Interested in purchasing art work? Please leave a comment with your email address. I'll contact you. Illustration work is available at ASA "Style File."

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Beauty of Life Drawing

Hi, Friends, thank you for the great support and patience despite the access difficulty to this blog  just after publishing a new postʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ. Now, back to normal!


OK, the topic is life drawing!This Monday, our life drawing class was over like a school term. 

When I look back the life drawing class, the benefits I've got are...
1) Beauty of our body!!! Awesome! Really exciting.
2) Anatomical knowledge of body. 

3) Technical experiments in a relaxing mood. 
i.e) Mixed media: crayones & watercolour on biiiig papers (A2, A3). Dancing brushes on a large paper is a great stress busterʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ.
A bonus! I could meet
same minded friends. Nice!



I'm the queen!(A2)
In the beauty of life drawing, movement was very eye catchy. 
Above, a model played a very cheeky woman with a brave posture. Ahhh.... so beutiful and how unique...!! I can't help but capture each person's personality on papers. Their "body language" really tells each personality with a story.   
 

Also, a models' face expressions often caught my heart! 


One lady, below, was very shy... oh, in a melancholic blue. 

Deep Thoughts(A2)
This gentleman's body spinned out his life long story I loved capturing on paper. 
I'll take a rest on journey (A2)
Our body language speaks a lot. In the work below, I emphasized a colour, purple so that the work would show the serious mood. A model showed me the beauty of relationship. Romantic. ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ 
All I need is You (A2)

Even in life drawing class,  I've always felt a model's individual story. It has convinced me that I was born to be a portraitist...(and a picture book illustrator!)  Also, I'd say special thanks for our models, hard work.  

Finally, I'd really want to tell you, Friends, YOU, too, have such beauty and precious uniquenss on the earth. So, cherish being "who you are" -- is my message from the drawing class. 
Cheers for your beauty!!
Happy Painting, Friends!! 









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Thursday, June 21, 2012

One Word One Day : Fundraising for Indigenous Children

Hi, Friends, exclusion! 
Yesterday, we enjoyed the fundrasing national project for Indigenous children, "One Word One Day" run by ASA  initiative at ABC building (=Australian Broadcasting Corporation ). ABC TV news and radio programs broadcasted this event!

Artists work on a given word and create images. We, artists offer 4 hours from 10 am to 2 pm. All art materials are generously provided by Micador. Later, created art work will be at auction to raise money for Indigenous Literacy Foundation. 
 The given word was "Teeter." 
I actually got there 10:30, a bit late, because hard to find a good parking spot in the CBD. To make up the late start, I worked hard on the word. In a "few minutes," I finished up two doodles for "warming up." Then, I started sketching artists working on a table. Title : "People are teetering!"
My work appeared to capture many people's attention. As I hoped the work would help an auction, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation banner and the ABC logo were woven into the work. When I finished it, the key person from ASA asked me to put the words, "One Word One Day." Done!! I heartily hope our work will help Aboriginal children.
I also enjoyed a chat with the camera woman from  Indigenous Literacy Foundation. We talked over Indigenous people's language rights and my linguistics professor, the expert of Aboriginal people's language. It was really lovely to meet such  wonderful people struggling on behalf of Aboriginal people.

  ...and after the event, I always appreciate the backstage players' hard work-- they were from ASA! I helped their packup.
...then, I popped up ASA office to have late lunch.
Creating a work in a limited time could be a good pressure for an artist. Daily quick sketch saved me. 

Now, my uni linguistics professors celebrate my contribution and hope the project will go well.  
Friends, Happy Painting! 




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Monday, June 18, 2012

1)Background Study 2) Caricature

Hi, Friends, how have you been?We're in winter. Wooo! Cold! I actually got a cold.
How do you handle a background?
I've been doing experiments to make a background.
A background should not speak more than a subject. Yet, it must help a subject convey a message. I finished up this work based on the sketch in a library. The girl's face expression is the main interest. In the work, the background is the "setting" to show a venue and a mood.
Technique : "Limited palette" = use only a few colours.Regarding composition, I always make only ONE focal point.
Simplified other information in the background. In the work above, the exception was lights that looked interestingʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ .
Another study work. A background was added on the old work. When I have a technical quest, I always come back to black and white.
Value and mood study is essential for illustration.
What I've learned are...1)"Limited palette" works! 2) "Be brave," as we do not need to make a masterpiece all the time, don't we? We're only human, aren't we? Yey!

