RECENT WORK and a few words on partial nudity?

hey guys i just wanted to drop by to show you what i've been doing.

COMMISSIONED WORK

here's that Donnie Brasco translated to the shirt for my client


PERSONAL PROJECTS
here is a sneak peek of one piece from a collection of work i've been trying to get together since the fall. i can't wait to reveal them!



WORKING WITH MORNINGSIDE SCHOOL OF ARTS and the VERDUGO BROTHERS
JUST finished work on MSA's design for the cover of THE Verdugo Brother's "UNFORGETTABLE NIGHTS" album. justin has shot photography for these guys, before (some shots garnering over 100s of comments on their music myspace haha). but this is the first time i got to help with editing. i loved working on this project because justin's aesthetics and my design knowledge seemed to really drive what the guys wanted. they're a pretty notorious duo and it's an honor to have done this.
grab a CD @ virgin, best buy, target, beatport, amazon... MARCH 3 !!!!!!!!!!


RANDOM THOUGHT (aka: some words on partial nudity in retail advertisement)
it has come to my attention that partial nudity has become a little more widespread than usual in retail advertisement for the younger, urban 20 somethings. i came upon american apparel's ad flashing on the sidebar of an urban digest site and some shots in urban outfitter's latest catalogue.
i know american apparel has intentionaly used flash photography and concepts like "she really likes her socks". at school it's a bit of a joke we repeat that they have made Helvetica "dirty". even deeper than that, their models return the gaze of the viewer. something that, in visual history, signifies a person LIKING being watched. (for example, in history, portraits of nude women usually have their subject returning the gaze and men are usually in the middle of an action, too busy to gratify the viewer.)
... now, urban outfitter's got their muse-like, thin, bored girls in grainy black and white photos, partially nude. they're not looking at the camera- they are like goddesses that you watch go through their glamorous lives without acknowledging you. they seem to be doing their daily routines -they are acting, not offering themselves. the models are slouching, not showing their curves -as an ex-model, i know that slouching is a pose models use for female target audiences. furthermore, the photos are placed beside type that seems treated to look like scrawled notes from someone's journal.
hmmmm... regardless of selling clothes off of alluring people into wanting to be "in your face sexy" or wanting to be "drenched in a glamourous lifestyle", i'm not too shocked. feels like it's inevitable. i mean, partial nudity's been done, before. and as a style fan, i'm use to seeing photos from runway shows where women are scantily covered or clothed. not that i would agree with letting myself be the same. what i am wondering is whether or not these brands will be as barraged with public conversation as Abercrombie and Fitch has.

Some Projects

hey here's a sneak peek at a few things i worked on this past week


1) for her friend, the trucker, from Colorado. a shirt inspired by the Rockies, semis and the Colorado license plate green. the truck thing is not an image i work with a lot so i used a lot of the style the client likes in my work within this piece. simplified.



2) for her bf, who apparently has the same initials as Donnie Brasco- his favorite movie. this graphic is blown up on the front of the tee... "fuhget abaht it!" also another type of imagery i don't work on often, but it was actually pretty fun to work on an aggressive-guyish graphic.



3) latest coloring of an illustration. my colleague and i are working out color finalization for this because we have big plans for it.


future: an MSA collab for local music artists// a collab that depicts an angry puppy... and a few projects i already had on the list.

<333>

THE ANGRY DAY

4th rough of this concept finally inked. yay mini Totoros and Domo Kun!

and here's the digitally colored version! don't know if this will be chosen to be finalized but im happy with it! best photoshop coloring ive done, to date. <3

RECENT ILLUSTRATIONS

RECENT


Maybel and me.


DOG, MA.


Chubs.


Onward to the Golden Igloo. RIP yoyo


Spoiled.


NOVEMBER

If what you see is what you get.

Dear Ms. Socialite.

I'm the Shh.

OCTOBER (awaiting finalization)

Chandelier Girl

Some Good Things can't last

ive still got a long list of ideas i want to finalize. can't wait for the day when i have more time! =) <3

PRE VIZ and LOVING

loving the new miss dior cherie ad campaign. so feminine, sweet! love the concept. and i always wondered how type would look as a ribbon!

recent creation i will be playing with:

"your bs, my fertilizer"
have been toying with this concept for a while now. nice to have the final concept down.

DESIGN PREVIZ- pets own you.

here's the lastest evolution of that dog one.
tell me what you think guys

DESIGN PREVIZ- sunset

k ive been playing with this idea but the shirts i can print on cannot print stripes the way i want. tell me how you guys feel about how i changed the concept of this graphic:
BEFORE

AFTER

DESIGN PREVIZ- stars

hey everyone. worked on a different layout and font for the "nothing is written in the stars" graphic, for future shirt...
BEFORE:


CURRENT STAGE:



the O format feels risky but i like it better on the tee than the blockiness of the second design. tell me how you feel about the font. i like it but some dont.. suggestions?

Oh, lal-a

thank you to so many special people for the encouragement to finally start a blog for my art =)

nany dada and yellow lady fans can stop by here whenever for a little helping to what's been on my table -drawing and computer desk, if you will- most recently. feel free to give much welcome critique on any pieces that i have in progress! coming up will be some previews of the sketch project i've most recently started -a set of about 11 that still aren't all cranked out yet. also, i am intending to post a self interview haha... it will include a lot of clues as to what nany dada is all about.

still tweaking designs.

oh and to my supporters, if you have any pics of yourselves with my art, i'd love to see em.


bestie in limited edition print from earlier season =)

LOVING:
1) birds never fly away from cars, anymore.
2) i rediscovered my favorite brand of childhood porcelain dog miniatures.
3) i love cupcakes buy me a cupcake and not a drink on my 21st. beso!
4) pam and jim... forever.
5) it is breast cancer awareness month. and on a different note, yes, i will be voting, this year.
6) geoffrey nunberg is hilarious.