In The Mix

I've begun writing a weekly column every Thursdays at Michael Davis World. The column, In The Mix, follows my journey as an emerging artist.

In The Mix- Thursdays

My Art Featured in James Gunn's "Sparky and Mikaela" for XBOX Live

My illustrations Send in the Clowns, I'm With Stupid, and FU Dice will be featured in James Gunn's Sparky and Mikaela for XBOX Live “Horror Directors Do Comedy” series. Gunn says, "Sparky and Mikaela is the story of a raccoon/human superhero team. They fight crime in both the forest world and in the world of human beings. I think of it as my first "message" piece.

After generations of us humans warring with our natural enemies, raccoons, it's a plea for us all to just get along. It's also a plea for more shows with girls wearing sexy superhero outfits fighting along Muppet-type procyonids." Sparky and Mikaela will debut on XBOX LIVE on December 24th. Just a few weeks after XBOX LIVE it will go to MSN.com and Zune, and will thereafter be available in numerous other places on the web, TV, and DVD. Unlike the XBox version, some of these versions will be the Director's Cut -- uncensored, pure, and untouched.

Kudos to Mercedes Blackehart!

All photos by VANCE. Poster by Marci Holmes.

The XBOX Live series features comedy shorts by horror directors, including Slither's James Gunn, Saw's James Wan, Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night's David Slade, Hatchett's Adam Green, May's Lucky McKee, Amityville Horror's Andrew Douglas, and more. "Almost every director we approached wanted to do this to show their comedic vision," Safran Digital Group CEO Peter Safran said. "Most of these guys know the Xbox demographic are also big fans of horror and the supernatural and realized this was the platform where they should be."

Air Force Art Gala

Phoenix Warrior Training for Combat Rifle

McGuire Air Force Base

Fort Dix, NJ

20 x 30 in, Mixed Media, by Tatiana EL-Khouri 2008 

Collection of the Pentagon

Commissioned by the Air Force Program

Above is the final painting I created for the US Air Force. It was presented at the Air Force Art Gala in Washington DC at Bolling Air Force Base along with 150 talented artists. Visiting the Nation's capital and being among so much history made me very proud of my artistic contributions to the country and its brave servicemen and women.

If you are interested in buying a print of the painting, visit the link below:

Purchase Prints

Press Coverage of my Air Force Art Trip:

http://www.mcguire.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123107378

http://www.mcguire.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?id=123103922

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123107426

Straight No Chaser Updates

It has been a pleasure illustrating Michael Davis' column Straight No Chaser for www.ComicMix.com As of Friday, October 31st, Straight No Chaser #90: My Way; was the last article for Comic Mix. Don't fret- the column and my illustrations will have a new home! www.MichaelDavisWorld.com 

Here are some of my latest illustrations for Comic Mix:

Studio Friday: The Heart of Your Studio!

"Where or what is the heart of your studio/creative space? Is it your desk or maybe a special piece of furniture, a window, a piece of art on the wall, your idea board, or one of your tools, a jar with ribbons on the shelf...? "

I chose this illustration to represent the Heart of my Studio because it is an intimate view of my work process. I can usually be found with my laptop attached to my hip at any given moment of the day.

Seasons Change

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."
-Walt Disney

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, everything's different."
-Bill Watterson


I was doing so great blogging regularly and documenting my twist and turns on this fun and exciting ride I call my "Road to Artdom," but it's been a whirlwind during the last year and a half! Life happened and the baby steps on my journey picked up to a jog down the road, then began snowballing into a promising direction. I have made some wonderful connections and partnerships with incredible people, clients, and legends in the arts/entertainment and comic book industry. I won't go into all the details here, but you can check out my biography. I'm on the right track and you can expect to find regular updates in my journal.

In the meantime, here's a short list to catch you up on my excitement:

• Bookmark my new domain name, www.TheArtofTatiana.com
  
  
• My art was selected for the African American Heritage Month Calendar and Guide from the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Department of Cultural Affairs (pg 73).
  
  
• I am newly elected to the Board of Directors of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles as the 1st Vice President/ Show Chair and the Web Chair. There are a lot of great announcements to come about Illustration West 47 (The biggest Illustration competition outside of New York worldwide). I am looking forward to the great programming and events the new board and myself are currently working on. Trust me there are huge things to come this year!