2016 Wrap-Up

2 represents the number of countries that I was fortunate enough to have lived in this year.

0 equals how many regrets I have for this year because I was able to learn and grow from each experience.

1 reminds me that I have to make the most of my life each and every year.

6 signifies the "sum" of the 3 new cities that I visited, the 2 new educational opportunities that I had, and the 1 new work experience that I gained this year.

Find Your Spine!

Find your spine in 2017!

Christmastime!

Christmastime in NYC!

Back in USA!

Yay! Back in USA!

Winter Has Arrived!

It is not the prettiest picture, but I took this picture as I was leaving my apartment building. It may sound sappy, but I feel really fortunate to have experienced my first snowfall in China recently.

Seeing Red!

I wonder what this is for.

At Night on the Streets

Nanjing Nights

Second Haircut in China

I have already gotten two haircuts in China. Time sure flies when you are busy!

It Is Not What You Imagined

Nanjing has really grown on me. It is quite a charming city. I am really grateful to be able to call this beautiful city my home for the remaining 11 or so months.

Do You Like My Hair?

My first haircut in China!

I Am Alive in China!

So, I am finally in Nanjing, China! I cannot believe how much I have accomplished in the past 3 months! I am really determined to make the most out of my time in China. Hopefully, I will be able to learn and experience more in the next 13 months. Yay!

Simple Request

I'm quite easy to please. It's really that simple. ;-)

Dreams about the Past

My summer in New Jersey is more than halfway over. I feel really blessed to be able to spend the summer back home in Central New Jersey as I prepare myself for my upcoming move and job overseas. I guess that I forgot how amazing the NYC metropolitan area is. Here is to making the most out of my free time (and taking lots of pictures)! :-)

Summer of Learning

Well, the month of June has finally arrived. I have been back home in New Jersey for an entire month now. The last five weeks have really gone by quickly. Luckily, I managed to cross off a lot of items on my to-do list. But I must now focus on learning and studying for my new job that I will start in August. I am actually super thrilled. As a busy adult, taking the time to study and learn something new can easily be put on the back burner. So, I feel extremely fortunate to be able to devote essentially all of June to acquiring more knowledge. Yay! :-)

What Is an Eel House!?

Yay! I am finally pushing myself to draw what I am not familiar with. In this particular case, I challenged myself to create an abandoned storefront. I liked the piece much more before I started to color it with low-grade colored pencils and oil crayons. Plus, the coloring job is a bit shoddy--which was both intentional and unintentional since I wanted to finish off the piece by quickly adding an aged and weather-beaten look to the eel house before calling it a night. All in all, though, I am very happy with this piece.

Young Samuel

So, I have been making a lot of art recently. I have a long to-do list for this summer, so I am trying to get in as much time as I can for leisurely activities before I need to buckle down to accomplish everything that I need to by the end of June--that is my own personal deadline. Last night, I decided to draw a close friend's cat. I have never really drawn anything non-human before, unless you count all of the comic book characters that I used to draw as a young boy; so, I was really surprised by how well this first attempt at drawing an animal turned out. Of course, the actual cat is much cuter in real life, but I wanted to add some character and drama to the drawing; that is why I opted to give the cat a look of fear and puzzlement. I call this piece "Young Samuel," which is one of the actual cat's nicknames. :-)

Me, Myself, and L(i)no

Eek! I finally mustered the courage to draw a self-portrait. I have drawn myself once or twice before, but I did so years ago when I was still a teenager. So, I figured that it was due time to draw a more recent version of myself. I think that I did a pretty decent job at encapsulating who I am in 2016. I sort of look like what Ernie from "Sesame Street" would look like if he had some Asian ancestry. ;-)

Friend Reunions

So, now that I am back home in New Jersey for the summer, I have made a point to reconnect with some of my old friends. I was recently invited to an old college friend's birthday party in Brooklyn. I decided to draw my friend a picture of herself--a picture that she chose, of course. This is the final product. I am quite pleased with it. I even remembered that purple is her favorite color, so I colored the background different shades of purple and violet. My friend appreciated the gift, so I can confidently call this drawing a success, then.

Birthdays, Presents, and Old-School Comic Book Characters

This is my latest creation. I drew it for a very close friend of mine as one of his birthday presents. I used a selfie that he took as my inspiration. But I took the liberty of choosing different colors for his outfit; his actual outfit consisted of a black long-sleeve shirt and a gray cardigan. I wanted the piece to be much more colorful and special, so I opted to use purple, black, red, and yellow, instead. For better or worse, I subconsciously selected colors from the "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" cartoon show. ;-)

You Can Take the Boy Out of the City, But You Can't Take the City Out of the Boy

Going back home always gives me the opportunity to reset and recharge. Sometimes, I need to take a break from the daily grind, so I can reflect on who I am and what I want. Here is to taking advantage of my summer break to learn and grow. :-)

Go Bulldogs!

