Road 2 Damascus

2011-01-16T18:30:00.003-06:00

so i've gone from blogger to squarespace and then back to blogger.
to be honest, i'm glad to be back working with something i know and it looks like blogger's gotten a lot more extensive as to what you can do with it. pretty sweet.

where are my manners?
happy new year and hope everyone had a very happy holiday.

i promise that i'll do a real post as soon as i can figure out how to forward thedavekim.com this way. apparently, no one can figure out why this is going on but i'm going to try and figure out how to do so. i'm sure it's going to involve throwing of machines out of windows.

by the way, i'm thinking of chucking all my old posts. bad idea? good idea?
i'll probably keep them for posterity. who knows.

2008-10-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

thedavekim.com

although it's a work in progress, here is my "official" page.

www.thedavekim.com

while i enjoy expressing myself with pictures, i like to use words too.

show some love.

2008-10-15T23:41:00.006-05:00

here i am, rock you like a hurricane

listening to: the crankcast ep158
watching: wolverine & the x-men
reading: the walking dead v2

so i've been away for a bit due to work. not my life's work but the work that makes sure the bank doesn't come and take my car away. i heard our next president barack obama say, "regardless of what you say, whatever it is that you are spending the most time and effort on is what's most important to you." you know what that's called? gut check. although, sometimes it feels like a kick in the nuts.

coming soon...
i've been working on a few different things at the same time and i think that's what's been driving me nuts. i've been spreading myself way too thin so i've had to reprioritize and back-burner a few things. i'll be working on a comic that i'll be drawing and that my friend will be writing. i'll also be embarking on a writing experiment in the very near future. these past few weeks have allowed me to do little but i've been able to steal a moment or two to try and develop some inspired thoughts.

pug in costume: a 90 minute sketch that revokes my man card. tried to go a bit more real than cartoony. i wanted to do a halloween theme sketch and was thinking about drawing a witch. instead, i drew a pug dressed up as a pumpkin.

pug in dish: another 90 minute sketch of a pug. so after not drawing for a while, what do i come up with?
a couple of pugs. that's how you know i'm gangsta.

2008-09-08T07:39:00.003-05:00

my kind of town, chicago is

listening to: slug & murs - felt 2: tribute to lisa bonet
watching: urlacher commercials on the youtube
reading: espn about bears victory

that was a good weekend and i am tired.

the best part of waking up isn't folgers in your cup.
it's knowing chuck norris didn't kill you in your sleep.

puss in boots redux: a watercolor version of puss in boots.

2008-09-01T15:13:00.003-05:00

my tax bracket status got her questioning my manhood

listening to: voices by rev theory
watching: random wwe promos on the youtube
reading: random x-men comics

i hear voices in my head.
they counsel me. they understand.
they talk to me.

things that make sense only to me:
call me chester cause i'm chasing cheetos... i mean, cheese.
with august over, it looks like the last leg of the race.

circus peanuts: i realize that i constantly talking about the crankcast but that's because i'm a fan. while listening to the last episode, it occurred to me that mike and crank (the hosts) somewhat remind me of charlie brown and linus.

white queen: i really dig how marvel has incorporated the best part of the old costume (the corset) and the current costume for our resident telepath. although i haven't been to the comic store in a dog's day, i'm still able to read issues hear and there thanks to borders. i'm actually thinking of going back to collect floppies... but i'm broke as dave kim.

2008-08-26T08:03:00.004-05:00

trogdor the burninator

listening to: rob base & dj ez rock - joy & pain
watching: cosby show season 2
reading: astonishing x-men #26

UPDATE:
here's my submission in a jam i did with toonfed some other cats over at deviantart. the theme was dr doom but 3 different versions: steampunk, ancient japan and future (doom 2099?)
check us out as whole and show toonfed some mad love.

as much as i love to draw, it's sometimes equally frustrating. in somewhat related news, i got a 40% off coupon in the mail for blick and bought a new watercolor set that i really had no business buying but that i saved a lot on. now what should i do with this 30% off coupon?

strongbad: the email. the email. what what. the email. something to get myself back in the groove.

marilyn: here i tried practicing a bit more realism using photo reference. considering that cartooning is an expression of reality, it's hard to express something without having a solid grasp of it. something i relearn every time i pick up a pencil.

scarecrow: a batman villain design from batman begins. i think i like this look more than the standard comic book costume. it's somewhat funny to me that it closely resembles the scarecrow from marvel.

2008-08-08T11:36:00.002-05:00

triple 8 soul

listening to: sage francis
watching: the seotaiji concert
reading: uncanny x-men 500

i have nothing to say.

vincent valentine: a water color practice sketch of final fantasy 7 character, vincent valentine.

a birthday gift for my cousin. i know. it's a crappy scan.

