Kite Dreams

Hot Pink Shoes

2011-05-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

So, I discovered this cool site called Polyvore (ok, I realize I'm behind on this, but if you haven't seen it, it's new to you!) -- it basically lets you view and compose fashion sets. In terms of character design and fashion study, I think this is genius. Anyway, I went out and bought some crazy hot pink shoes, and now have the challenge of figuring out how to wear them. (Thanks Jennie!) -- They look like this. But unfortunately, Polyvore couldn't find it, so I had to improvise. See below for my 1st attempt! Hahaha... And for shopaholics with large incomes, you can actually click on items that are featured and buy them. Cyber-window-shopping!

Hot Pink Shoes by shinakari featuring stamped jewelry

V neck tank
$180 - barneys.com

Skinny leg jeans
$190 - generalpants.com.au

TopShop bright pink shoes
$135 - topshop.com

J J Winters jeweled bag
$115 - shopthetrendboutique.com

G by Guess boho earring
$15 - gbyguess.com

Anita Ko stamped jewelry
$8,800 - net-a-porter.com

Yves Saint Laurent Crème de Blush - 5: Fuschia Temptation
$38 - barneys.com

MAC Lipstick
$15 - nordstrom.com

black frame
bethchurch.com

De-Anime'd Style Meme : Valerie

2011-02-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

Original Meme Design by:Gold-Seven
Tagged 'it' by: gearsbluerevolver

...Now, I tag you! :D
==================

I really tried to be as faithful to the design material I was emulating. Both in line and color. I feel like I've learned alot, actually. It was somewhat difficult initially to differentiate between my Disney/Marvel/Anime styles, because those are -- I guess you could say, my trifecta. So for me, this time around was about paying more attention and grabbing onto the little nuances that make each unique.

Valerie isn't a character I developed upon beginning this meme; but I feel like she's kind of developed on her own. I started with the 'Normal' - and then built subsequent interpretations based off of that first drawing. Oddly enough, I struggled with the Disney design the most. I must've drawn and redrawn my sketch at least 10 times. Even still, I'm not thoroughly convinced by it, but it'll do. Out of them all, I think my Simpsons design is the most effective. Anyway, by all means, please let me know what you think!

Better than bad

2011-02-08T02:23:00.000-08:00

Trying a new program: Sketchbook Pro!

My Space Lover

2011-01-30T15:40:00.001-08:00

Fun with oil pastels!

Foxy Ladies

2010-11-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the result of a late-night drawing salon called "Turkish Delights III : Sahara Nights", hosted by the Gallery Girls.
It was a really fun experience. $15 gets you in the door, and a chance to listen to live and dj music, watch bellydancers, and mingle with other artists. I would definitely think about attending another event again. (I saw some people with their tablet/computers, but I can't believe some guy was actually attempting to render a 3D model there.)
Anyway, continuing on... here's a sketch-shout out to David, as a tribute to his love for women with Afros. I call her, "Afrodite". :)

And here is a life drawing inspired by Claire Wendling, by yours truly.

Yes, That Actually Happened.

2010-08-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Selena likes to molest me whenever she gets drunk.

Scott Pilgrim!

2010-08-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

The movie comes out today, and I'm having trouble containing my excitement. Can't wait till I get off work!! :D

I did this piece almost a year ago, but I haven't uploaded it here yet. So I figured, now is probably the best time! It's my take on Bryan Lee O'Malley's designs. Enjoy!

Grab them while they're hot!

2010-07-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have official business cards now! :)

Comic-Con was INSANE. Literally. I heard a story about a guy who got stabbed in the eye with a pen by a crazed fan because he refused to move in the line. I still can't get over how horrible that was.:shudders: Well, I hope all of you had a great weekend otherwise.

I managed to meet a lot of cool new people, and a lot of strange individuals. Saw some celebs, ate overpriced food, bought a shitton of comics, and luckily, managed to make it out alive.

Next year, I'm going to have something published. And that's that.

SDCC 2010

2010-07-22T02:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like it's that time again. COMIC-CON, HERE I COME!

If you or your loved ones are planning on attending, please check out the Marvel Animation Panel on Friday, and Avengers Panel on Saturday! I bent over backwards this week just to make the visual presentations. And I wish I could share screengrabs with you, but I can't. Legal would have my head, I am sure. But who knows? Maybe they'll post a link up on YouTube or something? :) Anyway, if you do manage to see them -- let me know what you thought!

Hope to see some of you there!

Pandas, Goldfish, Kitties, and Chickens! Oh My!

2010-07-15T00:52:00.001-07:00

I just finished creating this T-shirt design for my good friend, Scot Matayoshi! He's the new president for PALSO (Pacific Asian Legal Student Organization...or something like that).

