Thursday, July 19, 2012

Iced Ginger Lemon Tea

There are just sometimes where I want something spicy to drink in hot weather, without it having to be a boiling hot tea. Additionally I've been wanting to become healthier. Drinking coffee can be a bit too much and black teas can be tiresome. So I started to look up different recipes and made this. Ginger tea is just so perfect and it is quite refreshing. It has quite a bite and is a perfect way to start off your day for work or what have you. Ginger is very good for people with high blood pressure and gives you quite a bit of energy. Please do not drink this at night if you want to fall asleep easier.



Recipe
Ginger
Water
1 tbs Honey/Sugar
1 tbs Lemon juice
Ice cubes

Ginger tea
  • Peel using potato peeler or spoon
  • chopped up and maybe even a bit mashed, then transfer into pot of water
  • boiled for a couple of hours, sift/filter out the ginger, and the tea put into the fridge
Step 1 - Into a nice tall glass, put 1/2 of it filled with ginger tea, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 1 tbs of honey, 1/4 of water, and mix well. (I personally like to use a shaker. I noticed that there are certain drinks that were made to be shaken like iced teas, for example)

Step 2 - Add several ice cubes to fill the glass up. The intention was for the drink to be strong so if you want it toned down, you can add more lemon juice and water. I love a really strong bite.

Garnish
  • Lemon slices and/or mint leaves 
  • You can also add a few drops of vanilla. (Highly recommended)

If you want to go a little further....

You can make plain ginger tea, ginger and honey tea marmalade in jar for yourself and/or as a great gift during winter or for someone who is sick with a cold/flu. (I'm totally doing this starting in fall)

Ginger tea hot or cold video by Maangchi




Pumpkin Smoothie

I tried out this recipe online posted on Facebook by Amber. If you have pumpkin puree on hand or frozen in the fridge, this is a very good drink for you. It reminds me of a pumpkin pie but with a very strong banana flavor in it, so I'd cut a bit of it out the next time. I really liked it. I may add more spices and pumpkin next time. It doesn't need a lot. I will post the recipe with my little tweaks to it but the original recipe is posted here. Remember it kinda makes  a very full tall glass cup full.


(REMEMBER: You must have a frozen banana on hand. So put some in a container with the peel taken off in the freezer the night before)


*Does not turn out this orange*


Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 5 min.


INGREDIENTS COST (total bull)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree $0.42
1 small or 2/3of a regular banana (frozen) $0.22
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (Don't DO IT!!!) $0.03
1 1/3 Tbsp honey $0.12
1/4 tsp or more pumpkin pie spice $0.05
1/4 tsp cinnamon $0.02
1 cup vanilla soy milk/Regular milk with a tsp of Vanilla $0.41
TOTAL
$1.27

STEP 1: Add everything to a blender. Add milk last just to make it a little less messy

STEP 2: Blend until smooth. You may need to stop to stir once or twice. If the smoothie is too thick, add a touch more milk. Add a bit of cinnamon on the top to garnish.


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Inspirational Artists - Nick Cross and Marlo Meekins






EVERYBODY LOOKIT THIS PIE CHART.

I copied it on a piece of paper and put it in between the casing of my tablet. I think every artists should post this somewhere. I wish I went to their panel at TCAAF. I listened to their interview on the Guys with Pencils podcast. I was listening to them while I was digital painting, but then I looked at their artwork. Marlo's comics were so gaddamn funny and Nick is super talented, that I had to listen to them again carefully.


(Nick Cross interior painting) 
 From what I can tell, they are an amazing couple. I can also attest to the importance of a very supportive significant other. It helps that my beau is also an animator. We help each other in artwork, emotional support, and motivation. If it were anybody else in any other profession, I feel that they would tell me to get a real job or choose a different profession. Like Nick Cross, Vince never gets mad and is always super chill.

I want to dedicate a portion of my time according to the pie chart. Yes, I wouldn't be able to create more of my own crappy artwork, but I'll get so much better faster. Studying other artists is basically them teaching you everything that they have learned through their art. Isn't that amazing?



I now have a huge girl crush on Marlo.

Flap your wings awkard Asian mom angel

I thought about mom being an angel and what that would be like. Can't help it. She's gotta be drawn. I pictured mom finally getting her wings and it being a very awkward and difficult (we tried teaching her dancing and it was nearly impossible).  It would take her a little while to learn how to fly properly. All the other angels or whatever would have to shout at her to stop running in the air, and to just flap her wings. If she couldn't learn how to text all these years, she'll probably just end up trying to 'walk' instead. (On clouds? Sure.)



Man that cat was scary.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Thumbnail drawings of a Korean lady

The expressions of a person who is scared, in pain, and trying to keep it all in.

I wish I drew more drawings of her when she was alive and well, but I thought she was going to live forever; telling me to always marry Korean guys or don't date at all, run around singing, saying weird Korean-mom things, cleaning, and cooking all the time.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Banner Fail.





What I realized from making this banner:

-Making it look too flashy may make one seem a bit pretentious.
-Always draw designs  on paper before you paint it digitally unless you have a cintique.
-Highly realistic style guns don't really go with super cartoony things sometimes. (That was supposed to be the point but it didn't work
-Texture overlays are awesome.
-One's name doesn't have to be so huge. Just placed/designed well. (I wish animation provided one graphic design class)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

New Banner

ALMOST DONE. Posted it anyway!

I've been meaning to do a banner for years! I really just wanted a very colorful viscacha firing an anti-air gun, and the design became a bit too flashy.

I wanted it to be fun and simple.

I love small cute and fat animals. I wanted to make the viscacha squinting as they normally do. But it's difficult when so much of it was covered up by the gun.