fern choonet illustration ♥

New illustrations: This Masquerade + Aura

2012-01-26T11:07:00.001-08:00

hello :)
Here are my recent illustrations!

This Masquerade

I thought of the concept from the song This Masquerade by The Carpenters (Originally by Leon Russell)

Aura

What's your Aura color?
Mine is Purple :)

The Oriental Lady

2012-01-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

New piece!

This is inspired by my recent trip to East Asia!

I tried experimenting with Collage and gold paint!

Enamoured

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Enamoured is the second illustration for my Valentine's Day submission.
The theme for this piece is "A girl in love".
I wanted to keep it simple with a muted palette.
Pink is quite suitable for a girl in love, do you think so too?

You, me, and our lively adventure

2012-01-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hello there :)

Here is the first illustration of 2012. It's a happy and colorful piece!

I was asked to participate in the submission for a Valentine's Day show (Wish me luck!) and here's what I came up with!

Since the theme is love, I wanted paint something fun, lively, and positive. I used acrylic, pencil, and colored pencil in this piece (sans sandpaper in a long time)

2012 is looking up! ♥

welcoming 2012!

2012-01-01T13:58:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!
สวัสดัปีใหม่ค่ะ!
あけましておめでとうございます!

Wishing everyone a wonderful year ahead, full of good health and happiness! I will continue to create beautiful and positive images. Please support me and my work!

Best wishes!
Let the good times begin!

metamorphosis

2011-12-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

New illustration!
This piece is called metamorphosis.

Lately, I have decided to paint simpler and bring a more graphic approach to my paintings. Please let me know what you think!! 'w'

p.s.-I have been enjoying painting more than ever. I think it's a fantastic early Christmas present for me! Plus, I have an intuition, 2012 will be super busy but great for me (both illustration and personal wise!)

Enjoy! And HAPPY CHRISTMAS! ☆

TwentyQuestions

2011-12-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

Everytime I flip through 3x3 magazine, I often find myself fascinated by the section TwentyQuestions. It's so fun reading about other illustrators. Although I am not interviewed by 3x3 (yet) but I hope to be one day. Therefore, here is my own version of TwentyQuestions.

Fern Choonet (07/23)
Favorite Color? Bright Aqua Green
What do you listen to while working? It depends on the day.
Person who had the most influence on you? My sister
Favorite medium and surface? Acrylic on illustration board.
Who is your favorite artist? Monet and Charley Harper
How do you start your day? Petting my dog
Favorite professor? Paul Dallas
If you weren't an illustrator what would you be doing? Trying to be an illustrator.
Last book you read? The Power by Rhonda Byrnes
Favorite movie of all time? Not sure
What do you collect? Books and magazines on illustration.
What do you do with your free time? Yoga
What do you do when you're stuck on an assignment? Go out for a cup of latte.
Favorite vacation spot? Hua Hin, Thailand
Who makes you laugh? Cocoa, my dog
Name your favorite guilty pleasure. Eating gummies
What is your most treasured posession? Loved ones
Name something you think is overrated. Celebs
What time of day are you most productive? Evening and late night.
Words to live by? If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.
- William Arthur Ward

Illustration on CMYK is out!

2011-11-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

CMYK 51 is out!

I just came back from my trip and this was in my mail box!!!

Thank you for featuring my work! Please check the magazine at bookstores everywhere!

Illustration in Tokyo

2011-11-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in Tokyo, the land of art and design, I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out work by Japanese illustrators and artists.

Illustrator Takayuki Ryujin recommended me to visit some local galleries with some illustration works. (Thanks so much for the tips!)

So first I visited Tambourin Gallery ...

They were showing works by 3 illustration girls: Maru, Mine, and Nutsco under the name Kimochiiyatura. Their group show is called 'welcome to our Que rico room'.

It was a very fun, lively show with many tiny framed paintings with a home-like theme. What is interesting is they have interactive art so the audience can participate in sitting in the middle of a mountain of their handmade cushion dolls. (I also bought 1 alpaca named Percival!)

They have also asked audiences to fill out forms and take a polaroid photo as a keepsake, which was very fun! I took one as well! They were very nice and friendly, I enjoyed talking to them :)

The second gallery I visited was Gallery House Maya .

