Leo Matsuda

ANOTHER FIGHT

2012-01-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

SMALL APPETIZERS

2012-01-25T20:34:00.000-08:00

Lonely boy

2012-01-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

I saw this scene at the Airport a few weeks ago. A family played cards while waiting for their boarding time. What stroke me in this particular situation is the distance between the parents and their son. The mother seemed to be very loving towards her husband and while the boy and his daddy played cards she kept herself physically away from her child. I felt as if I was watching a scene from "Ordinary people" or even "East of Eden". The mother kept whispering at the husband ears while both of them giggled at the child's moves in the game.

Later on the boy came to hug his mother begging for love but she could barely look at her child's eyes.

Maybe the mother was a mean step-mother or the new girlfriend of his father? Maybe the parents were always distant and the child will grow lonely? Maybe i'm just wrong and the mother was just angry at the boy for something bad he did? Maybe the mother was just tired? I don't know for sure what was that actually happen between the family but that for sure brought me ideas and spurred some thoughts in my mind as far character and behavior goes.

REMAINS OF THE GODS

2012-01-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

That's what I always see after leaving " the zone 4" of an airplane. Leftovers of champagne and lobsters awaits us in our shameful walk towards the exit of the aircraft. Hopefully one day I'll get rich so I can fly in style.

laugh baby, cry baby

2012-01-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

After 8 hours of a long and exhausting flight back to California that's what i saw at the seat besides me. Please don't get me wrong. I enjoy babies and would like to have some of these little creatures on my own one day. However, If I had to travel on their company I would rather send them via Fedex to the destination. I would pay any required taxes.

WHY OLD LADIES HAVE SHORT AND CURLY HAIR?

2011-12-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Life is very mysterious. There are lots of things that are unexplained and since my childhood I could never figure out. For instance, I always wondered why old ladies have short and curly hair. My grandmother has short and curly hair and all her elderly friends also have. Look around and you will notice what I'm talking about. If they have long hair they are probably hipsters, activists or vegan old ladies so they are exceptions to the rule and not considered plain old ladies.

Yesterday night I kept thinking the whole night why old ladies have short and curly hair and I had a moment of "eureka". As old ladies get older the gravity effect pulls their entire body weight down with exception of their hair which grows in opposite direction of the gravity force. This effect is still unexplained but hopefully one day science will figure this out.

Below there's a diagram for what I discovered:

Legend:
A = AGE
H = HAIR CURLINESS
G = GRAVITY

I know I'm far from being a genius and that this idea sucks but if you think about this it kind of make sense. Just take a look at your grandma.

WARPED GLASSES

2011-12-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

The other day I got distracted and forgot my reading glasses in my pocket while I did the laundry. The next day would be a busy Monday and I had an entire sequence to board till Wednesday afternoon.

As I stared over my cintiq that's what my eyes saw.

The deadline was coming. I had no choice but to go straight to the Ophthalmologist to get my warped glasses fixed. The appointment had to be scheduled on Wednesday morning. The pitch would happen at the same day a few hours later. My goal was to make it back to work in time for the pitch with my reading glasses fixed.

As soon as I arrived at the ophthalmologist the doctor's secretary smiled and politely asked me if I had ever been through a dilation. As you probably know english is not my first language so I pretended I understood the question. Having a tip on my shoulders I answered that question with an air of arrogance. "Dilation? Of course.."

The Doctor then called me into her office. She examined my glasses and told me I would need a new prescription. What means new glasses and lenses.

I was really pissed with that answer. Glasses nowadays are very expensive and I didn't like the idea of having to buy new ones. As I complained to the doctor I felt this luminosity coming towards my direction.

The doctor pulled in front of me this massive machine with metallic arms and it completely streched my eyes from cheeks to forehead.

While it forcefully keep my eyes opened it also shed an extremely bright spot of light directly into my eyes. As if it wasn't terrible enough she also asked me to read tinny letters on the wall. I felt as if I were in a concentration camp being tortured by Hitler himself.

Then the Doctor demanded me to not close my eyes in any circumstance. At that moment I felt as if I were living a "Clockworth Orange" moment". She started dropping this blue liquid into my eyes...

As my pupil turned into the size of bowling balls I noticed that my vision was all blurry. I asked the doctor if she was turning me into a blind man. She giggled and told me to just relax. Her only warning was to avoid light for a few hours. I was wondering why.

Pretending I knew all about dilation I said good bye to the doctor and her secretary. As I opened the door I had a surprise.

The bright sun shined right into my face.

I felt my optic nerves in terrible pain.

Immediately I shut my eyes.

People at the street thought I was some kind of hobo or some sort of asian zombie.

I kept bumping into people while tears rolled through my sealed eyes. I would keep asking for directions but people were too freaked out and annoyed by me.

With a terrible blurry vision I squinted through the street. With much sacrifice I could finally identify a traffic light.

It was time to cross the street so I went for the pedestrian button.

In a hurry, I pressed it several times.

Due to the blurriness I ended up not realizing I was poking a ladies' mole.

Calling me an idiot, she immediately started hitting me with her cane.

Without discerning what the hell was going on I run away for my life. From distance, I could hear her cursing me in what sounded like russian. This bumpy journey went on for almost 2 hours.

You guys are probably asking about my pitch. Did I made it in time? Yup. Somehow I made it to work in time. However, I had to pitch in the dark. It was a painful and "bright" journey but at least I finally learned the definition of "dilation".

What if...

2011-12-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Gallery Nucleus invited me to be part of the show "What if..." Unfortunately I didn't have time to submit my final piece but here is the digital version of my idea.

"What if... Aliens were living among us".

media: digital
size: 11'X 17'

MARMAID FROM PURPLE SEAS

2011-11-28T23:57:00.000-08:00

DOT-LINE-LEGGED BIRD

2011-11-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

media: Marker / Pencil color.
size: 5'5" x 10'inches

THE TEENAGE BOY

2011-11-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

This story happened to me a while back. As you can see I still had short hair. I was so ashamed of it I decided not to share it online until I was buried but I feel the time to reveal this ugly truth has come. It was around 6pm on a Sunday and I was going to the liquor store to buy me some water gallons. While I was waiting for the sign to turn green I noticed that the pedestrian ring signal kept going several times. Annoyed, I turned my head to see what was going on and noticed this sort of intimidating and shady teenage boy.

I was kind of scarred so I started walking fast towards the Liquor store. Suddenly, they boy whistled. He signed me to stop and he walked towards my direction.

The boy pulled some cash from his pocket and asked me to buy him some cigarettes. He was probably 15 years old but... oh boy, was he really intimidating!! Of course the right thing to say would be: "No! It's illegal for children to smoke.". However, I was too scarred to fight for moral values.

I bought my gallons of water and the cigarettes for the teenage boy. I know, I know. It's pretty messed up but he was waiting for me outside and I had no choice. After getting his cigarettes, the big teenage boy pet me in the head and then told me I could go home.

While the filthy teenage boy freely smoked his cigarette at the street I headed back home feeling ashamed and humiliated.

It felt as if I were in the old West when the laws were always broken and the town belonged to the stronger ones. Feeling ashamed of myself for not standing up for what was right I decide to take some action!

I went and punched my sofa pillows with all my rage.

Did I made this world a better place to live acting in this way? No. Did I stood up like a descent man and taught the children of America how to behave? No. Did I avoid getting an awful black eye from a 15-year-old-boy and got back home in one piece? Yes.

CHICK WITH AN ATTITUDE

2011-11-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

This painting was inspired on the film "Desperately seeking Susan". I love Madonna's character in it so I made a little homage to her.

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN

2011-11-10T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is a donation I made for the drawing dreams foundation, a non-profit organization that provides art supplies to children through children's hospitals. For more information on that visit the Drawing dreams foundation website. This piece was donated for an action that will happen in New York in the month of December. There will be some amazing artists contributing with pieces too. I hope the auction is a major success!! Visit the website and check the gallery if you can.

Title: The Abominable Snowman
Media: Acrylics
size: 11 x 14

Digital pass

KAMEN RIDER vs. SUPER SENTAI SHOW

2011-11-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

This is my contribution for the KAMEN RIDER vs. SUPER SENTAI show. Thanks for Chris Mitchell for inviting me to participate on it. This show will be awesome and there will be other amazing artists contributing with art pieces too. The opening reception will happen on November, 5th from 9pm to 11pm at the Q Pop gallery. For more information on the show visit: qpopshop.blogspot.com

digital pass:

Final painting:

    title: V3 vs. JAGUAR SCISSORHANDS
    media: Gouache
    size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2

ZOMBIE LOVERS

2011-10-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone finds somebody to love this weekend. Happy Halloween!!!

