billie stage 2. almost done!

i'm not the most skilled or even passionate pencil artist, but i do enjoy being hyperfocused on one activity. not 100% happy with this, but i'd still like to put another hour or two into it. miss billie holiday deserves that!

for no reason.

here's this little guy. i like him.

getting into the spirit.

i've decided that this year, my loved ones will receive creepy xmas cards from theirs truly.

just the tip of the iceberg. i had some great ideas. will post upon completion.
UPDATE: i only ended up making one card. for my brother. on a pre-existing card with a jolly santa with a giant beard on it, i drew the remnants of an elf in sandy claws' stomach. if he still has it (which i'm sure he does, since we're both infamous packrats), i'll have him send me a photo.

thinking of leonard.

i've been thinking about famous political prisoners, leonard peltier in particular; an american indian movement freedom fighter failed by the justice system & government corruption.  after watching incident at oglala, a documentary about the events--scratch that--the masacre that took place on the pine ridge indian reservation leading to leonard's incarceration, i wasn't surprised so much as utterly disgusted. not only did the u.s. government support militant forces of "goons" grossly intent on wiping out american indian traditionalists, but it has never investigated the 60+ unsolved murder cases on the reservation. the trial was a parade of "witnesses" threatened with their lives to testify, whose accounts of the events were blatantly changed on affidavits to include impossible detail. leonard's appeals & petitions for clemency have all been denied. an innocent man remains in federal prison.

fellow political prisoner mumia abu jamal has broadcasted an essay on prison radio about leonard that deserves a listen.

caricatures in korea.

i'm no stranger to them, but this is the first time i've actually produced drawings of strangers to take as, what, a cruddy souvenir? at least they were free i guess, although i was surprised by how popular it was. 3 straight hours of korean marker fumes (they ain't no joke).

soonchunhyang univ. "global day" festival.

elsa contreras, fellow artist from baja.

one of my exchange partners, english name "yankee." epic.

billie stage 1.

started this sketch of billie holiday a couple of weeks ago. just added some more detail today. more to come.

eyes?

weekly planner gone awry. i started obsessing over eyes, then this happened.

friday night.

i'm still not happy with the hair.

under construction.

per request.

drawing made in the presence of victor, kelsey, rudie, & edsel several months ago. dedicated to luis.
sloth. salt shaker. ophthalmologist's office. coughing. knitting four socks.

i'm dreaming of a white xmas.

j q i

seoraksan.

sosege.

namensvetter.

oil pastel.

i'm not very skilled in oil pastels, but they're strange & wonderful to play with. i get carried away smashing & smearing it all together & the result is sometimes muddy. patience is a virtue i rarely practice.

update: this botched piece is of my namesake, the ever-effortlessly elegant jacqueline kennedy onassis. sorry, j. k. o. (giggle giggle tee hee) i'll try again.

already doodling in class..

$mokeye$

in my sketchbook right now

here i am

bare with me, i have not had a blog in several years now. i've decided to move arrogant rainbows to have more space & freedom. i'm also tired of lugging around my old shit with me, so this blog is for new work as it comes up.

for those of you who don't know, i've been shipped off to south korea for four months. i'm in a small town 60 miles outside of seoul, which may as well be outer space. however, what it lacks in flashing neon lights & street traffic, it makes up for with scenic green mountains & strange insects. the humidity. oy, the goddamn humidity. no one told me i would be arriving in the middle of monsoon season. i guess it won't be lasting much longer now that fall is approaching. real seasons! gotta get used to that.

i'm here on scholarship to serve as a "cultural ambassador". the USA is well-repped. not to mention SF. i'm one of four city college kids here. classes start tomorrow. let the awkwardness commence!

jKO.