Fishing Fun at Pacifica Pier

So I want to show off my fishing skill... and I'm so generous that I want to share the secret here. The above pictures were taken on the 22nd of this month at Pacifica Pier, it was our second time fishing there. The first picture (top left) is me holding a Silver Surfperch (I caught this fish in a funny way... on the dorsal fin, haha). And the picture on the top right shows total fishes we caught within 2 hours there! There were Silver Surfperches and Walleye Surfperches and two Anchovies on the sticks.


It did feel like hitting the jackpot, because we were the only one kept getting fishes. We actually learned the secret from a family when we were there fishing for the first time. This family's two boys who are probably just 9 or 10 years old but they were the fisherman on the pier that day, and they totally caught about 10 fishes with cheapo looking fishing rods. 


So we think the secret is not so much about what fishing skill, or what equipment because I also used a cheapo fishing rod that's only $10.99,  we think it's the bait. The family was using lived sandworm, and we thought the color of the sandworm might be what make it happen. So we bought artificial sandworm in orange color and it worked! And we were so very glad the family was not there, so we got to hit the jackpot. ;)


The bottom left and right pictures show we tried both grill and steam, and we got to taste surfperch more by steam (the meat came off easier,too), and smelt is definitely great by grilling because you can eat from head to eyes to tail to bone! Crunchy all the way!

Pots and Pans Man

Like Dancing Ninja, Pots and Pans Man was not Pots and Pans Man to begin with... It was a nerd with super clean cut hair sitting in the coffee shop (yup, I'm stubborn with coffee shop setting) enjoying his music and laptop. And when I drew to his arms... everything started changing from there, arms just naturally positioned like they're dancing. And then I felt like changing his hairdo to dread like, I felt like giving him an urban look with a plaid shirt and fit denim and my favorite green color high converse. 


And there he started his day with his music in the kitchen synchronizing with pots and pans and 'I like to move it move it' to his music before he can cool down for his breakfast. ('I like to move it move it' is from King Julien in Madagascar)


I think Pots and Pans Man came out not as I originally planned because he's jealous of Dancing Ninja. He can't let Dancing Ninja take all the spotlight, there's a need for balance, a competitor. He represents Day and Dancing Ninja represents Night.


Pots and Pans Man was also done in oil, and I left pots and pans undone because my feelings told me to. The focus is on the Man.

Dancing Ninja

So the "maybe" didn't happen, because artists change their minds all the time... I mean me. So all the sudden I felt like drawing people because they are still my favorite subject. Why? Because people are funny. I had the most fun drawing people and this one is fictional.


My idea comes in a weird way and usually changed along the way as well. The initial idea for this painting was a cowboy sitting down enjoying his coffee at a coffee shop on Monday to get rid of his Monday crank. And funny as I drew to glasses part, I started changing the shape of glasses to heart and star indicating his good mood after sips of coffee, and after I finished his head, I felt like he should be a hipster dancing. 


So I literally just drew as I felt what he should do, and at first he's dancing with twinkle twinkle little stars and saying 'follow me', but I felt his colorfulness from head to toe is so colorful as a disguise of who he really is, so I made the twinkle stars to throwing stars. 


So, he's a Dancing Ninja. Don't be easily fooled. ;)

Sleeping Fox - The Cuddle Family

So as I was finishing up the Bathing Monkey for the bathroom, I felt like creating one for the bedroom, too. And fox came to my mind first as my sleeping beauty. Because they just look so comfortable with their fur tail curled up and wrapped around like an all-in-one comforter-ish cushion pillow scarf...


And I remember last month when I watched Grizzly Man, the foxes that followed Timmy were so cute like dogs, they just wanted to be pet and want to cuddle. And they always look sleepy with their squinty eyes. To make it the same like the Bathing Monkeys, I made the youngster awake because they are always restless. This painting is also done in oil, and the background I used painting knife to make the hatching.


What room next? There are too many rooms now I've seen at some people's houses... bathroom, master bedroom, kitchen, dining room, study/office room, guest room 1, guest room 2, game room, kid's room, changing room, laundry room... Maybe I'll do storage room next. ;) 

Bathing Monkey - The Hot Tub Family

So I'm watching myself eating my own words... I've not been able to update my blog every other day. And I'm sorry to those artists who I criticized not update often enough. I now criticize time. It probably flies faster when it feels like to, and we don't even know. 


So I didn't slack off after the Camping Bears illustration, I was thinking hard what to draw next but it turned out thinking hard did not help me produce any art. Until last Sunday Raul and I went fishing, I got to play all day and on Monday I doodled outline for this Bathing Monkey painting. So, we should always play for inspiration. Yeah, I don't know why fishing has anything to do with monkeys or hot tub. Maybe I'm the monkey eager for a hot tub to relax and play. No parents, please. ;)


I painted this with oil colors, haven't done oil painting for a long time! And actually this is the first time I did oil painting this way, cartoony way. I used to do realistic with oil, that's how I was taught. And I feel painting realistic with oil colors is actually easier. I like this new experiment though.

Not When I Go Camping 5

No, I was not attacked by any bear nor did I attack any bear when I went off-trail camping in Yosemite last month on the 20th. I haven't posted anything for the past two weeks because internet break down until this morning. Boy! my brain was blank for the first couple of days without internet. So I did above 4 more camping bears in the meantime. Like the 10 Pastel Dog Series, I felt 10 Camping Bears Series reached a good amount, and I'd like to move on to next I don't know what yet illustration.

Making Camping Bears Series illustration was fun but required a bit brain juice for me, because coming up with the bubble talk line took some thinking plus I intended to couple them up by bears facing each other and by color themes as you can see the above (and from my previous posts)... not that it serves any particular purpose or has any deep meaning... I just like to torture myself.

This Camping Bears Series made me miss art markers a lot! They are so efficient and look great when it comes to both rapid visualization drawing and fine product rendering. And I like to play with the streaky look when you draw it slow, and when you blend the color faster you can also master a smooth surface without seeing any streak line.