01 - Home

When I think of the word home, the first image that pops into my head is my childhood house. However, it’s been over 6 years since my family moved. We’ve moved again since, and in the near future will all be moving on our own.

After asking myself what makes a space a home, I find myself trailing through memories filled with people rather than places. As time goes on and people inevitably spread out, the word home goes with them. Places become homes when people settle into them, and people become home when they settle in your heart.

02 - Raccoon

Winter of last year, pulling into the garage, sitting passenger side front seat I saw a dark shape outside the corner of the neighbor’s garage. As I squinted at it, I heard a knock on the driver’s-side window. My boyfriend rolled down the window and spoke briefly with our neighbor. That’s when I learned the neighbor had discovered a dead raccoon while we were out during the day.

Being people of gentle hearts, our neighbor was too upset to deal with the situation , and we accepted when asked to remove it. Low and behold, turns out no public service could come remove the poor raccoon as its death had occurred on private property. However, if we could just move it to the curb in front of the house, someone would stop by to dispose of it properly. Thus, out come some old towels, snow shovels, and a box of carpenter bags.

All in all, having to step in and physically lift an unnervingly large raccoon onto a regular-sized towel with a snow shovel, then having to maneuver said duo into several layers of carpenter bags, and then finally having to carry said bundle up the entire length of the driveway to the front of the house definitely leaves an impact. Especially if your favorite animal is a raccoon.

03 - Bridge

According to tradition, the red thread of fate acts as a bridge - connecting one soulmate to the other. I grew up with the belief that the thread connects those meant to become family, and that family has many definitions.

This illustration highlights human connection through the concept of bridges. The red thread of fate catches the eye first - acting as a bridge connecting two people. More subtle are the hands themselves. I believe them to be both potential and concrete bridges of connection that exist in the physical world. The key is to act on this potential, reach out a hand, bridge the connection, and find the threads waiting to be discovered.

The red thread of fate connects those destined to be together.

04 - Fish

No-Face is an iconic character from the world of Studio Ghibli’s movie, Spirited Away. With a demur demeanor, ability to conjure fake copies, and insatiable appetite, No-Face metaphorically bleeds coveted bathhouse tokens.

Born from my aversion to cooked fish and fondness for No-Face, I’ve illustrated my gentle and general manifesto of ‘NoFish’.

05 - Sword

As someone who has always been intrigued and inspired by the mystical and obscure, tarot has long held my interest.

The first card (Ace) in any given suit generally indicates change, and in the case of swords, that change is represented via a breakthrough of some sort. The Ace of Swords is a card of great potential, clarity, and success. Visually, the upright sword carries the crown’s powerful, outward-radiating energy.

In this composition, the colors hold as much significance as the components. Purple represents mystery, magic, and is historically associated with royalty and power. The earth tones of the sword’s hilt hold grounding energy, while the yellow rays are lines of energy in motion. Success and potential energy are carried in the gold of crown.

06 - Wood

Originally thinking of a witch on a broomstick, I started thinking of the various animals associated with magic. Cats and crows to frogs and toads, a picture began forming in my mind.

At first, a witch’s frog was simply running an errand, but this sounded somewhat lonely. I also wondered how this frog possessed the skills to work with a witch. According to the world I’d briefly built in my head, all frogs did not work with witches. As such, they must learn it somewhere. Where else to learn, I thought, then school. I asked myself next, what was one of the perks of being at school as a kid.

Questions satisfied, story sorted, and world explained, everything was in place for a field trip.

07 - Bugs

A severe aversion to bugs drove me to draw the most un-bug-like bugs. Nothing personal against bugs, but I found the idea of illustrating jewel beetles more approachable than the shelled critters themselves. Plus, I had never illustrated gems before, and was up for the challenge!

Starting with the blue sapphire, I created a palette, and quickly started to feel comfortable with the process after a few experiments. The green emerald was next, and I used the same general process I’d worked out for the sapphire. My favorite from this trio is the red ruby jewel beetle, and I was able to execute it with the most speed and ease.

