.Modé.

Premiere of Short Film “Nkiru”

2012-01-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

Joko, me and Toyosi
Miss Mo, Me and my Bro

I know this was ages ago but the pictures only came out.

Check out more pics at Bella Naija.

Info: Bella Naija is a Nigerian Entertainment
Blog site.

Oh yeah, and the premiere was
awesome.

Mercenary

2012-01-27T09:47:00.001-08:00

Mercenary written by ariokh
(Warning: Profane words in this piece of writing)

I do freelance as well as my full time job, and I am always setting up the next job. it's a safe bet, that if i'm breathing, I'm painting or hustling to get paid for more painting. That's what I do for a living. It's how I put food on the table, and porn in the bathroom.

That said, I thought it bore mentioning especially here on DA though, that I work for HIRE. If your sweet RPG project, or video game pitch has no budget at all for art, it will save both of our time if you don't try to tap me for artwork. I Do realize I'm passing up an amazing opportunity for me to make my portfolio way more awesome, and that I won't be getting that free publicity. It's a risk I'll have to take.

I'm not opposed to people making things out of their garage, in fact, I wholesale endorse it and want you to succeed with it. I sincerely hope your team is a massive success.

I can't work for free though.

You wouldn't ask a gardener to stop by your place to do your lawn for free because it would be really awesome for him. You wouldn't ask a chef to cater your wedding for free because you have the sickest idea for how the wedding will go, right?
You wouldn't send requests to a lawyer to hook you up with free intellectual property law consultations.

Just because I do art, doesn't mean my time is any less valuable than all of those guys. I spent just as much time in school. Quite a damn bit of money I'm still trying to pay off, and years of suffering through trying to get better and better.

When you pay an artist for their work, their prices denote not just the cost of their time, the materials, or the effort for your project. What you are paying for is the cost of experience. A lifetime spent perfecting a craft, and honing an ability. You pay for all the mistakes we won't make for you, because we've made them for ourselves already. You pay for the mind that has been training to deal with specific problems, and generate kick ass ideas, and original concepts.

These things are not born to us, they are learned. You are paying for the time you don't have to spend learning the craft. Just like you pay for pizza when you don't want to make it yourself.

Art is just like anything else when it comes to business. You get what you pay for.

I'm just not willing to deliver poor quality goods.

-End rant-----------

Addendum:
This is for you young or budding artists out there just starting to get into pro work. Be wary of requests made, especially through this site.

Firstly, to horribly misquote Stephen King when asked about when you are a professional writer, "When you get a check in the mail paying for your writing and you pay the light bill with it, you are a professional."
I totally agree with that dude. When you are even moderately confident enough in your skill and you start getting approached with just these kinds of offers, think about this rant. I know you will do a few anyway. Hell, I did. I've been fucked exactly three times by would be mega-projects that were 'good for my portfolio'. We all have to stick our fingers in the flames to learn. That's fine. But learn, please! Don't underbid yourself, don't sacrifice your wage for your work.

The formula is simple, and I have had to tell my students many times how this works, so pay attention.

How much do you want to make an hour? If need be, divide down from an annual salary you'd like. In freelance, work is peppered throughout the year, so compensate for projected downtime. Once you've worked out your hourly, estimate how long the art will take to make and bam. =h
How long will your part in the project take? =t
How many changes will they likely want, and make sure your contract has clauses for client changes(if you are smart set a limit to number of changes, and be sure to charge. Watch how much less picky they get when their wallet is on the line. Hahahaha!). =v
Are you being taxed? If you aren't. Say you are. =x
Cost of materials? =m

And here it is: h+t+v+x+m= I'm Rich BITCH!

It will be more than you assumed you were worth, I'm certain.
Now comes the time for dark self assessment. Is your art really worth that sum? Where are you in your career, and how far are you from where this number is at?
Start shaving it back down until you think that it's VERY good money for your level of work. Then make your bid.

If you are lucky your client will jump on it. Don't feel like you should have asked for more. Be proud that you got a lot more than you thought you were worth. This is awesome also because you've established precedence for yourself and now have a starting rate to build up from as you improve.

If your client haggles. Don't be afraid to haggle. Generally when a person counterbids, they drop down a chunk and expect you to meet them somewhere in the middle of your original bid and their first counter bid. If their offer is simply unacceptable after that, do not be afraid to walk, but definitely consider it and your skills honestly.

If your client laughs. Disconnect. If they come back, ask them what they think would be a fair rate for you. If they don't, ah well, no love lost. There will be more clients, and you can use that as fuel to work your ass off and get better, so next time they clamor for your skills.

I hope this helps clear the silly fog of 'don't share how much you make' shame.

Molest in peace,
Uncle Z

4 Women

2012-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

4 Women. Watercolour with bits of tissue on paper. 16"x12". 2012.

Before I inked the painting.

My favourite is the purple-haired lady.
Do you have a favourite?

Light Photography

2012-01-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Photo Extremist,
I'm more confident with light photography.

