Photo: On Stilts

Man on Stilts
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Pirate figure at the Treasure Island Music Festival.

Photo: Man on the Corner

Man on the Corner, San Francisco
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

In front of a church in SF. . . such sadness in his eyes.

Artwork: Tons of Luv Shirt

Tons of Luv: Kids Version
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Luckily, I got my hands on a shirt that was purchased by my buddy, Diana. Through my t-shirt line, "Happy Insanity" at http://www.zazzle.com/shaireproductions*, I've been able to see my designs morph with different t-shirt styles and colors. "Tons of Luv" is an example of this. Originally designed for a dark background shirt, she chose a kid's ringer style shirt, giving it an extra flair. It's pretty fun seeing what others' preferences and how the designs adapt to different visual treatments.

Photo: Chinese Dragon on a Break

Chinese Dragon on a Break
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Autumn Moon Festival in SF Chinatown.

This was an cute moment--the group took a mini-break from their dragon hoisting to view an outdoor photo exhibit.

Photo: Hawaiian Dancers

Hawaiian Dancers
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Lovely dancers performing during the Oakland Chinatown Street Fest.

Photo: J-Boogie Inferno Video Shoot

B-Girl on the Dancefloor
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Evidence of a throwback adventure via Om Records.

Unfortunately, my flash didn't go off on my mini-camera, so the pic is a little blurry. . . at least you could feel the motion of the moment!

Advertising in the Clouds: Flogos

Once upon a time, plane banners and blimps were the mediums for advertising in the heavens. Today, it's Flogos! Made up of soap foam, this unique company produces logo brand shapes to reach a wide audience. The visual impact is quite appealing, being that we are always looking for shapes in the clouds. The life of a flogo is quite short though--from a few minutes to a few hours.

Photo: Pure Joy

Pure Joy
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

I went to the Art & Soul Festival in Oakland, where this woman was performing in an African Dance troupe. This was one of my favorite images of the day.

Fun Site: Paper Critters

Just discovered this fun site by Ruperto Fabito, Jr. as an Academy of Art project called Paper Critters, where you could create your own virtual paper toy with various artistic elements. The vein is pretty similar to the Simpsonize Me and the South Park Generator, but with more customization.

Photo: Indian Girls

Indian Girls
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

This candid photo was taken at the Oakland Chinatown Street Fest. These beautiful Indian girls were sitting amongst the crowd, patiently waiting their turn to perform.

Photo: The Cooks

Cooking
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Daydreaming at the grill. This was taken at the Oakland Chinatown Street Fest.

Artwork: Wildstyle Graffiti

Art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com



This was an experimentation in combining tribal tattoo styles with letterforms. This is a mixed media piece (pen & photoshop). I didn't clean up the linework very much, as I like the rough quality of line. In case you're wondering, it's another homage to "Hip Hop".

Artwork: Gasmask over Nature

. Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com



I've been interested in masks for a while. Gasmasks in particular always seemed very ominous to me with it's alien-like features and the tubular apparatus. This image was inspired by all the talk of global conservation and global warming (formerly known as the "greehouse effect"). Mixed-media artwork: pen/ink illustration with vector art.

Artwork: Abstract Faces

Here's another exploration of abstract human forms, inspired by Picasso and Braque's Cubist style. This was created with pen/ink, then scanned, and brought into Photoshop. The background is a granite/sidewalk photo texture that was colorized and retouched.

Artwork: Anna May Wong & Apparel Line

Another apparel line I'm working on is called "Culture Clash", influenced by social, cultural, and sometimes political symbols. I just started publishing the shirts, so check it out! http://www.zazzle.com/shaireproductions*

I've recently discovered the beauty and grace of Anna May Wong, a forgotten starlet in the MGM tradition. She was the first Asian-American woman who stared in feature films in the 1930s+, but like many minorities of her time, she was forced to play stereotypical roles and was restricted from others because of her race and a tradition in old Hollywood known as "yellow face" (where white actors would play Asian characters through makeup and fake accents, as in the movie, "The Good Earth", or "Charlie Chan"). Anna eventually moved to Europe who favored her with less stereotypical and more narrative roles.

I wanted to pay homage to Anna's character and spirit of tenacity and determination.

Photo: Beautiful Python

Beautiful Python
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Another photo from my trip to the Oakland Zoo.

Artwork: Tons of Luv

Tons of Luv
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Apparel Design. Giving an industrial tool a sense of organicness and beauty.

Inspiring Commercials & Animation

Like the Superbowl, the commercials that run during the Olympics are just as entertaining--with great storytelling and artistic elements. Here are two of my favorites. . .

United Airlines Commercial "Sea Orchestra" by The Black Heart Gang. Wonderful animation. . .



