Good News!

Hi, Friends, thank you for kind concerns and a great patience. Your cheers have helped my hand's recovery. Although a plaster and tapes have not been comfy, now, a doctor gives me a permission to get back to work. Yey!! I'll draw in my own pace. Slowly and steady. Typing still leaves pain. Not good. I avoid computer use as much as possible. 

Now, lots of things have happened and ongoing. All good news.


1) The ongoing project for immigrant women in Australia
Two images to go. The team is very supportive. They allow me to take a rest well and put my health first.
In November, hopefully, printed books will be distributed to public libraries and Non English Speaking women will access the information, where to get help in Australia.   

2) Arts Access Australia Conference & Art Exhibition 30, 31 October 2012 
Desire and Destination : Arts Activated Conference 

The Concourse - 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067, Australia. 9:00 am -  6:00 pm

Click the link, a map comes up. I'll enjoy them all. Friends, if you like, come over!

Furthermore,

I'll join the discussion on the ABC of Publicity on 1st November,

Free masterclass for arts organisations and artists with disability to get tips and tricks for your own publicity and press campaigns from experienced media professionals and publicists from the ABC.

4) Right Now (not-for-profit media organisation focuses on human rights issues in Australia
October, "Right Now" focuses on "disability."
Through AAA, a few days ago, Right Now contacted me and will use my work for their newsletter. Great honour and wonderful publicity. I'd say thank you to Right Now staff. 

....and, finally, a bit... private... ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ·.•*•♫°•♫·.•ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ

                                       today is my birthday!

I thank YOU, and also thank for my difficulties. Without them, today's Sadami, particularly, an artist Sadami does not exist. 
In addition, typing is heavy for my right hand. 
Another project is coming to me. Very busy. I may not regularly update this blog. But I always read your blogs, please pardon my laziness not to leave comments.
Friends, Happy Painting!!

Good News!

Hi, Friends, I'll Slow Down

Hi, Friends, how is your weekend?
I really enjoyed the  Rumsey Heritage Rose garden festival in Parramatta park. My art friends and I had a wonderful time in bird watching, live band music and watching sculptures in the park.

Now, not good news. My right hand has in trouble. The hand specialist is checking it, who did the surgery this year. The right hand is not so glamour at the moment with taping and a plaster(boo!). It needs more medical examination. You got why I have not either visited your blogs or left comments like before. Please pardon me. I must rest the hand as much as possible. So, I'll upload mainly my art work without a chat for a while.  

Currently, the exception is an ongoing illustration project that advocates immigrant women in Australia. The project team and I happily work together. Nearly there. I'll finish it up this month. I heartily hope my tiny work will empower Non English Speaking people and give them hope in Australia.

And our life drawing class has started. It inspires me so much. I tried to capture a model's mood in A2. Well, actually, our life drawing class member invited us, members to the rose festival. 

OK, Friends,  I have to go, but I'll certainly enjoy your blogs and never lose heart. I want to get well.


Friends, Happy Painting!!

 

Hi, Friends, I'll Slow Down

Sketch "Why" for Character Design

Hi, Friends, did you have a wonderful weekend? Yes, I had! Hey, nearly at the end of 2012. Time flies like an arrow. Many annual exhibitions and next year competitions' invitations are coming. 

Now, this post is to answer for the Q , how to do draw figures alive and lively. Actually, these steps are for my character design for children picture books.
Friends, already you know, sketching is my hand's thinking. My brain thinks nothing.

Preliminary research = Observe WHY
With a great curiosity, I always look at people. Such as... why does that person behave so? How s/he picks up food and pays money over a counter. Why that person looks like a typical music player? Face expression, body language, emotion, movement etc, etc. My eyes seek a character.  

Sketch WHYs
When I find a why, I draw it. Often only ONE why is pinned down with two or three A4 pages spent per person. Quick! A few minutes is enough. Don't worry details. Only get a focal point. Rough lines make very lively people on paper.

