Panda will make his debut at Wondercon 2014!

I am so excited to share that Panda will make his debut at Wonder Con this year! Wonder Con is a smaller version of the San Diego comic con that takes place in Anaheim CA.  As soon as my friend Andy snagged a table (he was on the waiting list), I jumped at the chance to share it with him. This is the first con for the both of us, and we're excited to get everything together in less than a month. 

Andy and I met in the transfer student dorms at UC Berkeley in 2003. It was fun having someone on my floor who was also an art major as well.  Like most art students, we both worked hard and worried about what our futures would be like outside of school. It's funny how things work out because Andy ended up publishing two graphic novels while I landed in the stationery/gift industry.  Ten years since our graduation, we are collaborating once again for Wonder Con AND writing a book together about art advice for high school students. I'm grateful for still being in touch with someone who went through the artistic transformation with me!

Check out some of Andy's work:

Gilgamesh Graphic Novel

Peaceful Warrior Graphic Novel

Andy Winegarner's official website

Andy (on the right) visiting Tom and I in our apartment in West LA. Do you see my hello kitty collection in the background? :)

Andy and I visiting the Chagall art show at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 2003. Back in the day when we were art students and had so much free time!

Finished! "Red Panda's Volcano Hideout" 8" x10" Acrylic on Board

"Red Panda's Volcano Hideout" 8" x10" Acrylic on Board By Sandra Fremgen

STORY:

In this painting, we finally get to meet Panda's arch rival, Red Panda! Just like Panda, Red Panda was a top notch agent at the CIA. He and Panda were the dynamic duo that saved lives all over the globe. Eventually, Red Panda grew tired of helping others and saw how much he could gain if he worked for himself. With all of his secrets of the CIA, Red Panda left and formed his own evil organization. Now he will stop at nothing to take over the world!

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS PAINTING:

In the summer of 2013, I was working with a friend to possibly turn Panda into a video game. I created many worlds and different allies and villains for Panda to encounter. I thought Red Panda would be the ultimate bad guy because his design could be the "evil" version of Panda. Panda is dashing and cute, while Red Panda is more angular and harsh looking.  For this painting, I wanted to explore more of a red, orange and gold color scheme.  I also wanted to play around with the concept of broad brush strokes. Hence you see Red Panda's face is more abstract and less rendered than the Tiki. 

ART TECHNIQUE OF THIS PAINTING:
This painting features bold brush strokes that show up on the surface of the board. The style is graphic to show Red Panda as a menacing character in a simple way. The hot color palette of reds, pinks, oranges and yellows is balanced out by cool browns. The sparkling diamond is rendered in different shades of browns, grays and blacks.

Here's an early sketch of Red Panda for the video game.

"Panda and the Tiki's Emerald" 8" x 10" Acrylic, 2014

"Panda and the Tiki's Emerald" 8" x 10" Acrylic, 2014. By Sandra Fremgen

For the month of February, I completed two paintings that explore more of the Panda universe. Since Panda is a dashing super spy, he crosses paths with many enemies and allies around the globe.

STORY:

The first of these two paintings is "Panda and the Tiki's Emerald." Panda and Skunk Boy are on a chase to find Fez Monkey, the master jewel thief who wants to steal all of the Tikis' sacred gems. Skunk Boy is the unpaid intern at the CIA who idolizes Panda and wants to follow in his footsteps. Fez Monkey has stolen millions of dollars worth of gems all over the world. He never leaves his house without his signature fez and hipster beard.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS PAINTING:

I've been itching to introduce Panda's allies and enemies for a long time! As with any good action flick, the hero always has to have a completely devoted side kick. Hence the invention of Skunk Boy. For his enemies, I wanted to invent some twisted villains with a sense of humor. I've been watching a lot of Dr. Who lately and love the idea of a strange man traveling the world and wearing a fez. That's how Fez MOnkey came about.. I love the Tiki culture (whether it's hula dancing, knife dancing or the art of Tikis!) and wanted to explore that more! A Polynesian setting is a great backdrop for stories. I can't wait to work the Girl Back into these story lines. 

Also, I am in LOVE with the color scheme of this painting. I used Phthalo Blue to capture a luminous green blue glow throughout the painting. Since Phthalo blue is such a transparent color, it works well as a glaze. The yellow was expressed through Cadmium Yellow Light. That mixed with white provided the brightest spots on Panda, Skunk Boy, the emerald and the moon.

Overall, I love painting spark. I want to find excuses to put more sparkling diamonds in my work because I love painting the gradations of light.

 

Finished! "The Enchanted Panda Room"

Personal note:

I am so happy to have finished "The Enchanted Panda Room." Overall it was a fun painting and I loved experimenting with the rock, water and cloud textures. Tom says it's my most ambitious Panda painting yet. Usually I only have 1 figure with Panda... but this time, i wanted to tell me a more elaborate story.

Story:
When Panda has some downtime, he likes to chill with his friends at the Enchanted Panda Room! Panda plays his Ukelele as the Hula Girls dance with their coconut fire pots. Whether there is a packed house or audience of 1, Panda and the Hula Girls always give it their all.

Back story:
This painting was inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. I love the singing parrots, the magical way that the water changes color and the Tiki decor, of course! I used to hula dance and used fire pots as one of my instruments. The song I danced to was "Kalua," a slow melody about a girl finding her true love. A dancer has to hold her fire pots evenly to avoid tipping them over. A firepot is simply a coconut shelled out with a candle inside.

This is a 18" x 24" acrylic painting on board