art of oliver akuin

0128: Day 1 - Yourself

2012-02-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I'm doing that 30 day challenge...let's see what happens!

0127: What If a mariachi band followed you around on your dates?

2011-12-11T10:12:00.001-08:00

Here my piece for the "What If..." art show at Gallery Nucleus. I love mariachi bands! and I like the idea of one following me around, like a soundtrack

if you guys are town, check out the show at Gallery Nucleus!! What If...

0126: hotel paper

2011-11-29T17:25:00.001-08:00

I drew this while I was in Roseville, California. I used the hotel paper there

0125: Small World

2011-09-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here are my pieces for the "It's a Small World" group show/book signing at Gallery Nucleus! The gallery is open now and closes on Oct 3. Go go go!!!

More info here!

"Every Hour, On the Hour"
Marker & Ink

"The Parade Marches On"
Gouache & Ink

0124: power ups & robots

2011-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Autumn Society/Geek Art is presenting the "8-Bit Champions" art show at La Flaq Gallery in Paris, France on Sept 15. If you’re in the area, you should definitely check it out!

I was lucky enough to get Mega Man!

0123: the getaway

2011-08-15T22:07:00.001-07:00

poor blog! I've been neglecting this! i missed the whole summer:/
anyways, here's a print I made!!

0122: Turtles Vs.

2011-05-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a Ninja Turtle piece I did for Autumn Society/Brave New Worlds Shell Shock TMNT art show next friday! The turtles are the first thing I remember drawing as a kid. It felt really good to draw them again!

0121: splash

2011-05-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

This is for our Fluent Flyers blog!
Check out our store! We have new shirts in there!

0120: 3B

2011-05-10T00:49:00.001-07:00

Here are my pieces for the 3B show that just passed! It was a great success! Congrats to Chogrin and the Autumn Society!

Check out the other pieces at the Gallery 1988 site!

My pieces are called:
"San Dimas High School Football Rules!" - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Calvin Klein & His Hot Mom" - Back to the Future
"Beetle Juice Owns You" - Beetle Juice

all are done with gouache
8x10

0119: the jakes

2011-04-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here's my piece for the Adventure Time art show at Gallery Nucleus tomorrow night! It's similar to the Pikachu Piece I made a few months ago.
click here for more info about the show!

0118: tsukiji fish market lunch break

2011-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

i donated this piece to q pop's "help japan" fundraiser. all proceeds went to the relief efforts for those effected by the earthquake & tsunami in Japan

0117: blues & pinks

2011-02-24T10:13:00.001-08:00

hi friends! here's a quickie illustration!

make sure you click the links below to visit fluent flyers for some cool stuff!
fluent flyers!
f/f facebook!
f/f twitter!

cheers! I'm heading out to Mammoth this weekend for some snowboarding fun!

0116: the gritty truth of mattie ross

2011-02-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

I'm making it a goal to see all the nominated movies for best picture before the Oscars. Hailee Steinfeld carries True Grit. Great movie!

0115: elevator music

2010-12-03T13:20:00.001-08:00

here's a jazz band playing some sweet tunes in an elevator! happy december everyone!

0114: fluent flyers

2010-11-29T00:50:00.000-08:00

this is my brother and I's t-shirt project...it's coming real soon!

0113: air heart

2010-11-10T23:06:00.001-08:00

here's something i painted (gouche style!) for a woodbury university fundraiser! my alumni

lovely amelia earhart. (my photography sucks...colors are all out of wack)

0112: sexy pie

2010-11-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

i did this for a friend of mine who's selling pies....i love pies! more than cake actually

0111: i.o.u. one galaxy

2010-09-02T10:52:00.001-07:00

it's time to fly

0110: bakit why

2010-08-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

filipino-american website, bakitwhy.com (which translates to 'why why' in english) blogged about me on their site. here's the drawing a did for them

click here to check it out!

0109: adventure, horror & science fiction!

2010-08-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

here are my pieces for the autumn society/gallery 1988 show called "3G" featuring art inspired by the movies "the goonies", "gremlins" & "ghostbusters" . These were fun to do!

0108: manila! manila!

2010-07-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

my friend, alann, asked me to do this for him.
manila is the greatest...you should make a trip there!

