My own style is coming to...

Oh I was silly to think that I would just look at other people's work to inspire me. But don't get me wrong...i do find that looking at other artists' work help me think about how their minds work and what they are capable of creating.
All the wacky and crazy dreams I have, are my true inspiration to my artwork. Everything that I grew up loving and are really passionate about should lead me to create the best work I can generate. I'm very much into the cute, imaginative, feminine, and colorful things in life. That should be my true inspiration.
Things in nature is the second most biggest inspiration.

I'm hoping this will be enough to carry all my skills in vector art,painting and designing things. Although I am a graphic designer...all those things should capture the true essence of my work...

I am still on the verge of learning HTML/CSS PHP etc etc....in order to build websites.
With my design skills at hand...i know the this skill will help me in a web-run world. Esthetically speaking...we all know pretty things are always good things to stare at and engage.

I am on my way...to believe that work should not feel like work... but more of a hobby that leads somewhere.

Artist Spotlight: Bleuh Meuh Design

I'd like to introduce the cute and whimsical world of Bleuh Meuh Designs:
Bleuh Meuh Design Website Here!

Their cutesy ideas, wonderful use of colors and everything else...This is the kind of inspiration I look forward to from other digital artists(vectors). I know that I am capable of illustration in vectorized form, but the difficult part is coming up with an original style, character and feel.

Controversial Art Piece by me

I've never sat down...and really painted for so long. (Since my last painting a year ago). But the emotions and feelings going through me on the night of completing and starting this art piece have myself guessing what I want in life.

I want a sense of freedom and balance, enjoyment in the work I do.
In one sitting (5-6 hrs) I painted and painted to complete this work of art.

And the end result...well it's really definitely up to the viewer to see what is in the painting. Lately I've been on an emotional rollercoaster and always question all aspects of my present and what will become of my future.

Sometimes I do dwell in the past and wander what could be...
But I am always determined to look forward and see a brighter and fulfilling path ahead of me. I enjoy simplistic things in life so far...and try not to worry or dwell in things that could have been, but make things more better of what is in the present and be ready for the future.

I really thank the people who had left me behind...
for those who I loved and lost and...
for the new ones who have entered my life and enriched it deeply.

I can only learn to love myself more because of that. :)

TheTrendyGirl | Cuisine - Page 3

TheTrendyGirl | Cuisine - Page 3

Shared via AddThis
Nice way to chop your vegetables. I hate having to open up the garbage can to dump pieces of unwanted veggie parts. Also having to keep the veggies on the board whilst keeping the chopping board clear of unwanted items. Quick and convenient for a fast kitchen cooking!

The Art of Lou Romano of the movie, UP

I went to watch the movie UP in 3D the past weekend and I highly recommend you all to watch it. The story of the movie is just wonderful. Everything about this movie is what you would expect from Pixar and Disney. Always full of imagination and fun to watch. The characters fun and the lighting and colors are amazing in this film. I was looking through the art of Lou Romano and have been inspired.\

Getting Recognized!

I found this on Flickr.
Someone actually saved it to their own Flickr Set of images! So happy :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elisetaipei/3231184956/

My Own List of Job Hunting Sites

As you can tell...I've been a victim of company buy-out. Or another term of it would be the economic slump.Here I have compiled my own list of really good resources for the job hunt in the creative field. Just so I can easily access this list from anywhere and of course, for any one else out there who might need that extra help. :-)

http://www.designedgecanada.com
http://www.blastradius.com/#/HOME/1/
http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/jobs.html
http://www.bidbox.me/index.php

www.hotjobs.ca
www.krop.com


www.workopolis.com
www.craigslist.com
www.monster.ca

http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com/
http://www.creativeniche.ca/index.cfm/
http://www.designfirms.org/directory/graphic-design/canada/
www.eluta.ca/
http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/
http://www.simplyhired.ca/

