A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Goldfish

Goldfish colorfully speaking are some of the most beautiful animals in the world. Their patterns resemble those of koi, which are equally as attractive to look at. Apparently during the Tang dynasty, it was popular to dam carp ponds, and people thus began to breed and domesticate them. In 1162 people outside the royal family were forbidden to keep fish of the gold/yellow type because yellow was the color of the imperial family.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Blue Jay

I have an automatic association with Canada when I think of blue jays, just because of the baseball team I guess. The birds themselves have a range of eastern and central North America, going up into Canada. So, yeah....

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Spider Crab

I saw one of these the first time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few years back and I thought it was SO cool. The texture, size, and pure natural design of it was just awesome. I'd like to consider this one the clandestine brother of Mr. Krabs from Spongebob.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Puppy!

Puppies!

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) My happy Xmas cat, Tuna

Enough said...

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Rattlesnake

The Rattlesnake! A very dangerous venomous species that rattles its tail when threatened. "The rattle is composed of a series of nested, hollow beads which are actually modified scales from the tail tip". The rattle noise is made when these beads shake up against each other. New ones are formed each time a snake sheds its skin. Baby rattlers cannot make the noise since they only have one bead at the time of birth. It isn't until their first molting that they gain the additional bead and have something to rattle against.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Canadian Geese

Canadian Geese. Ahhhhhh, the lovely birds responsible for covering our driveway with their "goodness" when I was younger. I still see them honking all over the parks here in the bay area. It's a honking voice you can't miss. Good times!...just try not to be under them as they fly through the sky.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Raccoons

Raccoons are my animal of the day, inspired by listening to a friend of mine telling of raccoons spying in on her at her apartment in SF. They're cute, but definitely not so innocent.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) American Bison

Welllllllllllll, they're also called buffalo, but apparently they're only distantly related to either of the "true" buffalo, the Asian and African buffalo. Bison is a Greek term meaning ox-like animal, and buffalo was a name given to it's European and Asian counterpart by French fur trappers. This one's a little sleepy.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) African Wild Dogs

African Wild Dogs! Some just think they look like mutts, but I think they're beautiful. Animals are built for their terrain, and these dogs' coats help them blend in with the scenery of the African plains and woodlands. Their Latin name actually means 'Painted Wolf'. They'll hunt in packs mainly pursuing impalas, but occasionally even hunting Ostriches and Zebras.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) Poison Dart Frog

Here's my animal of the day! The Poison Dart Frog. Woohoo! Found in Central and South America, these amphibians are often called "dart frogs" due to indigenous people using their toxic secretions to poison the tips of their blow darts.

A.O.T.D. (Animal of the Day) B. Rhino

This is to kick off my new effort to create an animal a day for the next year. They may be sketches, cartoony, realistic, stylized, whatever. I just want to do whatever I want drawing animals, which I love. So today is the Black Rhino. Word. There are Black Rhinos and White Rhinos, and while both are actually gray, the difference between the two is the shape of their upper lip. Black Rhinos have a pointed upper lip, while White Rhinos have a rounded one. Woohoo!

An Oldie, but Goodie

Here's something I did a while back that I liked...blah, blah, blah....

Mele Kalikimaka!

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say,
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day,
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway,
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright,
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night,
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say "Merry Christmas to you."

Ah I'm so excited and rambunctious waiting for Christmas to get here, I just had to send out my greeting to everyone. Since I'll be staying here in California this year and opposed to my winter wonderland home of Wisconsin I was inspired to do this. Plus I'm marrying into a Hawaiian family, so it only seems appropriate. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone!

Are You My Mother?

One of my favorite children's books when I was younger was Are you My Mother? which was part of the Dr. Seuss series. This is just my little twist on it of a little girl lost in a strange world
looking for her mum. Plus I figured it's not too often I draw monsters, so why not start!

...and found

Hmmmmm, this started off as something completely different. But I'm still satisfied with the result. I've discovered that at times with my art I have to let it tell me what I'm drawing. Yeah, pretty heavy huh? I guess in a way it represents me creating this image, in that I was lost for awhile and now...found.

Over and out!

Return to O.Z.

Back to da zoo, Oakland Zoo that is. It was CHILLY up there today, but always worth it to go. It's been a few weeks since I've been there because of my work and life schedule being a little hectice lately. But here I is!

Not Giving Prop 8 Its Props

Sarah and I attended the No on Prop 8 protest rally in SF this past weekend. Good times! Lots of people, which was nice to see. Lots of colorful "characters" too, and ALL for a GOOD cause. I believe a pro-gay marriage will pass eventually, but obviously not enough people are ready for it yet. It's just unfortunate that a marriage has to be voted on period.

Draw Ya Later Alligator

Yeehaw, another fun day at the Oakland Zoo. It was so nice and warm in the Bay area this weekend, I had to get out. I decided it would be lizard day. I was about 3 ft from the alligator, which even though there's a small iron bar fence between, it gives you a rush. I get the feeling it could have easily crawled over it if it wanted to. AND now that this is done, we get to go to my other favorite zoo tonight...Zachary's Pizza!!!

