What would you do if you met...

xo,
 

Natalie

Highline Graffiti

Spent the weekend at The Highline and was pretty stoked to see these gorgeous tagged sculptures by fine artist Damián Ortega. 

Tagging originated in New York City but due to restrictive laws we see less and less of this American art form.

When I've traveled to the Europe I've seen amazing work (large scale murals and even graffiti festivals) mandated by the government and the artists. I'm happy to see beautiful tagging but also sad because that evolution has been cut off here on the States.

For more info on this work, check out the Highline website.

xo, 

Natalie

A gift idea...

I had an idea to draw on some shoes for my friend's birthday. But then when I got the shoes, a fresh blank canvas I was a little nervous.

What if I  messed up? Would  I need to start all over? Maybe I should use pencil to drawn an outline first? 

I began mulling over reference photos and looking at objects: Flowers, guitars, people etc.

Ultimately I decided to eliminate color and go with a plain black pen (From Sharpies STAINED collection). When I took the color out of the equation and simplified the process I quelled my nervousness and just drew.

I drew quickly and in free form without thinking too much and enjoyed the outcome. 

Obviously there's always room for improvement but I am happy with the way they turned out and hope my friend enjoys them too :) 

xo, 

Natalie

Boring Weekend

The weekends are made for chillaxing. 

This is  a quick doodle I drew yesterday and it is very clear that I'm pretty boring.

I'm cool with being boring for now. :)

xo,

Natalie

Gym Gremlin

On the way to the gym when this happened.

xo,

Natalie

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Having a good day...

Today I'm a little sleep deprived but in a terrific mood. Hoping you are in a terrific mood too :-)

xo,

Natalie

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Visit to the Whitney

These pictures are from a few weeks ago when my friend, Lorraine and I visited the Whitney. We got there very early before the crowds and the building and the space were breathtaking.

Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell

Georgia O'Keefe

Helen Frankelthaler

Morris Louis

Ruth Asawa

I read about Ruth Asawa in the New York Times and was so drawn to her work. Look at her in that article! She is fierce!

Franz Kline

Frank Stella

I was so inspired by Frank Stella's work and his pursuit of never being complacent and satisfied with his work or his entire field of abstract painting.

“The crisis of abstraction followed from its having become mired in the sense of its own materiality, the sense that the materials of painting could and should dictate its nature. That’s not enough, and the belief that is was killing painting.”

— Frank Stella

"He argued that painters could produce vital work while exploring profound formal questions, and they had, in fact, done so for centuries."

Frank Stella

Frank Stella

Frank Stella

View fullsize

Frank Stella

Frank Stella

Detail of Frank Stella

Feel free to drop me a line or contact me :-)

Lunar New Year Drawings

A lot of people say: "HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!" for the Lunar New Year, but there are actually over 10 countries that celebrate the date.

I am adopted so I had no idea about the Lunar New Year until I married my very Chinese husband where the date is A HUGE DEAL.

I drew this fun cartoon to celebrate the New Year and infused a little Chinese & Korean influences.

Here are some freehand sketches I did of my daughter doing a lion dance.

I traced the sketches to watercolor paper on a light box. Here is the final watercolor and ink drawing I did.

Whatever you are, have a happy new year! (We're all one anyway!)

xo,

Natalie

Spider Advertising

I blame James Altucher for this cartoon. He suggests that today's gold is not just labor but ideas. He says we must be IDEA GENERATORS. And GOOD IDEAS are the new currency of our time.

He suggests to buy a waiter pad and generate some ideas. 

It's a fun exercise and when forced to come up with ideas, it's really cool to what you can come up with. NO matter how weird the ideas are.

What are your thoughts on James' exercise? Why not give it a go and see how you like it?

xo,

Natalie

Workspace

Ever since I was a kid, I was very aware of having a proper workspace. My mother was a secretary at a Stony Brook University and when I visited her, I would marvel at the neat way her typewriter sat upon a desk and how close in proximity she was to an magical room filled with office supplies. (This is probably why I ALWAYS love going on a Staples run).