2008-08-05T09:48:00.003-05:00

comic books & hip hop is the genesis

listening to: atmosphere mixtape... playlist
watching: muppet babies on the youtube
reading: superman for all seasons by jeph loeb & tim sale

lately, i've been...
the clouds ran away, opened up the sky
and one by one i watched each constellation die
and there i was frozen, standing in my backyard
face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star
i should've known, walked all the way home
to find that you wasn't here, i was still all alone

dragon: i know. could i be more stereotypical? well, it's not like i drive an import car... ah crap, i do. it does 0-60 in 3 hours. it's, as a friend at work calls it, a hyundai "accident." in any case, i wanted to do a creature of some sort and i must've been charging up to be a super-saiyan.

zartan: still messing with watercolors, this time on bristol board instead of watercolor paper. it's odd how it looks remniscent of markers. also gotta show some love to the dreadnoks.

2008-07-30T09:17:00.004-05:00

happy belated or why so serious?

listening to: epik high ft younha - umbrella
watching: back to the future pt 2
reading: watchmen

holy crap, i realized i missed my 1 yr anniversary being on blogspot.
i'm sorry, baby, i promise i'll remember next year.

this past weekend, i decided to buy watercolor pencils on a whim while i was picking up a new sketchbook. that's the danger of me walking into the blick store. i always walk out with more than i initially went in for. other stores i have similar issues with: toys r us and comic book stores.

the other day, an interesting topic came up in conversation. why is that if you like comics (amongst other geek-related stuff) you are not allowed to shower?
"good lord, why does it smell?"
"oh, that's me. i like the x-men."

in completely unrelated news, skittles make for poor breakfast food.

joker: the first of (hopefully) many ventures into the world of water color. have you seen the dark knight? no? you must shower regularly. i'm kidding, everyone needs to watch this. please shower before stepping into public, please.

zombie: another session of learning about watercolors. and what better way to learn about water colors other than zombies?

two-face: here's his look from the movie, dark knight. oh right, spoiler.

scarlett & snake-eyes: just a warm-up of two true american heroes.

2008-07-14T08:28:00.000-05:00

you're a hook in your own theme song...

listening to: pigeon john - ... is dating your sister
reading: monday morning bizness
watching: cosby show reruns on the youtube

i just had a white peach for breakfast and it was like sex on wheels...

hellboy: a hellboy commission i did for a friend at work. i spent more time on it than i originally intended to but i'm fairly happy with the end result. i haven't seen the new movie yet but it looks like i'll have to clean up my brains from the back wall of the theatre.

2008-07-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

a quick update or wham, bam, thank you ma'am

listening to: sidebar podcast
reading: new avengers v1
watching: wanted

just a quick update to prove that i am alive.

logan: a warm up sketch of logan aka wolverine. there are a few characters that i love that i never draw. wolverine is one of them. for some reason, i have the damnedest time getting him right.

lil red: a warm up sketch of little red riding hood. i like doing these fairy tale type sketches. maybe i'll do a series.

fox from wanted: a warm up sketch done a few days after watching the movie which i loved by the way. i think this is primarily because i expected so little that it lived up to the ankle high expectations. by the way, angelina jolie is indeed beautiful but the woman needs to eat dinner.

2008-06-25T07:10:00.005-05:00

call me a fool... maybe i am pt 1

listening to: jay z - american gangster
reading: world war hulk tpb
watching: wanted trailer

and now something no one would ever care to read but is fun for me to write.
my current string of consciousness.

-world war hulk was better than i thought it'd be. i thought it'd be dumb but it was fun.
-i've been about big macs lately. i don't know why. i almost never order a big mac (or a number 1) but lately i've had a taste for it. is it the all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions or sesame seed bun?
-i want to go into hibernation for awhile. not sleep. not a coma. hibernation.
-i need a haircut. hopefully, i don't leave patches like i normally do.well, i guess i get what i pay for.
-i'm looking forward to going to wizard world chicago as a fan. i haven't done that in a while.

mouse: a warmup of pure randomness. i know it's hard to see but someone's scoring a goal in the word balloon. sorry, that was the best thing i could come up with for "score." i like the velveeta colored background... i also like velveeta.

black canary: i was practicing something new with this one. i realize that you can't tell since i went ps cs3 on that ass. that's photoshop cs3 for those not in the know, fools. in any case, this is black canary who wears fishnet stockings when she fights crime. a hot blonde who wears fishnet stockings that fights crime? works for me.

2008-06-18T07:12:00.003-05:00

listening to: dmx - it's dark & hell is hot
reading: the stat cards of gi joe figures
watching: nothing

nothing clever to say today.
some might say i never say anything clever.

playboy guitar: a quick warm up and yes, i realize it would be damn hard to actually play this guitar. it's based on the cover of some guitar magazine i saw at borders. on a side note, i always find it funny that if that bunny logo is involved, it's socially acceptable... even though it represents porn. i guess it goes to show that in some form or another, everyone loves porn?

by the way, come check out the 1st throwdown between myself and mr chun @ the locust3 blog. the subject was venom. our next topic is deadpool which is mr chun's forte.

something positive:
i like ...
the southern style chicken sandwich from mcdonald's with a side of sweet & sour sauce.

