Basil the panda, the second strongest of the Yehey Expedition, chooses a Christmas tree. Meanwhile Mordecai the dragon seems to be..."helping?"
illustration
A Small Town /
Here is the first official illustration from the wife and I's collaboration story. It's the hometown of our fearless heroes. As you can see there's probably not much to do in this town except work and...ride horses...maybe?
Hairy at the Heels on Ganda-Ganda.com /
I made this illustrated icon of my own website for my wife’s blog. The inspiration? Well it’s getting a bit chilly here in Busan, so I broke out the old pipe over the weekend. Unfortunately I forgot that I needed to buy some tobacco. Disappointed, I decided to make my icon an illustration of what I wish was reality. Either way you should checkout my wife’s blog, where you can see this icon in all it’s tiny glory amongst other amazing things.
Zombie Candy Corn /
October is a designated month of creepiness here at the House of Cruz, so here’s some zombified candy corn. I’ve never been a big fan of candy corn, and death by zombies is one of my biggest fears…so I decided to combine the two to make something not quite as good as either.
Ganda-Ganda Buttons /
Had fun making these icons for my wife’s blog. The icons represent her About, Wanderings, Writing, Photography, Video, Wishlist and Contact pages. Check out her blog, it’s amazing!
The Renaissance Man of Mechanics /
This is another character from the wife and I’s collab project. His name is Kisanim (기사님), which isn’t a name at all. It actually means “driver” in Korean. This character is actually based off of the driver of The Magic English Bus I used to work on, whom we all actually called “kisanim.” He was an older, gentleman whose real name I never knew. He was very sweet and was a real problem solver when it came to mechanics. In our collab project Kisanim is a stoic genius that can drive anything from buses and tanks, to planes and ships. He very rarely speaks, but when he does it’s always in Korean.
Bachelor Night /
Every once in a blue moon my wife hangs out with a girlfriend or two, which gives me a free night to myself. I usually call up a friend to hang out and watch a movie or play video games with. However I’ve been a little hermetic as of late, so I usually end up watching old episodes of Ultraman and eating Red Baron microwavable pizza. What you see is the exact portrayal of those bachelor nights where I am as happy as a geeky pig in slop.
Awkward Korean 04: I Wanna Be Blanka /
Sooo…in my 6th grade class the students have this small writing assignment where they have to fill in the blanks of a written letter with the key expressions they learned for the day. I was bored, so I decided to take a crack at it myself. This is what I came up with.
Meeting Sasquatch /
I’ve finally finished it. After pushing through all my summer camp planning, I’ve managed to carve out some time to finish this guy. Our two adventurers finally meet the illusive Sasquatch. He’s definitely a nice guy, really down to earth. We made plans to go grab a pizza later this week. Hah hah! I hope you guys like it…now, onto the NEXT ILLUSTRATION!!!
Mordecai Expression Study /
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a decent illustration, so here’s something to tide you over. This character is part of the wife and I’s collab-project. It’s an expression study of Mordecai, a small dragon based off of my pet bearded dragon of the same name. The expressions are actually based off of my own, especially the one in the second row right.
Meeting Sasquatch - WIP 01 /
Here’s a mildly clean sketch from the wife and I’s collab project. The next step is correcting and adjusting a few things about the sketch…then base colors. I’m so excited because it’s been a while since I’ve illustrated, and what better way to kick it off than with the Sasquatch. Oh Sasquatch…I wish I could meet you fo’ reals-ies!
Pachechi (pah-chee-chai) /
Here is an old vector sketch of my wife as a little kid. Her nickname growing up was “Pachechi” (pronounced “pah-chee-chai” ). It’s derived from the name Patricia. My wife has a lot of what the Koreans call “aegyo,” which means “cuteness.” So it’s easy to picture this little caricature of her bouncing around the house and creating mischief. In any event, I’ve since then revamped this character and will be posting more of her soon.
Meeting the Manananggal /
This is a concept illustration from my wife and I’s pet project, The Lost Land of Yehey. This scene is Markus' first encounter with a manananggal (vampire-creature from Filipino mythology). You know what, I draw this kid getting scared a lot…I guess it stems from my love of scary movies and vintage horror.
Rome In Ink & Watercolor /
This was kind of a splash-page dealie, with quickly blocked-out colors and tones. I was going to do a little more work on it, but I actually like this flat, almost graphic look.
Gentlemen Zombies /
Sooo…gentlemen zombies…at least they’re polite. This is a concept illustration from my wife and I’s pet project, The Lost Land of Yehey. If you couldn’t tell, the lad on the left who looks like he’s about to wet his trousers is me. I really really like zombies, but one of my greatest fears is being eaten alive. So it’s a love-hate relationship with this particular breed of the undead.
Lost Followers?! /
I also have a Tumblr, and I noticed that in my absence from said Tumblr over the past month I’ve lost followers. I’d like to play it cool and say, “I don’t care,” but clearly I do, considering I made a drawing about it. Ah yes, I’m fickle and somewhat vain. However I think that’s the creative side of me; wanting as many people as possible to see my work and validate me. I’ve lost 4 followers and gained 3, and that’s not so bad. So thank you to everyone who is still following me on Tumblr. As for those that stopped following me…well you missed out on this super-sad, asian-faced illustration of me. Everyone knows there’s nothing sadder than a sad Asian guy…his eyes get even smaller.
Professor "Creeps" The Biology Teacher /
This one is dedicated to my pal, Matt, who inadvertently created this character by creepily saying ”It’s okay…I’m a biology teacher.” Despite this character's creepiness, he is going to be in the wife and I's collab project, "The Lost Land of Yehey."
Spongebob Clocks /
I used to work for a company that made clocks and other collectibles for Marvel, Nickelodeon, and Universal. It was a great job! However I had to leave it behind to pursue my own dreams; much like that of the samurai that walks towards the setting sun at the end of a film. Here are some of my concept drawings for Spongebob clocks that never made the final cut…at least I don’t think they did. These were colorized rough drawings to get the general idea across. If these were chosen, I’d have to do trun-around drawings of each of them…which was very taxing at times.
Spring Clocks
- They’re called this because of the springs that divide the clock into two pieces. The first one is of Plankton stealing a Crabby Patty. The Second is of Patrick (or Fatrick as I call him) having a successful jelly-fishing trip.
Goo Lagoon Alarm Clock
- This one was based on a specific episode that took place in Goo Lagoon. I think the episode was called “Ripped Pants.” Don’t quote me.
Jellyfishing Alarm Clock
- I think the title says it all.
Landscape Color Concept - Desert Mountains /
Here’s a quick color concept of a landscape from one of my stories. It’s a worm’s eye view of the Black Cliffs, steep rock formations that are surrounded by deserts. These cliffs are made up of very dark colored sediments and rock. The desert sand is quite red and fine, so whenever the winds blow they kick-up small dust clouds that look like red mist. The whole landscape is actually quite beautiful, but very perilous.
Sea Monsters /
Here’s a frightening situation I would never want to be in…which is why I went the whimsical route. Nothing eases one's fear like doofy googley-eyes...eh, I’d still be terrified. I mean, how could it get any worse? (thunder rolls and a storm darkens the horizon) Oh, crud!