Thao-Vy Nguyen (tv) 🍌🥑

A very overdue March Book Reviews! April was a doozy of a month. I wasn’t able to find time for anything but reading 🥲 but better a month late than never! I read 10 books in March so a pretty good month for me! As I was making these reviews, I actually had to lower some of the ratings for some books so that was surprising! I guess I was being too generous before 😅 also if yall have any recommendations for feel good, non romantic, thought-provoking but not depressing books, please send them my way! Books mentioned: •Lullabies for the Insomniac: A Memoir in Verse by Ella Grace Foutz •The New Political Economy of Urban Education by Pauline Lipman •A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James •The Convenience Store by the Sea - Sonoko Machida •Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle •Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams •Co-intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick •The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune •200 Monas by Jan Saenz •Every Last Fish: A Deep Dive Into Everything They Do for Us and We Do to Them by Rose George

February Book Reviews 📚 I don’t know what is in the air with books this year or maybe I am lenient but all the books I have been reading are all really good! 🥹 I have been obsessed with reading lately and it makes me so happy. War and Peace is definitely the star for the month. ⭐️ Books Mentioned: We’re Not Safe Here - Rin Chupeco The Seduction of Common Sense: How the Right Has Framed the Debate of America’s Schools - Kevin K. Kumashiro I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy Crafting for Sinners - Jenny Kiefer The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins . . . #books #bookrecs #bookreviews #illustration #art

CSUF's ETHN 490 class/ASAM Dept was so lucky to host artist and educator Thao-Vy Nguyen @tellyvy this past Tuesday (2/24)! Students heard stories and received wisdom about creating art with meaning, confidence in one's life trajectories, friendships and support, being in community, managing burnout, and so much more! It was a moving and inspirational experience for all! Photo taken by ASAM Chair Dr. Tu-Uyen Nguyen. Snacks by Jax Donuts in Brea. Last but not least, thank you to ES staff Kelle Kain, Beatriz Saurez and Elizabeth Komae for the logistical support.

Alphabet Project: B!!! For Bầu Cua Cá Cọp Wooden Coasters and Playmat! 🦀🐟🦐 I am going to count this as my B project even though I started this project beginning of last year and never finalized it until now 😅 but hey, better late than never and right on time for Lunar New Year! 🧧 Going waaaay back to last year, I initially wanted to make multiple of these wooden coasters to sell but I got so burnt out that I decided to scrap them to recover mentally and physically. Later in the year, I decided to push myself to at least finish painting them and let future thaovy figure out what to do with them. Then beginning of 2026, with a resolution to finish projects no matter how big, I finally bought resin and coated these babies. I also went back and forth on whether or not I should sell these with their custom dices and decided to just buy one for myself. And I’m honestly happy with that decision. To say I have a one of a kind Bau Cua Ca Cop playmat and coasters is pretty sick 🙂‍↕️ This project has its fair share of ups and downs, and there were moments where I felt like I could not for the life of me find the light at the end of the tunnel. After finally reaching the finish line this year, I realized that my main motivation to finish anything these days is the idea that I’m making it for myself and not to sell lol And if you don’t know what Bầu Cua Cá Cọp is, it is an addicting Vietnamese gambling game that is solely based on luck. It is a very popular game to play with family and friends on Lunar New Year and it reminds me of playing with my cousins in Vietnam a lot 🥹 anyways, please gamble responsibly. . . . #baucuacacop #lunarnewyear #tet #art #illustration

January Book Reviews! 📚 I wanted to start documenting my reads this year since my goal is to read 60+ books and explore other genres. My horror marathon last year definitely helped me with my reading slump so I’m hoping to be more adventurous! It was a great month of books as you can see 🥹 started off with some spooks and mixed in some fantasy/romance/slice of life. I think my absolute favorite genre is historical horror fiction. Also books that make me think are great too. We will see how many books I can get to now that school is back in session 🥲 Books mentioned: Lucky Day - Chuck Tingle Slashed Beauties - A. Rushby Widow’s Point - Richard Chizmar Dark Sisters - Kristi DeMeester The Hong Kong Widow - Kristen Loesch Intermezzo - Sally Rooney The Magic Fish - Trung Le Nguyen Katabasis - R.F. Kuang . . . #books #bookrecs #bookreviews #illustration #art

A snapshot of a moment last week! 🪴🐰 I was very inspired by all the places I went to and being around people that love and appreciate art 🥹 Walking and pointing at random objects are my love languages 🙂‍↕️ Also illustrating this moment in hopes that I will actually take a pottery class this year!!! . . . #art #illustration #friends #ceramics

Happy 2026 everyone!! To a year of more art or else!! 😤 I reached complete flow state with this illustration after not drawing anything for three months straight. I feel very rough creatively but I want to get back to drawing silly things with no deadlines. I want to build a habit of art making a little bit each day, even chipping at a wip is the goal at this point 🥹 I have more structured ideas that I want to see into fruition but for now, just random doodles. The brief moments of reconnecting ideas to paper (iPad) feel great and I regret pushing creating off for so long. Manifesting that I find time for my hobbies and personal projects this year 🫡 #illustration #art #digitalart #procreate #2026goals

I got the opportunity to create an illustration for @matilijacollective Mid-Autumn Festival! 📚🏮This design will also be available for sale at the event! If you’re in town, come check out the event and support this amazing community space!!! 🥹 More details are on their ig page :) . . . #matilijacollective #matilija #illustration #design #art #midautumn

Two weeks went by so fast and I barely got a chance to process it! Probably means the next two years are going to go by even faster 🥹 trying to be present is tough but I’m working on it! I tried watercolor again for the first time since 2019 and I’m super rusty but it was nice to not stare at a screen for a bit. Thank you to Pinterest photographs 🥰 . . . . #watercolor #reflections #art #illustrator

First ABC Project is letter A, Alli’s Apples! 🍎 I got commissioned by an alligator to create an apple brand for her business. Made some small (not very sustainable) packaging but it does the trick 😅 Today marks my first day of grad school! 🥳 I don’t know what to expect in terms of workload yet but I just want to have some creative projects in mind so I can balance some fun into work and school. The ABC project will allow me to experiment with different medium and design skills for each letter of the alphabet. The goal is to do a letter a month but that would probably be wishful thinking 😅 Along with this project I also want to post more sketches and paintings (I got a watercolor set from Japan and I still have yet to try it out). This account started off as me posting whatever I want until I was mainly posting products and commissions. Posting more personal projects almost feels illegal but I am working through that awkwardness to share art for the fun of it! Just a warning, I absolutely love puns and dad jokes so you will probably see that pretty often on here lol I am excited to refresh this account to share more of things I like to do, things I want to improve on, and things I want to try 🥰 Commissions and collaborations are welcomed still! Just shoot me a DM if you have a project in my mind and I will let you know if I am available ☺️ been loving all of the community-centered projects lately and I am always excited to connect with more people! . . . #art #illustration #design #packaging #packagingdesign #brand #alligator #apples

Finally got around to share this sticker design I created for @matilijacollective 🤗 The back of the sticker also has 🧊 reporting number. You can find the stickers in their bookstore ☺️ . . . #matilijacollective #sticker #illustration #art

For all immigrant parents, families, and children, we deserve a world free from fear. . . . . #abolishice #ice #illustration #comic #art