Lines project-final words

Top 3 lines

1/ Turbulent

When things get tough, I like to imagine myself as a sailor navigating through choppy waves. Somehow picturing it like this helps me to remember that there will always be a way out once the storm stills. The style of this is a cartoon like illustration of “friendly” looking waves to mimic how I feel about turbulent times, the tiny boat overwhelmed by the waves is a representation of me. As the phrase says “this too shall pass” as with everything, so do the turbulent times.

2/Exhaustion

The most exhausting periods of my life were those moments struggling through Chinese exams. This language though beautiful had been the bane of most of my time in school. I picked the chinese phrase 唉聲嘆氣 as I did do that quite a bit, and still do in times of exhaustion. To create this piece, I deconstructed the word ‘嘆’ to its very basic elements, and deliberately made the front portion to be tighter than the back to simulate the release of a sigh.

I really like this as I can totally identify with those lines in the strip of paper, every time I look at it I take a deep sigh secretly in my heart, expressing the exhaustion I feel now in school.

3/ Sensual

I was curious how something like a production or a music piece could be described as sensual, I’ve only seen it applied to people or objects (like lace!). After reading up on a couple of definitions & examples, I figured at the very root of it “sensual” must be something that is sensory. Perhaps a sensual piece of music could be the feeling of the melody touching your ears? Therefore I dipped my fingers in paint and rubbed over paper, almost similar to the action of caressing.

I like how compared to my other lines, this one was much more free spirited and textural as I used my fingers to paint.

Learning outcomes
I’ve learnt that it takes a lot more thought and time to really come up with something as simple as lines. That at times, certain art pieces may look deceptively simple but heart and effort has been invested to creating those works. Also, I learnt that lines are the building blocks of almost…everything! Even the alphabet are made up of lines, they are indeed everywhere.

On a personal note, getting to see my classmates interpretation of what each emotion means to them was something quite interesting for me as I had never expected such a varied result. To be absolutely honest, seeing the works of others made me feel a little small, as there were many fantastic results. I admired the way they could let loose and experiment with various mediums and methods, and even allowing the brush/pen to go as their emotions lead. I’ve also come to realize that I am a very controlled individual, hesitating to allow myself let go. I guess my biggest takeaway is that at times, experimenting without expectations can produce beautiful results, and it isn’t a waste of time. Also that there are many, many beautiful things in the minds of others, including my own and there is really no purpose in comparison.

Project 1b- FIRE & ICE

Fire and Ice
Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

We were required to create a pictorial interpretation of this poem written by Robert Frost. After reading the poem a couple of times, I figured that ice embodies the characteristics of coolness- being unfeeling, uncaring, indifference and fire represented warmth, passion, love and courage. Even though we could use photoshop for this project, I decided to stick with paper collaging which I’m more comfortable with.

1/

The first picture is an interpretation of the line

“Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.”

I cut out pointed shapes out of a marble textured paper to represent ice-cold, hard, piercing shards. For fire, I drew it in happy warm colors to symbolize bubbles of fire. This is rather ironic as fire isn’t always seen as something fun and gentle. Yet with this use of shapes, I hope to bring across the coolness of ice can sometimes destroy burning passions. Such a snide remark or disapproval may cause interests and passions to fizzle over time. A crinkled silver tissue was used as a background to give it it an overall steely feel. The trapeze artiste and explosion is used to symbolize how when fire and ice interact, things (people, feelings etc.) can get destroyed in the process, disintegrating them into pieces. In layering the different backgrounds under the main object (the trapeze artiste), I wanted to create depth to make the image more visually appealing.

Inspiration

a mosaic look for the ice portion

Pattern ideas for fire bubbles inspired by Estella Ng

Resources/references
Marble paper: http://designerwallcoverings.com/WallpaperStore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=33819

Trapeze artist: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/28/54/5a/28545a652cb623c9c9cd35e0b8252461.jpg

Explosion: National Geographic Magazine

2/

For this image, I wanted to capture how an unfeeling world would look be- flat and decaying.
I chose this image which resembles a dilapidated room and cut it in a circular shape just like how the earth is and would become if everyone stops caring for it. The waves are stilled and the green hills fade into blackness, everything with lose life when we stop caring for it. I left the circle in the center as the main focus and had the sea take up a third of the canvas to create a more balanced look.

The third picture is an interpretation of the line

“From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.”

What I was trying to convey with this image was that those who have experienced warmth of the flame, who have tasted desire (in my interpretation have wanted something, love, experiences, recognition etc.) they would not want ice (ie: destruction)

Destruction here is represented by an explosion of the bomb and desire, by the shiny lips. The sequins is just an extra touch to depict tasting. The blue paint is used to simulate ice, also to block out unnecessary background & bring focus to the explosion in the center.

