Hyein Featured at Illustrophile!

What a wonderful way to start my sickly week. After a sleepless night of emergency room trip, I came home to this news. I've been featured at Illustrophile!
It makes me feel famous. I thank my mom and pa, my awesome brother, and all those vegan donut makers out there.

The Nuit Blanche weekend was wonderful. If you saw giant skull heads at my good friends of Play Dead Cult, know that one of them was I!

Clothing Show

Oh what an eventful weekend it was!
I missed the Thursday post and I see myself missing Thursday posting from now one due to my work. I am going to post on every weekend instead.

My pieces were displayed at the Clothing Show until yesterday among other talented local artists like Ms Ding. It was very generous of Clothing Show people to let us show our work at the very front of the Clothing Show.

I was being very very smart not to bring my promos nor put my name on the price cards. I'm continuously amazed by my brilliant brain! I always bring my promo cards everywhere I go, except when it's absolutely crucial. I was going to go back on Saturday morning to put my promo on my display wall, but then, Murphy's Law striked. I was too sick to move on Saturday....
Alas, nobody knew who did these paintings...
For anyone who was wondering at all.... it was I. It was I....

On this gloomy Monday afternoon, I sit and regret my stupidity!

The very last piece on the right is Ms Ding's portrayal of Imogen Heap.

Got *soy* Milk?

Finally, I got a part-time job. I must say, it's a relief to escape from the land of the unemployed zombies. I can finally pay for useless stuff (such as a cupcake shaped bracelets that I recently purchased on etsy... a blog post coming up as soon as the bracelet arrives)!
I'll be TA-ing at OCAD starting tomorrow, helping illustration students with computers! I'm very excited, yesh I am. More exciting than that strawberry banana soymilk. Oh man, that strawberry banana soymilk is a dope. I cannot find it anywhere anymore, however.

This is a random sketch I did one night. Threadless (a T-shirt site) is having a competition with a theme of 'draw'. Basically, turning a sketch into a T-shirt design. So yes, here it is. I really like this guy. Possibly on a yellow t-shirt!

My friends, please please vote for me! (If I get enough votes, they'll print my designs on t-shirts) :D
Click below banner to vote!

Shameless Magazine

This is an illustration I did for Shameless Magazine. It's an alternative magazine for teen girls. I was quite happy to work with them as it sends such positive messages to teen girls in North America. Everywhere they turn, they hear/learn that appearance is everything as a girl. Shameless Magazine is one magazine out there, which helps girls to think critically. And maybe help raise the next generation of women who make their name with their intelligence, creativity and inner beauty.

This article about how Hollywood focuses on young male voices while ignoring girls and older writers. It starts off with Iron Man example. I loved that movie and it is one of my favourite movies (Robert Downey Jr.!). However, IT IS sexist. I shouldn't expect too much from a summer action block buster movie, but at least one smart/strong female character (without making her into an expendable one-night-stand) would've made a difference.

Anyways, Shameless, a Canadian magazine with some awesome articles. I wish I had it growing up.

Vegetarian Food Fair!

This weekend was the Vegetarian Food Fair at Harbourfront Centre. Oh yes, it was! I ate ate ate ate like a pig that I am. The photo is me eating a vegan hotdog bun from King's Cafe booth. 

Vegetarian Food Fair is like a Disney Land for my brother and I. We go there every year to buy goodies and eat finger foods. Why, if I have a fortune of living close to the North America's largest vegetarian fair, then I sure will thoroughly exploit it to the very end! And exploited I did. I went there twice this weekend, once on Saturday and then Sunday. I couldn't try all the foods I wanted to on the first day (I got too full), so I had to go back. It was rainy today, so there were less people. The vegan cupcakes that I eyed yesterday were still there. Green tea, chocolate and vanilla flavours! Those tasty morsels drove me nuts. I wanted a whole box. 

But hey, is this a Hyein Food Blog!? No!

The most important reason for the post is... my illustrations at Vegetarian Food Fair! Yes! My children's passports on one table and my posters in some parts. Sadly, the children's passports were... well... not everywhere as I hoped. And I don't think there were stickers or anything for answering trivia questions. I was heartbroken. But at least they were there. For a moment, I thought they didn't print them, as I couldn't find them anywhere. I was sad that I didn't see any kid with the passport. Oh why oh why...

Note: I am using Google's new Chrome right now, and it doesn't have automatic spell checker. And there are some annoying errors that make me mad. I cannot even tell whether it's faster with ever-slow gmails either. Just a rant. 

At Mozart Piano Cafe

My friends and I had an art opening night at Mozart Piano Cafe last night. Thank you for all who attended!
Our art works are going to be displayed there for two weeks for those who are interested. The address is:
2 Murray St. Suite 100
Toronto ON
Come on over and have some of their warm cup of organic coffee and enjoy art.


There was some live music last night. Yes there was!

Firefly and Robert Downey Jr.

During many recent nights of sleepless painting nights, I've been playing Joss Whedon's Firefly series. I remember liking Serenity, but never got around watching Firefly. "Space Cowboy' thing? Nah.
Then what do you know... my eyes were glued to the screen, which made me stay up even later finishing my last minute projects.

What an awesome show, I really liked it. And had to sketch Gina Torres' beautiful face. She plays Zoe, my favourite character next to Inara. Zoe is a first mate (I think?) of the ship. Very strong female character like Buffy. This is a weird statement as I don't think I've really watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

This one is... believe or not, Robert Downey Jr.!
Wow, so many celebrities (um, total of two) in this post, it's almost cool.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Ironman, Fur.... he is so good in everything.
Um, he is extremely hot in 'Fur', Diane Arbus' imagined biography. I cried watching that movie... then reached for a scrap piece of paper. I'll do a better job next time. There are plenty of Robert Downey Jr. portrait coming. Yesh.

Sad Cupcake Day

Today was a sad day. It rained a lot while I was outside this afternoon. The rainwater was flooding the street, I was ankle deep with water. By the evening, there was bright, crisp sunlight. I suddenly thought, 'Hey, why don't I get that vegan coconut cupcake I had in Kensington Market yesterday?!?'

There I was, so happy. I ventured outside, stupidly, without an umbrella.

Oh what a mistake it was. I walked all the way to Kensington market but Miss Cora's Kitchen, probably the only source of vegan cupcakes in Toronto, was closed. I was pretty devastated. Then came the pouring rain, yet again. I was trapped there. I wouldn't mind small rain here and there, but this was, once again, an earth-shattering rain. This time, I was without an umbrella.

I ran to Moon Bean's cafe and ordered a tea. There I was, in a damp almost-empty coffee shop, looking at the rain. The girl lovers right beside me started fighting. At first it was entertaining, but when one started crying, pleading to the other girl.... it quickly became depressing.

And of course, I didn't bring my sketchbook. Let me tell you, I always, ALWAYS bring my sketchbook and brush pen everywhere. I never leave home without it. The only one day I decided not to take it (I thought it'd be a quick trip), I desperately needed it. With a crying girls beside me, I frantically searched for any scrap paper in my bag. And... thank god, I found that small ikea pencil. I can escape from reality!

These are the scribble scribble scribbles of my sad cupcake(less) day.