group show

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was to take part in a few group shows before my solo show in August. This is one of the shows. It's at WWA Gallery in Culver City, Ca., and is curated by Industrial Squid. They're a nice group, and the space is really cool. I have five pieces in the show...hope you can make it!

brushes

It takes me awhile to break in a new brush. Just as they've reached perfection, it usually means that they're close to be retired. This is a cycle that I've gotten used to after years of inking with a brush, especially when doing pieces like these below with fine lines. "adaptation m and f"

linework

I did this late last night, and was too tired to scan it after I finished. It's quite relaxing for me to work solely in black ink.

check your bulk mail sometimes

American Illustration notified the illustrators that made it into their annual(30) book today. I saw a couple posts on facebook about friends that made it in, and since I didn't have an email notification, I assumed I didn't make it in. "Oh well, I'll try again next year", I thought. I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed. A few minutes later, I thought that maybe I should check my "bulk mail". As soon as I opened it, there it was. I made it into the annual after all with this image! "birthday party"
I'd like to thank the judges for including me in the annual. This will be my third time being published in American Illustration.

sketch pile

I've been neglecting my daily sketchbook posts, so they've piled up. Here are some of my recent pages from my sketchbook.

in the near future

I finished this piece late last night, but I was too tired to scan and post it. I'll be adding it to my etsy store momentarily.(kengarduno.etsy.com)
Now that it's confirmed, I can mention that I have my next solo show scheduled for August of this year at LeBasse Projects in Chinatown (Los Angeles). I went to check out the space this past weekend, and I'm pretty excited about it. Mark your calendars!! That means I may not get a chance to post as many finished pieces as I have been. Rather, I'll probably be posting mostly sketches in the coming months while I prepare for the show. I also have a few cool group shows coming up including the Edward Scissorhands group show, a group show at WWA gallery in Culver City in May, and a few other that I'm not remembering at this moment. I also have Comic Con coming up in July, so it's going to be an interesting next few months. I'll post more info on the upcoming shows as I get it.

japan

My friend Christina Conway put together an awesome charity auction with the proceeds going to aid Japan through an organization called Give2Asia. Artists were asked to paint an Ema, so this is my contribution. This is a great opportunity to own original art, as well as helping the people of Japan. If you're interested in bidding, I'm posting the ebay link below. I think the bidding starts at $25, and goes on for 6 days.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120709492261#ht_737wt_1141

reject?

Not really. This piece wont be included in the five pieces I'm going to have in an upcoming group show. The other piece I replaced it with seems to meld better with the others. I'll post more info on that show soon. "Crimsona"