The illustrator whose work was showing was Michiyo Tokuda-san. Her work was mixed media of fun food inspired theme.

Despite my broken Japanese, she was kind and sweet enough to spend time talking to me and explaining the details of her work. Her work has a mixture of whimsical, colorful, and decorative elements that I love. Her work is so beautiful, I am happy I get to chat and share point of views about illustration with her.

Overall, it was a fun and totally inspiring day. I am glad I visited both galleries and made new illustrator friends across the globe. I feel very inspired to paint more and illustrate more! Go illustration!

HELLO!

2011-10-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

I'm in Japan　だよ!!!

Collaboration with Cosette!

2011-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have had the pleasure working in collaboration with Cosette on their new collection.

Cosette is a jewelry company based in Japan. Their style is modern with a touch of minimalist and industrial concept.

Usually, watercolor is not my common medium, but watercolor is so light in texture and the look fits very well for Cosette's jewelry illustration.

I'm loving how the illustration is turning out. Thank you to Cosette for letting me be a part of your wonderful collection.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Here is the watercolor work for Cosette's prism, it's one of my favorite necklaces.

Please check out Cosette's site for their jewelry collection HERE!

CMYK 51!!

2011-08-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Exciting news this week!

I recently found out that I won CMYK 51's illustration awards!! It was my last year to be eligible to enter CMYK and I figured I might as well try and enter :) I am very happy and thankful for my winning entry.

The piece that won is my Irasshaimase piece I did for last Valentine's Day which I had mentioned in this post earlier. I had a great time painting this fun piece for Sadie's Diner!

Thank you so much CMYK! It certainly is rewarding to know that your work is getting recognized. I will post updates again once I receive the issue which comes out mid-October. Please look for it at bookstores everywhere!

See no Evil!

2011-07-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a finished version of my illustration for See no Evil!

This piece is from the series, "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil", which is a concept I find very interesting. Usually when you think about this phrase, you'd imagine three monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouths with their hands. I decided it would be interesting to paint ladies with flowers covering them instead.

When I dug deeper into the subject, I found out that it was actually based from Japan's Sanzaru ( 三猿 ) or the Three Wise Monkeys. I had always thought it was a western concept somehow since it's always appeared in popular culture. Wow! You learn something new everyday!

If you haven't done so, please check out my previous post for a fast speed video of me painting this piece!

I am currently working on concepts for Hear no evil and Speak no evil, please stay tuned for more illustrations!

Illustration Process on Video!

2011-07-14T20:30:00.001-07:00

Hi there!

I hope you're staying cool in this hot summer :)

The other day I had a thought that it would be cool to record while I paint, so here's a video of my work in progress and a little sneak peek at my new work "See no evil", from the series "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil".

This illustration is about 80% complete! I will post the finished work as soon as possible! I am having a lot of fun painting this series, and I'm brainstorming what I should paint for the rest!

Filming was interesting but also challenging at the same time. But I had fun fiddling with the video editing. Please look at the video and tell me what you think!

Music in the video is Paris, Asa by Matsutani Suguru.

Thanks for visiting!!

Sweet tooth at work!

2011-06-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

hi there!

I have been having so much fun creating vector files on Adobe Illustrator! Although I love painting with acrylic and working traditionally the most, every once in a while I enjoy using Adobe Illustrator.

I love going to cafes, trying sweets and beverages. The pastries and coffee at La Boheme Patisserie in Toronto are so good and they have so many to choose from. I decided to create illustrations from their mousse cakes!

It was so much fun working on these and makes me want to have sweets and great coffee!

NEW WEBSITE DESIGN UPDATED!

2011-05-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

It has been a while since I have updated my site but
www.fernchoonet.com is now updated with new designs and new illustrations!! I really love the new layouts! Please go check it out here!

Thank you! ขอบคุณค่ะ！ありがとうございます！

花 = HANA = 鼻

2011-04-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

My new illustration is completed!
I love word play! So this time I decided to do a little something on it. The word "Hana" in Japanese can mean 2 things but written with different Kanji characters : flower (花 ) or nose (鼻). My take on this word play is to place a hana (flower) on a hana (nose).

