College Update

Big (but old) news: I finally have all my college acceptance information! I've been accepted to MCAD, SVA, Academy of Art, San Jose State Animation/Illustration, MICA, and RISD.

Settled on Maryland Institute College of Art to major in Illustration (+concentration in animation). I'm really excited!

I'll be roommates/classmates with the amazing Zi! You can see Zi's art here!

DIY Flappy Box Kickstarter

Hey, check out the Flappy Box Kickstarter! This is a project that will let you make a IRL customizable version of Flappy Bird

I did a few illustrations for it (my first freelance project!) and it was a really great experience. Please check it out and support it if you can!

chocolate

A short comic about the troubles of being a werewolf on Valentine's Day.
I might do more with these characters in the future....

five cinquefoils: fundraiser for AFSP

Hi friends,

I'm selling screen prints created in dedication to David Ng. All proceeds will go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

Here are pictures of the print:

Symbolism in the flora explained, from the center moving outward:
- cinquefoils for David Ng
- chrysanthemums for grief and truth
- snowdrops for hope
- acorns/oak leaves for immortality

David means "God's beloved" and Ng means five; the cinquefoil is a flower that means "beloved child" and is associated with the number five.

Prints will be black ink screenprinted onto thick white paper, sized at roughly 11"x15", and cost $10 each.

As of February 17, 2014, 16 people have pledged for a total of $160.
Please let me know via email if you want to pledge, and how many copies you would like to buy (my art email is superjellycake@gmail.com)

There is a limited number of prints available (about 40) since it is a limited run, but if prints run out and you would still like to donate that would be greatly appreciated!

If you live in my area we can plan to meet up and exchange; if you don't live in my area but are willing to pay for shipping (about $4 extra) we can also discuss and arrange for that.

It would be great if you could spread the word, as well. Thanks everyone!

COLLEGE PORTFOLIO 2014

Here is my college portfolio! I have already submitted one for MCAD and SVA and have been accepted to both, but this is my "final" portfolio, which I am submitting to RISD, MICA, Academy of Art University, and Rochester Institute of Technology. I'll update when I get the news so you can see which schools I am accepted to/rejected from.

RISD home tests

After months of thinking and planning and sketching and drawing (and crying) I have finally finished and mailed out my RISD home tests!

Drawing #1 | reference a bicycle   

The infamous RISD bike.....this piece caused me a great deal of grief because my original bike was just a boring rendering of a bike just sitting there, and one thing led to another and I had to restart and get a new idea. I really like this version though! Even though it gave me a lot of stress and tears. It's sort of a nostalgia trip through old family photos (all of which feature bikes).

I started this pretty close to the deadline so I ended up skipping a lot of school to stay home and work on it. It was worth it in the end! 

Here are some closeups:

The last photograph was left unrendered by artistic choice. Chronologically, it's the newest/youngest photo, and the only one with the artist/me in it. It may sound like BSing for time's sake (and that's part of it), but I still genuinely think it's a valid artistic decision.

Now for the second home test, the choice drawing:

Drawing #2 | in the course of a single calendar day, draw 11 related images in a single visualization

I chose to do studies of 11 different appliances and utensils in my kitchen, each in a different color. 

Here are some closeups for this one: 

Both drawings have been cropped and folded and are now on their way to the RISD admissions office.  I'll be submitting my portfolio online sometime this week, and when that happens I'll write up another post.

But other than that I'm basically done with my college apps! No more essays to write or new art to make. It's a huge weight off my back; now I can work on my own personal art projects without feeling guilty about it! 

Good luck to all my fellow applicants!

Ladies of Lore - Highpoint final project

For the past ~3 months I've been a part of a mentorship program at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. Twice a week for 13 weeks, we met after school for about three hours and learned about printmaking. It took a lot of time out of my schedule and it was pretty rough trying to balance my printing class with school, college apps, and other priorities, but in the end it was worth it! I learned a lot, made a lot of art, and made a lot of friends.

We learned methods of printing including monoprint, relief print, screenprint, and dry point. After doing small projects to familiarize ourselves with each technique, we all worked on our final project in the medium of our choice. Mine is a series of screenprints printed onto tea-dyed paper.

I wanted to combine my passion for art with my passion for feminism, and ended up with 7 illustrations of legendary women, each filling a different niche in their society. I often find myself frustrated by the shallow and limited roles that female characters tend to be written into in TV shows and video games and other media (ie: the damsel in distress, the jealous ex-girlfriend, etc). Basically, I put this project together in order to show that women can and should be portrayed in all sorts of societal roles. Women can be victims and monsters, but they can also be scientists and even emperors.

The ladies featured in this project come from times ranging from 2300 BC to 2013 AD, and originate from fairy tales, pop culture, mythology, and history.

Ma'at, Egyptian personification of truth, justice, balance, and order. Circa 2300 B.C.

Medusa, Greek mythological monster. Circa 1100 B.C.

Wu Zetian, female emperor of China. Reigned from 690 to 705 A.D.

Ophelia, from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Written around 1600 A.D.

The Little Mermaid, from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Published 1837.

Princess Bubblegum, from American cartoon Adventure Time. Pilot episode aired 2008. 

Mikasa Ackermann, from Japanese manga Shingeki No Kyojin. Released 2009.