Empty Roads & "Subsidise This"

2012-01-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

The strike is suspended.
During the strike I took advantage of the empty roads and took
pictures around Lagos. It was funny dodging cars and getting weird stares as if were crazy.

Maybe we were a little crazy.
I'll take full blame for the craziness because it was my idea.
:P

Below is a short documentary on the fuel subsidy.
I hope this gives you a clearer view about the less
privileged people's voice.

Strike

2012-01-16T04:28:00.001-08:00

There's been a strike in Nigeria for the past week because of the removal of Fuel Subsidy.

I think this article is pretty thorough about why this is happening and the general opinion of the people. If you don't want to read the
whole thing I'd advice to at least read the third paragraph.

Latest news is Goodluck Johnathan has announced that the price of fuel has been reduced from ₦141 to ₦97 per litre
The original price was ₦65
$1 = ₦160

I never in my dreams thought I would ever make a blog post on politics.

Hunt for Me Laptop Skin

2012-01-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

A fan got this Laptop Skin. It looks too cool!
You can get it here

I can stare at this pic all day.

Tour

2012-01-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite pictures from the tour.
As I take more pics I get better and better.
Practice makes perfect.

Mo's Lips

2012-01-09T00:21:00.000-08:00

Acrylic and Spray paint on Canvas. 30 x 40

Me: Mummy, I want to show you a painting I just finished.
Mum: Oh I've seen it, it's the one of Mo right? It looks too much like her. You
got how she does her lips.

I went her house and handed her the painting. Mo's excited. Her sister looked at it.

Mo's Sister: This is nice! Her lips! (she teased)
Mo's Brother: I was about to say the same thing. You got her lips.

Everyone laughed.

Mo's father later noticed the painting.
Mo's father: Look at Mo's lips! (He teased)

Everyone laughed harder.
Mo shook her head.

So apparently I got her lips.

Falomo Shopping Centre

2012-01-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

So my uncle gave us(family&friends) a lecture about
the world economy the other day. When we took a lunch break
instead of going to grab some food I opted out to take photos.

I want to take these same pictures but at night.
I think it would look so cool.

General things I learnt from the lecture:

USA's economy aren't doing well, if I recall clearly they are about 100% in deficit but being the largest economy in the world (25% of the worlds wealth)there is confidence America will get through these harsh times.

Eurozone (I think we all know about these ones) are even in deeper ****
Not so optimistic about these countries but we'll see. Things are in the works we just need time to see if it they actually work.

BRIC (Brazil,Russia,India and China) Although they are doing very well they are overheating.

Nigeria has structure but it's really unstable. The economy is okay-ish if that makes any sense. On paper it's alright but in reality... sigh

Lola

2012-01-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

Watercolour on Paper. 2011.

I surprised my cousin with this painting for her birthday. She had asked me to paint her a while ago. I'm glad she likes it.

I'm pretty excited about how the gif pic turned out.

Thank you

2011-12-31T04:23:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for being a part of my journey to God knows where.
Thank you for the lovely comments each time I post.
Thank you for the many e-mails I got telling me how much my art inspires them.
Thank you to the several people I've personally met that said they were a fan of my work.
Thank you to the bloggers that have featured me on their blogs/websites.
Thank you for the 400+ likes on facebook.
Thank you to the 170+ blog followers.
Thank you to the 70+ followers on Tweet tweet. :)
Thank you to the 10+ followers on Tumblr.

Thank you to the inconspicuous fans that I don't know about except when I check my stats. (I'm watching you)

Thank you for making my year great.

I hope you guys have a fantastic new year.
I don't believe in New Years resolutions, I believe in the present moment, the "Now" moment. If you want to do anything, do it now. Don't wait till tomorrow don't wait till next year. Waiting till a new year shouldn't be the reason to start "a fresh".
That's my little rant.

Take care,
see you next year.

Awolowo Road

2011-12-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

One of the busy roads in Lagos. I took this photo on the
iPhone using the Instagram app.

I'm not usually a big fan of square-shaped photos
but this one looks good.

How Nigerian Kids Find out There's no Santa Claus

2011-12-24T01:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!!!

American Footballer

2011-12-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

Acrylic on Canvas.

I painted this last Christmas. How time flies.
My friend asked me to paint this for her for a gift.
I was slightly hesitant because I had never painted an athlete
so I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

Do I like it? mmmm....she loves it and that's
all that matters ;)

p.s. I apologize for the bad picture I didn't have the time to
take a good one.

Whirlwind

2011-12-14T01:54:00.000-08:00

203

2011-12-12T01:13:00.000-08:00

I'm terrible at keeping track of my accomplishments.
I recently noticed that this is gonna be my 203rd blog post. I completely
forgot to even recognise my first 100.

Anyways here it goes.
Happy 203 blog post.

Yay.

Patterns and People

2011-12-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Niké

Shoemaker

Lagbus

Bar Beach Market

I was looking through a photography site and I came across
this layering technique. I tried it out and voila!
Success.

My favourite is the shoemaker.
What's yours?

Woman in Scarf

2011-12-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this post to make it a habit to quickly sketch people.

It's actually pretty amazing to have a skill that can capture
a moment with just a pencil and paper.