I really enjoyed painting this one :) Thank you illustrator Clair Jang as always for your help on my illustration processes!

Here are some sketches and colour tests!

The weather is getting warmer these days and I'm ready for Spring! Thank you for viewing my blog!!

april snow

2011-04-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's april now!
The weather is getting more beautiful in Canada lately.
I'm looking forward to spring!
I'm currently working on my new painting,
this time I feel challenged to do a more
muted palette whereas before, I often paint
with brighter colors.
I will work very hard on it :)

Lately I have been reading a book about time.
I think it's fair to say that time is the one thing that is given equally to every one, right? But why is it that some people say they have less time than others?
It was interesting to me when he mentioned that if you know the secret of time, you can decrease, expand, stop and twist time. Meaning, if you understand how it works, you can have more time than you usually know. It was definitely fascinating for me to read. It makes me think that I have thrown away a lot of unused time, and I want to use my time more effectively. For example, I have been living in Toronto for 7 years now, and there are a bunch of things and a bunch of places I have not visited.

This is a picture of a snowflake I never took before, I feel I should take advantage of Canada's winter not many people get to experience!

Inspiration

2011-03-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

What's your inspiration?
I find it interesting to look at the patterns and beautiful colors of flowers and plants.
Lately, I try to make it a habit to buy flowers back home all the time. They help me get inspiration for the new pieces I'm going to illustrate.

The photos above are what I took of the flowers (or what's left of it!)I tried taking photos of them each passing day. It's so interesting to see how they all change. I love budding flowers, blooming flowers, and even wilting ones. They seem to have little charms of their own in every stage.

I am currently working on my new piece, I'm now in my final sketch stage. Please look forward to the finished work later on!

--all photos by me :3

new Illustration: Dorian Gray

2011-02-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

I've finished my new illustration, finally!
After months of working on this piece, I'm happy to say it is done! I'm really proud of how it turned out.

This illustration is for Oscar Wilde's classic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's one of my most favorites. It's funny how I found the book,it was just lying on the street one day. I only believe in fate half way, but I think it's destined that I found this book. After I read it, I couldn't put it down. I really love the book so much I decided to paint it for my next Self-Promo I'm sending out in a few months.

I decided to leave Dorian's face blank since the book focuses on vanity and how Dorian's appearance is so aesthetically pleasing, his insides however are the exact opposite. That being said, I decided to focus my attentions on painting the flowers and plants in the illustration, some being in full bloom but seems to be rotting at the same time.

Although I love painting decorative images, this is my first time working on this much detailing. Each flower takes at least an hour to paint! But it was an overall fun experience, I'd love to paint more flowers and plants in the future!!

drawing linears for the piece...

while choosing between 2 colours, as you can see, I went with blue! Right choice, indeedy!!

Back from vacay ^▽^

2010-11-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

HI! It had been a while since I last updated!
I just got back from Thailand! I had a great time
seeing my family and friends (and being unproductive! HAHA!)
I am so happy to have been able to return! Here are some photos from my trip!!
Now, back to work!!!

Oh! Please go and 'like' me on facebook here!!! (at illustrationmundo.com)THANKS!

Blogged: wedding magnets

2010-07-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

I might have mentioned in the earlier posts that my sister recently got married and I was asked to design and illustrate her wedding invitation. As for their wedding favours, she and her husband decided to do magnets with my illustrations of them on it too!

Also, my sister and her husband had wonderful photographer Christine Lim to photograph their wedding. Her photos are so lovely and beautiful. She also took very pretty photos of the magnets and featured them on her tumblr site.

Etsy Store

2010-07-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi!
I've recently opened up a store on etsy. I've always loved making hand made cards for friends and family, so I thought it would be fun to put it up on etsy too!
This is totally inconsistent to my usual illustrations but I love paper crafts :) They're so cute and fun to make. I know I don't have a lot of stuff up yet, but I am working on it!

Here are some items from my shop :)

Please feel free to check my etsy page here.

Have a sweet day :)

がんばります！

2010-05-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

many things happened but i know will be all right!

