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Just a couple of typographical posters designed as part of a go away gift. I was commissioned to design a poster using a quote that a PhD supervisor always seemed to use when her research group from the Malaghan Institute were stuck with an unsolved problem. Science!!

NZ summer!

It's great to have summer back! Long lazy days under the sun and many opportunities to take some nice pictures at the beach! These were taken in the Kāpiti area in the North Island of New Zealand, Kāpiti Island can be seen in the background.

 

This first image reminds me of Luke Skywalker looking into the horizon of Tatooine as the twin suns start to set. Maybe it's not as desolate and there are way too many logs for it to be the same landscape yet I can still hear the Star Wars theme in the background, hehe.

  

I went for a classic look in this one and making the photograph black and white helps to make it timeless... well, we shall see how it stands in a couple of years. Maybe in 10 years time it will be obvious that it was taken in 2016 and would be hard to pass it as a picture from the 20th century.

Always remember to wear enough sunscreen now!

Sketches

Just a couple of sketches I did today during the morning as I was contemplating if I should stay in bed or confront the fact that it's winter and there's no escaping it... Sigh

Selina

Spring 2014

Spring has sprung once again but instead of posting pictures of tulips as I usually do, I decided to post a picture of my cactus, something closer to home. This little guy has 17 flower buds so far! I don't think I've ever seen a cactus with so many flowers at once. It's like spring has decided to announce its arrival with fireworks bursting into a display of color... hahahaha

I'm not sure if the tulips in the Botanical Garden were able to make a big impression this year. We had a couple of storms hit Wellington on the day that the Spring Festival started. I wouldn't be surprised if the tulips were badly battered.

From Molecules to MIlk | Interface magazine cover

Over the past few weeks, I've been working on my portfolio over at Behance and realized that there were some projects that I never published on my blog before. So I intend to correct this situation by posting them now. It will be an ongoing process but it should be all here soon.

The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology publishes their own magazine where they highlight the latest results to come out of their research. Interviews and special articles on the people behind the innovations are also part of the magazine.

This issue, Interface 21, was a milestone since the magazine went through a complete redesign and I was lucky enough to be called upon to work on the cover. I had to hunt down an old milk bottle from a thrift shop so I could photograph it for both the cover and the article. Fortunately it was only a 10 minute walk down the street and even had the chance to choose which bottle I wanted. The idea was to have a vintage look and the combination of hand drawn fonts and a blackboard texture for the background was ideal for this purpose. The dark background also helped to make the milk bottle and the title to stand out.

Here's a bit of the process the magazine cover went through.

 

Snowaka | Custom snowboard skin design

This post is related to a previous entry I made back in 2010, however, I never really took the time to describe what was going on. So I think this is a good opportunity to talk about the snowboard project.

My friend Rachel Halfpenny is an avid snowboarder and is addicted to the powdered slopes. As soon as snow falls at Mt Ruapehu, you can see her gliding down with a plume of snow racing behind her. She will get up at the crack of dawn and drive the 4 hrs to the mountain, snowboard for as long as the light permits, get up early the next day, hop on her board and spend a few more hours making tracks and then drive four hours back home... that's dedication!

It was only natural that she would want to personalize her board, to capture her personality and reflect who she is. This board was the end result. Her fun and happy personality can be seen in the cartoon of her but also her pride for her English heritage, the emblem and the St George's Cross is a dead giveaway.

You may be asking yourself where the word Snowaka came from or what it means. It's a play from the word snow and waka (maori name for canoe). So essentially she rides her snow canoe, hahaha. However, phonetically it could also be "snow walker"... clever huh?

Ephemera

Wasn't sure which version was the best so decided to post both of them. Which one do you prefer? These illustrations have been developed from a sketch I previously published, Ephemera.

Always fluttering at the edge of my dreams, never being able to really grasp her.

Highlights and Shadows

 

I am really pleased with the result of this illustration, I like everything about it. Starting from the texture and color of the paper up to the way the highlights and shadows give the contours and volume of the face and body.

With a bit of imagination, you can almost see Princess Leia's iconic hair-do.

And now for something different...

 

I thought it would be a good time to try something different from my usual type of illustrations. For a first attempt at obtaining a water color effect, I think it was alright. However, I can see lots of flaws and I definitely need to practice a lot more. There are some areas where there are some nice highlights but most of it is quite flat. This was done using photoshop but I'd like to give it another go with real watercolors next time. Oh well, back to the drawing board I guess.