References/resource
Background explosion: National Geographic
Lips: http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyda63heD31qz6f9yo1_r1_500.jpg, http://thisisnthappiness.com/post/16472648287/sticky

The last image is an interpretation of

“I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great”

This last image depicts many warships sailing on a sea of molten lava, the entire image is encapsulated in creased clear tape to assimilate ice. I wanted to show how in a war, the attacking side does not show any regard of the opposition. Even though it involves guns and bombs/fiery elements, what it really is a display of cold, hard hearts which do not care for humanity.

Reference/resource

Lava: http://img.shockblast.net/2013/03/ShockBlast-Sean-King-Volcano-Lava-Flows-Hawaii-16.jpg
Battleships: http://www.amazon.com/Revell-Germany-Battleship-Bismarck-Plastic/dp/B003E47HLE
http://www.amazon.com/Motormax-MOBNJ-Giant-USS-Battleship/dp/B001KXML0I
http://www.vectis.co.uk/Page/ViewAuctionLots.aspx?AuctionId=5&DayNo=1&Section=0&Start=320

Project 1a- Photo series on SELF

#1. SELF

Venue: Botanic gardens

Storyboard

For this series, I wanted to express my life mantra, that in the entirety of time, I am but a speck of dust.

Inspired by the lyrics:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapour in the wind

I decided to take this series of self portraits without my face because I don’t really like to be photographed as I feel that I’m nothing much to look at. Therefore I chose to give myself a face by painting eyes (from the phrase ‘Beauty is in the eyes of its beholder’) on my palms.

I photographed myself hiding or being immersed in trees & foliage to represent my desire to be like a tree in this short span of my life. To be strong and resilient in stormy season, to bend with the wind, to be deeply rooted and to grow upwards towards the light.

There were many rejected pictures in this series, some of which I tried showing just my back or isolated parts of my body, though eventually the best shots were the ones where my entire body isn’t present to remove distractions.

Most pictures were taken with a tripod, though I had a friend to help with pressing the button (because I had no clue how to use the self timer…). The most technically challenging picture would be the last one featuring my painted eyes in the foreground. The photograph was taken from a bottom up angle and the lack of light did not help the situation. We resorted to using our phone torches to light up the main subject and..tadah! much better.

All pictures were slightly edited with iPhoto, changing up the saturation that the colors may be more vibrant.

#2. OBJECT

Venue: Outside my home

Storyboard

I chose a cake as my object as it signifies a time where I had to gather all my courage and be brave. Before entering university, I had two gap years. The first was planned, the later was not by choice. As I didn’t have a school to attend, nor a job, my parents told me to start selling cakes to earn some money to get by. It was really difficult for me to put my passion and hobby on the line by making a living out of it. More terrifying was putting my creations on a pedestal, allowing people to criticise my heart work. The one year of running TeaxCakes wasn’t the easiest, many times I had to fight the urge to cave in to the long nights and insecurities, but I am thankful for the encouragement people gave that got me by.

For this series, I wanted the cake to take center stage as my customers rarely get to see my face; more often than not they would see my cakes, which are an extension of me. As I only do customized cakes, each one I sent out was my interpretation, my creation. I wanted to capture how much work & dedication goes into crafting a cake, therefore in the first picture there’s a glimpse of my “working face”. I daresay not many have seen this side of me, most of the time I have a permanent smile plastered on my face.

I tried experimenting with various shooting styles (Close up, half body etc.) as well as sketching out several poses. However many were rejected in the end as they looked too posey and looked rather awkward.

This set didn’t have any digital editing as the lighting and white wall made it easier to capture nicely lighted shots.

#3. PLACE

Venue: Fort Canning Park

Storyboard

This was the most difficult series for me out of the three as I did not know how I could capture emotions in a space. Initially I wanted to photograph the church that I attend, but i decided against it since the lack of light would work against me. Subsequently I decided on Fort Canning Park as it was where I had my first date. This series represents all the things that it was and all that I hoped it would be. As usual I omitted any humans in the pictures because we don’t photograph really well. So! I tried to use items that would signify the presence of us.

-The bags
-The shoes
-Half eaten food
-A magazine

These are the props I chose to represent us.

1/ This picture represents the long conversations we had on a bench under the dappling sunlight.
In reality, we were both terribly shy and awkward so you can expect no real conversation really took place.

2/ The flight of stairs is a representative of the long journey ahead and the accidental blurred effect could mean that we didn’t really know what lies ahead of us.