That's why...　がんばりますよ！！！

Wedding Invitation Design

2010-05-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

My older sister is getting married. And she asked me to do an illustration for her invitation. I don't usually work in cutesy cutesy styles for my illustration works, but I often do cute and funny doodles in my free time (and I love cute stuff! ;D) . This was one of the hardest projects I have done since it's for my sister, I had to think really hard and tried to make it the best I can and I want to make her happy :D After I was happy with the sketch, the painting was pretty fun since it was clean and flat plus I love drawing flowers. My sister also asked me to add our puppy dog in the invitation too since she's also a guest at the wedding.

I want to congratulate my sister and my new brother in law (welcome to our family!) Although I have to admit that I must let my sister go, but I wish you all the happiness in the world! I'm so happy for you both. Thank you for letting me do the illus for your invitation!

Screen printing is fun!

2010-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted any new stuff! Last semester I took non toxic printmaking at OCAD and I had a chance to explore with many printmaking techniques like lino cut, ukiyoe, monoprints and screen printing. All of them were fun but I really enjoyed screen printing the most! I really like screen printing to the point that I dreamed about it (haha!) I wish I could screen print again!

Here are some pictures from the printmaking studio and some prints I did:

I also screen printed on this tote bag and on some t shirts for friends.

I'm DONE!

2010-04-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Took my last university exam!
I'm DONE!
DONE!
DONE!
Goodbye History of Modern Art!

...

I'm sure I will miss being a student one day...
...but NOT today, or tomorrow, or the next three months!

Hello rest and freedom and summer ♥

3x3 2010 Directory

2010-03-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hi!
I just wanted to mention that 3x3 2010 Directory is now out!!! I was contacted by Charles Hively if I wanted to be a part of 3x3 Directory in 2010. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to promote myself with such a great magazine like 3x3. Plus, it is so awesome to be in the same book with great illustrators that I admire and profs from OCAD like Paul Dallas, JC Knaff, Tatsuro Kiuchi, Olaf Hajek and much much more.

Here's the cover for 3x3 2010 by James Yang:

Here's the link to my illustration online
http://www.3x3directory.com/c.php

Thanks for visiting and Art Directors, Please hire me for a job soon!!! Thank YOU in advance~

New Illustration for Valentines's Day!!

2010-02-11T18:54:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day is coming up! I've had a chance to make a new illustration for a Valentine's Day show at Sadie's Diner called "It Had to do With Love". Please check out my work if you have a chance, Sadie's Diner is at 504 Adelaide St. West at Adelaide and Portland in Toronto. This piece is called "Irasshaimase" and the theme is Maneki Neko, or Japanese beckoning cat welcoming love! I really enjoyed working on it! Last Tuesday Feb 9th was the opening, Thank you to everyone who came out to see my work :) I really appreciate it, you're all so sweet! Also, big thanks to Lisa Vanin, Al and Katie for allowing me to create a fun work! And...Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!! I hope you all will have a fun day full of love, I know I will! ^_^

Creative Quarterly 17!!

2009-12-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

My Runner-up Illustration winning entry with Creative Quarterly is now up! Please check it out HERE!!
Have a Merry Christmas ☆

Weezer on Saturday night ☆

2009-12-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

I went to see Weezer on Saturday night and it was amazing!!! ☆ It's my second time seeing Weezer and they were so awesome :) It is such a perfect wrap up for me since I'm done with school for this semester. I know there's so much criticism about Raditude, but I think it's such a fun and upbeat record and I totally love it. The concert on Saturday felt like a huge party where everyone just got up and danced!! (including me!) Although I was not lucky enough to get floor tickets (again) but that did not stop me from getting up and danced the whole night. Weezer played all the old songs that I wanted to hear and the new songs from Raditude. It was so awesome. The best part was when Rivers Cuomo came to where we were sitting and when I spotted him, we just RAN after him and tried to get (more like grab) him. I touched his arm too~ hahaha! It was such a fun night :) Thanks to ko+sho for going with me and sharing the best time ever!!!

