AimoStudio

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T01:31:00.001+08:00

Silly Skyrim Dragonborn meets an Eastern Dragon :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T01:35:00.000+08:00

Happy 2012, Year of the Dovah! (That’s ‘dragon’ for you non-Skyrim folk ^o^)
First artwork of the year :3

Star Wars Artist Returns on Ebay

2011-10-07T20:54:00.000+08:00

Link to auction here

Just started working on my Galaxy 6 blank artist returns, and taking it slow this time to experiment. This one features Funeral Padme Amidala and Darth Vader.

The artwork uses mixed media technique: Padme is drawn on manga paper using a G-pen and coloured using Copic markers. She is then carefully cut and pasted onto the official cardstock using Modge Podge that has a marker-rendered Darth Vader. The artwork is then completed with details done in gouache, pen white, and colour pencils.

You can have a peek at the production process here:

Also relisted my Clone Wars Season 2 Artist Return:

Link to auction here

Thanks for viewing!

Star Wars and Marvel Artist Return/Proof Auctions!

2011-09-26T04:39:00.002+08:00

New cards up on Ebay~

Link to auction

Also, my Artfire Store is updated with new stuff.

Thanks for viewing!

Large Format Art Auctions on Ebay

2011-09-11T14:28:00.001+08:00

Putting up some large format art done for official projects on Ebay for 3 days!

DUNGEON DOLLS BASE CARD ART - Link to Auction

DREAMERS OF DARKNESS BASE CARD ART - Link to Auction

LADY DEATH ALL-STARS interior illustration - Link to Auction

VOLTRON: UNITED AND DRAWN interior illustration - Link to Auction

Thanks for viewing!

Instagram Time!

2011-09-09T22:18:00.001+08:00

Instagram shots

2011-09-06T01:15:00.000+08:00

Instagram shots

2011-09-05T03:24:00.000+08:00

Snapshots of selected artworks with the Instagram app

What I'd Like to See On My Display Shelf One Fine Day, Mass Effect Edition

2011-09-05T01:41:00.000+08:00

Just playing around with what-if figurine ideas...

When Balthier Bunanza himself recs your gallery, you KNOW your day is made :D

2011-08-25T17:35:00.003+08:00

Thank you to Gideon Emery for the shoutout on his Twitter! For those who came to this gallery from that direction, welcome and please enjoy your visit :D If you're curious to see the sketch he mentioned, here it is:

And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't take-in the awesomeness with such grace and poise:

Very GPOY, this T^T

Official Sketch Cards for sale on Ebay

2011-08-24T11:31:00.003+08:00

Less than 24 hours to go!

STAR WARS

MARVEL

FEMALE PERSUASION ft MANDY

LADY DEATH

Thanks for viewing!

Artworks and Books for sale

2011-05-29T00:49:00.005+08:00

Self-Published Books

YonGumix #6 Comic Anthology - Click here for more information

Iron Man 2 Artist Proof sketch cards on Ebay

Black Widow - Click for more info

She-Hulk - Click for more info

Iron Man vs Thor - Click for more info

Chibi Wasp - Click for more info

Chibi Enchantress - Click for more info

Chibi Iron Man - Click for more info

Sketchcards at my Artfire Store

Jealousy - Click here for more information

Heroes of Ferelden - Click here for more information

Original Comic Pages

Permission - Click here for more information

Matchmaking - Click here for more information

Ooops

2011-05-19T18:21:00.004+08:00

So, uh, it's been 5 months after the last update @_@ I am a bad, bad website maintainer ;A;

Anyway, something new: A personal sketch card I recently completed, and an accompanying Youtube video of the colouring process to boot!

View the Colouring Process Video on Youtube.

This piece is also for sale. Click here for more info.

Enjoy!

Proper Update of 2011

2011-01-16T03:55:00.006+08:00

Hey everyone,

This would be the first proper website update of the new year. Let me get straight into the meaty matter:

Work Information
Updated this section with more projects that I was involved in last year, and the ones I'm already well into for 2011.

Sketch Cards: Official Licensed Work
Slowly updating this section with card selections for each set; Thanks for your patience! This time I've uploaded my limited number of cards for 5finity's Mandy set from 2009.

AimoStudio's Artfire Store
I opened an online store for my original, hand-drawn art such as sketch cards, large format art, and comic pages. You don't have to be a member to browse or purchase the listed art there so please feel free to visit the store, and procure one or two if something catches your eye ;)

Thanks for visiting :)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T03:01:00.000+08:00

Star Wars Galaxy Series 6

2010-12-31T02:53:00.000+08:00

I'm one of the sketch card artists for Topps' upcoming Star Wars Galaxy Series 6 Trading Card Set. Just received a notice from a fellow artist a few days ago that one of my cards, a Princess Leia piece (in fact, the very first one I drew when I started working on the batch) is featured in the Promo Sheet on the lower right corner.

Amazon, You Evil Sales Machine

2010-12-01T03:01:00.002+08:00

I barely survived through Black Friday to Cyber Monday with my purse thoroughly devoured by Blu-Ray purchases. Thanks, Amazon T_T

Anyway, in order to combat the sparseness of updates, here's an update with personal sketch cards I've done.

Oh, that darned cat(woman)!

Medium: G-pen, Copic markers, pen white

Saladin the Animated Series Begins!