BAIT FOR BABIES

2011-10-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

WEREWOLF

2011-10-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

Miami times

2011-10-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was feeling a bit tired of the city of entertainment so I decided to take a little vacation.

I felt as if I deserved to have some fun so so friends recommended to go to Miami if i wanted to play hard. So I took a flight straight to beautiful Miami, specifically talking, South beach! Besides, my roomate Evie was going to be playing in a volleyball tournament there so I wanted to be there to give some moral support.

So I took a cab once I landed in South Beach. While the cab driver took me to my hotel I appreciated the scenic view of Miami.

One thing I noticed right away was that the Miami population is basically comprised of elderly people and hot Latino ladies.

The temperature was really hot. The driving was so lethargic from the hot weather that he ended up taking a nap.

During the whole trip he kept falling asleep and I had to keep warning him that sleeping in the steering wheel is not really safe. He agreed with me but kept sleeping. I guess it was almost involuntary. After a very scary drive, we finally arrived to our destination... somehow safe.

As soon as I left the cab I could feel the Miami humidity. I felt as if I was melting and I would probably be in liquid form if I didn't run to my hotel as fast as I could. The name of the Hotel was Red. At the time I booked the hotel I though it was a cool name and evoked some kind of charm into it.

As soon I got inside of the Hotel I noticed that it was literally RED. The entire place was red and smelled like strawberries.

That was a little weird but what a hey!! I was there to experience new things and the night was just beginning. So I run back to my room, put some nice cologne, dressed up to impress, and was ready to roll!!

A few minutes ago, there I was hitting up the nightclubs in South Beach. The first club I chose was called CAMEO. The line was huge and I was looking forward to get in and have a swell time.

Suddenly, these two Italian guys showed up behind me.

They thought they were so cool that they could just cut in front of me.

I kept poking their backs so they would realize the situation.

They didn't give a shit so I did the unthinkable...

I pushed them away and got in front of those assholes.

They weren't really pleased and started to curse me in Italian. I was just so mad that I told them to shut up on go to the back of the line.

Of course they were way bigger than me. Who isn't anyway. So the Italian dudes decided they wanted to kick my ass. I had to think fast otherwise I would probably be a dead man.

Being japanese brazilian sometimes comes in handy. Some people for some reason think I probably know martial arts and that I could be a dangerous figher. So I usually go with the lie and pretend I'm actually badass to impress people. And the cool thing is that they actually believe in me!!!

So I told the italian dudes I was an UFC champion!! They literally shit spaghetti in their pants.

As a result I got free drinks and thousands of apologies. I told them it's okay. I wouldn't hurt them at this time because I had to save my energies for the big fight tomorrow.

They waved good bye to me and kindly invited me for a visit Italy. What a nice dudes!!

With my self-esteem boosted up I went on the hunt for ladies. There were beautiful cuban, and porto rican ladies all over. I came closer to one of them and offered her a martini.

She took the drink from my hands while whispering and giggling in Spanish to her friend.

and then she rejected me.

After a few unsuccessful attempts I realized that specific club wasn't really suitable for me. So there I was in the hot humid streets of South Beach on the look out for another club.

I had no clue where I was going. Miami can be very confusing. Then a hobo with cans all over his body offered to guide me to the best night club in town.

Melting in my own sweat, I asked him how long it would take to get there and he kept telling me we were almost there.

We walked for almost 40 minutes. It was drenched and my legs were aching.

So we finally arrived at the best "club" he was talking about.

Hobo: "Now that's what I call a CLUB, boy! All ladies from Miami inside there. Just pick and choose yar mama!! "
I told the Hobo I was actually looking for a CLUB. Not a STRIP CLUB. The Hobo got really offended and started to yell at me saying that I wasn't respecting his services. So I had to give the hobo some tip otherwise he would probably stab me on the face.

After a long night of no fun I walked back to my red room and crawled into my strawberry-smelly-bed. Yeah, my first day in South Beach wasn't really what I expected but my second one would be promissing I was sure. :-)

So there I was. On my second day in South Beach. Beautiful sunny day and blue sky!

My roomate Evie and his volleyball partner, Scott were about to play at a big beach volleyball tournament. I was there to give moral support and cheer up for their victories.

The game begun and everyone was smiling and being really friendly towards each other. What an easygoing and relaxing sport!!

The easygoing vibe made me feel so happy. I finally realized what South Beach was about. Just chill out and enjoy your day with your friends in peace in mind. Being happy on the beach was all that mattered.

Suddenly, the game started to get a bit more competitive.

The happy vibe started to fade away. I felt tension in the air.

Violently and sadisticaly, the adversaries hit the ball over my roomate's court.

My roomate jumps over the ball like an animal yelling in Anger.

What was supposed to be a fun and friendly game became almost a duel of gladiators. People were bleeding and moaning in pain.

They yell at eachother's face as if they were about to kill eachother like big apes.

I was terrified and confused.

Despite the horror I wasn't giving up on my friends. I kept on motivating them so they could win but they seemed a bit to wearied already.

Scott was the one feeling worse. Because of Miami crazy hot weather his blood pressure dropped and he passed out in the sand.

There was no paramedics there so we had to give Scott some salty ships so his blood pressure would go back to normal.

The adversaries kept on hitting the ball with anger and cruelty not giving chances to my friends to react.

Finally the referee called the end of the game.

My friends lost the tournament. :-(

It was a very depressing sight. It was as if they were literally coming from a War and had lost their arms and legs.

That was the lowest point of my trip. I guess my second day in South Beach was sucking even more than my first one. Drenching under the sun made me feel even worse.

But then I realized I still had a chance to be happy in this trip!!

So bouncing over latino butts, I happily run!!!

I run over to the beautiful and blue ocean of Miami Beach.

As I jumped into that wonderful blue water expecting to refresh my sweaty burning body...

...I realized that the water was actually warm.

Se we took our flight back home after 2 exhausting and frustrating days in Miami.

The signs to fasten our seat belts were turned on. It was time to land.
Well, That was the end of my vacation.

No fun, no ladies, no victories in volleyball.....

but then I glanced over the window...

and after seeing that hollywood sign

...I realized how much I actually missed California.

heavy grocery

2011-09-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

So I was going to work yesterday and I saw this weird thing. A Fly in the wall was crawling backwards. At that moment I freaked out and thought I was actually going bananas.

Then I looked close and that's what I saw:

This scrawny little spider was dragging this dead fly back to it's web. The size difference between the two was huge. That skinny spider was probably starving because it carried that heavy corpse all over the wall with so much enthusiasm. It probably took her the whole day to reach it's destination. ...And I complaining my 30 minute drive to Trader Joes.

ULTRAMAN

2011-09-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

This was my contribution for our microgallery show that happens sporadically at the studio . The theme was: Heros vs Villains. I love old school japanese super-heros. My entire childhood I spent watching this type of heros fighting ugly monsters and creatures to save humanity. I couldn't help but to choose my favorite japanese hero, Ultra-man as the subject of my painting.

4 3/4 x 6 3/4
media: gouache

FIRST DATE

2011-09-07T11:39:00.001-07:00

LEO CARMAGGEDOM!!!

2011-08-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have just officially turned into a free man. I finally got my DL. LA citizens fasten your seatbelts!! It will be a bumpy ride!!

ZAR'S FAREWELL PARTY

2011-08-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my good and talented friend Zar was leaving to the bay area for work. It was a sad day and I felt as I was missing a good friend. I was invited for her farewell party and I would like to share with everyone this amazing adventure!!

My friend Zar is Armenian. I know little about the Armenian culture but as soon as I arrived at her house I could notice the amazing architecture. I was amazed by how sturdy and well built the house was.

I was also dumbstruck by the ornaments in the door and the heavy pillars of the house. Really impressive!!

I knocked in the door. Zar opened it. She kindly invited me in.

Right away, her friendly dog came to say hello. I was surprised by how friendly it was.

In aw, I walked through the sturdy and intricate living room of her house. I complimented Zar: " What a nice house!" Then she said: " My father built it with his own hands!" I was amazed but at the same time shocked. I thought to myself: " Her father must be those very conservative and strong mediterranean men. When he sees me he might shop my head with his hammer in small little pieces.

Then she introduced me to his father. For my surprise, he was a very gentle man. Great smile and loved to BBQ. Right away he prepared me a few skewers.