Two b-ball giants: Yao Ming vs. LeBron James in a Coke ad. Fun visual iconography from both American and Chinese cultures without being overly stereotypical and offensive.

Photo: Conversing Parrots

Parrots
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

This was taken during my trip to the Oakland Zoo.

Artwork: Honeybear

I'm starting the concept designs for a new apparel line called "Happy Insanity", where cuteness gets thrown in a blender. This illustration is syrupy sweet and all things in-between.

Graffiti: Geometric Style

Graffiti: Geometric Style
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Apparel design: Experimenting with an urban geometric style.

Asian Art Museum Entrance

Asian Art Museum Entrance
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Simple B+W digital image.

Artwork: MC=Lyricism + Innovation

MC (Squared)=Lyricism + Innovation
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Trying to capture the essence of Hip Hop Freestyle Mcing in a simplified equation. This is also meant to be a promo apparel design for ShaireProductions.

Artwork: Contemplation (Heritage Series)

. Art by Sherrie Thai of ShaireProductions.com



This is the second piece of the Heritage Series I started concerning human atrocities in Asia, particularly the Khmer Rouge--a tribute to my family and to the countless innocent people caught in the crossfire.

The inspiration of this composition was from an old photo (perhaps National Geographic) of an Asian male digging through a pile of bones, looking for the remains of his relatives. What furthered my interest was a photo my friend, Ricky, took while visiting Angkor Wat; it was a simple image of monks looking off into the distance. Merging the two, I came up with this piece. The colors are subdued, with accents on the focal points--the robe and the flames surrounding the bones. The image on the right contains the monotone graphite drawing. I chose not to apply color to the monk's face to give a sense of humanitarian loss--of being a ghost in a world of struggle and hate.

Artwork: Faces and Decor Sketches

After work, I usually catch the train and start adding to my sketchbook. It's a solitary act and a form of meditation. I've been told that it looks pretty intense, so I may extend it to other mediums.

Click on the image to view a larger size. The actual image is 5x7in.

Artwork: Uncle Sam, Big Brother is Watching You

I've contemplated whether I should post this artwork up. As a commercial graphic designer, you are in a constant space of negotiation, seeking approvals, business etiquette, and customer service. With fine arts, it's based primarily on the artist's intention, so sometimes, when misunderstood, there is more scrutiny. Throwing caution to the wind, here's my two cents. . .

About this piece: I've always been drawn to political and social art, especially propaganda pieces. Regardless of the society and the context, political art is powerful and many are great works of design. The I Want You Poster and George Orwell's theme "Big Brother is Watching You" (1984) inspired this piece.

The intention of this is more social than political. The artwork and message is a reminder that society is not as rosey as it may seem--we have to be aware of ourselves and of the world we live in with respect to those around us. Orwell's words gives the artwork a slightly ominous slant, but just don't take this too seriously. The presence of eyeballs and the ultra-bright red color lightens the subject matter, making it more approachable in a tongue-in-cheek humorous way. I recreated Uncle Sam in my simplified linework style. Originally intending to create an apparel design, this may have a better life as a poster.

Artwork: Tribal Sparrows with Winged Heart

Art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

I happened to be watching the lovely Kat von D's LA Ink when I came up with this. This was also a homage to old school sailor tattoos, particularly those of Ed Hardy.

The artwork was created by hand, then scanned and recreated in Adobe Illustrator.

Photo: The Crucible Fire Arts Festival

Performance: The Nekyia
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Incredible sights to behold on July 11, 2008. It's very exciting to have a few of my photos published on The Crucible's Festival Photo Recap Page.

Artwork: End of Summer

End of Summer Header
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Designed by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Illustration created in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Artwork: Blue Dragons

I created this Eastern style dragon over the weekend. My goal is to produce one new illustration a week.



I'm also working on an apparel line. At the moment, it's only in concept until the subject matter and designs are finalized and consolidated. I love experimenting in different techniques and styles, which explains the eclectic nature of my art portfolio. Stay tuned!

Artwork: Crossing Mediums

Once in a while, the different mediums I work in cross paths for varying effects. Here's an example of my photography becoming a resource for a illustration project.

B-boy Media

I photographed this Iron Monkey dance crew member at The Crucible Fire Arts Festival. Although blurred, I think this photo captures the speed and technicality of break-dance movements. I just purchased a digital Canon XTi camera, so I had a bit of fun experimenting with the slow shutter speed.



Roxrite vs. Lilou-Red Bull BC One 2007 Roxrite has an amazing range of movement that's just incredible to watch. Don't blink!

