Australia's Largeast 3D Chalk Art, Awesome & Mind-Blowing in Sydney

Hi, Friends, how was your weekend? I enjoyed Sydney Chalk Festival 2014 (u can see the image!). The finished artwork was 350sqm last Friday. Unlike other years competition style, our chalkers have collaborated and created a huge 3D painting on Custome House square in Circular Quay in Sydney this year. Bravo! I've sketched their event each year from a start. So, regular chalk artists and I know each other. The festival is a fun time to "catch up update."

Jenny McCracken and  Anton Pulvirenti lead a chalkers team to form the work. Jenny and Anton are intenationally acclaimed chalk artists. Jenny is so caring and humorous for anyone and encouraging emerging artists. Anton also supports the team from another aspect. Indeed, he sketched the event in black and white from muti dimentional ways. Guest artists are from Netherlands and Germany.

 Anton Pulvirenti

Jenny McCracken

I interviewed chalkers, regarding a working together style. Friends, each chalker's design style is so different that fascinates me how they cooperated and if it would be any merits. An artist said, "An artist did not work on his/her own black and white drawing. We worked on other artists' drawings. It's good to learn different techniques! We learned each other!" Ohhh, that's nice and interesting, wonderful chalkers! Your mateship has made a huge, awesome and mind blowing 3D chall art! 

Brian Tisdall creates many smaller works for visitors. 

BTW, creating chalk art requires huge energy and sophisticated techniques. Bamboos or long sticks are very good tools to prevent back or neck pains like Jenny uses. Furthermore, an artist can easily step back and check an ongoing work. Imagine, if you were crawling on a ground, it is very annoying to stand up and set back often.
Also, a 3D composition is tricky. Images on a ground are distorted for viewers. In order to achieve a normal image, paradoxically, length and height get looooooong on the ground. You can check the came up image. This is the view from Custom House on their facebook. 

Lian, this year, helps volunteers' work, too. 

Now, I'd say special thanks for an organiser Andi and volunteers, great hard workers behind a scene. In particular, Andi, since the start up of Chalk Festival, has been incessantly working to make this event publicly known and successful at an interstate and international level. Today, mass media braodcasts her chalk festival. Andi, you're great and very caring, we know. You always spend each time every day for any involved workers from security, volunteers etc, etc, and to artists. Your humble and sensitive attitude touches my heart and, sure, all participants and people who have enjoyed the 3D work. Please take care after the hard work.   

It was wonderful to see old friends, enjoyed a chat and learned each other. The chalkers celebrated my publishing next year and my ongoing project. It encourages me so much. We look forward to seeing each other in a next chalk festival. Yes, I'll work in my watercolour and illustration areas in 2015.

Friends, stay tuned to Chalk Festival next year! 
Happy Painting!

   

Australia's Largeast 3D Chalk Art, Awesome & Mind-Blowing in Sydney

Free Linguistics Conference and Chalk Festival

Hi, Friends, how have you been? I've been busy with the project in a studio. It's right on a track. Thank you for your patience and support. I miss you so much, Friends. A good lesson was "daily sketching is like an essential exercise." If I do not sketch, my hands get slow. Quick watercolour is my "keeping record, memory" and above all, an "inspiration source." So, even for 5 minutes, I should do quick watercolour every day.

Last 2 weeks, I enjoyed Free Linguistics Conference 2011 and Chalk Urban Art Festival in Parramatta.

The FLC was a great fun.
All presenters have interesting research projects and experts of their favorite areas.
Prof Andy Kirkpatrick is a key speaker on "Yin and Yang rhetoric and the prospects for public discourse in China." Political power has oppressed the freedom of speech in China. Thus, traditionally, writers would not tell things straightforward. Always, the end of writings could imply their real opinions. Andy said with a big smile, "So, always editors marked the last line of an article and sent it back to us. A rest of them had nothing to do with a topic." Interesting. Exactly the same is true of Japanese discourses under the influence of Chinese culture. You may wonder, but true, "Indirect and too polite." A Western rhetoric and essay writing paragraph structures are new concepts for Asian background students grown up in a traditional value system.Dr Phiona Stanley did presentation on " “Fifty k’s south of woop woop”: Making native English speakers more internationally intelligible." Uahahaha!!! What a challenging title! This youngish, enthusiastic and Scottish heritage linguist humorously talked about the power inequality between dominant Englishes(*eg. British & American Englishes) and a socially discriminated English such as a Scottish English. For me, the sample Scottish speech was very hard to follow. Wow...it amazed me so much. Not only advocating the powerless, Phiona's passion goes further to assist non English speaking students and workers at uni, especially, for mutual communication. Bravo~~!! I really hope people like Phiona will come up more and more on the earth. Go, go, Phiona!!

Now, another interesting presentation was Ms Ping Tian, "Publishing emotion: a stratified approach in understanding illustrated facial expressions." The research analyzes face expressions in picture books. But Friends, honest, I've never analyzed them mechanically. For me, facial expressions are things to feel, not for categolizing. Probably, difficult to sort out face expressions by a tiny piece in a face such as an eye brow or a lip etc. Simplification is questionable. My another Q is facial expressions and body language go hand in hand in picture books. Disregarding body language could lead into confusion or contradiction. We know, a smiling face, but with a cheeky body language means showing off, not simply happy. Illustrations capture well these sensitive elements. Sensitive movements in facial muscles and slight body language form a sophisticated message as a whole. It conveys a deep and inscribed message in a character --- I was thinking so and sketching the presenter. Unfortunately, the FLC and the Chalk Festival had a crash. I spent one day each for them. Regarding the Chalk, good sketches were sold there. But I have some.
This is the winner, Jennifer McCracken. She worked till the late 10 o'clock. I sketched her in darkness. Do you know? Jenny worked till 2 in the morning last year and won the first prize. Amazing artist!This is the Best 2D prize winner, Adam Celeban. All artists work so hard. I love them all. When I look back these 2 weeks, drawing and painting are my life, but also found linguistics is important. Both, I need. Linguistics gives me food of knowledge and insights.
And the importance of daily sketches! I try to update every Monday as much as possible, while I'll finish up the middle stage of the project this week.
With all my heart, I'd say, "Thank you, Friends."Happy painting!!

