After a strong suggestion from a cool guy at AnimeBoston, I decided to cave and finally buy a nonphoto blue pencil.
Its fun~ I'm really enjoying using them, and the whole 'doesn't scan or photocopy' thing is really cool. :3
Go check 'em out.
Col-Erase Non-Photo Blue Pencil
(this works too -> Col-Erase Light Blue Pencil)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Senior Art Presentation
The Senior Art Presentation in the Forman Gallery was absolutely amazing. All of the artists had beautiful work, and pushed the idea of art and how art is presented. It was truly a visual treat to walk through the gallery and see what the seniors had decided to present for everyone. My personal favorites were Gilian Barr’s work, Nicole Totaro’s work, and Emily Gilbert’s work (I apologize for any spelling mistakes, my notes got smudged).
Gilian Barr’s work was what initially drew me into the gallery. I became mystified by her projection project. I was drawn to the swirling colors, images broken up by the reflection on the mirrors. The idea of the work was to take color, and display it in such a way that the actual colors physically affected the viewer’s mood. Instead of these colorful animations being projected directly onto the white surface, they were projected onto a set of small mirrors board, which reflected the animation onto the white surface. This broke up the projected image, no longer a series of moving lines but now an experience of the color and motion. What was the most fun about this particular presentation was the interactivity of it. I spent quite a while just staring at the changing colors, slow blues and greens to the fast paced reds and yellows, only to change the mirrors and start the observation over again. I felt the physical affects watching the colors. It was amazing. Gilian’s presentation really submerged the viewer in the experience, making one consider just how much color impacts our life.
Nicole Totaro’s work was also incredibly interesting. There was an experience, walking into her walled off section of the gallery. It felt like walking into a space that was meant to be sacred, and private. Though the actual images the space was built around weren’t terribly impactful for me, the space itself was. I was mystified by the replication of altar space. Everything from the candles, to the bread, to the glass that was the same red tint as the glass found in churches. The pew was the most interesting for me, personally. For a moment, I couldn’t get myself to believe it was an actual pew. I spent quite a few minutes just staring at the pew, trying to wrap my brain around how the heck she got it there. Nicole’s concept was also very interesting, combining the vices and the virtues into the same being. Parallels drawn were thought provoking, such as Wrath and Faith especially since the two have been so entwined with each other in recent times. I enjoyed the touch of the prayer cards and the floor map, though I felt the inclusion of the ‘vices’ cloaks in the room was a bit much.
The last, and certainly not least, was Emily Gilbert’s work. I absolutely loved her work. Each photograph was impressive alone, with excellent compositions and just beautifully handled, but to see them arranged in the space was wonderful. I absolutely adored each character’s outfit, and appreciated the effort to give each character a unique yet fitting costume. Each detail from the chair, the pocket watches, the hat pins, and the tea sitting out and becoming stale and moldy was just perfect. I happened to be visiting the gallery with a friend who had been there earlier in the week, and she exclaimed “Ugh, it wasn’t that disgusting before”. Hearing first-hand the reaction to the time-based aspect of Emily’s work was a treat. Being a fan of the books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll I enjoyed the set up and the constant references to the books, specifically the first one. The entire environment encouraged the viewer to look at each picture both individually, and as a whole piece, while guiding the viewer through the room. I absolutely love the false door. It makes us wonder what is on the other side, even though we know we cannot pass through. It makes us yearn to open it and walk through, to return to Wonderland. Truly, Emily’s presentation was inspiring.
Overall, the gallery was wonderful and quite fun to walk through. Being a freshman, this was the first review I was able to go to, and gave me a better idea at what a final project for art is. I am defiantly looking forward to next year’s presentations.
Gilian Barr’s work was what initially drew me into the gallery. I became mystified by her projection project. I was drawn to the swirling colors, images broken up by the reflection on the mirrors. The idea of the work was to take color, and display it in such a way that the actual colors physically affected the viewer’s mood. Instead of these colorful animations being projected directly onto the white surface, they were projected onto a set of small mirrors board, which reflected the animation onto the white surface. This broke up the projected image, no longer a series of moving lines but now an experience of the color and motion. What was the most fun about this particular presentation was the interactivity of it. I spent quite a while just staring at the changing colors, slow blues and greens to the fast paced reds and yellows, only to change the mirrors and start the observation over again. I felt the physical affects watching the colors. It was amazing. Gilian’s presentation really submerged the viewer in the experience, making one consider just how much color impacts our life.
