And I go "Meh."

The title is "And this is..."

A long time ago...in Japan...this was going to be my latest self portrait. It was also my idea at the time to draw a yearly self portrait. In this original idea, I would be bent over with my cat, Pussy Willow, looking down at the ground with skyscrapers rising above us. Thus, I began...

and said, "Screw it." with the original idea. As I continued, I realized that no matter what I did, this woman was not going to be good looking. I believe that the women in my previous works were at least a little satisfying to the eyes (I could be wrong), but her...her! I just couldn't fix it. On the positive side, this is (out of my control) refreshing. 


Though one thing did remain from the original idea: The shirt pattern. This could be considered the sister project to "You Could Have It So Much Better."More proof is the woman's expression. Like I have explained before, I was distressed during that time period and was planning on showing that in my portrait. 


Like every other piece, I am not satisfied with the end result. Also like every other piece, there is nothing I can do about it. What really disappointed me was how the jacket turned out. I think using a complex rasterized image is way too tedious to use in a perspective object. The end result is just flat and resembles those ugly gansta jackets. There, I said it.

I also totally copped out on the background. The idea of skyscrapers no longer seemed fitting. So instead, a layered sky! Then a poor attempt at drawing a jet! Followed by a single star! The grand finale are those brown (supposedly silhouetted) trees! It truly is a grand piece!

You Could Have It So Much Better

click to see entire image

I finished it! After what seems like half a year! 

I just recently introduced this piece, but there is actually quite a back story. A very hateful and dirty one.

I got the idea for this picture around the time when the JLPT was approaching. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is necessary in order to enter a Japanese college. By that time, I didn't intend to go to any college, but it's something I wanted to have just in case. 

I was taking a prep class everyday and trying to cram minute grammar details  into my slightly stressed head. Soon, I were taking practice tests every week - and getting bad scores on all of them. I was starting to feel like it was pointless to even try. If I couldn't even pass a practice test, what hope was there for the real thing? So the test's date was fast approaching, and the practice tests were being loaded on more and more. One particular Thursday, I had to do two practice tests. Too much. So I just sped through them in order to leave!

That night, I arranged to meet up with a fellow foreigner friend. But while waiting for her in front of the Star Bucks, I was constantly being under close surveillance by the staff. Once I walked away, they immediately came out to check if I had stolen anything. Ouch. 

Whence my friend arrived, we spent a few hours complaining about everything we hated about Japan (over a few cups of hot chocolate). Sure that's how prejudice is created, but you really can't complain to me until you live there yourself. 

What really irked me about Japan was the whole "Go to the best schools to get into the best company." It's a lifestyle of studying, working, then dying.

Now onto the artwork! I actually couldn't even start working on this until at least a month after the test. I felt so sickened by it that any reminder sent my a little berserk. That could be why I snapped at my school's principal. Though it was only a misunderstanding on my part. Sorry!

 The test grid is an almost exact reproduction of the JLPT answer sheet. It's slowly morphing into the skyline. Now, that probably represents how schooling leads to a lifetime of nothing but working. But originally, I think the skyline meant freedom from schooling. Large cities represent absolute freedom to me. 

In conclusion, this represents my hatred towards the typical Japanese lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the people I met (except the JLPT administrator. His notion on his self importance was way overblown).  

Ps. The title is actually a Franz Ferdinand album.

Pss. I did pass the JLPT! How the hell did that happen? I didn't even try during the listening part!

By the way, can you find my signature?  

What a funny name

The second building I drew was all glass with a  diagonally slanted top. 

Does it look familiar? That's because it's (loosely) based off the Smurfit Stone Building. If that name doesn't ring a bell, here is an old picture I took of it:

Well...of what you can kind of see behind the pool. I actually (and not surprisingly) didn't know the name of this building. Fortunately, it's a Chicago landmark, so google searching became a lot easier. 

I remember watching a show about this building when I was around 6 years old. Apparently in it's early days, there was something dangerous about how it was constructed and how vulnerable it was to strong wind. As mentioned awhile ago, anything possibly disastrous caught my imagination.  

But besides that, isn't it cool how the apartment building I was in was right next to the Smurfit Stone Building? If I had gone to the college I was visiting at the time, this hopefully would've been where I would have lived. 

Eat Fresh

This is actually the first building I drew for this picture. You can tell I wasn't sure what style to use yet. Although it's quite messy, I do like it. It's the center piece and definitely catches the most attention (like it should).


Here's where I got the idea for it:

Similar, ain't it? 

It's a nicely designed building in Fukuoka. Note how the windows can swing open? Impressive. Actually, this may be one of the only good looking buildings down town. Unfortunately, my memories of this building = subway. I only saw this building when I walked to subway. But that isn't a bad memory, since Subway was the only place that actually had good bread! Oh how I must have suffered...

Something my class failed to win at the Pentathlon

Laurels. 


One has made an appearance in my artwork. It is slightly unexpected and completely meaningless. 

Oh it's so tiny that it's practically a secret! Maybe it could be a part of the next Dan Brown novel. Ok, so maybe it really doesn't have any conspiracy/ cult/ religious secret, but it is something that kept showing up at the Art in Bloom exhibit.

There it is!

There it is again!

How mysterious!

It's like starting at the end of the book!

I am going to show you a sneak peek of the progress of a picture that I have never introduced. It will no doubt confuse you. Don't worry, I will explain it's back story once I finish it.

Oooh! How mysterious!

It isn't really. I do feel kind of happy that I finished drawing this building. I wasn't even sure if it was going to stay, since it coincides with the other buildings (that none of you have seen yet!). 

What's depressing is this:

This is the lovely, gorgeous, historic building that I based it off of! Mine pales in comparison! No, it's an albino compared to this! Well, to be fair, I never actually looked at this picture or any picture while drawing. What you see is something that came completely out of my (lazy) imagination. 

So stay tuned! I will no doubtably update more about this (mysterious) piece! It actually has a meaning!