It was time to socialize. I mingled a bit with some of Zar's friends, Ci-Raggio and his girlfriend, Sadie. We were all trying to behave like decent Hollywood business people and would hold a very standoffish conversation.

Ci-Raggio, behaving as a conservative man of principles, tells his girlfriend Sadie: "Drink as much Margaritas as you want today, dear. Today I'm the designator driver!"

Sadie was extremely happy hearing that. She will get to drink as much Margaritas as she wants and be carried in the arms of her loved man. I thought to myself. "I wish I was a gentleman like Si-Raggio. Instead, I'm already drinking this beer". I guess I'm not a man of principles but I'll pretend I am anyway. This is Hollywood!".

Time for dinner! Armenian food was served. I don't know too much about Mediterranean food but it smelled really good!! I was looking forward to eat some shish kabobs and some good Hummus.

I was about to start enjoying myself with some delicious Armenian food when ....

Zar's father joined us and presented a giant bottle of Tequila.

He then explained us how important friendship is in Armenian culture. He told us to drink it in name of our new friendship. It looked like a very strong tequila and usually I can't handle too much alcohol but I couldn't disappointing Zar's father.

At that moment we all made a toast to our friendship. Everyone seemed so happy and excited.We sang together Armenian melodies.

We all lifted our cups celebrating that beautiful moment between friends. My "hollywood" facade was still holding me back but my soul told me to drink it.

I went ahead and took the shot! It was as if burning flames were coming out from my nostrils and my eyes. Suddenly I felt something changing inside of me....

I believe after this first shot I had 5 other ones. When I got to my sixth I was completely wasted!! As you can see, my face looks like a tomato. People say that Asians lack a type of enzyme. And the are absolutely right!! From shyness and fake facade I become a crazy dude dancing non-stop and shaking my intoxicated body . Everyone in the party surrounded me and started to clap this moment of joy.

Ci- Raggio, the designated driver ended up broking his word and getting just a bit tipsy. He was grooving like a sexy belly dancer.

Suddenly, I got a call from my girlfriend at that time. She couldn't come earlier to the party because she had a wedding to attend. However, she were able to come at the ending of Zar's party.

She came by expecting me to compliment her new dress but I was too drunk to notice. It was a beautiful dress but how could I notice anything after after 6 tequila shots ?

The only word I could remember was "tequila". I went back to join my Armenian friends in the grooving.

That was a crazy but fun night. Me and Ci-Raggio got really drunk but we finally were able to understand what Zar's father was trying to say. When we arrived at the party we were both playing standoffish and trying to maintain appearances but after some tequila shots we both became sincere good friends. Thank you for Zar's father for sharing with us this friendly tradition.

Too bad the ladies didn't enjoyed it as much as we did. No dress compliments for Lindsey, and no more margaritas for Sadie who at that point had no choice but to be the designator driver. Well, I hope we can all maintain the Armenian tradition in our lives when we sober up. :)

ERNESTO GARCIA CABRAL

2011-08-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

Here's another contribution for Toby Neighbors' website Illustribute where we study different artists and share what influences we get from their expertise.

Ernesto Garcia Cabral

The most prolific illustrator, caricaturist and cartoonist in the history of Mexican journalism, Ernesto Garcia Cabral has been called “The Greatest Cartoonist You’ve Never Heard Of,” due to his singular style and until recently, relative obscurity. Often associated with the brilliant lobby cards he executed during The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, Cabral was never widely known outside his native country during his lifetime, with the exception of France, despite a successful career spanning sixty years. Routinely described as an ernest and determined young man, the vitality of Cabral’s work reveal a passionate artist full of humor, an all-encompassing lust for life–as well as the intrinsic energy necessary for such creative longevity and the nickname “El Chango” (The Monkey).

I love his sense of humor, nostalgia, and how pushed are his paintings. Here's my take on this amazing mexican artist.

title: "Las locas gitanas"
media: digital
size: 11"x 17"

Little Pianist

2011-08-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

SNACK TIME

2011-08-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook stuff

2011-08-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

Random drawings from my sketchbook.

LAX airport.

Rich gentleman with young opportunist lady.

Hawaii at Pearl harbor base.

Nasty woman

Mckee workshop at Pitch fest. This lady was presenting Mckee with her script and getting his feedback.

HAM BA GA

2011-07-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Chris Mitchell for the opportunity to be part of the Q Pop's Ham Ba Ga show. The theme of the show was "Hamburger". The show already happened and it was really awesome!! Sorry for posting this so late!! My life was going upside down at the time.

                                                           final piece -
                                                           title: First Hamburger
                                                           media: gouache

                                                             rough pass-
                                                             title: First Hamburguer
                                                             media: digital

Alternate version-

title: gut hour

media: digital

My stupid dinossaur

2011-07-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

OUTLAW

2011-07-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time...

2011-07-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

SHIBUYA

2011-07-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce everyone to my new pet. The dragon Shibuya!!!

COMFY HIPPO

2011-07-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

In the nature every animal lives in harmony among themselves. Except when it comes to the case of the Alligators who take advantage of their friendly neighbors, the mellow and passive hippopotamus. This is a picture taken in the moment of the action! See how the Alligator jumps on the top of the comfy hippopotamus and spread his tail all over the other animal's face. After passed 6 hours the reptile is still on top of the poor creature. Gators describe their friends as" the lazy boy of the wilderness". Hippopotamus don't enjoy this remark a bit.

The witch's cat eats babies

2011-06-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

BEHIND-THE-WHEEL TEST

2011-06-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know... Even 16-year-old kids can drive. Why an old dude like me cannot drive yet? Because I spent my whole life drawing cartoons and forgot there are other things in life a decent man needs to know about...but, hey!! I'm in the process of getting a driver's license now. Finally I'm realizing it's time to become a decent man and not having to ride my bicycle to Trader Joes to buy groceries.

So last week I had my behind-the-wheel test. My good friend Regis was the one in charge of taking me to the DMV since I'm still not allowed to drive on my own. Regis is a really kind soul and an optimistic man. He kept pumping me up so I wouldn't feel nervous while driving.

There we were getting ready to go to the DMV to take the test that would happen in 40 minutes.

Because of his magnificent words of encouragement I was feeling really confident about driving. He gave me a few directions in how to drive safe and told me to start driving whenever I felt ready.

I felt readier than ever!! So I confidently turned on the keys, signed to the right and started reversing the car.

....and as I confidently reversed my car.....

I bumped into a pink Cadillac behind me!!

I felt a big hit!!!We realized we had not only hit the Cadillac behind us but also that there were two people inside.

I was nervous and didn't know what to do so I was getting ready to drive far far away. Regis told me to calm down and stop the car right away. If we left the place without stopping we would be charged with "hit and run."

The best thing to do in these situations, Regis said, was to go talk to the lady and to exchange information so I wouldn't get in trouble with the DMV. I was feeling scared and nervous since the lady was screaming her lungs out of her Cadillac.

I came to her and the first think I said was -" I'm really really sorry, lady."
The lady yelled at my face - " No No No ... There's NO sorry!!

And then, for more than 30 minutes we had to hear her sermon in how a bad driver I was. My friend Regis tried explain to the lady that I was just heading to the DMV to take my test and I was just a little nervous. The lady said - " Oh Boy, that is not a good sign. This boy's gonna fail.

The Cadillac lady asked me to lift my permit and to smile. I did so.

...and then she pulled her camera and took a nice picture of me. On that moment, I felt as if I was a wanted criminal or someone really dangerous.

And then, with a scowl in her face the Cadillac lady stared at me and said -

"Thats why I looove my smart phone!!!"

After all this mess I was feeling extremely nervous and discouraged. As a kind soul, Regis kept pumping me up and said that the incident was actually a sign of "good luck". All my bad luck had already happened so from that point on I would have a flawless behind-the-wheel test.

Finally we arrived at the DMV. It was hot like hell and the place was crawling with loud people.

Our turn in line was very close. My confidence really low from all that previous disaster with the horrible "Cadillac" Lady.

I was sweating like a pig and feeling nauseous. Regis noticed how miserable I looked.

As a kind soul he couldn't help but seeing my struggle. Again he decided to pump me up.

Regis started telling me funny stories that happened with him on Twitter so I would loosen up a bit.

Minutes later we were all cracking up from those really funny Twitter stories until the DMV instructor showed up at the window.

It seemed as she had heard our jokes and thought we were laughing at her because she looked kinda pissed off.