Nicole Totaro’s work was also incredibly interesting. There was an experience, walking into her walled off section of the gallery. It felt like walking into a space that was meant to be sacred, and private. Though the actual images the space was built around weren’t terribly impactful for me, the space itself was. I was mystified by the replication of altar space. Everything from the candles, to the bread, to the glass that was the same red tint as the glass found in churches. The pew was the most interesting for me, personally. For a moment, I couldn’t get myself to believe it was an actual pew. I spent quite a few minutes just staring at the pew, trying to wrap my brain around how the heck she got it there. Nicole’s concept was also very interesting, combining the vices and the virtues into the same being. Parallels drawn were thought provoking, such as Wrath and Faith especially since the two have been so entwined with each other in recent times. I enjoyed the touch of the prayer cards and the floor map, though I felt the inclusion of the ‘vices’ cloaks in the room was a bit much.
The last, and certainly not least, was Emily Gilbert’s work. I absolutely loved her work. Each photograph was impressive alone, with excellent compositions and just beautifully handled, but to see them arranged in the space was wonderful. I absolutely adored each character’s outfit, and appreciated the effort to give each character a unique yet fitting costume. Each detail from the chair, the pocket watches, the hat pins, and the tea sitting out and becoming stale and moldy was just perfect. I happened to be visiting the gallery with a friend who had been there earlier in the week, and she exclaimed “Ugh, it wasn’t that disgusting before”. Hearing first-hand the reaction to the time-based aspect of Emily’s work was a treat. Being a fan of the books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll I enjoyed the set up and the constant references to the books, specifically the first one. The entire environment encouraged the viewer to look at each picture both individually, and as a whole piece, while guiding the viewer through the room. I absolutely love the false door. It makes us wonder what is on the other side, even though we know we cannot pass through. It makes us yearn to open it and walk through, to return to Wonderland. Truly, Emily’s presentation was inspiring.
Overall, the gallery was wonderful and quite fun to walk through. Being a freshman, this was the first review I was able to go to, and gave me a better idea at what a final project for art is. I am defiantly looking forward to next year’s presentations.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
To Pose or Not to Pose...
As you've probably noticed, I've been putting a lot of artist's resources onto this blog. It makes sense since I myself am an artist, and I'm sharing the fruits of my laborious searches.
Today's site to share: Pose Maniacs
Now, it doesn't initially seem like that big a deal, but trust me, it is. This site is an English translation to a well established Japanese site of a similar name. The premise? A site full of anatomically accurate 3-D rendered models in different positions, at different angles, for free. The site has 12 pages worth of common poses that can be viewed at just about every angle with an adjustable camera angle. What else could you want? The site even has faces and hands now.
Do you feel the worth of this site yet? No? What if I told you it even has drawing exercises like the 30-second Pose Challenge?
Still no? How about having it on your iPhone?
Seriously, check it out.
Today's site to share: Pose Maniacs
Now, it doesn't initially seem like that big a deal, but trust me, it is. This site is an English translation to a well established Japanese site of a similar name. The premise? A site full of anatomically accurate 3-D rendered models in different positions, at different angles, for free. The site has 12 pages worth of common poses that can be viewed at just about every angle with an adjustable camera angle. What else could you want? The site even has faces and hands now.
Do you feel the worth of this site yet? No? What if I told you it even has drawing exercises like the 30-second Pose Challenge?
Still no? How about having it on your iPhone?
Seriously, check it out.
Scrap House
Recently, I attended a movie at my college called Scrap House. It was a documentary by Anna Fich created in 2005, detailing the creation of a house made completely from, well scrap. The house was made in honor of World Environment Day hosted in San Francisco around the same time.
The rules of Scrap House were simple:
1) Must be completed in 4 weeks.
2) No new material can be bought to build the house. Everything must be salvaged, with the exception of nails and screws.