3/ Waiting by Gothic Gate for 20 minutes, wondering if he didn’t want to meet me anymore. I composed it such that the gate would frame the path and the magazine propped by the side, hoping to achieve a sense of anticipation.

4/ Picnic that never happened then, and ever since.

5/ I tried to use the shoes to frame the iconic fort canning arts center. I tried waiting a cloud to cover the blistering afternoon sun, but it did not happen. This resulted in a slightly overexposed shot. Wen lei suggested using the flash to reduce the brightness, will try it next time around!

FINAL PRESENTATION

I chose a little nook by the stairs with paper dandelions running up the edge to assimilate a garden and to bring across a fun and informal mood.

For the first set on Self, I arranged the pictures upwards at an angle, just like how the branches of the tree would grow.

The second set Object was arranged in sequential order, just as how it would be if I were actually making the cake. I distributed mini cakes at the end of this set to encourage my classmates to be brave as we all begin a new season of life in school.

The third set Place I had them arranged in a mess overlapping each other, which is how I feel as I look back on that day. Sometimes the sequence of events get jumbled in my head, but it would always be a dear memory. Right at the corner I’ve included a tiny illustration, for those who are curious to see the faces behind the objects they represent.

Reflection

To be very honest I was quite surprised by how honest my classmates were with their photographs. I am very thankful that they should be so kind to let me in and give me a glimpse of their lives. I found this an interesting and practical way to practice the composition theories we learnt in class such as the rule of thirds and applying colors in an objective manner. I really enjoyed myself, and through the process of photo taking I’ve developed a newfound admiration for photographers- not just those who wield fancy dslr cameras but those who put in effort to take great Instagram shots with their camera phones, two thumbs up to you!

The dot that walked & walked

I began the ideating process by drawing out mind maps that included the meanings of the words, as well as certain experiences I associate with the word.

After accumulating various ideas, I proceeded to begin my experimentation process for each word. For this assignment I’ve stuck to acrylic paint.

Experimentation & Process

——–

^Initial ideas

Final work

1.Aggressive

Definition/association
CROWS

Inspirations

The Story
To me, crows are the very embodiment of the word ‘Aggressive’. I was attacked by a crow as a kid and had developed a fear of birds since then. The feeling of the the crow’s claws on my scalp is something I’ll never forget.

The most nightmarish situation for me, would be being caught in the middle on a whole pack of crows (or any crazy carnivorous birds…) and that is why my final interpretation shows vicious beaks from all four corners, congregating in the middle; expressing the same aggression of birds circling around their prey in the air, before swooping down to catch them.

Initially I tried experimenting with the claws of a venus fly trap, but it was rather difficult to translate the aggressiveness of the carnivorous plant into lines. After multiple attempts I decided to work on another idea and picked the crows instead.

2.Ambiguous

Definition/association
Uncertainty, new beginnings

Inspirations

The story
In times of ambiguity, new beginnings- such as a new season of life (SCHOOL), I tend to adopt a hesitant attitude towards things and people. Often I find myself being overly cautious, testing waters time and time again-a little like how the ripple effect never really stops, it just spreads.

Therefore I’ve chosen the ripple, caused by a literal testing of waters to represent this emotion. Funny how this piece looks surprisingly calm and peaceful, as if a picture of serenity when in reality, being ambiguous brings me no peace at all.

3.Anxious

Definition/association
Biting fingernails

The story
I was a very shy child, so incredibly shy was I that my teachers were irritated by my lack of participatory spirit in class. I’d get very anxious when I was called out in class, and thus developed a terrible habit of biting my nails.

Initially I had used the jagged moon-shape of badly bitten fingernails to depict ‘Anxious’ but after discussing with Shirley, I thought it better to translate it into a fluid line, slowly descending as my anxiety issues decreased overtime. Also, the previous idea looked like a wrapping paper print..

My very first idea was to draw a whole row of hands in the posture of prayer, for that is what I do when I am anxious. Instead of expressing anxiety, it looked like a peaceful line so that idea got scrapped!

4.Awkward

Definition/association
Stuttering

Inspirations

The story
Awkward & Embarrassment are two emotions that are very closely linked, usually when I am in an awkward situation, I would very like embarrass myself-not a pretty sight.

I wanted to capture the essence of awkwardness of a stutterer, and thought best to so as music beats. To ensure that my square mind would not create overly regular lines, I listened to videos of stutterers speaking and increased the number of strokes when they stuttered.

