Art Blog of Angela Lo

Goldfish

2012-01-21T01:14:00.001-08:00

In an ideal world, I would just make cat toys all day, and the only necessary payment would be pictures of the cat and toy.

(Made with orange felt, stuffed with catnip, and stitched with love)

Sweet

2012-01-19T00:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Daria...

2011-12-27T00:34:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting on this quick sketch-painting for a while. It's my take on Trent Lane from MTV's "Daria" series.

(He never smoked in the show but he sometimes would be struck with a harsh cough. Erm... ya know?)

The Bored Housewife

2011-11-25T02:46:00.000-08:00

"Yes honey, I did find your tie..."

Jolly Holidays and Rainy Days

2011-10-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bert and Mary Poppins.

It's raining right now and I thought about Mary Poppins ~~and her creepy talking umbrella~~.

Victory

2011-08-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

James: She said yes!

2011-07-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

and to JK Rowling too of course! =]

Eva Von Slut

2011-07-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

Dr. Sktechy's! Model was the fabulous Eva Von Slut.
These sketches were 10 min each.

Perennial

2011-07-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

"All this time, Severus?"
"Always," said Snape.

Quote from Half-Blood Prince, image inspired by Deathly Hallows

(I have seen but the final movie and the fanart will not cease yet...!)

Good Morning

2011-07-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Contractors working on roof. Loud. Draw. Zzzzzzzz

Pink Umbrella

2011-07-17T00:43:00.001-07:00

Hagrid

"You're a wizard Harry"

The Smoking Wand

2011-07-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Bellatrix LeStrange

Harry Potter fan art to pass the time til I see the final movie

Summer Time

2011-07-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

I liveeeee

2011-05-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Cave Troll (LOTR)

2011-04-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

w.i.p.

My adventures in Zbrush

Own Handwriting Font

2011-04-11T00:39:00.000-07:00

On a whim, I decided to make my handwriting into a font. I went to http://pilothandwriting.com/en/ and below is the result. You can't download the font, but you can access it anytime when you log into the site. Still pretty cool though.
(And yes I'm aware I have a typo in it. Leave me alone...)

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

2011-03-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

Three characters from Sherman Alexie's "Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian."

Portrait

2011-01-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Something I did about a year ago. I rushed the ear. haha

2011-01-20T21:23:00.001-08:00

Watercolory approach Photoshop

Experimental Flat: Audrey Hepburn

2011-01-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

just messing around in Photoshop some more

Speed Paint: Ingrid Bergman

2011-01-18T03:31:00.000-08:00

30 minutes

Hat Making Party

2011-01-16T02:26:00.000-08:00

I went to Christy and Alice's the other day and we made hats. Well, actually I made a headband thingy. As you can see my friend Jack is modeling for me. Fierce.

Western

2011-01-10T02:14:00.000-08:00

challenge: 1 hour
topic: western

hahaha

Little Dragon Concert

2011-01-08T03:19:00.000-08:00

Yukimi givin' it more cowbell

Little Dragon @ San Jose 1/6/10

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

(text goes on the right)

It was a quiet but pleasant little Xmas this year. I set up the decorations, brought up our skinny Christmas tree, and plumped it up with ornaments and garlands.

I made xmas cards for the family and there was actually a fourth card. It was suppose to be a reindeer but it ended up looking looking like... not.

And it's new years eve tomorrow. I may just end up staying home and watching it all unfold on the tv like a cool person. Yeah, don't be jealous.

Better Circus Cart

2010-12-26T00:28:00.001-08:00

Circus Cart

2010-11-29T22:06:00.000-08:00

almost done!

Aida

2010-11-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the opera house and saw Aida (originally written by Giuseppe Verdi in the late 1800s). It was really lovely. The set and costumes were beautiful. We had great seats too.

I did a couple variations of the piece above. This is Aida mourning the loss of her homeland and torn by the duties of being a devoted daughter and a loyal lover.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T00:36:00.000-08:00

(WIP) The circus is in town

2010-11-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

Don't look now but there's something on your head

2010-10-07T09:53:00.001-07:00

1920s circus acrobat

Three-legged circus wonder dog

2010-10-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

...the result of a performance gone wrong, but that doesn't stop her from being happy.

For ma and pa

2010-09-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

edit (ignore the bad lighting please)

The first card I made for my mom just because.

The second card I made for my dad's birthday. Hopefully it's obvious but if not, it's an armadillo. Some years ago we went to a petting zoo and my dad had never seen this creature before; he was completely fascinated. Ever since, it's been his favorite animal.

Fact: Did you know the armadillo is the only other animal besides humans that can contract Leprosy?