I've Got A Hunch

Oh the beauty of classical music. It just give me so many ideas! Obviously many of the Warner Bros. cartoons were to classical music or operas. I heard the song from Romeo and Juliet 'Montagues and Capulets (No. 1 from Suite #2)', and I just had this vision of the hunchback going through the town square with his distinctive walk, frightening the townspeople, and of course eyeing a certain young lady. Good times! I'm thinking of animating it too.

Peace out!

Thiller

Micheal Jackson - Thriller (Dance Video)
Uploaded by fpmolina

What Halloween would be complete without a little 'Thriller'. So Classic! I suppose I should be posting art for Halloween and especially for this blog, but I couldn't resist. The beginning sequence always used to scare me as a child, now the as an adult the real Michael Jackson scares me. Honestly look at the comparison:

That's my Halloween scare for y'all. Boo!

Raymond

I created this for my fiance Sarah. This is her brother Raymond who passed away in July at a relatively young age. I suppose this could be posted on illustrationfriday.com for "Repair" because death is something that obviously cannot be repaired. Certain emotions and feelings relating to the death of a loved one can never be repaired, but in general time seems to heal, and a certain degree of closure and acceptance comes to fruition. Sarah was very close to him and he in turn loved her very much. He lived a very adventurous life traveling the world and living in such locations as Miami, San Francisco, New York, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. She and I both admired him being able to move about so freely seeing what life has to offer. We'll miss him and look forward to seeing him again ;)

On the aesthetic side, I know this is a little different from the style generally seen from me here, but again this blog for me is about exploring and experimenting. I created this in Photoshop as a speed painting in about two hours, which may not necessarily classify it as a speed painting, but ya know. I've never been good at painting in Photoshop so I figure it's now or never! I'll be back to more cartoons next week ;)

Late

I'd like to say this isn't me as I'm going to meet someone for an appointment, but this week's illustrationfriday.com theme would need to be "Liar". It isn't though, it's "Late", and I have been known to be late for things a time or two.
I thought a lot about Looney Tunes and Calvin and Hobbes as I created this. Both are such huge inspirations to me, as I'm sure they may be to many artists. Not only the artistry of both, but how they were able to portray humor in such simple fashions. I think if you asked me as a child who I would like to be when I grow up, I'd say Bugs Bunny. Actually I think that still holds true. I do know whenever I need my spirits lifted, I just watch The Rabbit of Seville, laugh like a maniac and feel completely better.

No Strings Attached?

Well normally I'm not one to be a political commentator, and I'm probably going to hell for this one, but it was my immediate reaction to this week's theme of "Strings" for Illustrationfriday.com I know John McCain has a handicap in his arm due to a war injury (and then some), but I can't help but think when I see him talk that he moves like a string puppet. Who's controlling the strings is another issue, that I'm sure everyone has their own answer to.
Interpret it as you will.
I don't think John McCain is a bad guy by any means, but I have no plan in voting for him. His VP pick certainly helped make my decision concrete. Thanks John and good luck next month! ;)

Welcome to My World

This is dedicated to an awesome artist and friend, Pascal Campion. His work and drive has inspired many people including me, and I'm honored to know him. Recently he and his wife had their first child, a little girl named Lily. In his work it's common to see bright colors, birds, elephants, and a myriad of other forest creatures all enjoying life. Check out his work here

Wolf Pack(ed)

Playing around with tessellation again for this week's illustrationfriday.com

No Go

Here's a couple illustrations I did for clients recently that didn't get the green light, but I still liked them. There may seem to be some awkward empty space in there; this is where the lettering went that I took out for the company to remain anonymous. Yeah, good times!

Watermelon Bliss

Ok, I've been a little slow to post lately as I've been busy with projects, sick, yada, yada, yada.

I made this recently for a friend who's favorite food in the world is Watermelons. Well what better then to be living in Watermelonland.

FINALLY!!!!!!!

Oh man, finally! I've been slow to post this week because I decided to bite the bullet and finish my new website. I just really needed to get an updated site out there for my peeps. AND, I can now actionscript like an S.O.B.!...so watch out! I plan to keep adding little tidbits over time, so come back to visit here and there. See the new site here.

A Clutter of Crocs

Oh man I hope M.C. Escher doesn't sue me for this ;) In today's litigious society he'd already have me court. Ok, for the "Clutter" theme of illustrationfriday.com again I thought I'd experiment a bit. This was tough! I guess it's gonna take some more practice, but it's fun at the same time. I read up on tessellation here, check it out.