3) The finished house must not only look great, but also comply to San Francisco's building codes which are some of the strictest in the States.
The head of the project was Building Inspector Laurence Kornfield, the main architect was John Peterson, the Scrap Guru was Flash, the Structural Engineer Han Bruskuvich, and last but not least John Pollard was the Contractor.
Scrap House itself was an insane idea to begin with. The plans were to build a modern two story house with 21 foot ceilings, a project that the team would of been lucky to finish in a year. They had a month. Not to mention they had to rely on the junk yards of San Francisco to fully build and furnish a house.
In the end, the result was a beautiful house. It was modern, gorgeous, and inspiring. Every part of the house was thrown away by someone else, yet all the pieces were beautiful and far from broken. It really makes one reconsider how we think of our trash. The amount of material that the US alone wastes in a year is astronomical. Did you know every building project buys 5% more windows than it needs? This alone results in thousands of dollars worth of unused, perfectly good double-paned glass that ends up in a landfill somewhere. Not to mention the amount of building material that is tossed when we tear down houses to build new ones. This team built an absolutely huge house, for next to nothing just by calling around and actually reusing what so many throw away.
Movies like this really make you think. Are we truly trying to recycle? Are we really taking every opportunity to actually use the raw material that we spend so much money trying to attain? Building projects of this caliber are far from impossible for the average person to imitate. Scrap House isn't the only project of its kind either. You'd be amazed at the amount of alternative housing options that are out there, that not only cost thousands less but are better for the environment.
We as a race cannot keep wasting the amount of resources that we do, and expect to be able to continue to live on this planet. Already our resources are running low, and our planet is dying. Its not irreversible, but it will be soon. If we want to continue to be able to breathe, we want to start rethinking how we live.
One man's trash can be another man's house.
The rules of Scrap House were simple:
1) Must be completed in 4 weeks.
2) No new material can be bought to build the house. Everything must be salvaged, with the exception of nails and screws.
3) The finished house must not only look great, but also comply to San Francisco's building codes which are some of the strictest in the States.
The head of the project was Building Inspector Laurence Kornfield, the main architect was John Peterson, the Scrap Guru was Flash, the Structural Engineer Han Bruskuvich, and last but not least John Pollard was the Contractor.
Scrap House itself was an insane idea to begin with. The plans were to build a modern two story house with 21 foot ceilings, a project that the team would of been lucky to finish in a year. They had a month. Not to mention they had to rely on the junk yards of San Francisco to fully build and furnish a house.
In the end, the result was a beautiful house. It was modern, gorgeous, and inspiring. Every part of the house was thrown away by someone else, yet all the pieces were beautiful and far from broken. It really makes one reconsider how we think of our trash. The amount of material that the US alone wastes in a year is astronomical. Did you know every building project buys 5% more windows than it needs? This alone results in thousands of dollars worth of unused, perfectly good double-paned glass that ends up in a landfill somewhere. Not to mention the amount of building material that is tossed when we tear down houses to build new ones. This team built an absolutely huge house, for next to nothing just by calling around and actually reusing what so many throw away.
Movies like this really make you think. Are we truly trying to recycle? Are we really taking every opportunity to actually use the raw material that we spend so much money trying to attain? Building projects of this caliber are far from impossible for the average person to imitate. Scrap House isn't the only project of its kind either. You'd be amazed at the amount of alternative housing options that are out there, that not only cost thousands less but are better for the environment.
We as a race cannot keep wasting the amount of resources that we do, and expect to be able to continue to live on this planet. Already our resources are running low, and our planet is dying. Its not irreversible, but it will be soon. If we want to continue to be able to breathe, we want to start rethinking how we live.
One man's trash can be another man's house.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Artanatomy
As an artist, I'm always looking for new references and new ways to improve my art. After a while though, Google-ing different expressions and emotions become tiresome. Thankfully, a company in the UK created an interactive program that can be manually adjusted.
The program is called Artnatomy. Though the program itself, is a pay to use program, a free version is available online that works just fine. Each part of the face can be individually manipulated to create new expressions. There are also preset expressions that can be adjusted, so if you're looking for a specific emotion its there for you.
Its not a replacement for an actual model, or for that miraculously fount Google image, but its reliable and a great reference.