Thank God.

Nkiru

2011-12-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

Nkiru Website

My cousin is a filmmaker (I know I have tons of cousins:) )
and he is premiering his short film in Lagos on
18 December 2011.
Check out the trailer.

Hopefully it will be online soon after.

37th State
(production company)
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr

My Books

2011-12-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

-Click to enlarge-

I've recently been renovating my room, so piles of my books are
scattered around the floor. I took a picture and labelled them for kicks.

I'm interested to know from you guys,
what can you tell about me from my piles of
books?

JUMP!

2011-11-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

Fun, fun, fun.
Also, I'm trying out Tumblr

Lil' Sis

2011-11-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

She was watching T.V. I took the chance to
draw.

Street Lights

2011-11-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

I've been exploring and experimenting the different
effects I can get with my camera.

Happy Friday, have a nice weekend.

Island Maternity Hospital

2011-11-23T01:06:00.000-08:00

I accompanied my cousin to one of the state hospitals in Lagos.
She is conducting a research of the overall functionality of
hospitals in the state.

That day we got to visit the maternity ward.
While she was interviewing the staff I got out my pencil
and drew some of them. I had no more than 5 minutes to capture them.

Below are things some of the nurses said that stood out to me.
These aren't for verbatim.

"I allow my children to pursue anything they want. My daughter at first wanted to study medicine but she changed her mind. I allowed her."

"All the immunizations are free, all you need to do is
bring your child."

"I went to LUTH hospital and I saw they were using all these equipments
I had never seen before. I was ashamed to ask because I had already introduced myself as a nurse. We need those equipments in our hospital."

-On being asked what are the problems you are struggling with.

"We have Social Welfare Officers
for people who lose their babies."

This man took us around the hospital. He was so passionate about everything and everyone. It was kind of funny.
He would say things like "God bless you! God will surely bless you!" , "You are a very smart woman!", "She asks veerrry intelligent questions!"
As you can see I didn't get enough time to draw him.

What I learned from this experience is that Nigerian women are strong and empowering. Also our hospitals are heavily understaffed.

Black & Yellow

2011-11-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

These are the public transportation vehicles in Lagos.

The colours remind me of Wiz Khalifa's song.
Annoying but catchy. My cousin has it as a ringtone.
*smh*

Have a nice week, peops.

Acrylic Process

2011-11-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

Acrylic on Canvas. 30 x 40 inches.

Enjoy!!

Dancers

2011-11-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

More pictures from the tour.

Bleed

2011-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

Watercolour and Indian ink.

I found my camera charger! Yay.

Excuses, excuses

2011-11-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

I drew this last night. I completed it today.
My camera battery died and I can't find the
charger so...

I gotta figure something out.
When I do, you'll get to see the final painting.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Frankly

2011-11-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

Night in Lagos

2011-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've been taking a lot of pictures lately.

Comfort Zone

2011-10-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's still slightly nerve wrecking putting up pictures of myself.
Trying to get out of my comfort zone.

Thank you DiDi for the award!

Tie & Dye

2011-10-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

My Aunty has a tourism agency called SJ Tours. She asked me
to take some pictures for her during the Lagos tour. My
favourite part of the day was when the tourists were taught to
make tie and dye scarfs. Most of the tour took place at the Nike Art Gallery.

It was awesome.

Polaroid

2011-10-21T14:38:00.001-07:00

My Sis and I played with my Polaroid camera.

This one's my favourite.

My Sis took this of me.

I love old cameras.

Scarlett (First Film Process!)

2011-10-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

Scarlett O'Hara. Watercolour on coloured paper.

I recently read Gone With the Wind.

[Source]

This is a screen shot of Scarlett O' Hara (Main Character)
Although the Scarlett in the movie appears to be so selfish and conceited I think Vivien Leigh did as amazing job capturing her.

Below is a process of my painting. I didn't do much justice to the beautiful Vivien Leigh (I rushed the painting...whoops) but at least the video shows you how I paint a watercolour piece.

Enjoy!

Miss Mo

2011-09-29T01:30:00.000-07:00

I did this a while back for my cousin

If you'd like one done of you email me.
:)

Mandala

2011-09-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Mandala. Gouache on board.

I was showing some of my art pieces to my friend. She
came across this Mandala and loooved it.

To tell the truth I haven't thought much of it because
I did it for a colour theory class in college.
Basically I was forced to do it
and I didn't really consider it as an art piece to
put on the blog.

Since I got that reaction I said well maybe someone out there
will appreciate it as much as she did.

I did this freshman year(5-6 years ago). I do remember enjoying painting it. Plus, looking at the info/pics on Wikipedia it's making me want to try out painting another one.

Slight problem:
I don't exactly remember how to go on about making
a perfect circle. A pair of compasses? A bowl?

I can figure. :)

Green Eyes

2011-09-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

I finally got the new Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
so far so good.

I drew this just to break into the software, check out any new tools.

John and Joe

2011-09-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

John and Joe - StoryCorps 9/11 animation from Rauch Brothers on Vimeo.