It's Ga-linda! With a capital Gahhh!

2010-06-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wicked!

Untitled Project

2010-06-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

Approved sketch. (Ignore the Barbie hands.)

Ideations

Quickest Master Copy

2010-06-23T02:27:00.000-07:00

I admit the image I was looking at already had strange hues. I did this really fast, mistakes included. This was a practice for speed.

2010-06-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

Okay okay, last post of the gifts. You must understand I've never really wrapped presents so fancy before, so I am quite proud.

Paper flower

2010-06-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

I made a made a paper flower to cover a cruddy looking bow I tied. I'll post more images as soon as I get my laptop charger. I've never really done gift wrapping before, to be honest, but I had fun making everything look nice.

(The glitter from the wrapping paper got everywhere. The table was shiney mess when I was through...)

My friend got married today

2010-06-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

and it was wonderful.

I made this card for them.

Snail Trail (Before)

2010-06-10T22:25:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning out some layers of Snail Trail (see below) and found the "before" picture. Poor thing knew what was coming... It never even had a chance.

Snail Trail

2010-06-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my sister, who always (accidentally...) steps on snails after the rain. This lil' guy was one of the lucky ones. :(

Bikini Girl

2010-06-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Crop of a W.I.P

2010-06-05T23:58:00.001-07:00

Beach Girl

2010-06-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hooray for summer!

More Speedy Master Copies

2010-06-02T23:56:00.001-07:00

Muah

2010-06-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

(Photoshop)

My messy desk

2010-06-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

Sketched while on the phone with a friend.

Handbag

2010-06-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

Still life - a little less than an hour.

This is yesterday's post. Last night, I feel asleep kinda "early" (i.e. before 3am) and when I woke up, tomorrow was today.

Another Kitchen Speed Paint

2010-05-30T23:38:00.002-07:00

This is my parents' kitchen. I did the dishes then I painted. Now I go to sleep.

Master Copy Speed paint

2010-05-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Bouguereau copy

Speed it up

2010-05-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

Really speedy paint. It's not perfect but I was being pretty strict on the time limit.

Done right after Sam left. I felt pumped from the "Intensity Club."

Dances with Smurfs

2010-05-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

(copy from a still)

I did this way a while back when Avatar was just released in theatres but I want to see it again on blu-ray on someone's gigantic tv.

I wanted to donate but...

2010-05-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

Conversation went like this:

ME: I want to donate blood
THEM: okay (*pricks angela's finger*) aw dude, your hemogoblin SUCKS. we don't want you or your stinkin' iron deficient blood! now gtfo!
ME: (*cries*)

or something like that... anyways I need more iron. Luckily, Sam was still able to donate. I'm gonna try again in 2 weeks. I will NOT be refused!

Den Flyende Kuffet

2010-05-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Han Christian Anderson's "Den Fleyende Kuffet" or "The Flying Trunk." The merchant's son and the sultan's daughter. The look is based on Turkish shadow puppets.

Fearless

2010-05-08T03:54:00.001-07:00

"Kindness trumps greed: it asks for sharing. Kindness trumps fear: it calls forth gratefulness and love. Kindness trumps even stupidity, for with sharing and love, one learns." --Marc Estrin

RAWR

2010-04-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying my stay in l.a. I'm learning so much from visiting all the studios and meeting such nice people.

WIP Interior

2010-03-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

Why Blogger? Why did you decide to kill my contrast? I never had this problem before but, man, this hardly looks like the same painting. :(

2010-03-08T03:45:00.001-08:00

"Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations" --Rollo May

It's the End of the World as we know it....

2010-03-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

(and I feel fine)! --An REM song, if you don't get the reference

Hm, a little more TLC and I'll call them done. What say you, folks?

An experiment in paper

2010-02-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

2010-01-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

New year, rocky start

2010-01-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

My computer is very sick. It's likely my hard drive will have to go to computer heaven. I have no idea when I'll get it working again- I can only hope it'll be soon. Until then, I'll try to post my work done with traditional media and eventually get back to work with digital. Fortunately, there's still plenty of time to make 2010 a great year!

Warm Wishes

2009-12-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you all are enjoying your holidays! =]

Hatch

2009-12-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

The side of Humpty Dumpty we never knew...

Carnival Fantastique

2009-12-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

I’m done with the semester- or is it just done with me?

2009-12-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Who knows?

Tree House "Final" pass

2009-10-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

Yay! Overall, I am pleased with how they turned out.

When I have time, I want to add more polish but, for now, here they are.

