THE ANGRY HEDONIST

The Trophy

nataliette — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:17:51 +0000

The Trophy. graphite on acidfree cream paper.

a man’s prized possessions — his hunt and his woman.

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© nataliette, 2012. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: drawing, graphite, sketchbook

BatGirl

nataliette — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:19:24 +0000

BatGirl. 5x7in graphite on acidfree creampaper.

as we celebrate the beginning of the year of the dragon, i drew a bat. i like to imagine that bats are the distant tinier cousins of dragons, because hello, same kind of wings? despite bats being associated negatively in western culture, in china, the bat is a sign of good luck! HUAT AHHH!!!

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© nataliette, 2012. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: drawing, graphite, sketchbook

The Queen of Beasts

nataliette — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:48:56 +0000

Queen of Beasts. 5x7in graphite on acidfree cream paper. ©nataliette, 2012.

in arabic culture, Arab prophets and poets considered the giraffe the “queen of beasts” for what they saw as its delicate features and fragile form, while Eastern sultans prized them as special pets. 3 hours!

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tagged: drawing, graphite, sketchbook

The Girl Behind an Elephant Mask Smoking a Pipe

nataliette — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:10:58 +0000

i dunno what is this my brain just puked this out through my drawing hand

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tagged: drawing, graphite, sketchbook

bang bang, my baby shot me dowwwn

nataliette — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:32:04 +0000

Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down. graphite on acidfree creampaper.

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tagged:

snake vs peacock

nataliette — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:42:28 +0000

2 small imaginary portraits i drew last night in my monologue sketchbook (too poor to afford moleskine).

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tagged: drawing, graphite, sketchbook

The Chalice

nataliette — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:06:27 +0000

i had a traumatic experience while journeying on the plebeian transport system today. i was taking every possible wrong route. WITH ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF DOING SO.

first of all i boarded the bus in the wrong direction and only realized it after a quarter of an hour. jumped off as soon as i vaguely recognized part of the landscape. seeing as i was running late, i decided there was no time to bother with buses so i went for my most detested mode of transport — the train. since i really really dislike journeying by train (SMRT ruins lives), i seized the chance to plunge my fingers into my iphone to tweet about the horrendous experience. (i got suffocated by body odour and had my thigh sliced by a paper bag) it wasnt till i was halfway to the east that it hit me that i was supposed to be going west. blaming no one but my own utter idiocy, i backtracked and wondered why was my brain betraying me today.

and so i drew this.

The Chalice, digital painting in photoshop

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: digital, illustration, painting

The Taxidermist’s Daughter

nataliette — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:33:48 +0000

i’ve always had a great fascination for taxidermy. wouldn’t it be so much fun to dress up in animals? (minus the cruelty of hunting for sport of course)

The Taxidermist's Daughter (graphite on acid-free cream paper)

The Taxidermist's Daughter (detail of work in progress)

stuffed pidgeons. photo by me, taken in munich 2008.

more of these immortalized creatures.

examples of taxidermy

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: drawing, graphite, sketchbook, work in progress

Tonight, We All Die Young

nataliette — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:04:47 +0000

Tonight, We All Die Young / 24×24in, digital painting, 2011.

Hi. here’s a quick illustration that i just finished today. it was inspired by my current favourite song, Save Me by Avenged Sevenfold. it also carries a very subtle political meaning. my country recently concluded what will be known as a watershed parliamentary election. i used to not give two hoots about politics because my country is a false democracy. we have been under the same ruling party for more than half a century. as this was the first time i could exercise my right to vote, and the fact that 82 out of 87 seats would be contested (implying the possibility for real change), i was determined to vote and vote responsibly.

so i took some time to attend rallies, read each party’s manifestos. the process really opened up my eyes to many things which the state-controlled media has hidden from us. i was pretty enraged. (and so were many of my local peers.) to cut a long story short, our government was once anti-establishment, but now many years on, represents the very establishment they were against. (kind of like Animal Farm.) our country seems perfect from the outside. but if you look closely, in the name of progression and economic development, our rulers have seem to lost their moral compass and their touch with reality. the election concluded with a 60-40 win for the patriarchs.

the missing arms represent a state of yielding, of being unable to fend for oneself. the hair is white, the colour of surrender, and also the colour of the dominant party (who are often referred to as the Men in White). she exemplifies the helpless commoner who becomes a victim of the ruling party’s blindness. also, a friend pointed out that the white/black ratio seems to be 60/40. i didn’t partition it with that intention so it must be my subconscious.

(to the peeps around me, especially my dear colleagues: i know yall have had enough of politics from me, but i just cant quit it! hehe)

to be honest, i seem to have my drawing ability handicapped lately. that’s why i haven’t been posting anything new for ages and ages. i have many clear concepts (quite a few political) in my head, but they were all too ambitious and i was lazy and unmotivated and always preferring to curl up in bed with a book… oh well, i hope you like this one.

(...)

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: illustration, talking to myself

there will be boob

nataliette — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:31:37 +0000

an instagrammed sneak peek of a new illustration i’ve been working on. THERE WILL BE BOOB!!!
follow my facebook page for more updates.

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: illustration, work in progress

Pink Laundry

nataliette — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:28:54 +0000

Pink Laundy. acrylic on canvas. 4×4inches.

this little old woman fell into the tumbler while doing her pink laundry.

