To me, art is a medium through which one expresses thoughts, ideas, emotions etc. One doesn't necessarily have to be good at it (I certainly am not compared to many of my classmates), but I think what's important is that one's artwork has a deeper meaning to it, and not just be drawn for the sake of drawing. (Yeah I might just be placing more importance on this to make up for my lack in artistic skill, haha).
To me, art has very subtle messages hidden in them. Each detail, be it from colour, composition, contrast or balance or anything else, is there because the artist intentionally put it there to tell viewers something. Change each detail and you could change the meaning of the work altogether.
To me, art is a gateway to my imagination. I make up my own characters, settings, costumes, stories, unique weapons from games or movies and other things and draw them out sometimes. Most of the time when that happens I only have access to pencils, which would explain why I don't do so well in other mediums.
To me, art relieves boredom. Big time. Even if it's only a minute or two of in-class doodling (haha, yes, I admit it), it takes my mind off things just enough for me to not go insane from information overload. It's a very relaxing form of recreation. The sense of achievement from completing an artwork and having it be admired by viewers is an added bonus.
To me, art is time-consuming. As much as I like it, I also find it unfortunate that I can only spare so much time from a busy schedule to hone my skills and develop my abilities. And thus I do not get very far from the limited amount of practice I get.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
On Chuqiao's blog, I commented on her Great Ocean Road trip photos:
On Xin Jie's blog, I commented on her new shoes:
Nice contrast and picture quality! Especially the second one, silhouetting the tree branches with the sunset. Any more pictures of the trip?
http://happypencilowls.blogspot.sg/2013/09/photography-sunset.html?showComment=1379928439842
On Ying Ying's blog, I commented on her Coursework post:
Interesting that you decided to document your Coursework progress in a video! Could be longer though…
http://box4art2.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/结/comment-page-1/#comment-16
On Xin Jie's blog, I commented on her new shoes:
This is really nice! The designs are intricate and exotic. They fit in well with the rather “Indian” feel of the shoes. The sides and back look a little plain though…
Are you actually going to wear them? 
http://galiauxy.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/art-beyond-aep-design/comment-page-1/#comment-1
On Christine's Coursework post:
Interesting texture created by flicking the paint! Your idea of using marine creatures, too - they have unique body shapes and containers shaped as such would definitely be appealing to children. However, I think you could have used more arbitrary colours instead - like making the whale purple or something to make it more "kiddish" (quite a number of kids' shows do the same), and so that children will not mistake a real whale, turtle or octopus to be so small. If time allowed for more sculptures, then the more the merrier - I wanted to see more marine animals become waiters serving candy :/ Also, why marine animals and not land animals, for example?
http://hotchocolate-peppermintwhippedcream.blogspot.sg/2013/09/coursework.html?showComment=1380096578531
On Kathy's CCA T-shirt design post:
On Christine's Coursework post:
Interesting texture created by flicking the paint! Your idea of using marine creatures, too - they have unique body shapes and containers shaped as such would definitely be appealing to children. However, I think you could have used more arbitrary colours instead - like making the whale purple or something to make it more "kiddish" (quite a number of kids' shows do the same), and so that children will not mistake a real whale, turtle or octopus to be so small. If time allowed for more sculptures, then the more the merrier - I wanted to see more marine animals become waiters serving candy :/ Also, why marine animals and not land animals, for example?
http://hotchocolate-peppermintwhippedcream.blogspot.sg/2013/09/coursework.html?showComment=1380096578531
On Kathy's CCA T-shirt design post:
I like this! Especially the winking owl, and that you used different line thickness to make up for tonal values. HOOT! I loved the winking owl, too. But aside from the owl being sharp-eyed, like people in your CCA, a bit more relation on how it’s related to shooting would be nice.
http://skatches.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/right-on-target/comment-page-1/#comment-15
Surrealist Social Commentaries
(The term isn't real, I coined it.)
Dede Eri Supria is another of my inspirations; being in a country with many problems, but yet unable to express them too freely, he resorted to surrealism as a form of symbolism to depict these problems. An artwork that depicts a trend in a society is a social commentary, hence the term.
Works like "Labyrinth" are surreal, yet contain symbols like the cardboard boxes, homeless people and building scaffolds that represent the drawbacks of urbanisation and mass consumerism. He's probably going to get in trouble if he does a work about real people and their suffering.
Dede Eri Supria is another of my inspirations; being in a country with many problems, but yet unable to express them too freely, he resorted to surrealism as a form of symbolism to depict these problems. An artwork that depicts a trend in a society is a social commentary, hence the term.
Works like "Labyrinth" are surreal, yet contain symbols like the cardboard boxes, homeless people and building scaffolds that represent the drawbacks of urbanisation and mass consumerism. He's probably going to get in trouble if he does a work about real people and their suffering.
In a way it's quite similar to my Coursework. I used a rather surreal (metaphorical if you will) setting to depict my theme about the strawberry generation and how they are educated.
Lucia Hartini, a Filipino artist, is similar to Dede in that she uses surrealism to express her frustration at her lowly status as a Christian woman in Indonesia, a Muslim-dominated country, except that she tackles more feminism-related issues in her works. I myself am a feminist, but she was not really an inspiration for my Coursework.