Tree House (WIP) II

2009-10-26T22:21:00.001-07:00

Sargent Master Copy

2009-10-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

John Singer Sargent master copy "Alice Vanderbilt Shepard"

Tree House (WIP)

2009-10-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

My first pass on my tree house.
If you would be so kind, crit please.

Library

2009-09-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

I've been spending a lot of time at the library lately. While I love the vast supply of books, I can't really stand "old book smell"- too much of it and I physically get sick (nausea). Anyways, here's a sketch I did there a year ago.

Brown Bag (wrapped)

2009-08-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hayao Miyazaki

2009-07-28T16:41:00.001-07:00

(deep in thought, his signature guttural groan)

On Saturday evening at Berkeley, there was a conversation/ interview with animation legend Hayao Miyazaki in the flesh.
Just being in the same room with Miyazaki-san was inspiring enough. The whole time he maintained a great sense of humor.

I sat six rows down from center section, which given the size of the auditorium was a pretty good seat. The girl who sat next to me had flown all the way from Fullerton for this. We were both joking about how horrible it'd be if some tall person obstructed the view. Of course as it turned out, this GIANT sat right in front of her.
Awww (but fortunately with some awkward angling of the head, she saw the stage just fine)

Ohh... a night to remember

Gasp!

2009-07-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

What?! It's been over a month since I last updated?! How did that happen?!! Ugh I'm so ashamed... I won't let that happen again.

But (I think) I've been productive.

(Self explanatory I hope)

Backside to an envelope. Quick drawing.

And here's part of the a project I did last semester. They're mini bras made from pink ribbon and the "coat hangers" I made just last week from paper clips. Cute right? Hehe.

[old] Random Doodle

2009-06-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

I like to draw odd faces when I'm bored. (Like most artists) I have tons doodles floating around on random bits of paper, napkins, notebooks, and in this case my sketchbook.

Holding hands

2009-06-14T01:45:00.000-07:00

"Time is just something that we assign. You know, past, present, it's just all arbitrary. Most Native Americans, they don't think of time as linear; in time, out of time, I never have enough time, circular time, the Stevens wheel. All moments are happening all the time."
-R. Green and M. Burgess, Northern Exposure, Hello, I Love You, 1994

For this collage, I clipped out images of watches and pasted each down as I found them. Each new watch connected hands with the previous until there were enough to reach all the way around.
The challenge was I could not predict the next piece, i.e. the directions of the watch's hands nor could I manipulate them to connect.

Strangers

2009-06-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

"Our responsibility is much greater than we might have supposed, because it involves all mankind" - Jean-Paul Sartre

Unfold

2009-06-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Stuck in a Rut

2009-06-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Sketch, Persephone.
Done for Illustration Friday: Adapt

I've been having the worst artist's block. I know I shouldn't knock my own work, but lately I just haven't made anything worth looking at. ugh. I'm trying to get through it...

Just Experimenting

2009-05-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

Kind of interesting looking

A Little Less than Happy...

2009-05-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

The previous and above posts were done during finals time, if that helps put them in context.

I've found that a self-portrait isn't a depiction of how you look so much as it is how you feel.

Sinking

2009-05-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

"Let them think what they liked, but I didn't mean to drown myself. I meant to swim until I sank- but that's not the same thing"
-Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Let the Summer Begin

2009-05-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

School has been absolutely exhausting, but it's over. And about time too, I was so fatigued. My head was aching and my body had the chills all over. I generally don't get sick, so I was feeling pretty awful which... didn't exactly help me focus on exams. I'm still recovering two days later.

Despite the astronomical load of work I've had to do, I still managed to find some time to sketch (though I wish I could say the same about sleep).

2009-05-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Watch out for...

2009-05-03T11:41:00.001-07:00

To a certain degree everyone has these thought tendencies but I believe we, as artists, are more susceptible to distorted thinking. Severe cases will fester unhealthy mentality about one's work and self. While it's one thing to be your own worst critic, it's another to be a self-condescending dictator. Be mindful, recognize these thinking patterns, and aim for something more realistic, but most of all don't forget to be kind to yourself.

2009-04-21T03:23:00.000-07:00

I'm digging the new Coldplay music video. haha. so cute.

Elegant Lettering

2009-04-10T21:41:00.001-07:00

Isn't this super pretty? Well thanks! I think so too!

But unfortunately it's not my work. Oh poo.

A gift from a friendly Parisian. ^^

Nudity

2009-04-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Figure drawings from the past few sessions. We have this new model who's just fantastic. I love it when the pose can just draw itself :)

Help!

2009-03-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

...save the arts in public schools!