With a terribly angry voice she yelled - " GOOO!!!" At that moment I felt really nervous and insecure and all my learning skills went down the window. The only think I could remember was stepping on the gas.

and I really stepped on it.....a bit too much I guess.

And that was the end of my test.

Well, I hope to get my DL one of these days. For now, back to my bicycle...

THE JOKER

2011-06-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

MIDNIGHT LADY

2011-06-14T11:34:00.001-07:00

BURBANK PEOPLE

2011-06-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

I saw this fellows today while riding my bike to work.

These two sisters were apparently moving into an apartment around the area. The older sister was having to do all the heavy work while the little one joyfully watched the older one carry their luggage.

This man was very long and skinny and he had an extremely tiny Chihuahua. The dog was really vicious despite of its size.

Sometimes living in Burbank can be really inspiring!!

INHUMANITY

2011-06-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

On June 17th, my friends Andres and Sun Ha will be holding an art auction to benefit the victims of human trafficking.

Sadly, human trafficking still happens nowadays and it's actually even worse than it used to be. How heartbreaking it is to see human beings being treated in such a horrible way. How inhuman. I'm so happy my friends Andres and Sun Ha are organizing this event as a way of alerting society about this situation and also to support organizations that are dedicated to eradicating human trafficking. Thanks Andres and Sun Ha for fighting to make this world a better one and to let me contribute on this great cause.

Below are digital studies for the art piece I came up with:

At first, I thought in having two children holding hands representing "hope". This idea was inspired in one of the documentaries I watched related to human trafficking. There's a very touching moment when we see a picture of two children carrying huge rocks on their backs. They were holding hands. That image really inspired me.

I also explored one other idea related to the horrible vision of children being used as slaves. It's a horrible and touching sight and I thought it would be an interesting point-of-view to bring up.

Exposing the cruelty that slaves go through in human trafficking was my main focus. At first I wanted to expose the cruelty that children go through in human trafficking. However, I ended up
choosing an adult in this painting since it would seem less specific and it could be a more universal way of conveying this issue.

Final Painting

title: Inhumanity

media: gouache 4 3/4 x 6 3/4" (12 x 17 cm)

ONE THOUGH CAT

2011-06-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

BATMAN VS CATWOMAN

2011-06-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

BATMAN

2011-06-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

BELLOQ

2011-06-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

REBEL

2011-06-02T13:43:00.001-07:00

LION

2011-05-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

AQUAMAN ON LAND

2011-05-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

What if Aquaman decided to imigrate to Land? He would have to wear a goldfish aquarium helmet since he wouldn't be able to inhale oxigen. He would have to find a job to buy his wife all the shiny things in the mall. His heroism would be corrupted by the filthy capitalism system.

AQUAMAN ON WATER

2011-05-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

BAD THOUGHTS

2011-05-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

It was 12:56am, almost time to go to bed. I usually go to bed around 1:00 am but I still had to delete lots of spams that people keep sending to my email throughout the week.

It is pretty annoying and takes me quite a while to delete all of them. I really had to pee so bad but I was determined to go through all that task before going to the bathroom, and then finally getting ready to go to bed.

I was curious about one of the spams. I opened it up and it revealed a freaky E.T on the screen. It was one of those stupid emails about "reptilians". Crazy theories saying that Gorge W. Bush or the Queen Elizabeth are E.Ts because of the size of their head or even their ears. I know...It sounds pretty retarded but after seeing that image I really freaked out.

In fact, I was so freaked out that I couldn't even go to the bathroom to pee. I jumped straight to my bed.

Scary thoughts started to pop in my head. I started imagining "what if those creatures really exist?" " What if George W Bush is really a reptilian and he will come to my room and eat me alive?" They could attack me from anywhere!! They could be staring at me through my window.

They could be underneath my bed ready to have me as an asian snack!

I was completely freaked out!! i couldn't even move. Yet, my bladder was exploding and I really needed to pee. I had to make a choice and quick!! but "What if a reptilian is waiting me on the hallway?" They could abduct me and insert a chip inside my brain. They could even transform me into a reptilian with a long head! Those were horrible fears to deal with but...

I resolutely decided to stand up like a man and face my fears. I stood up and started to firmly walk towards the bathroom.

Finally I was able to pee and that felt so good! I not only relieved my bladder but also proved to my self how manly I was.

It's one of those moments you really feel you are tough and strong. An incredible sense of pride came into myself.

When suddenly, I felt something touching my head....

That sense of pride instantly faded away!!! I was so freaked out that I started peeing everywhere.

Accidentally, I ended up peeing all over my roommate's new work out shoes.

My roommate had just bought this new tennis shoes and he would probably kill me if he noticed pee on it.

I kept imagining what would happen to me if he ever found out.

So I spent the whole night washing his shoes. At that night I had no sleep. However, I discovered a way of taking my head away of bad thoughts. Every time you feel scared at night try doing things that could distract you from those bad thoughts. I guarantee it works!! I discovered it in a very hard way but you could find a pleasant one.

WILD WOMAN

2011-05-13T13:41:00.001-07:00

HULK!

2011-05-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

ONE OF MY CRAZY NON-SENSICAL DREAMS

2011-05-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had a dream that really called my attention. It was a very strange dream and it made no-sense whatsoever. In this dream, two of the most successful Hollywood entertainers of all times were considering me as a prodigy and they believed I could somehow fix their shows. 

INT. ANIMATION STUDIO - MORNING

Leo Matsuda, a very hardworking and a little stressed out foreign boy, is crunching really hard in one of his storyboard sequences. It is a tight deadline and he has to turn it around in a very short amount of time. Unexpectedly, Larry David, a prestigious Hollywood writer, shows up in his cubical office asking him for a freelance job. 

                                                                             LARRY             

Hey you, people are complaining my show is

too dry. I need to make it more cartoony.

LEO              

I wish I could help you Sir but I cannot spell
 in English. Maybe you should hire a real writer.

                            LARRY 

          Just shut up. I heard you are good at it.
          You have to get this back to me in 30 min
          otherwise you are fired.

LEO

        I understand you are a busy man sir but
        I'm pretty busy here at work too so maybe
        you should talk to our producer. Besides, I 

        I believe he is the only one who could
        actually fire me.

        
                          LARRY 
            Do you know who I am? I can blacklist
            you through the whole entertainment industry
            so just shut up and cartoonize my script.

                         LEO 
          But I'm clueless here sir. Can you give me
          some directions?


                        LARRY 
           Start from page 1, little shithead. 

Leo agonizes over myriads of pages floating through his cubical.He has no idea in how to address his deadly situation.

Suddenly, a warm hand touches Leo's shoulder. 

It's Jerry Seinfeld, the other very successful entertainer in Hollywood. He has very kind eyes and lots of charisma. Awesome 90's hairstyle.

    
                         JERRY 
           What you need is some fresh air, boy.
           Let me take you for a ride.

EXT. BURBANK STREETS - DAY

In his Expensive Convertible Ferrari Testarossa, Jerry Seinfeld takes little Leo for a ride. Leo is now extremely confused and scared of what could happen to his professional future.

             
                           LEO
      I thought you said it was just a ride, man. 
      I'm in a terrible crunch time at work and I have Larry
      David's freelance to finish. Please,
      Take me back to Burbank, man! 

          
                           JERRY 

       Larry David? He is already tracking you down?
       I knew it. If that fool thinks he can be more 
       entertaining than me he is dead wrong. I have 
       Leo Matsuda! The all-star.
                             
                            LEO
            But I don't wanna be a star.
            I'm a shy guy!

                         

                         
                           JERRY
           Shut up! I heard you are brilliant, kid.
           I'll make you into my favorite friend
           in the 10th season.
    
                             LEO
           I thought your favorite friend was
           Jason Alexander.
          
                            Jerry
               Jason is an old hag now.
              I need brand new talent in the show.
              This will be the summer of Matsuda! 

Jerry speeds in his Ferrari as if it is a supersonic jet. In a few minutes they arrive in his billion-dollar mansion in the Hamptons.

Jerry parks in his luxurious parking lot. We see loads of other Testarossas just like the one he was driving. 

INT. JERRY'S HAMPTONS MANSION - AFTERNOON

Jerry tries to impress Leo with the grandeur of his sophistication and healthiness. Jerry shows off his exorbitant aquarium with rare  wild fish from the Atlantic deep seas. He wants Leo at any price and he is definitely impressing him. At this point Leo is starting to believe he is some kind of stardom.

