brooklyn museum drawing and symbolism

Brooklyn Museum Drawing session 1/15/15

My second time attending the drop-in drawing class at Brooklyn Museum. It is always a surprise to see what the theme/object is for the month. This time the instructor picked out Chitra Ganesh exhibit (ends July 2015). 

Observation

First we walked around to observe the artwork and talked about what stood out to us. This is part of it. The entire mural was quite large. 

Warm Up

We warmed up with some doodles, drawing what we associate with concept of power. Some people volunteered their doodles and explained why they drew certain objects. Not surprisingly, many people picked money and royalty. My doodle (not shown) included sun, fire, eyes, pyramid, lion, knight in armor/shield/lance, dragon, book, and music. I have to say my recent visit to the Met museum ancient Egypt and Armor room may have influenced some of the above. Heh. 

Cropped View

For the next exercise we had to pick a portion of the mural (cropped part) and draw it. The lesson here was to think about composition. My pick focused on eye and earrings (gears). 

Interpretations

For the final exercise, we were instructed to draw another image based on interpretation and our feelings of the piece. Be creative! I focused on the warmth (fire/sun) and the power of the gaze (eye, look). and some gears and clockwork too.

Later in the session, I drew some additional parts of the mural which included sculpted/molded hands with actual veins. There were also bloody stumps with glittery jewels/beads. There was also a strong leg stepping on a robotic / steampunk universe. Drawing these parts really demonstrated the difficulty of drawing hands and curves of the female body.

I really enjoy the combined art viewing + drawing + interpretation exercise during this session. Next time I want to try this on some other exhibits as well. 

Previous Brooklyn museum drawing session write up here; http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/10/drawing-class-at-brooklyn-museum.html

Cosplay Notes

After chatting with Ishu and looking at her cosplay photos, I’ve decided to make an effort to learn more about cosplay this year. Starting out with putting this post together and also doing some ‘homework’ on figuring out my list of favorite characters in anime and video game series (casual and also formal outfits). Part of cosplay is the making of the costume and the other part is really to immerse yourself in your favorite character and share that with other enthusiasts. and some outfits are really too fantastic to believe until you see them made and worn by fans (Aoba from DMM and Erza Angel Armor Mode from Fairy Tail)…

Characters (ongoing list / dev)

yes I realize this is where pinterest boards would have been handy for brainstorm but oh well. will just to try without it.

1) brainstorm characters (done)

2) find reference pics (in progress)

3) break down the main outfit pieces and colors (not yet started)

• Yowapeda: the general manager of the club. Kanzaki (http://yowamushipedal.wikia.com/wiki/Kanzaki_Miki?file=Kanzaki.Miki.full.1565237.jpg)
• Korra: Korra, or one of the pro fighting team members? i even have many red pandas if required.
  (http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Korra)
• Sailor Moon: sailor mercury or mars (casual, school uniform, fighting uniform, other)
  (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/01/31-1/cartoon-redraws-sailor-moon-crystal-in-style-of-manga-and-original-anime)
• Rwby: Blake (casual outfit, uniform, or fighting outfit)
  http://rwby.wikia.com/wiki/Blake_Belladonna
• Fairy Tail: Erza (regular or casual, not super fancy armor)
  http://fairytail.wikia.com/wiki/Erza_Scarlet
• Fairy Tail: alternate universe Lucy Ashley (black outfit)
  http://fairytail.wikia.com/wiki/Lucy_Ashley
• Samurai Champloo: Fuu (although those shoes are hard to pull off)
  http://champloo.wikia.com/wiki/Fuu
• Hamatora: Koneko (somewhat minor character though)
  http://myanimelist.net/character/93439/Koneko

Self-assessment on cosplay readiness/skills

• drawing – translate anime outfit into real outfit. can probably also research what other cosplayers have already done.
• sewing – can hand sew, that’s about it. can maybe borrow a sewing machine
• gathering /converting supplies – um, old shirts/fabrics which can be recycled?
• characters – should be ok to rewatch shorter series like RWBY. but for series with longer storyline (fairy tail), may need to do more watching and/or cliff notes.
• acting / role – playing the part.
• photography – would be good to learn more about taking pics and also posing (can take notes at convention and also through observation of what I like/don’t like from photos).

