm kidding about the size of the waterfall.)

"Hmm..bit smaller than I thought."

The hike back down was much faster (I imagine because we didn’t have to climb up as much), and on the way home, we came across a peacock!  I mean, peafowl.  It was casually strutting down the street, oblivious to the cars (or it knew we were, but didn’t care).

We got In-n-Out for lunch (which was delicious, btw) and ended it with some nice tea from Oh My Pan. 

What a productive morning xD

Ok, I have to go back to working on prints now!

Quick break

So while my brother's honeymooning in Europe, I'm staying over at his place to house/catsit.  This is my current situation.  His cat, Bebe, loooves attention, and if you're not paying attention to her, she'll constantly meow or claw at the carpet.  And since I have to get work done for Anime Expo, this was the best solution I could come up with.  Those bags under my eyes are from her waking me up at 6 am.  Don't get me wrong, I think she's a very adorable cat.  Just not at 6 am.

Back to arting!

Wedding is now over!

I just dropped off my brother and new sis-in-law at the airport for their honeymoon in Europe!  And my gosh, I hate driving around the LAX area -- wayyy too many cars for my liking.  I'll be house/cat-sitting for them while they're gone for 3 weeks, so hopefully these next few weeks are very productive for me.  I finally have time to sit down and take it easy a bit, with the wedding done and all (which, by the way, went very well).  As my sis-in-law was walking down the aisle, sunlight was filtering through the leaves (the ceremony was outside in a shaded area with a nice gazebo) and I immediately thought: !! Dappled lighting!    ..and remembered the last scene in Toy Story 3.  She was absolutely beautiful, and I'm pretty sure my brother was tearing up watching her.  =)  I don't think I'll ever forget that moment, the whole wedding day itself, or how much pain my feet were in from the heels. =D  Well, maybe the heels part.  But definitely won't forget the rest.  All in all, it was a wonderful night.

Since I have no scanner here, no traditional sketches for a while, so if I do manage to get out some digital stuff, I'll try to remember to post them.  Still trying to get used to blogging semi-consistently...  I plan on just working on stuff for Anime Expo though, since that's coming up next month.

Anyways, peace out. :D

In which there is a wedding

...and much planning and celebrating to do!

Well, that's what I've been up to lately.  My brother gets married this Saturday!  So the rest of today (and this week) I'll be making sure we have everything we need and finishing up little details here and there. No sketch or drawing this time (I doubt you want to see what I've been working on -- it's just a seating chart for the wedding).  I'm super excited for the weekend! ^___^

Once the wedding's over, it'll be time to prepare for Anime Expo, so I'll be drawing for that for a few weeks.  It's going to be busy next month o_o

Totoro, Totoro

I absolutely love Studio Ghibli films.  I remember watching Totoro as a kid and having absolutely no idea what was going on, but I remember wanting to ride in the Catbus because it looked so darn comfy.  I recently received The Art of Totoro as a birthday gift a few months ago, and it's such a beautiful book.  I love all the concept work done in watercolor, and it's really cool that the storyboards were done in watercolor too!  And of course, Oga Kazuo's background paintings are breathtaking.

Also, yes, I did draw that picture.  Totoro's quite happy with his umbrella, since it keeps his head dry (and the little soot sprite is happy too).

Goldfish!

Ugh, it's been a long time since I've blogged anything.  My apologies for that.

Anyways, a quick update on my life before I have to leave again.  Since my last post in February, I have left my workplace, and I just finished tutoring the other day, so...I'm currently unemployed.  I do keep myself busy, but I'm also looking at job postings online now.  I'm always open for commissions (especially since I have time for them now), so feel free to contact me! :)  In other news, I submitted my application to Animation Mentor!  I should hear back in 3 weeks or so, and I'm really praying for my acceptance.

 If you're wondering about the title of this post, well, it's my aunts' birthday party today, so I painted some quick goldfish for their birthday cards.  I'm so glad I practiced painting goldfish for my grandma's 91st birthday last year (because I just recently found out about this party, and it's kind of last minute)!  I'm still really new to Chinese painting, but it's something I plan to continue practicing because it's really fun :)  However, I really wish I had a paper cutter right now so I could trim some of the paper off (so it'd fit on the card).  I guess I'll do my best with scissors :D

Well, I have to go help prepare food for the party, so until next time! :)

Something I noticed...

Seems like 2 blogs in one month seems to be my record so far (how sad).  As promised to Miranda, here is an update =D

Work/tutoring is the usual, and there doesn't seem to be anything big happening...really.  However, I am excited for the next few months because I'll be preparing for my brother's wedding (we're making these tissue paper pom pom/flower decorations), and I'm considering making their cake topper as a gift (they said I shouldn't waste my time on it when I offered, but I think it'd be something they like).  What is a cake topper usually made of, anyway?  Hopefully it can be made out of polymer clay, since that's what I have/know how to use.  ^^;;

In other news, I plan to be going back to school soon!  I've been looking around at different programs, and have decided to apply for Animation Mentor's character animation program.  It starts a month after the wedding, so I'm really excited about that too =D

Anyway, here's a part of a picture I'm working on:

I had so much fun with the little clouds near the top xD  

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!  (I got no flowers, but I did treat myself to some cake, so that was definitely worth it.  mmm...)

My ears are ringing

Just got home from lion dancing all day.  Lots of drumming, firecrackers, what have you.  I don't understand why people light those long firecrackers inside the store (besides being illegal and ear-splitting, the smoke gets into your lungs and eyes).  Outside, understandable.  Inside a crowded Chinatown plaza shop thing...not so much.

Anyways, just a quick (and short update) as to what I've been up to.  Working, working, and lion dancing, with some drawing thrown in there somewhere.

...And here's Batman.  ...He's always watching you.

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm such an inconsistent blogger.  I'll make an attempt to blog more often.  To update on my last post a month ago, my house just had no power for about 2 days.  Other than that, it's completely fine.

I had a very relaxing and food-filled Christmas and New Year's, and I even made some New Year's resolutions!    It's tucked away nicely into my planner (which I look at very often) so hopefully I'll be able to go through it all (one of which is to blog more often)!

I recently got another part-time job tutoring middle school kids, which actually takes up a lot more time than I initially thought.  It's takes a lot of time to come up with lessons plans and worksheets and activities for each kid!  Each kid is struggling with different aspects of language arts, so it's a bit like making 6 different lessons plans (I have 6 kids).  It's pretty fun though, and they're all sweet kids (thankfully).  

These next few months will be very busy for me, so I hope I can get through everything in one piece.  Finishing everything I set out to do would be a very very nice bonus though.  

I haven't sketched anything in my sketchbook this month yet, so here's something from December: