Tuesday 29 October 2013

Inspirational / Innovative sketches


"Visual journaling is a way to record life's experiences, feelings, emotional reactions, or one's own inner voice visually and verbally."

5 Sketches by others that you find inspirational or innovative and why



1- Vince Low
The Malaysian artist Vince Low is well known for his one line sketches. His style is very unique and portrays what could be done with a single continuous line.










2- Stephen Wiltshire
This 18 ft sketch, known to be the world’s most famous skyline, was created by autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire.
with in 20 minutes of helicopter gazing he was able to quickly sketch the entire skyline out of memory.







2-Chuck Close
Chuck used representational techniques between painting and photography. each picture was decided into grids, and each grid was a its own individual work of art.

What makes Chuck and his work so unique is his style. in Each painting he concentrated on the visual elements--shapes, textures, volume, shadows, and highlights--of the photograph itself.











3-  Henrietta Harris

Henrietta was well known for her distorted watercolor and gouache portraits. when asked about her style she said 
     “can only be achieved by having occasionally dipped one’s paintbrush accidentally in one’s coffee.” 

i was very drawn to this image because it conveys a precise moment when someone is lost in their train of thoughts or in their memories.











3-  Maja Wronska
Maja, an architect, is very inspired by the detailed and old and famous buildings. In this image she sketched a building in Venezia. where her main focus was the building and nothing more.
She managed to create her own unique style through her use of colour, negatives and positives.







5 of your own sketches that were important to you and say why

1- The Old man
i started of a project by researching time, and its impact on nature. 
This drawing shows a very old man with a wrinkled face, but what it makes it inspiring for me is that when ever i stare at the picture i wonder about 
-the life this man had
- was it full of sorrow or happiness?
- does each wrinkle have its own story?












2- Explanation

This image was from my sketchbook, the reason i like it was because i try explaining a matter by using only drawing and photographs as references. 


3- Detail

This was a final outcome of a proposal i had in a project. The reason i chose to draw it that was was to show all the possible details there could be. Now every time i look at this picture i notice a new detail that i haven't realised before. 



4- Process

i quite like this part in my sketchbook because through a series of images, i am explaining how to create a certain object



5- Sketch
The reason i chose this image as an inspiring drawing was because of it being my first successful quick sketch on site. i wanted to focus on the texture of the feathers, rather than anything else.


5 Sketchbook/pages you find inspirational or innovative and say why

1- Sonia Delaunay sketchbook
 A fashion and textile designer views the world around her through patterns and colours. i really like how she dissect what she views into different colour.











2-Edward Hopper's sketchbook

Hopper never used a proper sketchbook to draw instead he would use his lined notebook or whatever office supply he could reach to portray the seen in front of him before he became a painter. He drew them in forms of doodling, then hew would write a brief explanation of his view and why helices it.











3-Leonardo da Vinci
Da vinci's sketchbooks are known to be the most famous of all. All of his sketchbooks are filled with drawings, diagrams and written notes with everything he viewed and ideas he invented.













4-Picasso
Picasso used sketchbooks as a form of an experimental process.
He often  explore themes and make compositional studies through his sketches until he found the right idea and subject for a larger painting on canvas.










5- Henry Moore
Whenever Moore wouldn't be working he would be sketching all the sheep outside of his studio. Through his drawings of sheep he explored the nature of sheep, what they are like, how they moved and how their body shapes differed. it is very inspiring to know that if one was to draw the same thing over and over agin, they would come to know plenty of information.





5 Innovative cultural/creative things or events and say why

1-3d floor art
I find 3D floor art is very optical illusion like. Its a 3D representation on a 2D space. it allows people to think whether this is real or not.














2- Michael Bosanko
Michael Bossanko and many other famous photographers use light as a drawing mechanism in their photography by lowering the camera's exposure. the outcome of the images are usually incredibly creative








3- Typography
i find typography a great way of showing both a visual and verbal aspect to an image.  it is a greta technique of art by arranging type in order to make language visible with is an image. 





















4- Nail art by Marcus Levine
"I never thought I would paint still life but the type of paint I use and painting onto aluminium is very stimulating. I have to accept that the final result although controlled has a life of its own."
sketching or painting don't have to be done with pencils or paint they can be done with more fun and experimental equipment.






5- Book Art
This is a different view from sketching, instead of making a 2D representation of a 3D object its the exact opposite. Here the artist Kaspen bring the 2D words into a 3D form.

Monday 28 October 2013

Quick Sketches

For a fun experiment at uni we were asked to do the following....

1- Draw a portrait of the person next to us in ONE minute:

One minute to draw a portrait of someone is nearly impossible..... well for those who don't study the subject.

