Krizia and Mari

I owe a lot to deviantArt. I've been a member for more than three years already and the community has always been one of the reasons why I'm always fueled to create artworks. The people are always so helpful and they help you grow. I love a lot of members at deviantArt but for this entry, I will be talking about two special people who've been extra-supportive, extra-nice and extremely wonderful. I'm talking about, as my title explicitly says, Krizia and Mari!

Mari

Mari is my partner in crime! I found out about her very wonderful talent when she joined one of the contests I held at deviantArt. She submitted two drawings to me, an Ariel and a Mulan piece (the Mulan is the first one on the picture). I absolutely loved the way she drew and asked her if she wanted to do collaborations.

Thankfully, she agreed, and we ended up making some really neat artworks together (haha, yes, well, they really ARE great). The first one we did was the Sleeping Beauty one. I drew Aurora and she did the background and the wonderful spinning wheel (just look at that!). After that we did a Pocahontas one, which was equally cute. Heehee. We have yet to finish the latest, a Little Mermaid piece (*ahem* Mariiiii what have you done with Ariel?! Haha.) but already I'm sure it will be even more wonderful than the first two. Heehee, I'm too proud of our teamwork.

Mari, I promise, when I would go and visit New York, I'll let you know ;)

Do check out her deviantArt gallery over here!

Krizia

Krizia is another great artist. Same with Mari, I discover her artworks when she entered my contest. Her entry is that super adorable Mulan piece. She used my Mulan drawing as an inspiration, but if I must say so myself, this is a way better drawing than the original. Heehee.

Krizia has been supporting me ever since and I owe a lot to her. Just today, she sent me two drawings (the two drawings after the Mulan picture) and here's what she said about them:

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say. On your previous contest, the one with Cippow, I was supposed to submit this 4-season-ed theme, but I failed to meet the deadline. XD I was only able to create 2 seasons, and if you like, you can have them. LOL! XD I've been wanting to send them to you as giftart, but I guess I was just shy."

And of course, I LOVED THEM! How could I not? They are so adorable! She's such a sweet girl! And I'm looking forward to your entry, ok? ;)

Check out her deviantArt gallery over here! By the way, she's an ICAn too, just like me!

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My gallery can be found over here!

The Four Seasons Project

The Four Seasons Project is all about me creating a different artwork every year with the theme of the four seasons in mind. I did this initially so that I can track my improvements, as in, see how much I'm improving throughout the years (if I have). I also wanted to give myself a reason to draw the seasons again and again, heehee, because I found the concept very interesting and the ideas for it seemed limitless.

Without further ado, I present to you, my artworks. Thank you for taking the time to view them. I sincerely hope that you enjoy them, as much as I did while creating them ^^.

2005 - The Faeries

For my very first set, I was highly inspired by Neil Gaiman's the Endless brothers. The concept of the seven brothers and sisters and the way that he portrayed them, were some things that I wanted to incorporate to the characters of the seasons. The idea is that the four faeries are not muses of the season, nor are they guardians or anything of that kind. Instead, they ARE the seasons themselves. If you are not familiar with the Endless siblings, I suggest you read up about them. Neil Gaiman is a genius and the concept will be better understood through his explanations.

I was at my last year in high school when I was drawing this. I remember inking it during class hours. The lineart was the main ingredient in the drawing. No fancy backgrounds, just a gradient for each box. I wanted to connect the four as well, so I had the idea of placing them all in the same tree. The end result didn't show this very much, because I don't think I was able to blend it well, but if you look closely, they're supposed to be hanging on the same tree.

The colors I used for the next years were patterned on the color scheme of this one.

2006 - Art Nouveau

The art style of Alfons Mucha was the great inspiration for these pieces. 2006 was the year I visited Europe, and from France, I brought home replicas of Alfons Mucha's paintings form the sidewalk (silly of me, but back then I didn't know it was his works; I just found the artworks very pretty). These paintings are currently still hanging on my wall directly above the framed prints of my own Art Nouveau pieces.

Unlike the first one, the Seasons this time were not depicted as anything fantastical; they were merely subjects of an Art Nouveau painting. I chose to do this style because it was very classical. I have always been a fan of the art style; admiring it for its elegance and elaboration. I love how everything is highly stylized. It was a very challenging style to incorporate to my own personal style and this was also one of the reasons why I decided to go with this for that year.

Summer gave me the most complications in terms of choosing the right colors. I wanted more pink, but couldn't make it work. Spring was a bit of a trouble too (but it was the first one I finished) because I didn't want to make it too bright. Well, achieved that. But it doesn't look too spring-ish either. Haha. More gothic, don't you think? But all the same, I enjoyed doing this series very much. I was able to test my patience and skills.

You may view my Deviant Art gallery for larger photos of the four.

2007 - The Marionettes

Beginning September, I have been worrying about thinking up of an idea for this year's Four Seasons Project. I didn't have any idea at all for this piece and I have been obsessing over the idea of thinking of an idea that I thought I'd go crazy. But I should have known better already. The best ideas come to you unexpected. And sometimes the best drawings are the drawings you only categorized as a doodle from the start.