Next Steps

• Feb/March: go fabric shopping with Ishu (maybe also help with sewing process)
• Feb: attend Katsucon cosplay events to get inspired / motivated / observe photography and poses in a convention setting.
• May: attend Brooklyn Botanical Garden cosplay event to also get inspired / motivated / observe photography in an outdoor setting.
• assess next steps for making an outfit and/or buying an outfit

Resources

• http://www.crunchyroll.com/call-to-cosplay (cosplay iron chef style. I love how the participants get creative with the materials and turn them into great outfits.)
• http://www.cosplay.com/ (forums, photos, tips, etc)
• http://anyonecancosplay.tumblr.com/ (motivation and inspiration)

Happy Holiday Season and Happy New Year

I’m making digital cards this year and wanted to put together something a bit different. You know, not your typical NY themed holiday card featuring a yellow cab, some skyline, Rockefeller Tree, Times Square or Central Park.

Welcome to the 2014 FiDi (Financial District) holiday card edition, where you can find a card featuring the new Fulton Transit Center and another featuring the Christmas Tree at the Seaport.

top left to right clockwise: 1) Front of Fulton Street Transit Center overlooking Freedom Tower. 2) Side view of subway signs. 3) Beautiful staircases. 4) Basket-like weaves on the ceiling. 5) Sign for Fulton Center

 

Left to right: 1) Neon stars overlooking Freedom Tower. 2) Side view of a beer hall at the Seaport. 3) Seaport Christmas Tree next to ice rink.

Bonus: colored version of Fulton Center

All photos were taken with my iphone on a windy Dec evening. I made the collages in Shutterfly, using their “collage poster” feature. If you want any of the photos as a stand-alone, let me know.

I’ll include a few streets (around the seaport) and their entries from “The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan’s Street Names and Their Origins” by Henry Moscow.

Front Street: The namesake: its location in front of Water Street, which until the end of the 17th century was the city’s shoreline.

South Street: The namesake: something of a misnomer though the street’s lower end is close to Manhattan’s southern tip. South Street might better have been called Easter Street since it parallels the East River.

Water Street: The namesake: the East River waters that washed the street at high tide in the 17th century.

Have you walked around your neighborhood lately? You may find tons of beautiful and unexpected subjects for a holiday card. What better way to personalize your holiday cards or correspondences than to include photos and facts about your neighborhood!

World origami day Artist Trading Cards

Event: Origami Heaven, Stony Brook, Long Island

"Official" Theme: ATC CTA (card trading anarchy)

Title: Celebrate World Origami Day "Back to basics"

When Talo relaxed the rules / guidance substantially for Origami Heaven this year, I decided to try something different. 

Origami model selection:

Instead of focusing on a theme or a super complicated origami model, I decided to pay tribute to 'the basics', i.e. Origami bases! I first tried to line up a few preliminary bases but eventually decided to use windmill base and kite base for my final card. 

Paper selection:

When I was showing my prototype to friends, Wes suggested that I use some translucent paper to show off the layers. I have to thank her for providing a stash of such paper. Some people thought they were vellum and some thought glassine. Not sure which one (paper experts feel free to comment). They came in a variety of colors and leave very permanent white crease lines. I would not recommend them for super complex  models with many reversing folds and/or sinks. Crease pattern is the way to go. In fact, to avoid extra crease lines, I figured out how to fold the crease pattern for windmill. 

Color selection:

Things look good in threes so I just mixed and matched card back, windmill, and kite bases in different colors. 

Labels:

Front is written with crayons. Pens don't work on the textured paper very well.  Back label is done by hand with pencil / mechanical pencil. I didn't want to do extensive labels because I wanted the card to be clean and not clutter with stickers. 

Appearance/assembly:

Card is see-through if held up to light. As windmill and kite are both wind/aerodynamic, I left them unattached in sleeve so they can moved about. (I like to be poetic even if others may accuse of me of being lazy here)

Gallery:

You can see more drafts of cards in gallery below. In order to just capture the spirit and not bore you with all the drafts, I did a bit of selection of all the photos. If you really want to see more, let me know. I also attached cards I got back from the trade, including an ATQ (artist trading quilt by Judy!)