Surprisingly, I ended up spending the most time on the emerald. The greater amounts of un-faceted surface area presented a slight challenge, but I am pleased with the end result. Overall, I am proud of my beautiful jewel beetles.

08 - Prize

Quintessential memories from my childhood time as part of the Makos swim team:

Being thrown into the deep end of a freezing pool upon arrival at 7 in the morning, consequentially developing mild hypothermia, and waiting alone on the pool’s parking lot bench for my mom to pick me up while wrapped in a wet towel.

Receiving my first winning ribbon, not realizing it at the time because I was deep in conversation with a friend, being called out by the head coach, and simultaneously congratulated and reprimanded in front of the entire swim team.

09 - Rainbow

In all honesty, I thought about just using a chalk-brush to arc out a 7-color rainbow and calling it a day. However, I felt immediate disappointment with my then potential-future-self. I began to think about other ways in which rainbows exist, and ended up visualizing various colored auras.

Typically, auras are seen with the third-eye (located in the forehead region), and are a manifestation of a person’s energy. However, this piece illustrates a more universal, omniscient, and removed third-eye surrounded by all the auras it simultaneously sees.

10 - Pet

Due to the necessity of purchasing more food for my pets, I found myself masked-up in a pet store on a Sunday. While heading towards the food aisle, I passed by the cages of animals for sale, and was compelled to stop and watch for a few moments.

Two little hamsters seemed to be having a date at the food bowl. My heart gave an excited squeeze, and I immediately started pondering the story behind this scene. Perhaps these tiny hams were best friends who had planned a lunch date, maybe they were a shy couple on a first date, or was the white hamster new to the cage and the two had a chance encounter at the food bowl?

Suddenly, rustling, and a third party appeared! Another brown hamster peeped out from the door to their house, and seemed to watch the other two engaging. I observed this new ham, and felt sad. There was no room at the food bowl for another hamster, and the two sharing food not so far away seemed oblivious to the new face in the corner.

I continued to watch the corner-hamster peak out at his two cage mates occupying the food bowl for a moment more before passing on to go about my day. Ironically, their cage had not had a wheel in sight.

11 - Egg

Plagued by the continuation of COVID-19, those who refuse to follow health regulations, existential dread, and my longtime love for the egg - this piece illustrates the fragility of human health.

12 - Foam

With all the extra handwashing I’ve been doing of late, I’ve come to notice that I’m partial to either soothing or sharp-scented hand soap. No florals, please!

As such, I decided to illustrate 3 of my recent favorite soap scents, and yes - the soap must be the kind that turns to foam.

Lavender for a longer, calming wash - usually at the end of a long day. The ones where you find yourself lingering at the sink, letting the heat seep into your hands, and taking time to scrub beneath your fingernails.

Grapefruit because it’s one of my favorite citrus fruits, and always throws me a moment of nostalgia. Flashes of late weekend mornings, splitting a grapefruit with my mom (sprinkle of sugar on top), and carefully extracting individual sections of tangy-sweet goodness.

Green Citrus is a more recent and specific scent discovery of mine. I believe the brand, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, calls it ‘Lemon Verbena’.

13 - Horn

Horn is a pivot to the ‘bare bones’ of shapes and color. The smiley is a combination and coexistence of both the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ within everyone, and a fun tribute to Toy Story’s Little Greem Men (a.k.a the three-eyes aliens). The remaining two images are based on pictures long since saved in my phone, and primarily focused on creating simple backgrounds.

14 - Storm

Before beginning the ‘Storm’ prompt, I decided to create another set of three images. However, this time I wanted them to tell an easily recognizable narrative in three, chronological parts while reflecting the story’s development in color. I also played around with adding more texture to each image.

15 - Core

When I think of the word core, I think of an already-eaten apple. Who ate the apple? Well, a little mouse did, and now their belly is so full all they can do is sleep and digest.

Also, this little mouse is very smart, and avoided eating any seeds! They know all about how eating the seeds causes an apple tree to start growing in your belly.