Finally he introduces Leo to his most precious object. His trillion dollar Piano. He wants Leo to show his potential as a star. He wants to see Leo shinning through this magnificent musical instrument.

                         JERRY
          Tear this apart, boy.
    
                         LEO
          Well, I'll try my best, man.

As Leo start playing the piano, Jerry realizes the boy is actually a farce. He is no stardom. Jerry is disappointed and frustrated. He kicks Leo out of his mansion.

And that's when my alarm went off and I woke up. I disappointed my favorite entertainers Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and also my producer in this dream. No freelance finished, no stardom gifts, and no deadline reached. I was glad at least it was just a dream otherwise I would be jobless, blacklisted and probably still walking back all my way like a hobo from the Hamptons to California.

I have no clue what this dream means but it is probably related to the pressure I've been going through recently. Some studies say dreams are signs related to what we are going through in our personal lives. Maybe It's a sign to me to take it easy....Who knows....

Grandmother and me.

2011-04-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the continuation of my trip to Brazil. I had finally arrived at my grandmother's house where I would spend my next four weeks. From the day one of my trip I would spend 29 extra days with her. Don't get me wrong, my grandmother is the most adorable lady one could ever meet and I really love her company but after a few days the tension starts to build up.

As we would spend afternoons walking around the block she would take her time to admire thoroughly all kinds of plants and pets on the street while I seriously needed to pee. Patiently I had to hold still and wait for her joyful and long sightseeing.

My Grandmother loves to feed me a lot while I'm visiting her. In the past I would just quietly accept her food and eat it, but now, because of my new healthy eating habits I cannot take too much of her potato balls. My grandmother, however, is very stuborn and she stick it through my mouth. I have no choice but to eat lots and lots of potato balls.

I would purposely stay awake until late so my grandmother would finally go to bed and I would have some alone time to read. My grandmother, however, loves to interrupt me every time I'm reading. She would wake up in the middle of the night and read out loud her japanese books. By the end of the night I wouldn't have gone through a single page of my sidfield's story structure book.

It was finally time to leave back home. My grandmother usually accompanies me to the train station where I take a bus to the airport. We finally got to say good bye to eachother. My grandmother hugs me with her short and delicate arms and cries. As a strong man should be, I usually act as bold and unshakable rock.

But as soon as I get into the bus and I see her with tears in her eyes waiving goodbye from the bus window an inexplicable feeling takes over me. I suddenly burst into tears. It's a though feeling. A very complex one. One that is so complex that goes beyond explanation. I guess that's the feeling people describe as love. I guess I'll see her very soon for another time together. I'll be seeing you soon, grandmother.

FLYING HOME

2011-04-02T02:35:00.000-07:00

As most people know I'm Brazilian. I try visiting my hometown once a year. The flight tickets are usually quite expensive requiring me to do an extensive research through the web until I find a reasonable price. This time I found an amazing deal with American Airlines. The only downside was the time I would have to check-in - 3:45 am.

I was so worried in loosing my flight that I ended up pulling an "all nigher". As a result I was feeling like a zombie the next day. To make things even worse my flight was delayed for 5 hours so I tried killing some time sketching airplanes in the airport.

I was so sleepy I couldn't focus on my perspective at all. As a result, the airplane looked more like a abstract drawing that a 3 year old would do.

Ashamed of that horrible drawing I tried changing the subject. I started sketching a large man on a suit but ended up coming up with another horrible abstract figure. I realized it was time to stop drawing.

Disappointed with my sketching skills I decided to read a book in story structure. It's hard to focus on the foundations of screenwriting when you are tired though....

It's even harder to focus when an annoying kid keeps moving his fat legs around while laughing out loud with no reason.

The chubby kid was persistent in annoying me. Frustrated, I had no choice but to give up my reading and stare at the floor for the next three hours.

Exhausted of staring at the floor, I ended up falling asleep on the Airport chair.

I woke up with an angry security guard yelling at my face for not keeping track of my bag. He also warned me about the danger of someone putting a bomb in my backpack and exploding me into pieces.

Worried in being terrorized, I had no choice but to buy me some expensive airport caffeine so it would keep me awake for the next two hours.

As you can see, one cup wasn't enough to keep me awake. The cheap deal I got with my flight tickets didn't compensate after all those ridiculously expensive coffees.

The large amount of caffeine really made me jittery. To make things even worse, on my way to the airplane I could see on the walls of the corridor yellow signs warning the passengers that the air of the hallway was toxic.

That completely freaked me out. I decided to hold my breath while crossing the hallway so I wouldn't inhale the contaminated air.

While I was on my way back to the safe air zone, A security lady pulled me aside and went through my backpack. After seeing tones of markers and pencils in my backpack she thought I was planning some sort of conspiracy. I told her the only thing I did with those pens was to draw funny cartoons at Disney. She wouldn't believe it so she asked me to draw her a mouse. By that time I finished the drawing the whole line had passed me already and I had breathe all the toxic air on the hallway.

Once I got into the airplane I noticed a lady struggling with her luggage. As everyone knows I've been working out so I thought that would be a great time to show off the strength of my muscles. That was my chance to feel good with myself at least once in this tiring trip.

How wrong I was about it. Her luggage was as heavy as an anvil and I couldn't barely lift it from the floor. My scrawny little legs were almost braking but I pretended I was just fine.

A huge and cocky marine dude came by and threw her bag in the compartment. He said " That's no job for a little boy." I felt so ashamed and humiliated. The lady seemed pleased with the Marine.

I guess I had no success at all in this trip. Even my strong muscles failed on me. Well, At least I still had my seat.

I jumped on it and felt an amazing feeling of relaxation. Finally I would be able to get the rest I was longing in this comfortable chair.

Suddenly, a talkative Italian lady sat close to me.

... and that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...and another sleepless journey.

TESTOSTERONE IGNITER

2011-02-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

I usually have very busy and stressful weeks and when weekends arrive the only thing I want is to sleep in until noon. However, because of my new healthy routine I have to wake up every Saturday morning at 7 am. That's a nightmare since I always feel so exhausted and burned out from my lack of sleeps. This Saturday morning wasn't any different from all the previous one. I was feeling so weak and not wanting to push weights. Common!! Normal people usually sleep in on Saturday mornings!!

I was struggling so much and almost giving up but my roomate/trainer is always monitoring me and he noticed how weary I looked. He promptly offered me one of his favorite enhancers: THE TESTOSTERONE IGNITER!! He told me to pop one of those in and I would be ready to go.

Below is a picture of the friendly package.

I had no choice but to accept it since he was so enthusiastic about it. I mixed the strange blue powder with water. As soon as the powder touch the water on the glass, effervescent bubbles emerged from the chemical reaction. A loud and ominous sound hissed from the cup. I have to confess I was a little hesitant to drink it.

I thought to my self. " Come on. I should trust my trainer!! He knows what he's talking about and all he is doing is helping me to embrace the burn." I went ahead and confidently drunk the hole cup in just one shot!

A strange, powerful but ticklish sensation took control of my hole body. It was as if I was going through a metamorphosis.

And then BOOM!! Just like the disgusting caterpillars beautifully turn into butterflies I myself had being fully transformed into a bull. I felt the bull power inside of me!!

I'm so glad I confidently trusted my trainer. Once again I was able to embrace the burn with no doubt. He really knows what he's talking about and the Testosterone Enhancer really made my morning a very productive one. Many thanks to my wise trainer. He is making me into a real "big dog". :)

Happy Valentine's day, Lindsey!!!

2011-02-14T17:49:00.001-08:00

This is my girlfriend, Lindsey. She is Hawaiian and an amazing hula dancer so I thought in paying a little homage to her. Aloha, Lindsey!!!

MEDUSA

2011-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

For this piece I was inspired by my very talented friend Zar. Check her awesome blog!!

TRUST THE PROCESS

2011-02-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been really busy with work, and also with my new healthy life style. I decided to start taking the gym seriously from now on and now I'm pushing super heavy weights. Hopefully in a few months I'll have a massive chest, super strong and ripped biceps and a sexy and meaty butt. I was always really skinny and never had an athletic body. This is being a really difficult challenge for me to overcome but I made the determination to become buffed this year. I have to eat crazy amounts of potatoes and read meat, besides dozens of protein scoops everyday. I haven't noticed any results yet but my trainer told me to trust the process. So here I am, working out my butt and trusting the process. The fundamental philosophy behind it is "Embrace the burn". Whenever I push weights I feel a very intense burn in my muscles. It hurts as hell and it's really discouraging but my trainer told me that's the only way to gain muscles. Every time we train he pumps me up with the following cry: "You gotta enjoy that burn, big dog!" I don't really enjoy this painful philosophy but I believe in my trainer so I'll keep embracing the burn!! I'll post the evolution of my body as it keep get bulked up with strong muscles so keep tuned!!

