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! :)
Heeey!!! It's another day and another awesome workshop to blog about :) Again, my workshop buddy Kim and I attended, and the cool thing is that the speaker/facilitator today is also Kim's friend, so small world.
The Watercolor Lettering / Calligraphy workshop today was really informative and substantial. It was organized in a very structural format wherein Shai (our facilitator, on Instagram as @shaifalcutila) began introducing the subject and the essential tools to be used. Just learned today that a sponge is a better tool to use in watercolor than tissue (for fiber absorbency). And since Shai is a graphic designer, she taught the differences between a calligraphy text, a typography font and lettering. Calligraphy is pretty much based on penmanship (so it takes a lot of practice!) We had to do calligraphy a lot back then in Chinese classes, so making thick-thin-thick strokes came across as familiar. (Though in practicing strokes, the hard part is that you can't go back on a stroke to correct it, so it's a one-time-big-time kind of thing.) I found chinese calligraphy quite difficult though because the way you have to hold the brush is super different from how you can hold and write with a pen. She also had us do some warm-up drills and basic Alphabet lettering to practice brush control using either calligraphy brush pens or watercolor with brushes. Brush control was all about practicing strokes, and knowing when to press down on the brush or lighten the brush pressure. I'm amazed at the fact that the act of brush control can really teach one to practice and exercise both dexterity and grace. Even then, the most enjoyable idea about calligraphy is the fact that you don't have to think much while moving your brush. It's the kind of experience that just teaches you to simply go with the flow. I'd have to admit that it's one of the few times that I really did enjoy working with watercolor. For one thing, the last time I probably used watercolor was during the interior design board exam, wherein it was required. Plus the fact that we were pressured to render interiors in the medium before the day ended, so it was so much fun to work without the pressure or the stress in this particular situation. Also, I'd have to say that the really awesome thing about working with watercolor paper is its absorbency and texture. It's way thicker than ordinary bond paper, and the texture of the paper creates a definitive style on its own. And watercolor is way more beautiful when done by hand with traditional media, than with a digital tablet and a computer. I really think that watercolor is difficult to recreate with digital media. Overall, watercolor calligraphy is so cathartic and therapeutic. This experience, to me, was a jumpstart towards a new venture or pastime. Watercolor is so much fun to play and work with; and personally, I loved how dabbling in watercolor can inspire simple moments in creativity and passion. The best thing is, anyone can get into it and just enjoy being in the moment. Looking forward to more inspiration! Will definitely practice watercolor calligraphy again. :) paper cut art workshopSo it was my first time attending a paper cut art workshop with my friend Kim. It was hosted by the Learning Village in Meridian Campus, QC. The feeling of being there in the moment was like child's play in a sense, it was a wonderful and positive feeling--getting the feel of paper, cutter and scissors and letting your imagination wander--and the people around are so talented and creative as well. Kim mentioned that Meridian is an international school specializing in arts and humanities, and most of the students are so artistic in so many different ways. I felt a bit of nostalgia while spending time there as well. The atmosphere was so friendly, free and childlike and I loved it. Our speaker's name is Ryan Villamael, (He is on IG as @cutfelt) he just came back from a Singapore exhibition and he showed us a lot of his past works and projects and they were just downright amazing. Inspiration-wise, I really felt his art and his passion. He uses other media like felt paper and fabric, and his tools for paper cutting are simple as well. I admire how he is not afraid to take on big challenges and how dedicated he is to his vision. He described going through frustration, not knowing what an artwork's result may be--and seriously, the results are amazing. I know that frustration all too well, and to be able to rise above that fear of failure and fear of the unknown is such an incredible feat. You simply have to remember that passion and love for what you are doing is greater than your fear. I've got to hand it to him, paper cut art is not easy. It requires a lot of patience and discipline, but on the other hand it is completely enjoyable and a great de-stressor. It's also pretty therapeutic. It's something like calligraphy, you can always practice it in your spare time and get better at it. Also, it's very tool dependent--you need a nice, even cutter and a handy pair of scissors. I am amazed at how ordinary media can create such beautiful works. Our classmates were just so talented and full to bursting with ideas, and immersing myself in the same atmosphere inspired me to stop thinking and just go with the flow. I'm looking forward to attending more unique and amazing classes/workshops like this! Time to save up some extra moolah :) Time for the good news!I'm just downright amazed by how intentions can really turn a wish into reality! I'm beyond stoked since Neonmob administrators just approved my submission/pitch and I'm beyond blessed :)