Check it out~
(free version, just in case you get lost)
The program is called Artnatomy. Though the program itself, is a pay to use program, a free version is available online that works just fine. Each part of the face can be individually manipulated to create new expressions. There are also preset expressions that can be adjusted, so if you're looking for a specific emotion its there for you.
Its not a replacement for an actual model, or for that miraculously fount Google image, but its reliable and a great reference.
Check it out~
(free version, just in case you get lost)
Hotel 626
Do you want horror? Do you want interaction?
In this world of new video games and constantly upgrading technology, it only seems fair that the world of online gaming would follow suit, and up the bar.
And up the bar they did.
Hotel 626 is one of the few corporate sponsored online games that holds its own against the independent internet game creators not only in graphics but also in game play. Usually, when a major company makes an internet game to advertise, they look gorgeous but are almost child-like in gameplay. The reverse is usually true as well, the independent game creators have horrible graphics but amazing gameplay. In Hotel 626 these two aspects are not only happily wed, but new ideas are thrown into the mix.
Its recommended to play this game with a webcam and microphone, but you don't need them. Also, a phone to be contacted on is a good thing to have. You never know when someone important is calling...Oh, and check in begins at 6pm, so you might have to wait a bit.
Turn down the lights, turn up the sound, and be prepared for one awesome ride.
In this world of new video games and constantly upgrading technology, it only seems fair that the world of online gaming would follow suit, and up the bar.
And up the bar they did.
Hotel 626 is one of the few corporate sponsored online games that holds its own against the independent internet game creators not only in graphics but also in game play. Usually, when a major company makes an internet game to advertise, they look gorgeous but are almost child-like in gameplay. The reverse is usually true as well, the independent game creators have horrible graphics but amazing gameplay. In Hotel 626 these two aspects are not only happily wed, but new ideas are thrown into the mix.
Its recommended to play this game with a webcam and microphone, but you don't need them. Also, a phone to be contacted on is a good thing to have. You never know when someone important is calling...Oh, and check in begins at 6pm, so you might have to wait a bit.
Turn down the lights, turn up the sound, and be prepared for one awesome ride.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Albany Museum of History and Art
I went to the AMoHA today. I wasn't terribly thrilled with the $8 entry fee, especially since the museum itself wasn't terribly large.
The place had a nice atmosphere, though I was a bit disappointed at the lack of diversity of the art work. Most were historical, and more specifically directly connected to Albany history. The pieces themselves were quite beautiful, well painted, and delicately sculpted. The time period ranged from Ancient Egyptian work, to the present day.
I found myself most intrigued by the 17th-19th century section. The museum had quite a selection from the Hudson Valley Collection, and focused on American artists. A nice change considering most lauded pieces from that time period are French, or at the very least Eastern European. The piece I spent the most time with was "Le Chavalier Bayard" by Baron Carlo Marochetti done ca1840. A beautiful bronze cast sculpture of a knight astride his mount upon even ground, standing roughly 3.5' x 2'. The piece had such a wonderful presence that I found myself encircling it quite a few times. Even without reading the synopsis, I knew that the knight was a man of noble character, simply from standing in the sculpture's presence. Baron Marochetti certainly portrayed the man, Pierre Terrail as 'Bayard the Good'.
I would definatly recommend spending some time in this museum, though I do admit I was hoping for a little more bang for my buck.
The place had a nice atmosphere, though I was a bit disappointed at the lack of diversity of the art work. Most were historical, and more specifically directly connected to Albany history. The pieces themselves were quite beautiful, well painted, and delicately sculpted. The time period ranged from Ancient Egyptian work, to the present day.
I found myself most intrigued by the 17th-19th century section. The museum had quite a selection from the Hudson Valley Collection, and focused on American artists. A nice change considering most lauded pieces from that time period are French, or at the very least Eastern European. The piece I spent the most time with was "Le Chavalier Bayard" by Baron Carlo Marochetti done ca1840. A beautiful bronze cast sculpture of a knight astride his mount upon even ground, standing roughly 3.5' x 2'. The piece had such a wonderful presence that I found myself encircling it quite a few times. Even without reading the synopsis, I knew that the knight was a man of noble character, simply from standing in the sculpture's presence. Baron Marochetti certainly portrayed the man, Pierre Terrail as 'Bayard the Good'.
