My sister from Vancouver send this to me tonight. I didn't have much fascination with the recent royal wedding, but these comparisons are hilarious!



Not a coincidence. [link]

During our lunch meeting and 'photo shoot' for *crayonmaniac, Jurgen told us about the extended version of Avatar. Lo and behold, he completed this incredible piece for Doug and myself! What a complete surprise! Such a sweet and thoughtful friend! We LOVE IT!

While breaking records on ShadowNESS, Master Shifu still had the time to finish this beautiful Neytiri painting! He is the consummate multi-takser! Thank you very much, buddy!

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Today I received this stunning painting from a dear friend, Charlotte, ~hel999.



Spring is an exquisite painting of a gorgeous Asian beauty. She is adorned with the most flattering jewelries. Pretty much everything that's up my ally, Charlotte included them in the painting.

Thank you so much, Charlotte! I love the painting with all my heart!

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Can you guess which one of the following famous artists used photographs for his paintings?

1. PICASSO
2. DEGAS
3. ALPHONSE MUCHA
4. KAHLO
5. CEZANNE
6. GAUGUIN
7. LAUTREC
8. VAN GOGH
9. ALTON TOBEY
10. NORMAN ROCKWELL

Any guess? Go to the bottom of the journal to see the answer.

My husband came across a very interesting article today. [link] a few minutes to read the article. It's refreshing!

"...Using photographs as reference is NOT breaking any rules. Even before photography, artists used the camera obscura."

“The most praiseworthy form of painting is the one that most resembles what it imitates” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

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Answer:

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We are proud to announce that *crayonmaniac, !JurgenDoe, *MayFong and *Tammara have banded together as the new DA Musketeers!

Our passion in digital art and the pursuit of artistic beauty prompted us to join forces on a mission of creative adventures. Our goal is to work on individual or joint projects to bring cheers to selected lovable and unsuspecting fellow deviants. While we bring artistic joy to others, the DA Musketeers will endeavor to improve our skills and widen our horizon by learning from each other.  

Allow us to humbly present the DA Musketeers ~

Crayamis - The diplomatic ambassador of the DA Musketeers. She is the passionate artist who hypnotizes the masses with her pin-up beauties.

D'artagnan - The technical engineer of the DA Musketeers. He is the talented artist who amazes us with adorable caricatures and sexy warriors.

Maythos - The enthusiastic cheerleader of the DA Musketeers. She is the zealous artist who adores and admires all things sublime.   

Tamthos - The enlightened artisan of the DA Musketeers. She is the brilliant artist who creates ethereal paintings with achingly delicate realism.


Friendship and Togetherness,
Stand Large Upon Our Banners.

Tablets and digital pens,
We are the DA Musketeers.

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The long-awaited 'The Three Smurfeteers' are here! Jurgen Doe just completed the cutest painting of Crayamis, D'artagnan, and Maythos! We are wearing our splendid outfits. Check out the fancy hats and the sparkly swords!   

These wonderful gifts will also be permanently displayed on my journal page! [link]

:thumb204742574: The Three Smurfeteers by

Like a Shooting Star by

:thumb203833062: Smurfette and Mayfette by

May Fong stamp by

:thumb203379138:    DA Divas banner and stamp by

:thumb203141792: Lazy Smurf 2 by

Prayer for Japan by

Rani Orchid Collector by

Black Swan by

  My Chinese name in calligraphy    by  

  The Pearl Collector     by

~~~~~~~~~



it is official : May Fong and Crayonmaniac (May and Cray in short), have teamed up in an artistic association called the DA Divas. (Earlier versions of the team name like Pushy & Bossy have been discarded after wise deliberation lol).

The DA Divas certainly share a love for beauty, crazy details and lots of blingbling, so they decided that from time to time they would paint a common subject, each in their own style, and offer those paintings to some lucky individual and yes, in April already, a certain someone is going to be very happy indeed.

But enough said already, the Divas have some difficult and rewarding painting to do, so stay tuned for the first work of the DA Divas. Spread the word and give us your support so that we can dazzle you with lots of glamor and eye candy


~~~~~~

First Cray & May art project: 'Emanuela for Jurgen Doe'  

   

The most unexpected happened.  Liz Taylor - Fond Reflection received a DD today!  [link]

I want to thank JurgenDoe, ,  for this DD suggestion. He and I were talking last night and I didn't suspect a thing. He is the most wonderful person who can really keep a secret!    