2008-06-16T07:53:00.004-05:00

coffee & cherries

listening to: epik high v5
reading: about iphone 2.0
watching: 2008 mtv movie awards

good lord, i'm tired. what else is new, right?
this weekend was like a sandpaper condom.
rough.

ugh. coffee and cherries?
that's gross... but that's what i'm having for breakfast.

stormshadow: a warm up of sorts. i don't think that this is an actual costume for storm shadow but it looks bad ass. at the end of the day, isn't that all that matters?

ultimate venom 2.0: a throwdown piece i did with a friend of mine. he challenged me to venom and this was my submission. it took a lot longer than i intended but was relatively pleased with it. the black & white version will be up over at the locust 3 blog.

2008-06-11T07:18:00.005-05:00

YES YES Y'ALL

listening to: the devil & me podcast

reading: about iphone 2.0

watching: loaded on cnet
what do you expect? i'm doing the same stuff as yesterday.

three in a row, baby... now i realize that three in a row is not that incredible but i am incredibly lazy so it's tough for me to post multiple days in a row. it's not that i'm not drawing, because i'm always freakin drawing, i'm just lazy about scanning and posting.

i'm just happy that i've got momentum back on my side and i haven't felt this good creatively in a while. word.

harley quinn: the epitome of the warm up that went too far. i like her because she's crazy. she was the joker's psychiatrist and somehow fell in love with him. she was created on the batman animated series and eventually included her into regular batman continuity. good lord, i am such a nerd... speaking of which...

you know i can't afford to buy her pearls

but maybe someday when my ship comes in...

2008-06-10T07:17:00.003-05:00

uptown girl & a gorilla i don't hate

listening to: the devil & me podcast
reading: about iphone 2.0
watching: loaded on cnet

ah snap. 2 posts in 2 days? can't remember the last time that happened. then again i have troubles remembering not to walk around with my fly open. i'm kidding... or am i?

i'm in a groove right now i haven't been in for a while. i'm feeling creative and even my speed is improving. the best part is that i usually don't hate what i drew 5 minutes after i finish. i'm sure i have some sort of complex, disorder, etc which prevents me from accepting compliments and being satisfied with my work.

gorilla grodd: a warm up sketch i did last night. how do i know it's grodd and not just any other silverback gorilla? look at the psionic amplifiers, nerd. i won't lie though, i'm having a lot of fun drawing animals, critters and such. it's almost like a breath of fresh air when i do something that i typically don't. the idea of a gorilla that has psionic powers and wants to take over the world is freaking funny no matter how cool michael turner draws him.

disclaimer: i'm a dork.
in my fervor in gathering info on the new iphone, i ran across this a show on cnet.com called loaded and fell in love (or whatever it is that 12 year olds call love) with the host, natali del conte. let's be honest though, were i ever to meet her, i'd stammer, be awkward, look confused and then run back up to my belltower and hide. that's how i roll, baby.

cue the music... uptown girl...

2008-06-09T07:37:00.003-05:00

girl, like doritos that's "nacho" cheese

listening to: lil wayne - lollipop remix ft kanye west
reading: reviews on herman miller chairs
watching: wwe: one night stand 2008

first off, go check out the blog that i'm doing with my friend:
http://locust3.blogspot.com/
we both wanted to do this for a while but were just too lazy to get it started. in any case, we finally were able to get this kicked off this past weekend.

and now on with the freak show...

i've actually got quite a few more things that i don't want to put up quite yet. well, i could show you but then i'd have to take your eyes so that i can make my mangekyu sharingan complete. what?

birthday cub: a birthday card that i whipped up for a friend at work.

exorcist girl: a warm up that gets me questioning my sanity (more so than usual). for some reason, i thought that this would make for a good warm up sketch which it arguably is since it's a small practice with a little perspective. i understand that the subject matter is scary as fuck but did i have to post it in red lines on a black background?

silver surfer: a quick sketch to get my hand loosened up. to be honest, i found the cosmic aspect of comics to not be my bag. i'm still not into it but i think i'd give it more of a chance now than when i was 12... then again, i do recall owning a few issues of rom, the space knight.

2008-06-02T07:10:00.002-05:00

random string of consciousness

listening to: rench presents - gangstagrass
reading: barack obama - the audacity of hope
watching: tropic thunder trailer

my brain can't make any connections today so you'll be getting a string of randomness.

i slept wrong on saturday and my neck's been hurting ever since. i hate how a mistake made in a minute must be paid for in a day? although this kind of applies in all areas of my life... which also means i make a lot of mistakes, which in turn means, i spend even more of my time paying for said mistakes. funny how a stiff neck gets me reflecting.

i'm hungry and i don't know what i want to eat. i know i don't want oatmeal and i don't want soup. (my company hooks it up with complimentary oatmeal and soup... i'm starting to think they look at us as oliver twist.)

i've decided to bite off more than i can chew. i've got 4 different projects that i want to work on but can't since i'm only one person. i might need to figure out how to clone myself. damnit, that's another project, isn't it? anyway, one of the projects i'm working on right now is moving forward but i don't want to show anything until i've got things more settled. all i can is that i'm excited to be workin on this.