2010-11-19T14:13:00.001+08:00

To Fellow Malaysians,

Saladin the Animated Series, an animation production I worked on from 2006-2009 as a storyboard artist is finally premiering on local TV (it's had a head-start in Middle Eastern countries like Qatar, etc). It's a fictional take on the young (mis)adventures of Saladin, the man who would eventually become one of the prominent figures in history. The cartoon is full of action, friendship, intrigue, and romance, and it's a show I had a lot of fun working on alongside many talented people.

So if you can, catch the weekly show with family and friends starting this Saturday Nov 20 on TV1 at 7:30pm, with repeats on Sunday morning at 9:30am.

I hope you enjoy the fruits of our labour!

And for the record, Saladin is absolutely NOT Aladdin; It's the western name of actual historical figure Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb, whom you can read more about here ; The most prominent depiction of him to date in the English-speaking world is in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven).

Marvel Heroes & Villains, Part 2

2010-10-15T17:16:00.001+08:00

Cards 11 to 20! :D

Marvel Heroes & Villains

2010-10-14T04:59:00.001+08:00

Since I've been given the green light to show this...

Here's the first batch of sketch cards I did for Rittenhouse Archives' Marvel Heroes and Villains Trading Card Set, on sale Oct 20, 2010. I did 151 cards altogether, so it's going to be 15 days of 10 new cards per update More to come!

Interview in CUTOUT Magazine

2010-09-23T15:54:00.001+08:00

I'm one of the artists interviewed in the article "10 Best Illustrators From Malaysia & Singapore" in CUTOUT Magazine Vol.1 Issue 03. It's an honour to be selected and featured among the many artists present in this write-up, for just doing something I love for a living (And I get to name drop various muses too, hoho!) :) Available at selected bookshops in the Klang Valley.

Art for Sale: Female Persuasion

2010-09-23T04:20:00.000+08:00

These are the Artist Exclusive cards I received back for my work on 5finity Productions' Female Persuasion featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Charity Edition Trading Cards. They are drawn on official card stock.

Each card is USD$75, price including shipping and handling to anywhere in the world; Please note that I accept Paypal only. Contact me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com if you are interested in any of them.

Art for Sale: Wide/Tall Sketch Cards

2010-09-23T04:04:00.003+08:00

Each wide/tall sketch card is USD$35, price including shipping and handling to anywhere in the world; Please note that I accept Paypal only. Contact me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com if you are interested in any of them.

"A Hero's Reward"

2.5" x 4.7"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Vellum Bristol

"Happiness"

2.5" x 4.7"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Vellum Bristol

"Bon Vivant"

4.7" x 2.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Vellum Bristol

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...

2010-09-03T18:50:00.001+08:00

You know you've drawn quite a lot of Dragon Age fan art when the Lead Designer of Dragon Age 2 mentions the notorious Varric Pillow in the latest DA2 podcast :B

Idea courtesy of The Krazy Kids in the Varric Thread at the Bioware Social Site ^o^

Framed Art

2010-08-25T16:55:00.001+08:00

As seen on the wall of Kris Kersey's home:

Three of my Star Wars Galaxy 4 cards, now looking 100x more awesome with the framed treatment <3

Kris is an uber art connoisseur, Star Wars fan, and the administrator of Sketchcollectors.com, a gallery which showcases sketch cards uploaded by artists and collectors.

It's a treat for to see how my art is displayed by collectors, because I never seem to get around presenting my own art on the walls of my home...most of them are stored in my files and folders after completion :P

Art for Sale: Sketch Cards

2010-08-25T06:18:00.003+08:00

Each card is USD$25, price including shipping and handling to anywhere in the world; Please note that I accept Paypal only. Contact me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com if you are interested in any of them.

"Best Friends Forever"- SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Smooth Bristol

"Puppy Eyes" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Smooth Bristol

"Cullen"

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Smooth Bristol

March of Dimes Sketch Card Auction

2010-08-22T14:45:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to to give the holler that 5 sketch cards I drew are up for auction on Ebay as part of the March of Dimes charity drive. Please bid to purchase my drawings of your favourite characters, and you can contribute to a good cause at the same time.

The sketch cards on auction are:

Katara, from Avatar the Last Airbender

She-Ra, Princess of Power

Morrigan, from Dragon Age: Origins

Wonder Woman

Gambit

Thank you!

Art in PC Powerplay #181

2010-08-01T15:53:00.003+08:00

Wooo, editorial art! This piece is featured in the Generation XX column in the newly released PC Powerplay #181, an Australian gaming mag.

Genre for Original Works/Stories Poll

2010-07-25T14:39:00.001+08:00

Heya

If you have a bit of time to spare, do drop in this poll I'm having to see what genres viewers/readers prefer in my original creations. If you can leave more feedback in the poll's comments, even more fantastic! Thanks!

Winter is Coming

2010-07-22T23:51:00.000+08:00

Guess who's excited about the upcoming A Game of Thrones mini-series from HBO? :D :D :D

Sketch Card Art Blog Interview

2010-07-17T11:26:00.000+08:00

I was interviewed by the wonderful Jessica Hickman about my sketch card work; You can read it here.

Thanks, Jess!

Art for Sale: P'UPS Artist Exclusives

2010-07-10T11:05:00.002+08:00

These are some of the Artist Exclusive cards I received back for my work on 5finity Productions' P'UPS: Pin-ups and Puppies featuring Mandy & Skoots Trading Card Set, where artists had to draw 50 different puppy breeds with 50 pin-up style girls. They are drawn on official card stock.

The listed prices include shipping and handling to anywhere in the world; Please note that I accept Paypal only. Contact me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com if you are interested in any of them.