Holding

I have just read a blog in which a couple decided to do an experiment in which they had to hold their hands for 8 straight hours without letting go once. Now that sounds a bit extreme but it's a no easy challenge. I once did a similar thing for a movie promotion I was in and it's a very interesting experience. It's a trivial thing to do, to hold hands or to hold somebody close, yet we don't tend to do this with anybody. Occasionally we'll do it with strangers because we want to show that there's some kind of support or unity for a cause, but when you do it with somebody you know, there's much more meaning to this simple act. We don't give it much thought really but there's a lot of meaning to just holding hands as a couple. Apart from reflecting intimacy and closeness with each other, there's connectivity and support. You show that you're at ease with that person and that you accept them as they are, even if there may be some traits you dislike. There's even more to just holding hands that we don't realize, maybe it's over thinking the whole situation but we tend to have a certain preference as to the way we hold hands and which hands we use. If both people involved are right handed or left handed, one of them will have their "useful" hand engaged and then you get into who's the dominant person in the relationship and other issues. I had never thought about too much about this. Who knew that a simple act as holding hands had so much meaning? So maybe next time, when I'm in this situation I'll be more aware of what's going on in the background... Or maybe not, and I'll just enjoy the company and warmth of the person I have next to me.

Wellington, New Zealand

Need I say more about beautiful sunny Wellington? I have been thinking long and hard about what identifies Wellington, what makes it unique, what makes it so special. Other cities rely on their architecture or monuments and as soon as you see them, you can identify the city immediately. The mere mention of the Eiffel Tower and you'll be thinking of Paris, people riding bicycles with baguettes in their baskets and little cafes on the sidewalks. Big Ben will evoke images of black taxis and the Thames River, 5 o'clock tea and maybe a rainy foggy day in afternoon. The Chrysler building brings the iconic yellow taxi stuck in traffic amongst other 50 yellow taxis and the Statue of Liberty in the foreground perhaps. The list is long and I could go on forever... Golden Gate Bridge, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Tower of Pisa, etc.

So what could I use to illustrate Wellington that makes it so iconic? The Beehive perhaps? The cable car? The Brooklyn turbine? Maybe... all of these are options but it's not something that stays with you forever. You may come to the coolest little capital in the world and enjoy the vibe of the city, the excellent coffee options you have at arms length, the relaxed atmosphere... but does that really identify Welly?

And then it hit me, like a storm on a clear sunny day! Why the weather of course!! That is one thing that will always be talked about. No matter if you've been living here all your life or you've been here for a day, the weather is something that will always be discussed at some point. There's no escaping it, it makes Welly what it is and the way people go about their everyday activities.

Tip: Umbrellas not recommended

Latest sketch

 

This is week two of being self employed and it has been a bit difficult to get into a proper schedule. However, this week has been much better than the previous one, I'm a bit more focused and trying to stick to "work hours". The problem is, since I don't have to leave home in order to get work done, I find myself leading a very relaxed schedule.

In any case, waking up every day and feeling less stressed is an improvement that I embrace effusively. I'm also making an effort to improve my drawing skills and this is the first sketch that I've done, hopefully in a month's time I'll be able to see a difference. Not trying to run here but I assume I will have more time to do things that I really like.

We'll see how it goes!

Alexa Tattoo

Angry Teddy Bear making a sneak appearance as a tattoo. Love the way it looks! Love my model Alexa too :)

Light & Shadow

This is probably my favorite picture from the shoot I did with Alexa. I like the composition of the shot and the way that she stares directly into the light. Her gaze directs you towards the light but because there isn't too much detail, your eye goes back towards her and a dynamic tension is created. At least my eyes always tend to fall upon her ;) Getting nice pictures is easier when you have someone to inspire you!

Contrast

I love the way I was able to breathe some color into this picture. The original image was quite dark and had a brownish tint to it. A few filters from photoshop later and the skin has a nice healthy color. Love the contrast! As usual, I must thank my lovely model for putting up with me. Love you GG :)

Facebook headers

A few images that were taken during last year's summer while touring around the North Island. From Cape Reinga down to Wellington. The second picture was taken at Kerosene Creek near Taupo. Awesome trip!! Needless to say, the company was the best part of it all :)

Pool time!

The days are definitely getting warmer over here and it just seems appropriate that I should have finished this drawing that had been put aside for quite a long time now. I started this sketch in June, which is our winter. I must have been suffering from cabin fever and couldn't wait for some warmth to come over this way.

What am I most happy with in this illustration? Well, it would have to be the lace. I think that's one of the things that took me the most time to do. Once again, I must thank my wonderful model who puts up with my demands even though she may find herself in awkward and uncomfortable positions.

Thanks GG!

The Professor

The first of two cards that I will make to illustrate an article on the MacDiarmid Institute website that talks about the efforts of bringing together the scientific world with the business world in New Zealand. The New Zealand government is promoting the commercialization of science and has set in motion several programmes in order to achieve this.

Spring Fairy

 

Practicing with some brushes, trying to get a watercolor effect. The end result is quite nice although didn't quite obtain the effect I was after. Definitely need more practice. I do like the tones of the skin though, nice and peachy! It's spring finally and a fairy seemed like a good idea to draw :)