I like the sense of depth depicted in Dede's artworks; it really captures the essence of surrealism, as, like dreams, surrealism is vast and creative, not bound by the limits of the physical world.
Coursework cont.'d
The painting wasn't all. Oh no.
To explain it better I made a 'prototype model' of sorts to go with it.
This is a model of the mask that "force-feeds" the human foetuses. The numbers on the label plate read:
2013
41331
2013's the year, of course. The numbers 41331 are a reference to myself.
I made the mask myself, using papier mache (did I spell that right?), lots of wire, some paint and a bit of aluminium foil.
The design is partly inspired by the masks of Bane, the Batman villain, and Darth Malgus from (of course) Star Wars.
And I have an instruction manual too! The Illustrator file is below. (please don't copy without permission though, 人家也要吃饭的咧.)
So that's pretty much the final piece of my Coursework.
Now for a description for the school exhibition!
GROWING THE FUTURE GENERATION
In Chinese there is a term, which, when literally translated, means "strawberry generation". It is an apt description of many youths today.
This is a satirical piece of work depicting the artist's view of youths of the current generation, herself included, and how school systems and the way they are educated may have had a part to play in it. Confined and sheltered to the point of spoon-feeding, many young people of today have lost self-initiative, independence and the motivation to learn. This work is a surreal, metaphorical depiction reminiscent of science fiction film The Matrix, with some hints of mass production and electrical appliances thrown in.
(Disclaimer: possible ranting and negative sentiments)
To explain it better I made a 'prototype model' of sorts to go with it.
2013
41331
2013's the year, of course. The numbers 41331 are a reference to myself.
I made the mask myself, using papier mache (did I spell that right?), lots of wire, some paint and a bit of aluminium foil.
The design is partly inspired by the masks of Bane, the Batman villain, and Darth Malgus from (of course) Star Wars.
And I have an instruction manual too! The Illustrator file is below. (please don't copy without permission though, 人家也要吃饭的咧.)
So that's pretty much the final piece of my Coursework.
Now for a description for the school exhibition!
GROWING THE FUTURE GENERATION
In Chinese there is a term, which, when literally translated, means "strawberry generation". It is an apt description of many youths today.
This is a satirical piece of work depicting the artist's view of youths of the current generation, herself included, and how school systems and the way they are educated may have had a part to play in it. Confined and sheltered to the point of spoon-feeding, many young people of today have lost self-initiative, independence and the motivation to learn. This work is a surreal, metaphorical depiction reminiscent of science fiction film The Matrix, with some hints of mass production and electrical appliances thrown in.
(Disclaimer: possible ranting and negative sentiments)
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
A galaxy far, far away...
Ralph McQuarrie was the main artist behind the scenes of my most favourite movie franchise, Star Wars. He was the mastermind behind many of the unique characters, weapons and equipment that make Star Wars so memorable.
What inspires me about him is not just his creativity and ingenuity, but also the fact that he went through several, if not a lot of designs and compositions, and put in a lot of effort in developing his ideas, making sure they were special and literally out of this world. Most of his ideas and sketches did not even make the final cut in the movies, but nevertheless displayed his thought and development processes that refine and improve a character to the one we know today.
Star Wars was the first science fiction movie to be filmed in a long time back in the 1970s, when the first movie debuted in theaters. As such, producers had to make sure it was special enough to make a lasting impression. They needed extraordinary, mind-blowing designs and ideas that represented the yet-to-come, that had never been seen before.
(PICTURE CREDITS FROM WOOKIEEPEDIA AND GOOGLE IMAGES)
Left: This was concept art he designed for the two robot sidekicks, C-3PO (the humanoid one) and R2-D2 (the short one in the background).
Below: The final design.
This was concept art for Master Yoda. The variety in his designs remind me that as an artist, one must explore a wide variety of compositions and designs, and expect that some of them may not make the final cut.
Yoda eventually turned out like this in the film.
His artworks are not limited to just character design, but also scenery and composition.
He invented the famous lightsaber, basing it off of weapons from medieval swordplay and ancient Eastern saber arts, and gave it a science fiction touch by creating the idea of it being a handle with a "blade made of pure energy that can cut through anything" and that can be turned on and off.
Sadly, Ralph McQuarrie passed away last year at the ripe old age of 82. He will be remembered by directors and fans alike as one of the greatest Star Wars artists in history.
What inspires me about him is not just his creativity and ingenuity, but also the fact that he went through several, if not a lot of designs and compositions, and put in a lot of effort in developing his ideas, making sure they were special and literally out of this world. Most of his ideas and sketches did not even make the final cut in the movies, but nevertheless displayed his thought and development processes that refine and improve a character to the one we know today.
Star Wars was the first science fiction movie to be filmed in a long time back in the 1970s, when the first movie debuted in theaters. As such, producers had to make sure it was special enough to make a lasting impression. They needed extraordinary, mind-blowing designs and ideas that represented the yet-to-come, that had never been seen before.