Links to my other ATCs: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/ATC

. 

Permalink to Gallery (if below link doesn't work): http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CYsmLRw1bMWeS

Click here to view these pictures larger

Collage art and inspirations

Last Sunday I took a collage class at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I can't remember the last time I made a collage although I vaguely remember using magazine cutouts and funny letters. The collage I made at BBG was different because the instructor prepared a lot of materials, including flowers and leaves picked from the garden. I also learned some cool tips that will come handy in future collage projects and perhaps even artist trading cards (ATC). 

To me, collage art is the ultimate "process-oriented" work. The end product looks cool but the process was the most interesting. I enjoy the creative process and journey that come with arranging of different items / colors / styles. It's both organized chaos and not. Although I did a bit of "planning" and "brainstorm" for my project, it came out a lot different than I had imagined. I also loved figuring out what to do with scraps that I took home with me. They ended up looking great as decor and gifts for friends. 

The collage

close up of the colorful rays radiating from the sun

close-up of a flower which had felt middle with cross-stitch of leaves/stems. Then then the flower petals were from paper with torn edges. the paper actually came from some old BBG calendars featuring autumn. 

Flower arrangement

A bunch of hydrangea arranged with some ivy, bamboo leaves, and maple leaf on top of some tree bark. I had one piece of bark that had a small opening so I was able to just stick the stems of leaves/flowers in there. Silver card stock is just from my stash of card stock around the apt.

Fun Decor

Scraps of felt, magazine clippings, card stock, tree bark, and hydrangea petals made for nice gifts for friends. The petals don't last long but still very pretty for the next few days.

Materials

• watercolor paper - since it's stronger and able to hold all the various mixed media objects. for stronger hold/backing, cardboard is also recommended.
• heavy gel (semi-gloss) GOLDEN gel medium - used for gluing different objects to the paper. for things like flowers, make sure to apply this to the bottom, then also apply a top coat.
• wax paper - used as a mixing surface for acrylic paint (genius!)
• natural objectives - flowers, leaves, stems, grass, bark
• more traditional collage materials - magazines, calendars, card stock paper, felt
• colors - acrylic paint, acrylic crayons, colored pencils, etc

Tips

• background - color in with acrylic (spread with paper towel if you don't have a big paint brush), use a background image, layer different pics, etc
• cutting out objects - straight scissor cuts, torn edges, patterned edges, using a stencil to cut out something, repeated shapes with different patterns/materials
• drawing objects - regular drawing, stencils, carbon copy paper for repeated patterns (I loved this!), acrylic crayons 

Additional Resources: 

BBG Classes

https://classes.bbg.org/ShowSchedule.awp?&Mode=GROUP&Group=:FULL&Title=Classes+and+Workshops&Order=begins

Run, Sketch, Juggle

"Run, sketch, juggle" is not the title of my next book nor a catchy name for a new triathlon race. Simply a list of my recent activities: my first 5k run, a sketching session, and my experience at the juggling festival. Replace "run" with another activity "fold" (referring to origami) and I may just be closer to my bio.

Run (Central Park)

June 5, 2014. Central Park. 3.3 miles. 44 min. Official Site.

Notes:

• Gorgeous Weather
• Team
• Shuttle
• Inspiration
• Charity benefits Central Park Conservancy (website)
• Practice runs / apps used
• T-shirt contest and various t-shirts 
• T shirt tag and times (see how this technology works)
• Midway high five from a child
• Mile markers
• Water stations
• Participant vs observer - feels better to be a runner, not a bystander
• Finishing line and cheer
• Meeting people
• Running and walking with landmarks (downhill, lamp posts, signs, etc)
• The lake
• Free finisher t-shirt
• Celebration afterwards
• Bar with top floor
• Beer and bites
• Goals for next year - run more, walk less, and improve time. Ask more colleagues to join

Resources:

• NY Road Runners NYRR (race schedules, classes, training tips, etc)
• Central Park running routes map
• Running Routes from Forbes and Time Out
• Kinetic App (info) used for my practice runs
• "What I talk about when I talk about running" by Haruki Murakami 

Sketch (Brooklyn Promenade / Brooklyn Bridge Park)

The Brooklyn Promanade offers breathtaking views of downtown skyline and tons of benches available for reading, relaxing, and of course... sketching! I have to give a shout out to the central park sketching & art meetup group for introducing me to this gem. Event photos are also posted on their site if you are curious. If you are in the NYC area, look up their event, RSVP, then bring a pad and pencil and start sketching! I enjoy looking at different people's renditions and composition of the skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

Hello Downtown!