"Mandy & Skoots"

USD$100
2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers

"French Bulldog"

USD$70
2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers

"Chihuahua"

USD$60
2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers

Art for Sale: The Pro Artist Exclusives

2010-07-10T10:51:00.001+08:00

These are some of the Artist Exclusive cards I received back for my work on 5finity Productions' The Pro Trading Card Set, based on the comic by Garth Ennis, Amanda Conner, and Jimmy Palmiotti. They are drawn on official card stock, and approved by the license holders.

Each card is USD$100, price including shipping and handling to anywhere in the world; Please note that I accept Paypal only. Contact me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com if you are interested in any of them.

"The Pro"

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers

"The Pro & The Saint"

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers

Art for Sale: Sketch Cards

2010-07-08T22:21:00.009+08:00

Besides commissions, I've been getting questions from collectors lately on whether I have any original/traditional medium art available for sale. I've decided to put a selection of sketch cards I have done during my leisure time. Each card is USD$25, price including shipping and handling to anywhere in the world; Please note that I accept Paypal only. Contact me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com if you are interested in any of them.

"The Crimson Witch" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Smooth Bristol

"Embrace" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Smooth Bristol

"The Antivan Assassin" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Watercolours on Arches Hot Press watercolour paper

"The Orlesian Bard" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Watercolours on Arches Hot Press watercolour paper

"Intimacy" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Strathmore Smooth Bristol

"Neytiri" - SOLD

2.5" x 3.5"

Copic Markers on Ivory Card

New Fan Comics section opened!

2010-07-07T22:36:00.000+08:00

If you follow my gallery at DeviantArt, then you'll know that I do a truckload of fan comics. I just opened a little corner just to house a selection of my favourites over at Comics > Fan Comics. The amount of comics in there is still small at the moment, but it will grow as I update.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to reorganizing we go...

2010-07-07T00:00:00.004+08:00

Hey there, visitors.

How you've been? Hope that summer is treating you well...because it sure is hotter where I am X_X

I'm doing little bit of re-structuring to this website, in order to make it into a more simple viewing experience for you (and less of a pain in the bum to update for me ^o^). I've already started reworking the Official Licensed Works under the Sketch Cards section, and will continue to update it with more stuff I've worked on in the coming days.

Also updated are Information > Work Credits to reflect the latest professional gigs I've done so far (those lapses in updating this website have reasons behind them now, ha!).

There are also adjustments in Information > Commission Info; Biggest change in there is that Large Format Art Commissions are closed for now as there's been a surge in clients for that...if you'd like to be in the waiting list, just email me at aimostudio[at]gmail.com to be added. For those who have been contacted before about my commissions availability, you are already added into the list.

To commemorate the release of Dragon Age: Origin's latest DLC, Leliana's Song, later today...here's a Leliana sketch card I finished yesterday :)

Empire Strikes Back 3D!

2010-05-21T11:46:00.000+08:00

Okay. Slow updater is slow T_T

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back, my favourite Star Wars film of all time.

While I haven't posted the rest of the sketch cards I work on for the accompanying trading card set, I'd like to commemorate the day by posting all the Artist Returns I drew. Yay?

Sketch cards for Empire Strikes Back 3D

2010-03-10T12:59:00.001+08:00

Just posting an update on one of the projects I'm currently working on: I'm drawing sketch cards for Topps' Empire Strikes Back 3D Trading Card Set, to be released in conjunction with the movie's 30th Anniversary in May 2010.

Oh, you bet that there's going to be a lot of Han Solo cards from me :)

Dragon Age: Origins comic - The Revelation

2010-03-02T12:44:00.001+08:00

Oooh, now here's a treat for Dragon Age: Origins players.

I was fortunate enough to be able to collaborate with David Gaider, Lead Writer for Dragon Age: Origins, on this short comic; It features one of the scenes that ended up on the cutting-room floor of a conversation between Alistair and Morrigan. Since it is set after the Landsmeet, the comic contains spoilers.

This is Page 1 out of 8. You can read the rest of the comic at the Bioware Blog.

Star Wars Galaxy 5

2010-03-02T12:37:00.000+08:00

Okay, I can't believe I totally forgot about this one: Topps' Star Wars Galaxy 5 trading card set was released late last month, and I did 100 sketch cards for it. Very ESB and KOTOR I & II centric stuff from me...until I realized I'll be working on the upcoming Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary set. Can we have a D'OH? On hindsight, I should've drawn more ANH and ROTJ :P

Sketch Cards - Star Wars Fiesta!

2010-02-23T22:30:00.003+08:00

This sketch card pimpage is an excuse to update before February is over T_T

All coloured with Copics. Speaking of which, it is highly irritating when I keep getting a colour or two that I already have when I buy a batch of Copic markers at the art store T_T

Two valentines for the price of one!

2010-02-15T10:19:00.001+08:00

Happy (belated) V-Day!

Here's a sweet and innocent one...

And a cheeky one :3

Greywardens.com Interview

2010-02-11T20:55:00.003+08:00

Going to be away upstate until the 16th for the Lunar New Year holidays, and spending the last few hours awake tonight on packing for the trip; How much clothes to bring? What toiletries I can live four days without? Don't forget the cellphone chargerrrrrrrrr!!

Le sigh.

Well, at least there's something to update:

An Interview with Yours Truly at Greywardens.com

When you look at my DeviantArt gallery, I am indeed that much of a rabid fangirl of Dragon Age: Origins :D

(Oh hey, first update of February T_T)

2010 is here!

