Progress Report

More progress on Spud the Giraffe:

Spud's neck, Acrylic


Spud on my wall, Acrylic


Spud on the floor, my feet on a chair. Acrylic

Spud is basically done though I want to go back to the bottom square and work on the shading more. This is also considered unfinished because I still want to make the entire giraffe, but unfortunately my apartment walls are not tall enough for my life sized Spud to exist.... Also I want to add a large tree in the background. Lots of things to do with this one, but so far it's perfect the way it is ;)

My painting for my mama:

Underpainting, Acrylic


Finished background, Acrylic


Mommy and Me, Acrylic

This is the first time I ever painted people, and also the first time that I distorted the background to create a blurry feel. I like how things turned out, but I still want to go over some details to make it better! Personally, it looks better in real life!

Dear Ally,
Its been hard this week knowing that you'll be gone.. but that's what this blog is for. When you grow older, I hope you'll read these posts of your 21 yr old sister and just know how important you are in my life.. this transition into something new is so hard to bear because I don't want to be separated from you or from mom and dad. You're so precious to me. Right now you're only five but I can see through the trials our family goes through that you'll be a strong, tough cookie. You're so much fun, so kind, and so loving to all the people who are blessed to have you in their lives.

Ugh, I really hate how you're going to be across the world in just a few weeks.

So while you're there amongst our distant family (though they wont be as distant to you as they are to me), I'll be here painting.. with you in my heart and on my mind always.

I love you.
Much more than you know.
I miss you already..
Your heart-broken but hopeful sister,
Sheila

Life size fun

Dear Ally,

I had a dream last night, and it wasn't pretty. I want you to know that when you go through a really tough time, as we all do at many points of our lives, you can always come to me and I will always listen and offer a million hugs. You will always be reminded that you're loved and that you're never ever alone in this world.

Just sayin', yo sistas gotcho back gurrrl.

These past couple of weeks in my drawing class has been spent making a life sized forest! I grouped up with two other girls and we made a replication of a tree on campus. The class then proceeded to make life sized animals to live in our forest. It was extremely kiddish but so much fun to create...

Tree, Charcoal. Group: Kaitlyn Mar, Sheila Chen, Shazia Manji


Koala, Soft Pastel

Hopefully by tomorrow I'll also post my life-sized giraffe I painted! And by next week I hope I'll be able to show you a painting of your mom and me.

I love you Ally. I'll miss you when you're in Taiwan.
Love,
Sheila

April Showers Better Frkin Bring May Flowers

Dear Ally,

Someday you will walk across these dreaded birds named crows. They are not your friends. Sometimes they will be perched on a fence that you often walk by to get to the bus. They purposely plan themselves so that you cannot avoid them, no matter what. Sometimes they will not move from the fence, despite the fact that you're two feet away and most animals will run away at that point. After walking away from the bird, it sometimes might fly from behind you and think your hair is worthy of nesting.

I advise you, dearest Ally, to take a large stick and whack the daylights out of it.

Love,
Your Very Angry but Alive Sister
April 5, 2011

"Fckin Bird" Sketch, graphite

Dear Ally,

We're a strange family. For some reason whatever living thing our mother feeds (plants, fish, dogs, us..) they sprout like giraffes. This is why giraffes are your sister's favorite animal. They're weird, they're abnormally tall, and they appear on commercials as mini giraffes that make your sister laugh with an "ooh hoo hoo hoo hoo!"

Get a giraffe.

Love,
Your Giraffe-stricken sister
April 18, 2011

"Walking on Library Walk" Tanbark

Phase one, Acrylic

Phase 2, Acrylic"Spud" Acrylic (not completed yet)