This is just a small 'tribute' to all my classmates of year 2012! We've finally come to the end of our foundation period and I just wanna say that it's been a fun time with everyone! I know we've all had rough patches we've had to endure, either with WORK, WORK, WORK or FRIENDSHIP & RELATIONSHIP. Either way, hope we can let bygones be bygones and it's been a pleasure knowing everyone! Thanks for being there as friends and although i didn't get to know some any better, it was still great meeting you!! =D And also, a big thanks to our lecturers, Mr.Charles, Mr.Ernesto, Ms.Cassie,Ms.Teresa,Mr.Sean,Mr.Steven,Ms.Tan & All the other lecturers I've met throughout the course. Thank you for your guidance and know that i'll still look to you even after I've gone to my 1st year degree! THANK YOU SO MUCH! See you around campus then! =)
WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT TEXTURE? Texture is the most amazing counterpart in design as it can be applied to any surface of objects, buildings, materials etc....Did you realize that everything we own has its own unique texture? When it comes to texture, I have the urge to try out with various materials, leaning more towards the organic elements, such as leaves, pasta, wood, candy, rice, paper etc...And it is one that i enjoy working with because when it comes to texture, there are some many ways to work around it such as, MATERIALS, FUNCTION, AESTHETICS, CHOOSING A DESIGN etc. Basically I like the experimentation & this is when you can just allow your creativity to flow. For texture projects, I believe, the crazier it is, the more unique. ******************************** Here are some textures that we often see around us and we should be sensitive about, as textures play an important role in invoking emotions within us...Let's start with HARD TEXTURE.
METAL TEXTURE
(A)
(B)
Metal may be a useful material for industries and irreplaceable most of the time but, when it comes to texture, what does it make you feel? (A) is rougher in terms of texture compared to (B), however the feelings that it invokes within you are similar. For me, when I see metal, it feels cold, dull and somewhat mechanic. Metal reminds me of the Industrial Revolution era and the machinery that we often see in war movies. In other words, it doesn't invoke any optimism within me when it comes to metal, although it is a sturdy, solid element of the Earth.
STONE/GRANITE TEXTURE
Rocky textures are beautiful to look at, but without even touching it, it can invoke a response so strong such as you wouldn't want to touch it in fear of scraping your skin or hurting your palm due to its roughness and sharp corners. It is rough and sometimes can make people uncomfortable, at the same time it can make people feel surrounded by nature as granite/rocks/stones are part of mother nature.
Hard/Sharp texture can be considered 'dangerous' and often invoke a more negative response within us.
SOFT TEXTURE
SMOOTH TEXTURE
For both Soft & Smooth Texture, it often brings out optimistic, happy & positive emotions withing a person. Soft like a towel, makes you feel comfortable and safe. Velvety like petals may make one feel romantic. Smooth glass gives an air of sophistication, elegance and perhaps confidence. Where as, smooth cheese tells a person that it is SAFE to eat. =D
Now, you can see that texture plays quite a fat emotional role to us and it surrounds us everyday. For this last 2D Design assignment, we were required to create a functional textured object, mainly focusing on the texture. Our group has decided to base it upon natural elements and materials to give it an air of rawness & of course natural. We have decided to create a series of lamp shades for various mood settings & the materials utilized are tissue paper (different thickness & softness), natural yarn, paper clay, hot glue gun, potpourri, withered roses, bubble wrap, bamboo sticks & processed wood paper. There are four kinds of lampshades, starting from dim to brightest.
Japanese Lantern Lampshade
Potpourri Silhouette Lampshade
RedWood Roses Lampshade
The last installment of the series is called, 'Crystal Diamond Lampshade' but, currently the image is unavailable. (COMING SOON!)