Here's a video i took:

And believe it or not, this is Rivers Cuomo wearing a blonde wig (as Lady Gaga)...I know it could be any guy in a wig...but it's really him!!

Animation

2009-12-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

Here is my first animation ever! I did this for my Animated Illustration class using Adobe After Effects. It was so hard at first but in the end, I got through it and I really love the outcome :)

Enjoy!

lately

2009-10-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

A little blog update, non-illustration related. Just some random stuff I like!
I bought caramel candies from glico. They're heart shaped and I also got a free toy :)

As you can see, Cocoa wants it too!

The candy wrapper is so cute, it can be used as a bow. haha.

I also want to post these. These are Re-ment. They're basically small miniatures. They're so cute and I love them. (People who really know me will say that I like all things small..haha so true) Every time I go into stores with re-ments, I just go stare at them for 10 minutes without buying them. But I finally got them when my sister bought it for me from when she went to Japan! Thank you ^_^ These are the food set with a cake, curry on rice, senbe and etc. There's even a pack of yogurt drink! Ah~ super cute, don't you think?

Also, I'm taking a class on European Art: Baroque and Rococo, which is one of my favorite classes that I've ever taken. My prof Francis Broun is the coolest prof ever! He makes this class so much fun to be in. I never realized how amazing Bernini's work is until this day. Sure, I've seen them somewhere before...but I was awestruck when I saw this:

This is Pluto and Persephone. It's so amazing. Can you believe it's marble? It looks so much like flesh...and the details on the fingers clutching the thigh...wow. Makes me want to go to Italy and see everything. Some day for sure, I'll go see many amazing art :)

Exam and essay due next week. Wish me luck!

credits: chantalpowell

sketches sketches sketches

2009-09-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

I recently dug up my sketchbook that I took on my trip to Quebec. I had a great time on the trip but the bus ride was so so long that I had to pass the time by doing some random sketches. I also sketched a fountain in Quebec City while sightseeing. Can anyone tell which fountain it is?

It's a bit sad to know that summer is ending, but it has been a really good one that stamped much happiness into my memory.

There's one thing I realized I haven't done yet this summer is playing with sparklers! I love fireworks and sparklers!!! I plan to do that some time before it gets too cold!

Creative Quarterly 17!

2009-09-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

YAY! Good news :)

I have been informed yesterday that my Broken Tooth illustration had just been selected as one of the Runner-Ups and will appear on the gallery section of Creative Quarterly's website. It makes me so happy, I feel like I am actually doing something right! It always feels great to know that people think you did good work :) In my earlier posts, I mentioned that I had received a merit award in Creative Quarterly 15 and my illustration was published in the magazine in the summer of 2009. Although this time, my illustration is not going to be in the magazine, it feels just as great. This year has been really great so far for me. I finished my thesis, won 2 awards, took a fun trip, saw Green Day again and the other one is...well, it's good/bad ( but I hope it turns out good later on?) . Besides that I have found 6 four-leaf clovers this year!!! (I know it sounds weird that I have found that many...I probably spend too much time at the park with my dog) But I think I'm a generally lucky person. So I hope that the rest of the year will be as great :D Thanks to everyone that supports me. Please continue to support me ^_^ I will keep trying!

One of the 4 leaf clovers I found :)

Website Update!

2009-08-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have finally updated my website! When I first made my site, I haven't finished painting all the illustrations and the re-dos for my thesis yet. So with the updated version, I have decided to put up 5 more illustrations that wasn't on the site before. I have also changed the index page's image to this image since it has become my favorite lately now that I think about it.

The subject matter is a bit scary to think about, but I like it. It's also part of the dream meaning series: Dreaming of a broken tooth means death. The intertwined lines were a result of a happy accident when my sister helped out while I sketched and her wonky line works in the bottom part results in this awesome pastel colored tangling crazy lines! Thanks for helping out, it's pretty awesome :)

Be sure to check out my updated site here. I have also recently made an Illustration Mundo account, also please check my page out! Thanks!

Also, thanks to a wonderful phone call from my best friend who lives in Cali, I feel so happy and energetic. Your call is like a happy energy drink and I will probably feel genki for many months :) arigatou ne~

green day!