2010-01-01T01:10:00.003+08:00

Return to Ostagar

2009-12-31T12:10:00.003+08:00

New DLC for Dragon Age this Jan 5th! I'm so excited for it that I had to doodle something quick!

It will be a glorious quest for vengeance and righteous smacking :D

If there's an award for the most lazy updater ever...

2009-12-28T19:33:00.002+08:00

...I would so win it!

Happy Holidays and (just in case!) Happy New Year, y'all.

Back from the US of A

2009-08-09T08:46:00.002+08:00

So much for the travel blog, huh? Turns out, blogger is not so easy to update from a cellphone T_T

Anyway, it's been almost a week since I arrived home. Was suffering a major case of jetlag in the past few days, only to recover the last day before going back to work (yaaaaay T_T).

Elaborating on the trip would be a long endeavour, so I'd just like to post a few photos first before updating sporadically during upcoming days.

Off to SDCC'09!

2009-07-21T18:12:00.001+08:00

Flying off tomorrow morning! Will be updating my mis-adventures in the Sunny State at the blog below:

Aimo@SDCC'09 Travel Blog

See ya there!

UPDATE: YonGumix MEOW at SDCC'09!

2009-07-03T10:59:00.001+08:00

YonGumi's latest comic anthology is coming to San Diego Comic Con 2009! The 48-page book features short comics and artworks by Hanie, Eisu, Mel, and Yours Truly.

The anthology will be available at the Blatant Comics booth #1328 on all four days, while stocks last. If you purchase a copy when I'm around at the booth, I'll be more than happy to doodle a quick sketch inside as thanks. If I'm unavailable, please bring the book on another day for me to sketch in.

Fan comic sightings

2009-07-03T10:53:00.004+08:00

Two of my Dragon Age fan comic strips are up on the Bioware Blog:

The Magic Word, featuring Alistair

Strange Bedfellows, featuring Morrigan, Dog, and a lil' bit of Alistair.

:3

More goodies in grey

2009-07-03T10:29:00.004+08:00

Tusken Raider

Arwen Undomiel

Poison Ivy

All artworks are done with ink, Copic markers, and pen white on manga paper.

Comics!

2009-06-20T19:39:00.002+08:00

The Comics section of this website is now open!

Browse through the menu on the left to see them. Enjoy!

(If you can't see the menu, it's because you directly entered the blog that's integrated into the website rather than the website itself - Restart your visit from the top here)

More sketches, yes?

2009-06-19T18:27:00.002+08:00

Posting some old and new sketches...

Yes, you read her T-shirt RIGHT.

Brush pen randomness

A virtual cookie to whomever that manages to guess this fellow's identity.

Madam Translator, Composer Nobuo Uematsu and Conductor Arnie Roth during the Q&A after the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concert at the Esplanade, Singapore. I saw with my own eyes the man who composed the greatest FF battle music ever, Clash on the Big Bridge EEEEEEEE <3

And....yeah, a bit more Dragon Age fan stuff @_@

Morrigan colour sketch

It's hard having an altruistic party when one member is not into the art of helping people.

YonGumix MEOW at SDCC'09!

2009-06-19T10:36:00.002+08:00

Comic and sketches

2009-06-16T10:27:00.003+08:00

More Dragon Age fan stuff!

Fan Comics!

2009-06-13T14:19:00.003+08:00

I've been drawing fan comics lately.
These two are Dragon Age, Bioware's upcoming Dark Fantasy RPG.

And this one is a Star Trek parody which I forgot to post here despite drawing it right after 'Moe Trek'.

Enjoy :)

Ladies in Grey

2009-06-13T14:10:00.004+08:00

Phoenix (X-Men), Padme Amidala (Star Wars), and Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII)

All done with Copics, with highlights in white gel pen.

Chekov

2009-05-18T00:54:00.004+08:00

He's pretty much set as the Enterprise's mascot.

More Sketches

2009-04-20T10:43:00.004+08:00

Some doodles I did before the weekend; I accidentally left my thumbdrive at work, so I couldn't post them with the previous batch.

3 Sketches and an Illo

2009-04-19T01:16:00.003+08:00

A few sketches, old and new...

...and my entry for the Darkstalkers Tribute. Didn't make it in, so makes sense to post it up.

Sketchcrawl'09 Sketches

2009-04-19T01:02:00.002+08:00

This year's Malaysian Sketchcrawl was held in Aquaria, KLCC. Below are the stuff I managed to draw while exploring the aquarium.

Obviously there were no Merpeople in the aquarium as seen in pics 2 & 3 :P

KOMIKOO #8 - My comic's inside :D

2009-02-22T01:10:00.002+08:00

To Malaysians: The latest issue of Komikoo magazine (#8) is out in news stands and bookstores nationwide. I contributed a one-shot comic entitled Penebusan (trans. Redemption), so you might wanna check this out as well as other awesome comic stories inside.

Below are a couple of preview pages of said comic.

Star Wars Galaxy 4 is out!

2009-02-19T12:30:00.004+08:00

February 18 was yesterday. Which was the release date of Topps' Star Wars Galaxy 4! AAH XD

It was a cool experience because in addition to the Classic Trilogy, I indulged in a bit of KOTOR-related fangirlism in some of the cards XD

Whoever pulls any of the 9-part puzzle I drew , congratulations/many apologies. It could be painful or gratifying to the completeist, hopefully the latter XD

So far I've seen two of my sketch cards pulled by a forum poster and on Ebay. I hope to see more in the upcoming days :D

Size DOES matter

2009-01-31T00:44:00.002+08:00

For the longest time I've not attempted any digital sketching. It was frustrating that nothing seem to ever come out right, each stroke/line felt lacking in precision and weight. I was put off drawing digitally because of this, turning to manual sketching for most of my more recent artworks.

