Hello Kitty Camera iPhone App

Discovered this handy dandy, and oh-so-cool camera app for the iPhone the other day. I absolutely <3 it!

2NE1, Fire

I cannot get this song out of my head...<3 it!

Hello Kitty at Toys R Us

Really?

I was amazed to find a small, little section devoted to all things Sanrio. Granted, it wasn't very impressive, but there were a couple items I felt I had to have. Yes, I will duke it out with a 9-year-old if need be.

I decided to not get this particular bag because I have a bajillion Sanrio bags already and that's one area I need to simm-ah down on. Instead, I did pick up a tee announcing to the world my love for Hello Kitty -- luckily they had one more big girl's size left and I snatched that up.

Check out the rest of the fun stuff I spotted like the Barbie Wonder Woman, which looked pretty cool if it weren't for the fact that the crotchal area looked really weird.

ah-Lin! Sushi?

ah-Lin! Hungry?

Johnny Cupcakes on Inc Magazine

How a 26-year-old college drop-out created a multi-million dollar t-shirt business with no business plan, no advertising, and no investors.

With a strong aversion to selling out, Earle continued to sell his limited-edition t-shirts online, and opened stores in Hull, Mass. in 2005, Boston's Newbury Street in 2006, and Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles in 2008. He takes a special pride in his unique shirts, an emphasis on personal attention to detail, and the inclusion of his family and friends in his strictly independent business that still relies on the rapid word-of-mouth.

Read full article here.

Very inspiring story and something I want to do myself...tho not tee shirts.

The Vendor Client Relationship - In Real World Situations

New Yorker cover drawn on iPhone

completely and utterly amazed...

The cover of this week's New Yorker was created using an iPhone app, Brushes, by artist Jorge Colombo.

Did I download the app? of course :)

[via Creative Review]

Sebastian's Voodoo

Winner of The National Film Board of Canada Cannes Short Film Corner competition.

How far would you go to save your friends? In "Sebastian's Voodoo," a small doll must find the courage within himself to answer that very question. Featuring a musical score by Nick Fevola, the film is writer/director Joaquin Baldwin.

Reach by Luke Randall

In this moving animation,a tiny robot is given the gift of life with only one limitation: the length of his power cable. Directed by Luke Randall, the film was recently featured at the Cannes Short Film Corner competition.
Country: Australia

ASICS X Hello Kitty

Eeeermm...I like the idea, but not the designs. They look too kiddy, which is an oxy moron unto itself. Nevertheless, they could have been cooler if the Hello Kitty details were more subtle and less in your face, especially with the red/white pair.

Maybe Sanrio can hook up with Nike and do a pair of dunks. That would be cool. :)

STAR WARS™ MIMOBOT® Series 4 Unveils Darth Maul

Check out my latest Star Wars MIMOBOT Series design -- Darth Maul! More characters will be revealed in the days to come so keep a look-out! While you're checking out Darth Maul, don't forget to enter into a contest to win a MIMOBOT from the latest Star Wars series...suh-weet!

ah-Lin! Fine Fine Fine

Tee Packaging

If this could be applied to all on-line orders, that would be great -- cut down on a box within another box. Why couldn't I have come up with this idea? d'oh!

[via Pop Culture Tees]

Disney Star Wars Weekend Posters

These are awesome -- never knew about these before. These posters promote Star Wars weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park and are meant for employees' eyes only. Such amazingness should be shared.

[via NOTCOT]

ah-Lin! It's Your Turn

MIMOBOT GURP for Mother Earth Video entry

This is so cute! My fave entry so far in the MIMOBOT GURP (Greenbot USB Recycle Flash Drive) for Mother Earth Video Contest. If you want to participate, you have until Mother's Day so there's still plenty of time.

See more videos here.

The above video is by BinkleyVS

Gary Taxali at Drawger: “Don’t call me”

This is brilliant! Clients pushing more and more to cut fees and own more of the rights to art created. Ridiculous. If you want cheap, there's always free stock art. You get for what you pay for.

DON'T CALL ME

In the last little while, there has been a MAJOR backslide in the industry. Poor rates have been an issue for a while but things are becoming worse. Clients' fees are getting even lower and the rights they're demanding are even higher.

You want examples? How about SWATCH calling me and asking me to design a watch. They wanted a complete transfer of copyright for a paltry fee. As if that's going to happen. Google calls me and wants my work for their new search engine all over the web, the fee? Nothing. Editorial clients are slashing 1999's fees almost in half and citing the bad economy as an excuse. You know what? My excuse is that the economy is bad so you have to pay me MORE for an illustration. How's that for an economic stimulus package?

So here's to every client with shitty fees and terms. Do not waste my time or contact me. I am very busy working with clients who respect artists and you're wasting my time with your solicitations. So for you, I give you a special salute that I hope will keep you away because I don't need your work.

[via drawn!]

MIMOBOT GURP for Mother Earth Video Contest!

GURP for Mother Earth Video Contest from MIMOBOT & mimoZine on Vimeo.
Show what happens to your old, unwanted recycled USB flash drives! The grand prize will be two 8GB MIMOBOT flash drives of your choice and 100 entrants will receive a lovely t-shirt. More info here.

But watch the video first! :)

Hello Kitty Beer?

Maybe this will get me to start drinking again. I wonder who were the people in on the meeting who proposed this idea. The Beck's people? "What if we did a crossover with Hello Kitty?" To which someone responded, "Brilliant!"

I wonder who was the designer who had to put it together.

Hello Kitty beer. Who knew.

[via TokyoMango]

It's Just One of Them Days

Inspired by the past few days...will probably continue these middle finger sketches as the inspiration keeps coming my way.

The title is from the lyrics to "Don't Take It Personal" by the one and only Monica.

The Things I Like: Newbury Comics

I <3 the stuff at Newbury Comics. I just happened to pop by over the weekend and they actually had a band playing, some free ice cream, and free wi-fi. Nice. And after all these years, I still love Ugly Dolls.

Did I actually buy anything? No. But, I now have memories of the things I would have bought if I weren't such a scrooge.



But a happy find I came across was the graphic novel by Yoshihiro Tatsumi called "A Drifting Life." It is a monster of a book...an epic. It is next on my reading list.

40+ Cartoon Character Illustration Tutorials

Also has some great Illustrator tips. Looks like I'll have a busy weekend doing some learnin'! Click here.

[via Smashing Magazine]

50 Sites That Will Help You To Become a Better Designer

Hoping to check them all out when I have the chance. It's a very nice round-up indeed over at the dzineblog!