Vi-Dieu

First Look: Cave Dwellers

2008-10-10T12:30:00.008-04:00

This is the piece that I submitted for the upcoming LAIKA-sponsored art show happening in the city. Click on the image below to get the most comprehensive view:If you're in the Pacific Northwest, then please come out this Saturday! Here's the great postcard with the info, designed by the talented Stef Choi:

Muties

2008-09-23T21:59:00.002-04:00

No reason other than they're f-ckin' fun to draw.

Coraline in LA Times

2008-09-17T16:00:00.008-04:00

LAIKA is starting to roll out media packets for its upcoming film, Coraline. It's even showcased in the LA Times. So far, all of us here at the studio is excited about the film because it looks different from your run-of-the-mill contemporary animation fare - it's stop-motion, it has a very "hand-made" quality without looking cheap, and it looks slightly too surreal and creepy for a general audience.

Now I personally didn't have any part in it, but the film is important to me because it will set the tone and expectation for future films that will come out of the company. (Or course, it's also important for the studio for financial reasons). This affects the difference between me drawing things that are pushed and wild for a living, and drawing things that are tired and generic.

Hopefully, this tone I'm hoping for will reflect quality and provide a good alternative to the other players on the feature animation court.

On top of that, I can really use the work.

-v

A Bum Rap

2008-08-29T16:52:00.036-04:00

I Had Coffee with a Transient

Bum. Hobo. Transient. The homeless. Call them what you may, but there's no denying that these dregs of society exist. They go through your trash. They sleep on your lawns. They curse at your cats. And on top of that, they're smelly, hairy, and up to no good.

Or are they?

I've gotten to know a homeless guy recently - his name is Leonard. I made the mistake of stopping to do more than give a bum some loose change. I made the mistake of actually sitting down, talking to him, and giving him my time. Have you ever given a bum your time? It's like spreading barbecue sauce on your arm and letting a pit bull have its way - once I gave Leonard an inch, he never let go.

However, it was a mistake that turned out to be a rather “interesting” surprise.

I first crossed paths with this Native American transient a couple months ago when I first moved here from California and was still finding my bearings. I was walking home and that's when I see the bum.

Oh great, I think to myself. Must walk faster. Don't make eye contact. As I pass the man with the long, dark oily hair, I hear him say in a low, raspy, somewhat gentle voice: “Can I ask you a question?” What do I do? I say “sorry” and speed-walked the hell out of there.

And that should've been the end of my day.

---

Lo and behold, something stopped me that brisk Sunday morning, and I slowly turned around.
“Can I ask you a question?” He asks.

“You want some money, don’t you?” I say.

The bum smiles and says “Yes.” So I give him a dollar, thinking that would be it.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

---

“Ask me any question” he insists.

I was hesitant at first, but soon enough, I give in:“What’s your name?”

He tells me. “Leonard”

But that wasn’t the end of it. He repeats himself, like a broken record:

“Ask me any question.”

“Uhh, where are you from?”

He tells me: “Montana... Ask me any question.”

And then it dawned on me that Leonard’s mind was less than the pinnacle of mental health. He motions me to sit down. I agreed, we talked, and it wasn’t long before Leonard tells me that he wants to buy me coffee.

Of course in my mind I laughed at the thought of a hobo buying me coffee, let alone wanting to do it with the one dollar I just gave him. So I say, “No! No! I’ll buy you coffee.”

I couldn’t have played that hand better.

---

It was not long before Leonard and I found ourselves sitting at the Starbucks – a sight looking like a something out of a bad Hollywood comedy. This burly, long-haired Indian hobo and this skinny clean-cut Asian kid having coffee together. At this point, all eyes are on us. We were the show. Everyone around us pretends they're just minding they're own business, but you know they're eavesdropping on us, watching our every move.

I got to know Leonard and he got to know me – but mostly I got to know him. Leonard, turns out, is a Gulf War veteran – a sniper. He said he killed ten people, and he would illustrate how he would do it with hand gestures, demonstrating me how he would hold a gun and showing me his hardened hands saying “These hands...These hands...I've done a bad thing.” And again, he kept on telling me in his low voice: “Ask me a question.” And I would ask him, and he would answer. And this would go on endlessly.