For the base, the lamp stand, we have reused a wine bottle and wrapped it with paper clay. The exterior of the lamp stand is textured with only fingernails & thumbprints of each group member. The upper part looks similar to the scales of a dragon's torso. Our lamp shades are based upon hand-made paper concept and it the textures made were repetitive, had similar elements and the overall shapes moved from inorganic to organic. The four lampshades are transitioning from hard edge square box ---> organic cylinder ---> curvy organic ---> chaotic aesthetic element. In other words, the design changes from rigid to disorder. The concept behind the lampshades is, apart from the 'natural' it also shows that you don't need a fancy, high-end, factory made lamp to decorate your home or etc. In fact, just using materials in your home is enough to create your own lamp, without even denting your pocket. =)
For this assignment, it is crucial to note that light plays an important role in bringing out the texture as well. Although i don't have a picture of it but, when switched on, the textures cast a rather amazing glow on the walls, such as making the cabinet look woody, while in fact it does not when you switch off the lights. Also, it casts a biological image such as :
So, this is all from me for year 2012-2013! Thanks for reading! =)
A few months back, we were handed a long-term assignment that required us to make a documentary about the life & context of an artist/musician/singer/designer and more....It wasn't an easy feat to find someone with all the sufficient knowledge about their line of work to aid us through this documentary and here is the long process of what happened...
PART I
We had our first tryout at URBANSCAPE 2012 and that night we met a DJ from the group 'Twilight Action Girl'. His name is Kelvin/Calvin and he works on the weekends at Bar Sonic. We had a pleasant interview with him as he was accommodating and not hesitant to help us. To sum it all up, he likes Indie Rock music and as a DJ he compiles his favourites and plays it to the public. After that night, we had our first interview but, we decided that it wasn't good enough. However, here's a sneak peek of what we've interviewed him for...even though it's not our final documentary!
PART II
A few days later, my group members and I went through another series of events that led us to The CURVE @ Damansara to hunt for unconventional artists/designers. Basically what we were looking for were people who are talented in the arts&crafts line but, they never made it under the spotlight. So, we decided to shed some spotlight on them. The idea that made me want to do so is because one day I was walking at the Curve and I saw a man selling hand twisted balloons. Of course, we've seen plenty of that, such as the flower or dog but, this particular one intrigued me as he managed to re-create the sesame street characters with only balloons of various sizes! It was amazing the way he played with the balloons, by using small round ones as eyes and sausage balloons as the teeth. I discussed the idea with my group members and we agreed to give it a try. That day, we met two talented artists, specializing in their own area of expertise. Firstly, we met a middle-aged Korean woman called Vivian and the second is a man in his late-30's called Chris.
(Left to Right) Tiffany, Jessica, Vivian, Vanessa and Namira
Vivian owns an accessory shop at the underground bridge connecting The Curve to Ikano Power Centre (IPC) at Damansara. The shop is called 'hebe'. Basically, she creates and designs her own accessories such as hairband, brooch and even earrings! Every girl's second best friend to diamonds! She was pretty shy and there was a bit of communication problem then but, she demonstrated on how to make a brooch with zips, needle and thread. The reason she pursued craft is because it was a hobby but later, the public responded to her products so she expanded her business.
Next stop was YENJI CLAY situated at the highest level of Ikano Power Centre. Mr.Chris is a talented clay artist and he conducts his classes to guide his students in their area of interest. From what we've seen, everyone there had their own uniqueness and it amazed us what people can do with their hands. The intricacy and details were to be applauded upon. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share.
We thought that we were done, and all there's left was editing but, after a tutorial session with Mr.Charles, we realized that we were doing it all wrong. We realized that there was no contextual meanings behind our interview, because the questions we asked were not appropriate for our documentary. Partly it was because our interviewees were doing their jobs as hobbies but, they weren't aware of the historical context behind them. Another part was our fault because the questions didn't respond to the assignment so....On again we moved....
Our next targets were Ernest of Penang and a batik designer from Sarawak. However, we waited for weeks for a response but, there was none and the worst thing was the clock was ticking and fast! Thankfully, Namira found an oil painting artist from an art academy called 'Claz'room'.
The artist we initially wanted to interview was Jin but, he directed us to his colleague and friend, Ning who was more than happy to help us. To cut the story short, Ning is currently in her mid-20's and she's one of the people who established 'Claz'room' to hone the skills of those artists out there who need training. Ning began to formally pursue this career at the young age of 16. Encouraged by her teacher and inspired by her seniors in college, she began to bloom as an oil painter. Here is one of her artwork in collaboration with other artists to help raise fund for the Si Chuan Earthquake.