I'm excited to start working on the series, and I look forward to sharing insights on my journey here soon :) Heyo!! My first "Listopia" entry to jot down some stuff that have been on my mind this past week: 1. Inspiration - Charlie Bowater I really love this artist's work. Her name is Charlie Bowater, she's a Brit and she loves Sarah J Maas's books (the Throne of Glass series). I found out recently that she was acknowledged in Sarah J Maas's latest book Empire of Storms, and that she's been posting some fan art for the series on her IG account. Charlie Bowater's stuff is amazing. I first discovered her work while I was surfing through Youtube, stumbling on a video she did for Imagine FX (a digital art magazine). Linking below. I know it's a reaaaally long video, but it's worth the watch because you can see her painting process in real-time. She's got some amazing stuff on her Deviant Art and Instagram accounts as well. Her subjects are mostly fantasy women--she does incredible details and a lot of drama and composition go into her paintings. 2. NeonMob My friend recently told me to check out this art selling application called NeonMob, wherein people can get cards created by different artists and trade them with each other. It's not a super famous application as of yet but from the previews I've gotten once I installed the app, I am interested in becoming what they call a "creator". They've got this whole manual about posting a submission for their approval. And what really draws me to this is the fact that you can submit anything you want as long as the content is not nudity or whatever, and you can be creative about it. The idea is to be able to submit artworks like a whole series or story because the cards ideally revolve around one theme. If I ever do plan to submit I will think about my concept or theme. 3. Art Station
I posted this blog before I remembered that recently I've been getting some inspiration from this website. It's a website that's similar to Deviant Art, but more straightforward. And the interface is a lot different as well. What's distinct about it is the fact that Art Station has a section for Jobs, wherein companies looking for graphic artists or conceptual designers can post job openings for hire. Also, it's a great place to showcase artworks. For one, visiting the homepage is already a pretty good look into Art Station. The latest art can be searched or filtered via the media chosen, (whether 2D or 3D), etc. You don't have to look far to find great artists actually. There are great artworks and challenges to join as well. Here are some of the inspirational videos I've been viewing since last week: 1. Serafleur Serafleur (real name: Abigail Diaz) is the kind of artist you'd want to watch painting. She has a very dramatic style, and she loves painting women in different poses. I personally love her style and all her drawings are real visual treats. The colors are so vivid, the eyes are so mesmerizing, and the art is just beautiful. She calls her art semi-realistic images. I call them amazing. Her Instagram and Deviantart accounts are nothing short of amazing as well. Linking one of her digital speed painting videos as well as a button to her IG account. 2. Mirey I love Mirey's (real name: Lena) style--it's not over-polished and the art just seems so fluent. Her drawings and linework say so much about the final result. I love how her work looks like real traditional watercolor paintings despite the fact that they were done on digital media. Her artworks are mostly done in anime-esque style and like Serafleur, she mostly draws girls. I also love how she's using a different program to draw and paint (other than the usual like Photoshop and Corel). Linking one of her speed paint videos below: 3. Sketch a day : Spencer Nugent This guy seriously makes drawing look easy. I love how fluently he draws with an Apple pencil, it makes me want both the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil / actually crave for it (despite recently discovering how to use my Wacom tablet). I googled Apple pencil to see what kind of a stylus it is, and his videos came out. The one I'm linking below is the first one I watched (being the Star Wars geek). I'm inspired by his fluent and fluid drawing style. Watching his video made me want to pick up my own stylus and start drawing on the iPad too. Hands down though, the Apple Pencil has a lot of perks. You can shade using the "lead part" by turning it on its side, and control Pen Pressure sensitivity while using it on an iPad Pro. Too bad that it isn't compatible with other versions of iPad though. (Click image below for link! Or use the drop-down Menu > Gallery) Woohoo! So I finally get some time today (well actually I slid a tiiiiiny bit off my schedule) to upload some of what I've been doing the past few years. Okay, so I wasn't as "dormant" as I originally thought. Though to be quite honest, what I've started at most this year (so far) has been my 30-day challenge sketches. I figured that if I could stick to drawing as a formed habit (studies say it takes 21 days to form a habit), I'd be able to really make it a part of my everyday routines. Somehow, this is also my way of curbing my fear of failure and my self-doubt tendencies. Actually, part of the reason I started all of this is to somehow go back to building and creating on the foundation of my self-worth, something I've been struggling with these past few years. Oftentimes, I've had to face my worst enemy here: myself. I have this "not good enough" BS that's pretty much one of my extreme Dark Side traits. And one of the wisest things I've learned so far is that the opposite of Love is not actually Hate, but Fear. Yup, fear sure does make us all human, but learning to overcome fear has always been the major challenge. I'm sure Star Wars fans can attest to that (insert Yoda's famous lines here). One of my closest friends actually summarizes everything so clearly in her blog post about Fear (click image below). She's one of the most positive people I know, and it's a powerful thing to get to talk to her and read her blog posts as she is so attuned to her spirituality. I genuinely enjoy browsing her blog as well. Check it out: In essence, this blog, Nonsensical Whim, is a manifestation of my passion to create art and to be continually inspired by art. It is a powerful way of experiencing the essence qualities of self-love, commitment, and most importantly, passion. This blog is a way for me to experience learning and gratitude for what I have been taught. It is the most tangible and visible reminder for me to never give up on what I love doing, and for me to be able to commit to something bigger than myself. More importantly, this is also a journey to finding and experiencing worthiness.