Artwork: Variation of a Theme

This is a recent design project promoting a Beijing Games app. The project scope was to create several profile skins highlighting several countries, so on my part, it was a test in creating a brand which was able to extend to different markets. My background in identity and package design was pretty helpful--color and design elements help differentiate the brand in unique ways. The digital illustration was created in Adobe Illustrator and the layout was created in Adobe Photoshop.

Fire Vortex: Touch the Sky

Fire Vortex: Touch the Sky
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Fire Vortex is a live sculpture of fire from the mind of Nate Smith, displayed at The Crucible's Fire Arts Festival in Oakland. This was one of the most incredible sights I've ever seen. Witnessing the taming of the flame and constant evolution of shape was beautiful.

It was so hot I was worried that my new lens would melt somehow, but luckily all is well. For more info, check out Nate's site: Fire-Arts

Dark Knight: Promotional Design

I created this design for the Dark Knight Campaign. As with most movie campaigns, the artwork was already in existence, so I just had to concentrate on extending the brand through photo collages and creating supporting artwork. This is where research is essential--if I didn't have just a day or two to turn something around, I could easily spend a week on research. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to touch different and exciting campaigns that I admire.

The concept was inspired by the Gotham Times site with interactive Flash-based elements. If you're interested in seeing the real sites for The Dark Knight, check out my other posting about their guerrilla marketing campaign.

Artwork: TechnoDragon

TechnoDragon
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

This creation was bound to happen: I love dragons and adore music. Instead of chasing the Pearl of Wisdom as most eastern dragons do, this one is a new breed--with an affinity towards vinyl records.

This bio-mechanical style dragon was originally created by hand with pen/ink, then scanned and edited in Adobe Illustrator.

Artwork: Nature, Apparel Design

Art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com



"Nature Woman" was drawn by hand, scanned, then cleaned up and modified in Adobe Illustrator.

PicLens: 3D Viewer for Web Content

If you're getting bored with the 2D aspect of the web and enjoy browsing photos/videos, check out PicLens. It's a preview of the changing face of the web (perhaps Web 3.0?). It's slick, interactive, and most importantly--fun! PicLens incorporates top media and retail sites: YouTube, Flickr, Amazon, and Google. After you download the free program, you'll get an icon in your browser that you could toggle to and fro. When pressed, Piclens enables full-screen viewing of various media. Be warned, if you scroll too fast when in the 3D wall, you may get a lil queezy. . .

Artwork: The Tank & the Butterflies

Art by Sherrie Thai of ShaireProductions.com



This illustration was created for a t-shirt. It was not so much about war and peace as it was about people's ignorance/greed ultimately destroying beauty. However, like all art, it's open to interpretation. =0)

Video: Matt's Dance Around the World

Comedic, beautiful, and inspiring. . .

Artwork: Tribal Eagle

This tribal eagle was created by hand, scanned, then cleaned up on the computer. I rarely use the Wacom tablet for concept art and illustration. For me, the tangibility of drawing on paper far outweighs the coldness of the computer.

Since the Olympics and July 4th are coming up, it's a fitting time for a self-promotion. After creating the artwork, I thought it would be interesting as a shirt. I'm trying not to create many duplicates of artwork on paper and t-shirts, but this one seems to work well as both.

Artwork: Dual Dragons

I actually created this dragon design a couple years ago for a 18x24 glass etching--to be placed in a gallery. It was a good 100 hours of work. Unfortunately, the glass etching was accidently destroyed by another's hand. I was glad to have saved the original design, and thought it was time to give the dragons a new life.

This tribal style artwork was created by hand, then scanned, and digitally colored. The top dragon is created in an Eastern/Asian form, while the bottom dragon is done in a Western style. The inspiration of this piece was personal--growing up Chinese-American and being privy to the two cultures. It's a duality, but never as one.

Music Innovation: The Genie

Musicians like The Genie is what makes art such a source of inspiration. On his Myspace bio, it states that his performances involve "live looping, slide guitar, and beatboxing." The Genie proves that art in itself is about evolution, growth, and pushing the envelope.

Graffiti's Gone Mobile!

Voice of the Streets is a interesting site that gives graffiti writers and artists a way to receive feedback on their work anonymously. Because it's in Beta form, the functionality of the site isn't really smooth, but the concept is pretty hot. The graff artists could upload their work and receive a unique QR Code (which conveys info like URL, images, phone numbers, etc), all the while uploading their own voice message. If someone recognizes the work, they could leave the artist a voice-mail response to their work.

There aren't many uploads to this website and it seems to be a global project, so there are language barriers involved. Adding a simple text feedback option could be advantageous to the site so artists could translate the response if it was in a different language or if the voice-mail fails somehow.

Engaging the graffiti artists with their public/fanbase through technology is an interesting one as it provides an open, anonymous channel of communication, while increasing visibility for the artist.