---

I got restless. I didn’t understand what the guy wanted. I gave him my dollar, I bought him a coffee, I asked him his damn questions. And on top of that I was being humiliated by the stares and speculations that swirled all around me at the Starbucks on 23^rd and Hoyt. The nerve of this guy! Doesn’t he know how it feels to be stared at, scoffed, while people pretend they don’t see you?

That’s it!, I think to myself. I got to get out of here.

“Ask me a question.”

“I need a change of scenery.” I tell the Indian. “Let’s get outta here. Walk with me Leonard.”

---

We get back out on the streets and eventually,I force myself out of the scene. “Ok, Leonard. I’m gonna go…” I try to bribe my way out. “Here.” I give him a five dollar bill. “That’s not enough,” he says. And at that point, I was ready to sprint out of there.

“Wait.” And then he grabs me by the arm. Crap.

“Hold me,” he says. “like this.” And he firmly takes my forearm and holds it in place with his hands. It was an Indian handshake.

“You,” he begins “are my friend.” And we just stand there for a moment – this burly Indian hobo and me, the clean-cut Southern California kid.

“You are my brother.”

Leonard was once a sniper in the war.

In the end, I'm sure the six dollars I gave Leonard didn't really mean much to him. He probably spent it on a lager. Maybe a Budweiser. Maybe he really did spend it on food, like an actual Six-Dollar Burger. We'll never know. But six dollars is six dollars – money comes and goes, and it's not really worth much. To Leonard, what's probably worth anything is the six seconds I took to comply to one quintessential request: to “ask him any question.” -v

Passage of Lovers

2008-08-18T20:56:00.019-04:00

Marriage: A Milestone...or Biological Stalemate?
A passage is about to commence! One of my good friends is getting married this weekend and I am genuinely excited for him, since I think he and his future bride have shown that they really do complement each other (otherwise I'd tell the groom to run for the hills).

Several of my other friends - particularly my female friends - have been lamenting about marriage, since as many of them cut into their twenties and thirties, they expect to get married by a certain time. For one of my guy friends, we'll call him Pedro to protect the innocent, his girlfriend, Mamacita (also a fake name) is pressuring him to commit to tying the knot. Of course, Pedro's terrified of the idea because he doesn't want to be tied down - he wants to "see what else is out there for him."

This poses an interesting point, because the idea of the girl wanting commitment while the guy doesn't, is such a common notion that it's the plot point to practically every movie that involves romance.

I read an interesting theory about this in a book that attempts to explain men and women on the biological level (I got some funny looks at the bookstore that day): in a nutshell, it's the male's job to spread his seed to as many female eggs as possible and it's the female's job to bat the males away and single out one who'd be there for the "long haul" of taking care of her through pregnancy and childrearing. In other words, men are sluts and women play hard-to-get for a reason - it's all about continuing the human race!

Of course, anyone who takes this piece of information too literally is in for a doozy when he uses it to find a date, but maybe it would provide some comfort if you're ever wondering why it's so hard to make a relationship work. Or maybe this theory just made your life a little more dark. -v

Never a Finished Product

2008-08-04T02:18:00.002-04:00

A Construction Crane on the Portland Horizon

I can't help feeling that I'm always under construction. Right now I'm the young adult version of Vi - fresh, naive, inexperienced. It will not be long before I become the middle-aged version of Vi, and then the old version of Vi, then the decrepit version of Vi, and finally the dead version of Vi. Hopefully, when that cycle is all done and through, I've spread my seeds - whether they are in the form of little Vi's, Vi teachings, or Vi memes. It's become more and more clear to me that my life resembles that of a melon.

I Love Drawing Games

2008-07-18T20:17:00.004-04:00

What better way to pass the time among friends than by playing drawing games? These are quite silly, but I find them amusing.

The first page on the left is a "Cute Off" as Austin likes to call it - we take turns seeing if we can top each other in drawing something painfully cute. It got grotesque real fast.

The second page is a game we'd draw one part of an image, cover it up, and pass it to someone else. Then we'd surprise ourselves by uncovering the monstrosity we've created.

