Thank you Eraserheads, Farewell Francis M.

Picture by mousepotatoph

One day in 1992, Papa brought home a cassette tape of Ultraelectromagneticpop, an album by a young band called The Eraserheads. He had heard about these four students who were starting to make waves in the rock scene and wanted to see what the fuss was about.

Unfortunately, I was still in my “Take That” phase and didn’t really appreciate the fact that I was actually being introduced to one of Philippines’ most influential bands. By the time I got to university, rumors of their break up were already spreading. I only saw them live once before they finally disbanded in 2002.

Horrified at my ignorance, my then boyfriend (now husband) made it a personal mission to “educate” me on Eheads music. After listening to only one album (with running commentary for background reference), I was hooked.

For the next six years, their songs became a wonderful source of comfort. I sang out loud in my dorm room in Boston, hummed quietly in between work in the office, and provided “back-up vocals” for my husband when we wanted to chase away homesick blues.

We didn't bring a camera but ended up in a stranger's photo!
The benefit of being at the venue 3 hours before the show?
Photo by Gerass

So at their final reunion concert last Saturday, I screamed, jumped, and sang along with thousands of other fans who were grateful for one more chance to see the band together again. Even the bouncers were singing along to the songs and I promptly teared up when the band paid tribute to Francis M., a Filipino musician who succumbed to Leukemia at age 44.

Photo by htcola

Thank you Eraserheads. Your songs represented two things I love about being Filipino: 1) the creative ability to make do with what we have and 2) the shared understanding that we must NEVER EVER take ourselves too seriously. While I’ve tried to do the same in my own art, I don’t think I’ll ever be as successful as you were.

Illustration Friday - Intricate

SingTeach cartoon, 2006

I looked up the dictionary definition of "Intricate" and read that it is often used to describe "something solvable only with painstaking effort"

What else would be more appropriate for this week's theme than a cartoon on teaching in the "modern" classroom?

Whew

Considering that I’ve been working from home lately (often dressed in pajamas with wild “house hair”), the past few days have felt oddly like going back to the office. It's been a crazy rush to beat deadlines, please clients and get work done!

The Drummer in the Band, 2009

First, I had to draw illustrations for two “big books” to be used in a school in Malaysia. One story was called “The Drummer in the Band” and I had a lot of fun drawing the uniforms and instruments. However, I was also relieved that the lead character was a drummer. I didn’t want to be drawing 12 pages of trombones!

The next project was an emergency request from the Asian Civilizations Museum. They wanted to develop an activity booklet for their upcoming exhibit on Emperor KangXi. And unfortunately, the artist they hired was unable to continue the project. This left me with 7 activities, 4 pages and 4 days to finish everything (although revisions stretched out to an entire week!). I contracted my brother to help me with the layout and we invaded the kitchen table with our laptops and sketchbooks, forcing the family to have meals somewhere else.

ACM Booklet Cover, 2009

The original artist had a very digital anime style and part of the challenge was blending his “Emperor KangXi” with my own hand-drawn art. I think the result was not bad at all! Quite impressive for someone who just learned how to use the gradient tool two days ago ;)

While it's great to be so busy with new projects, I’ve hardly had time for other creative work. I’m starting to crave for some “fun art” before another wave of deadlines arrives.

Peranakan Kites

The Peranakan Museum in Singapore asked me to draw a pair of kites depicting everyday scenes in Peranakan life.


The museum wanted their young visitors to color the kites themselves so I had mistakenly assumed that inking the drawing would be quick and easy.

I now realize that drawing the Peranakan lifestyle is never simple. A mix of Malay and Chinese culture, Peranakans are known for their elaborate clothing, intricate porcelain and complicated beadwork. I hope the kids don't have too hard a time with this coloring task!

Illustration Friday - Instinct

Planet of the Robots, 2009

Her mother's instinct told her that another toy was not a good idea.

The latest cartoon for the March issue of What's Up.

Project George 2

Project George, 2009
Photo by Kara. Photoshop by Selena.

A continuation of the Bigger Picture series for What's Up. After drawing so many "cute" illustrations, I was eager to see if I could do something a little more serious. Good job to my siblings for bringing everything together!

Another way to celebrate

Chinese New Year, 2005

While sifting through my old works for this week's Illustration Friday, I came upon another drawing that seemed perfect for the theme.

I used to hate family events. Red was the color that represented good fortune and was therefore the required theme for birthdays and new years. For some reason, my adolescent-self thought it "made me look ugly" and proceeded to give my mom a hard time well into early adulthood.

Now, I realize that such events were not about dress codes and food but the fun of being with family. Drawing this art work was also process of looking back at childhood memories - from watching the cooks catch shrimp in the restaurant's aquariums to lining up to receive am pao from Kong Kong.

So while I still don't think that red is "my color", I now have a few shirts tucked away in my closet for special occasions ;)