Experiments IRL

“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination...”

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We love feeling the feels! Marks 1 month of my fanfic lettering series! 🎉 Keep reading, keep investing! ©2018 Alex N. Rodriguez

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Fanfix -N- Chill: All day, every day. Digitized hand lettering done by me! 💕 ©2018 Alex N. Rodriguez

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Fanfiction Series: Soft Enamel Pins

Available at: www.etsy.com/shop/littlewingcreates

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+Umeshu Brand Concept Packaging

The concept behind +Umeshu was to bring a traditional Japanese drink to a western market. A colorful look with hints of traditional patterns and organically shaped lettering makes this product look juicy and worth a try.

Included in the packaging, umeshu is a liqueur where ume(Japanese plums) are steeped in sugar and alcohol. The result is a delectable, sweet and sour drink that can be enjoyed by even those who aren't necessarily fans of alcohol. Westerners know it as plum wine. +Umeshu brings bold flavor by mixing herbal, citrus, and fruity flavors with the original to create an even more delicious experience while still maintaining that strong, alcoholic punch. While selecting the final flavors, things like traditional Japanese fruits and what would appeal to a wide audience were taken into consideration.

©Little Wing | Alex N. Rodriguez. 2018.

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JUST CRUISIN’ Skateboard

Number 4 in handpainted skateboard series. Follow me on Insta: @littlewingcreates

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Graduation Cap for a CSULB Graduate.

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Handpainted skateboard: Chiquita the Dog!

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Hand-Painted Wolverine Skateboard.

Really starting to have a knack for doing this.

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Viva La Muxer Art Show: “Mi Madre a Toda Madre”

Viva La Muxer is an annual International Women’s Day celebration uniting and empowering women artists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across Los Angeles. Presented by Las Fotos Project, the 4th annual arts and music benefit event features live performances, 100+ curated arts exhibits, family-friendly workshops, and more! 100% of Viva La Muxer proceeds will support Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit organization and brave space for teenage girls to collaborate, learn, and inspire.

This year the theme of Viva La Muxer was Boss Lady. Each artist had to submit an artwork that aligned with the theme and had to fit a 18x24 in size.

My submission was inspired by my mother. My mother has always been my biggest supporter and a true Boss Lady. Without knowing it, my mother taught me independence, perseverance, and creativity. She was a stay-at-home mom for most of my childhood. Once my brother and I became older, she got tired of staying home and wanted to pursue a career. Like a lot of machista Mexican households, a mother going to work or being independent is frowned upon. She chose to pursue a career in Cosmetology and went to beauty school. My mother had to stand her ground and stick up for herself. She was constantly belittled by our own family. She didn’t care what other people had to say because she knew what she was doing was important. Today you can still find her doing her thing at our local beauty salon. In the slide show above are photos of my process in creating my work. This is a portrait of my mother, literally and symbolically. This is my own hair that was cut by my mother, sewn into a weft by her and bleached by me. This banner of love is an homage of the crafts I learned from her and things I have been inspired by her to pursue.

Original Entry: 03/12/18

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Princess and Unicorn Birthday Photo Stand

This was the third time I was commissioned to create a photo stand for a birthday party. These photo stands are so fun to make! I have done a Monster’s Inc. themed one and a Mexican Folk Dancers one as well. Each time I learned something new and how to refine my process to become faster.

My materials consist of things that I have already accumulated over the years in art school and in past projects like: acrylic paint, paintbrushes, painters tape, rulers, Xacto knives and an painting palette. I make the stands from cardboard because it is the cheapest thing you can find. I always use slip sheets that you can take from Costco wholesale pallets. Yes! That’s right, the cardboard is free! However, wait until there are 2-5 items on the very top before you start pulling the slip sheets off the pallets (I know they’re very particular about the way their pallets look because I used to work there). In the end, the profit margin for me was significantly positive as I only bought dowels for the back to keep it from bending at Home Depot which cost around $4-5 for 4. Factors like time spent, materials, and the fact that this is a custom painting, and size determine the final price.

I usually use around 3 slip sheets. 2 for the main painting and 1 for the panels in the back to make it stand up. These are all help together with painters tape. I tape the front and back of each joint to make sure it stays together. The paint is thick enough to paint over the tape on the front. You don’t have to paint the back as that won’t be in the picture.

I sketch out ideas and usually try to lay down the lines in pencil or sharpie and cover most of the painting with the desired colors on the first day (The whole thing took me about 16 hours to complete). The last 2 times I spread out each process over the course of 2 weeks but this time I wanted to see how fast I could do it in a few days. So this meant spending as much time as I could without stopping and it worked out perfectly.

I mix my own colors for the desired and overall feel of the entire party, this time the palette was bright and whimsical because the theme was fairytale/unicorn/princess. Being the artistic intellectual that I am (haha), I also decided to add my own spin on it and combine it with “Napoleon Crossing the Alps”, which by the way, made plenty of artsy friends laugh.

The result was something I am very proud of. The family of the birthday girl was very pleased. Like I said, these are very fun to do and an extremely creative outlet to make you feel like a kid again.

