Last Saturday, Wiji and I collaborated with  the lovely ladies of Crajes at Pablo X as TOKWART Space invasion.

Tokwart x Crajes from John Christian Del Rosario on Vimeo.

Life’s been good to me and I’ve nothing to complain about. Incidentally this makes so much sense!

Anyway, here are some pieces that I thought came out nicely.

The first one is a collaboration between me and Wiji. I supplied the illustration of Puto and Lianne and Wiji did the layout and the graphic design for all the wedding collaterals. Thought I’d also share that this wedding was beautiful and special because it was a collaborative effort by the couple’s friends. My lovely lady loves of Nomnomnom Happy Food, Mara and Carina, supplied the sumptuous food and styling of the venue and I couldn’t be more proud with what they did to the place.

It was a beach wedding (obviously). I was just in time for the ceremony after a 4 hour bus ride and naturally I stayed over after consuming mounds of grilled shellfish (It had natural butter). I don’t remember not smiling or laughing or eating with friends whilst the sensation of sand beneath my feet amidst the sound of waves and starry sky – i don’t romanticize often, so forgive me! It was sheer joy! Nature the unbeatable beauty, it is the ultimate testament of love!

The next day, the girlfriends with the bride, paid the macho sun a visit.

with Wiji of the http://thecuriousstudio.com/ / L-R Leo Saño, Gabie, Lianne the Bride, Mara of Nomnomnom, Denise and Wiji

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The next wedding commission was for a colleague from Vietnam. In 2011 She hired me to illustrate her website’s banner and I was delighted to hear she was getting married to that cool dude who beat me at a betting game at my first ever English vs Germany 2010 world cup. I sided with England just because they were all for Germany, not knowing the team were complete a-holes.. (the flat was filled with Germans, so they’re collective boos against England was hard to beat, especially for a terrible trash talker like me.) moving on..

This account was immensely over thought. The couple at some point, even pleaded me to stop illustrating their faces because I was unsettled by their contentment with my first draft. Since they lived overseas they paid me in full before getting any work. So my natural instinct was to deliver something awesome because I owe it to them for paying ahead of time (This is rare for any client you see). This is a beautiful problem to have kids and I learned something new about myself – the more anxious you are to impress, the more it gets worked up. Here’s an evolution of the work I did for them.

This was obviously inspired by Vietnam’s lotus ponds. My original work for Ann Ha was similar and she specifically requested me to incorporate lotus elements into the composition. I enjoyed working on this too much I think..

That’s it for now! Hope that was a cheerful post. It cheered me more than anything i think, recalling the beach wedding with friends is a great contrast from what our weather is like nowadays. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

I’m still alive. I’m aware I haven’t been around much. BUT, i will post updates about the past 4 months right after this comic. This script’s been sitting on my computer ever since I had this conversation with our secretary.. So i’m pretty pleased about finally drawing it today. I’ve been in a creative limbo lately if you must know..yeah, so.. hi guys

I was preparing the photos I’d post here of the holidays spent quietly in our family’s compound in the province while mindlessly watching the pilot episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. where Ross agonize being newly divorce at age 26 and it dawned on me that I saw this episode when I was 10 and now I’m the same age as the characters. Nostalgia came rushing in while looking at photos of the holidays with cousins I grew up with who now have their own families and baby cousins are all turning into tweens. Every single year i don’t know why I bother commenting on how tall they’re all getting. I also gave our grandparents’ old abandoned (almost dilapidated) house a visit and the current state of the once glorious house and my lola’s garden where we spent most of the family gatherings a decade and a half ago magnifies how life really is short and we just slip into our present selves without realizing it.

When i was 10 I couldn’t wait to be an adult and it seems 26 is far out future like how 80s movies depict the 2000s the utlra modern civilization with flying cars and hologram phones. Alas it’s 2012 already and I still feel like there’s something I ought to be when I turn this and that age. But at this point I’m relishing this time of my life. Taking my sweet time to realize my hopes and dreams and living in the present. Happy 2012 everyone! As a little tribute to the new year ahead my cousins,nieces and nephews spontaneously worked on this wall art project in the family compound celebrating our family name.

