About the Artist
I'm a traditional artist who has lived in Southern California since birth. I've been practicing art since I was about six when I did every piece in Hello Kitty twist up crayons. I became serious about art in middle school and just wanted to draw for the rest of my days. I got accepted into art college right after high school and got my Bachelor's degree in Illustration just four years later.
I'm passionate about books and Illustration. Throughout college I did assignments where I wrote or drew stories and I had so much fun exploring that career.
As mentioned earlier, when I create art I mainly use traditonal methods. My favorite mediums are watercolor and colored pencil and some of my biggest inspirations are animals and nature.
Other than art, I'm an avid beach goer and have a serious shell collection.
And if you couldn't tell... I particularly love dogs, especially my sweet little girl!
My favorite colors are green and light pink and on any day I enjoy a good dose of comedy or an animated movie, rain, jasmine green tea, and pineapple pizza.
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Jesus loves you!
Phillipians 4:8
My Artistic Process
Part 1: Sketching
My process begins with concepts. Usually I spend about a day gathering reference photos and doing a series of sketches done in pencil. Once I settle on a design/composition I like best, I draw in colored pencil the final sketch onto transfer paper over the surface of the paper I will paint the final art on. Normally, this first part of the process can take between 1-2 hours
Part 2: Tones
The next process begins with the final transfer of the sketch onto my board/surface. In this piece I used pencil because it's a purely watercolor piece, but I also use colored pencils for this part as well. Next, I begin toning my piece from lightest to darkest in terms of composition. In this piece I used black and grey tones, but later on I use more blueish tones. Another extra piece is masking fluid which keeps the covered places stark white so it can't be covered in watercolor. Depending on the size of the piece, this process can take from 5-6 hours.
Part 3: Coloring
Coloring continues but now it's more colorful and detailed. I'm just building upon tones so I can add depth and shadow without using black and white. This process is the longest and usually takes about 15-24 hours (This piece was 9x15).
Part 4: Final Details
Nearing the end of my process I am able to remove the masking fluid and add the final details. I left colorless spaces for text in this scene. This process usually takes about 4-5 hours.
Part 5: Final Piece
Finally, once I am satisfied with my piece I take a final picture and upload it onto photoshop. There I clean up areas digitally and adjust lighting so the piece looks as clear as possible. After it's cleaned I add text to the open areas or sometimes mock the work up onto a book and then add text to the opposite page. This usally takes about 2 hours.
Then the piece is finished!
Total duration: 40 hours