wait a minute, indy 4 has to do with aliens?!
shame on you, spielberg.

you know what though? it still looks like it'll still be a good summer for going to the movies, which leads me to...

wall-e & eve: i'm pretty excited to see this movie. generally speaking, i trust in pixar to make a fun movie, i.e the incredibles, toy story. i don't normally draw robots or techy stuff (obviously) since i think my stuff comes out looking not right. i know i said in an earlier post that i was going to start trying to do more tech and robots since it's my weakest stuff. "how do you get to carnegie hall?" "practice. practice. practice... but if you pass the hard rock cafe, you've gone too far."

she-ra: before you say anything, i know her hands are jacked up. i blame toyfare magazine for my drawing of some rather obscure characters. i take breaks from drawing, i'll flip through the magazine to see if there's anything interesting that i'll want to spend more money (that i don't have) on or interesting to draw. apparently, i've been looking at a lot of masters of the universe stuff lately.

2008-05-30T08:36:00.004-05:00

charlotte's web or sometimes i wish were 8 again

listening to: atmosphere - strictly leakage
reading: even more rumors and news about the 3g iphone
watching: iron chef episodes

i enjoy being busy but i hate being busy. i've got 4 different projects floating in my head right now and i'm working on 1.5 right now. 0.5 because it's something i occasionally write notes down for. i'm having a lot of fun with all of these crazy ideas i've got floating around in my head but that's probably also what other crazies think too. i want to rest a bit since i'm so tired but i always feel guilty about not working on my stuff. hmph, i guess i'm crazy after all, which reminds me... i'm also thinking about whipping up a quick sample of sequentials for wizard world chicago. in the mean time, i'll draw animals to keep me sane enough so that i only have to wear a strait jacket at night.

wilbur & charlotte: i've been on the "drawing critters" tip lately. don't know why. don't really care either. i'm just happy that the stuff i've done lately doesn't make me want to chop off my hands like a pickpocket in istanbul. i randomly went with wilbur because i saw a kid over at borders reading this. i'll be coloring this... someday. by the way, i'm not sure if you can see it, but charlotte is smiling.

2008-05-22T07:12:00.002-05:00

you ain't never met a mf quite like me

listening to: kid rock - cocky
reading: more rumors and news about the iphone
watching: wwe judgment day 2008

i have a wide range of music on my ipod mainly because, given the amount of time i spend with headphones on, i tend to get bored with one genre. what i listen to also depends on what i happen to be drawing that day. when i'm drawing kids and fun things, i like to listen to bands like sublime and blink 182. when i'm drawing batman, i like scores like the smokin aces soundtrack.

the point?

yesterday, i busted out some kid rock and started to feel better about things. i guess this is me trying to be an old school player and not a new school fool.

bundle of joy - something i did for a friend at work who's about to have a baby girl. i had a few different ideas but i'd been wanting to do something more "asian-ink-painting-influenced" for a while now. the stork was done entirely in brush pen and i'm fairly pleased with this. it was done fairly quickly, which was surprising, but it took me a while to get myself to start, which was not surprising. i learned two big things from this. first, you have to dive right in and get in the groove when it comes to using this style. if you hold back even slightly, it makes it look sloppy. second, i don't know how to draw babies. note to self, learn how to draw babies. it says "congratulations" on the side, by the way.

2008-05-20T07:42:00.004-05:00

i heart cupcakes and redheads

listening to: the crankcast
reading: rumors and news about the iphone
watching: christopher titus - norman rockwell is dead

i'm tired.
good lord, i'm tired.
although, i've been having some good ideas lately, i'm almost too tired for the follow-through. almost.
never let it be said that my discipline is lacking.

to alaiza - a woman who works with my mom has a daughter that made a few cupcakes for me. i've never met this girl which i is why i thought that was odd. the cupcakes were good and so i drew this for her as a thank you card. i wonder if i still would've drawn something if the cupcakes sucked.

mary jane - spiderman's former wife (long story) who's a hottie. i think she's more of a hottie since drop dead gorgeous redheads are diamonds in the ruff. hmmm... does anyone else think that i drew mj to look asian? mary jane? no, mary chang.

2008-05-13T07:25:00.003-05:00

what u know about j & j catfish?

listening to: linkin park - minutes to midnight
reading: my random notes and reminders
watching: the clock slowly tick away

OH SNAP! 2 posts in days?! it must be a cold day in hell today...

for some odd reason, i've been drawing fish lately. no, i don't understand why either but i'm happy with this guy. i'm told fairly often that drawing creatures is sort of my forte. now, i love drawing the typical comic book thing of super-heroes and what not. every now and then, i get an itch to draw something else, anything else sometimes.

i think we're long past due to see some sequential work, no?
have no fear, citizen, they're on their way.

kung pao catfish: with my keen observation skills, i discovered that catfish look like confuscius or any old asian guy in a rice hat for that matter. granted that everyone already knows this, i still thought it was funny and decided to put a hat on my fish. i don't know what i'm going to do with good ol' kp yet. i think i might go comic strip. of course with a comic strip, it usually has something to say and lord knows i only speak crazy. also, i know fish fins don't look the way i drew them. i got a c- in biology back in high school. it's a good thing i took that class pass / fail.