2012 will be different though. My good friend Wiji – an illustrator,tattoo artist extraordinaire and also a close friend who I met during my active blogging days in Livejournal 4 years ago, assumed the role of blogging nagger, so I would update this journal from time to time and vice versa to her.

I’ve just been working hard that’s all. Here are the “work” I speak of.

This is an animated video about a Volunteering Conference produced by a studio based in London – Paperboat Creative. I supplied illustrations for this which you can watch here.

After that, I think around August. Mark commissioned me to work on the illustrations for an infommercial for PLDT. Here are some screencaps from the video and various lady puppets that they animated which i found amusing.

Then last November I designed the exhibit of Manikako for PETA’s awareness campaign for Child Protection Law entitled “Pagmasdan ang Kabataan.” Gabie Osorio’s works of delight was the main feature of this show. Including some artist dolls from our Podium exhibition 3 years back.

Such colorful works! Ok.. that’s it.. that was pretty fun.. I hope i don’t have to drag myself to update this thing the next time around

Oh and P.S.

I’m also updating my website! FINALLY!

I have been drawing a lot on my notebook lately with my favorite pen brush but i wish i can venture into other mediums and use up all these art supplies i have in stock. I LOVE buying art supplies or random supplies i can use for the future but never get around in using. Last year while living in Vietnam, i blew off steam from my day job by going to local art shops on the weekends or lunch breaks to buy supplies like oil paint tubes which i’ve only used thrice in my year long stay in Saigon. They have ART Friend there.. and art materials was relatively cheap so I kind of hoarded things i don’t really use. So, starting from now on I challenge myself to avoid the occasional visits to the book shop and try to spend the time on using these supplies instead..

Oh and i also have stuff from my textile printing days..hmm

Photography by Rene Araneta

I just realized I’ve forgotten about this project from last year entirely. It seriously didn’t exist in my head until a few moments ago during a conference call when the client sent a visual reference that reminded me of this job. The talented Architect Edwin Uy (whose work i admired prior to finding out he designed it) invited me to work on the wall illustrations for Missy Bon Bon – a newly launched breadshop franchise in Cagayan city, Philippines last year. I was based in Saigon when I worked on this and I haven’t been able to visit the actual bakeshop yet since it’s far from Manila. Apparently these photos has been sitting in my inbox since April of last year and I only saw it now! I guess I was busy moving houses at that time so it wasn’t really my top priority or perhaps riding motorbikes everyday gives permanent brain damage. eheh..

I also found my initial studies from my email correspondence with Edwin.

It evolved to this. I like the initial direction better but then again the final work is more happy and warm which was in line with brand’s identity.

aww, now i’m craving for pastries.. yep – see what i did just there, subliminal manipulation… nuninuni..
 

Yey! It’s June! it’s the time of the year again for ToyCon which would only mean Manikako (a non-profit organization that sustains free doll making workshops for under-priviledge children also known as that booth with weird people pricking needles on voodoo dolls) will have a booth yet again in the annual toy fair! I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since our first booth in this decade old ToyCon and we’re still alive and kicking! Yehey.. I’m so happy to be back and helping our organization that all started in this toy conference back in 2007, before i start being sappy and sentimental let me just tell you a quick story about Pirata Cat!

Incidentally, Pirata Cat and I had Matching scarves when i took this photo last week…hihi. He’s my favorite Manikako creation only because he’s my first and i think i got lucky finding the right colors in the stash of donated scrap materials while assisting head seamstress Gabie in a Manikako workshop funded by our very first  TOYCON booth for an orphanage in South of Manila back in 2007. Here’s the incriminating evidence  of that time and my not-so-wasted youth : ) He’s almost 5 years old now can you imagine? Pirata cat hangs out on this sail boat which I got from Vietnam, docked beside my window sill in my home office, greeting me every morning!

Anyway, Pirata cat told me to show you the TOYCON map in case you get lost on Saturday or Sunday : ) See you guys there!