After the Flood

When I was really small, I won "Best of Show" in a Bible story art show at school. I drew Abraham about to sacrifice his son Isaac, and above them an angel holding a stop sign. I got a frilly purple ribbon, and I couldn't wait show my mom. I hid the ribbon behind my back, and when Mom said, "what did you get, Kelley?" I proudly whipped it out, and she gave me a big hug.

Thus continues my prestigious tradition of drawing Bible stories. I really like these two characters and I am planning several more illustrations of them.

Kelley's recommended tea

Looking at this photo, you can learn three things about me:

1. I am a very serene and thoughtful person
2. My nose is very pointy
3. I love tea

Today I am going to talk about the last point. I love, love, love, love tea. I usually have a cup of it on my desk while I draw. I consume a lot of tea, and here are my recommended brands:

Best high-end supermarket brand: Mighty Leaf

Each tea bag is like a tiny quilt of dried leaves and petals. They're so pretty, I feel bad throwing them away. But more importantly, they taste amazing. My favorite flavor is "Orange Dulce," which is a mix of orange, vanilla and jasmine.

Best mid-range supermarket brand: Good Earth

If you want a decent $3 box of tea, in my opinion Good Earth is pretty solid. My favorite flavor is their White Tea, which tastes like strawberries.

Best chai tea: The Tao of Tea "500 Mile Chai"

If you enjoy chai tea, look no further. This is it. You have arrived. This loose-leaf tea tastes like the chai tea served at Indian restaurants. I always drink it mixed with a bit of milk and sugar.

Worst tea ever: Lipton

I don't care if the box says it's "America's Favorite Tea," it's just terrible. Seriously, you're better off just drinking hot water. Life is too short. If your office stocks Lipton tea, quit your job. If your church serves Lipton tea after services, renounce that religion. Avoid Lipton at all costs.

Do you have any tea recommendations? Please tell me!

Omg it's a thing

I don't really know what this is or where it came from, but I suspect that my love of Hayao Miyazaki had some influence on it.

Quote of the day

"Young people talk of what they are doing, old people talk of what they have done, fools talk of what they have a mind to do."

-Author Unknown

I brought you a dragon!

Not exactly Valentine's Day themed but whatever.

Jewelry that tells a story

I just discovered this Etsy shop called "ByBeep." Her tagline is "jewelry that tells a story," which is brilliant. I've never seen jewelry like this before. Something about it reminds me of Shaun Tan's illustrations.

Gingerbread House Earrings

Shaun Tan

The Accordion Necklace

Shaun Tan

The Paper Boy's Bike Necklace

Shaun Tan

The Airplane Necklace

Shaun Tan

Message In A Bottle Necklace

Shaun Tan

Heart-melting animation

I know this video is old news, but if you haven't seen it - it's a new short animation from Disney, and it is just...perfection. That's not even an exaggeration, this thing is incredible. After watching it, it made me feel unexpectedly patriotic. Like, "wow, I live in a country that produces art like this." Yes I realize how cheesy that is, just let me have my moment.

So when you have a few quiet minutes, enjoy the film.

Not A Very Good Ninja

Clearly this ninja did not have enough training before he was sent out into the field.

The one with my art in a cafe

This is the Hollywood Cafe in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco. (I tried their french toast covered in orange sauce...suuuuper yummy.) On the walls they have lots of photos of classic Hollywood stars. My classmate Sunny is friends with the owners of the cafe, and they invited her art school buddies to create some portraits for their walls. So we got a few friends together and decided on a "Hollywood Couples" theme for Valentine's Day.

I went with Ramses and Nefertiri from The Ten Commandments, one of my favorite movies. These two have a complicated relationship, and in my opinion, Nefertiri is a way more interesting character than the super-boring-girl-next-door Moses ends up with. I painted this digitally with a photo reference, about 5 hours, I think.

Today we met at the Hollywood Cafe, framed and hung our work. We decided to mix our pieces in with the existing photos already on the walls.

Sunny did this pastel drawing of The King and I, so Yul Brynner was well-represented among our group.

Apparently I missed the memo that said to wear a black jacket. And be Asian.

This is my face.

I'm not sure how long the work will stay up - maybe two months or so. So if you're in Fisherman's Wharf, stop by the Hollywood Cafe, sit underneath my drawing, and eat some french toast in my honor.

Prints I like

Things Squirrels Probably Shouldn't Be Eating by Teagan White

Here are some art prints I've collected from around the web. I want them all.

Meteor Shower by Seven Olives

Promise by Chris Koelle

The Upside of Being an Introvert by Noelle

Blue Village by Malahicha

Lagoon Love by Brittney Lee