Yesterday night, after 2+ years of using my 4x5 Intuous3 tablet, I decided to switch back to my 9x12 Intuous2 as a test at first. Combined with my new 24" monitor, everything seemed to click. My right hand actually felt free, with drawing space no longer a restriction.

Welcome back, Blackmore :)

Lunar New Year

2009-01-24T06:57:00.001+08:00

I'll be away until Wednesday as I'll be celebrating the Lunar New Year at my grandparents. So any e-mails or messages will be replied to when I get back.

Happy Year of the Ox! :D

9 days later...

2009-01-09T03:03:00.002+08:00

...I finally revamped my website for the new year! Added a freakin' lot of stuff to the site, namely the sketch card galleries. Plus there's stuff up for sale at the Store :D I'll work on getting some prints available soon.

Anyway, Happy 2009!

Hunk-a-Day sketches

2008-12-22T21:41:00.004+08:00

#1 - Nathan Drake from Uncharted

#2 - Okita Souji from Hakuouki

#3 - Hijikata Toshizou from Hakuouki

#4 - Macbeth from Gargoyles

#5 - Sirius Black from Harry Potter

Star Wars Galaxy 4

2008-12-17T15:58:00.001+08:00

My first batch of sketch cards for Topps' Star Wars Galaxy 4 trading card set:

I'm drawing 208 cards for this set ^_^

I don't even know what to say...

2008-12-12T10:58:00.003+08:00

...since my last update was eons ago.

Anyway, just a head's up on what I've been up to lately.

Did official sketch card work for Upper Deck's Marvel Masterpieces...

...and also sketch cards for Topps' Indiana Jones Masterpieces.

Currently working on Star Wars Galaxy 4 sketch cards. No previews up yet though...probably in the New Year.

A little bit of sketch card commissions...

And the occasional Clone Wars fan art. Ahsoka's bad babysitting day in water colour on pen.

I'm also currently in the midst of revamping this site, to shift out older art and streamlining the layout. Nothing fancy-schmancy, just functional. It will be up by Jan 1, 2009.

Agent of Chaos

2008-07-21T12:54:00.002+08:00

"Why so serious?"

My quick take on Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight. His intensity in creating chaos on both small and large scale is mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time. It's sad we won't be able to see this performance repeated in the future.

Watched TDK with pals last Thursday night in a geek-filled cinema. Loved every minute of the 2 1/2 hour ride :)

RE: Hellboy II - The Golden Army

2008-07-13T04:30:00.004+08:00

Prince Nuada, main antagonist of Hellboy II

It doesn't happen often for me, but Hellboy II was one of those rare cases where I actually rooted for the villain instead of the hero...because Hellboy was just not likeable! I am aware that he, his team-mates and their story are interpreted differently in each medium (comics, film, animation), but Hellboy acted way too much like an immature brat in this movie for me to actually have empathy for him. And his romance with Liz? Oiyh, cheesy and petty lines abound as if they're trying the darndest to convince everyone that they have chemistry (Sorry guys, NADA.) I could go on and on, but I'm not really up to writing a review at 4:30 a.m.

To its credit though, the movie boasts beautiful art direction and creature design, and I love the interpretation of elves as beings of otherworldly beauty that are also grotesque at the same time. And looking at the martial arts choreography for Prince Nuada, my housemate and I agreed he can kick Legolas' ass easily in a hand-to-hand brawl :P

Miss Sunshine

2008-07-12T10:31:00.000+08:00

Was musing with an idea of a sour-faced, punkish nanny with an ironic name...

Just sketching in the morning with a brush pen I bought in Tokyo. It flows really nice on smooth bristol. I wish Strathmore pads are easily available in Malaysia; I've been sloooooowly using the one I got while in San Diego in 2006.

Le sigh

2008-07-11T21:29:00.001+08:00

Sketch of housemate during dinner at a nearby kopitiam.

Weekend is here, but I'm feeling pretty much bummed out. I wish I could switch the world off for a bit, but life must go on.

The Clone Wars Trading Card Set

2008-07-02T17:33:00.001+08:00

I checked Topps' Clone Wars website earlier today and noticed this listing.

Click to view larger image

I guess it's safe to say now that I'm one of the artists who worked on sketch cards in this set :D Can't post any of my cards yet though, until the trading cards go on sale on July 26th. Until then.

And man, I suck at updating! May 9th?! T_T

Are you GARR for GURREN LAGANN?!!

2008-05-10T01:13:00.001+08:00

I didn't post a notice about this earlier; In April, I went to Tokyo for a week-long family vacation. It was a lovely time in a foreign land for me...a good thing too, since I'm pretty bummed that I have to pass on San Diego this summer because of unexpected circumstances (eg. $5000+ for return tickets to/from LAX...wtfomgbbq).

I won't be writing about the vacation though, because I am too lazy (it's 1 a.m. and the weekend's just started...jelly limb time). I'll try to post the photos I took now and then.

I did however plonk obscene amounts of cash on shopping, buying stuff like the ones below:

Akihabara is a DANGEROUS place for a Gurren Lagann fan. This photo doesn't even include the other GL books I bought like the Groundworks and numerous doujinshi.

And thus, this post is a segway to a GL fan art I whipped up after work at the office, featuring Yoko from the back.

