Keiki summer art camp

 It was a fun week of summer art camp for keiki at my studio!🎨😊 We explored painting, drawing, mixed media and paper mâché🍍🐦🌻🐳🐬 a busy and fun week!

Keiki after school art

My keiki after school art is in the 9th year!🖍🎨😊

The theme on the 4th quarter was "Spring in Hawai'i"; we learned Hawaiian plants and animals and their habitats: 'i'iwi bird, ʻohia lehua, nēnē, ʻohelo berry, happy face spider, humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa and more. Here are just few pictures of amazing work of keiki!

Thank you so much for Waikoloa Elementary School!

Spring Break Art Workshop for Youth

 Aloha🌺 

This week I am so honored to teach Coloring Book Project🖍 at East Hawai'i Cultural Center (Hilo, Hawai'i) for keiki ages 8 to 14. Our goal is to learn about our native plants and animals of Hawai'i, and create a coloring book together to spread awareness for sour special 'āina🏝

I created these coloring pages for your keiki to learn and cherish these animals and plants, mostly endemic (exist only in Hawaiʻi).  E mālama ʻāina kākou!

Mālama coloring pages

New Book! Tūtūʻs Secret

Aloha🌺

My new book "Tūtūʻs Secret" is here! Written by Gloria Blum, published by Island Heritage. The book I will remember illustrating with fond memory. I received this manuscript a few month after I became tūtū (grandmother) myself and illustrated while my husband and I drove to see her weekly to south Kona. Driving more than 3 hours round trip each week, the view and feeling of south Kona became the inspiration for this illustration. I wanted to illustrate many Hawaiian native plants and animals to communicate Tūtūʻs memories from Old Hawaiʻi, kind of the feeling I still get in south Kona. 

When I first read the manuscript, I wanted to wove and celebrate the kaloʻs life cycle in my illustration (even that was not actually written in the story). I wanted to use growing kalo as a symbol of ʻohana. I wanted to illustrate the tūtūʻs wisdom that is passed on to her moʻopuna (grandchildren) still live in them and they can live the wisdom and pass on to the next generation, just like how each kalo makua (parents) plant produce many keiki plants..I hope keiki will notice a little kalo planted by tūtū and Lani in the story keep growing to the last page full of multiple kalo.  Mahalo ke Akua.

Tūtūʻs Secret

Book event and signing for my new book Tūtūʻs Secret

This weekend, I attended e book event/signing at Basically Books, for my newest illustrated childrenʻs book Tūtūʻs Secret, written by Gloria Blum, published by Island Heritage.

I met the author Gloria her husband first time, and reacquainted with many other people there! I felt so honored to participate in the event and shared the story, my illustration process with like minded people.

Mahalo nui loa for the people who hosted this event and everyone who attended. I really appreciate it for your aloha!

New Book! Pop-Up Dollhouse

 Aloha! 🌈🌺

I had privilege to collaborate with Hawaii's toy company Keiki Kaukau, and illustrate "Hale Laureʻa: Pop-Up Dollhouse" inspired by mid-century plantation homes in Hawai'i🏝 The book will open up to 4 rooms: lanai, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

I hope keiki will look for many little ethnic items of Old Hawai'i, I illustrated with great details and love and hid under flaps.

Hale Laureʻa: Pop-Up Dollhouse

*Free Coloring Page* Hawaiian Colors

I love happy colors of Hawaiʻi🌈  

To celebrate National Coloring Book Day (7/2), I made a free coloring sheet of friendly Hawaiian ocean critters for your keiki, to learn Hawaiian colors. You can print it to regular 8-1/2" x 11" copy paper, cut the straight line, and fold in dotted lines to make a little coloring book of your own😊 

Happy coloring, and have a beautiful day!

Hawaiian Colors

New Book The gecko says, "click, click!"

 Hello June!

A new baby board book I wrote and illustrated have been just published and available in store in Hawai'i.

It's about Hawaii's animal sounds, diversity and togetherness with harmony.

I created this book from the viewpoint of our grand-daughter Eden who lives in the farm with lots of animal sounds, and dedicated for her😊

www.welcometotheislands.com

Hawaiian Rainforest Colors - free coloring sheet

 I love walking in Hawaiian rainforest! How blessing it is that we live in this special place surrounded with God's beauty! To celebrate February - Hawaiian Language Month, Mahina 'Olelo Hawai'i, I made a free coloring sheet of endangered species for your keiki, to learn Hawaiian colors. I might make more sheets to feature more colors later. Happy coloring, and have a beautiful day!

Hawaiian Rainforest Colors

Flower Fairies Paper Doll book: Fall/Winter/Wild Flowers

I am so happy to share with you my new paperdoll books I illustrated: Flower Fairies  Volume 1 & 2. 

Volume 1 is Spring/Summer flowers and Volume 2 is Autumn/Winter/Wild Flowers. Here are some pictures of Vol.2 to celebrate our cooler weather right now. These books are so special to me, as I initially started so many years ago and just recently completed. Though I live in Hawai'i, I love all sorts of flowers and these flowers are culminations of so many things I love: flowers, nature, paper dolls, charming Victorian time. So thankful for publisher Jenny Taliadors and editor/designer Julie Allen Matthews. Both books are available paperdollreview.com 

available at paperdollreview