I quote, "It would just need to say PALSO somewhere and have something asian-y on it, like bamboo. Or something." So...I went with bamboo. And a panda.

Also, I've been working on creating a color mockup of a painting I hope to someday (soon) produce in oils. I could do it in acrylic, but therein lies the problem...all my acrylic paints are in Hawaii, and there's no way I'm going to waste money buying more. Luckily, the boyfriend is also an artist and very kind and generous. :)

I was trying for something cute and colorful. And what could be more cute than a girl with a kitty on her head?

Annnd this, is a birthday card I whipped up for Javon (a co-worker, who has an unhealthy love/addiction to KFC Double Downs.)

It's been difficult trying to keep up with work, being sick (AGAIN, I know.), and working on my art. For myself, and for others. I've been doing a side comic/graphic novel project collaboration with Aaron Stueve, called "HeadBangin' Hero and the Disgruntled Youth". Which, when I've completed, I will post. :D Yay! (In addition to a shameless promo plug to check it out when it gets published.)

Also, I hope to soon post some development of a set of personal business cards! Hehe... Just in time for Comic Con. If any of y'all are going, btw. Please hit me up! I'll be working at the Marvel Booth for a couple shifts, and I'll also be on deck for the Animation Panels.

Until then, it's 1:23AM, and I NEED TO CRAAASSSSSSHHHHH..... Cheers.

I Believe I Can Fly

2010-05-19T03:20:00.001-07:00

Not gonna lie, I was heavily influenced by Eric Canete *KAH-reload, who is totally crazy by the way. He does these 90 minute exercises that blow you out of the water with insanely well crafted compositions and gorgeous rendering. 90 minutes. That's all.

So, I attempted to do a super-awesome-kick-a$$ drawing in 90 minutes myself. The original drawing, I sketched and inked in 90, but the coloring took a couple hours. Haha... That part's all digital.

I was trying for a fun and innocent Kara... not overtly sexual, like most male comic artists like to portray her. Because as far as the comic industry goes, I think female characters need to be better represented. And I totally went with the lisa frank colors. Because I can.

I can't decide at the moment if I should submit this piece for Draw Off #24 : Best of Both Worlds because I'm not sure if it qualifies....... Aww f*ck it, I'm going to do it anyway. (Stay tuned for the bonus round!!)

For me, this makes sense. I shall explain.

I work at Marvel. I am surrounded by Marvel characters on a daily basis. And yet, I have this giant DC Supergirl poster on my wall. I've had it since college, and I'm not about to take it down now.

When I was little, my favorite superhero was Superman. But of course, I couldn't be Superman, because I was a girl. So Supergirl was the next best thing. ( Although, I guess I could've gone with Wonder Woman. But I didn't. )

I'm not officially paid to do art, although I really wish I was. I think I could be, but I'm somewhat stuck with the label of being just a "Coordinator" at the moment -- and it really frustrates me sometimes. The best of both worlds part, would be for me to be able to do whatever it is I want to do, without being judged.

And since one of the perks of doing art for free is the freedom to choose the subject matter -- SUPERGIRL IT IS!

...because I believe that If I try hard enough, and persevere, I too can fly.

Stupid + Cute Animals!

2010-04-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

Some Fat Chickens...

A t-shirt design for USC Kid's Day 2010. It was voted on by a committee, and it won! Whee! (Please ignore the shameless self-proclamation at the bottom).

An acrylic painting of birds in a tree (as a present to Natalie for Christmas) along with some color concept thumbnails I made in photoshop. The painting is in the middle, it's the one in the frame. I didn't have the right paints to make the color match my mock-up, so I kind of had to improvise. It's close. But it could've been better. Anyway, I think the whole bunch looks fun together.

Art Dump

2010-04-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Coughing Up A Lung

2010-01-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

Dammit. I'm sick again. And gosh, it's been a long time since I've been back here. Thanks for all the support, guys. :)

I can't believe how much tv I've watched in the past two days. It's disgusting. We're talking back to back episodes of Desperate Housewives. I think this is a new low.

On the more positive side, I learned how to Knit from my grandmother over winter vacation and am half way through with making a multi colored scarf. :D Exciting!

I'm still unemployed -- which blows, but what can you do -- however, I did manage to sneak off to vegas this past weekend to help my dad promote these bad boys: http://www.meggaboom.com at CES (which, for all you non-l33t people, is the Consumer Electronics Showcase). And I thought Comic-con was huge. I stand corrected. It was like glimpsing into the future. The latest thing, being 3D television.

I dunno, on one hand, I thought it was bitchin' cool. On the other, I was utterly disgusted with the fact that there are still people homeless and starving out there. It's like, consumerism gone elitist. I dunno. There were so many things that were cool - but nothing that I really needed. Y'know?