I was bordering around the idea of using the Japanese fashion "Lolita" and the theme "Masquerades". I couldn't quite bring them together successfully though so I tried a different approach. I started doodling a random Lolita character and added strings on her hand. I liked what I did so I drew curtains, altered the outfit, added furs, boots and drew a little ornament in her head. It was then that Winter was born.

The other seasons were not drawn until about a week after, but all three were drawn on the same day. I drew them only once and that was it. Usually I would erase a whole lot and the end product would be totally different from where I begun, but not this time. What you see here is 95% the same as what I doodled originally. I don't know if it was the nice rainy weather, but something was really inspiring me that day. And whatever it was, I'm glad it did.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I honestly didn't think that I could do a better job than what I did last year (not meaning to say that what I did last year was so great, I only meant to say that I couldn't think up of a better idea for this year).

Marionettes are something that have always fascinated me. They remind me of carnivals and traditional carnivals are something I love. I gave each of them huge pink cheeks to make them more doll-like. As some of you probably already know, I really adore dolls. This concept was near to my heart and I think that's one of reasons why I got so into creating this and also the reason why I'm happy with the result. I was very happy while I was drawing this and that's essential for a good picture.

I plan on creating a short story, poem or any sort of literary piece for this drawing. I'll keep you guys posted.

Year of a Million Dreams

Introduction

(skip this part if you are aware of the campaign)

Disney Parks introduced their campaign "Year of a Million Dreams" last 2006. They extended it to 2007 and just recently, announced that they are extending it once again to 2008. This is a year-long campaign wherein Disneyland cast members pick guests at random each day and give them special rewards, from simple things such as fastpasses, to irreplaceable experiences such as a chance to stay overnight at the Cinderella Castle or have breakfast with all the Disney characters smack down in the middle of Main Street USA!

Take a look at these videos regarding the campaign (links at the bottom of this entry). The first is the official commercial. More visual imagery than info about the project. You can learn more about the project with the second and third video. The third link is just a link to the official website, but usually they have a video at the front page. If you're too lazy to open and watch them all, at least open the first one and tell me if you still don't believe in magic. :)

Cinderella Castle Suite

The prize that almost everybody wants (including me, of course) is the overnight stay at the Cinderella Castle Suite. This room is just amazing. It's very huge, the beds are very beautiful, the draperies are so detailed and elegant, the ceiling on top of your bathtub is full of sparkling stars and everything is just perfect. What could scream 'Princess for a Day!" more than an overnight stay here?!

Dream Makers

In their website, you can view videos of different cast members talking about their most memorable wish-granting experience. Some stories would really touch your heart, like letting a little girl (who has been looking for Snow White the entire day) actually meet and walk down the streets with her favorite princess. Or like giving fast passes to a little boy who had to leave early because he had a plane to catch despite not yet having ridden his favorite ride. I just find it so amazing that these lucky people are paid to make people's dreams come true. They're paid to be fairy godmothers! I wish my future job would be as satisfying. ^^

Annie Leibovitz Photoshoot

To promote this campaign Disney hired famous photographer Annie Leibovitz to portray famous personalities as Disney characters. The original set included pictures of Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella, Beyonce as Alice from Alice in Wonderland and David Beckham as Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. When the campaign was extended, two new photos were created, this time featuring Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, Roger Federer as King Arthur and Rachel Weisz as Snow White. (Pictures shown above, click for a bigger resolution)

I love EVERYTHING about this photoshoot; the concept, the artists they chose, the photographer, the slogans, EVERYTHING! The one with David Beckham was really amazing, like, this is exactly how you'd imagine your prince to be! And Scarlett Johansson and Rachel Weisz make the best princesses. Unbelievable. They chose just the right people and everything is perfect.

I've always wanted to be a photographer (just for good fun, not really professionally) but because of my many other hobbies and interests, I don't get to pursue all my dreams. If I ever do though, the kind of pictures I'd take would have concepts similar to these. I want to make stories, fairytales and other abstract things into something that people can now see and become more real to them.

Going to Disneyland!

Experiencing the everyday magic at Disneyland in itself is already a dream come true for many -- for me too! Being able to walk inside castles, hearing the magical music, going inside colorful and happy shops... this is what my heaven is made of. When I heard about this campaign, I got so excited and now, I don't think I've ever wanted to visit Disneyland this bad!

The last time I visited the Disney Parks in the US was when I was still 8 years old (1996) and since then a lot of things have already been added. Also, since I was still young then, I couldn't remember everything anymore. The other Disneylands were great (Tokyo, Disney Sea, Hong Kong) but nothing compares to the one at Florida and Anaheim. I want to go there next year! I don't care if all I get are silver mouse caps. Heehee ^^. I want to stay at the park for 5 days straight (since I spent 2 days at HK Disneyland, whose size is a million times smaller than the ones at the US haha).

Just to be able to visit the two Disney Parks again would be a dream come true for me already. I wish we would be able to visit next summer, though those are not yet part of our family plans.