Two Year Tribute

Ahhh, I miss him. 'Ol Stevo, the Crocodile Hunter. It's been two years to the day of his tragic death. He was so full of life and passion. That's really what I liked about him. Many people had their criticisms of him, and I'm first to admit I didn't agree with everything he did, but I overall what a great guy! It's that drive that really brings about the best in people. When the fire's there burning inside, there's no stopping a man. Look at Walt Disney, Bruce Lee, or Henry Ford. All these men had incredible passions for what they did, and it skyrocketed them to success. All mentioned here are among my heroes, whom I emulate and study.

Memories Of More Innocent Times (?)

A quickie for the illustrationfriday.com theme of "memories. I'll try to be as brief as possible with this. When I first saw my little cat Tuna at the local animal shelter she was with all 9 of her brothers and sisters. At the time they were all nine week old kittens. She was the MOST laid back of all of them, which I liked. All the rest were jumping on, clawing, and biting everything, including me. I saw her just sitting there and even when I picked her up, she just sat there and looked around calmly. Again I liked this, so I picked her.
With the purchase of her came a free vet check up and first round of shots. When we brought her into the vet, they took her temperature and right away the doctor said "Oh, she's sick, she's got a high temp." I was a little worried, but they said no problem, and prescribed some medicine to give her for the next week. Well, I'm really curious what was in those pills, which to this day I'm still convinced was crack or speed, because as soon as we started giving that to her she turned into a nightmare. Basically she turned into the opposite of what I liked about her...her brothers and sisters. All day, running around like a maniac, tearing things up, knocking everything over. If only I knew the terror I had brought home that day...

Wisconsin

I'm excited as I'm off to my homeland of Wisconsin tomorrow. Sarah and I are flying to Milwaukee to stay with my sister and her family for the week. I LOVE Milwaukee, though I was born and raised in Northern Wisconsin (Superior). They have a great zoo there (I know shocking I'd say that), a brand new ball park, beautiful lakefront areas, lively nightlife, and some of the craziest sports FANatics you've ever seen. Oh yeah, and they like their beer there too. Milwaukee is of course the home of such beers as Miller, Pabst, Blatz, Milwaukee's Best (duh), and a regional favorite Leinenkugel's. It'll be a nice, relaxing week which I've been looking forward to for a long time.

The One

I don't think too much needs to be said about this one, but I'm sure everyone has felt this way at a some point or another, especially if you're an artist trying to make your mark. I know I've sure felt it. The idea came to me after a previous post of all the flamingos I drew from the zoo. I figured there must been at least one feeling this way (He might have been the one giving the others the stink eye).
Although this didn't take me long to do, it may just be my favorite work of mine yet, and that's rare for me to say... :)

Detached

A little something different for this week's Illustrationfriday.com. I worry sometimes this has happened to me...

Forty Flamingos

Back at the zoo with pen and ink. Today I went to SF zoo, and spent time with the flamingos. Being with and drawing animals is so peaceful and relaxing to me. I almost prefer them to humans (no offense).

A Little Sketchy...

Here's a few sketches from a recent visit to the Oakland Zoo. Always a good time up there, beautiful zoo, beautiful day, all was good.

The Seagulls of Seacliff

You know when you do those things in life that you basically know the negative outcome, but do it anyway? Well welcome to my life...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was drawing recently and had a little run-in with some seagulls. I was in the beautiful, yet foggy and cold San Francisco neighborhood Seacliff. I climbed up onto a huge boulder along the shoreline, and started sketching. The whole time I was there, nearby were about 3 seagulls. They were just these mangy looking birds. They looked like they were soaked in sewage water and in the tenth round of a fight they were badly losing. So after a while of looking at them, I felt bad and found what I think was food in my bag and I threw a few pieces to one. Well before I knew it a whole flock of seagulls (not the 80's band), pigeons, crows, and sparrows surrounded me. It made Hitchcock's The Birds look like a Disney movie. I should have known...I did know...I just wasn't thinking...D'OH!

Beijing

Dannnnnnnnnnnnnng! Y'all been watchin' the Olympics?! It's been so incredibly impressive and inspirational. My favorite events have always been swimming and gymnastics. The control these athletes have of their bodies is so amazing to me. I did watch diving and basketball yesterday too which was equally as impressive. Whew, lookin' forward to more!

If you missed them up to this point, check 'em here. At least watch the opening ceremony, it'll blow you away!

Setting Sail for the Canary Islands

Here's for this week's Illustrationfriday.com's theme of 'Sail'. I drew inspiration from an original concept painting done for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride, listening to Joan Jett music, my friend Pascal Campion's panoramic image shots, and living with my scheming cat..........................who knew.

Whoa! I have the feeling I may smell like a pirate right now...probably time to shower!

Freezing My Cajones Off For Art Sake

Yeah, I'm such a martyr. I took a trip to San Francisco's beautiful Seacliff neighborhood today, and did a few sketches. I came prepared dressed in so many layers. The drive over was hot, but once I was out there drawing, all those clothes really helped. I had my trusty Sharpie marker with me and did some ink wash studies as well, which I haven't done in a while but it sure was fun! Another sketch will be up here soon of my experience with the seagulls (errrrrr).

Peace!