All drawn and coloured in Photoshop+Painter. Yoko may seem like a fan-service for the GL novice, but I grew to really like her character!

Happy Birthday Leah

2008-05-08T17:13:00.001+08:00

My sis-in-law's birthday was yesterday, and this is the gift art I made for her.

GACC'08

2008-03-04T00:13:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, my doujinshi group 'YonGumi' and friends went down to Malacca to participate in GACC'08, a games/anime/comic convention. It was held in Multimedia University Malacca campus (where I spent my Pre-U days...SO MUCH HAS CHANGED!), and the event was organized by its resident anime club EMINA. I was looking forward to sell our stuff which includes a Time Machine CD (archiving older YonGumi books) and the A2-sized Gurren Lagann GATTAI Poster, not to mention to catch the event's Guest of Honour ;) More on that later.

DAY 1
This was my first GACC, and truth be told I wasn't expecting much considering the event was held outside of Kuala Lumpur...and isn't the venue just a uni hall?

Boy, was I ever so WRONG.

I arrived ready to register my gang's booth at 10:30 a.m. and the hall was already PACKED. I was already panicking at that point, seeing there was still a lot more finishing touches I had to do before we opened for business. My gang rushed through the setting up even as the opening ceremony commenced, Gurren Lagann's anthem 'Sora Iro Days' blaring in the background. When we wre done, we settled in and started selling.

Besides us, there were a number of other doujin booths as well, selling books and merchandise such as posters, trinkets, stationery, etc...

There were also other activities running concurrently throughout the day, such as board games...

Model kit contests...

And cosplay madness. Yes, readers, someone did cosplay as Hard Gay, that flamboyantly eccentric Japanese groin gyrater. He was strutting around the hall gyrating at visitors and cosplayers alike, complete with his signature "FUUUUUUUUUUU~!!!"

I have to admit, I was a little freaked out by all the groin-gyrating action in Day 1. But heck, you've gotta respect a dude who prances around in S&M gear with short shorts, staying in character until his legs ache. By Day 2, it was hard not to find Hard Gay funny as hell (turns out he's a committee member, ha ha!).

And here's a shot of the YonGumi booth. See that Gurren Lagann poster; It's full of GATTAI spirit!!

Hanie and I, caught working on commissions.

Sales were okay. There was a steady flow of patrons at our booth.

But it's not everyday we get Kaonashi from Spirited Away to browse our stuff!

I did a couple of commissions during both days.
This one is of a character from AIR.

Sailor Saturn, looking not the bit waif-ish at all @_@

Gurren Lagann's Yoko, done for Faizal, one of GACC's committee members. Thanks for helping and checking up on us now and then. Very kind of you!

I also did an FFXII commission of Ashe/Basch, but I forgot to snap a photo of it. It's kinda sad for me, because it turned out not half bad at all ;_;

DAY 2
The hall is significantly more crowded that day, due to the exodus of KL folk on a Sunday. And I bet it was because of another special reason too ;)

Oh, I wonder who will be sitting there on stage?

Masakazu Morita, THAT'S WHO! The seiyuu of Tidus (FFX), Ichigo Kurosaki (BLEACH), and Teru Saeki from Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Kiss! Let the KYAA-fest begin!!

You'd think he looked good on print, but he was absolutely ADORABLE in real life! He brought so much energy to the hall after his arrival, communicating to the fans in both English and Japanese (considering he only had 2 hours of sleep at the time).

I remember that my friend Phui Mun (fellow TMGS2 fan) and I kept remarking at how his speaking voice sounded so much like Saeki...and we kept kyaa-ing like the baka fangirls we are :P I swear, I think we were the ONLY Tokimemo GS2 fangirls there (we were crazy enough to hunt down the game when it first came out on the PS2, because local vendors did not stock the game. OTAKU.)

Morita-san sat down to answer questions prepared by the committee, and 4 lucky fans got to ask him a question each on stage personally. 1 didn't turn up when called...what a wasted opportunity!

EDIT: Now that I am a bit rested, I'll try to summarize how the Q&A went.

Questions were asked as soon as Morita-san sat down; They range from (do note I'm basing this off my memory, so the gist is there) :

"How did you get into voice-acting?"
(I couldn't catch much of this one) He had been involved in general acting before Final Fantasy X came along, and Tidus was his first seiyuu role.

"Who's your favourite character?"
Tidus.

"What kind of character do you like to portray?"
Heroic ones, with a sense of justice. He did mention he'd like to try an 'okama' role one day XD;;

"What the most difficult thing about your line of work?"
Needing to completely focus when projecting his voice. He said that different roles had varying levels of vocal control, and demonstrated by dropping his voice a bit to be Ichigo Kurosaki...imagine having to talk like that and also scream whenever his character is in action scenes (which in BLEACH, is A LOT). He projects his voice from his stomach, and sometimes he he can feel the voice pressure on his neck! So he needs to be careful as well.

"Who's your role-model as a seiyuu?"
Touru Furuya, who incidentally was the previous seiyuu for Saint Pegasus in Saint Seiya; Morita-san has taken over the helm in the newly-done sequel OVA.

Morita-san said that he had done a lot of different kinds of work in his life so far (waiter, rollercoaster attendant, etc) and tells the fans that if they have the chance to gain experiences in life then don't hesitate...saying "I can do it when I'm older" might mean golden chances might just pass you by.

OMG HE'S IN THE SAME SPACE AS I AM (I'll shut up now.)