Evil creatures

2011-01-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Below are two comissions I made recently. The theme chosen was Evil creatures. I love drawing monsters and I had a blast coming up with them.

This piece was based on Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht". Nosferatu is a very interesting creature since he can love and desire something but they never die. They become old and decrepit but they live for eternity. In a way that is a terrible way to leave and even though Nosferatu is an evil creature you can actually feel for him. The painting below is based on the moment when Nosferatu attacked Johnatan Harker.

title: "I want your neck, Harker".

5'1/2 x 5' 1/2 Gouache

I love witches too and for some reason it's always fun to draw witches that are hungry for little children. There's something very whimsical and charming about old lady witches and you can't help it but root for their success in their recipes.

title: "Fishing children"

8 x 5' Watercolor and Ink

HAPPY DOG

2011-01-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't been updating what's been going on with my life recently. One of the reasons was that I was really embarassed about my last story so I didn't want to expose it to the world. However, the truth has to be revealed and here I am to share my last experience with all you guys.

It happened last Halloween. I was getting ready to go to a friend's Halloween house party. The costume I ended up choosing was DJ Lance Rock from the "Yo Gabba Gabba!" show. My roomate, his lady friend, and her dog were hanging out at my place. I came to the leaving room and surprised everyone with my amazing costume!

No one seemed to be really excited with the exception of the dog that kept staring at me..

The dog jumped on me at once. He seemed really happy and ready to play. I was surprised in how friendly an animal could be. That for me was a good sign of dog's loyalty towards men.

Suddenly, my roommate and his lady friend started laughing at us. I thought to myself: " They were finally laughing because they were able to recognize my amazing costume and how funny I was." But I was completely wrong. They weren't pointing at me. They were pointing at the dog. Yup! ... It had a boner!!

That was a really awkward situation. I have no clue what lead the dog to such delight. Was it the bright orange color? Was it my ridiculous puffy hat?... Dogs can be considered man's best friend but it's hard to read them sometimes. To avoid embarrassments never wear a Halloween costume around dogs.

RIGHT NECK, WRONG LADY

2011-01-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

"Hmmm.... Just how I like it. Long and delicate!"

"A Vampire cannot trust a woman these days."

SHERLOCK HOLMES

2010-12-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

These are the pieces I contributed for the Super Big Micro Gallery Show that recently happened at the Gallery Nucleus. The theme I decided to tackle was Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes stories always impressed me since I was little. It's amazing to see a character with so many skills, such a vast understanding about science, martial arts and an amazing deducing ability. It's very engaging to follow a character with all these traits in any type of adventures. In my opinion, what is more compelling about Sherlock is it's character. When compared with Watson they all complement each other in such a distinct way. Watson is warmer, more sensationalistic and emotional whereas Sherlock is cold, extremely logical and subtle. Yet, Sherlock likes his old pal more than anything and even though they are so different he could not live without his loyal friend Watson.

The Chuck Jones short film " Deduce, you say" also inspired me. I love Chuck Jones interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. The villain Dorlock Holmes ( Daffy Duck) had to face was the Shropshire Slasher, a huge and insanely strong outlaw. I though that I would give it a crack and come up with another badass villain. The one that always scared me and at the same time amazed my was Jack The Ripper. His knowledge of the human body could be seen in the way he killed his victims. Even though he always left hints he was never caught and that made him one of the most dangerous serial killers of all times.

"Deducing Jack the Ripper"

2 pieces side by side
4"x 5" - Gouache

"In search of Mysteries" - 4"x 4" - Collage

"Elementary, My dear Watson. " - 5" x 4" - Watercolor and Ink

Studies - Watercolor and Ink.

MY FAVORITE HERO

2010-12-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

Superman was always my favorite hero. I remember dressing like hm all the time and even having his little "s" curl hair style when I was a kid so I decided to pay him a little homage. My favorite was the old Superman Christopher Reeves. He was such an amazing actor and there was a great appeal on the old superman pentalogy not only in terms of story but also in terms of the choices made.

THINGS IN COMMON

2010-11-24T01:02:00.000-08:00

4"x 6" media: watercolor and ink

TYRANOSSAURUS REX

2010-11-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

AMAZON HORNED FROG

2010-11-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

WHO WILL WIN THIS DUEL?

2010-11-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

MONSTER MASH!!!

2010-10-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

SPA: IN SEARCH OF REJUVENATION

2010-10-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling kinda old for the last few days so my girlfriend convinced me to go to a Spa so we could rejuvenate ourselves. The place was really warm and welcoming with the exception of some of the visitors which seemed to be a bit selfish. This large lady in pink bikini, for instance, was using the whole swimming pool as if it was her own bath tub. We tried pushing her aside and whisper in her ears but she wouldn't even move.


We decided to go to the medicinal water pool so we could forget about that selfish lady and focus on our goal which was rejuvenating ourselves. The say that medicinal water has different types of mineral salts that can help your body get rid of impurities and revitalize your energies. We were starting to feel comfortable in the hot medicinal water until a couple started approaching the pool.

The man seemed to be very enthusiastic about the pool. " Come to the water, pumpkin. It's medicinal water."

The lady seemed to be kind of skeptical. She got a handful of medicinal water in her hands and started to analyze it.

She brought it close to her nose and sniffed it.

Ladie: "Oh my Lord!!" she said.

Ladie: " This is no medicinal water. This smells more like pee! I'll stick with my Chlorine!!

" Oh right, my pumpkin." the man jumped from the water and followed his lady. A clear case of submissive husband and bossy wife.
After that situation we all ended up being skeptical about the water too. Was that really mineral salt water? Maybe the lady was right.

We ended up going to the mud pool. There we were hoping to find what we were looking for: Rejuvenation of our bodies!! However, the process of covering ourselves in dirt was too disgusting so we gave up on rejuvenating.

Instead of rejuvenating we decided to sit and enjoy the sun. However, the hit was intense and all the umbrelas were being taken. Lindsey has a very resistant skin since she is Hawaiian so that sun was nothing for her. However, that sun was burning me like hell. I tried to cover myself with all the books I had but that wasn't enough.

My whole body was burning like crazy. I could barely move. I turned on the shower button and then started noticing an increasingly engine sound ramming above my head when suddenly....

I felt like meteors falling in my back. I believe it was a commando 450 model. If you have watched the Seinfeld episode " The shower head" you would immediately understand what I went through. On the top of that don't forget that my body was already burning like hell. By the end of our Spa adventure I was still old, but relieved that adventure was over.

brainstorm meeting doodle

2010-10-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

The day my bike was broken

2010-10-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

I ride my bike to work everyday. Couple of days ago when I was about to leave to work I realized my bicycle chain was all messed up. My bike needed a tune up.

I had no choice but to walk to work. It would take me around 30 min to get there but hey, whatta hell...walking is good for the health and besides It was a beautiful day outside.

I took the scenic view to make my walk a pleasant one. How wonderful is to appreciate nature and all those pretty squirrels surrounding me. How wonderful it is to inhale the fresh air of nature. How wonderful is to feel that gentle breeze around you.

Birds were singing along and feeding their adorable pack of little ones. How wonderful!!!

Everything was going super...

...until I started feeling a massive stomachache!!

All those wonderful feelings were instantly gone. That beautiful scenic view was transformed into a scenery of panic. I felt like the dude from Edvard Munch's painting.

I still had 20 min to go until I reached work. A man in the desert would give anything for a glass of water, I would give anything for a good toilet. I knew I could make it. I had to make it otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. I started having all this crazy thoughts: " What if I do that in my pants? People will think I'm a weirdo and a freak. I would be cursed for the rest of my life. Afterall, I'm not a baby anymore and adults never do these things. I HAD to be strong!!!
I was feeling nauseous and weak so i started to lean my body against a residence's fence.

To make my situation even worse a huge and vicious dog jumped towards the fence and barked right into my face.

I wanted to scream. That freaked me out really hard but I had to hold my feelings otherwise it would be a disaster. I still had 5 min to go.

Despite of my poor condition I managed to get to the studio somehow. I pretended everything was fine with me so people wouldn't notice I was actually having a massive stomachache. The security guard asked for my card. I showed him and attempted a smile. He skeptically smiled back and let me go ahead.