I would definatly recommend spending some time in this museum, though I do admit I was hoping for a little more bang for my buck.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Tegaki E
Alright, so here's another site that I constantly frequent.
Its kinda connected to that whole oekaki thing I talked about last time. Its called Tegaki E. Its just like a blog, except instead of typing, you draw. All kinds of people can use it, and all it requires is Flash.
Lots of fun, and a great way of expressing yourself just a bit differently than normal.
Its kinda connected to that whole oekaki thing I talked about last time. Its called Tegaki E. Its just like a blog, except instead of typing, you draw. All kinds of people can use it, and all it requires is Flash.
Lots of fun, and a great way of expressing yourself just a bit differently than normal.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Oekaki Boards
In my previous post, I mentioned a public drawing board where people can go and draw online and instantly upload and share the image with others on the board. This is by no means a independant, or unique occurance. These public drawing boards, also known as oekaki boards, are the perfect place to go to kill some time and share some art. They are very addicting, and if a good board is found, can be frequented for years.
There are countless of these boards on the internet, catering to all kinds of styles, subjects, and skill levels.
Things to consider when you're picking a board:
a) Activity - there is no way around this one. Either the board is hopping, or its dead. I prefer a more active board, where at least 2 oekakis are completed a day. Anything less than this leads to absolute boredom (at least for me). There is nothing wrong with a slow board, but don't expect much feedback on them. Also beware boards that move too fast. Some are so fast that your image is off the front page in a matter of minutes after being completed. Find a good balance.
b) Skill Level - pay attention to this! You don't want to accidently post on a board that is way above your personal skill level. Not only will your art be removed in a flash, you'll become the target for being absolutely shredded. Also, you don't want to end up posting on a board thats far below your skill level either. You'll never get any constructive feedback, and you run the risk of being flamed to death. Take this will a grain of salt. If you want to post with the heavy hitters and give it a shot, go ahead. You might just stumble on a board that has friendly people who will help you grow. If you want to post with the newer users, that's cool too. Help them learn, or just feed your ego for a while. Just realize the context of it all yea?
c) Theme - most oekaki boards have a specific theme. Some are fanart boards, while others cater to a specific subculture. Always check the theme before you post. Most themed boards are pretty strict about content, so unless you want your art removed and your account deleted, read the rules.
d) The Rules - Seriously, just read them. Every board has its own set, and usually they're there for a reason. Unless you're a troll, then you deserve all the negative consequences.
e) Personal Preference - Keep in mind, oekaki boards were originally meant to be fun and a place to draw/doodle. Try a board out, and if the community is too uptight for you, just leave and vise versa. With the amount of boards out there, you'll be able to find the right board for you. So even if your first choice wasn't a great one, keep looking until you find that perfect match.
Popular Boards:
- 2draw
= Great place to draw. Features Lascaux Sketch, one of the best online drawing tools out there.
- Oekaki Central
= Great for all skill levels. Good community, though has a high turnover rate.
- NeonDragonArt Boards
= Great for most, though its users tend to be younger with a lower skill level. Also a very high turnover rate.
- Suta-Ratio Oekaki
= Great community, has different boards for different skill levels and a friendly staff.
- Bakaneko's Oekaki Boards
= Good community, just very anime centered.
- Endless Oekaki
= Another great communtiy. Also anime centered.
There are countless of these boards on the internet, catering to all kinds of styles, subjects, and skill levels.