Death by Helium

2011-09-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

She killed him with a broken heart
and he will never forget
So he makes it a point to remind her...
...when she least expects
_________________

Face mask created by Modé
Photography by Toyosi Faridah Kekere-Ekun

Mask Collab

2011-09-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Acrylic paint.

My cousin asked me to do a collaboration with her. She asked me
to paint a mask for her. This is what I came up with. It actually took me longer than I expected. About 4 hours.

When she completes the photo shoot with the mask I'll put it up.

How to Suck at Anything

2011-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Written by Jonathan from the blog Illuminated Mind

I used to spend a lot of time worrying about being terrible at things. I thought I would make a fool of myself. I thought I would be embarrassed. More than anything, I thought I would fail.

The truth is, all of those things usually happened when I tried to do anything that I wanted to do.

I looked pretty ridiculous, I was embarrassed, and I failed. A lot.

When I first started this blog some of my writing was pretty scary. But that’s what happens when you start anything.

You suck.

And that’s great. Sucking is absolutely necessary. There’s no way around it. In order to get better at anything, at some point or another you’re going to have to suck. That’s just the way it is.

So, here’s the secret to sucking at anything.

Start.

There’s also a secret to never failing and never being criticized.

Don’t do anything. Ever.

The only way to avoid criticism, avoid looking like a fool and failing is to not do anything at all. And if that’s okay with you, fine. But I don’t see any point in living if that’s the case.

When it comes down to it, if you ever want to get good at anything, at some point you’re going to have to suck.

I’d rather be terribly horrible at everything that I do, than do nothing at all. At least that way I know that I tried. I’ll know that I lived and I didn’t just exist.

There’s a secret I’ve learned, though. If you embrace that you suck, it loses its power over you.

So, stop wasting time reading this. Go find something to suck at.

Leftover #2

2011-09-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

This wood I'm working on is one of the leftovers I got from a

hardware store a few months ago.

The first leftover is the painting I just did.

I bought two different textures of wood. The first one was smooth and this one is rough so I'm uncertain what it would be like to paint on it.

Well we'll see how it goes.

Wish me luck.

Notting Hill Carnival

2011-09-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Notting Hill Carnival.

Were you there?

Done!!

2011-09-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Untitled. Oil on wood.

You can click and save the painting to make it your Desktop Wallpaper!

Urge

2011-08-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

12.40 am.

Urge to paint.

Tired. Want to sleep.

But. Need. To. Paint.

Hope it turns out well.

Life Drawing Session

2011-08-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

Graphite Pencil. 35 minutes.

Graphite Pencil. 5 minutes.

Graphite Pencil. 15 minutes.

Ahhh, I hadn't done a life drawing in a while.
It's always so much more
interesting drawing from actual people than from a picture.

Graphite Pencil. 5-10 minutes.

I did this on the train going back home.

Rere The Magician

2011-08-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Rere comes into my room, sluggishly lies on my bed.

Rere: I'm bored.

I'm unfazed by her coming into my room, because my sis does this a lot. I'm on my laptop.

Modé: I've finally gotten the animation software I've been trying to get since forever.

Rere: Modé, I'm bored!

Modé: I have an idea, I think I could stop-animate you on this software. So lets try to create a stop-animation.

Rere: Fine.

So I create this animation starring my Lil' Sis.

Rere The Magician 1/2

I get excited, I play it over and over again.

Modé: Let's create another one!

Rere shrugs.

Rere: Yeah, Sure why not.

So I create another one.

Rere The Magician 2/2
I get really excited, I play it again, again and again.

Modé: This is sooo cool!

Rere: It's pretty cool.

Modé: Oh, you know what? We should make a short movie.

Rere notices that I'm getting a little too enthusiastic for her taste.

Rere: Uh...

Modé: Common it would be fun!

Rere: No.

Modé: But you said you were bored.

Rere: I'm not bored anymore.

She smiles mischievously at me.

I shake my head.

Modé: Geez, Rere.

Well yeah that's what brought me to make those animations. It was really fun.

I'm still gonna force her to make another one, after all what are lil sisters for if you can't bully them into doing things for you.

*Mischievous smile

Driver

2011-08-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Driver. Pen.

A sketch I did about 3 years ago.

He didn't know I was drawing him.

When I showed it to him I think he liked it.

Colours of 3

2011-08-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

Graphite pencil, Watercolour and India Ink on Paper.16"x12".

I would like to put this painting in white/beige frame.

I think it would really make the colours richer.

Happy Sunday.

In the world she lived in

2011-08-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

Writing is dear to my heart. I guess that's especially why I don't post it or talk about it much. A couple of people asked to read the short story I'd been working on so I've decided to put up an excerpt of it below. Hope you enjoy it. :)

In the World she lived in
(Excerpt)

Woman had spent two weeks with Water. Alcohol didn’t call and neither did Woman make an effort to check on him. She was fascinated by Water’s constant care for her. She enjoyed Water’s appreciative kisses each time she cooked for him and she adored the love notes he wrote to her each morning. The lovemaking was paced like a classic melody that soothed her senses and made her fall asleep easily. She would always wake up full of energy. She knew all these qualities about Water before but this time it was heightened by the depth of Alcohol mishaps.

