Ladies, brace yourselves. ;)

If you know me well, then this was bound to happen. How could I go around vectoring celebs, and not vector John Abraham, right? Heh. This vector was probably the most enjoyable - yes, I said most, because I don't think there is a single women that would complain about getting up close & personal with John. :P

I can't really help gushing over the guy considering I've adored him since the days of his gig with the MTV Show, "It's My Life". And that show is so ancient, that even if you try and google John & the show, it barely comes up. Anyway, those days he used to be this "struggling model" that lived in a ratty one bedroom apartment in Mumbai, with his dalmatian. Clearly, times have changed. If only those MTV stalker cameras were following him around now instead. :P

So onto the vector, while image searching I stumbled across GQ Magazine's 09 February issue featuring John. I had been toying around with the idea of vectoring a magazine cover for awhile, just hadn't found any that made me really stop. Until this one. (Btw, it'll do you good if you click on the images linked). :)

Okay, so I think this is one of my BEST. I know, I'm not supposed to go around self-proclaiming that I love my work, but this one, I really do love. I was curious to see how this idea of doing the vector & then adding the magazine text back on top would turn out...and I'm extremely satisfied. I also tried to run the vector through a few different washes, click here if you're curious. Btw, for those of you that have been following this blog I think you'll agree with me, that I've finally mastered facial hair, yayy!

On a side note, if I ran my own magazine...every month would have a featured vectorized hottie on the cover. ;)

Back to Basics

Now there's nothing basic about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, but the particular picture I chose to vectorize has a lot basic about it. It's your classic portrait shot. After the last few monumental vector projects, I wanted to bring it back to the basics. Something I could just breeze through, sit back & enjoy easily piecing together. Well, I suppose easily is open to interpretation, heh.

So, onto the subject. :) Over the weekend while lounging on my couch watching 'Jodha Akbar', I was reminded of Aishwarya. I never really understood why a lot of the media likes to label her as an over dramatic actress. I personally think she's fantastic, and write off those critics to jealously. :P I mean c'mon, this woman is a world-wide icon. And she's a very talented actress. Why else would director's like Mani Ratnam cast her time & time again in his movies?

In fact, she's starring alongside her hubby, Abhishek Bachchan in Mani's upcoming movie titled 'Raavan'. Rumor has it, she appears with 'no make up' in the movie & unlike most actresses I can think off, I'm sure she won't scare any movie-goers outta the theatre. ;) My only pet peeve with Aishwarya is her confused accent - - tends to sound rather "put on" at times.

Anyway, vector wise I think I definitely brought out a younger Aishwarya. I didn't work in every crease and line on her face, which plays a large part. I personally love how delicate, soft & pretty the vector turned out.
I think Aishwarya struck the perfect balance between understated, yet beautiful with this look at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. I find her slicked back pony-tail refreshing compared to the usual loose waves/pin straight hair. FYI it takes a women with really striking features and confidence to wear that look. A lot of Bollywood celebs hide behind a styled mane, which perfectly frames their face, accents the right contours and achieves an overall slimming look. Then again, what woman wouldn't want to achieve all of the above? :P

If you're interested, click here for the HQ version.

King of the Courts

Okay, so the title is debatable...but as far as I'm concerned, Roger Federer is the King of the Courts & will always be in my books. I fell in love with his tennis the day I watched him take down Pete Sampras at the 4th Round in Wimbledon back in 2001. I remember getting all geared up to watch the match to cheer on Sampras, but as the match progressed I was enthralled by the then, 'underdog'. He was so agile yet graceful, powerful yet controlled, and just an absolute delight to watch.