These drawings are by Austin Madison, Pat McHale, Amalia Levari, and myself.

Sly O in Seattle

2008-07-06T14:59:00.005-04:00

Space Needle Biznass

So far our little "tour" has been a success! And it's not over yet. Pat's to the left of me as I type this post and Austin's in the bathroom getting his morning started.

Amalia got her own hotel last night at the snazzy Sheraton and we're suppose to meet up with her later for a final coffee - hopefully we'll make enough time to pack and get everyone to the airport in time.

Sly O at the Fishy-Smellin' City Market

We got a ton of cool photos, stories, and above all: footage! Austin took the reigns as the documentary cameraman for the trip - but I guess it's up to me to edit it all together, so look for a little video in the future.

Pickin' Up Sly Orange from PDX

2008-07-04T14:55:00.009-04:00

The dreary parking lot of Portland Int'l Airport

In a matter of minutes, I will be picking up Austin and Pat from the airport and join up with Amalia (who flew in earlier) and we will engage in a weekend of mayhem and hilarity. There's not much to say other than the fact the we plan on driving up to Seattle to do who know's what - something about grabbing coffee atop the Space Needle.

This should be fun - the keyword is should. I'm practically reuniting with some of my closest friends from college, however part of me is not quite sure how the chemistry is going to play out, since there's a slight chance that we may or may not be the type of friends who just "pick up where we left off." Those friends are becoming more and more rare by the day, so we'll see what happens.

Goblin Prance

2008-06-10T11:52:00.011-04:00

This is a sketch I did a while back for Bert's art auction: Pat ended up buying it for about thirty bucks. In one hand I was flattered that Pat bought it, but I was secretly curious to see how much a stranger would pay for it.

This is one of those sketches where I had fun looking at when it was completed, just because it's so silly and I think it's only really crystal clear to me what's going on. The idea is that this fat goblin is prancing in celebration with a fainted damsel in distress, as a knight looks upon this unsavory sight in outrage.

I'm not really a fan of spending too much time re-working an image, since I tend to get frustrated and eventually give up. I've found that it's better for me to have fun with the process and be excited about the end product, and if people have suggestions afterwards, you can learn from that and apply it to the next drawing. I wouldn't recommend this philosophy to everyone, but I just know I get deflated easily.

With that said, I'm open to any comments about whether this image was clear to you or not, or what you thought was going on. I always love to hear the specifics of what I did right, followed by suggestions on how it could be better.

Thanks!

I'm Not Sure If This Is Sweet...

2008-05-15T21:21:00.006-04:00

...or just sorta odd.
Maybe it's a little bit of both, in a Swedish-humor kind of way.

I made this picture for my mom for Mother's Day (in case that wasn't clear enough). This door-to-door salesman with a sun-for-a-head goes around town with his rain cloud buddy, Pete, selling his sunny outlook on life. He's probably the type of guy that tells you to "keep on the sunny side of life." Why I chose him to send my greetings to my mother isn't exactly clear to me yet.

She got it in the mail yesterday (even though I did next-day shipping last Friday - obviously that worked out) and I think she found it as a nice surprise. I suspect my mom was more impressed with the fourteen dollar frame from Target than the actual picture, but that's OK.

A God and His Orca

2008-05-01T16:10:00.015-04:00

Behold! The almighty Neptune, King of the Ocean. It would appear that he's late for his manicure . Turns out that his newly acquired, more fuel efficient orca is stalling in the middle of the sea. Serves His Majesty right for trading in his six-dolphin chariot for it.

This should be viewed bigger, so if you have the patience, click on the image to get a more appropriate view. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to post things bigger on blogger, I'm all ears.

This piece was fun to do, and certain aspects of it turned out nicely. It is an attempt at Mr. Madison's character design challenge this week (or "CHADES" as he likes to call it), in which the theme is "Hairy Gods." Perhaps I could've upped the hairiness. Oh well.

This was one of my more extensive uses of Photoshop (just to color), and seeing how much fun I had making it, I look forward to doing more color work. The challenge for many of us is to keep the organic quality of a real brush stroke and to "downplay the digital." Whether I succeeded in this or not is up to you, but in any case the colors pretty much turned out the way I had hoped.