2008-05-12T07:46:00.006-05:00

dead reckoning

listening to: smoking aces ost
watching: reruns of heroine 6

i see that i haven't spoken about iron man yet. then again, if you haven't seen it by now, i feel like we might not be able to be friends anymore. just go watch iron man, fools. take me with you, if you must, but you have to buy my popcorn.

i've thought about drawing iron man but tech is tough for me, although that's the reason why i should draw him. if i want to draw better tech, i have to draw more tech. as my friends would say, "of course, if you want to draw better tech, you have to draw more tech, you idiot." although, if you know me, you'd realize that i sometimes make discoveries that are really common sense.

eyecandy 2.0 - here's a "negative" of what i'm working on for alberto ruiz's eyecandy 2.0 project. i've gotten most of the flat colors down and should be cracking on tones next. let's see if i can actually finish coloring as opposed to only posting wips.

2008-04-28T07:50:00.002-05:00

uncle sam goddamn or i demand things to be awesome

listening to: brother ali - undisputed truth
reading: my random notes and reminders
watching: michael bay - verizon commercial

i feel like i want to talk but i also don't want to talk about it at the same time. i realize that makes little (or no) sense but then again, it's me talking... writing. i did somewhat figure out why i'm going nuts but i have absolutely no idea how to fix it.

in any case, here's a not-so-quick sketch that i did this weekend:

done with sharpies and a white charcoal pencil on a ups envelope. i've been looking at a lot of tim sale and eduardo risso stuff recently and am continuously floored by the amount of detail that's done in a most simple way. i'm not sure how i feel about this but i like how i was thinking when i was working on this... wow, even i don't know what that means.

2008-04-14T07:09:00.002-05:00

me against the world

listening to: griffin house - better than love
reading: 100 bullets
watching: hong gil dong

let's get down to business first...

a gift that i did for my nephew shawn. generally speaking, i don't like drawing spider-man since i feel like i usually can't get him down right. that being said, i actually don't hate this.

my current stream of consciousness?
lord, i'm angry. that's alright though because i'm just going to go ahead and keep it bottled up until it becomes a tumor somewhere in my lungs and have it removed when i'm 45. every day is hard as it is. some days are worse. my arm's getting tired of holding up my middle finger.

2008-04-02T07:32:00.004-05:00

q1 2008 Report or it's already april?!

listening to: nine inch nails mixtape... playlist
reading: ultimates v3
watching: indiana jones & the temple of doom

on my journey of the broke (job):
i'm a little upset by work lately. for the past year, i've been able to get away with not thinking. i've recently had to start which makes me mad. when i first started working, i considered this plan b so it's slightly irritating that i actually get stressed and tired from my job which leads me to...

on my comic projects:
i've got currently started simmering 2 different projects going. my solo project will be completed (drawing-wise) december 31, 2008. the project that i'm doing with a friend should hopefully be ready to go by summer 2009. time to get busy.

on coloring:
so, it's fairly obvious that i've started trying to learn how to color my stuff but i haven't finished a single one yet. while, this is seemingly the story of my life, i'll finish off the ones i already started before i start another one. speaking of which, here's something new that i drew. (ah snap, dropping rhymes that blow minds. ok. sorry.)

gizmo & stripe: these past few months have been tough in trying to get past my mental blocks and it's translated into my drawing-very-slowly or sucking-at drawing. on that note, i actually dig this. i loved this movie as a kid and actually watched parts of it recently. and you know what? it actually still holds up.

on love:
no time for love, dr jones.
i've got work to do.

ok. peace out.

2008-03-24T08:08:00.003-05:00

weak sauce

listening to: alicia keys - no one

reading: logan by bkv & risso

watching: jon lajoie music videos

arg.

"if your right hand is offensive, remove it."

i won't lie. i'm tempted.

mini-update:

so i started out with the flats and threw down a few darks as well. while i'm not a fan of what i did but i do like the background. i was experimenting with brushes, filters and what-nots. if you asked me to recreate it, i probably couldn't.

2008-03-17T08:59:00.007-05:00

call me shamus o'shang
...because everyone's irish today.
happy st pattys, by the way.

listening to: dashboard confessional - mtv unplugged
reading: x-men - messiah complex
drinking: green tea (syke, it's coffee)

so even though i've been drawing on a regular basis, most of what i've done is either trash or done very slowly:

death: this character is where i was introduced to chris bachalo, a god amongst men. i got her first mini-series way back when i was probably too young to understand what i was reading. this can arguably be true even today.

clare from heroes: i realize as a self-proclaimed comic geek i should watch this show but i don't. i haven't gotten around to it yet. i confess that i'm ridiculously behind on entertainment and that i'm slowly catching up. this is true across the board from tv to movies to books. on a side note, the colored version will be appearing soon.

pepper project: in typical dave fashion, i was late on this entry so i wasn't able to participate in artgerm's pepper project. since i think i like what i've got so far, i thought i'd take a whack at coloring this as well, which leads me to...

i recently purchased a wacom tablet and i spent the past weekend messing around with it. and you know what? it's fun. granted, there was a bit of a learning curve but then again, the same can be said about all new tools.

and so i thought i'd start with this apocalypse/archangel sketch.

on a side note, it's going to be hard trying to get work done this upcoming summer. dark knight. ironman. hulk. indiana jones. wall e. pineapple express. the list goes on and on. i haven't been excited for the movies in a long time.

