The Workshop

Live from the L.A. Zoo

2011-10-29T09:04:00.002+08:00

These were done with col-erase pencils. Very addictive!

Strange but I kinda like the unfinished ones more.

Gouaching at Laguna Beach

2011-10-27T03:23:00.004+08:00

It was a cloudy day. Got a little misty towards the end of the day. But this allows the artist to really pull out the colours from the overcast sky. And if one stays at the same location long enough, one begins to see.

Here are more studies on cold pressed.

Gouache Rocks

2011-10-26T01:42:00.003+08:00

Here are my first few studies using Gouache in a weekend with Mike Hernandez.

Gouache on watercolour paper, Vasquez Rock, Agua Dulce, California

Emu

2010-12-21T17:50:00.002+08:00

This huge flightless bird shares the same space as the ostrich. No guesses why.

African Crested Storks

2010-12-20T21:33:00.002+08:00

These African crested storks share the same space as the Nyalas and Gnus. Their fluffy hear gear remind me of the muppets.

Pony Land

2010-12-18T15:55:00.002+08:00

The kids corner at the zoo holds a variety of farm animals. Here are some of them...

Elephant Ride

2010-12-17T20:07:00.001+08:00

These humongous creatures offer visitors a ride around.

Gee... that's long

2010-12-16T11:16:00.001+08:00

I missed these the last time I was at the zoo, so definitely excited getting to observe them for awhile!

Zebras a plenty at the zoo

2010-12-15T23:26:00.002+08:00

I began to use the brush differently for a creative effect. And I must say that it is quite addictive! :o)

Polly want to draw

2010-12-14T02:04:00.002+08:00

How apt! The parrot above is part of my zoo series. I am also taking a trip to the Jurong Bird Park later in the morning. More sketches to come! :O)

Oh deer

2010-12-13T08:40:00.002+08:00

After a slight drizzle, upon entering Wild Africa, the Nyalas and Gnus were there to greet me.

Zoo Review

2010-12-12T01:59:00.002+08:00

While still waiting for the class to arrive, I started sketching the hippo statue near Ben & Jerry's.

Zoo Review

2010-12-09T08:27:00.002+08:00

This Radio and Flyer wagon is for little kids who want to be dragged by their moms and dads at the zoo. :O)

Zoo Review

2010-12-08T23:50:00.001+08:00

While waiting for my class to arrive, I starting sketching the entrance area of the zoo.

Zoo Review

2010-12-07T18:09:00.001+08:00

It took me awhile, but here are some sketches from my last zoo trip. Enjoy! :O)

What Truly Matters in Six Words

2010-11-28T15:39:00.003+08:00

What Truly Matters In Six Words is finally launched. If you see balloons in the shape of flowers at The Drome (outside of Plaza Singapura) today, that's it. It's a movement directly lift-off from the Six-Word Memoirs of Smith Magazine.

The idea of this movement is to get participants to focus on what is important in their lives. Like RIGHT NOW. Not even a week from now. We are always far too BUSY in our lives to take stock of where we are at. I was tasked to art direct for the team from logo to concepts for launch, invites, photography and design of exhibition panels, animated clips and video clips explaining the programme. That was what I have been working on the last 10 weeks.

But the bigger picture for us is to remember to stop every once in a while to smell the flowers.

http://primetime.sg/whattrulymatters/

Round 2!!

2010-11-10T01:30:00.003+08:00

About three weekends ago, I had worked on 23 panels of caricatures for J. P. Morgan. Looks like it's happening again really soon... like tomorrow. This time, instead of 20 heads, there will be 50!

Gom's dinosaur

2010-11-03T15:25:00.005+08:00

It's been six weeks into the third semester. I have been diving deep with my wacom! Lot's of rendering which is good good practice for me. For my main class, Character Design, I get line art every week to paint. Almost like going back to kindergarten and filling in colours between the black lines. For last week, I got a line art from Gom and this is my take on it!

Toro Toro Toro Part 5

2010-10-10T00:20:00.000+08:00

Toro Toro Toro Part 4

2010-10-08T18:09:00.000+08:00

Toro Toro Toro Part 3

2010-10-07T11:44:00.001+08:00

A chase scene outside the stadium.

Toro Toro Toro Part 2

2010-10-05T00:13:00.000+08:00

Toro Toro Toro

2010-10-02T10:55:00.000+08:00

Toro Toro Toro

2010-09-30T23:25:00.001+08:00

This is the concept for the stadium for the bull fight.

Poster for Bull Fight

2010-09-29T08:55:00.001+08:00

This is a graphic poster I created for the bull story.

