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Biomimicry/tech-human stories through portraits. Imagining lifestyles, environments, technologies, and cultures of the future. |
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Imagining biological illustrations of bio-tech organisms, like insects, in a context of a futuristic world. I also tried to draw on traditional technologies, like Mayan honey bee cultivation and medicine.
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https://etakara.threadless.com/
Designs reimagining Japanese historical warrior figures through layers of culture, time, and gender roles. Each piece depicts a modern-day hero (a coronavirus doctor, a firefighter, and a BLM activist) in a layered, composite outfit synthesizing geisha, samurai, and modern symbols. All profits of each product design (Modern Warrior, Modern Fighter, and Modern Leader & "Streetlights and Lanterns") go to Direct Relief Covid-19, (Latino Community Foundation) California Wildfire Relief Fund, or the Tsuru for Solidarity Project respectively. Direct Relief Covid-19: https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/coronavirus-outbreak/ California Wildfire Relief Fund (Latino Community Foundation - https://latinocf.org/): https://latinocf.org/norcal-wildfire-relief-fund/ Tsuru for Solidarity Project: https://tsuruforsolidarity.org/ |
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Modern rendition of traditional Japanese Hanafuda playing cards with local California nature instead. New platforms of connection today - video games, social media - but continuation of tradition of community, connection, and games.
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Paper illustration in style of Japanese woodblock prints of obake ghosts - of story from great-grandpa:
It's bad luck to drive around Maui at night with pork in your car as it angers Pele, the Hawaiian goddess, but one evening my great-grandpa was out surveying and for payment he received some boar meat. The others there warned him not to stay too late and to head back then, but he stayed to talk and socialize and by the time he was done, it was dark out. As he was driving on the dark roads with the pork in the back of his truck, he passed a lady on the side of the road who turned to stare at him as he passed. A few minutes later, he saw another figure in the dark. As he passed, the figure turned to look at him and he realized it was the same woman he had passed miles ago! He ended up throwing the pork out on the side of the road and hurrying back home with this haunting tale of his encounter with a Hawaiian god/ghost. |
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Procreate illustrations for articles in the Perennial (Pinewood School Newspaper) - topics ranging from colorism in south asian culture, performance activism, short story illustration and more.
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Illustrating parts of the cell with laser cut layers designed in procreate and laser cut with glowforge.
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These are charcoal portraits exploring different lighting and using both normal charcoal and a white pencil. |
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Acrylic paintings of people, both portrait style and full body. |
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Stakeholder card illustrations for activity cards included in the Bio + Food + Tech community survey by Tech Interactive and Xinampa. |
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Some more detailed acrylic explorations in scenery and lighting. |
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My illustration/animation is the essence of what I think of and feel when I listen to Hawaiian music, especially Bruddah IZ’s (Isreal Kamakawiwo’ole) songs. Hawaiian songs always bring me vivid memories of listening to the Hawaiian music radio station in my grandpa’s car in Oahu. I illustrated my family--my dad driving, my mom in the passenger seat, and my brother and I in the back--driving to a beach down a palm tree-lined road. We always drive around the island in my grandpa’s car--to get to family gatherings, hiking places, the beach, and even to the Longs Drugs store--when we visit family in Honolulu. I also drew shaved ice: my brother and I get it almost every day when we visit, even when it rains. The songs always have lots of ukulele in them and we always play music and sing with family during parties and at my grandparents’ house. The rear view mirror is not just looking back, but is like looking up at the sky when I lie down on the beach. In the animation, hibiscus flowers (Hawaii’s state flower) bloom in the car and a rainbow streaks across the rear view mirror. |
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Materials used: Procreate, wood, ink, paper Processes used: Digital illustration, woodblock layers and process design, laser cutting, woodblock printing Ideas visually evident: Laser cut print of modern Japan street leading to past in traditional ukiyo-e woodblock style |
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These are some quick, simple acrylic studies with color and technique. These are my early explorations in acrylic. |
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Some samples of quick charcoal figure gestures. |
Infographic poster (and sketches) for walk up food distribution in East San Jose at @schoolatmhp (School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza). I created it to help communicate the process to people whose primary language is not English and for the senior demographic there. |
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These are explorations in the linocut technique and style. I experimented with different colors and designs. |