2008-02-21T09:31:00.008-06:00

basic thuganomics

random thought (from mitch hedberg):
about once every three years, i think about buying a yo-yo. i’ll be at the store and i’ll come upon the yo-yo section and i’ll fantasize about mastering it to the point where it becomes a reference as to who i am.
“do you know dave kim?"
"is he that guy that kicks ass on the yo-yo?”
"yes, he is cool."

embarassing thing #304 that i don't mind sharing:
lately,i've been listening to wwe entrance when i work out. the tracks of choice are the themes of john cena and triple h.

for the past months, i've hit some road blocks but have been able to come up with a few something-somethings.

a late birthday gift for my friend, megan:

this is for the naruto chuunin exam that danimation is holding. the actual submission pieces are the character mockups:

just a little something i cooked up while taking a break last night:

2008-02-12T07:52:00.000-06:00

"you know why it's called 'pms'? because 'mad cow disease' was already taken..." -unidentified, presumed dead

listening to: tom petty & the heartbreakers - greatest hits
reading: vagabond by inoue takehiko
drinking: sugar with coffee and cream

not only has new years day's passed but even chinese new years has passed as well. hard to believe it's already a month into the year. since the new year, i took a small vacation down to the rio grande valley (that's texas to those without a map)... and that's pretty much it. i've been working on a few things that i don't to unveil yet and i've also been hitting brick walls with this artist block like it was my job. in any case, on with the show...

i gave these to a few of my buddies who live down in texas. if you don't know who batman and superman are, you should go back to kashyyyk , you wookie.

hard to believe, it's already been a year. nothing really more to say than that... other than i could read more books on perspective.

and lastly...

a quick little something i did at work. i like pugs and i like ninjas.

2007-12-26T10:03:00.000-06:00

the end (of the year) is near

and so another christmas has come and gone and as usual, i've received bad ass presents from the most bad ass people in the world. this year i got books, shirts, pants, cologne, a puzzle and a harmonica. that's right, baby. a harmonica.

as much as i love giving and getting gifts, you know what part i hate about christmas? wrapping presents. i hate that i fight with the wrapping paper and that the wrapping paper usually wins. i know, i know. you just have to be smarter than the paper. apparently, i am not.

now that the holidays are pretty much over and the new year is pretty much breathing down my neck, i figure it's almost time to get back to work. i've never been big on new year's resolutions since i've always thought that if i want to resolve to do something, might as well start now. the only thing i can declare right now is that i will have a booth in artists alley at the wizard world chicago this summer. i'm planning to have a prologue/source book and some prints available. i'll also be doing commissions... rather i'll be available to do commissions. don't count your chickens before they hatch, right?

and without further adieu, a few gifts that i did...

avatar: the windbender - for my friend, sheryl who loves the show more than naruto. i don't watch the show myself but i've heard that it's good. i wasn't really sure of how to demonstrate his wind bending ability so it looks like rasengan.

a china doll warrior princess that i drew for my cousin. this was inspired by some vinyl toys that i've become enarmoured with lately.

a grafitti style thing i did for a friend i used to work with. lil dave is saying, "you're the bomb. word."

2007-12-24T12:48:00.001-06:00

merry christmas, fools

2007-12-18T13:21:00.000-06:00

tis the season...

listening to: nas - illmatic
reading: reasons to smoke by max brallier
watching: shoot em up

just to break up the monotony...

the boondocks: a farewell gift of sorts to a friend who took off for virginia a few days ago.

lipstick: an early christmas present for the same friend. inspired by the awesome eric canete.

2007-11-26T09:01:00.000-06:00

the king of wishful thinking

listening to: halo 3 ost

first off, hope yous had a safe and gluttonous thanksgiving.

for this upcoming month, i don't think i'll be posting much, if at all. it's not that i'm going anywhere, it's just that a lot of the drawings that i'll be working on from here on out are gifts and i'd rather keep these secretive until i actually give the gifts out. although, who knows? maybe i’ll post some warm ups here and there.

ballerina: another ballerina done due to popular demand (and by popular demand, i mean 3 people.) i forgot where i got this reference from but ended up being relatively pleased with the way it came out.

portrait of ann: a caricature/portrait done for an old friend from college. i was looking at greg titus's portraits and wanted to do something in a similar vein. there are 2 elements in this that don't actually mean anything: the skulls and the bulldog. why are they there? i like drawing skulls and i like british bulldogs, dynamite kid.

since i'm at it anyway, i might as well do a short yearly recap.

