How to sketch a cartoon character in under 2 minutes!

Wow, it's been ages since my last blog and much has changed. Most of the projects I have been working on have been completed successfully and they have led to many more projects.

I am, however, no longer conducting art lessons in schools since I'm totally up to my neck with drawing projects and running Happy Hands at Downtown East (darn, there's still that outstanding icon design for SingHealth...).

Recently, I've improved somewhat on my drawing and Photoshop techniques and many of the finished works can be seen at my online gallery and the one at Happy Hands. Do drop by if you can find time to do so.

My cartoons and illustrations thus far have travelled as faraway as Florida, Maine and Belgium, thanks to Scott Marlowe (the Indy Jones looking guy pictured above), Loren Coleman and my JC friend, Reynold. Not that this is the first time that this has happened, as sometime ago, back in my poly days, I did have some drawings published in the Netherlands. although I never got to see the finished products, unfortunately.

Well, anyway, as the old saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the hill. I think I'm better recognised in the US than in my own country (maybe with the exception of people living near Downtown East!)... how sad and tragic! But that's the way it is here. I get the feeling we are not ready to explore further what our home-grown cartoonists can offer. There are just not enough avenues through which we can expand our horizons. Unless your drawings are already commercially viable, you can forget about getting it used, much less promoted, here. When money can't be made from it, this form of art doesn't go down well with the local palette...er, I mean palate! You'd end up like van Gogh ~ die a poor artist.

Perhaps, if I had been wealthier, I could use my money to promote my own cartoons and comic books. It's the old chicken or the egg causality dilemma. That's the sad state of our cartoons/comics scene here. We say we want a more artistic culture, but overlooked are the cartoonists, like myself, who haven't quite made it big. We don't seem to get the support we need. What you see on TV or read in the news might suggest a kind of support, but how is it that we "small-time" artists don't seem to be at the receiving end? Where did this support get channelled to and end up? Well, maybe to those artists who show potential by already profiteering from their works or winning award after award. But is that what art is all about? Not in my book!

Well, so much for the bad stuff. Now, back to some good stuff...

Cisco Serret from CZ.com has worked out a T-shirt idea using my logo for the website. I'm getting royalties for sales of course. He intends to sell the T-shirts in the US, Canada and internationally, which would mean my logo will be going places! I don't know about you, but I'm excited and really looking forward to this :).

Looking forward to many more drawings..... oh, and check out my new signature in the above artwork ;-) Thought I'd come up with one for all my art which at least reflects my name instead of having to explain the previous one. You'll see this new one for a long time to come! Until next time, cheerio!

Something about Pete

A Brief History:

Prior to becoming a fulltime artist, I had worked for about 10 years in securities houses and a bank as officer, senior officer and departmental head. I possess a Diploma in Business Studies and am a self-taught artist. I pick up my skills through observation, reading and experience.

I was also a busker (caricaturist / guitarist & singer) endorsed by the NAC (National Arts Council).

Here are some of the events I have participated in as a caricaturist and guitarist/singer:
1. Mead Johnson Product Launch at Concorde Hotel
2. ACS Primary Kaleidoscope Arts Fest 2005
3. Mid-Autumn Festival 05 at Chinatown for Festival Square Circle
4. Canon Digital Video Carnival for Creatus Events Pte Ltd
5. Children’s Day Celebrations at Balestier Special School for Deutsche Bank AG (charity service)
6. Clean & Green Week Carnival 2005 for National Environment Council (see plaque below)
7. SAFRA Tampines AGM 2005 for Morias Events
8. Fuji-Xerox Digital Carnival 2006
9. Wellness Programme for SGH’s 185th Anniversary Celebration (29 Mar 06)
10. I2r Family Day 2006 (4 Nov 06)
11. Tan Tock Seng Hospital special event for Morias Events (1 Dec 06)
12. AVID Technology, Inc Dinner & Dance (1 Dec 06)
13. Strolling musician at Greenview Sec Sch for EAI Music & Publishing (5 Apr 07)
14. Various private birthday parties as caricaturist

Cartoon drawing lessons & freelance projects:
1. Conducting private cartoon drawing lessons for children.
2. Conducted cartoon drawing workshop at MPM Toa Payoh.
3. Illustrated and designed for A-Star Interactive, a company dealing with children’s educational material (please check my website for some samples), and other publishers and event management companies.
4. Recently designed a set of corporate logos for Positive Focus Pte Ltd (Great World City). Also participated and won in a logo competition at a US website, Cryptozoology.com (logo is currently being used there).
5. Conducted and judged at art competition for Tampines East Zone 7 RC. Also did a set of caricatures on a signature board for RC members, including Chairman, Mr Ong Kian Min.
6. In 2004, was approached by the zoo for the redesigning of signages for their animal enclosures. The zoo wanted a more lighthearted look for the signages and considered using my cartoons to replace the old ones.
7. Am a registered trainer with Mastereign Enrichment. On 21 Nov 06, conducted cartoon drawing workshop with T P Tan (well-known cartoonist for LianHe Wanbao and NAFA lecturer) at New Park Hotel for S1 Cluster Retreat, an enrichment programme for school teachers and principals. This segment of the programme was for those who wished to communicate more effectively using cartoons and illustrations. Currently teaching cartoon drawing at Zhonghua Sec and SengKang Sec.
8. Am appointed Senior Designer of Oneink Pte Ltd (name card on first page). Currently handling some projects.
9. Currently illustrating for Ping Healthcare for a new series of children’s books.
10. Currently embarking on a freelance illustration project for SingHealth Services.
11. Currently co-writing and drawing for an ongoing online comic strip, The Unbelievable Crypto-Man, for Pangea Institute in Florida, USA. The comic character also appears on a radio show there.
12. Ongoing illustrations and graphic designs for RiverLife Church on a need-to basis.
13. Running art and craft corner at Happy Hands, Downtown East.
14. Comic Drawing classes at eXplorerkid, Downtown East, weekly from 22 Jul 08 (Tue) 7.30pm-8.30pm.

Author, illustrator & publisher of:
1. Songs of the Cicadas (Silverfish Publications). Currently at Popular Bookstores, Kinokuniya and Botanic Gardens. 2. SPI’s Strange Tales: Fact or Fiction?
3. Dead Frightening Vol.1

Other projects / experience:
Other clients that had engaged my services over the years included Starbucks Coffee, Hewlett Packard, Kawai Asia, Schwan Stabilo, School of Health Sciences at Nanyang Polytechnic, The Philharmonic Choir of Singapore, Bonvests Holdings and Nanyang Educational Supplies. Also illustrated for various other children’s books (local and Netherlands).
Briefly worked with Waterways in 1999, who produced wooden sand-blasted signboards for establishments like the Singapore Zoological Gardens, Sentosa, Cottage Pies, etc.
From Sep 1998 to Jul 1999, was Graphic / Web Designer with Cybertrek Pte Ltd. Designed brochures, flyers, posters and webpages.
From Mar 1998 to Jun 1998, was Graphic Designer with Macro Events Pte Ltd. Designed posters, brochures, signboards, banners and display counters.

For a look at more of my work, please visit my website:
http://cartoon-pete.tripod.com/