"Since this past summer, I had a vision of creating paper products with my designs that people could use during the holiday season. One paper product idea was creating bookmarks so people could see my art while cozying up to a good book. The following is the story for each bookmark from left to right:

Three Wise Men - The composition on this bookmark is divided into three segments of the North Star, the sandy desert hills with the manger in the distance, and each of the Wise Men traveling on the backs of camels. As someone who comes from a Roman Catholic family, I wanted to pay homage to my family's religious background through this bookmark.

Mistletoe - I wanted to design a bookmark that captures the warmth people feel during the  Christmas season, especially with loved ones. This bookmark features my rendition of a bundle of mistletoe wrapped together with a beautiful red ribbon and a warm yellow and orange glow to give that sense of warmth.

Sleigh Bells - This bookmark captures my version of the phrase "Spirit of Christmas." The bookmark features a ghostly reindeer guiding a cascade of sleigh bells through a snowy night on Christmas Eve to ring in the holiday season.

Snowflakes - Personally, I always found a fascination with snowflakes and how one is uniquely its own. This bookmark has three different snowflakes all in varying sizes and compositions to emphasize their own individual beauty."

(Series of bookmarks using watercolor pencils, fine liners, and acrylic paint pens on watercolor paper)

"Since this past summer, I had a vision of creating paper products with my designs that people could use during the holiday season. One paper product idea was creating greeting cards that would allow people to connect with each other during Christmas. The following is the story for each greeting card design:

Winter Hobbit Hole (Upper Left) - For my first greeting card idea, I thought about making a hobbit hole with just the right amount of snow on top. Perfect for any Lord of the Rings fans, this card would provide that cozy feeling of staying inside during a snowy day.

Candy Cane Lightsabers (Upper Middle) - It was interesting to play with the idea of making a Star-Wars themed holiday card. Ultimately, I thought it would be a cool idea to take the iconic lightsabers and make them into the shapes of opposing candy canes.

Disney Snow Globe (Upper Right) - As an avid Disney fan, it was hard to decide how to convey that Christmas feeling with a focus on one singular Disney property. In the end, I went with rendering the famous Disney castle encased in a snow globe shaped to represent the mouse who started it all.

Hogwarts Holiday Party (Lower Left) - This fun greeting card features the four mascots of Hogwarts and how they would come together for Christmas. The Gryffindor lion tears into the presents; the Slytherin snake snobbishly rejects its lump of coal from its stocking; the Ravenclaw bird is focused on the tree topper; and the Hufflepuff badger simply enjoys its Christmas cookie.

Nativity Scene (Lower Middle) - A more traditional Christmas card, this nativity scene features the baby Jesus, mother Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings, and a shepherd all together by the manger.

Christmas Angel (Lower Right) - This Christmas angel is a bit more unique as it is adorned with red and green wings that suggest it is made of stained glass. Above the angel is an image of the North Star but reimagined to look like a Christmas parol, a Filipino lantern that appears during the holiday seasons."

(Series of prints using watercolor pencils, fine liners, and acrylic paint pens on watercolor paper)

"During the 2022 holiday season, I was invited to partake in a Secret Santa gift exchange. Participating with no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was going to be the Secret Santa to one of the organizers of the gift exchange, with whom I became good friends. Like all gifts I made, I wanted this one to be very meaningful for him. I recalled seeing pictures of his Tanjiro cosplay from the anime 'Demon Slayer,' and my instincts decided that I was going to recreate his likeness as Tanjiro. After sifting through reference images, I particularly had an affinity for the way water is drawn in the anime, especially when it looks like a dragon. I incorporated that style into this illustration while drawing my friend to include Tanjiro's distinct attire. At the time of the gift exchange, I could barely contain my excitement when my turn came around to present my gift to him. His enthusiasm when he first looked at the image was filled with joy. He even inspired me to eventually create this website as a means to share my artwork with the world."

(Portrait using alcohol markers, acrylic paint pens, and colored pencil on poster board)

"Two of my closest friends were marrying each other, and I wanted to do something special for their wedding. After touring venues with them, I offered to design and create a wedding portrait for guests to sign around the border of the image as my personal gift. The featured bride of this piece and I collaborated on the concepts regarding what elements should be included. The couple were both fans of the Disney movies and theme parks, and the bride wanted to incorporate that into the portrait. After playing around with various thumbnail sketches, she and I happily agreed on this design. The attire is based off of the wedding garments from the 'Tangled Ever After' short, a Disney animated short featuring the bride's favorite Disney princess Rapunzel. The lovely couple's heads don the iconic Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears as a symbol for their love for all things Disney. The backdrop houses Spaceship Earth from the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World accompanied with fireworks in the night sky. During the night of the wedding reception, the newlywed couple and their guests were enchanted by this portrait, and I couldn't be happier for them. The final piece with all their wedding guests' well-wishes is currently framed and residing in their new  home."

(Wedding portrait using colored pencils and fineliner on mixed media paper)

"As my fiancé's and my 9-year anniversary was approaching, I wanted to create a piece that encapsulated that magical feeling we share when we are together. I remembered making a decorative paper clock with moving handles as an anniversary gift during the early years of our relationship, so I wanted to include the clock to represent how much time has passed for us. I drew us in the attire that we each find iconic about the other person. For my fiancé, he always loved seeing me in my white dress. For me, I always find him huggable in his green hoodie. The background features the cosmos as we view each other as our universes. The Planeswalker symbol from the trading card game 'Magic: The Gathering' surrounds the inner border of this piece, while the overall aesthetic of this image is an homage to the 'Kingdom Hearts' video game franchise. As you can probably guess, games like MTG or KH are what have united us. They have opened our eyes to new worlds we can explore together, and I would only want to venture them as well as the future with my fiancé."

(Illustration using colored pencils and gel pens on black paper)