La Jolla Children's Pool

La Jolla Children's Pool, Pastel, 18"x24"

Took a break from drawing because of classes, but got a chance to squeeze in this one before Thanksgiving break. This is a pastel rendering of the Children's Pool near La Jolla Cove, where the seals and pelicans can safely roam (I even spotted some baby seals). The drawing was done at noon which also happens to be high tide, so the waves looked magnificent crashing onto the boulders. On an interesting note, the seagull on the bottom edge of the drawing stayed in the same area for the whole two hours while I was drawing. The quick drawing of it doesn't quite do it justice but by then the sea breeze was making me cold and I packed up soon after.

Suspended, by Martina Lo

Suspended, Colored Pencil, 13"x20"

Met this parrot in Balboa Park in San Diego and fell in love with its colors. Background: TBD.

Alternative Transportation

"Shuttle: In Good Company", Pastel, 18"x24". 

College shuttle differs from regular buses in many ways: it's serves fewer stops, it's directed towards the student population, and best of all, it's free for students. A large part of my college career consisted of this activity. This scene was inspired from one of the many shuttle rides that kept me company during those late nights going home.

Fun Fact: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has declared UCSD a “Best Workplace for Commuters” because of the many transportation alternatives and incentive programs available to faculty, staff, and students.

Cloud Study Box Art

"Cloud Study" is now complete! Painting in the middle of the street in broad daylight has its interesting attributes--from random shout-outs to curious passerbys who ask me questions--it is overall a good vibe that I receive from fellow San Diegans. Thankfully, the San Diego weather hasn't been harsh on me at all; out of the five days, three of them were sunny days, two of them bright white days, like the one shown in the picture. In fact, while painting this outside, I was fortunate to get to experience the beautiful weather changes within every few hours; I feel that these dramatic changes are reflected in the art piece as well.

The sides of the box facing either streets measure 3' 9" or 3' 6" (or 45" x 42"), and the sides perpendicular to the streets measure 3' 9" by 3" (or 45" x 36"); the whole box took a total of 20 hours over the course of 5 days to complete.
©Martina Lo

Project Box Art

Project Box Art is close to completion! Only a few more tweaks and a layer of varnish left. Premiere night would be Tuesday (6/19/2012). Scroll down for further description of the art piece:

White clouds of San Diego (view from North/West end)

Transition of clouds to sunset

View of both streets of Torrey Pines Road

Cloud coming over the sun (view from South/East end)

"Cloud Study" is inspired from the bipolar weather changes with which San Diego has become associated. The sky is brought to the ground as a way to emphasize the beauty of San Diego nature. "Cloud Study" consists of five different cloud arrangement based on actual San Diego sky-scape I have observed and documented. I feel that through a "lightened" artbox experience, one can be reminded of the environment and strive to appreciate what is all around us.

©Martina Lo

Electrical Box Art Project

I recently began a new project of painting an electrical box. Below are a few pictures to document my progress. The title of my piece is called "Cloud Study" and it can be viewed on Torrey Pines Road next to UCSD Muir College. Look forward to more pictures later on this week.

Electrical Box in its original state

Beginning of primer application

View of Electrical Box (South side)

View of Electrical Box (West Side)

A Rainy Day at Disneyland

"A Rainy Day at Disneyland", 11'' x 14'', Acrylic. Finally Complete!

Fabric Study

5-minute fabric study, white colored pencil on black paper

Real, or Fake?

Real, or Fake? Acrylic. 16'' x 20''. The answer is, the dog on the left is fake, it is a statue in front of a dog care center I passed by. This was a question even the lab who saw it couldn't answer right away. I watched as this lab actually had to approach the statue and take a sniff to make sure, and as a result, inspired me to reproduce this special moment. Turns out that painting the statue proved to be just as difficult as the dog trying to distinguish it; however, after many hours of refining, I finally convinced myself that the statue looked more or less like a statue. The statue is so finely crafted that I bet attracts many friendly visitors each day.

Cocker Spaniel, by Martina Lo

"Big Tongue", Acrylic, 12'' x 12''. Painting of a very curly-haired cocker spaniel who loves licking people, hence the nickname.