2- Draw one object in the room in ONE minute

i decided to sketch part of an open window that was right in front of me

















3- Draw your journey from Home to college in FIVE minutes

i decided to sketch my journey in a cartoony way, by plotting down all the significant things throughout my journey. Using an alarm clock to wake me, then the footsteps resemble me leaving the house, then Costa cup to show my morning coffee. and so on
i believe that this picture would only be understood by me mostly because the symbols are used were created by me.





4- Draw the first house you ever lived in, in FIVE minutes


this is the living area of my first house the reason i remember it so well was because of its big free space that i used to run around in. i don't know why i sketched the room in a plan form but i assume it has something to do with me studying interior and spatial design.








5- Draw what you hear...



Song One- All you need in love




Song Two- Slow harmonious song




Song Three- Bitter Sweet Symphony




Song Four- a rough metallic sound

Every one in class sketched what they heard very differently. This is why Sketching is a personal thing, it plotting down you thoughts on paper. And sometimes only you can understand what they are.





I think quick sketches are a fun and useful way of expressing how we truly feel. if we were to draw the same object everyday for one minute i believe that not only will the outcome look close enough to reality but will get better each time.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Making my own sketchbook

There are many ways and materials to make sketchbooks, some sketchbooks are done using, glue others are done using staplers and some are sown in with a needle.

These are the ones i was really interested in

Sketchbook using just one sheet paper:-



Sketchbook using staplers




Sketchbook using Stitches



i myself gave it a go at creating four sketchbooks  by using two different techniques, and these were my outcomes


Sketchbook 1:  using only one sheet of paper



Sketchbook 2: using 20 sheets of paper, cardboard, glue, fabric and thread


Sketchbook 3: using 20 sheets of coloured paper, cardboard and glue


Sketchbook 4: using 40 sheets of paper, cardboard and thread



Resources :

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERhZGHQtCCk
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHkY5jOoqM
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHbFL4zVOM8
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2FRKbQI2kY
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BysUiyjB0jY

Sunday 20 October 2013

Ways of using a sketchbook

what is a sketchbook for ?
A sketchbook has plenty of functions, only its owner can determine what to use it for and how to use it. A sketchbook has known to be used for .....
- Documenting ideas
- Capturing a moment
- Highlighting a certain detail
- Developing thoughts
- Mind mapping
- Viewing a process
- Mental notes
- Visualising the invisible
There really is no rule of how sketchbook can be used for. To sum it up, sketching is plotting down whats on your mind onto a piece of paper.

These are examples of how people use sketchbooks differently:-

 PLOTTING DOWN THEIR THOUGHTS


WRITING DOWN GOLAS AND DREAMS

EXPLAINING HOW THINGS WORK AND FUNCTION

WRITING DOWN A STORY


EXPERIMENTING


HIGHLIGHTING A CERTAIN AREA OF INTEREST


GATHERING INFORMATION


What is a sketchbook ? and who is it for?
A sketchbook is a multipurpose contained space to track our journeys and processes, we make sketchbook for our own personal use.
A sketchbook is  .....
- A collection of wide range media
- A place to be free, play and make mistakes
- A testing ground

But sometimes we use sketchbook not only for our personal interests but also for art classes in schools, universities and jobs. Each class requires different use for a sketchbook, here is an example of three different sketchbooks from three different people within different professions. ( Graphic Design, Interior Design and Textile Design)

1- Textile Design.
It is necessary for graphic design student to use a sketchbook, it helps them put their thoughts together and keep track of their journey/ process; heir teachers encourage them to do so as well.
with in the sketchbook you could see:-
- Drawings and experimentation with colour
- Exploring different fabrics and materials
- Researching different techniques of print making
- The sketchbook can be used as an archive to look back to



2- Interior Design.
As for interior design students, their teachers don't push them to have their own sketchbook, simply because it limits their space. they tend to use large and separate sheets of paper to record their processes. They also use computer softwares to draw in rather than closed books.
with in the sketchbook you could see :-
- Lots of technical and sharp drawings (no fluidity)
- Many numbers and measurements
- Looking at different materials
- Researching different functions
- Mapping









3- Graphic Design.
Graphic design students are quite similar to Interior design students, their teachers advise to not use a sketchbook at all, because its time consuming. Their projects are short and quick therefore require no time for experimenting or making mistakes.
within the sketchbook you can see :-
- Plenty of writing
- Word play
- Photography




Over all in my personal opinion, i believe that everyone should keep a sketchbook whether its for academic or personal use. By keeping a sketchbook it will not only help organise your thought but will also enhance the ability of imagination.