Free Linguistics Conference and Chalk Festival

How to Make Chalk Art, 2010 Chalk Festival

Yahooo, Friends! Sketching the Chalk Festival was a great fun. The theme was "Blues."(Participants wore blue!)

Enjoy my results, 13 watercolor portraits.

Mostly, cloudy and very light rain. Jackets were needed, even though the sun sometimes burnt us.

I learned so many interesting techniques below.
1) Stretching Canvas
Because of moisture in the air, canvases got buckled on pavements. Oh, poor artists! Taping down, water spraying canvases, etc, etc. But Jenny McCracken did stretch the huge canvas first and never

had that trouble! Yes, she tamed a wide canvas like watercolorists. Wow, Expert!2) Strings For Straight Lines
Strings are more handy and practical than scales. Please remember, a huge canvas is on a ground, not vertical.

3) 3D Composition
Images on a ground are distorted for viewers. In order to achieve a normal image, paradoxically, length and height get looooooong. A demonstrated work at Town Hall...was impressively and ridiculously long.

4) Use Bamboos for Brushes
Bamboos or long sticks are very good tools to prevent back or neck pains. Furthermore, an artist can easily step back and check an ongoing work. Imagine, if you were crawling on a ground, it is very annoying to stand up and set back often.

5) Hands Spread Chalk
OK, Girls, we know how to spread flour on a cutting board. That's the way! Hands and fingers spread chalk painted and settle down it on a canvas. Artists painstakingly repeat the process over and over again.

6) Second Wind AvailableUnlike watercolor, changing colors and drawings is very easy.7) Home-Made Chalk
An artist said he made it by himself. Yes, pastels cost too much for a massive work. According to the artist, only a few cents were cost for a piece of chalk. Easy "piecy"?!

In a painting process, putting value and color seems to be different from watercolor or my watercolor. An experienced artist said, "Just upside down to watercolor." Mmmm...I'm not 100% sure.
Each chalk artist's style is very varied. Very fascinating, even though I still do not get chalk painting in general.

In my eyes, the most beautiful thing is experienced artists helped new participants who were not familiar with chalk like me. But I'd like to add, all big names were so humble and respected others.

Another wonderful thing is that we all artists agree at this point ; joy in painting and drawing. Colorful joys poured over walkways.

Hey, guys, beer, wine and nice food tasted soooo good at a pub after the event.The organizer kindly allowed me to join their party and other artists urged me to enjoy it together.

Also, other backstage players and hard workers came. I courteously appreciated backstage players' hard work, saying, "You are the real heroes."
We promised to see again a next year instead of saying bye. Nice. We kissed, hugged or shook hands and went back to each life.

Friends, come join us a next year!! Yeah!!

How to Make Chalk Art, 2010 Chalk Festival

Come Join Chalk Urban Art Festival !

Hiya, Friends, this week, I'll chat over Chalk Urban Art Festival (Oct 7-10) in Parramatta. I'll sketch both, Chalk Festival and Free Linguistics Conference 2010 (Oct 9-10) at Sydney uni, even though a crash. Hectic at once.

(Above, 09, guest speaker artist & vegetarian, Jenny McCracken. Do ye kne? "Vegetarian saves the greeny earth!" We enjoyed her environmental Chinese dumplings after the talk. Yes, I sketched just her making them!)

So, I will upload "Sketch Part 4 Children" later! Your patience will be greatly appreciated.

Chalk Festival is a great fun. Come join it! I sketched them last year. Many last year participants join it again.

In a given space on a pavement, participants compete for the theme set by an organizer.
Last year, "environmentalism" or "protect nature" was the theme.

The sidewalks of Church St called, "Eat Street" that have so many nice restaurants. (My friends say, "You have to conquer them all!" Of course...unless a budget allows me...?!! Below, Church St view.)

All through the event, tourists, customers, residents and

anyone can look at artists and their hard work. Many people talked to a sketcher, me, as well! The big and beautiful paintings decorate the pavements.
A drawing and painting process is quite painstaking.
Physically, sitting on a ground for hour after hour, day after day is tough. I saw many artists suffered in harsh sunshine and hot weather. Thank goodness, I could escape into a shadow anytime as I liked! (*NOTE: An Australian weather is just opposite to a northern hemisphere.)

Judges announced the winner on the last day.


But the bonus is, artists had a wonderful time and became friends. The organizer was kind enough to invite me for the party. We had a good time at a pub. Artists encouraged each other and exchanged contacts.

Through an art event, people easily overcome any differences such as language, race, age, gender, nationality, whatever.
Art brings the earth love, hope and peace.

I hope a nice weather will be on our side. We are having lots of rain now, even though a summer time has started.

Friends, I'd really appreciate many people's visits and nice comments for this blog. I hope I will meet you in person one day. Thank you for backups. "Twenty Minutes Challenge" encourages me.

Happy painting!!OK, I'll sketch them all!! Yey!!

Come Join Chalk Urban Art Festival !