As his rise to the top continued (thankfully along the way he let go of that goofy slicked back pony-tail, heh), I followed along and with each match & victory my adoration for Roger as a tennis player grew. His precise shot-making, backhand winners, suave court demeanour, and best of all his candid emotions post-every-major-victory makes me just want to run up and hug the guy! He's just amazing. :)

And what better time for me to do a vector of Roger than now? 2009 has been a delight. Roger finally defeated Nadal after an intense, media sensationalized, 5-match losing streak. He then tied the nuptial knot with his long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec, both of whom are awaiting the arrival of their first baby! Though the most significant moment (career-wise) would be his 2009 win at the French Open - FINALLY. He's now not only a part of the exclusive club of tennis players that have won all 4 Grand Slams, but has also matched Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam titles! I'd say that's a pretty spectacular year. :)

Click here for the HQ version. So onto the vector, I initially wanted to vectorize a picture of Roger kissing the French Open Trophy (but unfortunately couldn't find one that was high-res enough), but then I came across Roger & Mirka's wedding photo spread in 'Schweizer illustrierte'. Lots of beautiful pictures of the couple are featured in the magazine, and this one happened to be my favorite. As far as technicalities go, it was pretty smooth sailing. I focused on making sure I captured Roger's signature smile, deep-set eyes & luscious hair. Mirka's hair involved a bit of work to get the right highlights - - but beyond the two subjects, I think the bouquet came out quite perfect. ;)

I should probably try and submit this piece as 'Fan Art' via the Roger Federer Official Fansite. That would be amazing if he actually got to see it & better yet, if he has something to say about it. Eeks, that would be my vector 'career' high if that happened, haha. Silliness aside, I can't wait for Wimbledon 2009! I really hope he cruises his way into the finals to win his 15th Grand Slam Title to prove to the world that he is The King of the Courts. He can count on me staying up into the wee hours of the morning watching him play live tennis while cheering & clapping my heart out. Yes, I am one of those people that believe Roger will somehow "hear" me and emerge victorious. :)

Barbie Loves MAC

Rewind back to when I was kid, and like so many little girls I was Barbie crazy. Mattel made my after-school world go around. I had the entire collection. You name it, I had it. From the Lifeguard Barbie with the bathing suit that changed color underwater all the way through till the Pizza Hut Delivery Teen Ken-Doll. Yup, it was an official addiction. And it didn't just stop at the dolls, along with it came the craving to buy Barbie clothes, shoes, cars, furniture and whatever else I felt she needed to exist in her perfect little Barbie world.

And contrary to popular belief (particularly that of feminists), I turned out perfectly fine. Heh, I don't have confused ideals about what the perfect female body looks like (I think we can all agree that Barbie was a tad lop-sided) and nor do I fantasize about material things 24/7. In fact, I'm saving my vintage collection (that is if the Barbie of 2000-whenever-I-have-a-kid isn't cooler than old school) to pass down the generations. ;)

So anyway, when looking around for what to vector next I was tossing around ideas revolving around make up. And with summer officially here (in most parts of the world anyway), I really wanted to play around with some colors. That's when my eyes came across MAC Cosmetic's 2007 Spring Ad Campaign titled 'Barbie Loves MAC'. The campaign had Barbie written all over it, with the models made to look just like Barbie, with the pouty signature pink lip, bright eye make up & highly exaggerated eye lashes.

After browsing through the ad campaign, I was set on making it my next vector. I liked that the pictures had a focus which I turned into my focus when vectoring. I wanted to capture the essence of Barbie - I had to make sure I hit the nail on the head with the eyes & the lips...and I have to say, working on this vector, makes me wish I was a little girl again! :)


This vector was so much fun to do! Making the eye make up blend smoothly and bringing the glossy effect of the 'Barbie pout' felt just like playing with make up in real life - just a carefree, girly time. I actually think the vectorized version is one step closer to looking like Barbie simply because it lacks the realism of the photographs. I definitely took on a project and a half by taking on four photographs all at the same time to create one vector - - but I love the finished piece! :)



I think my personal favorite would be the way the Blonde model (on the bottom right) turned out. She's looks so Barbie-esque. I love it! :) Though the original blonde & blue-eyed Barbie was apparently born in California...and if that's the case, then this particular Barbie needs more of a tan, because this Blonde looks like the depiction of a pretty, porceline 'Scandinavian Barbie'. :P Click here for the HQ version.

Vectorized Fingers...toughie!

Ta-da, the big reveal of my very first request! I have to admit, I was a little bit skeptical about accepting a request - but considering that the subject was a photographer (who also happens to be a fellow blogger), I had faith that he'd have an artistic understanding of what could be vectorized.