She also demonstrated to us on oil painting and here is a basic apple in which she had indulged us :
In the end, we had our interviewee to help us for this documentary assignment and it was a great help indeed! It was a great pleasure to meet Ning because having no knowledge but only curiosity, it taught me something about oil painting. And that is, the shadows, color variation and atmosphere is very important. It is important to study the technicality of oil painting in order to become better and one must always practice DISCIPLINE to achieve their dream. One thing that i have learnt is that oil painting is art that is appreciated from afar and not near, unless you wish to see the brush strokes and technique, as my figure drawing lecturer, Mr.Ernesto would say. =)
HERE IS THE DOCUMENTARY VIDEO I PROMISED YOU! HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!
THANKS FOR WATCHING! AND SPECIAL THANKS TO MY GROUP MEMBERS:
NAMIRA
TIFFANY
JESSICA
AND TO CLAZ'ROOM, MR.CHARLES, MY CLASSMATES & ALL VIEWERS!
Batik is a beautiful timeless piece of creation that is visually pleasant to the eye as it involves plenty of vivid colours and imagery. On the 27th November, our FID students went for an excursion to the heart of Kuala Lumpur, to a part factory;part merchandise shop called, 'Jadi Batek'. For one of our 2-Dimensional Design assignments, we were required to create our very own batik. All materials were supplied for and it was an amazing experience. Before I describe more about what we have done, let's take a walk through history...
HISTORY OF MALAYSIAN BATIK
2000 years ago in the Middle East, India and Central Asia, batik has been independently developed by these nations. Batik has reached its greatest achievement in Indonesia, (The Island of Java). Although the origins are not easy to trace, it is apparent that batik has reached Malaysia through trade exchanges as the earlier batik of Malaysia were heavily inspired by Javanese designs. The earliest stage of batik was done by using wooden blocks carved with motifs. This technique is known as 'batik chop'. 'Batik tulis' came about later in Malaysia and it was quite new back then, encouraging the artists to draw with their free hand. At that time, commerical production of batik began. Malaysian batik has plenty of visuals
influenced by Islamic values such as having flora and fauna motifs as well as certain Islamic quotes. If comparing Malaysian and Indonesian batik, our motifs are bigger and less refined. Apart from the previous techniques, there is also 'Batik Canting' and 'Batik Celup'. Here are a few examples of batik that uses different techniques:
BATIK CELUP http://zuraidashafiei.blogspot.com/2009/11/batik-pelangi-teknik-ikat-dan-celup.html
The Batik technique that we have applied for our batik design that day was 'Batik Canting'. The staff at Jadi Batek had prepared a big piece of cloth in which they had sectioned off for everyone. Firstly, we have to use the canting, a tool that we constantly refill with very HOT wax to outline our design, either using an example or from your own mind. Before painting, the outline must be complete in the sense that it should not have a broken line. (** to prevent the ink from spreading later)
After that, you are free to colour the design anyhow you wish, but, to ensure that your design is nice, don't be shy to experiment with the different colours and various tones! Also, rememeber to add the shadows, as it will make your design stand out more! =) Here is my batik design :
This design is based upon a red-eyed tree frog. This particular frog is aplenty in South and North America and often are they used as an icon to promote the good cause of saving the world's rainforest. Although they are not endangered species, their habitat is fast dwindling.
In my opinion, they are beautiful amphibians. The amazing fact about this frog is their red eyes. In order to protect themselves from enemies, they utilize their big red eyes to startle their enemies, giving them that momentary pause to leap to safety. This technique is known as ' startle coloration'. Apart from their eyes, their vivid green bodies give them the advantage to shock their enemies (similar to a situation whereby in the dark, we see nothing but, once a bright light is switched on, it will give us a momentary pause to allow our eyes to adapt) because of the bright colours. Most of their enemies are nocturnal ,that is why their green bodies are handy defenses.