0107: electricity

2010-07-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

this is my piece for the autumn society's "turning japanese" art show in august. my favorite little electric type pokemon....pikachu!

0106: arjen robben

2010-07-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

as the world cup comes to a close this sunday, it will crown a new champion.... i'm pulling for the netherlands! they have made me a fan! spain is great too!

0105: parappa and sunny

2010-05-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

"I like the way you rap" said sunny funny

my piece for the autumn society 90's art show in june. it's gouche on illustration board

probably the best rapping based video game ever!!

0104: young benjamin linus selects a pet

2010-05-23T17:10:00.001-07:00

the final episode of LOST tonight! let's hope it goes out with a bang!

0103: intersections

2010-04-27T23:19:00.001-07:00

a sketch of people crossing the street

0102: fashion? yes please!

2010-03-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

lady gaga sure does dress interesting

0101: the cool kids

2010-03-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

i don't skateboard but i always thought people that do skate were so awesome... with their combination of coolness and balance! plus marty mcfly and the ninja turtles all skated!

0100: we'll start a jazz band

2010-01-29T00:34:00.000-08:00

inspired by my favorite scene of my favorite movie!

my blog hits 100 posts today!! thank you everyone who reads this!
cheers

0099: case of the missing dodos

2010-01-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

i always wondered what happened to the dodos and why they became extinct. or maybe they all live in wackyland?? or was that tiny toons

0098: delicious orange creamsicles

2010-01-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

quick sketch time! it's cold here in l.a. so that means it's the perfect time for delicious orange creamsicles!! best ice cream on a stick money can buy!

and oh! i just realized it's the exact same pose as the post below! what's going on here??

0097: never forget

2009-12-09T17:55:00.001-08:00

clyde tombaugh discovered pluto in 1930. i love history!

0096: go dodgers go

2009-10-08T23:09:00.001-07:00

it's october! i did this for a buddy of mine but i guess it applies to the all dodger fans

0095: octopussy

2009-10-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

a quick animation i did of an octopus

0094: school boy crush and it ain't on the hush

2009-09-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

...the whole world see it, but you can't!

i can't believe it's september already! the year flew by!
here's a quick sketch! colored it in photoshop

...til next time my friends

0093: ramen & sapporo

2009-08-30T22:46:00.001-07:00

a color comp. this one made me very hungry!

0092: wish you could fit in my suitcase

2009-08-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

made this for a friend moving overseas.

i hope to update more often!! i'll see you guys soon

0091: music & me

2009-06-30T00:15:00.001-07:00

say what you will about him, michael jackson is one of my faves! it's so sad that he passed on so soon. such an inspiration!! so talented as an artist and entertainer. he will be missed!

kelly also did a tribute on her youtube site, a beautiful version of i'll be there. check it out

0090: alison, my aim is true

2009-06-15T00:33:00.001-07:00

another model drawing??.... you bet!

0089: photography

2009-05-26T22:54:00.001-07:00

i saw this beautiful photo of a lady smoking on the hundreds blog, so i decided to draw it.
click here to check it out

0088: periodicals

2009-05-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

i think that newspaper stands are pretty interesting.

sidenote: exciting fight over the weekend. pacquiao knocks out hatton in the 2nd round. the streets of the philippines must be going crazy!

0087: books on tape

2009-04-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

i was playing around with painting in photoshop

lakers won today. yes sir!

0086: the lining is silver

2009-04-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

i did this once but with starbucks coffee... good ol' production assistant days.

0085: box upon box

2009-03-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

so every time i fly back to the philippines, we bring back boxes and boxes of goodies for the family back home.
one time when i was a kid, i had to guard all the boxes at the airport as my parents dealt with the ticket stuff at the counter.

WTH could i guard!?! i was 5 years old! i'm surprised i never traded the boxes for magic beans.

0084: chun li's spinning bird kick

2009-02-16T20:06:00.001-08:00

i love me some street fighter! and number 4 is coming soon!!
check it!

0083: giant bird sitting on a telephone pole

2009-02-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

i think this wins the prize for most creative post title!

0082: the morning rush

2009-02-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

it's sunday night here in l.a. and it's raining!