http://www.careerbuilder.ca/CA/Default.aspx


http://www.careerjet.com/search/jobs?s=graphic+design&l=&ct=&cp=&sort=relevance&xs

http://garmahis.com/reviews/10-best-sites-for-graphic-designer-job-search-in-canada/

http://torontoseeker.com/designjobstoronto.htm
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/f-jobs-W0QQCatIdZ45QQExpandCatZ1
http://www.creativejobscentral.com



http://www.creativeniche.ca/index.cfm
http://www.creativegroup.com/SearchJobs
http://www.aquent.ca/FindWork/index.html


http://www.gdc.net/designers/job_board.php

mashable.com
wowjobs.ca
allstarjobs.ca

http://www.coroflot.com/

Well in the end of it all...I know for as long as I keep trying and working hard to put myself out there I will eventually lend myself a job.

WISH ME LUCK IN MY JOB HUNT ;)

Artist Spotlight_Orange (benjamin)

My recent trip to the Harry Tarantula (Comic Book Store on Yonge St.) I bought a wonderful comic book. Just as I was about to walk out of the store after saying my good-byes to the store clerk and its two cats (Slick and Squeak (the blind cat), a comic book stuck out in front of me and caught my eyes. It was soo colorful and the style stook out from the rest of the other comics. I picked it up and skimmed through the art in this comic. This is awesome...the use of very vibrant colors and the loose and impressionistic strokes are just very unique and different. Its not like other comic books out there. The style in this comic is different and very expressive using different sizes and strokes of color to create scenes/characters. It looked somewhat realistic in certain parts.

HERE is the descritption i found on the net about this comic:

Orange has become so nihilistic about her life - callous parents, shallow friends, meaningless relationships - that she decides the only way out is to kill herself. But as she is about to jump, a mysterious man stops her, convincing her there might be something to live for after all. When, several weeks later, he commits suicide himself, how will she make sense of her brutal, heartbreaking world?

The chinese refused to publish it, saying it was too "depressing".

The actual lineworks was done by CHEN Weidong, while Benjamin colored it and designed the story.

After reading it...yes i do find that the story is very depressing and is the truth that lies out there and relates to many youth at that stage in life.

I liked it over all even though its depressing. :)

Hoping Spring /Summer will be here Soon

OH I'm sick of this cold slushy weather. I wish it would be summer so i can enjoy the outdoors more. Hanging out on patios, going out to explore the outdoors. And oh yes, spring clothing and fashion. I've got my eye on a pair of these Vivienne Westwood Lady Dragon shoes! They're known to be the most comfiest pair of heels and they look to me, veryyy noice. My spring/summer fashion predictions would be that we would be wearing bright and contrasting colors, funky sandals, fun colors, and punk.
Hopefully I can get a pair of these for myself. I always found it hard to find a pair of comfy/stylish heels for the summer and usually opt for flat sandals that dont' add height to my 5'1' figure. I'm eyeing the baby blue or pearl, or heck why not any of em...the colors are so fun!

Lime Criime Makeup

I recently purchased a line of eyeshadows from Lime Crime.
And i have to tell you...the colours are just amazing!!
The shades are very bright and vibrant. THey're sure to catch anyone's attention.
The shades I ordered were "Nymph, Dragon Scales, Pompadour, Mermaid, and Circus Girl"
Packaging and shipping were really fast. Now its time to add some color into my life... :)Shweeet. Upon recieving the makeup, they were in tiny and beautifully branded capsules. I must admit that after opening and twisting caps, it was a bit messy and i had to be extra careful not to spill or lose any loose powders that were filled into the rims. At first i was too hesitant to dip my make-up brushes in them...but after a few light dabs here and there, i got used to how simple and easy eye powders can be.
Its super blendable and the vibrancy of the colors depends on how much layering you add on top. Super Stunning and super blendable makeup!

VISIT LIMECRIMEMAKEUP

Trying to find...something.