Things to consider when you're picking a board:
a) Activity - there is no way around this one. Either the board is hopping, or its dead. I prefer a more active board, where at least 2 oekakis are completed a day. Anything less than this leads to absolute boredom (at least for me). There is nothing wrong with a slow board, but don't expect much feedback on them. Also beware boards that move too fast. Some are so fast that your image is off the front page in a matter of minutes after being completed. Find a good balance.
b) Skill Level - pay attention to this! You don't want to accidently post on a board that is way above your personal skill level. Not only will your art be removed in a flash, you'll become the target for being absolutely shredded. Also, you don't want to end up posting on a board thats far below your skill level either. You'll never get any constructive feedback, and you run the risk of being flamed to death. Take this will a grain of salt. If you want to post with the heavy hitters and give it a shot, go ahead. You might just stumble on a board that has friendly people who will help you grow. If you want to post with the newer users, that's cool too. Help them learn, or just feed your ego for a while. Just realize the context of it all yea?
c) Theme - most oekaki boards have a specific theme. Some are fanart boards, while others cater to a specific subculture. Always check the theme before you post. Most themed boards are pretty strict about content, so unless you want your art removed and your account deleted, read the rules.
d) The Rules - Seriously, just read them. Every board has its own set, and usually they're there for a reason. Unless you're a troll, then you deserve all the negative consequences.
e) Personal Preference - Keep in mind, oekaki boards were originally meant to be fun and a place to draw/doodle. Try a board out, and if the community is too uptight for you, just leave and vise versa. With the amount of boards out there, you'll be able to find the right board for you. So even if your first choice wasn't a great one, keep looking until you find that perfect match.
Popular Boards:
- 2draw
= Great place to draw. Features Lascaux Sketch, one of the best online drawing tools out there.
- Oekaki Central
= Great for all skill levels. Good community, though has a high turnover rate.
- NeonDragonArt Boards
= Great for most, though its users tend to be younger with a lower skill level. Also a very high turnover rate.
- Suta-Ratio Oekaki
= Great community, has different boards for different skill levels and a friendly staff.
- Bakaneko's Oekaki Boards
= Good community, just very anime centered.
- Endless Oekaki
= Another great communtiy. Also anime centered.
Watching the Dragon
Jessica Peffer. A young woman who has acheived internet fame and glory after years of having a sucessful website, and a few abandoned comic projects. From interent star, to a popular How-To-Draw author Jessica Peffer aka The NeonDragon has had a huge influence on the internet art world.
Her website, NeonDragonArt has been a staple for countless budding artists. From this homepage, you can find her personal portfolio, her free online tutorials, the archives of the now dead TimeScapes, a very active forum, and finally the public drawing boards. The most active sections of her site are the forum, which recently had to be completely revamped to hold all of the people who frequent it, and of course the public drawing boards. The drawing boards are a place where small, purely internet pieces of art can be created by anyone with a quick enough internet connection and a Flash download. Artists of all ages, styles, and skill levels are welcomed to draw, chat, and genarally have a good time.
Personally, I have been using Jessica's artwork as a learning tool since I began drawnig seriously. I even found printed out NeonDragon tutorials from 2000. She has been a huge influence, and even inspired me to tackle the world of digital art. To this day, I follow her activity on her LiveJournal blog, Neon Dragon;s Supa Big Exciting Journal That Holds the Key to Universal Harmony. Here, one can keep up with her current drawings from sketch to finished piece, and even watch an upstream of the entire process live.
Her work has been inspiring me for years, and I intend to spread the word of her work as far as I can.
Her website, NeonDragonArt has been a staple for countless budding artists. From this homepage, you can find her personal portfolio, her free online tutorials, the archives of the now dead TimeScapes, a very active forum, and finally the public drawing boards. The most active sections of her site are the forum, which recently had to be completely revamped to hold all of the people who frequent it, and of course the public drawing boards. The drawing boards are a place where small, purely internet pieces of art can be created by anyone with a quick enough internet connection and a Flash download. Artists of all ages, styles, and skill levels are welcomed to draw, chat, and genarally have a good time.
Personally, I have been using Jessica's artwork as a learning tool since I began drawnig seriously. I even found printed out NeonDragon tutorials from 2000. She has been a huge influence, and even inspired me to tackle the world of digital art. To this day, I follow her activity on her LiveJournal blog, Neon Dragon;s Supa Big Exciting Journal That Holds the Key to Universal Harmony. Here, one can keep up with her current drawings from sketch to finished piece, and even watch an upstream of the entire process live.
Her work has been inspiring me for years, and I intend to spread the word of her work as far as I can.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
A World Without Media
Media. We all complain about it and the effect it has on society. Almost everyone I speak to wishes the news wasn't so grim, or wants magazine adds to be less provocative. Have you ever thought about what the world would be like without media? To take the US, and take away every kind of media, leaving only bound books in libraries. What would that be like?