Also, what really disgusts me is the fact that the whole concept of recycling is bullsh*t. About 40% of the things we recycle actually get recycled. Because it costs more to recycle than to just throw it in the dump, and there aren't nearly enough processing plants. Grrrrrr!!!!

Anyway, I'm sick. Drugs are taking effect now I think. Time to go to bed.
Adios!

Disney Marvel Merger

2009-09-10T03:11:00.001-07:00

My submission for Draw Off #21.

Hey. It could happen.

Jumping Ship

2009-08-31T15:17:00.001-07:00

Cory had his last day at MLG on friday, and to mark the occasion, I made a card. Which, I thought was pretty clever... but of course, all of my ideas are clever. lol. *shameless plug* Anyway, thought I'd share.

Here's the front:

And here's an insert:

And now that it was announced today that Disney bought out Marvel for 4 billion dollars, who knows what the future holds? But one thing's for sure: things are going to get weird. Really weird. Kingdom Hearts weird.

I suck. Blood?

2009-08-18T01:55:00.000-07:00

Came up with this funny idea today while talking to Conner about RDJ (Robert Downey Jr)'s announcement about taking on the role of the vampire Lestat. Yes. Apparently, it is true.

I have no excuses. I will stop making them. I will get a job. It will be awesome. And everything will be okay.

Sick Sick Sick

2009-08-03T00:37:00.001-07:00

I wanted to start a sort of daily sketch diary thing. I dunno how successful I am going to be at this, but I do want to make a solid effort for at least a week. Here's the catch though: I'm behind right now, because I've got other, more pressing things to attend to.

And as of today, I lost my voice. :( Meh.

Do You Love Me?

2009-07-20T22:19:00.001-07:00

Draw Off #19: Scary Comic Con Goers!

"I'm Old Greggggggggg!!!!!!! I'm a scaly man fish! I've got a mangina!"
ROFLMAO. Mmm... Bailey's. Creamy. Creamy beige.

I sincerely hope I see an Old Gregg Cosplay this Friday.
Don't know Old Gregg? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? ZOMG.
Get Enlightened - Courtesy of a BBC show called, 'The Mighty Boosh'

Wow. I can't tell you guys how close I came to missing my own Draw Off challenge. Sheesh. That would've been embarrassing. I've been so gosh darn busy, it's crazy. T_T. The whole losing a job thing doesn't help either.

Anyway, wheee~! Comic-Con! Yay!

FIGHT!!

2009-07-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

So, I got some pretty bummer news yesterday. Unless a miracle happens, MLG Productions is closing, indefinitely by September. Which means... JOB HUNT TIME IS ON!!

So, if any of you like me... I'm up for hire! :D

(--> My submission for Draw Off #18)

Ideally, I'd like to do character design. But I know it's uber hard to break into. Still, I might as well aim high. Y'know?
:Sigh: Seriously. When life gives you lemons, you can either make lemonade, or throw them at people. I kinda feel like throwing them at the moment, but I'm gonna make the lemonade.

And I guess, while I'm at it, I'll share a drawing I did for Snakebite.

Time to fight the good fight!!

Gurren Lagann - Stage 1

2009-06-28T00:09:00.001-07:00

So I did a ton of Gurren Lagann fanart... and it's quite funny, because... I'm like a total poser fan. LOL. I really like the style/design of the show. But I haven't gotten around to watching it all. I know, I suck. Hahaha. Anyway, I have to do Nia, then I can call it quits...I think. Eh.. We'll see. I just finished Viral this past week.

And for some reason, I can't figure out how to make the upload scales the same size without re-saving each file separately, and I'm too lazy to do that at the moment, so deal. Pls. :) Enjoy!

Space: The Final Frontier

2009-06-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

For Draw Off#17, I created what became my blog header, Kite Dreams.

But I also helped color this! Featuring Pencil/Inks by Zach Ramirez.

Check out these other great submissions:

Kiki's Space Fish

Matt's Space Girl

Dan's Really Weird Gay Version of A Guy That Looks Like Spock

New Profile Pic ID

2009-06-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I can waste a LOT of time just playing around with html. :sigh: Everytime I start a new webpage, I always feel like I need to make a new ID pic. And it's about time, too. So, here it is! -- In 100% Photoshop! (Whee~) It kind of looks like me. Haha. Or it will. Because I need to get a haircut. I was going for a Lichtenstein meets 'A Scanner Darkly' sort of thing.

I has a blog?

2009-05-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

I has! I has! Zomg.

I couldn't help it. I tried. Obviously, not that hard.
But it looks so much sleeker than my other page...
http://www.shinakari.deviantart.com

:sigh:
I'm going to have to update both of them, aren't I?
Oh well. Here's to another new way to waste time. Cheers!