I've been very lazy lately and have not been posting or coming up with any more shop items. It seems I need to try to find more time to inspire myself and exercise my creative mind and my physical self (Starting to get a bit pudgy around my mid-section). But other than that, past few days were not too bad, hanging out with friends, and family, going out as well...spending. I've been working on my webportfolio which is qoing quite well despite the fact that I'm not a flash expert.

Well, enough of that rubbish talk...
I've got a new inspiration. "Inoue Takehiki"
He's an awesome artist. I spotted his art book in an animeXtreme store while in Chinatown with my younger brother the past weekend. He's very famous for his awesome style and brush strokes used in sumi painting.

VISIT the WEBSITE

The PaperCraft Museum

Are you trying to find a cheap and affordable hobby to do? Well, I have a solution for you! Visit The PaperCraft Museum. Browse through all the available models and scultures. The best thing is...they are ll free to print and share. Here is a brief description of what PaperCraft is all about: Papercraft models take time, effort, and computer-know-how to design, and most papercraft designers have their own website or way of distributing their models. It is frustrating for people new to papercraft because often their only method to find these models is through major search engines. Making model updates for PaperCraftMuseum is a little tedious, but I don’t mind the work because it is my contribution to the free papercraft community. My goal for this website is to be a place where people can find everything they need to know about papercraft, including tutorials to build them, design them, and a stream-lined database where visitors can easily browse for models.

Have a look yourself and Have a blast!

Tanybug - Inspiration

I 've recently been posted on Lyndsey's blog and I feel very lucky to have met her.
If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have been inspired and start up an Etsy shop. Thanks Lyndsey!

She is a work colleague of mine that is a true inspiration! ^_^
Visit the link here!
Visit her Etsy Shop

I am also Happy to announce my first sale ever!! WOOhoo.
My first parcel to send out. I know the packaging is not that great but i will make an improvement later. At least i made some labels and logo stickers.

CHEVAL NOIR -- Love ART in the eyes of Aya Kato

I was online msn the other day during work while my sister sent me a link to a wonderful artist that is popular and well known for doing these surrealistic artworks for Zune, Hitachi, Microsoft and various brands. Ayo Kato creates these wonderful asian inpsired works from her imagination and dreams. She hopes the world will see how wonderful and magical the creative mind can be. They are wonderful and dreamy.
She is born on January 14, 1982 and is currently living nn Seto-shi Aichi JAPAN.(I love japan <3).
BE inspired!!

Go here to see her ARTWORKS:
http://www.geocities.jp/b_ba_a0530/box/planet.html

Love at Sassafraz

I was out the other night from an unexpected invitation to go to Sassafraz located in the heart of Bloor/Yokville area. The Bloor and Yorkville area mostly known as an area filled with glamour and high expensize clothing stores and restaurants.

After receieving the call, I had woken up from a nap (I had totally no plans for a friday night so sad) and it would take me about 45 minutes before getting picked up to go there. So I had to glam it up for an elegant night out with my boyfriend and his sisters and friends.

The atmosphere was great with live music and a full bar filled with mingling singles and romantic couples. The whole ambience was just stellar and dimly lit with candles. Looking around, it sure was a high-class bar/lounge restaurant. The service was exquisite and the music was entertaining.

The order of sparkling wine, dark red wine, and platters of herbed french fries and mixed cheese were excellent choices to make an evening filled with good taste.

Over all it was a fun and eventful evening, spending time with the people you care about and having the opportunity to talk with each other and experience the atmosphere.

100 Cumberland Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 1A6

Our opening, closing and week-end brunch hours.

Mon 11:30 to 12:00 am
Tue to Sat 11:30 to 2:00 am
Sun 11:00 to 12:00 am
Sat, Sun Brunch 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: 416-964-2222
Fax: 416-964-2402

My Etsy Shop

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade DuryDesigns.etsy.com

Change Fashion

Ever wonder what you will do with all the shoes you ever had and owned? Well, You can re-design and alter the design so it is new and fashionable again. A line of artful and custom heels were created by a company I found on Etsy. They are 'Ndeur'- Ndeur shoes are catching the attention of countries all over the world! These wonderful and artful graffiti-like designs are hand illustrated onto the shoes.