0081: olivia munn loves pie

2009-01-19T23:29:00.001-08:00

i'm a big fan of G4's olivia munn... and her blog is filled with posts about her love for pies. i love a girl who loves pie...cake..flan or dessert of your choice.

0080: the new antiques

2009-01-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

a lovely day of sketchcrawling at the americana.

my first post of 2009.

0079: zack the friendly north american short-eared owl

2008-12-30T23:18:00.001-08:00

Zack came to class as his favorite animal, a north american short-eared owl.
He was always specific when it came to animal costumes.

happy holidays everyone and happy new years! cheers, oliver

0078: a certain shade of green

2008-12-09T23:14:00.001-08:00

here's a drawing from our latest zoo trip. who draws trees at the zoo??... this guy!
i will color soon!

0077: pesky pike

2008-12-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

hello everyone! here's a live action web mini series that my good friend, dick grunert directed. i animated the intro and clock ticking. watch it! and tell a friend!! -oliver

0076: complex

2008-11-24T00:44:00.000-08:00

here's a 3 color piece

0075: all falls down

2008-11-17T00:17:00.001-08:00

it's the middle of november and it's 90 degrees in california. fall in l.a. is a joke!

and btw... I got tagged by alina chau, and have to list 7 random facts about myself.
Here is the game rule:
1. You must link to the individual who tagged you and post the rules of TAG (which you are currently reading).
2. Post 7 random facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 friends and link to them and
4. Let them know that they have been tagged by leaving a nice little message on their blog.

So here we go:
- i love to run
- i have never seen the movie "scarface" and i don't really care to (ppl find this weird)
- i memorized the u.s. state capitals in the 4th grade, and for some reason i still know them
- i absolutely love airports (hong kong international airport is a good one!)
- i play guitar
- i'm an avid scrabble player
- i can't blow a bubble with bubble gum for the life of me

0074: marina and the bike

2008-10-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

i went to my very first sketchcrawl on saturday morning at marina del rey. i drew some thangs, met cool new peeps, and ate a root beer float. it was a good saturday

bikes! you are a puzzle... and i will solve you.
(i always have a hard time drawing them! aarg!)

0073: second string monsters

2008-10-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

jordan didn't know if he should be scared or disappointed.

0072: flows colder than february

2008-10-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

music series pt 1.
i did this a while ago... i love m.i.a.'s weird/unique style

0071: paper project teaser

2008-10-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

so i finished my comic "the all nighter" for the paper project book last night. it actually took an all nighter to finish "the all nighter". that's how i roll.

here's a teaser.

i'm very excited. i've seen the other artists' work and it's looking amazing!!
thanks to everyone involved!!

0070: this one came with sass

2008-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

a quick sketch and then a quick color pass

0069: run for your life

2008-09-11T17:28:00.001-07:00

here's a sneak peak of what i've been working on for the paper project book.

click here to go to the paper project blog to see more work from the other amazing artists!

by the way, 2 weeks ago, i ran in a 10k run. here's how i did:

look how that sucker dips! haha. but i did beat my under hour goal.

next up: half marathon in december...hopefully

0068: how i spent my summer vacation

2008-08-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

on friday, i did one of my favorite things in life, chilled at a burbank barnes & noble, relaxed and sketched. afterwards, i walked across to ikea for a hot dog and a drink. niice!

anyways, here's what i sketched up during this session.

in other news, i've been real busy lately...
-doing some freelance work
-working on the paper project book (i've got something to show, i'll post something real soon. promise!)
-working on my future book
-training for a 10k run next week (check my run status on the right)
-i've got my day job
-plus i've been hanging out with friends, enjoying the olympics, watching movies and going to shows (it's not all work u know)

that's how i spent my summer vacation

0067: i don't think we can be friends anymore

2008-08-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

the cool kids can be the cruel kids. the first grade is one tough cookie.

0066: we should get jerseys because we'd make a good team

2008-08-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

photobooth fun

0065: a.w.

2008-07-13T23:25:00.001-07:00

quick sketch of amy winehouse

0064: we're as heavy as elephants, aren't we?

2008-06-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

lunchtime zoo sketch

after watching wall-e this weekend, i decided that pixar is unstoppable. who knew the best romantic story of the year can come from 2 adorable little robots that don't really speak?? amazing.