The Matador - Final

2010-09-28T00:38:00.002+08:00

I nailed the final look of the matador.

The Matador

2010-09-27T10:28:00.000+08:00

More matador designs

The Matador

2010-09-26T01:41:00.000+08:00

Papá y Lucio

2010-09-25T22:32:00.002+08:00

Lucio - the sissy boy

2010-09-24T09:12:00.000+08:00

The Bull

2010-09-23T22:05:00.001+08:00

BIt and Pieces

2010-08-13T02:26:00.001+08:00

These were random things I truly enjoyed while in Europe.

Komedias Restaurant

2010-08-01T09:58:00.001+08:00

Sa Sa

2010-07-26T23:07:00.001+08:00

This is Sa sa, our long distance driver. He's from Italy, but his job gets him travelling from country to country in Europe.

Wieskirche, Germany

2010-07-18T17:59:00.001+08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wies_Church

View from Laber Mountain

2010-07-14T21:08:00.003+08:00

This is one of my favourite sketches from the trip. The view is simply breathtaking.

Oberammagau

2010-07-10T09:44:00.001+08:00

The morning off from the tour gave me some me some time to go up Laber Mountain on a ski lift.

Ice Cream

2010-07-09T14:33:00.002+08:00

Ice cream everyday was a must when I in Oberammagau. This is one of the parlours I got my gelato from. :O)

Oberammagau

2010-07-05T16:58:00.002+08:00

Oberammagau

2010-07-04T15:32:00.002+08:00

Oberammagau, Bavaria, Germany

Lost in Transit

2010-07-03T00:05:00.000+08:00

Lost in Transit

2010-06-29T15:42:00.002+08:00

More sketches from Doha International. :O)

Lost in Transit

2010-06-27T20:49:00.002+08:00

Sometimes, being in transit can take up a chunk of one's travel time. Hopefully, not any more with my sketch book. The next few uploads will be highlights of my recent trip to central and Eastern Europe.

The Treehouse

2010-06-15T14:38:00.002+08:00

This is the gang chilling out by the beach.

The Treehouse

2010-06-14T06:40:00.001+08:00

Here are some of the treehouse cast having a blast early on a Sunday morning.

The Treehouse

2010-06-12T05:34:00.002+08:00

Harry teaches Aloy a thing or two about concentration.

The Treehouse

2010-06-11T05:50:00.001+08:00

This is Ravi delivering Sara's laundry.

The Treehouse

2010-06-09T12:38:00.005+08:00

This is Ravi (meaning "sun") helping his father as dhobi.

Off to School

2010-06-06T20:01:00.001+08:00

While No.1 (Sarah) and Pui goes off to school early in the morning, they often pass by Ali who's busy at work by the shore.

The Treehouse: Transistor Radio

2010-06-03T21:55:00.001+08:00

This is Pui, Aloy and Harry up in the attic of Aloy's house. He's showing them his newly built transistor radio.

The Treehouse

2010-05-31T22:17:00.002+08:00

Today I presented my final project at Character Design Class. Was scheduled the last presenter and had to wait for nearly four and a half hours to run my slideshow. I'm done at school with this project, but would love to continue this on the side. So introducing the first of The Treehouse series based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. They are from left to right: Aloy, Ravi, Ali, Sara, Malu Malu the slow loris, Harry and Pui.

THE WALL

2010-05-15T23:49:00.006+08:00

Finally, presenting my first horror short. I heard this story when I was eight years old. Decided to see it to fruition for my first HD video project.

Mary Pops!

2010-04-30T21:27:00.002+08:00

And finally, Mary Poppins! She's the only pure human around. Although she is 100% human, this doesn't stop her from using gadgets.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar

2010-04-25T17:10:00.003+08:00

Putting it altogether, here's Mary reminding Jane and Michael how important it is to have an element of fun in every job that must be done.

Bert

2010-04-18T02:57:00.001+08:00

The character most different from how it was conceived in the books/ movie would be Bert. A multi-tasker of sorts, I made him a robot with changeable parts.

Jane Banks

2010-04-13T23:59:00.002+08:00

Jane needs a Deci900 and Neck Brace to aid her hearing and weak neck.

Michael Banks

2010-04-11T00:05:00.002+08:00

The first character I had worked on in this project is the son of George Banks. He's around seven and doesn't quite have a father-figure at home because his dad's always at work. Before I continue, I must state that my story is set 50 years into the future, where every single human being on earth has a physical dysfunction due to pollution and the evolution that takes place.