Here is a brief bio/description taken from the shop:
I AM NOW PAINTING CANVAS SNEAKERS WITH ANY DESIGN YOU CHOOSE!
Hello hello, I am Mathieu Missiaen. My brand is NDEUR; I paint canvas, walls, anything and everything. Choose your design and send me your shoes. My designs are street, modern, fun and will make your shoes a work of art. Together we will change the way the world thinks of fashion. You can see more of my work at www.myspace.com/ndeurr.

Here is his etsy shop link:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5361137

Time for me to use those colorful sharpie pens i've never had the time and idea to use! ;)

Wiggle Eyes

Craft, Snap and Share.
This is an easy way to share your crafts with other craft enthusiasts. This easy and fun looking site will surely get you hooked on crafting. ITs fun and easy to use.

Cartoon on TELETOON

I was up this morning at 11am decided to flip through channels on my television. I felt like watching cartoons so I flipped to the Teletoon Network and happily started to watch this show called "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack." I thought it reminded me of Spongebob Squarepants for some reason because it has the same kind of funny humour and the many cute and funny faces the characters make. The intro to the show was just quirky and cute to watch. I noticed that the style of the cartoon is done very well and the backgrounds were just creatively drawn. Everything illustrated was just very bubbly and colorful. When you have the chance to watch some funny cartoons, I suggest watching this.

Here is a brief description of what the cartoon is about:
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack follows a young boy named Flapjack who was raised inside a talking whale named Bubbie. After Flapjack rescues a shipwrecked crusty old pirate named Captain K'nuckles, the misadventures begin. Flapjack and Captain K’nuckles set sail in search of the magical Candied Island filled with lollipop trees and lemonade springs and trouble.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is executive produced by Thurop Van Orman and Brian A. Miller. Jennifer Pelphrey serves as supervising producer. Voice artists for the primary characters include the series’ creator Thurop Van Orman (Flapjack), Brian Doyle-Murray (Captain K’nuckles) and Roz Ryan (Bubbie).

Day of Work in Progress @ Office

Today is a friday! Wooopeee! Don't we all just love fridays and here I am stuck in an office. But its ok because it looks pretty gloomy and about to rain outside.
I'm just blogging and adding one post because I would love to show you all a character I've created while working on some activity centers for a site named "Funschool."
Funschool is a Kaboose owned company and its full of many animated games for kids and moms to play. I've been re-creating some features to showcase an activity center and so far I've come to like how I've progressed in my designs and illustrations.

Here is an example of one I've done for a "Under the Sea" activity center.

If you want to check out all the games on Funschool go here:
http://funschool.kaboose.com/index.html

The Tummy Mountain

I came across this artist on Etsy.com.
I know its very late in the evening at about 1:30am but I can't help looking at other peoples artwork to get some inspiration.
This land is called "Tummy Mountain" a world where everything is simple. These wonderful paintings are simply wonderful and beautiful to look at. As you browse through these paintings, you can not help but feel like you are a child again. The artwork represents childhood in its purest form.

Please check out her wonderful Blog here: http://tummymountain.blogspot.com

AND

Her Etsy Store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5730341

A Poem through a readers' eyes

The other day my dearest boyfriend wrote a poem and shared it with me. I've got no other better way to describe the meaning behind it as he had told me that "It means whatever it means to you." Of course, he told me that these words were used to describe the many emotions happening or surrounding him or could/would happen. So in meaning, a poem could mean anything to anyone in the readers' eyes.

I've come across this site that puts words into a beautiful image filled with color, font, and shapes. The tool takes your words and randomizes/scrambles them into some sort of pattern. OH what Typography FUN this is!
Go visit this site :
http://wordle.net/



title="Wordle: Greatest Ever"> src="http://wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/163769/Greatest_Ever"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

Do you Doo Kung Foo?