16 - Stripes

Throwback to a favorite childhood delight! Sugary gum was always such a treat for a ‘no excess sugar allowed’ child. Bonus points for gum that also comes with tattoos! I remember long summer drives to the Catskills, pulling into rest stops, and being allowed to select a few special snacks. My go-to selection usually consisted of a bottle of orange soda (because the cap closes), beef jerky or chips (one or the other), and something that lasts a little longer. Something like hard candy, gum, or gum AND tattoos!

17 - Lilypad

You’ve probably heard the saying, “there’s plenty of fish in the sea”. Most likely, you’ve also heard the story of the princess and the frog; the princess kisses a frog, it transforms into a prince, and the two live happily ever after.

Without a doubt, there is definitely plenty of fish in the metaphorical sea, and maybe one of them is meant to be. However, one question remains…

How do the other frogs feel?

18 - Warm

Swissmiss hot chocolate was a staple in my childhood winters. A delicious, post-shovel treat I could track as its warmth traveled down to my tummy. One cup of hot chocolate and I’d forget what the cold even felt like.

As someone who now buys their own groceries, I always make sure to have a box of Swissmiss hot chocolate on hand for the cold days.

TLDR; Dear winter season, miss me with that cold sh*t.

19 - Cool

A play on the phrase, ‘cool beans’.

This image is from a very cool photo taken on a very hot day. Coco (full name Coco Bean) with her sunglasses on, hanging out the front-seat window of a family member’s car, is both cool and a bean.

20 - Pie

Quick and simple, pumpkin is one of my all-time favorite flavors of pie. Bonus points for whipped cream, and double them if the whipped cream is homemade.

22 - Rain

Playing with brushes, reminding myself that there will always be some sun somewhere in the world, and that even if things seem bad they’re still good.

23 - Glow

Stars shine and glowworms glow. I’d love to eventually create a children’s book and am constantly playing around with ideas. This is a depiction of one idea in which the stars tell bedtime stories to a glowworm family who is scared of the dark.

24 - Carton

How fresh is milk if it’s not from the source?

This is a playful rendition of unique yet impractical packaging for a carton of milk.

25 - Burn

Sadness burns, but so does anger, and sadness sometimes disguises itself as anger.

I recently re-watched the movie, Inside Out. Perhaps some critics would say it’s cliche to depict anger as a flaming lil’ red guy, but I found it quite accurate. I loved how the character design for anger enabled the animators to depict the different levels within the emotion.

26 - Hat

Although he’s not my bias of the group, the concert photos of Xiumin wearing a fish hat remain as some of my favorite EXO photos of all time.

27 - Orchard

Every fall I always try and visit an apple orchard for fresh cider doughnuts and, of course, apple picking. I don’t always make it, but I learned the orchard I most recently visited takes steps every year to ensure no apples go to waste.

Many apples are picked, taken home, and eaten. The apples that don’t make it home with us get eaten by insects after they fall from the tree, run over and left on the ground, or are used as farm food. No matter what, it’s all fertilizer in the end.

28 - Bloom

With fall in full bloom, leaves dot the air with swirls of color as they drop from the trees. Late afternoon, I happened to look out the window and see a boy from the house across the street walking down the sidewalk carrying a single, long-stemmed sunflower in full bloom.

I snapped a mental picture and went to draw the unexpected sight of a summer flower surrounded by fall leaves, and the contrasting blue colors of cold winter against the bright yellow of warm summer.

29 - Fossil

I happened to catch a snippet of Jurassic Park on TV, and was inspired to create an insect in amber. However, I decided to illustrate the much more helpful bee instead of the pesky mosquito.

30 - Balloon

I’ve been playing Sims in my free time and recently attended a virtual baby shower.

Perhaps these two things aren’t immediately related, but when I think of balloons I think of solid colors and celebrations. As I was making this, I pictured it as a decor item one might find when decorating a kid’s room in the Sims.

31 - Moon

Every year without fail, the Autumn Moon Festival is one of my favorite parts of the season. It’s full of nostalgia, the gathering of family and friends, and the rich flavors of mooncakes.

Besides the taste, I’ve always loved and admired the intricate detailing of each mooncake mold. Not every mooncake is the same shape, size, or flavor, but they all have their own visual flair and they are all delicious.