It's Coming...

2008-04-29T18:36:00.003-04:00

Austin and I have been talking about the idea of intrigue lately. With that, I'd like to leave you with a snippet of a drawing that I will post up later this week. What is it? You'll just have to wait and see.

Feral Man

2008-04-22T16:35:00.003-04:00

This character has been living in my head for some time, so I thought I'd breathe life into him on paper. I won't say too much about him just yet other than he's somewhat of a "gentle brute," kinda like Andre the Giant, or Jesus Chambrot.

Arbitrary Spread of Sci-Fi Randomness

2008-04-21T22:27:00.003-04:00

Some people like to draw mainly girls. Some people like to draw things they see. In this quickie, I decided to let myself go and revert back to the things that got me interested in drawing in the first place: the Strange.

Protest

2008-04-20T23:06:00.002-04:00

This picture made me laugh...

Reluctantly Saw "Princess Bride"

2008-04-16T15:47:00.008-04:00

I finally watched The Princess Bride, all the way through, after yet another one of my female friends literally handed me the DVD.

I said "Pull my finger!!"

I admit, it was pretty good. Very good actually. It had one of the most profound movie quotes I've heard in a while:

Westley: "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

Sad Flock

2008-04-04T19:58:00.012-04:00

One of the nice things about these blogs is that we get to learn from each other by looking at one another's work, and by reading what everyone has to say about them. The "comments" feature is nice too, because we get to have a glimpse of what viewers' reactions are to these drawings.

Now I discovered, fairly recently, the "polling" feature for Blogger and thought maybe that's another way to learn from the audience. With that said, I have a poll about this drawing that I would love for you all to participate in.

For some of you, these characters may be familiar - if you look to the left-hand column, there should be a question: "What are the sheep sad about?" Please pick the best answer(s) - you can pick more than one - according to your initial gut reaction.

Much obliged.

-v

Justin Wright (1981-2008)

2008-03-26T14:03:00.005-04:00

It wouldn't feel right for me to go on with a new post without addressing my friend Justin's passing.

This past week has been a sobering one, as the animation family has lost a very special member and talent. Justin Wright, who did story work at Pixar, died suddenly of complications of a previous heart condition. We went to school together, cubed together, worked out at the gym, roomed together, and even tried to bite each other's heads off for a job (Justin won).

As much as I thought I understood, this has been the quintessential moment in my life where I didn't quite realize someone's value until he's gone. I think many of my friends felt this way too and made sure we expressed our appreciation of one another when we reunited at Justin's memorial service.

Everyone who knew him seems to agree that he's a guy that made it worth it. He did the most he possibly could with the time that he had and surrounded himself with great people, great stories, and great experiences. He was the one guy that showed me that if you want something bad enough, you'll get it - he wanted his time on earth.

Justin, I am grateful that you kept insisting on being in my life. It's time for me to pay it forward and do some insisting of my own.

Blackbirds

2008-03-07T20:25:00.003-05:00

Some images for a gallery show in Astoria tomorrow. The theme of the show is birds. I set out to draw finches (since a friend of mine observed that I move like one), but I ended up with crows.

Director's Chair

2008-02-28T16:28:00.007-05:00

I plan on submitting work to my friend's magazine soon, and this was sort of a "practice piece." I have a tendency to noodle my drawings, and I'm hoping to be more streamlined for future pieces. For me, it's more a priority now that a drawing is expressive and clear, than have a lot going on. It should've always been a priority, but I have certain drawing habits, and old habits die hard.

As for the image itself, I think I ended up creating a character that's a mesh between Hitchcock and a French New Wave director. The magazine I'm submitting for is a film magazine, so that explains why I picked this subject.

The Driver

2008-02-15T22:25:00.013-05:00

I can hear Maki's voice in my head: "Shape..."

Story Structure Tutorial

2008-02-13T02:51:00.002-05:00

Shepherd Exploration

2008-02-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

Wherever she is, I just want to make Brigette smile.

"Loni"

2008-01-13T23:30:00.001-05:00

These are just some doodles I did on a Sunday night. A while back I wrote a short story about an unhappy girl who buys herself a red dress, and I wanted to develop her a bit.