0063: ice cream trucks and converse chucks

2008-06-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

" back in the fourth grade, it was ice cream trucks and converse chucks... we were intense."

so it's almost summer (or maybe it is already, i'm not sure), here's a ficitonal album cover for a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist.

and it's one of the upsides to buying albums...it comes with album artwork! so buy them albums! music comes with it too!!

another note: i've been lucky enough to join a group of talented artists around the world in making an awesome book. click here to see the paper project blog
it's updated often so keep visiting:)

be cool

0062: kenny goes for his crowd pleasing move

2008-06-07T23:59:00.001-07:00

summertime antics

go watch kung fu panda...great movie with an amazing amazing intro. simply brilliant!

...pandas just got more popular

0061: baby, take off your cool

2008-06-01T22:54:00.001-07:00

guess who watched an america's top model marathon this sunday... this is inspired by the glamour and glitz of the fashion world. people are so much cooler without the cool front.

actually more of a color study than anything. playing around with cmyk.

random news, i saw a daphne loves derby show on saturday. it was awesome!

* i shouldn't be announcing to the world that i watched an america's top model marathon...oh well

0060: a glimpse of things to come

2008-05-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

i'm currently working on my book about airports.
here's a peek. unfinished crowd

happy mother's day to all the moms out there

0059: andy's theory about sandwiches

2008-05-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty sure this theory applies to anything really, not just eating sandwiches. anything is better if you do it in a treehouse! trust

this post is my love song to sandwiches
and treehouses

0058: the bags under my eyes are louis vuitton

2008-04-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

a random sketch in my book.
quote by jeff hamada

0057: every inch of me is bruised

2008-04-11T01:18:00.003-07:00

did this quick sketch of a boxer with a ball point pen and then blocked out some shades in ps.

0056: it's sake goodness for goodness sake

2008-03-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

i had sushi the other day for a friend's bday...and people were drinking warm sake. that's the origin of this one...nothing too special. haha

i came up with the tagline first then i designed to that. i was going for a 1950 american style ad.

a 1950 american style ad for a japanese drink. weird!

0055: there's no such thing as koalas

2008-03-23T19:58:00.001-07:00

big brother tells little brother the harsh reality.

true story: i overheard this at the zoo the other day.

pics from my other blog: ed fella x geoff mcfetridge

0054: the best way to a girl's heart is to petal as hard as you can

2008-03-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

here's a quick marker comp. bikes have always been a challenge for me to draw...i don't know why really.

0053: kobe y pau

2008-03-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

i was going for a fight night/lady of guadalupe mural/ alponse mucha kind of illustration.
they will definitely win it this year.

on a side note: i just watched "The Darjeeling Limited"

it definitely shot up to #2 in my all time favorite wes anderson movies.
here's my list:
1. rushmore
2. the darjeeling limited
3. the royal tenenbaums
4. bottle rocket
5. the life aquatic with steve zissou

if you disagree with my list, i'll meet you on the roof of the tallest building in burbank at midnight. come alone and wear all black. bring your note cards and key points because we'll have ourselves a good ol' fashioned debate!

0052: someone please call the banker, cause i'm not making any cents

2008-02-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

this is for the graphic designer in me.

0051: flashed by the paparazzi

2008-02-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

i've been in poster mode lately...

i saw kanye west perform on the grammy's the other night and he wore these glasses and jacket that lit up. it was pretty cool... very "sin city" like with the negatives and positives.

anyways, i designed this concert poster for fun.
i put a wall against it.

speaking of mr. west, this is his video for flashing lights. directed by kanye west and spike jonze

one of the most brilliant music video i've seen in a while, but then again i haven't seen that many lately.

0050: to avoid fainting, keep repeating...it's only a movie

2008-02-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

my friend dick grunert, made this excellent short film, called "birthright".

i designed this poster for him.

it is for a screening at cartoon network. i went for a vintage italian movie poster. just graphics and text.

research my friends...research is key!
google image search is the gateway to the world!

0049: zoo york giants

2008-02-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

every week, my new friends at the WB and i go to the lovely los angeles zoo during our lunch break. we've been drawing the giraffes lately.