Michael has weak photons in his left eye and needs electro magnetic strengthening with the Apert1200. His left limp was so frail at birth, it was best to have a mechanical one built into him.

Poppin with colour

2010-04-02T22:33:00.002+08:00

Here are more colour studies of the four characters I'm working on. From here, you can already tell how Mary will stand out from the rest. More updates soon!

Feed the Birds

2010-03-30T21:36:00.003+08:00

This is a colour study from a project that I have been working on. It's basically Pixar's take on Mary Poppins. Of course such a story will never happen as Pixar creates new stories.

Roaches in NY

2010-03-03T12:03:00.002+08:00

This was the first piece I had worked on in the series of cockroaches, but the concept and look took forever. The background is a borrowed photograph tweaked to fit my character.

Burp!

2010-02-26T16:35:00.003+08:00

I decided to work on the western versions of the dragon. My choice of animal to blend - the cockroach. This is the cartoony version.

"Look, ma!"

2010-02-22T01:27:00.002+08:00

This is the realistic version of the eastern dragon I've been working on.

Remember how as a kid, you'd see things grown-ups never did? Well, this one's of a little girl who has just seen a dragon in the sky, and at the moment when she tells her mom about it, it disappears.

Dragon - Ponta

2010-02-20T11:30:00.005+08:00

Here's the final rendering of Ponta the Dragoncat. You can see the sketch of him 2 posts ago. This character is derived from a Ragdoll called Ponta. He sneezes quite a lot and licks his mucus from his nose every time he does so.

This dragoncat is a fuzzball. His long flowing hair makes him sneeze because of his sinus. And every time he sneezes, he gets fried. The cycle repeats itself when the hair grows long enough to tickle his nose again... ahhhh choooooo!

O Christmas Tree

2010-02-13T15:33:00.003+08:00

I was introduced a Flash project last December and it was a real project base on Skelanimals product from the United States. This is my 15 second submission that won me a prize and broadcast on the site during the christmas season.

Ponta

2010-02-12T10:13:00.004+08:00

This is Ponta, the ragdoll. He's my model for my latest project in character design. I'm aiming to combine a dragon-like look to him and make him look cartoony. Stay tuned...

Spicing Life Up

2010-02-08T12:01:00.003+08:00

This rhizome has many wonderful properties. One that I can think of right now is that it helps when one is feeling nausea.

Two and a half apples (unfinished)

2010-02-03T16:57:00.001+08:00

Was late for this painting session, and could only squeeze in time to render this.

Train rides

2010-01-29T12:03:00.003+08:00

This will be the last image from my Yokohama trip. Good to end with something I remember most when sketching - the train rides.

Disney Gallery

2010-01-27T12:29:00.003+08:00

These are some Disney characters from the Animation gallery at Tokyo Disneyland. I drew them from the live-size sculptures on display. Can you recognise the characters?

Space Mountain, Tokyo Disneyland

2010-01-23T12:31:00.004+08:00

I skipped the ride to sketch while some of my classmates were waiting their turn. There after, I moved on to work on the magic castle, but the coldness got to my already numbed fingers, so all you see in that one is a couple of lines.

Nogeyama Zoo

2010-01-22T09:33:00.002+08:00

This poor native to the Serengeti, along with many other animals at the Nogeyama Zoo, were shivering in the cold. A painful sight to sketch.

Nogeyama Zoo

2010-01-20T23:20:00.002+08:00

Within the Yokohama city area lies a public zoo with free admission. Because of its compact size, Nogeyama Zoo's strength is that you see the animals up close.

Still Life with Acrylics

2010-01-13T00:21:00.003+08:00

It's been awhile since I touched acrylics. A couple of my classmates gather to organise extra painting classes every two weeks.

Takeshita Street

2010-01-11T09:47:00.002+08:00

Literally a stone's throw away from Harajuku station is Takeshita Street. This is a pedestrian-only road filled with restaurants, cafes, fashion boutiques, convenient stores, etc. Some of the shops here are prototype shops known as "antenna shops" which is used to test the market of whatever is sold.

Text-messaging

2010-01-08T19:40:00.002+08:00

Speaking on the mobile on a train is considered rude in Japan. I find it interesting how everyone sends text messages instead.

Lady waiting for subway

2010-01-06T11:12:00.003+08:00

Train rides are awesome! I can spend a lot of time doodling the people I see on board. Here's one right before the train arrives.

nwa

2010-01-04T12:01:00.002+08:00

Up at 40,000ft on NorthWest Airlines, instead of watching a movie I spent some time to render this.

