Category Archives: art

Design Star Season 4 – Asian American edition

HGTV Design Star is back for an electrifying fourth season with 11 fiercely competitive and creative finalists. The finalists, featuring professional designers, home stagers, architects and artists, must navigate the most demanding design challenges in the series’ history and dazzle the judges with creativity and ingenuity until one wins their own show on HGTV. You can catch the show on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Here’s some of the Asian American faces on the show.

Renowned interior designer Vern Yip returns as a judge on the exciting fourth season of HGTV’s Design Star, where he will help discover America’s next great design talent. He’s also the host of HGTV’s inspirational makeover series Deserving Design, which has transformed countless homes and restaurants with beautiful makeovers on several design television shows and through his private practice.

Contestant Jany Lee hails from Dallas, TX, but is originally from Canada. Before her husband’s job was transferred to Dallas, Jany owned her own design business in Toronto. Her self-described style is classic, contemporary and glamorous, which helped her find a niche flipping houses and designing rooms for clients. Since moving to Texas, Jany has undertaken the task of redesigning her new home and has tackled every job from installing hardwood floors and removing walls to selecting colors and accessorizing. Hope this Salsa dancing, world traveling designer makes it far into the competition.

Jany Lee audition video for HGTV’s Design Star

iGoogle Comic Themes

If you can’t be at the 2009 San Diego Comic-con, you can be there in spirit by customizing your iGoogle page. Here’s a bunch of cool Asian American artist designs you can pick from:

Gene Luen YangAmerican Born Chinese

Asian-American Jin Wang just doesn’t fit in at school. Why should he be himself if he can become somebody else? See more of Gene Luen Yang’s work here

Derek Kirk Kim – The Eternal Smile

Written by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by Derek Kirk Kim, the stories in The Eternal Smile explore the lines between fantasy and reality, telling tales about how lives are affected by the realities people choose to believe in. See more of Derek Kirk Kim’s work here.

Lark Pien

The stories and art of Lark Pien champion the spirit of curiosity and innovation. Sometimes playful, sometimes precarious, her work invites all blithe readers seeking the eternal daydream. Learn more about Lark Pien here.

Hellen Jo

San Francisco cartoonist and illustrator Hellen Jo is the creator of such comics as teen horror-romance, Paralysis, girl pulp fiction Blister, and most recently, coming of age series, Jin & Jam. Her comics and illustrations highlight the joys and sorrows of the American teenage experience. Learn more about Hellen Jo here.

Other artists of interest include Daisuke Igarashi, Rumiko Takahashi, TOKYOPOP Kawaii, TOKYOPOP Kakoii, and Shojo Beat. See all the themes here.

Here’s how to change your iGoogle theme

2009 San Diego Comic Con – Asian American edition

If you are at the 2009 San Diego Comic con, be sure to check out all the Asian American artists out there. We have seen a sampling with Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology. They’ll be at Booth #1735. Along with editors Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, Keith Chow and Jerry Ma, they have scheduled appearances at the Secret Identities include Kelly Hu, Keiko Agena, Sonny Liew, Ming Doyle, Bernard Chang and more. Secret Identities Editor-in-Chief Jeff Yang moderates a Panel featuring Dwayne McDuffie, Gail Simone, Jai Nitz, Stuart Moore and Gene Yang. Check the full lineup here.

Over at Imprint TALK, they have a 4-part guide to navigate through San Diego Comic Con to see all the panels that include Asian-Americans (artists, actors, industry people) as well as anything and everything to do with Asian pop culture.

Thursday

Highlights include Spotlight on Gene Yang, MMA fighter Cung Le at Overture Films: Pandorum, and Focus Features: Thirst

Friday

Highlights Meet The Guild, Ming-Na at Stargate Universe, John Cho at Flash Forward & TV Guide Magazine: Sci Fi Hot List, Olivia Munn at G4: Attack of the Show, Anil Kapoor at 24, and Four Color Reality: Making Comics Relevant to Readers Across Cultures

Saturday

Highlights include Women in Manga, Grant Imahara at Myth Busters Q&A and Sneak Peeks, Chris Yen at Give ‘Em Hell Malone

Sunday

Highlights include Kelly Hu at The Spectacular Spider-Man, Nick Jr. Presents: Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and Wonder Pets!, 25 Years of Usagi Yojimbo: Spotlight on Stan Sakai, and Charlyne Yi at Overture Pictures: Paper Heart

Also the San Diego Asian Film Festival will be out there too at Booth #4019. BTW – if you can’t make it out there Angry Asian Man has an asian american superhero contest

Visit the Secret Identities booth at 2009 San Diego Comic Con

Draw Fight – Bernard Chang vs Sean Chen

Check out this draw fight from Asian American Comic-Con. Bernard Chang used to draw The Second life of Dr. Mirage for Valiant Comics and now does illustration for big-time clients like the New York Times and Sony. Sean Chen draws flagship titles such as Iron Man, Elektra and Nova for Marvel. MTV Iggy pits these two artists together in a drawing fight. They have to be quick on the draw.

Draw Fight – Bernard Chang vs Sean Chen