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Throughout elementary school, I had a habit of doodling on various surfaces, which often got me into trouble. However, this habit inadvertently improved my hand-eye coordination and sparked my interest in realistic drawing. After high school, I pursued a career in the US Navy as a jet mechanic, but I quickly realized it wasn't the right fit. Despite excelling on advancement tests and reaching the rank of E5 within three years, I knew I needed to find a different career path.
I came across a jet engine assembly book in the Navy filled with illustrated parts breakdowns. I became fascinated by the drawings, knowing I could draw them. I enrolled in drafting classes at the community college and eventually secured a job as a drafter in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s. In my experience, integrating artistic elements into mechanical engineering drawings was impractical. Consequently, I had to shift my focus to engineering graphics communications and set aside my artistic ambitions to keep my job.
My journey into digital design began with the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Adapting to the transition from pencil drafting to computer-aided drawing took some time, but it opened up new possibilities that I had not yet considered.
I used to struggle to see engineering drawings as more than technical documents. However, I eventually came to appreciate the creativity in logic diagrams, schematics, and assembly drawings as disciplined forms of graphic communication. In fact, creating logically efficient engineering graphics is an art form in itself. It may sound geeky, but interestingly, everything man-made around us was likely created using a picture or drawing to show someone how to make that thing. So the art was in how well you can communicate the engineering within the document. "So with every manufactured thing I see, I imagine drawings morphically emerging from them." I was conditioned to look at design as an engineering communication structure. There was nothing aesthetically artistic about it.
I've been proficient in computer literacy for over four decades. It never occurred to me that my extensive experience with programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and various engineering CAD software could be used for creating personal artwork. My familiarity with these programs allowed me to experiment and explore new design styles and techniques beyond my regular work.
Exploring digital art after years of professional work is like a musician retiring from performing and discovering a newfound passion for composing their own music. Both scenarios represent a beautiful transition from professional expertise to personal creativity and self-expression.
The potential for where this passion could lead me knows no bounds, and I'm thrilled to discover just how far I can go.
Go to my Pinterest page to view samples of my work.
Artwork overlap layering is the best technique used in digital arts, as far as I'm concerned. After teaching myself to paint and using layering in a permanent sequential method, I've appreciated the layering capability in almost all digital arts and CAD programs.
Shaping pieces and lapping them together gives you more freedom to create quickly rather than just trying to draw your digital art on one layer. I encourage the use of many layers to categorize pieces in logical order.
As you can see in the example in the layer column, each art piece created has its layer. The beauty of this system is that you can position each art piece before or after any other art piece while making modifications.
Without creating digital graphics for work anymore, I found myself searching for a new direction to channel and test my digital design skills. As a result, I was inspired to combine digital design with my ethnic background and delve into the rich cultural history of Filipino-American and Hawaiian Kama'aina cultures that I identify with.
These collections of graphics and stories are a direct result of those endeavors.
My book, "A Fil-Am Journey," is entirely dedicated to that effort. You can sample and buy my book on AMAZON.
This scrapbook is a treasure trove of captivating and heart-warming tales born from my parents' journey to America. Each story in this collection is a unique reflection of the Filipino-American experience, packed with humor, creativity, and valuable insights. It is not a typical research-based book but a beautiful compilation of family stories that can be shared with future generations. Through these stories, readers will get a glimpse into the challenges, struggles, joys, laughter, and celebratory moments that are an integral part of being a Filipino American.
As I gazed out at the vast open fields of Silicon Valley's Golden Triangle, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. The wild mustard plants that once flourished in these fields grew rampant, swaying in the gentle breeze like a joyful dance. It was here, amidst this breathtaking scenery, that I spent my childhood days running and playing with my friends. But now, the landscape has transformed beyond recognition, with towering tech companies and luxurious hotels replacing the once-peaceful fields. The area, nestled between highways 101, 880, and Interstate 237, has become a bustling hub of commercial activity, a far cry from the idyllic playground of my childhood.
Ah, the early 60s - a time when the world was different and full of life. It was a time when these plants grew everywhere before the towering tech companies took over. I still remember seeing Italian people picking these plants, and it reminded me of a similar plant that grew wildly back in my home countryside. The Italians were the first to teach us the intricate techniques of harvesting these delectable mustard greens, with their vibrant green leaves and crisp texture. Over time, the Asians quickly caught on and learned to expertly pluck and prepare these greens, unlocking their full potential and creating dishes that are a true delight for the senses.
As you venture through Silicon Valley, keep an eye out for the mustard plants scattered throughout the area. These hardy plants can flourish in unexpected places, like the pavement crevices or the unattended spaces between buildings. What's truly remarkable is that these mustard plants are native to this region and have been thriving here for many years, even before the tech industry arrived and transformed the landscape.
Spiritually, Lady Bugs are a symbol of GOOD LUCK. Much like finding a four leafed clover. They indicate coming SUCCESS.
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My dad loved ladybugs and let them be. These were natural predators of the aphids—a bug that would infest the rose bushes my dad grew for my mom. My dad said these bugs are good luck and not to kill them. I thought they were unique, like something out of a Transformers movie with a double set of wings. At flight, the red-and-black dotted cover would lift, and long wings would sprout. I was amazed at how well the wings were concealed.
Ladybugs lay their eggs directly in aphid colonies to ensure their larvae have an immediate food source; how excellent! They’re like transformers, and body snatchers rolled up in one.
At our home in Silicon Valley, my dad used to grow vegetables in the backyard. I believe he must have loved to grow vegetables and fruit trees from working as a farmhand in Hawaii and California. He would grow bitter melon, string beans, eggplants, tomatoes, tabungaw and upo squash, and other varieties every year. Back then, they didn’t have Asian supermarkets. Many vegetables for Filipino dishes were unavailable, so they grew their own and traded with other friends and relatives.
The Tomato Monster
I have fond memories of these tomato hornworms. They were the baddest creatures in the backyard garden; no one messed with them. I would collect them and save them in a jar for caterpillar gladiator fights. I would put a black hairy caterpillar in the pot, and the hornworm would always win. These tomato monsters can grow to a massive four inches long before they turn into a dull giant brown moth.
King of the Tomato Plant
Although I dwell in the darkness of the tomato leaves, I fear no one as I climb the vines to reach the fruit. Aphids bow down in awe of my massive green muscular body while other insects and caterpillars escape in fear at first sight of me. As I climb the largest red fruit, I look down on my surroundings as I reign supreme over the entire tomato plant, but alas, something inside me calls to me to hang off the vine and encapsulate my body. A peculiar obsession I must proclaim as I hasten to encase myself for a long slumber sleep and look forward to a new dream.
Calrose was initially used for the medium-grain japonica rice experimentally cultivated in California. Calrose was developed at the Rice Experiment Station near the city of Biggs and released to California growers in 1948.
In Hawaii, they call this rice the sticky rice, preferred by Hawaiian locals. The sticky characteristics of this rice make it easier to shape foods, like musubi and different types of sushi.
I prefer this rice over other brands just for its taste. I was raised on Calrose rice, and it was the only rice my parents bought.
As homemakers back in the ’50s and ’60s, my mom and aunties were very resourceful—not wasting anything that could be reused as something else. The rice sack was one of those items.
My mom would cut the sack into squares or rectangles, overlap the edges, and sew them together to make kitchen towels. Back then, those rice sacks were made from 100 percent cotton and were pretty soft after washing a few items.
When visiting Filipino friends and relatives, I saw these rice sack towels hanging from the drawer cabinets in the kitchen. I wish I had saved one of them. I would’ve framed it and hung it on the wall as a novelty item to remind me of our mother’s resourcefulness.
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