Confession

I have to admit it. I've gotten caught up in this American Idol thing. I'm actually watching it for the first time this season, though sometimes it's almost painful to watch and most of the time I agree with Simon's comments. I'm glad they have Paula there to have something nice to say to all the contestants, no matter what. Anyway, I did this sketch last week, before last night's show so of course it's way off because this singer was sporting a fake mohawk. There's a whole movement out there in the blogasphere to try to keep this kid in because in the beginning he really wasn't very good. But now I think he's as good as any teeny bopper pop star, he's emerging as a little star, as Simon said, in his own league. And he's so darn cute. And his hair was fun to draw.

P.S. My vote for the American Idol to make it to the end, Jordin Sparks, the other 17 year old. I did a sketch of her too, maybe I'll post it later.

P.P.S. Not that I really vote, of course.

A Night in Kalapana

Had a very magical night in Kalapana with Uncle Robert's family. Once a month they have a fund raiser dinner to benefit the children of the Hawaiian school there. It's not just dinner but also entertainment, first by the students and then some of the adults, like my friend, Puna and his sister Princess and cousin Leia, etc. Tonight though there was a special guest, Kealii Reichel who came and sang on stage with Uncle Robert's clan. Various members of the audience came up to dance the hula, all true Hawaiians, making it a truly special evening. Our friend Jeff was gaga over Kealii who sat at our table after he finished singing. Check out http://kealiireichel.com to see who he is.

Weekend in Honolulu

copyright 2007 by tuko fujisaki

I went to Honolulu with fellow illustrator Esther Szegedy over the weekend to attend a conference for children's book writers and illustrators. Though I was told I had a very professional looking portfolio--one I had dusted off and put together specifically for this conference, we were also told no one looks at them anymore. Duh, welcome to the 21st century.

Being in Honolulu reminded me how much I sometimes miss city stuff, though Puna traffic is about all I want to handle these days. That means 1 car every 5 to 10 minutes.

Anyway, I'm posting this illustration to illustrate my own pain. This conference was good medicine for me.

Heavy the rain.

I don't enjoy driving in it but I do like the rain here. Besides, I just shot this maybe a half hour ago and now it's sunny and dry. Well, wait another minute...