(PICTURE CREDITS FROM WOOKIEEPEDIA AND GOOGLE IMAGES)
Below: The final design.
Yoda eventually turned out like this in the film.
His artworks are not limited to just character design, but also scenery and composition.
Sadly, Ralph McQuarrie passed away last year at the ripe old age of 82. He will be remembered by directors and fans alike as one of the greatest Star Wars artists in history.
The others' e-portfolios!
For easy reference here are the links to my classmates' blogs:
2013 Sec 4 AEP E-portfolio
No
|
Name
|
The name that you would like your classmates to use in the link to your e-portfolio
|
E-portfolio Address
|
1
|
Tan Hui Ting
|
officialhuiting.blogspot.com
| |
2
|
Tan Huan Yu
| ||
3
|
Joey Goh
|
thatjoey.blogspot.com
| |
4
|
Agatha Tan
|
Agatha
|
threestepsfromquiet.tumblr.com
|
5
|
Hong Shu ying
|
AHMA:D
| |
6
|
Christine Yim
|
hotchocolate-peppermintwhippedcream.blogspot.com
| |
7
|
Choo Qing Yuan
|
Qing Yuan
|
box4art1.wordpress.com
|
8
|
Loh Ying Ying
|
box4art2.wordpress.com
| |
9
|
Pan Yining
|
Yining
|
box4art3.wordpress.com
|
10
|
Jane Zhao
|
简
|
box4art4.wordpress.com
|
11
|
Vivienne Kang Min
|
Vivienne
|
http://thetweedletweet.wordpress.com
|
12
|
Chuang Hui Yu
|
http://photokinesis.wordpress.com/
| |
13
|
Sherry Sun
|
Henry
|
http://dubiousink.tumblr.com/
|
14
|
Zhang Chuqiao
|
Chuqiao
|
happypencilowls.blogspot.com
|
15
|
Ang Cheng Hui
|
theOrange
|
http://indigoincandescence.wordpress.com
|
16
|
Chantel Foo
|
chantel
|
http://phantomic-alm.tumblr.com/
|
17
|
Liau Xin Jie
|
Xin Jie
|
galiauxy.wordpress.com
|
18
|
Kathy Poh
|
Kathy
|
skatches.wordpress.com
|
19
|
Yong Jia Xin
|
Jia Xin
|
http://padawanlearnerjax.blogspot.sg/
|
Sorry for not updating! (on a side note, here's what I did for Coursework)
I know, I know, it's been a while. I went MIA because I've been abducted by aliens. Okay, just kidding.
I've been doing research at a top-notch, top-secret science facility to come up with a product that can grow human beings. No, really.
I did this painting for AEP Coursework, a major art project in which we can do a freelance artwork over half a year of any medium, of any theme (as long as it isn't too hard or impossible to do and as long as it doesn't need censoring).
It's my perception of the education system - that students are being mass produced inside a greenhouse, with rows of strawberry-shaped growth pods inside holding desks arranged in rows. They are connected to a main nutrient source (the huge grey metal-and-glass tank in the middle) by inlet pipes (shown in between the rows).
(WARNING - POSSIBLE RANTING AND SLIGHTLY EXTREME SENTIMENTS)
It's quite satirical, and I was hoping to convey my frustration about our generation being the "strawberry generation". According to our parents, youths born in the last two decades usually grow up in privileged families, and lead sheltered lives, thus leading them to become weak, pampered and in some cases unmotivated and lazy. They call us the "strawberry generation" in Mandarin, as we, like strawberries, cannot take pressure from the environment and are not hardy. Many youths of the 21st century have qualifications and "look good on paper", but are unable to handle the pressures of work and society when they leave school. This artwork suggests that the education system has a part to play in that too - that they are confining and protecting us (perhaps a bit too much), such that we become like strawberries. That is why the growth pods are strawberry-shaped, and I used red as a central color. Red also emphasizes the urgency of this issue, of course.
I've been doing research at a top-notch, top-secret science facility to come up with a product that can grow human beings. No, really.
It's my perception of the education system - that students are being mass produced inside a greenhouse, with rows of strawberry-shaped growth pods inside holding desks arranged in rows. They are connected to a main nutrient source (the huge grey metal-and-glass tank in the middle) by inlet pipes (shown in between the rows).
(WARNING - POSSIBLE RANTING AND SLIGHTLY EXTREME SENTIMENTS)
It's quite satirical, and I was hoping to convey my frustration about our generation being the "strawberry generation". According to our parents, youths born in the last two decades usually grow up in privileged families, and lead sheltered lives, thus leading them to become weak, pampered and in some cases unmotivated and lazy. They call us the "strawberry generation" in Mandarin, as we, like strawberries, cannot take pressure from the environment and are not hardy. Many youths of the 21st century have qualifications and "look good on paper", but are unable to handle the pressures of work and society when they leave school. This artwork suggests that the education system has a part to play in that too - that they are confining and protecting us (perhaps a bit too much), such that we become like strawberries. That is why the growth pods are strawberry-shaped, and I used red as a central color. Red also emphasizes the urgency of this issue, of course.
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