A week ago, news and images of Japan’s tragic earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters sent “shockwaves” around the globe. I found myself glued to the news, searching for info via friends and family on facebook and twitter. When things “calmed down,” it became apparent that the highly developed nation of Japan needed extra manpower and resources to assist people, rebuild infrastructure and more. Thankfully, the internet has been a great tool in helping people find people, seek services and donate. Click here for a compilation of directories, news sources and sites dedicated to relief efforts.

Beginning Monday, March 21st, here is another way to help: Donate to Japan through the love of children’s and young adult (YA) literature! Author, Greg Fishbone, created the KidLit 4 Japan site: Children’s Authors and Illustrators for Japan, as a means for professionals, artists and writers in publishing to auction off a variety of items and services. Looks like there will be something for everyone–book lovers, aspiring writers and illustrators, parents, teachers, families, etc. Proceeds will go “directly to an organization providing basic needs services specifically to children in the affected area.” I am excited to join this incredible cause and look forward to seeing all the goodies being auctioned off!

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A double dosage of happiness came upon us in January: The New Year and National Soup Month!

As a huge soup fan, I started the new year off with weekly meals featuring soup as the main course. I cooked soup in crock pots, ordered home-made soup in restaurants and enjoyed quick ramen meal mixes with fresh chopped veggies… Well, you get the idea.

For this post, I dusted off an illustration created a few years ago as homage to Lewis Carroll’s poem, Beautiful Soup. Here’s to a savory 2011…!

Hey, check it out: I’ve been interviewed by the fabulous, Nathalie Mvondo, writer and contributor to several multicultural children’s literature publications including the Multicultural Review.

I was pleasantly surprised and honored when Nathalie first contacted me for the interview. I thought: Great! It’s a piece of cake… (just kidding!)

She explained that she had a list of questions for me to look over and consider. She invited me to answer in my own time. I said: Sure, send them over!

And she did!

She sent over a list of excellent, inciteful questions which coaxed me into reflecting my background and experiences, impressions and memories of the places I lived, etc. I had to work at coming up with answers—searching for, scoping out and sorting through the dark, dusty corners of my mind.

I can only hope that I did the questions justice! Please give it a read and see what you think!

When I first set out to blog, I fancied I’d be a happy, avid blogger. As an artist and writer, I love to share and exchange information. There were no how-to manuals six years ago when my earliest efforts were on Blogger under a different name. My method of blogging comprised of “winging it” and posting topics on a whim. So, I applied what I did to Just Sketch the blog I created when my first book was published.

Over time, the lack of structure made blogging lowest priorty and “life,” work, you-name-it, took precedence. I noticed that other bloggers were doing cool new things on their blogs–using videos, dong blog carnivals, etc. but by that time I had fallen out of touch with the world of blogging. I’d procrastinated and felt like I’d failed. I was not happy, nor was I avid blogger, after all.

But I didn’t want to give up blogging. According to a 2009 State of the Blogosphere report by Technorati, “70% of all respondents say that personal satisfaction is a way they measure the success of their blog.” I realized that I liked blogging for a whole host of reasons and personal satisfaction ranked high on my list. If I could find the fun in blogging again, I could be satisfied, as well.

So, how was I going to bring back the fun of blogging? I decided to get serious. :p… I attended a SoCal SCBWI “Cyber Promo Workshop” in Santa Barbara to learn from some fantastic kid lit and online promo experts– Alexis O’Neill, Greg Pincus, Lisa Yee, Anastasia Suen and others. It turned out to be a wonderful event hosted and attended by kid lit authors and illustrators from Southern CA. (I think I was the only northerner there!) I learned so much! (And yes, I’ll post something about it in the future!) I became enthusiastic about blogging again. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a while, folks. In February, I traveled abroad on family business and since returning I’ve been occupied with playing catch up. Life is gradually returning to “normal.” For starters, I am involved in a fun spring event—the annual childrens book illustrator show at MOCHA (Museum of Childrean’s Art) in Oakland, Once Upon A Time. Come to the Artist Reception tomorrow, March 27, 2010, 2-4 pm. For location and more info, visit the museum online.

The following image is a pencil draft of a page in my picture book, Can You Catch A Coqui Frog? written by Vera Arita and illustrated by yours truly. If you’d like to see the actual finished illustration, then do come to the show which runs until May 7.

My clumsy sketch was made into a colorful image for Illustration Friday using Photoshop.

Last Friday, as soon as I found out the theme, I grabbed a ball-point pen and a piece of paper and started drawing the first thing I laid my eyes on: a little toy hen that resides at my desk. It was an experiment in expressing the theme using my left hand!

Here’s the original sketch:

Note: I am not left-handed. Can you tell?