Alcohol and Woman had known each other for five years. The day she met him was when Woman had been touched in indecent places by her Uncle Molest.
“Get out of the house, I’m sick of looking at you.” Her Uncle M said as he opened up a beer.
So she left the house and strolled down the street. Tears dropped on the pavement and her nose drooled of mucous. Cars drove passed but one. One slowly followed her.
“Leave me alone.” Woman sniffed and wiped her tears.
“I’ll wait till you feel better.”

She turned her head to see who was concerned about her. He smiled at her. She didn’t. He introduced himself as Alcohol. She hesitated but then she told her name. From that day on he made her forget the troubles of her world. She left her Uncle M’s place and moved to his. He did give her care and understanding when she needed it most. A long invested emotion Alcohol and Woman had.

Woman woke up everyday with little remorse. Water made it easy not to think about Alcohol at least dwell on him too much. After all even though Water was more caring and considerate he was predictable. She knew that he would make her favourite meal every weekend; she knew that she was going to get a love note at her bedside each morning. And she also knew she was going to get the same feeling every time they made love. These situations reminded her about the redundancy she had left the first time she broke up with him. The thought disgusted her. She made sure to suppress such thoughts to make the relationship work. She was finally with a man that loved her. There was nothing to complain about any longer. Yes, he didn’t shower with expensive gifts nor did he take her to lavish dinners but he never cheapened her existence by seeing another woman. Plus, he would never slap her for speaking her mind. In the world she lived in Water was perfect.

Second Hand

2011-08-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Very Coooool Animation

Second Hand from Isaac King on Vimeo.

A new 7 minute animated film by Isaac King.

"The term "second hand" refers to the ticking hand on a clock; it also describes re-used items. Would you rather save time? Or save stuff? This film examines the imbalance and waste created by these modern obsessions."

©2011 Isaac King
isaacking.net

Music by Jeremy Singer
Audio design/mix by Greg Sextro

Head Girl Experiment

2011-07-21T02:18:00.000-07:00

I hadn't animated in forever! That was because I did not have the supplies for it. Also it takes a long time to animate.

The animation above is a very very very short clip. It's really
an experiment. I wanted to see if I could combine my animation style with my painting technique.

I'm not sure if it was very successful but I feel I need to make a longer clip to really see if the animation would read well.

Below are processes
(I apologize for some of the blurry pictures)

Software: FlipBook, Adobe After Effects.
Medium: Graphite, Watercolour & India Ink on Animation Paper

I would like to thank lil miss Sauniya' for giving me this award.

Little Update

2011-07-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting much of my work.
I haven't been painting much. I've been working a short story I'd been thinking of writing for about 2-3 years. So I'm so happy I've almost completed it. I'm going over the last draft.

Yay me.

I was just looking through some blogs and I came across this art piece by Brianna Mccarthy.

Maybe this beautiful work will give you some satisfaction from my lack of post of my art.

Hope you guys are well. Take care.

Test Shot

2011-07-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

My cousin was using me as a test shot for a fashion
photo shoot she was going to do. I didn't know she was actually going to use any of my pictures.

Coco

2011-06-20T02:49:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on Board.

Painting I did for my friend. She asked me to paint her dog Coco.

I'm not what you think

2011-06-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

12" x 18". Watercolour,Indian ink, graphite pencil on paper.

Experiment: Incorporating words in my pieces, to give
it more of a direction.

Result: Not too shabby...

Have a great weekend!

The Bald, The Afro and The Straight

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

12" x 18". Watercolor and Indian Ink.

Old Drawings

2011-06-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

I said a little while ago that I was going to show you my older artwork
so that you can see how much I've improved. I couldn't get a scanner so I just took pics of them. Well here they are...

This was for an art exam in high school. 2002.

An attempt of a self portrait. 2002.

Freddie Prince-jr. 2001.

Toothbrush and toothpaste. 2002.
(It may take a while to actually recognize any of the objects)

Below are some of my better ones.

Destiny's Child. 2001.
I remember being so proud of this one.

J-Lo. 2002.
One of my first/early attempts on shading.I liked
this one as well.

My Other Half

2011-06-02T03:52:00.001-07:00

My Other Half. Acrylic on board.2005

I'm home(Nigeria) for a bit and I've been looking through my
old artwork. This is one of the good ones.(I'll post the bad ones later, just have to get a scanner)

So this one is portrait of me. At a point I was really into symbolism art and I did quite a few.(I'll post some of these too, that's if I'm not to lazy)

This painting was about the search for my other half. I was questioning
which guy would "complete" me (Sounds so cheesy, lol)

I split my face in half which signifies I'm not complete. The left half shows a black silhouette and this means that he could be anybody. The question mark means that I'm asking who is he? where is he? The right half shows me. The background is full of hearts and this means I'm thinking about love. That's basically the gist of the painting.

I painted this 6 years ago. Wow, how time flies.

Hope everyone's having a good week.