But I guess I just have to never stop dreaming! Like they say, you'll never know when someone decides to make your dreams come true!

Links

Million Dreams Commercial
Million Dreams Promotion
Disney ParksOfficial Website

Watch the videos and fall in love with magic.

Favorite Disney Films

Everybody has their own favorite Disney feature film. For years I've been trying to find that one single movie which I can call my "favorite Disney film of all-time" but I could never really pick just one. And I don't really have to! Disney has produced a LOT of beautiful animated feature films and it's near impossible to pick an all-time favorite.

So I chose my top 3 favorites and those are Aladdin, Mulan and Peter Pan (in no particular order). The reasons why these three are at the top of my list is because they stood out for me personally. More than the other films, these three are the ones which bring back memories and make me feel different and happy in their own wonderful way.

The story of Peter Pan has appealed to me since the beginning. A story about a boy who didn't want to grow up, now what can be more sensible than that? I love the entire concept of Neverland, and the way it's divided (Mermaid Lagoon, Indian encampment etc.). I love the colors and the blending (which I have to credit partly to Mary Blair again! The genius has struck again!). My favorite scene is the one with the mermaid lagoon. I loved that scene as a kid and I still do up to this day. And of the nicest parts in the film was when George (Wendy's dad), at the last part of the movie, mentioned about the ship being very familiar to him. It's so sweet and nostalgic and that is my favorite emotion!

Aladdin has been my childhood favorite and Jasmine was my idol. I found that a lot of young girls my age back then all has Littler Mermaid as their favorite movie but somehow, Aladdin appealed to me more. I love the story, the concept and the theme. It's a breath of fresh air to see different cultures portrayed in Disney films. I also love how the scenery in Aladdin changes from time to time and never just stuck in one. It also helps that the backgrounds were very stylized. Watching behind the scenes features of this movie helped me understand and appreciate it even more. It's witty, funny, beautiful, but most of all, a classic.

With Mulan, it all began with my affinity to the Chinese culture obviously because I'm Chinese! The traditions, culture, beliefs and people were all elements that I was very familiar with and this was very nice to see in a film. I love Fa Mulan's legend and her character is just inspiring.

Which Disney films are you're favorite? :)

Hello Kitty Hell

I was shopping yesterday and came across a Sanrio store wherein I saw loads of adorable Hello Kitty items. Haha. Normally, Hello Kitty products don't really catch my eye but they had cute bags in tokidoki fashion, only with Hello Kitty's face on them (I'm not a tokidoki fan either but somehow, putting them together works). Often times, Hello Kitty strikes as corny and too cutesy (and sometimes annoying) but there are a handful of products which are really nice.

I am not a Hello Kitty fanatic in any way.

I then surfed the net hoping to find good pictures of those bags (and probably some other decent Hello Kitty products, if there are more) and came across this VERY FUNNY blog: Hello Kitty Hell. Read about the rantings of a husband whose wife is a hands down obsessed Hello Kitty fanatic. Read the entries wherein he writes about conversations that he and wife have and you'll understand why he really IS living in Hello Kitty Hell. They're so funny. You'll find all sorts of hilarious Hello Kitty products as well, which you never knew existed and wonder why they actually do.

Hello Kitty pantyliners, anyone?

Past Birthday Cakes

In one of my past entries entitled On Birthday Cakes I mentioned about having cute birthday cakes when I was younger. They are the "icing on the cake" (during birthdays), quite literally. Here are pictures of those cakes. Enjoy!

These first three pictures are cakes way way back. The one on the far left is a Mickey Mouse themed cake with cute little lollipops sticking out. I think during these times, well-decorated cakes weren't really that popular yet (Mickey looks odd in this one). The second picture, the one on the middle, is a Snow White themed one. I really like it because it's in pink! The one on the far right is a Sailor Moon themed. If I remember correctly, the little dolls there were actually part of my playset and we just stuck them to the cake. Haha.


This second batch is purely Disney themed. The first one, the Little Mermaid one, was done by a family friend of ours. She used my doll as a topper (and the Flounder too) but everything else, she did on her own! It was really great! The one on the middle was a cake from Goldilocks and what I love most about this are the colors! The red stairs is love. And last on this set is a simpler cake, but still cute nonetheless. Another Beauty and the Beast design. Dunno why I have 2 Beauty and the Beast cakes. Haha.

This last batch consists of my Bubbles (from Powerpuff Girls) and a flower doll toy thing I used to love very much. Like my old Sailormoon cake, the toppers on both of these cakes came from my own toy collection and we just stuck it to ready made square cakes. I had the Powerpuff cake when I was 10 I think (count the candles) and I remember that my mom at first didn't want me to have a Powerpuff cake because I was already "too old" for stuff like that. But meh. She just had to accept the fact that I grow up much much slower than others. Haha.

These cakes are cakes I had when I was younger. For two of my most recent cakes, you can see my other entry On Birthday Cakes ! :) One of my goals in life is to be able to design a cake entirely on my own (just design, since I really have no baking talent whatsoever). Maybe I'll do it for me next year!