Today was a pretty cool and spontaneous day to put it quite frankly. For one thing, when my family and I went to Shangrila for our usual Sunday hangout, I had no idea that there was an art workshop scheduled for the day and it just so happened that I was at the right place at the right time.
This was such a cool session. To top it all off, the workshop was surprisingly free of charge. And the workshop was definitely worth attending. You could tell by the numbers of people gathered randomly from the upper floors looking down or from the people passing by Rustan's (functions and events are usually held at the ground floor level beside Rustan's Department store) to check out the workshop that the subject of the workshop was definitely attracting good energy and attention from everyone. For one, I was glad to be among people who love and appreciate art. And I was especially grateful to have learned a lot from the experience of simply being there at the moment. Though if I were to highlight on there being one important thing I've learned today, it would have to be the value behind spontaneous art. I realized that the whole experience of watching Mr Fidel Sarmiento conduct live demonstrations of his methodology in oil pastel does not only illustrate his mastery of the techniques involved, but also portrays the fluidity and fluency of his "visual library" (which, in this sense, I would refer to the expanse of his ability to translate and communicate visually by drawing and painting what he knows and imagines). As an aspiring artist, I've heard from several other artists I see as mentors who often describe their process of learning as "learning how to draw what they see" before "learning how to draw what they know/imagine". While this key process is the very epitome of the saying "Seek to learn the rules before you break them", I did find the spontaneity of his art process a refreshing change. I found that experiencing someone with so much passion and talent is such an awe-inspiring breakthrough. And witnessing for myself how fluid and spontaneous one can be when he/she has reached a height of expertise has also given me a better perspective on art. In a sense, I have observed that one needs to be both courageous and vulnerable in order to break the barrier between being able to fully express him/herself through art, and being afraid to try. It's kind of like being at the edge of a cliff and wondering whether or not to make that leap of faith--constantly pushing against your comfort zone and reaching out towards activities or ideas beyond what you are familiar with leads one towards a better understanding and awareness of oneself. Mr Fidel Sarmiento, the mentor during the workshop, was introduced by the organizers as the president of a prestigious art organization here. I found his method of passing on his knowledge through live demonstration a very effective audience attention grabber. Not only was the live demo an audience pleaser, it was a very substantial way of practical teaching. Some argue that art is an inherent talent. Some may say it's a skill. I think it's a mishmash of both, after witnessing Mr Sarmiento sketch and apply pastels so effortlessly. In line with this, skill is so much associated with one's capacity to learn and apply new techniques not only in art, but in everyday life. Just as Mr Sarmiento has been teaching a variety of new ways to approach pastel control and strokes. As for the talent--well, I do believe that in any hobby or activity we choose to do, there will always be people who are amazingly and effortlessly good without even trying. And there are some who have the creative spin but work hard and practice to earn their talent. I strongly subscribe to a good mixture of both in the making of a good visual artist. I learned a lot about how the language of lines, colors and strokes can be communicated through the pastel medium. For one thing, using pastels and felt and/or sandpaper as the main media feels so different from painting with brushes. You can make different strokes with brushes, but it's rather more fluid when you use pastels to mold a certain shape or make a particular line. Also, I realized that using sandpaper, given its rough surface, makes the pastels feel effortlessly soft. You could just let your fingers glide and shape your work using a variety of strokes. I did enjoy this fun experiment with the strokes. The experience in itself is messy, but as fun as you'd feel if you were a kid and had crayons in your hand. On the other hand, felt paper does feel like your standard velvet texture. Pastels do adhere to them pretty well and I just love the smoothness of both media. The feeling is like you're constantly gliding your fingers across the paper. Overall, it was so interesting to experience oil pastel as an art medium for painting. It is definitely something I'd put into practice. Inspiring stuff!
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I'm really excited because a sudden thought or inspiration occurred to me. To be technically correct though, I'm harnessing an aspiration based on an idea I had sometime ago. I want to make a fairytale illustration. Something like fan art for fairytales, but in my own interpretation and style. Here's the add-on: this is still a pretty open idea, but I really want to create art for Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It's been a timeless, adapted tale throughout the years and the reason why it's so inspiring is the fact that it's been taken apart and recreated so many times over. My favorite interpretation to date is Tim Burton's version (I have always been a Tim Burton fan!) I love his attention to detail plus the dark, whimsical setting he effortlessly brings to life through his films. It's almost always creepy and disturbing, but the darkness has a beauty and an art to it. It is one of the most imaginative interpretations of Alice to date. I'm including some screenshots for inspiration and reference here: (disclaimer: I do not own these photos. Credits to Walt Disney / Tim Burton Productions): Perhaps this will be my next concept exploration after finishing the paintings for my NeonMob series. Speaking of which, I do plan on writing a blog post after I finish up my series in order to sum up and detail my insights during and after the project. I'm really excited! I'm nearly through with the paintings and hope to be able to post them within the month of December, probably just in time for Christmas! :)
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Nonsensical whimHi, I'm Ashley. This is my blog on journey towards discovering art and documenting my learning experiences. (Particularly Photoshop, Digital Painting, Sketchup/V-ray, Interior Design, fun tutorials I've discovered and the like). wordpress:TUMBLR:Archives
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