After the Q&A was over, it was the autograph session. I was so nervously happy to get my turn that I apparently skipped (according to Eisu) and/or sashayed (according to Hanie) towards the table...I really didn't notice @_@ Anyway, I presented Morita-san a renai game issue of Dengeki Playstation with Teru Saeki on the cover; In the sea of BLEACH and FFX fans, it was easy to see he was genuinely surprised to see a TMGS2 fan in the mix. With an amused grin, he autographed my magazine with his signature...and Teru Saeki's. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!! XD

Before I went off the stage, I gave Morita-san a gift bag containing a set of the available Yongumi swag, and a hastily-done 4-page gag comic I started on the day before (Originally I wanted to do a montage of him and his characters, but static art could be boring and colouring it properly with whatever time that was left was unrealistic). Sadly, like the Ashe/Basch commission, I TOTALLY forgot to take photos of the pages ;_; I hope he finds the rushed scribblings of this fangirl amusing at least. As I shook his hand in goodbye, Morita-san smiled and said "Choppu da!".

If I were to combust there, that should be the moment. He uttered one of his character's most memorable (and my favourite) quote from the game!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

It's also cool that Phui Mun pointed out to me that Morita-san used the gift bag to carry the gifts he received from other fans. Good to know that it's useful at least :)

Thos mag is now officially sealed in plastic and will never be opened again XD

As the day neared its end, everyone was still in the mood for fun. As I sign off, I leave you with a video of one of the impromptu Cosplay Contest challenges; The Lucky Star dance featuring Commander Chaos vs Hard Gay! I caught it on footage halfway through, but it's still great to see anyway XD

Thanks for GACC'08, EMINA! It was the best :)

Until my next update, toodles!

The LOTR Masterpieces II Trading Card Set...

2008-02-21T22:46:00.000+08:00

...was officially released yesterday. And I'm one of the sketchcard artist contributors, with 200+ cards :D

To sketchcard collectors, Happy Hunting!

First post of the new year

2008-01-08T22:27:00.002+08:00

Hmm, been a while since my last update, yes?

Worst blogger ever :P Happy New Year, anyway!

A few original artworks...

And Mass Effect fan art, of course :)

Vroom vroom

2007-09-06T06:56:00.000+08:00

Flying off to Dubai in 5 hours' time. Definitely no updates until after Sept 13.

Toodles!

The Effect is Massive!!

2007-09-02T00:32:00.000+08:00

Well, whaddya know, I just made a Mass Effect fan comic! First mission SPOILER though (from the demo footage at PAX'07), so don't view it if you wanna stay spoiler-free.

Yikes!

2007-09-01T14:41:00.000+08:00

August came and went, and I didn't post anything; Looks like even Blogger can't remedy my laziness T_T (and my roomie posts new art every day XO). Oh well, at least there's a post today, featuring some real media stuff I did. Hopefully, no, DEFINITELY I will post more stuff before I go to Dubai from Sept 6 to 13 for work matters.

Light Side and Dark Side Female Exile - Watercolours and ink

Zutara On-the-spot commission piece at ComiWorld'07 - Markers

Azula On-the-spot commission piece at ComiWorld'07 - Markers

Avatar Season 2 Finale montage - Markers

CRPG Player Avatar bust portraits

2007-07-16T21:00:00.000+08:00

So yesterday was Wii Friday at the office, and a colleague and I dominated the last hour of lunchtime playing Rayman Raving Rabbids. We tried the Cow Tossing mode a gazillion times, on account of us being crap at throwing in the right direction, and the aftermath really shows: MY ARMS HURT A CRAPLOAD. Managed to massage them last night to prevent lactic acid from settling in the muscles, but the arms still ache a bit this morning.

And the point of that whole paragraph: WARM UP BEFORE YOU WII T_T

Been meaning to post these artworks earlier in the week, but I got pretty tired/lazy when I come back from work (pretty much the same reason why this blogspot ain't updated more than once a month...must...change). Basically, I made a meme of sorts in DeviantArt, in which I sketched out people's CRPG player character avatars in my style. Pretty fun, and for once I drew different Revan faces and World of Warcraft stuff.

Damn it, garbage truck's in front of my house, and I haven't taken out the trash yet @_@

Life Drawing Sessions

2007-06-09T16:23:00.000+08:00

These are the sketches from life-drawing sessions at work from April to early June, done in 5 minutes per figure.

What do you mean it's already JUNE?

2007-06-02T01:53:00.000+08:00

Paintings are a rarity for me these days, so it's nice to actually finish this in one go. MUST MAXIMIZE WEEKEND UTILIZATION!

The ice queen of KOTOR II, Atris. I've always found it odd that those who oppose the idea of Female Exile cite the absence of the implied 'love affair' between Atris and Male Exile as the clincher in their view; Apparently, a soured romance is the only motivation for a woman to hate anyone's guts *rolls eyes* I'd rather go with the idea of her as a patronizing mother/sister figure, twisted by disappointment and anger as a result of her protege's 'betrayal' of her values. From that viewpoint, I find it hard to really hate this woman (broken game aside :P), because at one point or another, we may have experienced something in that vein...and giving in to anger is always the easier choice.

Haha, enough faux-pseudo-philosophy. I'm hungry T_T

BRING ME MY AXE...