The reason I chose this design is because I like frogs myself and apparently since Malaysia is abundant with rainforest (coming from one of the biggest rainforest state myself) itself. I believe that the colours i have used blend well together and it makes me feel very calm and peaceful. All in all, batik was a fun and enjoying experience. However, it is a form of traditional art that only gets better after time & practice!practice!practice! The more intricate, the more expensive and amazing it is. But, if you are a beginner and you literally Suck at painting or art, then batik is just the right art for you as it is easy and direct.
References:
- National Geographic. (2013). Red Eyed Tree Frog. Retrieved from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/red-eyed-tree-frog/
- ArticleBiz. (2013). History of Batik Malaysia. Retrieved from http://www.articlebiz.com/article/68776-1-history-of-batik-malaysia/
- The Batik Guild. (2013). History of Batik. Retrieved from http://www.batikguild.org.uk/history.asp
A Continuation from my previous movie review, here's the final outcome of my Silhouette project! =D
THEME : (Loosely based upon Silent Hill series) Encountering unseen enemies while in a ghost town.
I had this setting picked out to depict the drab scenery that I have watched in Silent Hill 1 & 2. Revelation which was the movie I reviewed about in the previous post has the strongest influence on my grayscale silhouette as the movie consisted mostly settings shot during the night, especially towards the ending. Even daytime in Silent Hill is dreary. I chose the nurse and pyramid head as my inspiration as they appear to be instinctively the antagonist, as they kill without remorse. The footprints that you see suggests an apparition who follows the wandering man in the background. Based upon Silent Hill, this is what I interpreted from the story, that once a person enters this ghost town, you are going to encounter enemies that you didn't even know exist, or the fact that you didn't know that THEY KNEW you were there, even before YOU KNEW they were there.
MORAL OF THE STORY : Always be cautious, watch your back & it's better to know some self-defence/be smart in your actions.
Now, here's how I did this Silhouette piece. I wished I had pictures for you to see but, getting so caught up in creating this artwork made me forget my camera. But, let me at least explain through a rough squiggle sketch. =)
STEP 1 : Sketching out my idea by finding the perspective point and filling in the empty spaces.
STEP 2 : Coloring the white spaces with black permanent ink.
STEP 3 : Coloring the sky with monochromatic poster colors.
That's All For Now Folks! This Assignment Will End the First Half of the 2nd Semester...Look Forward for more after the 19th! =D HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Thanks To Our Super Cool & Sporty Lecturer, Mr.Charles, the FID september intake got to have a movie excursion!! But, of course it wasn't just for pleasure sake, in fact, it's a film study to help us get inspired to produce a SILHOUETTE! I'm certain you know what this word means but, just to clear the air a little, a silhouette = the outline or general shape of something against a lighter background. It's often filled with a solid color ex: black and the interesting thing about silhouette is that it can represent almost anything from human figure
---> objects ---> anonymous shapes/sceneries...in other words, it's very flexible =D
So, let's get down & dirty...
We've managed to grab tickets to watch the newly released 'SILENT HILL: REVELATION'.
Here's the official poster:
To Understand the 2nd Installment of the Silent Hill Franchise, it's better for you to watch the 1st Installment to get a better understanding of the entire plot/scenario. However just a brief re-cap, the protagonist of the story, Rose is concerned about her adopted daughter's nightmarish dreams about 'Silent Hill'. She then sets out in search of this place with Sharon (her daughter) in hopes of curing Sharon. There, she unravels the mysteries of the ghost town that is rumored to be 'alive' even after the coal seam fire that destroyed the town. Rose encounters creatures and dark evils that surround the 'demon child' known as Alessa. Alessa controls Silent Hill and she's out for revenge...if you want to know why, watch the first installment =) I have no intention of being a spoiler.
SILENT HILL REVELATION : still maintains a mysterious quality about silent hill.