Hortpark Exhibit

2009-06-25T17:35:00.002+08:00

The images I was commissioned to shoot by Hortpark three months back found its use in the exhibition room there. Here are some of the panels on display.

Office Space Wall Feature

2009-04-13T00:00:00.003+08:00

I was tasked by PSG Asia to photograph about 70 over staff from Google, and then apply the images onto 4 acrylic panes. The toughest part was to get my models to be comfortable and natural with their pose... or was that the fun part?

Home Away From Home

2009-03-27T21:16:00.002+08:00

Last week saw the MCYS event at The Concorde, Singapore. Attended by 400 over participants from the various homes for children from the not so responsible parents and single-parent families, I was tasked to come up with a visual and apply it all from backdrops to invites, from ring files to name tags.

No can do, LA!

2009-02-16T14:55:00.005+08:00

This is a quick mock-up of the Hollywood theme at Berrylite® that was canned by Parkway Parade. My guess with the spinning ferris wheel and all will be the most happening store at PP. Their take on the design? Too kiddish for the premium look that they have. What a shame!

OT posters

2009-01-06T16:00:00.003+08:00

This project concluded just last week after nearly nine months of stall. Different large format posters with seven sayings are all over the Singapore General Hospital to educate the public on Occupational Therapy in a lighthearted and colourful manner. It also celebrates 60 years of OT in Singapore.

Hands up for Say YES!

2008-12-15T09:29:00.005+08:00

I completed this animated project weeks ago for Annual Giving NUS. It's hosted up on their website for a limited time at http://www.sayyes.nus.edu.sg/seasonsgreetings.shtml.

The requirement for this project was that I had to use animated gifs. Animated gif is cell by cell animation done in Photoshop. The files are low but only has a limit of 256 colours. Timing is of essence as the movement of the hands and the pauses have to feel natural. The concept is from its physical greeting card form which had to cover as many festivals during this time of year.

The tough part of the project was to create the shadows that flowed with the hands.

Uncle Simon

2008-12-12T10:04:00.003+08:00

A former colleague of my (late) grandpa, he is definitely the strongest going server in church. At 87 and on a wheel chair, he faithfully sorts out name tags every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning at the Parish House for the RCIA sessions. On Saturday afternoons, he takes care of data entry. Small simple tasks, but done with great love!

Dancing with the Stars

2008-12-10T18:39:00.007+08:00

I spent 15 hours the whole of last Saturday filming the wedding Lionel and Alicia, spanning from Katong all the way to Sentosa! Away with all the customary Chinese wedding couple games and traditions, and in its place, a fuss-free day for the bride and groom and this awesome "march-in sequence".

ROOTS (Excerpt)

2008-12-04T22:38:00.006+08:00

After four long months working with Cana - the Catholic Centre, we finalised the last shot of the documentary called Roots yesterday. It was apt too that the project was completed on the Feast Day of St Francis Xavier - the missionary who was responsible for bringing the faith to this part of the world (Asia) in 1545. He is featured in the clip above.

The 13-minute short documentary was an idea that sparked off because of a group from the police academy that drops by Cana several times yearly to learn more about the Catholic faith. It's part of their religious harmony day field trip which takes them to visit the main religious groups in Singapore.

The script was exceptionally tedious as I worked with the two executive producers on "cutting but giving just enough". We had to concise as much as possible the faith in just over 10 minutes, almost like an intro 101 video. What would excite the viewers? What would bore them? How do I get their attention? The clip above is the history segment of the documentary which I decided that it had to be animated, otherwise, it would put the cadets to sleep, especially since the church segment of the tour is right after lunch.

Shiny Nose That Glows

2008-12-01T10:17:00.004+08:00

I almost canned this project, but in wanting to reminisce the past, I decided to make these to hand them out to clients and fans of the Imaginative Factory... in the spirit of giving, fun and creativity! To find out more, go Behind the Scenes at the Spark blog.

It's here!

2008-11-29T15:12:00.005+08:00

The Wall•E three-disc special edition arrived at the stores. I've viewed some of the special featurettes and one that I particularly like is "The Pixar Story" By Leslie Iwerks. It's a 90-min plus documentary tracing the humble beginnings of an innovative studio that transformed Hollywood dramatically! Breathtaking! What a company!! :O)

More pictures of the Wall•e I made... click here.

Pitching in

2008-11-20T23:24:00.006+08:00

The week has been filled with amendments from current jobs and conceptualising two new pitches. One for an aesthetic clinic make-over... no pun intended... other one for the 2009 Chinese New Year promotions for a shopping mall. The best part is that both are due tomorrow, 21 Nov 2008.