2007-05-21T22:42:00.000+08:00

Played Guitar Hero II PROPERLY (i.e. with colleagues' guitar controllers) at the office today during lunchtime and after work. It's true; Once you've tasted the axe, you can never go back. Problem is, the axe is RM$340 ( approx. USD$90++) Le sigh T_T

While I lament, here be sketches:

Neeshka, the tiefling rogue from Neverwinter Nights 2

Ippongi Ryuta, the main hero of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! and Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii (Ouendan 2), and my take on Young Femme Revan (again)...both were scribbled on my storyboard thumbnails :P

I shall dream of guitars tonight T_T

AHH FREE TIME FINALLY

2007-05-12T01:15:00.000+08:00

Finally had time to sit down and do preliminary sketches for a painting idea I've had for the last two weeks.

I wish there were more hours in a day T_T

ULTRAMAN

2007-05-03T12:17:00.000+08:00

Somehow, I think Zid would find this amusing...

Ultraman birthday card, commissioned by my mom for her colleague's son. I'm waiting for that Tom Yam Kuung treat as payment now :9

I will never make fun of a panicking Sim after this...

2007-04-22T21:45:00.000+08:00

What an eventful week this one was!

On Wednesday night, while my friends and I carpooled on the way home from work/gym to watch 'Sunshine' at the cinema, this sequence of events unfolded...

1) Hit a slight bump on the road towards the highway.
2) Lights of dashboard/speedometer went dead.
3) Eisu asked "Do you smell that?", and lo, smoke started emanating from the steering wheel box.
4) Emergency parking on the roadside, got out of the car to escape the smoke.
5) Opened the front to let the engine cool down.
6) Eisu went over to turn off the headlights, and was welcomed with the sight of fire coming out from under the steering wheel.
7) EISU, HANIE, AND I DASHED MADLY TO DOUSE FIRE WITH BOTTLES OF WATER!!!

Thankfully, we managed to douse the fire, but the damage to the wiring looked quite extensive and pretty much cringe-inducing (and indeed, the cost of the spare parts was just that T_T) . Nevertheless, what was important was that Eisu, Hanie and myself got out of this incident safely as we were driving at night (when we can see the malfunctioning lights and react to the emergency swiftly), in an area with low traffic, and with fire-dousing implements at hand. All in all, I'm just pretty relieved none of us got hurt and we managed to get home safely courtesy of Hilmy and Phui Mun (THANKS GUYS TwT).

But a true life account wouldn't be complete without PICTURES!

After we doused the fire that night

Morning after horrifics (after my uncle opened the cover to check the damage)

Oh well, on a cheerful note...my workstation is finally up and running (and yes, the CPU is arranged sideways for (lack-of) space reasons.)

Big sweet monitor of love :3

New PC Hullabaloo

2007-04-18T02:14:00.000+08:00

So I got myself the new system over the weekend, which included these specs:

Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz E6600
Nvidia GeForce 7600GT
2 Gigs of RAM
Samsung 19" Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor

Managed to keep the overall spending slightly under my budget of RM$3500, which is a relief. Initially before my purchase, I was a little bit depressed at the idea of shelling out so much cash at a time, but after I tried out Jade Empire with absolutely no lag whatsoever in its beautiful graphics, my apprehension melted away :D Drawing and painting is also an absolute treat with the widescreen monitor...so BIG and SPACIOUS!

Speaking of painting, did something in Painter (now with 50% less lag!):

Hurrah for brand new workstations :D

High-res, smooth gaming anticipation ahoy

2007-04-13T00:52:00.000+08:00

In two more days I shall finally get a brand new system after sticking with my current one for 5 long years; A new machine with enough power for heavy duty CG-ing and max juice for current CRPGs like Jade Empire TwT So in my anticipation of the joy to come, here's an older scribble of the two lovely ladies from the game, Wu and Dawn Star.

Something you'll never ever see in Avatar the Last Airbender: A remorseful Azula!

TINKERBELL!

KOTOR 1 character profiles, done on a whim; Female Revan, Carth Onasi, and Bastila Shan. Carth looks a slight bit haggard and weary, and Bastila seems to exude that snooty air she has initially.

On a somewhat expenditure-related note, I have to ask: Is it crazy to plonk down wads of cash for an Xbox 360 just for Mass Effect? Because recent previews have shot almost all of my resistance to buying a console catering mostly to the FPS crowd. Bioware had me at the conversation system T_T

Kotorfanmedia.com April'07 Calendar

2007-04-06T22:48:00.000+08:00

Okay, so April 1st may have come and gone, but heck, I gotta plug this; My art is on this month's Kotorfanmedia calendar, featuring lovey-dovey Carth Onasi and Female Revan in a Bollywood-like setting :D

Go to Kotorfanmedia.com April 2007 Calendar Page

Yee-ha!

Contest Fever!!

2007-04-01T15:17:00.000+08:00

It's been competition fever in some areas of the art world, and I caught a bug or two @o@

My entry for ImagineFX's Manga Art Competition - The grand prize is a Wii, one my housemate and I want oh-so badly XD

My submission for Katie Shanahan's Shrub Monkeys Contest. I can imagine Magical Shagster here saying "DADA, here I come!"

Pretty in Pink

2007-02-28T09:50:00.000+08:00

Haven't had much time to do any completed artworks. Did this last month for a pitch, so I thought I'd at least post this up.

Happy Lunar New Year!

2007-02-16T23:01:00.000+08:00

As usual, I couldn't get to properly finish my greeting art in time, so here it is in its inked-but-dunno-if-it'll ever be coloured mode...

Also, I wanted to post these yesterday, but internet wasn't being kind. Did this in between work...I was so annoyed with the artist block I was having that I think I scared my co-workers :B

Happy holidays!