Brooklyn Bridge

Governor's Island via Brooklyn

If you are in Brooklyn and heading to Governor's Island, look for the ferry from Pier 6 (west end of Atlantic Ave). I saw this mural along the way. 

Mural called "Moving Along"

When I arrived on Governor's Island, I found out that Figment Art was happening the same weekend. Very creative and interactive art. Their mini-golf every year is also superb. 

Chalk art giraffe on Governor's Island

Plastic cup sculpture

More info about the sculpture 'City of Dreams Pavilion'.  

Juggle with JuggleThisNYC

I managed to convince two friends to come with me to the juggling festival this past weekend and we all learned basic diabolo from a workshop taught by Robin Hu. Got some tips on passing balls from Jeff (shout out to Bryant Park Jugglers) but we still have a long way to go. Need to get more practice and mark calendar for next year!

Diabolo notes

1. get started, roll diabolo on ground to pick up energy. direction is horizontal line from dominant hand side towards non-dominant hand
2. keep diabolo stable by pointing stick in dominant hand forward or backwards. also keep one side of diabolo in front of body at all times. can walk to adjust position in addition to moving the sticks
3. to launch diabolo, quickly straighten the line by opening up distance between arms/sticks
4. to catch diabolo, raise dominant hand, catch it on the way down. diabolo should slide from near top of string
5. one hand trick involves putting both sticks in one hand, and using one hand to launch the diabolo and then catching it with strings doubled.

Juggling resources

• Check this first http://jugglenyc.com/
• Bryant Park juggling calendar (free lessons and equipment)
• Juggling Festival NYC "JuggleThisNYC"
• Diabolo videos by Robin Hu 
• Diabolo brands as recommended by Robin: Sundia and Taibolo

Origami USA Artist Trading Cards 2014

Liner notes for origami convention artist trading cards swap

I fell in love with this sunflower model at a weekly origami meeting. In subsequent meetings, I kept folding them with different types of paper. The possibilities were endless. The colorful index cards were left over from studying for an exam. The background piece of paper is a random shape cut from a square or hexagon. The card can also be used as a mini-note book, mini-guest book, or a simple display stand! Fill it with a witty quote or a favorite convention memory! 

The model

Kazuo Kobayashi sunflower from Origami Flowers. Or read my friend Linda's book review on OUSA)

Brainstorming 

Some of the features below show up in my "draft notes and pics" but are not actually used.

• Funky color combo (used)
• Spirograph as background (not used)
• Magazine centers (some used)
• Poems/quotes inside card (not used)
• Potential pop up card (not used)
• Maps as backgrounds (not used, pictured below)

The prototype 

White part is cut from hexagon memo paper. 

The paper

Memo cube, duo foil, single side and duo sided patterned kami, magazine pattern cutout, etc

The card

Colored index card folded in half. Can be used to take notes and also used as a stand. 

These are a few of my favorite cards

(Picked and photographed the night after finishing cards)

(Picked and photographed the night after finishing labels) strangely enough I had only two repeats: the orange/red foil and the cheetah print with arc.

Fun facts

• Patterns include strawberry and cheetah print!
• Not all sunflowers had center piece (duo foil looked better without). This model is a two piece model. 
• White cut out pieces were unplanned. Random cut and shape and twists. All cutting, gluing, and positioning on cards were done in one night. 

Links to shuttlefly gallery: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CYsmLRw1bMWca

Click here to view these pictures larger

Links to other ATCs: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/ATC

Link to countdown pics (or separate blog) - placeholder

Lily origami

The original

My favorite origami model is the traditional lily (pictured below). It was one of the more complex and more beautiful flowers in my first origami book (which is a Japanese origami book for kids that was translated into Chinese).