And I am back home in New Jersey for the summer. It is a bittersweet homecoming. I will definitely miss the West Coast. But I must remind myself of the fact that I will most likely return to and settle down in the West Coast in the long run. Patience is a virtue!

Idle Hands Are the Devil's Playground

Sometimes, you need to be patient, but it is important to use that waiting period to do something productive (and possibly therapeutic). I am really appreciative of the positive impact that art has had on my life ever since I was a young boy.

You Can Teach an Old Dog a New Trick or Two

So, a good friend of mine took me to a place called "Noisebridge," where tech-savvy people come to teach and learn. I was pretty exhausted and distracted while I was there, but the experience reminded me that I should make much more of an effort to cultivate new interests, hobbies, and skills. I have always believed in the importance of growth!

St. Paddy's Day and New Character Drawing

I am finally getting a better idea of what the third character should look like. It took quite some time. I think that I just needed to be inspired by different pictures. Anyway, I am pleased with this one for the most part. I even like how I used a color scheme that would remind me that I drew this picture on St. Paddy's Day.

This One Is Called "Melissa Jesus Hart" (Need I Say More?)

Playing Board Games on the Way to Success

Chess or Chinese checkers?

Good Dental Hygiene

This is my first draft of another drawing for my friend. I am thoroughly aware that I need to work on this character some more. I am not the greatest artist when it comes to drawing faces from and with certain angles. Oh well! At least, I managed to give her teeth that are pearly white!

Not All Fortune Cookies Are Treats

I decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant for dinner last night. Luckily, I managed to convince them to let me order a "lunch special" dish. So, I was feeling like I was ahead of the game, so to speak, while I was leisurely eating my meal and checking my phone. Then, I opened up my fortune cookie. When did fortune cookies become so serious and grim? I remember more playful fortunes when I was a young boy. But this fortune does ring true. I am not quite sure how I feel about this one. :-/

Blondes Have More Fun, Right?

And my second character for my friend is finally complete! We decided to go with blonde hair to avoid making her look too much like Dana Scully. We only wanted to be inspired by Scully. Going with strawberry-blonde hair would have been too literal. Also, if I were a fashionista of sorts, I would have come up with a better color palette for her blazer. Oh well! I can work on being more fashionable and trendy at a later date. One improvement at a time! I'm only human, after all.

Dana Scully Meets Jessica Rabbit

So, I am taking a second crack at creating a Scully-esque character for my friend. This is the first stage. I want Scully to be more feminine. I am hoping to accomplish that effect by adding a touch of Jessica Rabbit to my character. So far, I have made the lips a lot fuller; I also added a mole to borrow from Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark. I think that I need to add more bangs. I am crossing my fingers. I really want this to be a good drawing.

"X-Files," Anyone?

I am using the "X-Files" character Dana Scully as my inspiration for a character that I am developing with a friend of mine. This is my first attempt at drawing Scully. I need to work on softening her facial features, so I can show the vulnerability, sensuality, and femininity that the actress Gillian Anderson has. But, all in all, I am quite pleased with this first draft. I have definitely drawn worse than this. So, I know that I can produce the right character after a few more drafts. #NeverGiveUp

It's All in the Eyes

This is the final version of my drawing of a lady in a green jumpsuit. It is amazing what oil crayons and colored pencils can do to make a sketch look much more realistic. I especially love how great the eyes look! I know that I might just be tooting my own horn, but the blue eyes turned out to be much more piercing and realistic than I had initially anticipated. I am looking forward to doing my next drawing! So, needless to say, I believe that I am going to be incorporating personal art projects into my everyday life from now on.

And Every Story Has a Beginning

Nostalgia has a place, despite the fact that living in the moment is quite important.

Lady in a Green Jumpsuit: Stage 1

I am currently working on a set of characters as a personal project of sorts in order to get back into art, again. This is the first stage of a character that I am drawing for a friend of mine. I decided to start with a regular mechanical pencil to get the outline completed. I do love the precision of a mechanical pencil! I am excited to add some color soon.

And Jumpsuits Are Back

So, I am working with a friend of mine. It is a perfect creative collaboration: I do some artwork for a book that he is currently writing. The recent surge in my creative activities really inspires me to be a more well-rounded and self-actualized person. #NeverTooLate