Shark card in action!

I recently received this from Jay Wong, who was kind enough to send me photos from his wedding. I'm always happy to see my work in action (and it's actually my first time seeing it in print!). Best wishes for the newlyweds! :)

If you would like to use this card at your wedding, click here for more information! There is no charge for using it and I only ask you make a donation to a foundation involved in shark conservation.

An update: The possession and consumption of shark fin products is now banned in Toronto! There is now a call for a shark fin ban at the federal level. Please sign the petition here!

Shark-loving couple!

Finished the new shark card! I must thank the enthusiastic engaged couples who have contacted me about using my shark card for their wedding. This wouldn't exist without their support. :)

I wanted to make it as close to my original shark card as possible (yes, I reused the border and background :'D), but I quickly realized it's hard to draw the same way you did a year ago!

If the text is too small to read in the picture, I am basically allowing couples to use this illustration for free as their wedding card, etc. as long as they show me their commitment to the cause. :)

Terms of use and instructions on how to get the high-res file from me after the jump:

WIP: new shark card

The details are taking a while! But I wanted it to be clear the people are the bride and groom this time around. :)
Still some ways to go...

I'm going to apologize in advance to whoever uses this for their wedding cards - the reds are not CMYK-friendly at all. B-but I really enjoy painting in RGB mode. Yay for screen displays?!

Sharks in our oceans, not in our bow(e)ls!

I have become a bit of a shark conservation activist recently, and I had the pleasure of creating a couple of quick illustrations for Shark Truth, a nonprofit group based in Vancouver, BC, that aims to educate Chinese communities on the environmental issues surrounding shark fin soup, promote awareness, and ultimately, put an end to shark fin consumption in Canada. These illustrations will be printed and used as signs in a photo mob. Credit must be given to my friend who misread "bowls" as "bowels", which led to the creation of the second illustration (Hey look! I sort of used my medical illustrator skillz! lol)

Sharks in our oceans, not in our bow(e)ls!

Photoshop CS4

Recently, California introduced Bill AB376 to ban the sale of sharkfin soup. Some Chinese communities have expressed anger at a proposed ban of shark fin consumption, crying "racism" and touting that shark fin soup is part of the Chinese culture. However, they only represent a part of the Chinese community and many of us support this bill. The team at Shark Truth has been working hard on creating a "mob photo" to submit to the California government in an effort to ban the sale and consumption of shark fin and to demonstrate that the Chinese also support this move.

Here in Canada, a ban on shark fin sales and possession has already been inplemented in Brantford, Ontario. The Scarborough Councillor is now also proposing a city-wide ban. So let's get this show rollin' in Toronto!

For more information on why shark finning needs to stop, visit the website for the Sharkwater documentary.

If you would like to use my illustrations to help stop the soup, please feel free to email me for permission. Please include details on how you plan on using the illustrations, etc. 

Still to come on the shark fin agenda: Wedding card for free use. I haven't forgotten! The sketch is already done (scheduled for August). :)

Shark finning card in the paper! :)

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share that my  "Say no to shark fin soup" illustration created for my sister's wedding is in The Globe and Mail today (page 2 of Life section)! A reporter initially emailed me about the guests' reactions to the absence of shark fin soup at my sister's wedding (which I deferred to my sister, naturally) and everything kind of came together this way.

I think it's fantastic that there is growing awareness of how cruel and unsustainable shark finning is, and I'm happy my illustration can contribute to educating the public. For more information on shark finning, be sure to check out www.sharkwater.com.

My work encompasses a variety of styles, but if you're interested in seeing more of my cute card designs, please visit my portfolio on Carbonmade. :)

UPDATE: I'm planning on creating a new card for free use by couples getting married! The only requirement is that the couple will make a donation to WildAid or any other legitimate organization involved with shark conservation (and of course, boycott shark fin soup at their wedding). Please look forward to it!

Say no to shark fin soup II

Shark fin soup is a very popular dish in Chinese cuisine and is a standard item on banquet menus. However, my sister and i have been boycotting this delicacy for several years now because shark finning is a cruel and unsustainable practice. So for my sister's wedding, i designed this card to explain why shark fin soup was absent from the menu and to educate wedding attendees about shark finning. Although a realistic, gory depiction would likely have been more effective in deterring people from consuming the dish, i decided to keep the design cute and pleasant - this was a wedding afterall!

This is the much reworked final version of the illustration i started a year ago...

say no to shark fin soup!
adobe photoshop CS4 + paintTool SAI 1.01
background textures from CGtextures.com

We printed 250 of these suckers (10pt coated, 4x6"), but i forgot to get one for myself...! D:


Here is one of my cards in action! :)


For more information on shark finning, please visit www.sharkwater.com

Say no to shark fin soup!

say no to shark fin soup!
SAI 1.01 + Photoshop CS2
b/g textures from www.cgtextures.com

Shark fin soup is a very popular dish in Chinese cuisine, but the fins are attained in a very inhumane way - conscious sharks are tossed back into the water once their fins are removed, and are basically left to die. Shark finning also plays a leading role in decimating shark populations and disrupting ecosystems. Please check out the SHARKWATER website for more information on the consequences of shark finning (as i can't seem to write properly today...) and what you can do to help stop such cruelty.

i was going for a paper cut-out sort of look with this one. i was inspired by Dric's incredible artwork that i first saw in volume 2 of Apple. This image will be used in the future sooo will probably post the finalized version then. :)