2 min to my destination....

...When a guy from the Union started approaching me.

He stopped me and started explaining me all the advantages you get once you are part of the Union. I didn't want to loose my integrity so I hold it tight pretending everything was okay.

Those were probably the worst 10 minutes of my life. After giving me a hole insight in the wonderful benefits I could get after joining the Union he finally let me go. I kept my posture until the end and I felt proud of myself. That was the end of my journey towards the toilet. Most of you guys are probably thinking, what a disgusting story. However, I'm sure everyone will at some point face times like that. When that time comes you will praise the Toilet just like I did.

The Raging Bull

2010-10-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was hanging out at San Fernando St. with my Girlfriend Lindsey and we saw this giant dude approaching us. He looked like one of those badass assassins from the cohen brothers films and that made me a little apprehensive.

His arms were both tattooed with menacing creatures from Hell. He had a huge chain around his neck and his skull was massive as a boulder. I would never, ever create any trouble with a guy like that.

Suddenly, he stopped walking. He put both of his hands at his massive head and yelled out loud the word SHIT! I thought it was going to be the end of my life. Like I said before I would never, ever make that guy mad or upset so I asked Lindsey if she had stepped on his feet or something but she said no.

The first thing that came to my head was running for our lives. I told Lindsey to run after the count of 3.

Then we started hearing a cry. The giant dude was sobbing like a little boy.

Then I realized that the giant dude was actually a really sweet and sensitive man. He yelled the word SHIT! in such distress because he spotted a hobo almost getting run over by a spoiled hipster kid driving a corvette. It really touched me how a guy with his looks and toughness could have such a sensitive side.

NORMAN SAUNDERS TRIBUTE

2010-09-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Periodically the Illostribute page pays tributes to great masters of art. This month the website decided to pay a tribute to the great and hilarious Norman Saunders . He was a prolific commercial artist who produced paintings for pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure magazines, comic books, and trading cards. To see the other great Norman Saunder tribute art pieces check out the Illostribute website. Personally, I love how appealing are his women drawings and how edgy his paintings are even though they tend to be really broad and slapstick sometimes. I love how intense the characters look in his paintings and how there's always something going on in their heads while the situations are happening. For instance, there always something implicit of what will happen next and I think that's a great way to tell a story through an image.

Below you can see some samples of Saunders magazine covers. I was mostly influenced by these pieces while working on my tribute pieces.

This is a satire piece with the atrocious Adolf Hitler. I thought he would be an interesting contrast to play with the slapstick humor of these magazines.


Hitler's new secret: Female buttocks branding. I love the 1962 Mars Attacks trading cards that Norman Saunders helped illustrate. They are hilarious and so appealing. I had a blast painting this piece.

Though Sci-Fi Man

WONDER WOMAN

2010-09-22T12:31:00.001-07:00

HAWAII EXPERIENCE

2010-09-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I went with my girlfriend Lindsey to Hawaii. One of the experiences that stood out the most for me was our Hanauma Bay Park experience. At this beautiful place one could snorkel and enjoy a rich marine life like nowhere. It was my first time snorkeling so I was pretty excited but a little bit scared since I had never had a first degree encounter with a marine life. I was feeling safe though since Lindsey is Hawaiian and she knew the Bay pretty well.

The image below was the first thing I spotted when I arrived in the bay. Tones of people clustered together in the ocean! I thought they were all dead but Lindsey then explained to me they were actually just floating over the water. That sight was enough to make me a little uncomfortable with the snorkeling activity.

We were warned by the life guards that we had to know our equipment pretty well before started snorkeling otherwise it could be dangerous. We practiced for a while but I still wasn't feeling fully confident about snorkeling.

Lindsey on the other hand thought I was ready to go.

I had no choice but to follow her.

It was all foggy and I could see no marine life whatsoever. The only sound I could hear was the ominous sound of my respiration through the snorkel. There were sand on my fins and they were hurting my feet!! I was so scared I grabbed Lindsey's hand and squeezed it with all my strength.

Lindsey started pointing to my right. There was a family of exotic yellow little fish in front of us. They were adorable. It was so exciting!! I smiled and started feeling more relaxed.

I looked around and realized we were surrounded by those magnificent creatures. I finally started enjoying our snorkeling adventure.
Suddenly, a strange red fish reveled his face from a hole. It seemed as if it was kind of smiling.

The strange and huge fish kept coming closer and closer. The closer he got the bigger was it's smile. Lindsey kept pointing at the fish in excitement. She actually thought I was excited too since I was so agitated. Little she knew how much I was actually panicking.

The fish not only got closer to me but it scrubbed his scaled back in my belly. What a weird feeling!!! That was too much for a first encounter with a marine creature like that. I freaked out under the water and ended up drinking almost 2 gallons of salt water. Luckily the fish didn't harmed me but I will never forget his strange smile.

Lindsey believes the creature just wanted to welcome me. Aloha to you big fish but next time you don't have to be so nice.

Random sketches

2010-09-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

Family

Argument

Panties

2010-08-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Wonder-Woman
Nice panties, Captain!

Captain-America
I was just borrowing it, woman.

Scary Neighboor

2010-08-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's always a joy to meet new neighbors in my complex. I try to go out of my way to say hi or get to know them since it's a community and you might need their help or vice-versa. However, a few days ago I encountered a quite peculiar neighbor. She is definitely not too friendly looking. She has a hairy black uni brow and a solid black puffy hair. She even has a black cat. Sometimes I think she might be a real witch.

My friend Mario Miranda gave me a ride back home the other day and he spotted the lady. He pretended as if everything was okay but I could tell that deep inside he was frightened. He said " That's a strange looking lady, Leo. Does she live in your neighborhood?" After that I reassured myself that wasn't just me that thought that lady was scary. I was determined to not cross her path.

So the other day I had to do my laundry at night since I had no underwear anymore. I started walking towards the laundry room which is located on the back of my complex.

Suddenly I spotted the creepy lady on the hallway. I was freaking out but I had no choice but to do the laundry since I'm very clean and wouldn't wear a used underwear two times.

Not wanting to face her I sneaked behind her so she wouldn't see me.

Somehow, the lady sensed me and she turned to me screaming out of her lungs. She looked even scarier than she usually looks. That means scarier than a Witch!! Off course I freaked out and started yelling too.

After all the horror, She apologized and told me that she was so sorry for scarring me. I felt bad afterwards because she seemed harmless and sweet despite of her horrible appearance. And then I remembered the lesson that they thought me at school: Do never judge someone by their appearance. In theory that works but not always in real life.

Would you look into her eyes and say hi to her? but please be honest with your answer.

John Held Jr. tribute

2010-08-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is my contribution for the John Held Jr tribute. For more information visit the Illostribute website created by Toby Neighbors. John Held Jr. was one of the most famous lead illustrators for the most popular magazines at the 1920's. He illustrated for Life, Judge, and New Yorker. His style was so distinct that it defined the jazzy 1920's era in a indistinguishable way know as Flapper era. I like how intense and provocative his poses are and how bold he is with his usage of line and silhouette. In my piece I tried to evoke the intensity of his paintings focusing on the silhouette and poses of the characters.

Below is a great painting from John Held Jr.
The intensity of the poses really support the intensity of the situation evoking the nostalgia of the jazz era.

E.T The Extraterrestrial

2010-07-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

I always loved stories of creatures from outer space but one that touched me the most in my childhood was E.T The Extraterrestrial. This is one of my favorite Steven Spielberg films of all times. It still touches me whenever I see Elliot saying goodbye to E.T.

Fight for survival

2010-07-01T16:29:00.001-07:00

In this savage world survives who is the stronger.

WOLFMAN ATTACKS!!!

2010-06-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Since as a boy I use to love monsters. One of my favorites is the Wolfman. They are usually inocent family working man that on full moons after midnight transform themselves into hairy walking wolves. These savage creatures can only be killed with silver bullets and their strenght is equivalent of 6 Frankensteins together.

Flirtatious Boss

2010-06-26T15:57:00.001-07:00

GRASSHOPPER

2010-06-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I did for the Micro Gallery show. The theme this time is NATURE.

Velociraptor

2010-06-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

Your friend the Lumpia

2010-06-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend asked me to do this piece for a friend of hers. It's for her friend's little baby. I hope she likes it. :)

Some girls are tricky

2010-06-19T00:29:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I had to walk back home from work because my bike was having a tune up.
I was on Mariposa Ave and I saw this two girls in front of me. They looked really cute from the back so I discreetly approached them to see if they actually had a cute face.

