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. :)
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(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.
So! The awesome news: I'm back! (I used to have a blog here with the same website address except I got sick of it).
So what's different? I'd like this blog to be about my journey towards discovering and learning new artistic ventures. I want to blog about and document my favorite artists and their works, write about new things I've discovered and/or learned, possibly post my artworks, drawings, sketches, doodles, etc. I'm pretty interested in a couple of stuff right now including V-ray and Sketchup, Digital Painting, Photoshop, Chinese Painting, Interior Design, and possibly other new things I've yet to discover. This blog is going to be all about these things and more! I can't wait to start documenting this journey. I've got two active blogs as of now as well (located in the blog sidebar), be sure to check them out too! |
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
December 2018
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