In my childhood, I played soccer, climbed trees and rode my bike like normal kids. But I also was a weirdo in that I really enjoyed setting up a desk and creating a workspace so I could send a memo to someone. Most likely my step sister who unwillingly had a desk set up in the other room. Some kids liked to play house - I liked to play "office".

Right now having an ideal workspace has been like The Three Little Bears: 

I've rented space at WeWork (beautiful and great but too noisy), IFP Center in DUMBO (too far and I didn't make the time to go) and also had the opportunity to crash the cartoonist studio near the Gowanus (by far my FAVORITE - juuuust right):

Drawn by me for the lovely cartoonist, Robin Ha on her birthday. Source: The Drawbridge

Right now I'm 23 weeks pregnant and don't feel like sacrificing the time commuting to and from home.

My current work space is a tiny desk in the corner of my bedroom:

(Hello lovely plant extracting NYC toxins from the room!)

It appears to be a mess (it is) but I recently organized all of my materials in a way that they are more accessible. I took my towels out of a closet and put my art supplies in there. 

I DO wish I could have a space where I can just leave my materials (pens, papers) out. I didn't realize it until I drew ANOTHER ideal workspace below:

For now it's just a dream. One desk for drawing, another for concocting ideas and doing administrative and writing work. Just myself and for the sole purpose of creating work.

Here are some interesting articles on workspaces:
A Tumblr dedicated to artists' workspaces! (Some not unlike my own)
Buzzfeed photographs of stunning workspaces of creative folks.
Pinterest on art studio spaces.

What does your artist workspace look like? Share some photos of where you work!

xo,

Natalie

A painting and drawing lesson from Quentin Blake

I did not grow up reading Roald Dahl. I watched the films his books created like Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When I had a kid of my own, I discovered Mr. Dahl and his wicked sense of humor. Perhaps he would not seem darkly wicked if he wasn't a children's book author.

I fell in love with Quentin Blake's drawings while reading Matilda to my daughter. The drawings are so simple and filled with energy.

I was searching on the internet for HOW Mr. Blake paints and came across this treasure.

Enjoy!

xo,

Natalie

Looking at your patterns...

I took out old sketchbooks to look at patterns in my drawings. I would hope that there was some sort of miraculous evolution but some thoughts I had 6-7 years ago are pretty similar to where I am now:

-Autobiographical

-A slice of everyday life

-Humorous

 -Sketcherly and intuitive

-Detailing internal struggles, sometimes uplifting, sometimes sad.

I also thought about the artists I adore: 

-Sir Quentin Blake

-Lynda Barry

-Jennifer Hayden

-Roz Chast

I admire their work and have been inspired by their drawing and writing. They have their own unique style and share a sense of humor and optimism laced with energy.

A few years worth of drawings, trying to spot a "style".  

Do you have a style or pattern in your own work? 

Joke writing

I am going to an open mic this weekend and was revising some jokes. Boy, was I not funny. 

(Drawn by Natalie Kim) 

Morning Ritual Cartoon

Sometimes I wake up in a shite mood. There's no good reason for it and through the years I've learned how to overcome WUIABM (Waking Up In a Bad Mood).

This is a morning ritual I use daily:

1. Wake up and drink a tall glass of water
2. Meditate (20 min)
3. Write morning pages (source: Julia Cameron)
4. Write what I'm grateful for
5. Take a walk
6. Read inspiring and sometimes spiritual literature. Right now I'm listening to Deepak Chopra and Oprah 21 Day meditation CD. (There really is nothing you can't accomplish when you have Oprah in your corner.)

Each morning when we wake up there is a gravitational pull that can make us go negative. We need to purposefully and intentionally combat this gravity. 

It's not some deep, dark and terrible thing. It's simply a matter of shaking out the cobwebs out of our heads.

Do you have a morning ritual? What helps you get the engine revving in the morning?

Welcome to the new It's A Draw (IAD) Website

I'm excited for the new It's A Draw (IAD) website where I'll be blogging and sharing my drawings.

Lately I've been obsessed with the Paper 53 app as reviewed by illustrator and writer Frances Belleville Van-Stone.

I drew this on my iPad and love how it turned out. It's playful, fun and expresses how I've been feeling lately.

Always grateful for Danger Brain for the terrific design/branding logos for IAD. Check out their work here.