I also want to thank my other half of DA Divas, Cray ! Her Ava Gardner [link], which received a DD, inspired me to paint Liz Taylor.  Lo and behold, Liz also received a DD! This is serendipity and of course, the magic touch of the mighty maestro, Jurgen Doe!  

There are so many kind messages in my inbox that I got a bit disoriented. Since it will take a while to thank all of you individually, here is a quick journal to express my sincere gratitude!





======================

Jurgen Doe did it again! He came up with the cutest Smurfette and Mayette (DA Diva's alter ego.)  

:thumb203833062:  Smurfette looks sexy in her Marilyn Monroe white dress and I look fabulous in my beautiful red outfit!  

======================





it is official : May Fong and Crayonmaniac (May and Cray in short), have teamed up in an artistic association called the DA Divas
(Earlier versions of the team name like Pushy & Bossy have been discarded after wise deliberation lol)

The DA Divas certainly share a love for beauty, crazy details and lots of blingbling, so they decided that from time to time they would paint a common subject, each in their own style, and offer those paintings to some lucky individual and yes, in April already, a certain someone is going to be very happy indeed.

But enough said already, the Divas have some difficult and rewarding painting to do, so stay tuned for the first work of the DA Divas. Spread the word and give us your support so that we can dazzle you with lots of glamor and eye candy


May, the other half of the DA Divas

  


p.s.  The wonderful Jurgen Doe designed the beautiful banner and stamp for the DA Divas!

~~~~~~


We have done it, today we have posted our first joined works :

Emanuela for Jurgen Doe -

Cray's dedication, Devious Dreams:

My dedication, Summer Dreams:

Since yesterday it is official : May Fong and Crayonmaniac (May and Cray in short), have teamed up in an artistic association called the DA Divas
(Earlier versions of the team name like Pushy & Bossy have been discarded after wise deliberation lol)

The DA Divas certainly share a love for beauty, crazy details and lots of blingbling, so they decided that from time to time they would paint a common subject, each in their own style, and offer those paintings to some lucky individual and yes, in April already, a certain someone is going to be very happy indeed.

But enough said already, the Divas have some difficult and rewarding painting to do, so stay tuned for the first work of the DA Divas. Spread the word and give us your support so that we can dazzle you with lots of glamor and eye candy


May, the other half of the DA Divas

  


p.s.  The wonderful Jurgen Doe designed the beautiful banner and stamp for the DA Divas!

~~~~~~


We have done it, today we have posted our first joined works :

Emanuela for Jurgen Doe -

Cray's dedication, Devious Dreams:

My dedication, Summer Dreams:

The talented Christine painted the gorgeous Orchid Collector for me!



In addition to the  delicate orchids, this Indian beauty has the most beautiful face and the most opulent sarees. The amount of work that went into this painting is mind-blowing. Christine is truly a maniac when it comes to the pursuit of sublime beauty!

Thank you so much for this sweet gesture, dear Christine!

Here are some of her other splendid art!

  

Actress Dame Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79.  She died peacefully today in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Liz Taylor was a legendary actress and a fearless activist. She will be remembered.

Rest in peace.

  My dear friend, Ana, competed a stunning Black Swan painting for me today! This is only Ana's second attempt in digital painting. She did an incredible job! I just love it!

Jung Shan combines the traditional Chinese ink with Western digital drawing. The result is absolutely stunning and ethereal. I often find myself getting lost in her paintings. Here are just some examples:







Enjoy!

by A wonderful friend, Carmen, did this beautiful calligraphy for me! It's my Chinese name! I LOVE IT!

Here are some more of Carmen's amazing calligraphy:

  


Here are a few of her delightful artwork:

    


Please do check out her lovely gallery! [link]

I came across my 'Uncompleted' folder today. What a shock to see that I had over half a dozen unfinished paintings last year. For one reason or another, I just did not complete them. Since I may never work on them again, this may be the only time these rough-looking drawings ever get posted. Hopefully I will be more diligent in 2011.