It took me a while to fold it and I'm sure my mom had to help me figure out the steps before I got impatient and declared the particular model "impossible!" (which I did for several models in the book). Years later, I flip through that book again and I can proudly declare that I've probably folded 99% of the models and they are all possible (and actually good diagrams compared to some other books I've seen). Interesting enough, the first model in the bird is the traditional crane. (Note to self: need to scan in book and make into digital book before it falls apart completely)

The Exhibition Brainstorm

For the upcoming Origami USA Convention Exhibition in June, I wanted to do some variation of the traditional lily so was folding them with different shaped polygons (triangles, hexagons, etc). While they all "work", the proportion of the petal to stems are quite comical. 

My friend N. then consequently gave me an ideas to try. "Try cutting two eights pie slice out of an octogon and tape it together to make a cone shaped hexagon, and use that as the base for the Lily, Magic."

I'm not sure if this below is the intended result, but I gave it a shot. It's pretty enough but missing the flower stamen/pistil parts. This would be good for layering or candies though.

The Challenge

This 6 petal lily below was sent from N. with the subject: "Here is a taped version, I like this better than the pie cut, this is based on a square and has petal stem symmetry"

Needless to say, I noticed it's not the same as the versions I've done, and asked for some more instructions.

I could not understand the text instructions which followed and had to ask for more pics to show progression. I got this 8-petal lily with some steps pictured.

more after the jump

ATC things that fly

My friend VA is an avid artist trading card (ATC) designer/creator and had participated in various ATC trades. As a result, she has an impressive collection of cards and several extras from sets for trading. I liked this card below themed "things that fly". In return, I needed to make one that fit the same theme.

I came up with my card idea below while I was browsing my origami books for the convention countdown. It fits the flying theme and is also seasonal. The hummingbird is created by Robert Neale and folded from harmony paper. The color change hydrangea (creator Fujimoto?) is folded from small rose patterned paper.

more process descriptions after the jump...

Moccafest 2014

I had a great time at Moccafest last year [previous blog] so decided to return for another weekend. 

Charlie Brown balloon from Macy's parade. It looks like it belongs in the Armory all year round.

Particular pic I liked from the gallery area. Title: Star Wars From Memory. Artist: John Hendrix.

Goodies bought. Dragon A-Z. by http://www.ztoical.com/

History of aviation. High Times by Golden Cosmos http://www.nobrow.net/9008

highly stylized alternative ending to the Little Red Riding Hood. by Ada Price.

Other Artists not pictured:

Animals Wearing Hats A-Z http://danblaushild.com/

Connie comics http://www.conniewonnie.com/

Two talks I attended were Robert Williams' Q&A session and Comics & Design. The first one made me appreciate how artists/illustrators/painters view themselves and how they view art. I also would love to see his documentary. The second one made me appreciate art/print choice and how publishers/marketing considers presentation and design of the finished works. 

Check out the mocca youtube channel for event videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/SocietyIllustrators/videos

Inspiration, Creativity, and More

I read and receive many good articles/links through email and other social media. From time to time, I re-read and re-send links to different friends. I hope to keep a few of my favorites here for easy access and reference.

Articles

on value of time
http://davidduchemin.com/2011/07/45-days/

how to just get started
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2014/03/the-ultimate-cheat-sheet-for-dealing-with-excuses/

keep a journal and see where it goes
http://www.origamispirit.com/2014/01/why-to-keep-a-journal/

creativity and habits
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/creativity-habits_n_4859769.html

on creativity and generating ideas
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2014/05/the-ultimate-guide-for-becoming-an-idea-machine/

material possessions
http://buddhismnow.com/2012/10/26/without-possession-by-beopjeon-sunim/

on gratitude
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/08/what-i-am-grateful-for/

on leadership and concentration
http://theamericanscholar.org/solitude-and-leadership/#.UyZMTfldV_A

fundamentals of cosplaying: have fun!
http://anyonecancosplay.tumblr.com/post/69167585268

Speeches

Try something new for 30 days
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days?language=en

Ken Burns commencement speech. on history, reading, writing, and value of interdisciplinary education
http://www.humanity.org/voices/commencements/ken-burns-georgetown-university-speech-2006

