Some concept designs I am working through for a motion graphics short I am making for ClearWater Initiative…launching next month if all goes well!

Raining Chiuahuas

I made this this afternoon - another one of Raiden’s ideas: W”What if it were raining chihuahuas and they went all around you Mommy?” Here is the answer:

ClearWater Initiative

These are some word clouds I made for the ClearWater Initiative's 7th Anniversary. I am so happy to be part of a wonderful cause - hip hip hooray!

Incentives, incentives, incentives!

I am working on launching a kickstarter for a children’s book I am creating. This is an example of one of the incentives I will be offering for your support - a watercolor illustration of different characters from the book - the Love Power Kid:

Collaborative Work with Raiden

Raiden's Idea #1: Grape Soda Jet Blaster

Performers Trading Cards

Just something I'm working on right now...

The Acts

More Circus Fun

California Coast Road Trip Sketching

Here is a page of sketches I did during the road tip up the coast this weekend.  Raiden has his first real camping trip!

The Circus It Is1!!

The Love Power Gang

Here are some characters I have been developing for a show I would like to create some day.  I have put them on hold for a little bit but can't wait to get them going again.  They are based off of Raiden and his 2 friends, but I made them older.

The Love Power Gang - Jo, Raiden, and Dotty:
Jo wishes she were a boy and becomes V.V. in their alternate world.  Dotty, Jo's little sister and youngest of the Love Power Gang, is the boldest and gets them into action!  She becomes the Fairy Princess Shalakakakaka ka who is perfect in every way - except she has a dirty diaper!  Then Raiden, the stable one who is great at puzzles and riddles, he seems to know what to do when it all looks hopeless,  In their alternate world Raiden becomes... a... himself!  Because we all know that kids still have the potential to become anything they want.  He can transform into all sorts of different things/beings.

V.V.:

The Fairy Princes Shalaka ka:

Raiden Transforming:

Some Story Ideas:

Tribute to the Coyote

There is a coyote I would always see by my home.  Sometimes I would see him on the slopes right in front of my porch and we would just look at each other and then he would keep going looking for mice to eat.  A few times I saw him when hiking on a trail near my house with Raiden and I would growl at him if I heard him in the bushes.  He hunted with an older coyote that had a bad leg - I imagined he lived with the older one too.

The other day I saw him dead in the middle of the road while taking Raiden to school.  I had to hold back the tears.  It was so sad to see such a wonderful and wild creature, dead by one of our sloppy cars.  He has been on my mind ever since.  I made some small watercolors to tribute him:

Walk in the Park

Farm Sunset

Garden Fantastico!

Spanish Home

I am working on making some backgrounds.  I am just having fun and exploring different styles.  Here is the first one I have done:

My CalArts Graduation!

So I did it!  On Friday I graduated from CalArts Character Animation program!  

For me personally, it wasn't just about 4 years of hard work.  I remember when I had my baby boy and I knew I had to make changes.  I wrote down my options, and the one I chose was CalArts to help gain responsibility and reclaim my artistic voice.  Little did I know exactly how much I would grow and gain here.  The friends and inspiration alone I am incredibly thankful for.  To me it was more than working hard to get a degree, it was about rewriting the future for both Raiden and I.  It was a hard change, and I am so proud.  Thank you CalArts and all my friends there!

My theme song this year has been Alicia Keys's "Superwoman" and that was the theme of my graduation.  But really Raiden and I did it together -- and so he walked up on stage with me and we had a bit of a surprise on stage which no one knew was coming!  Check it out in the video and photos!

Before we walked:

The Reveal of our Super Identities:

Our good, dear friend, and role model for Raiden, and fellow graduate form the Art School at CalArts,Gavin McCoy:

Some of my best friends and I at the Graduates' Dinner:

The Owner of Scoops is an alumni of CalArts too!  He served the ice cream at our grad dinner!

A photo taken of all the CalArts Graduates getting their Graduating Class photo taken:

My last Character Animation End of the Year Meeting group photo: