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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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. :) |
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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