Hey! This week I went to go see my hand embellished star bear sculpture displayed at MakeUp LA!

Me and 6 other artists were commissioned by Club Kuma to hand embellish their mascot, Star Bear. This opportunity came to me through one of my collectors I met through some art friends and Giant Robot. It was kind of a tricky project because I wasn't sure what kind of surface this bear was going to be until I received it. Thankfully, it was a slightly toothy vinyl which was really satisfying to draw on with a dark graphite pencil. The most difficult part of the process was trying not to smudge any of the graphite around. I had to hold the bear in weird angles so I could draw on it without placing my hand on the surface too much. I still had a bit of smudging happen so I spent a little time cleaning it up with an eraser and also a bit of alcohol. After I was happy with it, I sprayed it down with a shiny gloss finish which deepened the darks and protected it from further smudging. This was the first time I incorporated some of my tooth jewelry in with a piece which was so exciting too!

Seeing it displayed at the convention was really special. I wasn't aware of how they were going to be displayed so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw they had set up these glowing pedestals!

It’s always super rewarding to see your own work displayed to the public and I had a great time wandering around the convention with my good friends Ryan & Marina!