Me and Desk

2011-05-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

Me and My desk.

Feature: Natural Art Maven

2011-05-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

I've been featured on Natural Art Maven.
You can view the full feature here.

Thank you.

Artist Crush: Mark Demsteader

2011-05-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

His Website

Leftovers

2011-05-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

I got craps of wood from a hardware store. I'm excited, though I don't know
what to paint on it yet.

Mercedes

2011-05-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sade Adu Process

2011-05-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

Forgot to post the little process for the painting I did of the Singer Sade Adu

Doll

2011-05-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Watercolour, India Ink and Graphite pencil on Paper.

Happy Monday!

Sade Adu

2011-05-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Singer Sade Adu
Watercolour.

Via

Red Light

2011-05-11T06:46:00.001-07:00

I took this photo with the Dream Diana Lens. I love the foggy look it has. Going to
experiment more. :)

Purple

2011-05-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

Watercolour and ink on coloured paper.

I've been experimenting with coloured paper.

tfkshutterfox

2011-05-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share more of what inspires me not just my artwork. I
think you guys might be interested in what goes out in my head apart from what I would like to paint next.

So that brings me to this post.

I'd like to introduce you to my cousin's work.
The photos above is a project she's working on.
Branded 

You can check out more of her work over here.

What I love most about her work is that she is really experimental. Like this one and this one.

Hope you guys had a great weekend.

Buy: Hunt For Me

2011-04-25T04:13:00.001-07:00

Prints, Canvas, Laptop Skins now available here

Hope you all had a good Easter

Hunt For Me

2011-04-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hunt For Me. 16"x12".
Watercolour, Ink Pen and Graphite on Paper.

Bleuh. I'm getting sick of Watercolour.
I do like how this one turned out though. I tried something
a little different. I can't stand repetitiveness.

I have a couple of painting projects to do but been too
busy to get supplies. Hopefully this week will be better and I can
start on them.

Hope you guys are having an awesome Saturday.

Dream it, Do it.

2011-04-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

I got questions about the previous post, asking if I designed it, which I didn't. Sooooo I thought maybe I'll give it a shot.
What do you guys think?

Thanks Xay B and Abigail for planting the idea in my head! Also check out  Xay B feature on the website http://www.iamthenublack.com . He's an awesome photographer.

Success

2011-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Olivia Lo

2011-04-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

Olivia Lo. 16"x12". Watercolour, Ink and Graphite on Paper.

I enjoy reading fashion blogs. I can spend hours going through
them. One of my favs is Olivia Lopez - Lust for life

Black Dress

2011-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Black Dress. Watercolour. 15"x 12".

I was inspired by Conrad Roset's paintings, so I painted a little looser than normal.

I did some sucky ass paintings before
I finally got this one. It's not been the best month but we all have
one of those moments from time to time.

What happens when you stifle creativity?

2011-04-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

What happens when you stifle creativity?

The ability and the need to be creative are hard-wired into all of us. I speak to so many people who tell me they make things (drawings, soufflé, jewelry, movies, pop songs) because they just have to. They can't help it. It's a basic urge, an irrepressible impulse.

Yet an awful lot of people are able to suppress it. They trudge back and forth in a rut, never reinventing a single day. They jump to conclusions about themselves and their abilities and their obligations that they think will help them avoid conflict. They make certain choices that they think will prevent others from being disappointed, shocked, or angry.

But deep inside them, a little ember flickers. That ember is their dream, the thing that they could really like to do, if only. If only they had the time, the talent, the education, the tools, the money, the support, the freedom. But because they have decided long ago that they can't, they lock that little spark in a big steel box, hoping to suffocate it once and for all, and then they rush on with their chores and obligations.

But the ember won't go out. Instead it heats up the steel box, and they start to feel the need again. It gets hotter and the feeling turns to pain. So they reach for anesthetic.

Our society is full of anesthetics - drugs, booze, television, mass culture, destructive behaviours, anger, defensiveness, selfishness - all are ways to take us away from experiencing the here and now, from being in touch with our true nature.

When we continue to deny who we truly are and suppress our ability to create, we become crippled and shut down. Our minds grow narrower as we shut out anything unexpected that doesn't fit with how we've told ourselves the world truly is.

We grow remote from others, categorising and stereotyping the people we meet, threatened and afraid, unable to see them clearly and fully. We speed through life, wanting to get onto the next thing, unable to take pleasure in the moment.

We chart life on a checklist, ticking off experiences as if they were chores, overly committed to our views and unable to deal with the unexpected. We seem distracted and spaced out, unable to hear what our family members say to us, always preoccupied with some other place and time.

Ironically, our society tends to portray artists as dreamers. But those who suppress their creativity are actually the ones living in a dream. An artist is someone who sees and feels reality very intensely.

Creativity doesn't mean just making things up out of thin air. It means seeing and feeling the world so vividly that you can put together connections and patterns that help to explain reality. It means you see the beauty in the world rather than trying to hide from it.

~ Danny Gregory "The creative License"

Samata Angel

2011-04-04T06:27:00.001-07:00

Watercolour.