After looking through the images he sent across, I picked this particular image for two main reasons. 1) I was already thinking of venturing into black & whites. 2) I knew it would be a challenge. Plus, I felt the need to push the limits a bit after being diagnosed with OCD. ;)

So what makes this picture so challenging? Eeks, the fingers! When it comes to vectoring a person's face for instance it's up to the artist to hone in on the key features to make that person's face true to life. But hands? Fingers? Thankfully the original image size was massive - - making it that much more possible to sit down and analyze how to tackle vectoring the hands. Here's a close up of the hands and the camera.....


....and I am so, so, so satisfied! :O) I was a little worried when I started because initially the fingers looked like blobs of flesh (ew!) which over time, with continuous added touches turned out to look as real as possible, yay! Anyway, fingers aside, here''s the final product!

I'm throwing modesty outta the window with what I'm going to say here....but I think I'm going to start charging for future vector requests. ;P

PS - If you are interested, click here to view the HQ image of this vector.

I have OCD

Taking some time off in between vectors is definitely needed. After the previous one I had to step away for a little while so that I wouldn't lose my 20-20 vision, heh. So, who are the non-celeb subjects?

Well, the person on the left would be moi, and on the right is one of my besties. Her birthday is coming up and considering the miles and miles between us at the moment, I figured I'd email her a present versus send over a package (which for some reason never seems to get to people on time!). I was tossing around a bunch of ideas, and then it struck me. Why not vector a little picture of the two of us and send a birthday wish alongside it? So I did.

Every time I sit down to vector, I have the audience in mind. Some vectors require heavy detailing and hours of work - - because they are what I consider art pieces. The kind of work I showcase and love hearing constructive feedback about. But this one, this was just for fun. :) In fact, I was contemplating whether to post this vector or not. I didn't do this vector with the intention of creating an art piece in mind, so to my pixel-obsessed-perfectionist self I would maybe give this like a 6 out of 10 on the art-scale.

I didn't spend a whole lot of time on the over all detailing - specifically for the hair and skin shadows. And as far as the features are concerned, I was only aiming to cover the basic essentials that to any naked eye (artist or not), would register as "myself and J---- in the cartoon form". Which I think this vector does sufficient justice too. :) I actually enjoyed the more laid-back approach for a change... but I'm not going to lie, I can't seem to make myself a 100% satisfied with vectors that have too few layers. I think I have a mild form of OCD, heh.

All that said and done, it was interesting working on known subjects. I think it's only natural to be extra critical (art piece or not) when vectoring someone you either know in real life...or for that matter, the person that looks back at you in the mirror everyday!

No drama, just fun

So I took the plunge. Thought I'd take a break from doing portraits and opted for a group shot instead. Since I've been OD-ing on MTV's The Hills Season 5, it seemed only natural to vector the girls from the show. I think this picture is adorable - very "No drama, just fun" (ahem, Audrina might want to re-think what she said pre-Hawaii). Anyway, for those of you that watch the show, I think we all can agree that there is no such thing as 'No drama' when it comes to their lives. From the semi-psychotic Pratt siblings, to Audrina and her love-hate relationship with Justin Bobby, all the way through till Heidi's I got married under the influence of Tequila stories, the show is a bag full of drama. Voyeuristic, silly, 'reality TV' drama that I can't help but watch. :)

Now that everyone knows that I'm a sucker for reality TV, heh, let's move on to the vector. Numero uno, I should have stopped myself after realizing that the largest resolution I could get for this picture was not high enough. The original size of the image was around 400 x 700 aka not clear enough when working with pixels. But by the time I realized that, I had already completed Audrina and come to terms with the fact that the challenge of guess-timating was actually kind of fun. I took the liberty of tweaking things here and there such as opening up Audrina's sleepy eye and giving Lauren heavier eye-make up. Here's my version of the picture:

I'm satisfied. I thought I'd never capture the inside of Heidi's mouth - I know, random - but I did, so yay! Though, I did make a mental note to self that future 'group shots' will only be attempted if it's an HQ image and high-res.

If you are curious click here to see the graphic in high resolution.