Neil Gaiman keynote address. on persistence of the artist's craft. literately how and when to make good art.
http://www.uarts.edu/neil-gaiman-keynote-address-2012

Shonda Rhimes commencement speech. be a do-er, not a dreamer.
https://medium.com/thelist/shonda-rhimes-real-talk-for-dartmouth-grads-dreams-are-for-losers-afd77eaea5d9

Mark Manson on giving a fuck. I like the bit where he mentions you should figure out what's important to you and focus on that. and the subtlety of "not giving a fuck" vs "indifferent". so true.
http://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck

Robert Lang origami and math TED talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami?language=en

Steve Jobs commencement speech. Probably the most well-known but still worth recommending and re-reading over and over.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Shimon TED talk on Self learning
http://www.ted.com/talks/shimon_schocken_the_self_organizing_computer_course

London designer/architect Thomas and the amazing cathedral from Shanghai world fair
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick

Michael Moschen on juggling as arts and science
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_moschen_juggles_rhythm_and_motion

JJ Abrams on mystery
http://www.ted.com/talks/j_j_abrams_mystery_box?language=en

Creative Process / Stuff

Steve on how he made the beautiful book out of paper collages http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/books/animal_book.html

NY in Lego form (tons of inside jokes for locals) http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/i-lego-ny/?_r=0

Brendon on how his research / design process worked for 30 Flights of Loving (beautiful game I first saw from Indiecade. his other works are amazing too.)
http://blendogames.com/news/?p=499

Production Diary video (1 of many) for the animated series with best action sequence - RWBY
http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=8850&v=more

Books (and a ton more on my goodreads list)

"Alchemist" and "Aleph" by Paulo Coelho - on life and the journey
"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand - on the cruelty of man and resilience of man.
"What I talk about when I talk about running" by Haruki Murakami - spiritual aspect of running (can also apply to other sports/arts/habits though)
"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. Makes you appreciate food, kitchen, and restaurant a lot more.
"Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. a bit of insight of habits and how to deal with changes for individuals and organizations alike.

Anime / Animated Series

Samurai Champloo - a story on friendship and journey set to dazzling animation and music score.
Cowboy Bebop - just watch how cleverly this series pays homage to a variety of movies / shows / music.
Kids on the Slope - they need to make more stories about jazz with jazz. (yes I'm aware Ken Burns has a documentary, but this is different).
Ratatouille - if you're a food buff you have to watch this
Ernest and Celestine - the most beautifully drawn series, ever. (wiki page)
Nausicaa - still can't decide whether Nausicaa or Mononoke is my favorite but love both and certainly see some parallels.

Origami Meetup Group Artist Trading Card 2013

My friend Linda loves artist trading cards (ATCs) and organized a card swap for the origami meetup group with the theme “Red, Orange, and Brown”. As always, I started brainstorming and planning my concept as soon as the trade was announced. This is a bit of a break from my previously heavily geometric/hydrangea-ish cards. Although the process can be viewed as a geometric mathematical problem to make 6-inch squares into ATC sized cards.

Design inspiration

My friend Nate specializes in making ATCs out of origami paper. I liked this concept from his Origami Heaven ATC trade and wanted to try it out myself.  

While playing with paper to figure out the crease pattern, I managed to find a way to weave a basket which I used as a card/basket.

Materials

The Card/basket is made from 6inch patterned kami. Apple and carrot are each made from half of a 3inch kami. So they’re both made from rectangles.

Revisions

Unlike my very first ATC which had a “secret theme”, I did share my process/prototypes for the OMG trade with friends. I’d like to thank Linda for her paper donation. My original prototype was a very boring plain brown. Unfortunately she didn’t have enough paper for all 9 cards in the set. Luckily Doug had received a batch of pattern paper from Linda so he had donated some as well. I don’t think people will mind that their baskets are slightly different. Jason liked the basket and suggested that I add some ridges/grooves on the carrot to make it more realistic.

Final 9 cards in the set

“Harvest” (OMG ATC Trade 2013)
Red, orange, and brown are autumn harvest colors in this ATC set. The basket is made from one sheet of paper and doubles as the ATC card.   

To read more, take a look at the next page.