Dude! I can't believe I'm starting out a new blog post after the years I stopped doing personal blogging. The novelty of it is actually both unnerving and fun at the same time. Nevertheless, I wanted to start out by blogging about one of the most important tutorial sites I've ever had the opportunity to learn from, and that is: About the siteCtrl+Paint.com is one of the best websites out there for aspiring digital (and manual) artists. Matt Kohr, the guy who owns the website, regularly uploads tutorial videos every Thursday. He uploads 4 to 5 minute videos that simulate a classroom/virtual learning environment. The lessons are brief, concise, and very straightforward. In these videos, he provides great tips, practice and homework, and the things to avoid doing. The video library I just linked is his main page--he's organized the tutorial videos into categories: (1) Traditional Drawing and Drawing Techniques (Matt explains that it's best to brush up on traditional drawing skills as this is the very foundation of learning how to paint digitally). (2) Switching to Digital Painting (3) The Advanced Digital Painting Techniques, and (4) Mental Approach towards drawing and painting. He's also got an online store selling his books on concept art, essential skills, etc. though his website and video tutorials are already very informative and newbie-friendly. THE EXPERIENCEI stumbled on his website on one of those days when I was casually surfing the Internet for artists to learn from. I'd have to say that his website is not only super informative, it is one of the best tutorial sites out there. It caters to people who are not familiar with drawing and want to learn from scratch. I just love his site because the videos he posts makes one feel extremely welcome to learn drawing, as he emphasizes that drawing is a skill to build on and can be learned by anybody who is willing to practice everyday. What I love best about learning from him is that he always gives some practical and useful advice and techniques to start out. Some of the more important techniques I learned were the use of the visual measuring tool, and methods like contouring and blocking-in shapes. He emphasizes that drawing is pretty much like learning how to visualize objects in 3D, and that it is key to every drawing to be able to master form (not shape). Contouring and linear blocking-in were both very efficient methods for me, and seeing how my approach was able to swiftly change from getting the details down to starting a drawing from the visual measuring process really made the difference. His tutorials actually gave me that confidence boost in drawing, and I truly feel the measure of improvement. Another thing I learned from him was to not be afraid of "bad drawing days". I used to hate looking at a blank canvas, not knowing where I should start and what I should do first. I'd pretty much say that his techniques have helped me a whole lot. Right now, I'm watching his videos every other day and slowly veering towards his digital painting videos (he encourages people to try out the traditional drawing video sequence before making the switch to digital tools). It makes me feel like I've been through a real art course with a really patient lecturer. He really knows his stuff, and is completely understanding of how it is to practice drawing as a beginner. Intermediate learners also stand to learn a lot from his videos--it's been like a "Back to Basics" journey for me, coming from a long drawing and art hiatus. The fact that watching his videos has encouraged me to get back into drawing has shown me that he's already made a big impact in my learning process. Openness and a thirst for knowledge to learn and re-learn techniques are what mainly guided me back from missing drawing to actually drawing again. Attaching a Ctrl + Paint video from Youtube : DIGITAL PAINTING MASTERS : INSPIRATIONAL STUFFI recently discovered some pretty amazing artists who post their painting process and speed painting videos on Youtube. Here are some of my favorites: 1. Webang111 I'm linking one of the best artists I've seen doing detailing, patterns and just overall really amazing. Her name is Akekarat Sumatchaya from Bangkok, Thailand. She uploads a lot of speed-painting art on YT, and the best thing is that she starts from scratch. Both her Youtube and Deviant art accounts are really inspiring. Gosh, what I wouldn't give to be able to watch her process in real-time! Her artworks are really beautiful, and her attention to detail is impeccable. This is one of her latest works, Silver Bird. 2. Sinix Design Oh gosh, this guy's art is AMAZING. Also discovered him via Youtube, and he's posted some really interesting video playlists. He seems to be one of those artists who are self-taught, and in digital painting, that is one amazing feat. He's one of those guys who just really has fun with digital painting. Linking one of his concept drawing videos below: 3. FZD School Feng Zhu is like, hands-down, one of the most professional artists out there. He has all sorts of posts related to concept art, digital drawing, painting, you name it. He also has podcasts about professional hurdles and experiences, and he's definitely not afraid of sharing what he has gone through to really get into what he does for a living. He's got these Design Cinema series that's spanning to almost over a hundred videos, and watching his videos more often than not gets your jaw dropping. I appreciate how he discusses his process and focuses on specific subjects at a time in his Design Cinema series. Linking one of the best ones out there: There are a lot more concept artists I look up to and admire besides the ones I've mentioned, and I'll probably link more in future blog posts. There's nothing like inspiration to get your imagination and gears kicking in. And watching these people start these paintings from a virtually blank canvas is seriously inspiring. |
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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