REVIEW (MAY CONTAIN SPOILER) : In the 2nd installment, we get to meet new characters such as Vincent (Sharon's lover) & The Order & The Wolf Family. This story is the continuation of Sharon/Heather who is now all grown up (18-yrs) and her dilemma of having to move around the country & attending different schools because someone from her past wants her BACK in Silent Hill. In order to keep his step-daughter safe, Christopher did everything he could to keep Sharon safe, as a promise to his wife, Rose who is stuck in Silent Hill. Christopher is later kidnapped by a mysterious cult group and Sharon goes on a mission (with Vincent) to save her father, and there she gets to know more about her TRUE SELF.
MY OPINION: The Silent Hill Franchise is not so much of Horror to me, as I'm a super horror junkie! And I must say that it's really hard to find a great horror movie! On a scale of 1-10, I would give Silent Hill a '5'. Silent Hill is mostly a psychological & supernatural horror movie with a hint of surrealism. It doesn't hit me with so much of a
but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Personally, I think that the mystery shrouding the town is what keeps the viewer in suspense and glued to their seats. I admit that the curiosity of exactly what the term 'THE DARKNESS IS COMING' is what grips me and even after watching the 2nd installment, I am still puzzled about why that even happens, especially the part where the walls begin to peel away. It's as if the walls and doors are burnt and peeled away to reveal the truth & the ugliness/dark side of Silent Hill. I do prefer the2nd installment over the 1st and here's why I enjoyed the 2nd installment :
1) I never expected this creature to appear in the 2nd installment and I have to give credit to it...because in the 1st installment, the creatures that exist are mostly 'FLESHY' and perhaps bloody but, this creature is made up of mannequin arms & heads!! It's so bloody awesome & totally different! It's UNEXPECTED!
2) Also, there were the scenes of the NURSES & The Pyramid Head Monster. The aesthetics of the visual portrayed of these nurses were really unique, and the Pyramid Head Monster is only introduced in the 2nd installment, which is a little weird if you think about it...if he's Alessa's guardian, shouldn't he at least appear in the first installment?
THE NURSES
PYRAMID HEAD
3) IT'S LESS DRAGGY THAN THE FIRST...The reason is because more interesting characters were introduced and there wasn't so much running around and ambiguity as the first installment. There was a little more 'action', as in the fight between Claudia & The Pyramid Head.
Now, Here's Why I Was Left Dissatisfied:
Alessa plays an important role in the entire SILENT HILL FRANCHISE right? It's quite unsatisfying the see Alessa go down without a fight with her twin 'Sharon' in REVELATION. I mean, she's portrayed to be the Greater Evil/Demon Child, making her sound formidable and fearful but, in the end, she gets absorbed by Sharon, a normal teenage human (combining the two halves into a whole, as Sharon is Alessa's good side) without as much of an interesting struggle. I think it would make the storyline better if there had been some sort of struggle be it power or inner struggle endured by Alessa/Sharon. Also, Alessa doesn't look very much like a 'ghost' that would stay in your mind for a long term because her appearance is similar to those typical ghosts you get on other horror films...to put it critically : it looks rather fake.
Basically, psychological horror isn't my cup of horror, but it's a nice watch to pass the time, although others may not agree with my point of view because of the contextual meaning/concept of SILENT HILL. After watching SILENT HILL & REVELATION, it can leave you dazed and puzzled...it even gets you to think about it after the show...the 'How's & Why's' bombarding your head. A similarity of both installments is, they have ambiguous or open endings...For me, I like to be a hedonist when watching horror, not something I would be likely to indulge in the mental area too often. According to RottenTomatoes, SILENT HILL REVELATION currently holds only a 7% rating but, I have to say that the one thing that keeps SILENT HILL 1 & 2 in my mind would be the audible siren signalling that the DARKNESS IS COMING.
VINCENT & SHARON
Although I'm not overly crazy about SILENT HILL: REVELATION, the scenes depicted in the movie were no doubt helpful in giving me inspirations for my Silhouette assignment. The dark scenes with minimum lighting really stimulates the imagination and the different views help me to understand the perspectives applied. In REVELATION, there are many inspiring scenes to help portray them in Silhouette and I think it would be a challenge & fun to work on it! =D