Commissioned Mural - Process

A 4-step photo documentary of a mural I did in 2007

1. Determine Location and Design

2. Fill with color

3. Apply Details

4. Complete!

Golden Retriever, by Martina Lo

"Nonchalant", Acrylic, 11'' x 14''. I passed by this Golden Retriever in front of a store entrance and I just stopped on my tracks and pulled back to take a few good photos of this dog. I just loved the nonchalant way the dog appeared in front of the store; it only looked at me when I first walked up to take a picture but for the rest of the time it just gazed into the distance. Since this dog was lying outside the store, I wasn't able to meet its owner and find out the name of the dog. There are some parts that can still be adjusted but I decided to leave it the way it is. 

©Martina Lo

Pet Portraits

Here's my most recent pencil sketch of a black lab:

Emma Zen, 8.5'' x 11'', graphite

Pastel drawing of  brown horse

Lucy and Baby, 24'' x 36'', pastel

Corky and Lynxie, 17'' x 14'', prismacolor

Want your own? Email: martinaloartwork@gmail.com

©Martina Lo

New Location for Husky Mural

When Summit Prep High School moved to its new location in Redwood City, so did my mural! Here is a snapshot of the permanent location where the mural now lies.

Murals

"Husky Spirit", 8' x 20', Exterior Acrylic Paint. The mascot for this high school is a husky, so I wanted to create a mural that portrays a realm for huskies with different personalities to co-exist. Before I painted this mural, this school was defined by the monotonous color of portable classrooms. Therefore, I chose to use vibrant colors to make the mural a focal point for the campus. I knew the portables were temporary, so I placed five 8' x 5' panels next to each other and painted over it; thus the creation of a transportable mural!

Dining by the Shores, 7.2' x 9.5', interior acrylic paint. This is a mural I painted in my friend's dining room prior to the addition of any furniture. The fences are meant to be as tall as the dining table so that when it is put in, it completes the effect of dining by the shores.

La Vie en Rose, 8' x 8', interior acrylic paint, This mural belongs to a bedroom of a woman who loves roses. The bed is located directly underneath this mural. Some of the roses extend to the other wall which explains the angle of the picture.

Still Life - Basic Shapes

Understanding still life drawing begins somewhere, and these three shapes are perhaps three of the most essential shapes to producing anything complex. Yesterday my students completed their first composition drawing based on this arrangement and, although they admit it was a challenge for them, I am quite pleased with their product at the end of the day. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me so I couldn't get a picture of their work, but I feel this picture gives a good sense of the composition so it will suffice.

Cool Colors Study

Cool Colors Study, Pastel, 18''x 24''

This drawing explores the effects of cool colored objects on warm-colored paper. For my subjects, I picked three of my animated containers to complete a theme. Posted here are before and after the background was added.

Portrait of Geisel Library, by Martina Lo

Geisel Library West, Graphite, 18'' x 24''. I created this drawing based off of a reference photo I took of Geisel Library at UCSD two years ago. Last week, when I was figuring out a topic to draw for landscape in pencil, I happened to find this picture. The design of this building produces a nice contrast between light and dark values, which makes it very fun to draw. Non-technical-wise, Geisel Library's appeal resides in its physical features. In this West view of the library, the shape of two hands holding up a book can be easily identified—symbolizing the knowledge and inspiration it contains. This beautiful landmark of UCSD presents itself to viewers from all of its corners. In the artist’s eye, it is the icon of UCSD, the source of creativity, and most importantly, the pride of UCSD students.

Happy Leap Year

I have gone through many plans and changes in life but drawing has always stuck with me for as long as I can remember. I started drawing professionally since 2005, but I only started to blog about my works this year. In order to keep track of everything, this Leap Year, I am starting my very own blog site for my sketches, artworks, commissioned art, and art classes. I am an artist in California who draws traditionally on a diverse palette--pencil, colored pencils, acrylic, pastel, watercolor, and Chinese brush painting. I will use this blog to track my drawing progress!