2009-07-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

I know I ought to blog about illustration and art work, but I can't help it! I went to Green Day's concert last week, and it was amazing. I hesitated about going at first, since it was all the way in Hamilton. I also admit to being less interested in them...since I was so wrapped up in illustration for the past 3 years. BUT...it's like your first love, you can't turn your back on it. I decided to buy tickets, and this time I had a friend with me, which was even better!! (Thanks for going with me! even though he got really sick at the show. )

Even though I didn't get floor tickets this time, it was still awesome. The seat was so so far that I could only see Billie Joe the size of my thumbs. I was so tempted to jump up and down, pretending I didn't have seat tickets. I think this time, they played the best that I have ever seen. Every minute was so fun! All my friends think I'm an idiot for still liking Green Day (See...I've been a fan for 10 years now and most people stopped liking them in 2000.) I felt so happy I decided to go, and promise myself I would go see them every time they come near Toronto. What makes me realize after seeing them again is that I should always try my best towards my dreams, life, love, everything. Seeing Green Day play 110% of what they've got and enjoying every second of it really motivates me. Thank you Billie, Mike, and Tre...I will always love you guys like the 14 year old girl I was when I first listened to Nimrod for the first time.

Here's the pics from where I could see them...real far...

during King for a day...
and 21 Guns :)

Summer Break :D

2009-06-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

I've been taking it easy lately...summer makes me feel like I should take it slow :D I recently returned from a trip to Montreal and Quebec City. I had a great time! Although I have spent quite a long time in Canada, it was my first time in Quebec City. I was happy to have gone there, and will definitely go there again :D

Rue Tresor in Quebec City was awesome. I bought a printmaking piece by Arthur Aron. It was incredible :)

In the future, I wish to go back to Montreal or Quebec City again. Also, I want to spend more time effectively in Canada, like visit Vancouver for instance! (I've never been there either!!)

Creative Quarterly 15!

2009-06-07T11:19:00.001-07:00

I might have mentioned it here already that one of my illustrations won a Student Merit Award in Creative Quarterly 15! Here's the first time I'm posting about it!!! My Bee Hopscotch had received an award in the magazine which I am extremely happy and grateful to have made it. This illustration is a part of my thesis, it basically is: "Dreaming of a beehive means that you will have a happy childhood."

I hope to win many more awards in the future :) It is such an honor to be published!!! Thanks to CQ people and Paul and Gary (who actually helped with the composition in this piece while Paul was away!)

Here's the illustration :D

Please go check the magazine out at bookstores everywhere! Or better yet, please buy a copy! It's a really good magazine! Also, click HERE to see an online version of the issue. Congrats to my fellow OCAD friends who have also made it in Creative Quarterly 15: Chris Kuzma, Ahn Na Lim, and Sheila Liu.

** Update! I have also added a flickr account, please check it out and feel free to add me as a friend Here!

Illustration GRAD SHOW 2009

2009-05-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since the OCAD grad show...but I have been dreading for a long break so finally, here's a post about it :D The show was a success, I had a great time! Although the whole year of doing thesis had been hard...everything was worth it. I'd like to thank the OCAD faculty, my friends and classmates for all the support! Also, thank you to everyone who showed up to the grad show especially my family who could make it! It meant a lot to me :) ขอบคุณค่ะ!

My thesis display on "Life is but a Dream". For more information and a better look at the images, please go to my website.

And this is the display of my "Dreaming of Beehives means you will have a happy childhood" illustration at OCAD on the 6th floor that was featured in Creative Quarterly 15 Magazine which won the Student Merit Award.

I still have a bunch of promotional postcards left and if anyone is interested in getting one, I will be more than happy to mail it to them. Please leave your name and address for me if you are interested!

Illustration at the OCAD grad show

2009-05-01T18:52:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year! OCAD is having its Annual Grad Show and you're invited! If anyone is in the Toronto Area, please come join us at the Grad Show from May 7-10 2009 at OCAD, 100 McCaul Street in Toronto. We have an awesome Illustration Program and my illustrations, along with many other great illustrators' works will be displayed on the 6th floor. Here's a sneak preview of the works of Illustration students: www.ocadillustration.com
See you there!

every girl needs candy (but not you cocoa)

2009-04-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

This makes me happy.