0048: stay alive 55, you're almost there

2008-01-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

inspired by jack's mannequin.

my palette's been dark blue lately. maybe because it's one of my favorite colors, maybe i have picasso on my mind, or maybe it's because it's been raining in los angeles for like two weeks straight now. who knows??

walang tigil ang ulan,
at nasaan ka, araw?

i really enjoyed this movie. so beautiful!

0047: bobby and his big haircut

2008-01-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

stay fly

0046: we go back like a set of ataris

2008-01-13T00:37:00.000-08:00

"5 minutes and 21 seconds have passed...1 minute and 39 seconds left."

i've never did the "7 minutes in heaven" thing in elementary school...but i would think it would be awkward to be stuck in a closet with the girl you like for 7 long minutes... especially in silence and with the adidas and stilletos watching.

0045: every time i fly, i always order ginger ale

2008-01-07T23:54:00.000-08:00

i'm back from my trip from toronto...lots of fun and snow! i hate to leave the place, especially my new friends there but i gotta get back to the grind. 08 definitely started off good.

the only chance i had to draw was at the airports...which is one of the many reasons i love airports. lots of time, people, and emotions. cheers to a wonderful year!

0044: let me tell you a quick story...

2007-12-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

happy holidays everyone!

0043: for kelly and krandal

2007-12-18T01:41:00.000-08:00

i drew this quick sketch for kelly...just cuz it's christmas and she's awesome! wrapped it up and framed it all by myself :)

0042: puppy rockin' a pea coat

2007-11-29T11:55:00.001-08:00

so for today's morning sketch, i made this card for Tammy's bday.
it's winter! so hooray for pea coats!!! but it's still kinda hot. LA is so unpredictable. -Oliver

0041: new york likes you as a friend

2007-11-27T11:06:00.001-08:00

so my brother vince designed this shirt for goodie two sleeves. go buy it!!!

here's a drawing of a girl wearing the shirt. complete with louis vuitton bag!!!

0040: my cintiq and i are BFF

2007-11-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

been working all weekend on the christmas video for class of 3000. it's looking pretty good. so tired, but i still managed to draw something for myself. here's a quick sketch for this morning. me and my cintiq are BFF...or until a bigger better cintiq comes along.

0039: stuffed octopus alien and his pet boy

2007-11-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

quick morning warm-up

0038: blue skies and warm toast... next 3 exits

2007-11-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

a lot of friends have been asking me to put this up, so here it is:

"Blue Skies and Warm Toast... Next 3 Exits"

so in 2005, i made this for my senior film at woodbury university. I always liked Aliens and I always liked Toast, so it would make sense to combine them in film version. I animated it within a span of 5 months, it would have been more but i kept changing my film. I traditionally animated it on paper, went over each frame with a gray tria marker to add tone, shot it with a camera, added astrud gilberto soft jazz music, and finally edited it in premiere. I eventually want to improve this, because i have improved since then, but we'll see if i have the time. so enjoy!

here's the poster i did for the film.

...AND WATCH CHOWDER ON CARTOON NETWORK!!! very funny show

it's been a long time, since i left you without a dope beat to step to

0037: cocktails

2007-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

"pardon me miss, are you having a good time at this cocktail party?"

true story.

0036: walking in the rain

2007-10-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

is happiness, but it could get you sick, so be careful.
Happy October!

0035: making out

2007-09-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

0034: beets, bears, battlestar galactica

2007-09-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

here's a quick sketch i did with my trusty pen and paper.

0033: a little somethin' somethin' for the weekend

2007-09-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

here's another sketch related to airports. my plan is to have a collection of sketches based on what happens at airports. who's on board with that plan?

0032: waiting in airports

2007-09-07T11:55:00.001-07:00

I love airports!

0031: trenchcoat

2007-09-06T11:03:00.001-07:00

warm up sketch for today.

currently watching the office season 3. hilarious!

0030: thumbs down!

2007-08-28T10:21:00.001-07:00

an old friend makes an appearance. This alien was the star of my senior film back in school. A simple film about an alien and a toaster. cheers!

0029: saint genevieve school daze

2007-08-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

just an ode to my school (1-12)

goodtimes!