Samata Angel is a British-Ghanian Fashion Designer.
 I love her dresses. In the painting above she is wearing on of her designs.
Check out her Website.

Bekah Photoshop

2011-04-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

I played around in photoshop, I think it turned out well.

Bekah

2011-04-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

16" x 12". Graphite Pencil.

I got inspired by Linda, Kan Dee and few other Swedish blogs. So I decided to draw in pencil. My favourite part is the hair even though it was the longest and most annoying to complete.

Picture Source Via

Flamingo

2011-03-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Took this picture a while back in Las Vegas.

I've been really busy lately. I will do my best to post regularly.
Thank you for the Lovely Looovely comments. They are so inspiring.

Arlenis Sosa

2011-03-12T03:56:00.000-08:00

16"x 12". Watercolour and ink pen.
The model Arlenis Sosa
This painting is available as a print, canvas and iPhone cases&skins

Pictures that inspired this painting

via: source unknown:via

In Progress

2011-03-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Working on some pieces. Deciding on how to colour them.
decisions, decisions.

Hope you guys are having a good week.

Diva

2011-03-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

Diva
12" x 18". Watercolor and Indian Ink.

I played with the colours on Photoshop.

I kinda prefer the photoshop one. What do you guys think?

GET ONE!

2011-03-01T14:38:00.001-08:00

A friend and fan showed me her Tote bag designed by me.
If you have one of my products please send me a pic, I'd love to see people rocking it. :)

If you want one of these they can be found here.

p.s. welcome new followers!

Recent Inspirations

2011-02-25T19:25:00.001-08:00

- Click on images -

Some artists that have been inspiring me lately...

p.s. Thanks for all  the motivating comments!

Natural Chica

2011-02-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

Natural Chica (awesome blog)

12" x 18". Watercolor and Indian Ink.

I'm noticing a trend here... I've been using blue quite a bit. And this painting is pretty similar to Kiké Blue. I should try some other hair colour next time.

I'd like to thank Adiya Atuluku for the feature!

Mon ami

2011-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

9" x 11". Watercolour.

This is my French friend Salomé.

Happy Vals

2011-02-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's.

I'd like to thank OnYxSta for the award she gave me.

Thank you :)

Q&A

2011-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Sunny Day. 2010.

Have you ever been apart of an art gallery showcasing your work? If so, How was it? If not, would you ever?

I’ve showcased my work three times but none of them have been in an art gallery. The first and third one was showcased at Union Square in San Francisco. The second one was showcased at a state office building to celebrate black history month. Those experiences were mixed with a little disappointment but mostly happiness. The disappointment was at the state office building where they displayed my work where no one could really see it. But apart from that I loved everything else. I would love to be showcased in an art gallery!

Impressive art! This is my second time on your blog :) Question: when are you exhibiting your art?!

Thank you. I don’t know yet, but when I do you guys will be the first to know!

Which artist inspires you the most? And by artist, I'm being very broad. Could be music, fine art, crafts, painting etc. P.S-I love you and your work!!

It’s not so simple. So many artists inspire me in different areas. I can tell you the artist/period in each field that has had the most impact on me thus far (and this is if I must, must, pick one)

Fine art – Frida Kahlo

Music – Kano

Philosophy – Saint Aquinas

Books – Marriages between zones three four and five by Doris Lessing

Comic – Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Fashion – 1950’s fashion (at the moment)

P.S – Thanks!

Showcasing artwork at Union Square, San Francisco. 2010

What are your aspirations at the moment? What are you trying to do next?

At the moment, I’m just trying to educate myself as much as I can intellectually. Next, I might travel around the world for a bit.

First of all,i'd like to see the face behind the art and my question is how do you get your work to look so natural and human...i like ur work...it looks urban, colourful and different...i cant quite describe it but i'm always impressed when i see your work...i like the way you draw lips too, they look very natural.

Thank you very much! Here is a picture of me (I’m the one in the middle, in the white and orange top)and I'm the one in the first picture above. Now-a-days I’ve been pretty camera shy hopefully that would change soon:)

I can’t really say how I make things look natural, I just do (Mainly practice). I’m gonna do my best to record my process one of these days so you can see how I tackle my work. Also it’s funny you mentioned lips, that’s one of my favourite features to paint.

I know you can create beautiful pieces from photos but I wonder is the process the same for live paintings? or would you say its more difficult?

I haven’t painted from live but I think I would enjoy it.I was trained to draw from life. Most of my sketches are live. You get a lot more control from live. So I wouldn’t say it would be more difficult. I actually would enjoy it more. I just don’t have much access to models. The only slightly annoying thing about drawing from live is that models tend to have a hard time staying still which I don't blame them for because it's a lot harder than one thinks.

View from my dorm room. 2005.

Your art is really beautiful!! I love it! I have two questions : 1) How do you describe your art? 2) As an artist, what is your dream?

Thanks a lot!

1) I would say I’m more of an impressionist artist. I tend to make my art be an impression of life and not life exactly. I like to add my own style to it.

2) My dream is to create things forever!

