In honor of my cousin, Rakesh Engineer

 

Around a month ago, my cousin passed away in his sleep. It came as a surprise to all of us in our family. He was 49, athletic and a very healthy man. Not only that, he was a great cousin, brother, husband and father. His death was very shocking and really hit me.

In honor of Rakesh, I created a sketch that captured his smile and optimism in his eyes. This sketch was then framed and sent to his wife. I really hope the best for his family. Rakesh will always be in our hearts.

My Evo X for Sketchwars

 
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This weeks Sketchwars topic was to redesign your car. You’re encouraged to go wild with dents and spoilers. I drive a Mitsubishi Evolution X, so this topic was perfect. My car is running great, but the paint is fading. I’m envisioning how my car will look if I put more money into aftermarket parts turning it into a rally/drift car.

My last painting at the HOPE Outdoor Gallery, in honor of Anthony Bourdain

 
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Last summer, I was very saddened to hear about Anthony Bourdain’s death. I really looked up to him. I loved his sarcastic sense of humor, his lifestyle as an explorer and willingness to try new things. Through his books and shows on TV, I learned more about food and how different people around the world lived and enjoyed life. He seemed to live a dream life. Lots of money, travel and a new family. Unfortunately, he suffered from depression and took his own life.

In honor of someone who I would consider to be a hero, I painted a mural at the HOPE Outdoor Gallery. This took around 6-7 hours on a hot summer day. It was so much fun being able to paint on such a large scale. Not only do I miss Anthony Bourdain, but I also miss the graffiti park. I missed being able to paint large paintings and I miss the people at the graffiti park. The environment was like a zoo. There were artists, tourists, bridal showers, teenagers and many different types of visitors. People visiting from other parts of Texas, as well people visiting from other parts of the world. As someone who is a bit shy, this place helped me get out of my comfort zone. I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to paint here.

A golf driver for Sketchwars

 

My former coworker mentioned to me that this weeks topic for Sketchwars will be golf club drivers. We both worked together at the design consultancy, Soulcake many years ago. At the time, Cobra-Puma Golf was a major client of ours. I spent many long nights sketching drivers and irons. It was challenging, but a lot of fun. We were allowed to go crazy. With a golf club driver, we could explore the possibilities of form, color materials and graphics. There was a lot of freedom with the designs.

This particular design, is based off of Cobra-Puma Golf’s F8 driver with a side and rear mounted weight location. I was initially inspired by the B2 bomber, and also incorporated elements from newer Lamborghinis. The overall design is sporty and aggressive.

An 80s Toyota Previa pickup sketch

 
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Some time ago, designer Michael DiTullo posted a picture of a hacked Toyota van with a pickup bed. I thought it was really cool, and decided to do a sketch of what this would look like if it was fixed up. I imagined a JDM spec’ed front end with period era 4 spoke wheels. A diamond plate pickup bed would be a durable than the plywood box in the photo. I really enjoyed working on this sketch and I may sketch more modified cars in the near future.