Now, coffee break! The fun drawing of my mentor, Ann James. Hahahaha, feedback is quite positive that successfully captured Ann's impish quality or a bit naughty girl?! I made it at a library whilst studying a book, "Australian Picture Book Illustrator". Librarians said, "Ah, so cute!" Well, that's my way to make caricatures. In my eyes, anyone has beauty. My belief: an artist is the person who can depict beauty and discloses it on paper!



Usually, my doodles create cartoons and caricatures. So, Friends, doodles are great "brain and hand exercises." Bring a sketch book with you all the time and pin down inspirations.

Friends, take care and Happy Painting!!
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Monday, June 11, 2012

How To Stay Young(Sketches, cartoons)

Hi, Friends, how have you been?
We're in a long weekend because of Queen's birthday, even though I've been hectic and busy with projects these weeks.
Now, a coffee break for you. Do relax. Friends, when you want to stay young, what do you do? I often go to uni, enjoy a chat with young people and get a bit their energy.
But one day, my friend sent me, "how to stay young." Oh, nice. I'm sure all of us want to know tips. Here we go, tadadada~~!!
How to Stay Young
Worry about nothing, pray abouteverything!
We allneed to live life to its fullest each day!

1. Throw outnonessential numbers thatinclude age, weight andheight. Let the doctors worryabout them. That is why you pay 'them.'

Good Friends or Bad Friends?!
2.Surround yourself with whatyou love , whether it'sfriends, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
3. Keep cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (*My dear friend really loves yoga... )

4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. Don't take guilttrips. Take a trip tothe mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where theguilt is.
(Friends, we have to go for shopping to the other side of the world, merrily, happily!!)



7. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
( Yey!!!)
8. Keep learning whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
Students at Library
9. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us ourentire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
10. Cherish yourhealth: If it is good,preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you canimprove, get help.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :Life is not measured by thenumber of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
And if you don't send this toat least 8 people - whocares? But do share this with someone
ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ .
* * *
That's it! Ahahahaha! Nice, aren't they?
Let us enjoy our lives! Forever young at heart.
In additon, I put colours on the uni. Next time, I'll challenge it in a loose style. Happy Painting! ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ




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Monday, June 4, 2012

1)Shortlisted for Cancer Council Art Prize 2)Cartoon

Hi, Friends, did you enjoy a weekend? I enjoyed coffee at a cafe and finished up the illustration below. I wanted to make a mood and played around colours. 


Coffee Break 
Good news! My two paintings, both are "shortlisted." One is for Victoria Cancer Council Art Prize 2012. I sent the work, "Daffodils : strength, hope, love" to Melbourne. 

  A3, double mounts, beautifully framed,
 30% of $500 goes to Victoria Cancer Council.

Daffodils have the strength to survive winter and bloom beautifully in spring, passing on life to the next generation. They look fragile, but in fact are strong. One day, NSW Cancer Council volunteers gave any patient daffodils in a treatment room (*I do not have cancer, but have the same treatment). Sitting for long hours bores patients. But suddenly these daffodils brought us smiles and joy. Later, I sketched the daffodils. Medical doctors and my friends, too, love this work. If anyone wants to be a "step parent" of the daffodils, the Cancer Council and I would be very happpy.
 
BTW, once, when I chatted over the relation bewteen "life" and "lemons(*negative meaning)", a dear blogger friend, Rhonda said, "Sadami, you not only make lemonade, you set up a lemonade stand and sell it to others who need reminders that lemonade is like life - sweet and tart." Oh, Rhonda, I want to be a lemon-AID woman!! Tadada~~~! Here we go!
Hahaha, cartoons are often my doodles. A very good brain exercies and relaxing!

Well, back to the topic on another shortlisted work. Not a finalist yet. The work must get through a second round. To be honest with you, I'm ready for rejection and will enjoy lemonade! But whatever the result would be, I'd celebrate my try and it did very well so far for the very big competition 


I'll keep up! Thank you for warm cheers. I'll send you, too, warm cheers.
Friends, Happy Painting! 
 


 


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