Imagine this:
There is no news. No way for the government to communicate with the populous except for written books. The skies are free from billboards, advertising, and no posters line the streets anywhere. People walk around, speaking with each other to find out new information. Word of mouth is the only advertising anyone can employ, leaving countless events unknown. Information passing is stunted, current events encompassing events that happened months ago at the earliest.
The Bad:
There would be no way to actively protest or support anything. By the time news hit the street that a law was going to be passed, is when it is already enacted. As much as we hate advertising, how else would we know what was out there beyond going out to find it. The only way we would know what was happening in other countries would be to actively search for it, or physically go to the other country. If something went wrong, we would have to trust our government completely to handle the situation, and to accurately tell the public what happened. When public officials run for office, the public has to trust what they here and see for themselves, and nothing else.
People would be easier to fool. Without a constant stream of information coming from multiple sources, would we be able to pick out the lies from the truth?
The Good:
With no news, there would be no bad news. There would be no constant stream of information to change and affect how we think. There would be no pressure from the media to fulfill an impossible ideal. There would be no confusion about who to trust, and what to trust. The decision would be simple, to trust books or to trust other people. Our minds would be free from the constant bombardment of imagery, and our streets would be free from the obnoxious billboards that line the sky. Stress would be greatly reduced, for the world would move much slower.
Would you trade knowledge for peace of mind?
Imagine this:
There is no news. No way for the government to communicate with the populous except for written books. The skies are free from billboards, advertising, and no posters line the streets anywhere. People walk around, speaking with each other to find out new information. Word of mouth is the only advertising anyone can employ, leaving countless events unknown. Information passing is stunted, current events encompassing events that happened months ago at the earliest.
The Bad:
There would be no way to actively protest or support anything. By the time news hit the street that a law was going to be passed, is when it is already enacted. As much as we hate advertising, how else would we know what was out there beyond going out to find it. The only way we would know what was happening in other countries would be to actively search for it, or physically go to the other country. If something went wrong, we would have to trust our government completely to handle the situation, and to accurately tell the public what happened. When public officials run for office, the public has to trust what they here and see for themselves, and nothing else.
People would be easier to fool. Without a constant stream of information coming from multiple sources, would we be able to pick out the lies from the truth?
The Good:
With no news, there would be no bad news. There would be no constant stream of information to change and affect how we think. There would be no pressure from the media to fulfill an impossible ideal. There would be no confusion about who to trust, and what to trust. The decision would be simple, to trust books or to trust other people. Our minds would be free from the constant bombardment of imagery, and our streets would be free from the obnoxious billboards that line the sky. Stress would be greatly reduced, for the world would move much slower.
Would you trade knowledge for peace of mind?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Crazy Origami
Recently in another art class, paper was a media choice. Normally my interaction with paper is drawing on it, painting on it, and/or making a paper airplane. Never did I really consider its worth as a media in itself, until one of my professors showed some crazy art using solely paper, and maybe some glue and scissors. I started getting curious. What else was out there?
The two art styles I found the most interesting was high level origami, and paper sculpture. I've been trying a few different techniques recently, and finding it quite fun. I personally love origami, just because I am so mystifyied by how much can be done with just folds~.
Here is some link love:
Beyond the Paper Hat:
Richi89
Shuki Kato
Chad Killeen
Joseph Wu
More than Snowflakes:
Peter Callesen
Jen Stark
Clive Steven
Paper Forest
When all else fails, google it. ;3
The two art styles I found the most interesting was high level origami, and paper sculpture. I've been trying a few different techniques recently, and finding it quite fun. I personally love origami, just because I am so mystifyied by how much can be done with just folds~.
Here is some link love:
Beyond the Paper Hat:
Richi89
Shuki Kato
Chad Killeen
Joseph Wu
More than Snowflakes:
Peter Callesen
Jen Stark
Clive Steven
Paper Forest
When all else fails, google it. ;3
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Concept Art
So, if one does art, how does one get noticed?