I was hesitant initially to work on these. You are not guaranteed the job. The art of it is to handle pitches only when you have nothing else to do, and only spend at the most half a day on them. You win the pitch, good. You loose it, move on. Unfortunately, most of the time, it's a budget issue that you loose out because of.

I took periodically breaks to get my mind off what I had to do by doing something else. Always good to walk away, do something completely not related, and then come back to the work bench. This method has helped me heaps while doing creative work.

I've left a work in progress of the little thing I'm making on the Spark blog. Till tomorrow...

Ring... Ring...

2008-11-04T13:46:00.005+08:00

Hello!

The Annual Giving Pre-calling card is finally done! Have been waiting a long time to get this one cleared. What you do with it when you receive it in the mail is to prop it up... like a real three dimensional cordless phone and it sits there on your desk as a reminder that the team from AG will be contacting you shortly.

Too bad the budget wasn't big enough for a Lenticular display screen. Imagine how fun will that be! :O)

Imaginative's ONE!

2008-10-29T10:37:00.007+08:00

It's been an exciting year for me... not knowing what to expect, not knowing when the next job's coming in. It was intimidating at times, but it's good exercise to keep reminding me to leave that to God!

Thank you to my clients, supporters in all sorts of ways, advisors, benefactors, prayers and fans... ha ha... And of course God who made everything single thing down that process (from creativity to getting that word of mouth recommendation) click!

A little something personal from the Imaginative Factory... YES! homemade will be delivered to your doorstep as a small gesture of thanks! Thanks for being a part of Imaginative!

Wanna check out the behind the scenes of this product? Click these...
Making the Cake - Part 1
Making the cake - Part 2

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2008-10-22T23:43:00.004+08:00

I got the "go" for two projects today...

One for NUS Annual Giving's holiday greeting card and e-card (whaddaya know? It's that most wonderful time of the year again); and the other a for a recruitment kit which includes a mini documentary for the la Salle Brothers. I'm looking forward to the two projects because of the creative freedom I have in them... at least for now. :O)

Annual Giving's Phonathon Calling Card is almost ready for print and I'm totally excited to see the final product.

Take Two!

2008-10-22T22:59:00.006+08:00

I was engaged to assist in round two of the CATS REV UP session at the Singapore Flyer as a technical director (or the special effects guy). On a separate note, STAR TOURS celebrates 21 years! Apparently, the first performance to the agencies accredited to CATS CLASSIFIED was such a success, another one was planned for the advertisers.

And of course, round two always runs much smoother with all the experience gained from round one. Here's the cast from Fly Entertainment including little new comer Dione Yeo. I always wonder how talents remember their lines so effortlessly!

And that's a wrap... finally... hopefully!

Portrait: Rocky

2008-10-19T22:50:00.007+08:00

It's been a long time since I did portraits. Had the sudden inspiration to illustrate this familiar face from Holy Family Church. Unofficial parking attendant, co-resident of 2 Sea Ave, and a collector of religious trinkets, either you dig him or detest on him. Mr Basil Rodrigues, otherwise known as "Rocky", is a survivor till today due to his remarkable network resourcefulness! (Yes, even across parishes!)

Here's a fact: I've know him since I was seven!

AG Calling Card

2008-10-03T17:40:00.003+08:00

No, it's not the kind of Calling Card from AT&T or Pac Bell that one would use to make phone calls all over the world. It's more of a postcard kind of a thing that Annual Giving wants me to work on. Something they can send to the donors to let them know that a Phonathon Drive would be taking place real soon.

I got the spark from staring at my cordless phone! Can't want to get it approved and printed! :O)

REHASHED: NASCAR themed exhibits

2008-09-29T14:55:00.005+08:00

The past weekend's hype on the F1 race here in Singapore reminded me of a project I had worked on with my previous company. Part of the scope was to come up with an exhibition style booth for road shows. The product was a local online classified system and the then working theme was "Fast track to Success". This was the initial concept I came up with that was shelved after a change of theme from the management. I've replaced the logos for obvious reasons. :O)

How fun it would have been!

Strawberry

2008-09-25T09:04:00.001+08:00

Let's begin this blog with my first Digipen rendering. This happened about 6 weeks back. I was helping myself to some fruit in the fridge when a spark hit me. It's part of my life called "Brushing Up". Being out here on my own has helped me look at many things differently and one of the immediate issues arising would be... that I'm way behind. So what I did was to pick the loveliest looking one, washed it and started doodling away!

I invested in a Wacom Cintinque to assist me in this area. Hopefully, I'll be able to get into the mood of traditional illustrations like second wind.