I came across this wonderful illustrator/graphic designer.
The artists' name is Simon Oxley. I can describe his work nothing more than just crazysimplefunny all together. There is something about his illustrations that catch my eye. I think it could be the color and its simplistic shapes within each graphic illustration. The concepts are all imaginitive and fun. He is a British designer/ illustrator operating from Japan (very cool)

Here a link to view his work.
http://idokungfoo.com/

In Progress...of finding a style

Today is a Saturday. Of all days I chose today to start a new painting for self indulgence. I've been coming up with a character that thrives living species--the parasite. So far I've come up with a parasite form that latches onto a host. Turns out the host is nothing more but a fish.

I've kept goldfish as pets for a very long time and I've always loved how beautiful and pretty they are. The scales make a wonderful pattern and would be very fun to draw. How do parasites look? Could look like any thing I suppose. It's quite hard to come up with characters these days. And the "Parasites" is the beginning of something I have long awaited to come true.

The biggest challenge was to find the right kind of style in coloring. I've tried watercolor paints, watercolor pencils, markers, pencil crayons. SO i guess you would call this a mixed media piece. I am thinking of translating this into photoshop painting. As I would know photoshop or paint will make the coloring smooth and lines more crisp.

Well so far, I'm fairly happy with this first painting. Hope I could make new characters to go along with what I am creating thus so far. Or better yet, have someone look at my work and say "this is great!"

Featured Artist: MUJUWORLD

I stumbled across this cool artist while researching and trying to find some inspiration to start a shop. This is 'Mujuworld' according to the creators, of muju. There is a brief description of what Mujuworld is referenced from their site:

A long time ago in a galaxy far away…

A pulse of light shines out across the multi dimensional universe.
The cosmic pulse is first picked up on the creative radar of one artist, Mr Muju.
He proceeds to draw & paint & spread the mujuworld vision.

The muju vibration continues to grow & attracts the vision of another artist, Mrs Muju.
She starts to create mujuworld & its characters in our 3 dimensional space.

Together the two artists have combined powers & dedicate their time to exploring Mujuworld in all its forms.


This is wonderful I thought. Most of their creations are very colorful and fun. But what's most important is that the creators of Muju are very imaginative and free-spirited about what they create. Wonderful wonderful!

The Maggie Market

I've always come to this cute little site to play games like "HK Cafe" "Make Bubble Tea Drinks" "Kill Time in the Office" and all of these cute games are Hong Kong inspired. The maker of Maggie Market has created an array of cute asian-inspired characters you can use on your desktop as icons and wallpapers. Do not know what msn emticon to use? She created a load of them that suits what you are looking for. Quirky and cute, her graphical creations are very fun and lovable.

Visit her site here:
http://www.maggiemarket.com/index/index.htm

She has a daily foodie journal and personal blogs.

Becoming and Getting Inspired

Etsy's featured sellers

For the last couple of weeks I've been contemplating about starting an online business on Etsy.com. It seems to amaze me when I read stories about artists starting up on Etsy and able to make a living and a loving life out of it all.

Before I start a store, I don't know what I should sell or promote as an artist. For one thing, I know I am a graphic designer and love to create cute graphics. I have sewing, painting, drawing, coloring, jewelry-making skills. But its hard to come up with something that you think people would actually like to buy and appreciate. Also I would need to make sure what I am selling is high in quality and will get noticed.
I've been inspired to start a store up but I don't know what should firstly represent what I am as an artist. Above, I've posted up art I've been doing on my spare time. I do think I have gr eat potential to sell my artwork. Hope I get going on m y goal of opening up a shop.