5.Bizarre

Definition/association
Tim Burton, Edward Gorey, Pan’s Labyrinth

Inspirations

I love the illustrations of Tim Burton & Edward Gorey, they are to me bizarre and strangely intriguing. The word ‘Bizarre’ also reminded me of the film Pan’s Labyrinth which I caught on the plane, it was a little grotesque but I loved it. The most captivating character was the pale man, with his detachable eyeballs. I decided to use various eyeballs as motifs, tilting them at an angle that they may also resemble bugs- slightly bizarre but curiously captivating.

6.Distracted

Definition/association
Internet

The story
I am easily distracted, especially while getting work done on the net…just as I am typing this, there are 9 open taps, oh dear.

7.Embarrassed

Definition/association: Squatting

The story
Thinking back on my most embarrassing moment- it was when I had to do a public presentation in front of the school and had a blackout. Completely forgetting my lines and terribly embarrassed, I proceeded to squat down on stage, succeeding in embarrassing myself further as the crowd erupted in laughter. SO, I’ve decided to capture the motion of squatting to represent embarrassment
.

8.Exhausted

Definition/association
Chinese
Heavy sighs

Inspiration

The story
The most exhausting periods of my life were those moments struggling through Chinese exams. This language though beautiful had been the bane of most of my time in school. I picked the chinese phrase 唉聲嘆氣 as I did do that quite a bit, and still do in times of exhaustion. To create this piece, I deconstructed the word ‘嘆’ to its very basic elements, and deliberately made the front portion to be tighter than the back to simulate the release of a sigh.

Initially I had all the characters sprinkled about, but Shirley advised me to make the words unrecognizable, that it mayn’t be too “in your face”. I do like this improved version much more!

9.Fragile

Definition/association
*PIANG*
shattering of fragile items

The story
I wanted to create something that sounded like the sound of shattering glass *piang* Initially I chose to use harsh strokes, but realized the faint lines produced by dry brushing did a better job in bringing across the fragility of the sound.

10.Indecisive

Definition/association
Going nowhere

The story
I used arrows as they represent a direction, indecisiveness has no direction at all, it just goes… nowhere.

11.Lyrical

Definition/association
“(of literature, art, or music) expressing the writer’s emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way.”

Inspiration
Blooming flowers

The story
I watched a hyperlapse video of flowers blooming endlessly, and tried to capture that motion in swooping swirls.

12.Nonsensical

Definition/association
“having no meaning; making no sense”

The story

13.Psychotic

Definition/association
Uncontrollable person, actions, thoughts

The story
Being the unadventurous person I am, I could not allow my brush to go crazy and uncontrolled, I required a certain order to make sense of things. The lines are angry, pointed and well controlled within a white border. Shirley reminded me that Psychoticism did not necessarily mean going off the deep end, sometimes it could just be unrestraint motion within a fence.

14.Sensual

Definition/association
“of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical, especially sexual, pleasure.”
eg: “the production of the ballet is sensual and passionate”

The story
I was curious how something like a production or a music piece could be described as sensual, I’ve only seen it applied to people or objects (like lace!). After reading up on a couple of definitions & examples, I figured at the very root of it “sensual” must be something that is sensory. Perhaps a sensual piece of music could be the feeling of the melody touching your ears? Therefore I dipped my fingers in paint and rubbed over paper, almost similar to the action of caressing.

Initially I wanted to draw to use lace as the main motif, but I realized that the result turned out too literal an interpretation.

15.Sloven

Definition/association
“a person who is habitually untidy or careless.”

Inspiration
Unkempt facial hair
Unruly vines

The story

16.Spontaneous

Definition/association
Unplanned fun

Inspiration
kaleidoscope

The story
I love how unpredictable the kaleidoscope is, the mishmash of shapes & colors are so beautiful-and that’s how spontaneity is to me. I used various shapes and patterns to create something fun, bolding random pieces to create accents.

17.Systematic

Definition/association
In proper order

Inspiration
Binary

The story

I remember when I was still studying in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, we had to take a dreadful exam on coding. Being the tech idiot that I am, the only thing I gleaned from the entire module was that it is made up of many 1s and 0s. That just with these two numbers and careful arrangement, some spectacular results can be achieved.

18.Turbulent

Definition/association
Stormy seas

The story
When things get tough, I like to imagine myself as a sailor navigating through choppy waves. Somehow picturing it like this helps me to remember that there will always be a way out once the storm stills. The style of this is a cartoon like illustration of “friendly” looking waves to mimic how I feel about turbulent times, the tiny boat overwhelmed by the waves is a representation of me. As the phrase says “this too shall pass” as with everything, so do the turbulent times.

*Tada* final work