Original Entry 01/29/18

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Homemade Light Box

To start off the year, I decided to create a lightbox so I could photograph my future projects without spending too much on a lightbox. I scoured the internet and found this a lovely solution but added a couple different materials. Now this could easily build up in price if one doesn't have most of the materials already. If that's the case, then the better choice would be to invest in a proper light-box (but honestly this was more fun).

I cut 3 squares on 3 sides of the box. I want to be able to light things from both sides and the top. One could also just use the left and right sides of the box, but the more light the better. I taped the fabric to the outside of the box and cut the excess.

I didn't have enough paper to cover the inside so this is where I improvised. I taped an old watercolor paper I had laying around to the very back of the box. I didn't tape the box from the outside so I could still fold it down and store it.

For the inside of the box, I placed a poster board sheet as well as vellum to blur any part of the background. Finally, I used the lamps to test different angles of light. (The subject of the photos is something my husband found on his travels in Mexico, it is not my art) I used my iPhone to take the images above and they look professional enough for a phone. I can't wait to use my canon to really get the best image.

Original Post 01/02/18

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After practicing my calligraphy skills for the past couple weeks I decided to put them to the test and create my own gift tags. Being the economical person that I am, I found an old artwork on cold-press water color paper  and decided to upcycle it and use the back (the original artwork wasn't good enough to keep). Now, general rule of thumb is to not practice or do calligraphy on textured paper because lines won't be smooth. I threw that out the window and decided to use it anyway. 

I made sure to practice before I decided to lay down the lines for the actual tag. Naturally, the first few tries the lines looked bumpy and uneven. I noticed I had a tendency to tense up and focus too much. So I relaxed my hand (and remembered to breathe) and just let the letters flow onto the paper. After I decided I was ready, I went for it. 

THEY CAME OUT GREAT!! I'm really proud of the work I did. Of course, the spacing and small details need a little more work, but not too shabby. I also experimented with different shapes of the tag. 

For the pens, I used my trusty Fudenosuke pen and Tombow Dual Brush Tip pens. I am currently practicing calligraphy with the Dual Brush tip pens. 

Original entry: 12|18|17

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My first calligraphy workshop ever! It was extremely helpful and instructional. Rachel, our instructor and owner of Honey Honey Calligraphy, created a very relaxed environment for us to practice. For months I have been wanting to take a class to see other calligraphers' techniques. You can try and watch all the YouTube videos you want, but nothing beats seeing it IRL and having an instructor there to ask questions.

My hand was cramped by the end of it because, being a beginner, you have a total death grip on the nib holder. Also never turn the page with the ink still wet and tuck it under the pad..IT WILL STICK! (which explains the blobs of ink)

What I learned: practice makes proficient! By the end of the 2 hour class, my skills were much better than in the beginning! I also felt much more comfortable with the pen and nib. (Not too foreign though, in school I took a traditional illustration class that required a similar tool.)

All in all, wonderful class and I'm excited to put my new skill to work!

Original entry: 12|02|17

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My second attempt to hand letter, this time with different materials! In this workshop we used a Fudenosuke brush tip pen, sharpie, embossing pen, and embossing powder. I had already been practicing with the Fudenosuke pen at home and found the practice pretty easy. HOWEVER! Doing faux calligraphy with the sharpie was a little more difficult.

Both classes get you into the mentality of up-strokes are thin and down-strokes are heavy, what do you mean I have to write the letters normally and fill them in afterward? Nonetheless, I kept moving forward. Practice makes proficient.

Our instructor for this class was Ms. Kate Coogan of P+H Chalk, pretty well known in the Instagram community and in Orange County. The main focus was on getting our hands into different ways we can add flair during gift exchanges or the holidays in general.

I unfortunately didn't take any picture of me embossing step by step because I was so concentrated on getting different items decorated. :( Overall, the experience was helpful and I learned that writing with an embossing pen can be tricky (because you really can't see it depending on the surface as it is clear). Matte surfaces are definitely your friend when it comes to embossing.

The "joy" ornament was my really bad first attempt at getting the hang of the pen and embossing powder (I also burnt my finger a little because I held the heat gun a little too long where my hand was holding the ornament). Thumbs down from me.

BUT! The gift tags and the wood slice looks pretty good, I'd say! Really proud of the "Noel" piece.

original entry: 12|11| 2017

[littlewingcreates]

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Hello tumblr, my old friend... it’s been too long. I have decided to come back to tumblr after being on hiatus for a good 13 years?... I started my blog on my website and figured it would be better posted here where people can actually read it. Will repost all my writings over the next few days.

So to hold you over until then, My names Alex and I am a graphic designer and artist. I recently began my own freelance gig after being a packaging designer for 2 years. My creativity began to get stifled at my previous place of work and I decided to freelance while learning and diving into other creative passions. This is my full time hustle for now. Will probably be going back into the 9-5 routine soon but the journey so far has been fruitful and a great way to tap into who I am as an artist while gaining creative confidence.

Something that I always loved about tumblr was the supportive community that came from other bloggers. Would love to start or join an artistic community here. Have suggestions? Let me know.

Things I’ve picked up while on my journey have so far been: modern calligraphy, motion graphics, ux/ui design, and developing my illustration style.

See some of my work on Instagram: @littlewingcreates

Check out my website:

www.littlewingcreates.com

See ya soon 👋🏼⚡️🌸