I'm not a chocolate fanatic but every once in a while I will want chocolate or some kind of candy. I found this fujiya chocolate which has 4 flavors of filling (strawberry, melon, caramel, and chocolate fudge). I must admit, I bought it because I liked the packaging =) it's so cute and the design looks nice. Anyway, they tasted all right...not as good as it looked. (I guess I pretty much fall into a category of those easily tricked by cute packagings!) A friend of mine once told me that girls should have something sweet every once in a while. I think she's right! It's a good treat for me during a busy time like this. I'm currently preparing for the OCAD gradshow...and realized it's only a week away and I haven't finished preparing for everything yet. I have ordered my postcards and will post it here once it's done. Uwaaahhhh~~~ so much to do!!!

Reflections upon finishing thesis

2009-04-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Although I'm not exactly "done" done with school...it feels like as if I had. Thesis class is done, a lot of my friends will be graduating. It's a bittersweet feeling. While I'm still in class, I have often wished school is over...and when it finally is, I wish I had a little more time. It's kinda like "When it's over, that's the time I fall in love again." hahaha

Yesterday I hung out with some friends from OCAD and I realized I'm going to really miss them. Being at school was fun...and it's a good part of my life that I'll always cherish. On my last thesis class, my prof Paul Dallas told us that while you're in the business, be thankful towards people. Stay connected with friends because as illustrators...it's our jobs to "connect" words and subject matters to pictures. He also told us that you make your own luck, so keep trying in everything you do. Those are the words I'll keep in mind with me always. I am so happy to have taken Paul's class...this class was the best part of my college life.

I saw this wall outside of OCAD and decided to take a photo of it. I think it fits with what I have to say...because Oh Gosh Art is So Great!

WEBSITE IS UP!!!

2009-04-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Please do check out my website!

www.fernchoonet.com

After shedding blood, sweat, and tears (not really, but it fits the mood...although I worked really hard on it!) my website is finally up and running!

Any comment and suggestion is deeply appreciated!

Road to being a pro-illustrator, HERE I COME!

fly me somewhere nice

2009-04-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I should post some stuff I did in my sketchbook a while back . I don't usually do these type of illustrations as finals, but I like them just as much.

I was inspired to do this after seeing Sofia Coppola's Miss Dior Cherie commercial. It looks so young and cute and dainty! And so French!

ps-that mac ain't mine :) (or :(? )

nodame!

2009-04-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

I've been re-watching one of my favorite doramas of all time again! (for probably the 3rd time now) The show is called Nodame Cantabile and it's absolutely awesome :) When I first heard about the show, it sounds quite boring I must admit, it's about a piano student who wants to be a conductor. I never had an interest in Classical music although I took piano when I was young but later quit since I had no patience for it. After I watched the first episode, I was hooked! It's mixed with comedy and filled with youthful emotion. Plus, Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki senpai is so so so cute. I have finished watching it again still liking it as much as the first time. Plus, I love Classical music after watching the show, especially Debussy's piano pieces. It makes me wish I could play piano. I also heard they will be doing a movie version coming out next year! Can't wait to watch Nodame again!

Some work and sketches!

2009-04-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of the pieces of my thesis work at OCAD. My thesis topic is on dreams and what dreams mean in the sequence of one's life. Most of the dreams are based on Asian beliefs, but some of the dream subjects are based on Western beliefs as well. So this piece is--dreaming of gems means you will have a baby. That's a bit odd, huh? I don't think they have any relation with each other at all. That's why I like my thesis topic, it's fun to work on.

So these are my sketches:

both of these ideas never got used...I liked them, but there's some more elements I think this piece needs....so I did more sketches.

The one on the left was eventually made into a final. (The one my prof and I agree it's got potential)
...and here's the finished product!

First post!

2009-03-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fern Choonet's blog :) I have delayed and procrastinated for quite a while but it's finally UP! I'm currently an illustration student at OCAD in Toronto. I'm currently working on my website but in the meantime I'll be posting my sketches and illustrations in this blog :)