why don’t you climb off that cross, use the wood to build a bridge and get over it.

i spent a great deal of time and effort this year closing different chapters so that i can move forward.

while i’m sure there were some good things that happened the 1st half, it was hallmarked by 2 events. the first being my final trip (for her) to korea. things ended in the only way it could’ve ended. while i’m not happy about it, at the very least, i now know what was, is and will always be. i wanted to know for sure before making my decision and now i know and made my decision. the second thing was losing a dear friend. i spent most of the rest of the year getting over and coming to terms with these things while still trying to improve and grow both mentally and physically. next year will tell of whether or not i trained enough or not.

the 2nd half was pretty damn sweet. the summer was littered with nights of bowling, booze and good times. the autumn main event was the wedding of 2 of my closest friends in st augustine, fl. times like these are what make everything worth it and help remind me of what's most important.

when i die, i'm sure no one will speak of my career or how well (poorly) i did my job.

2007-11-22T17:49:00.001-06:00

turkey for me, turkey for you

lil dave says happy thanksgiving... or is calling you a turkey.

2007-11-19T08:44:00.001-06:00

i'd do anything for love...

a wedding card i did for my dear friends who just got married this past weekend.

it's an homage to the movie, "say anything."

2007-11-07T07:16:00.000-06:00

people are like slinkies...
... it's fun to push them and watch them go down the stairs.

listening to: casey mccauley- in your eyes
reading: i love you, beth cooper by larry doyle
watching: naruto- shippuuden

the cryptics: my entry for the cryptics contest from image comics held over at the satellitesoda forums. of course, i was late since i initially didn't know it had to be colored. oh well. late to the prom, again. who are these characters? i honestly have no idea. i think they're junior versions of dracula, the wolfman, a sea creature and mr. hyde.

doomsday: the warm up that went too far. i'd originally started this as a normal warm up but decided mid pencil stroke that i was going to do finished pencils. granted this took longer than i wanted but ultimately, it came out better than i expected. i love how i start drawings of characters i either know very little to nothing about or don't care about and they turn out well. this is doomsday, in case you didn't know. once upon a time, he actually killed superman.

2007-11-01T08:43:00.000-05:00

american gangster

a few more drawings on ups envelopes...

batman: i hate that i have a hard time drawing the icons. i've still yet to figure him out as to how i want to draw him. i'm hoping that one day i'll get him right.

grendel: a character i know nothing about. i did this one based on the original grendel, hunter rose. i read a batman/grendel mini series by matt wagner when i was probably too young to even get the character but i dug the art.

2007-10-29T08:25:00.000-05:00

if i'm just bad news... then you had it right all along

continuing with the brown paper (envelope), sharpies and white out...

yes, the eye in the hollow mask is the sharingan. and the ipod in question is made by pineapple.

the bath tub looks small and her leg looks odd to me, too. i like this idea and i'll come back to this again some day to do it correctly because i hardly have original ideas anymore.

snow white: a warm up sketch of snow white from... snow white. what i like about this: expression on her face. it actually looks like she's thinking that the apple tastes funny. what i don't like about this: the way i drew her hand and the weak sauce background.

2007-10-24T07:28:00.000-05:00

chi-town state of mind

ballerina: continuing in the same vein of black & white on brown envelopes, i thought i'd go the "museum" route. i guess i had been missing art class from high school and wanting to draw something not "comic book-y", if that's even a word. i then i realized i draw pretty much everything "comic book-y" and simply conceded.

ironman: a warmup sketch of ironman after i watched the trailer. i love tech but i hate drawing tech. i realize it's something i'm going to have to get over if i'm going to advance. this, of course, includes backgrounds, buildings, etc. you know, the stuff that brings a drawing to life not that criss cross hack nonsense that i'm trying to pass off as a background. we'll discuss the ironman trailer another day.

dr strange: a warm up sketch of dr strange. here's the thing, i hardly know anything about this character outside of the fact that he is marvel's resident sorceror supreme. i'll get into a mood where i don't feel like drawing something i know but i'll rather want to draw something i don't know. hm... i think his head a little too large for his body. oh well, i guess he's chibi dr strange then.

2007-10-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

it's the infamous back in the house once again...

spidey: i cut up some ups envelopes and just started drawing on the inside with sharpies and a white out pen. i've seen this technique done across the board and i guess i just wanted to be a part of the cool kids too.

archangel: a warm up of warren worthington iii. this look is from back when whilce portacio was on xfactor. i miss the metal wings.

catwoman: hm... i'm actually not happy with this one at all. i feel like it doesn't look like selina kyle, catwoman but instead as someone else, catwoman.

oh well, with the good comes the bad.

2007-10-09T07:58:00.000-05:00

walk the line...

baroness: a warm up sketch that i did of the baroness from gi joe. from a drawing standpoint, i like this less and less the more i look at it. from what i hear, they're looking to make a live action movie given the success of the transformers movie. i wonder who they'll cast as baroness...

and some lines that will blow minds (not really)

the joker: as of late, i've been drawing villains with black eye balls.

pein & konan: don't really know much about these characters from naruto yet but at least they're visually interesting.

the last two are my feeble attempts at inking...