Put Colour On the Spot 
Colour at once. I'm a very colourful person and so my work is. "Capturing a mood" is very the best advantage of direct work. Light, sounds, sensations, weather, etc, etc. Above all, a model's emotion fascinates me most. They are wonderful info to make settings to illustrate texts, which will involve readers well.

Then, my brain works from here in a studio.
Each sketch is categorized into files as references for use.
I look through collected references .... 

Analyze Collected WHYs
I always check social conventions and prototypical images in sketches.
Focused "whys" tell similarities and differences in same subjects   such as women. Analyzed common elements show the "features" of subjects. Collected differences reveal "individual uniqueness." Particularly, for picture book illustrators, it's very important to understand social schema and use them in work.  

Use Learned Features to Caputre Character! 
Social schema and learned features are powerful tools and subtle techniques to create a character. It convinces readers well. 

Playing up "features" creates a stereotyped character and an exaggerated personality. Making caricatures is a good idea to check what whys will work or not. After sketching the sax player, I enjoyed these cartoons.

If individual "differences" are concerned, a fine portrait turns out.

"Mismatch between features" makes quite a funny and unexpected image, but also it would be a very sophisticated joke, nice for political cartoons. 

Did you enjoy this post? So far, I've written on drawings that fine artists, too, can use for portraits. Furthermore, children picture book illustrators will work on given manuscripts and create characters in stories. If you like, I'll write on Character Design more in a following post.


The more sketch, the better hands and eyes remember. Daily training enriches techniques and improves drawing skills. A sketch captures the points and depicts what I feel in a model. A figure comes up lively and vigorous. At a glance, you can draw an interesting person smoothly. You can draw figures in a studio even by heart or from memory or based on photos, too. 


Sketches are golden assets for job. 
In my dictionary, creativity is another name of hard work that goes with fresh ideas hand in hand. 
Friends, enjoy daily sketching.
Happy Painting!!
 

Sketch "Why" for Character Design

1)Life Drawing 2)Indigenous Literacy Foundation Bid For My Work

Hi, Friends, did you enjoy a weekend? We're enjoying a long weekend. Come over NSW, Monday is our Labour day!

OK, a first topic, "colourful life drawing," a vivid colour use. Only primary colours -- yellow, blue and red are used. 
Technically, my life drawing should be called, "life painting," rather than drawing?! All work, paper size is A2. I love "big" papers for life drawing. (Sounds like stress buster?)

The model's face expression caught me. His image was "strong." Crayons were bright blue and green. A background was added later. Very dark purple, mixed with blue and red, works well. It looks like black. 

Below, contrast was the key. Strong and big brush strokes create the lively work. "Simple and bald" makes a drama. Always I come back to life drawing to get inspiration for illustration. (* I used Burnt Sienna a bit in this work.)  

 

It's a great virtue of an artist, particularly, for an illustrator, to have many styles in repertoire. Like these life drawing results, can I be brave and playful in other work? -- is a next challenge. "Be flexible and explore something new,"  I ask myself. Departure from the basics and create something unique -- is my quest. (*Not easy to achieve them all!)

 

Now, the second topic, "One Word One day,"  a charity auction for Indigenous children's literacy. All money goes to "Indigenous Literacy Foundation." 
Oh, my, Friends, "Indigenous Literacy Foundation" bought my work!! Wow, sooo happy! Great honour!! 

 Banner and My Work

The auction was really a fun. This guy entertained us so much to bump up bidding. Australian famous authors, foremost illustrators and their fans enjoyed raising funds in ABC building (=Australian Broadcasting Corporation ). The hall was full of laugh! (*NOTE: The auction, on it own was "silent.") Seeing is believing. Friends, next time, you have to come and join us. 
It's nice. I was so happy to know that we can make a change by art and through art.
...I believe in my illustration teacher's say,  "Children picture books can change the world!" Yes, we can.  

Friends, Happy Painting!! Have a nice week!

1)Life Drawing 2)Indigenous Literacy Foundation Bid For My Work