As I got closer to one of the girls she turned to me with this horrible Rubber Mask and freaked the hell out of me. I was so freaked out that I started stuttering and trembling. I got all embarassed!

The girls started to crack themselves up. I played cool as if nothing had happened but deep inside I was so pissed. Those were very tricky girls I should say. I hope other boys don't cross their path or they will be probably tricked into their evil little game.

Sketches of random people and a Werewolf

2010-06-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Busy Stewardess

Hipster Werewolf
Lady on her late 30's and her cat
It's hot today, isn't it!

Sketches

2010-06-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Stupid Warrior

Mean Elephant

WORLD CUP!!!

2010-06-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a patriotic Chinchilla for Austin's blog contest. I wish everyone good luck in this World Cup! Go Brazil!!!

Compliance Training: Security and Safety.

2010-06-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I had a compliance training at work. The topic was: Security and Safety.
It was more boring than the baseball game but very useful information. Here are a few definitions I learned on my training.

Identity Thief:

Shoulder Surfing:

Trojan Horse:

My first baseball game

2010-06-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably known I'm Brazillian. In Brazil, baseball is not a very popular sport but I always felt like going to a real baseball game one day. Last Saturday I was finally able to accomplish this dream. I went to a real baseball stadium! Dodgers VS Atlanta Braves!!!

Me, my girlfriend and some of her friends decided to get a seat in the "All you can eat" area of the stadium. So I got in line and decided to get me some food. I felt that since I could eat all for free, I should get 2 hot dogs instead of one. I asked the lady on the stand to give me one more. She gave me one more but she gave me a "go f * yourself " look too. Here was the beginning of my baseball experience.

I was upset and a bit scared from the hot dog lady but what a hell...I was there to have fun and wasn't going to give up on my first baseball game because of an angry and bitter lady. Me and my girlfriend went upstairs to meet up with her friends and have a blast watching the baseball game. I was very excited!!! Hooray Dodgers!!!
As soon as we go upstairs, we spotted two large man fighting over a seat. The one on the left kept pointing at the man on the right. He started yelling at him: "Get out of my seat, you fat *hole!"
Suddenly, they started fighting. Kids were crying and their parents were horrified. People yelled: " There are children here!" We could see the blood from their mouths being spilled over people's hot dogs. That was shocking but hey....It wasn't a little fight that would make me give up of my baseball experience.

The little kids recomposed themselves but now, instead of crying the were yelling like hell in my ears. They sang the hole Dodgers anthem in high pitch voice right close to my ears.
The game started and I was excited at first. But since I didn't knew the rules and since the game was so long.... after 3 hours of seating I started feeling a pain in my butt.
After one more hour of seating I decided to seat in some pop corns, peanuts and hot dogs so I wouldn't feel the burn in my butt cheeks. The Dodgers started to loose the game. People were starting to get frustrated and started to leave the stadium. I was frustrated too ...but I have to confess, I was happy to leave.
Even though it was boring it was a great experience I should say. I regret not knowing the baseball rules though. I was probably bored during the entire game because I'm an ignorant foreigner that don't know anything about sports in America. I'll try to get better in learning more about those rules next time. However, I have to say that I really miss soccer....and I'm so glad World Cup is here!!!

ADAM: A PEACEFUL TOUGH MAN.

2010-06-01T21:58:00.001-07:00

WHO IS THE TOUGH ONE?

2010-05-31T22:21:00.001-07:00

My roomate (the professional volleybal player from a few posts below.) is really into UFC( Ultimate fighting) and once in a while I end up watching a fight or two with him. It's a pretty violent sport but sometimes the UFC tournaments have some very exciting fights. However, sometimes they go too far with their violence to the point of becoming ridiculous. The short story below is based on a fact.

It was a big UFC fight. The fighter in black shorts was a very strong one and he was kicking the other guy's butt pretty hard.

After disfigurating the other guy's face, the cocky fighter in the black shorts won.

He was all pumped up and he thought he was invincible at that point. He left the UFC club full of manly vitality. Suddenly, he encountered two pitbulls barking at him.
He decided to attack! So he jumped at the pitbulls and started punching their face.
Too bad he was not Conan the barbarian and the animals were not peaceful camels. The dogs decided to counterattack and it was not a pretty sight. One of the pitbulls almost devoured his whole arm and the other one had a good bite on his genital area. it was "almost" total damage.

Like I said before, this story was not invented. It was based on a fact. It really amazes me the fact that people can become so wild to the point of wanting to punch pitbulls in the head to show how tough they are. Those are vicious creatures and they are no joke. However, man sometimes forget they are rational human beings and start acting like caveman in order to show off how manly they are. Luckily enough he didn't encounter Lions. He would loose his head instead of his genital.

Barbarian Dog

2010-05-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

Intensity

2010-04-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

I went to the Arc Light the other day to watch a movie and I saw this two kids looking at a display of the film NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. I was amazed to see how intense their looks were. The kids weren't questioning if that monster existed. They were questioning how they would do to run away from that beast while sleeping. They totally believed that Freddy could actually exist!!! I saw those two kids and I just realized how bleak my life has been after I've grown old. I'm skeptical to everything. I wish I were still were able to be as genuine as those kids. My life would be way more vivid and intense.

AQUA-MAN IN HIGH SPEED

2010-04-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I did for the Micro Gallery show we have at Disney once in a month. We all work on an art piece related to a specific topic and we have a little get together. It's a great way to keep inspiring one another and a very good way to keep doing personal artwork.
This time the topic was "Transit". I decided to do it underwater and with one of my favorite heroes, Aqua-man.

media: gouache

Cowboy and his horse

2010-04-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

The legend of the Old Fish

2010-04-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

It was a hot summer in Japan. Me and my mother were hanging out in Tokyo. It was lunch time and I was very hungry. Mom asked me what I felt like eating and after seeing this amazing cool blow fish outdoor in front of this seafood restaurant I new exactly what I wanted to eat: Fish!!!
As soon as we got closer to the restaurant door this very polite japanese man came to receive us. He kept saying "Irachai Imace!" non stop. I couldn't speak very well in japanese so I was confused and a little bit scared.
When we were walking towards our table I could hear this extremely loud sound of "suction". When I looked to my right I realized that the sound came from this large japanese man with glasses. He was all red and he ate ridiculously fast. That was strange to me. In Brazil people would never "suck" their food. It would be extremely impolite. My mom told me at that point that in Japan, the more you "suck" your udon, the more polite you are.
There was no chairs so we had to seat on the ground. I could feel the pain in my little legs. I just wanted a chair.
The polite japanese man came with our meal. It was a huge raw fish. My mom told me that it was a very expensive one and that I would like the refined taste. The japanese man cut the slices of the fish and my mom told me. "just swallow it hole! Don't bite it. That's how you eat raw fish." So I did it. it was just like a nightmare.
If I kept eating it I would throw up. I didn't want to sound ungrateful for the expensive raw fish so I told mom: "I can eat him mom. He looks so sad."
Then mom said: " I'll tell you a story about a sad fish. People say there's a fish that lives in the japanese deep sea. He never comes to the surface. Just a few people saw it and they say it's the most horrible creature they have ever seen. The fish is bigger than a whale and it eats everything it encounters. It has a face of a sad old man. It has more than 2.000 years. No one knows if it's a legend or if it's real."
That story freaked the hell out of me. It made such an impact in my life that I never forgot it throughout my life. I grew up thinking in how that fish would look like and if the beast were down there in the ocean somewhere. Every time I went to the sea I would be more scared of encountering "The Old Fish" than a White Shark.
That's how big the fish would be in my imagination. The white shark is one of the most terrifying fish in my opinion. However, it is a little puppy close to the "Old Fish".
As a child that's how I imagined his horrible old face would look like.

And this is the craziest fact: I just read recently on the LA times that this legendary fish with a face of an old man actually exists!!! It was shocking for me hearing that since my hole childhood I wondered how it would look like. It doesn't look too similar to what I imagined but it's definitely one of the most terrifying creatures I've ever seen. It's kind of creepy and at the same time cartoony. His name's Blobfish and you can read the interview here:
Blobfish

Martini

2010-03-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

BEST FRIENDS EVER!

2010-02-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

I saw these cute little girls at Disneyland while waiting for the Star Tours ride. They just loved each other. They hugged, danced and slapped their faces like no other. They were having such a blast! That made me remind me the times when I was a child and how much I was expressive and sincere towards my friends. I hope these little girls continue this friendship forever.