Artwork: Dragon Bodysuit

Art by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com

Here's a throwback to Asian tattooing styles. The drawing on the right was the initial graphite drawing on vellum; the girl was drawn separately. They were then scanned, cleaned up, collaged, and digitally colored in Photoshop.

I haven't designed tattoos in a while, so this image has been clawing its way through my head till now. I owe so much to tattooing--as an illustrator (picking up different visual styles) and as a designer (logo work and lettering). It's also made me realize that everything has potential and can be a source of inspiration. With such a rich history (dating back to paleolithic ages), it's great to see that tattooing is rising past being a mere fad. The inspiration for my artwork "Dragon Bodysuit" is the Irezumi or Japanese tattoo, and the artist and master tattooist, Horiyoshi III.

Here are some notable artists who've created artworks of tattooed women: Richard Chesler, Caroline Young, Luis Royo, and Olivia.

Attack of the Killer Lobsters!

Lobster
Originally uploaded by shaire productions

Eat them before they eat you! Just kidding. Another dull day at the office complete with crustacean visitors.

Inspirations: Art & Life

I became inspired today by two very different artists. In Talib Kweli's "Listen" music video, the urban art of Kofie is incorporated as motion graphics. The video is a few years old, but the artwork is still hip and vibrant. Kofie's work is very deliberate, yet expressionistic. Hip hop has created a platform for a global youth culture and it's always fascinating to see different art-forms merge.

Another inspiration was seeing the film "War Photographer" and being exposed to the deeply moving documentary photography of James Nachtwey. He braves the battlefields and streets to capture the human condition and the stories behind them. His photos are morbidly beautiful and intimate--art with a conscience.

Artwork: Ghosts from Khmer Rouge (Heritage Series)

. Art by Sherrie Thai of ShaireProductions.com



This piece was inspired by the stories of my family--of tragedies from the hands of the Khmer Rouge, military intervention, and refugee camps. Different times beget different circumstances, but overall, history repeats itself. In a general sense, this piece is also a commentary on the atrocities of war, power, and corruption. Because this artwork comes from a very personal space, it holds great sentimental value. My family is ethnically Chinese, but have faced the same atrocities as Cambodians and Vietnamese from the Khmer Rouge. Modern Pan-Asian pollination has unified different cultures through basic life experiences. Sparked by personal events and a sense of self-exploration, I'm glad to have finally created the first (in hopefully--many) artistic tributes to my family and culture: The Heritage Series.

The initial illustration on the right is graphite on vellum. From there, I scanned in the artwork, collaged patterns (created from my brush pen) and digitally colored the piece. In many of my mixed media pieces, I tend to leave certain areas in grayscale. I've always loved juxtaposing detail with simplicity--in concept or through visual elements (Graphic Alchemy). While the Buddha monument is in the foreground, it's mostly monochrome--the viewer gets drawn into the detail, and not distracted by color. Although color can be a powerful tool, I like to emphasize the simplicity of the subject matter by taking color away. View Larger

The Dark Knight Guerrilla Marketing Campaign

The marketing campaign for the upcoming Batman movie "The Dark Knight" is pure genius. This is the one of the first times I've seen multiple online guerrilla venues to promote a brand. I have yet to discover the ad/media agency behind this, but it's caused quite a stir.

The new Batman movies (with Christian Bale) are a reinvention of the Batman enterprise. The content and approach of the new movies are darker and explores character development, steering away from its cheesy predecessors of the 90s. This reinvention carries over to the online medium. Because Batman has a cultural heritage (decades of comics, t.v. shows, toys, movies, etc.), it has an existing cult-like following. Creating a world around this is no simple task, as execution must be tactful.

The whole premise for the campaign revolves around the user/viewer becoming engaged in the world of Gotham--it's characters, activities, sights, and sounds. This engagement marketing is very Web 2.0--utilizing User Generated Content to propel the projects further. One example of this is the Why So Serious site (screenshots above). The atmosphere surrounding the Flash site is very covert and mysterious. A viewer is encouraged to submit photos--not with a generic "submit now" button--but through the copy, graphics, and hints of a secret Clown society. If you are pro-Batman, there's Citizens for Batman, or if you're interested in politics, you could support Harvey Dent's bid for District Attorney. Another great site is the mutation of the Gotham Times to the HaHaHa Times by clicking the headline. The campaign is very strategic and fluid as it's been timed to coordinate with various events--from Comic Con Clown Recruitment to Movie Screenings.

The intelligence of this campaign is due to its non-explicit advertising; it's about discovery and exploration. It allows people to come to their own conclusions about certain characters or activities. There's no central homepage listing for all the sites--adding to the mystique of the campaign as it's user-generated--from articles, other bloggers/fans (Batman Blog), and countless searches.

A new face of online advertising is upon us.