2013 June OUSA Artist Trading Cards

As part of the 2013 June Origami USA Origami convention, my friend Talo organized the Artist Trading Cards event, which involves 27 cards in the official set and 27 participants. 

In a nutshell, everyone has to create at least 27 cards with origami in them (no theme for this trade) and then everyone takes home an entire set. We also met up and I got a chance to see other people's bonus cards from previous years. Mini-art gallery in the making!

 

Liner notes for my ATC (also presented at the ATC exhibition):

“Perfect blue in 3”: A top secret project. Naturally, all my OMG friends were quite curious about the theme of my first ATC for my first origami convention. Most guessed hydrangea which isn’t too far off. I went through several drafts and revisions and really enjoyed every part of the design/production process. 3 materials (memo cube, regular computer paper, and cardstock) and 3 patterns were used in the final set while maintaining a monochromatic look. As for the labels, I wanted an opportunity to use the cat manga stencil I bought at a comics event.


Planning and inspiration photos below. I had originally wanted to write a dev blog post (similar to video game makers) but decided to at least post the pics here (and hopefully fill in the details in the future). I tried various drafts and color combos and ended up deciding on three variations. Hope you enjoyed my first ATC and look forward to future trades!

Mobile users, please try this link as the embedded gallery may not work. http://azuletblogphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/96

Click here to view these pictures larger

Art and Inspirations at MoCCa Fest 2013

Before my first experience at Museum of Comic and Cartoon Arts Festival (MoCCa Fest) this past weekend, I did not know much about indie comics/illustration. After attending some panels and browsing through the art, I gained a better understanding about this world and managed to add many artists to my to-read list. This event is also associated with Society of Illustrators and took place at the Armory building on 25th and Lexington. http://www.societyillustrators.org/Mocca_Event.aspx?id=8605

Throughout the weekend there were panels on comics, art, animation, and history. I was surprised that the panels were held in a rather humble room in the lower level, given that the Indie Game convention I went to had such a huge number of rooms etc. The main attraction was the ground floor with publishers/artists/studios displaying their works. There were also author signings/personalization available.  I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of tables/booths on the first day and decided to take it easy. The museum had several collected works on display. One was called “Day Job” and features famous people in creative industry and what they had as on the side.

Memorable Panel Moments

Zippy
I arrived toward the end of this panel when Bill Griffith was showing some funny segments of the comic and themes like bowling, laundry, and how to become a daily syndicate. He also shared how he keeps up with the news and current trends to include in the comics.
http://www.zippythepinhead.com/pages/aabillgr.html

Business Sense
The panel shared several tips: Make deadlines. Learn to work with people (agents, publishers, referrals, assistants, interns, etc). Ask for legal consultation to protect work and negotiate favorable rates. Study the market and trends. Most of all, don’t work for free. Having been to several career events, these things are not that surprising to me. But it’s good to see no matter what industry you are in, consistent work and good inter-personal relationships are always important.

Animation and Storytelling
This was my favorite panel. The guests started out by sharing their experience switching from illustration to animation. While repetitive drawing is required, brining a character to life is worth the work. After viewing their animation clips, I noticed all of them possess a knack for storytelling and for translating stories into beautifully rendered animation. 

• Twins are Weird “Cee Cee’s Bedtime Story” made the entire audience laugh/cry. Go watch it! http://twinsareweird.com/shorts/
• Signe Baumane “Rocks in my Pockets” project was really moving and deals with the subject matter of depression. Need to look for it when it’s completed.
  http://www.rocksinmypocketsmovie.com/
• Bill Plympton http://www.plymptoons.com/
  I wanted to see more of the project with cowboys. The Simpsons couch gag was amazing too.

Loot

[art book] [freedom comic] [greeting card] and
Two little booklets from the Swag Table
the lawn and dirty diamonds

Food / Drinks

Shake Shack [link to custard calendar]

Saturday special is Salted caramel. I recommend pairing it with vanilla or chocolate. Thank God for B line for saving us from the burger line that almost reached the Flat Iron Building.

Gregory Coffee [link]
Great latte that comes with latte art in a real cup to stay. Also liked  seating and art on the wall. The lighting is really unfortunate though. Doesn’t make it easy for people to linger.