The List of Things I look Forward to Every Summer

1. Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)
2. Barbecuing with friends
3. Outdoor Patios
4. Going to the Beach
5. Wearing skirts and shorts
6. Toronto Festivals in various locations
7. Toronto Night Market
8. Staying up late at night hanging around outside
9. Main Street shopping and walking
10. Ontario Place Chinese Lantern Festival

5 Things I Want...right now! :)

Starting to feel to urge to shop again.
Here are the top five things on my list that I want:

1. Boosted: The Grande Headphones in Sherbert
2. Black shoes for work and outtings
3. New Hairstyle and color- Sleek medium cut
4. Establish a powerful yet casual "work" and "play" wardrobe
5. Nintendo DS Metal Armor Case

Dream Interpreter Tool

Hey all,

Here is an awesome tool to track and record all your dreams.
You get to share and read up on other people's dreams.
Watch the wonderful illustrations pop up behind the cloud as you type in the few keywords about your dream.

Here is the link:
http://dream.kaboose.com/

Chinese Zodiac Creatures :)

Another work that I am proud of that I done for work.
The set of 12 chinese zodiac animals done in illustrator.
Generally when I am given illustration work...I try to be a bit different when I am creating a set of characters that are placed in a set.

The shapes are simple yet very effective and colorful.
The look and feel of the animals are very playful and fun.

Click on link below to read up on your chinese zodiac character:
http://holidays.slides.kaboose.com/118-chinese-astrology-animals-of-the-chinese-zodiac

Very Cool Vinyl Toys - Buff Monsters

Let me introduce to you the brilliant "Buff Monsters." These vinyl monsters are very cute, quirky, squirty and absolutely unique! Here is another brief description quoted from the 'Buff Monster' site that describes the background and meaning behind these little cute toys- (It's a happy world called Lollipop Land, full of ice cream, fun and adventure. There are mounds of ice cream piled high and an abundance of squirting breasts and clouds; "Pink is Power" is the foundation of Lollipop Land.)

Go here to see their website:
http://www.buffmonster.com/index.php

Choose to Reuse

"Green Living"

As we all have known, this era and time we have been pushed to save the environment. It is a choice but it is also a trend to start saving the environment by becoming eco-friendly. We cannot help but feel bad for using plastic bags because it harms the environment (Plastic bags are not decomposable). When we look around we see that anything 'eco-friendly' will definitely grab your attention about our environment.

Not everybody is aware of the environmental dangers or hazards that surround us in our everyday lives. We know we all have bad habits but why do we do it?
Yesterday I bought this hand bag made by a artist. These items do let us know just how strongly and concerned people are about saving the planet. But are we gaining enough publicity and making change about the environment or is it another trend that commands attention to 'buy' to show you are concerned?

California Love! <3

I came back recently from my trip to California. I just love it there. Everything about my trip was really exciting, new and fun. The streets were lined with towering palm trees that look over the entire neighborhood. The waves at the beaches were alive and roaring. The breeze and sunshine was just perfect. The attractions like 'Universal Studios' and 'Disneyland' brings me back to feeling like a young kid again. All my worries and boredness faded away once I had set foot in this new environment. The malls were beautifully designed and were outdoors! This is just perfect I thought. I looked over to my boyfriend and we both agreed in our minds we have the same idea.
We really love this place and will definitely take a chance someday to live there.

This was a wonderful experience to me. I had never been on a real vacation and it turned out to be a blast! Minus the expenses of renting a car, going out to eat alot, and shopping; I thiink overall, the vacation was super!

Here is a list of things I've done:
- Ocean of the Pacific
- Universal Studios
- Universal Walk
- Disneyland Park
- California Adventure Park
- Huntington Beach
- Santa Monica Beach
- Third Street Promenade
- Rent a PT Cruiser
- Spectrum Mall (several times)
- Target
- Macy's
- Nordstrom
- Laguna Beach
- Hollywood
- Grauman's Chinese Theater
- Walk of Fame
- Eat good Sushi
- Poolside Lounge
- Eat at Crab Shack
- Whale watching and Dolphin watching
...MORE.

I will update this list when I find my book on what i Did each day :)