It's all about getting out there right? Putting your art out for the world to see, and for someone to find. That's the ultimate goal, being found. Someone out there in the great wide world is looking for some image to use, for someone to hire, and we have to wave big flags and say "Here I am!"
Through my seemingly endless journey through the interent, I have seen many sites that are for the sole purpose of showing art off. The one I find myself going to most is deviantArt, though I find it to be more of a place to socialize then to be employed. That's the problem with a lot of sites of this nature, it seems that no serious employers frequent them. In all honesty I can understand why, but that doesn't solve the problem does it? How do we know if what we're posting will be seen?
One website that has thoroughly impressed me in its professional nature is ConceptArt.org. The website itself is essentially a huge forum. A place where artists go to seriously discuss art, and its a place to be noticed. Though the intent of the website seems fairly limited to artists who hope to become concept artists, any type of artist can join. The site itself is used mainly for displaying finished art, displaying unfinished art, and showing the pages of your sketchbook for people to see and give you feedback for.
ConceptArt has a huge advantage in the sense that the main users of the site are people already in the business. Also if you actually follow the site and are active there, a lot can be learned.
I've got an account, how about you?
It's all about getting out there right? Putting your art out for the world to see, and for someone to find. That's the ultimate goal, being found. Someone out there in the great wide world is looking for some image to use, for someone to hire, and we have to wave big flags and say "Here I am!"
Through my seemingly endless journey through the interent, I have seen many sites that are for the sole purpose of showing art off. The one I find myself going to most is deviantArt, though I find it to be more of a place to socialize then to be employed. That's the problem with a lot of sites of this nature, it seems that no serious employers frequent them. In all honesty I can understand why, but that doesn't solve the problem does it? How do we know if what we're posting will be seen?
One website that has thoroughly impressed me in its professional nature is ConceptArt.org. The website itself is essentially a huge forum. A place where artists go to seriously discuss art, and its a place to be noticed. Though the intent of the website seems fairly limited to artists who hope to become concept artists, any type of artist can join. The site itself is used mainly for displaying finished art, displaying unfinished art, and showing the pages of your sketchbook for people to see and give you feedback for.
ConceptArt has a huge advantage in the sense that the main users of the site are people already in the business. Also if you actually follow the site and are active there, a lot can be learned.
I've got an account, how about you?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Auditorium Plug
Exploring the internet is a past time of mine. There are days when all I do is link hop from one site to another, and hope to stumble upon something cool. Thankfully, I had a successful journey.
Games on the internet are the saving grace for a bored person on the edge of losing their sanity. Almost everyone has a favorite game site too (mine is LazyLaces), and they trust their game site to give them new exciting games on a regular basis. Though this is not always true, we can dream. In my never ending search for new games, I found a potential holy grail of games: Auditorium.
Auditorium is a music puzzle game that both pleases the ears and the eyes. You are given streams of color that you can manipulate with icons the level gives you. When the color passes over the target area, music plays. It truly is an awesome experience, and the best way to understand what I mean is to go give it a shot.
Happy Playing~
Games on the internet are the saving grace for a bored person on the edge of losing their sanity. Almost everyone has a favorite game site too (mine is LazyLaces), and they trust their game site to give them new exciting games on a regular basis. Though this is not always true, we can dream. In my never ending search for new games, I found a potential holy grail of games: Auditorium.
Auditorium is a music puzzle game that both pleases the ears and the eyes. You are given streams of color that you can manipulate with icons the level gives you. When the color passes over the target area, music plays. It truly is an awesome experience, and the best way to understand what I mean is to go give it a shot.
Happy Playing~
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
And so the madness begins....
I declare this blog officially open~!
This blog will be for art created by yours truly, and also for general art/media discussion. Also, this blog will be for my Art213 class, therefore there will be school related information here. Not to say its boring informatoin or anything, quite the contrary actually.
This will NOT be for my life. If you want to know more about that, then I wonder about the amount of extra time you have...
This blog will be for art created by yours truly, and also for general art/media discussion. Also, this blog will be for my Art213 class, therefore there will be school related information here. Not to say its boring informatoin or anything, quite the contrary actually.
This will NOT be for my life. If you want to know more about that, then I wonder about the amount of extra time you have...
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