2007-10-08T08:14:00.000-05:00

bears 27 packers 20

deadpool: the merc with a mouth

the tick: the funny thing is, i remember the cartoon but i don't remember if i liked it or not.

2007-09-28T07:16:00.000-05:00

eye of thundera, give me sight beyond sight

panthro: got to show love for the thundercats... although seeing the show again makes me realize how dumb it really was.

i've been posting these warm ups for a while now and the reason is because i'm getting used to drawing only with pencils. any time i use inks and /or markers, i cheap out on the pencils. so i've decided to work on my pencils while working on bristol board.

2007-09-26T08:40:00.000-05:00

1 for my struggle, 2 for my prayer, 3 for my landlord, i'm a pay you later...

nightcrawler: i remember when i was kid thinking how great it would be to teleport. as an adult, i think how great it would be to teleport due to these insane gas prices.

michael myers: freddy? bitch. jason? punk. michael myers, what?!

the darkness: a mob hitman who has powers? sweet... although, i'd rather wrestle a bear for a jar of honey than draw the rest of his armor.

chun li: remember when people would play streetfighter at the 7-11? i always sucked.

2007-09-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

old school part 3 or you down with opp?

spiderman: black costume

agent graves of 100 bullets

2007-09-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

a boxing analogy

so as of late, it feels like i'm doing more training than fighting. it doesn't feel like i'm going anywhere but i'm hoping that when i do get up to fight, that i knock that bitch out in the first round.

and on with the show...

gambit: i remember i used to think this guy was awesome, when i was 12. i'm guessing it was the accent and the fact that he smoked. remember, kids. smoking is cool.

thor: i'll be honest i wasn't sure how i initially felt about thor's new get-up but the more i see it, the more i'm digging it.

wondergirl: i just saw sanford greene's take on her and became inspired to draw her. why? because sanford is the man.

2007-09-19T07:23:00.000-05:00

portfolio: wizard world chicago 07

so here's the portfolio that i submitted at wwc this past summer.

it's x23 fighting sabretooth with a little something something at the end.

i also did a character sketch / pin up of x23.

2007-09-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

3 men & a bunny...

a few warm up drawings that i did last week.

2007-09-05T12:09:00.000-05:00

a little less conversation... a little more action

hatake kakashi: i love drawing this guy. if you're a fan of the manga/anime, i'd say that he's next in line for hokage.

captain hitsugaya: from the bleach series, it has both fun and frustrating doing those damn wings. come to think of it, i forgot to draw in the tail. damnit.

a gift that i did for my mom not too long ago.

2007-08-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

my life be like...

1. a warm up sketch of ares that i ended up liking quite a lot. it was the first time i had done the character and i'll admit i was initially worried about the helmet.

2. a warm up sketch that i did while listening to something sappy. i know. kind of makes me want to kick my own ass.

3. a warm up sketch/rendition of jessica alba from a movie poster from good luck chuck that i saw and stared at. goddamn that was a run-on sentence.

4. a drawing i did for a friend who was staying up in chicago for a few weeks before going back to texas.

2007-08-28T08:16:00.000-05:00

trick love the kids

the first drawing was done for a friend who's currently kicking the crap out of cancer.it was supposed to be alice from alice in wonderland but i messed up her hair so now she's asian...oh well.

the second was done for an auction for the daughter of a co-worker.you should know that it is harry potter but if you don't... then i obviously need to do a better job at being a cartoonist.

the last one was done for my cousin for her birthday.

2007-08-23T13:59:00.000-05:00

sketches

some warm up sketches that i'd done

2007-07-17T10:24:00.000-05:00

just because i'm asian...

doesn't mean i love anime.
i love anime because i'm a nerd.

2007-07-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

old school part 2 or friday, i'm in love... with a stripper

just a few more that i happen to not hate...

2007-07-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

old school part 1 or what these bitches want from a ninja?

it's hard to believe that more than half the year has already flown by. with a little less than half a year left, it's time to reflect, analyze and plan for what's next.

reflect: shit happens and ain't nothing i can do about that.
analyze: nobody gives a fuck about me or if i make it happen or not.
plan: should i (a) go back to slanging dope?
or should i (b) maintain and try to cope?
or should i (c) just get crazy and wild?
but naw, i chose (d) create the d child...

a few drawings i did not too long ago.

2007-07-05T07:37:00.000-05:00

acts 9:16
"...and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."

about 2 and a half yrs ago, i decided that from here on out, i would become an artist, drawing comics, illustrations, etc. after countless hours, bottomless cups of coffee and endless nights of drawing, i thought it might be a good time for me to start over... or quit altogether. given the course of events that have come up, i had reached that fork in the road which led in 2 different paths. of course, there's no way to know what lays ahead on either road but then again, nothing happens from standing at that crossroads either.

as for "road to damascus", not to equate myself to st paul, i feel like i've been walking blind and hungry and that i've been searching for... something.