             

          

The talented Christine painted a beautiful Pearl Collector for me!



This exotic beauty has the most beautiful headpiece framing her gorgeous face. I absolutely adore the rich red brocade qipao. This painting is special to me in so many ways. It's a precious gift from the dearest friend. It's also a tremendous honor that Christine was inspired by Rising Phoenix. Finally, this is an original work of art with one of a kind designs in jewelry and dress. I LOVE my Pearl Collector!

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, dear Christine!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Mari, a dear friend, recently purchased a 20" x 30" print of Rising Phoenix. She did such a great job selecting the perfect frame and complimenting it with a crisp white mat. I love how big and how gorgeous it looks on the wall. (I know, I am biased!)

---> [link]


Here are some of Mari's beautiful digital art:

    

I transformed my pencil drawings of Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor into adorable elves.

Check out the Hollywood legends doing the Charleston Dance! [link]




Happy Holidays!

UPDATE:

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT! I am deeply touched to see all the positive comments. It just warms my heart to know that in this vast Internet DA space; I am not alone. I have great friends who share common interests in art creation and art appreciation. By the way, I will take time to answer everyone individually. Thank you for the good wishes and words of encouragement! I can not begin to express my gratitude!

In the meantime, I want to give you an update. The person just sent me an ill-constructed apology. The person has also deactivated all the profiles.


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November 16, 2010 at 9:59 am

nolhog says:

mayfong: i just wanted to say i will not try to convince you anymore that even though you eyedrop colors, you are not painting from scratch. i’m sorry you feel so offended, but i will not be commenting on your page anymore.

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Dear Watchers,

I have been aggressively harassed, stalked and bullied for the last 3 weeks on DeviantART. I sent a request to DeviantART support desk for advice over 10 days ago, but I still did not receive a reply. My instinct was to show restraint and to ignore the person. However, after 3 weeks of this nonsense. I feel it's time to stand up for myself.  

Three weeks ago, I received a note from an anonymous person. The person 'demanded' to know why my latest digital painting was a replica of the photo. I replied to her politely and referred to an old journal entry which explained my painting methods. The person returned the note and attacked me for lying and being misleading. I explained that I have always painted from scratch and that I do not have to apologize for my work. I stated that I did not want to receive any more notes from her. I then proceeded to block the user after my second reply to her.

Since then, I have blocked 5 different profile names from her:
nolhog
nolhog2
nolhog3
nolhog4
nolhog5 - She is currently using this user-name to continue her harassment and stalking on my deviation page, but her comments are now targeting my viewers of that deviation.

There is another user now, strobo10, who may or may not be the same person. This person is also slithering in the dark on my deviation page. It's strange how there are people who like to make comments while hiding behind empty user accounts, void of any artwork or information.  

By the way, anyone who observes my WIPs animation can see that I use solid color blocking in the beginning of each drawing. I have to do detail shading one stroke at a time. Since I am self-taught in digital art a year ago, I only know this method of painting. I actually have no idea how to paint over a photo. It's amusing how some people project such negative energy towards something which is beyond their abilities or understanding. The old fashion method of using ruler and measurement is the method that I use to achieve precise proportions for my traditional and digital art. Please see an example here from the amazing imginee: [link]

I really should start to take these negative comments as compliments. I guess my paintings are so meticulous and realistic that some people just cannot understand how it's possible. I joined DeviantArt to enjoy and share art. I will continue to do so for those who enjoy my work. I appreciate you taking the time to read this journal entry.

Happy painting!

Recently I was interviewed by Artention. It's an informative and inspirational blog which highlights various graphic designers, digital artists and photographers. It also has a nice collection of daily-inspiration postings.

It was great to reflect upon my artistic journey in the summarized format. "Interview With The Gifted Digital Artist May Fong" [link]

Have a wonderful weekend!

Recently, I have discovered the wonder of stock photography on Deviant Art. Personally I love to see the artistic transformation. This feature highlights artwork from traditional artists, digital artists, and photo-manipulation artists. The photo references are from stock accounts and regular photo accounts. Hope you enjoy them!







           
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