(It could be the because of the lighting but that "crayon" is actually assembled with a tapioca straw, green construction paper and black marker)

Our Lady

2009-03-11T07:10:00.001-07:00

Re-posting seems like I'm "cheating" or something to that similar effect. Hm. Well it was originally here and as a submission for Illustration Friday, I didn't really want to edit or rearrange that old post. So here, it's special enough to have its own post now.
(Although it's been many months, this Notre Dame drawing still stands to be the best architectural piece I've done since.)

Oh Paris... I miss you :(

Discovering...

2009-03-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

NEW figure drawings

2009-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Last semester I was studying and practicing a lot of figure drawing and saw improvement each week. It was awesome. Here's where I currently am this semester:

More Old Stuff

2009-03-06T01:53:00.000-08:00

I remember being really tired when doing this one ^

The sun was blazing in my eyes and my feet hurt from walking so much... ^
From top to bottom is my parents' kitchen, Alacatraz as viewed from Fisherman's Wharf, and the Dutch Windmill by Ocean Beach.
The Dutch Windmill day was kind of strange. heh, in a good way. I walked there from my house (in my head it seemed a lot closer). I then started to chat with this old man sitting next to me and told me about the newly wed couple taking pictures by the windmill. And not like he was proposing but of out curiosity, asked if I was married... heh well can't say I've ever been asked that before.

Afterwards I was sketching and this woman sat besides me. Again I found myself chatting. She was an artist too and... a tarot card reader too. Naturally I asked, and she said sure (still had to pay though. darn it!) She asked me to think up a question in my head. At first I thought about my future career/ success but ultimately thought something else. Despite that, a lot of the cards ended up being about money. hmm sounds like a good thing. :)

Then Nelson, Chris, and Priscilla showed up to sketch also. How kooky! :P

breezy

2009-03-04T02:37:00.000-08:00

Two Sketchbooks Ago...II

2009-03-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I don't think I know what I'm doing. My head feels like a pretzel.

Two Sketchbooks Ago...

2009-02-28T01:03:00.001-08:00

Two sketch books ago was last summer, during and after the month long stay in France. Looking at the them I saw my enthusiasm and growth. I don't know why I hadn't used some of my pages for my portfolio earlier, but I'm getting on it. Here's a sneak preview: This is an artisan bread maker in action by Pier 39. He was working behind a large panel of glass so tourists could watch him roll out dough bears, dough crabs, dough alligators, etc. There was even a button and speaker people could press to talk the baker. It was pretty cool to watch (and sketch). But with so many people around, a couple of them brought attention to the baker I was drawing him... I (reluctantly) showed him the sketch. And I don't think he liked it. hahaha. Yes I exaggerated the nose but he, as well as a not-so-quiet tourist, didn't find that to be particularly appealing.
Ugh there's just too much pressure in showing portraits to the persons I draw. If I know they're going to see it, I feel like I have to capture likeness and flattery. Then I end up not being able to draw them at all. I don't want people to not like it.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Valentine's

2009-02-15T01:57:00.000-08:00

So Valentine's Day was yesterday (i.e. a little more than two hours ago). My dad told me there was a poor selection of cards this year sooooo he asked yours truly to make one for mumsie dearest instead. Being the day of, I didn't have a lot of time (like I ever do) but today especially since I had to submit my paper to my online class at something o'clock. Fortunately the card didn't take as long as usual and I'm relatively satisfied with how it came out. My mom is too =)
(and pardon the poor quality, I don't have my scanner here)

Hm the inside looks like it needs another heart or two... nugh oh well I'll let it go. hah

2009-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

So the list of recipients for "The Annies" has been put up:
http://annieawards.org/foryourconsideration.html

(Wow. Major congrats to the Kung Fu Panda crew)

Self Portraits

2009-01-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

To be quite honest, I generally dislike doing self portraits. I'll still do them if the only willing available face is just that of my reflection's.
The first one I did here started out representational but towards the end of it I got bored so I decided to reek havoc- cue the pen scribble a.k.a. (semi)blind contour. I kind of liked the product and wanted to play around even more. The following four pieces were born as I alternated between blind and semi-blind contour. I hope it's obvious but I really had a lot of fun doing these.

They're all kind of fine artsy looking don't cha think?

the last of winter break

2009-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I only have a few days of winter break left... Ah well I can't complain; it's been a pretty productive month. I painted/ sketched everyday, saw the Totoro Forest Project exhibit, went to the figure drawing marathon, did a little bit of reading, and recently started watching more movies. (Had it my way, I would have gone through the entire AFI top 100 films of all time from bottom to top, BUT eventually...)

So of course, I didn't get to do everything I wanted but I guess that's just to be expected (re: rest).