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: acrylic, canvas, doodle, painting

Drowning Cat in acrylic on canvas

nataliette — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 04:44:36 +0000

last night, instead of sleeping like i should, i busted out my canvas pad and brushes. and then i peeled off the plastic wrap off my brand-new bought-from-india Camlin acrylic colours and several hours later… behold! my very first acrylic painting.

Drowning Cat / acrylic painting on canvas / 6½ × 5 inches

its of a stripper who fell from a window in her client’s lakehouse and now finds herself in the middle of the ocean in the dark of the night. somehow, her platinum wig and costume cat ears are still intact! as her face clearly shows, she is thoroughly miserable.
(...)

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: acrylic, canvas, painting

Houdini’s Escape

nataliette — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:43:41 +0000

Houdini's Escape / digital painting / 16×24 inches on canvas

my friend commissioned me a portrait of someone affectionately named “Houdini” for a birthday. i decided to draw a portrait of a girl cuffed in chains (resembling the classic Houdini picture). in her hands she would be clasping a brain, to portray her being a prisoner of her own thoughts.

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: commissioned, illustration, painting

Rabbiteen

nataliette — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:12:21 +0000

Rabbiteen. 2011. 16×24inches.

as a child i was very shy because everyone made fun of my large ears. they called me names like Dumbo and Mickey Mouse. but now, i love my ears, and apparently in certain countries, pointy ears are considered attractive… so EAT THAT BITCHES!!!

also i must admit this was inspired by the boredom i experience at home as a chinese girl during the festive period of the lunar year of the Rabbit. my family does not practice visitation because my mom and dad are estranged from their families. at least i dont have to sit in some stranger’s house stuffing my face with cookies and watching crap on the telly and plaster on fake smiles to receive fake compliments from people i dont really care about, so i really dont mind.

(...)

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: illustration, painting

Sulky Lucy

nataliette — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:02:04 +0000

Sulky Lucy. 2011. 16×24inches.

a little sketch of a little girl with her little lips in a little sulk.
(...)

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© nataliette, 2011. | # | 0 ♥ comment
tagged: doodle, illustration, painting

Year of the Rabbit

nataliette — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:22:23 +0000

THE QUEEN OF SPADES. 2010. 24×36in, giclee print on canvas.

happy lunar new year everaybahdeh! ive been mad busy so here’s a piece i did in 2010 that has a rabbit in it. heh. it was recently sold to The Scarlet Hotel, so if you’ll be checking in, do check it out.

what to also check out is this very controversial february flyer for local megaclub ZIRCA. the artwork was done by my friend ZERO3SIXTY5. hump bunnies!

lovin’ india, lovin’ oil!

nataliette — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:14:59 +0000

i’m back and alive from my holiday in india! the country and its folk were beyond charming, the food was god-worthy… and seriously cows lazing on the beach, one-eyed dogs, the kamasutra, psy-trance, MASALA CHAI, bustling bazaars and drug booths, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE MORE WICKED THAN THAT??? before i enthusiastically exhaust more overused synonyms of AMAZING… yes, i love india!!!

in goa, india. photo by Naresh. i'm the bug-eyed girl in the middle.

anyway i bought a buncha art supplies from a mega-bookstore in bangalore (owned by my friend’s family), everything’s super cheap compared to local artstores. so i told myself to stock up and try dirtying my hands more. and thus the other day i find myself squeezing paint out of tubes, whipping my brushes back and forth (heheh awful pop music somehow just catches on like an annoying disease).

i made two tiny paintings:

XOXO part 1. oil + graphite on canvas. 4×2½inches. 2011.

XOXO part 2. oil + graphite on canvas. 4×4inches. 2011.

XOXO !

The World is a Stage with You

nataliette — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:14:50 +0000

And here is the second installation of ZIRCA‘s club flyers for december 2010! (see the first installation here) the tagline this time was “The World is a Stage with You” and a buddy steered me in the direction of doing something cabaret style. too bad my (extremely critical) buddy ended up saying it looks like a strip club. bastard. :D

Nataliette × ZIRCA(dec) "The World is a Stage with You" club flyer illustration for December with diecut and scoring to create popup effect

Nataliette × ZIRCA(dec) "The World is a Stage with You" flyer back

go pick up your copy now at the club!

Music Sounds Better With You

nataliette — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:37:18 +0000

I had the opportunity to illustrate the december installations of ZIRCA’s club flyers. The tagline was “Music Sounds Better With You” for the festive year-end season. I had this idea of doing a popup flyer with die-cuts and scoring. I also had to adapt my illustration for Zirca’s monthly listings in JUICE magazine december issue back cover.

Nataliette × ZIRCA(dec) "Music Sounds Better With You" illustration for December, published in JUICE magazine backcover monthly listing

Special thanks to vectorscum, waimun and audrey!

LISTEN TO THE BULL

nataliette — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 18:24:31 +0000

a little while ago, i got mighty pissy about a little something, so i vented it out by making art.

plug in, tune out, get ready for the brainwash… its got something to do with personal rage at (self?)censorship and shutting out the world and having to listen to bullshit everyday. yep, poor lil pug’s getting an enema and that nasty girl’s listening to it. (bet you didnt notice that horrid little detail until you read this bit right? mwahahah.) wordplay on bull(dog)shit! hooray?

so i posted it on my flickr and promised i’d colour it in soon. even though i didnt quite fulfil the “soon” part of the promise too well, here is the final coloured piece!

and look, i tried a little something different and coloured it in illustrator this time.

(although it was an irritation that inspired this piece, i still enjoyed the process immensely.) how annoying, im one of those artists who can only produce (art that i like) when enraged.