I love your work!! I’ve wanted to ask this for a while, but now that the perfect opportunity has been presented... do you do personal portraits?

Thanks! Yes I do. That’s my favourite thing to paint. Just email me at modechronicles(at)gmail(dot)com and I can give you more information.

I see on your blurb that you stopped drawing for a few years. Why is that?

I didn’t feel I was any good at it, and didn’t see it as a career.

Flower and writing. 2005.

I love your work, it's amazing! My question is when did you realise you were good at art and is drawing/painting your first and only job or do you do something else as well?  Keep it up, you're amazing!

Thanks! I would say only the past 2 years I would even consider calling myself pretty good. Being in art school and seeing such incredible classmates kind of made me question my ability. I’m not working at the moment, I just graduated and taking a little break. I also like to create things, books, jewelry...etc.

One, your work is BEYOND amazing! Do you do custom work? I would love to be able to get some portraits made of my family and I think you have a real talent.

Thank you! Yes I do, just email me at modechronicles(at)gmail(dot)com and we can discuss details.

How did you manage to develop your own unique style?

It was a learning process, I just kept trying and trying until It felt/looked right. Simple answer – Intuition.

When did you start producing your artwork? would you say it was a natural talent and/or something you enhanced by taking classes?

I’ve had different painting phases in my life, so I’ve been painting on and off for 5-6 years, but this current artwork on this blog started Fall 2009. I’m one of those people who don’t believe in natural talent and I’m living proof. So, I did draw a lot. I took drawing classes but I didn’t take any painting classes. Painting was more self-taught, the most formal education I got from painting ended in high-school.

Showcasing artwork at Union Square, San Francisco. 2010

Winner!

2011-02-03T00:30:00.001-08:00

Winner is Stefani! Congrats!

(Please contact me at modechronicles(at)gmail(dot)com so we can discuss the details)

Thank you so much everyone for entering the giveaway. I'll soon post up the answers to the questions.

Bodé Green

2011-01-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

22" x 28". Acrylic and Spray Paint

I've been wanting to paint this for a while.

Finally I've done it.Yes! The more I look at this painting the more I feel his alive. Like some sort of Zombie. lol.

This painting is part of the colour series. I think yellow or orange is next.

The Giveaway is still on! If you would like to have a chance of having my artwork click here.

(I'm excited to answer the questions, thanks for the support people!)

Bodé Green is available to buy (If you want it as a skin or iphone cases, let me know, I'll make it possible)

Hope you guys are having a great Sunday!

Giveaway!

2011-01-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

100 followers! plus many more via fb, twitter etc...thanks so much for the support.
I'd like to celebrate with a Giveaway!
I'll be giving away this original artwork (The one above)
It's done with watercolor and ink, it's 9" x 12" (A little bigger than the standard size of white plain paper)

All you have to do is ask a question you'd like answered about me [not too personal pls:)] , my artwork (So even if you don't win you get something out of it) or if not just leave a comment.
I'll do my best to answer all questions.

Leave all comments under this posting only. (Please comment once!)

I'll randomly pick one person using a random generator.
Giveaway starts now and ends Wednesday 2 February 2011 at 11:59pm (pacific standard time)

Thanks again... and Good luck!

Beautiful & Deadly

2011-01-23T21:28:00.001-08:00

Beautiful & Deadly

Cubic Beautiful & Deadly
(Warholesque)

Original

My friend and I went to the beach and I was taking pictures of Jellyfish. They are so beautiful.

An interesting fact about Jellyfish:
Jellyfish have existed for more than 650 million years and happen to be  the oldest living creatures on the planet. They have existed before the  dinosaurs and have survived longer than the dinosaurs.
[Source]

Welcome Promise (beautiful name) and Evelyn (Book lovers should check out her blog)

Kiké Blue

2011-01-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

Kiké Blue

12" x 18". Watercolor and Indian Ink

I prefer the pencil one but...

"It's all gooooood." - I think Jim said that from The Office. I've been

watching the seasons over and over again on netflix. It's driving me crazy. Should find something else to watch.lol.

This painting is now available in Art prints, Stretched Canvases, iPhone Skin and Cases

Welcome Lynn

American Guy

2011-01-19T15:16:00.000-08:00

16" x 24" Oil and Spray Paint

I was actually freakin' out a little bit at the start of the painting
but I grew to love it.

Haven't painted a guy in a while.
I do enjoy painting guys but I just don't get a lot of inspiration. My favourite part of this painting is the jacket. It came out better than I expected. I like the impressionist look it has.
I came up with the name American Guy because of the blue, white and red spray paint I used
(without realizing it)

Helllooooo emi.l.k.c

Twitter

2011-01-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

Something new. To follow (if you care to)
Click here

Hi Diva_Beaute and foxyboo15

Society6 & Envelop Stores

2011-01-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

You can now get my artwork on...

Tote Bags

iPod/iPhone Cases and Skins

Laptop and iPad Skins

Pillows and Napkins

Click on one of the images above or click on
All products ship internationally.

Are you excited? I am.
:)

Hi Michelle!