Lines and Angles Gothic Style Architecture

Instrument: Vivitar 35MM 70mm zoom
Material: Ilford Black & White Pearl 8"x10"
F11 at 10 seconds

One of the key clues for me to tell if an architecture was Gothic inspired or Romanesque-inspired would be to look at the arches and the windows.  I remember in art history class, my instructor made sure everyone remembers the difference between the two.  Gothic architectures have pointed arches and large windows, and Romanesque architectures have round arches with thick walls and small windows.  Now, these are just one of the many differences between the two styles.  I am not well versed in this field of art, having only spent a week to study.  But I when I see the opportunity I will always try to learn more.

I have always love architectures.  My parents took me to the Forbidden Palace in Beijing when I was very young.  Even at a young age, I was fascinated by the structure and design of the Palace.  The rooms and the gardens are beautifully designed.  I just wish more of the area in the Palace was open to the public.  I want to be able to stand in the middle of the room and experience what the people in the past use to see.  Good news is, there is a way I might be able to experience this!  A while back I found out about Hengdian World Studios.  It is the largest film studio in the world.  Many famous historical TV shows (Empress Ki) and movies (The Forbidden Kingdom) was filmed in one of the studios on location.  The location not only the Palace of Qing Dynasty but also palaces and buildings of Ming, Qin, and Han period.  This might be the only place on earth that allows you to tour a palace of the early Chinese dynasties.

Next time I am on vacation in China, I will plan a trip to the Zhejiang province to tour the film studios.

Tomato Part 3

Instrument: Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
Material: Strathmore Bristol Smooth

I miss the late summer.  Looking at all the type of tomatoes I have drawn, I am craving for a few of these red poppers.  While it is possible to buy them from the market, it is another story when you are eating the one grown in your own garden.  The sour and sweet after taste of the cherry tomato is heavenly when they are fresh.  I miss the days when I can walk around my backyard and eating those red cherry tomatoes I find on the branch.

This year, I need to expand my garden a little bit more.  Every soon I need to start buying more pot and soils for the spring.  I am planning on documenting all of them on this blog.

First Black & White Print

Instrument: Vivitar 35MM 70mm zoom
Material: Ilford Black & White Glossy 5" x 7"

One of my first print made in my high school photography class.  In the beginning, I was not sure what I wanted to do when my teacher gave the class the first assignment.  Thank goodness my other friends had an assignment that required them to visit the Cloisters.  During high school, I really disliked the art reports I had to write every semester.  However, if it were not for those horribly long reports, I would not have gone to so many museums or art galleries.  This print was one of the good things that came out of those horrible assignments.

If you are interested in art, the Cloisters is one of the most amazing places you really need to visit in New York City.  The building itself is a work of art.  There is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic style in the architecture.  The first time I lay my eyes on the beautiful Gothic arches and the breathtaking stain glass windows, I was left speechless.

Fallen Trees

Instrument: Vivitar 35MM 70mm zoom
Material: Ilford Black & White Pearl 8"x10"
Print: F11 for 5 seconds

During one of my walk with my dad, I walked off the trail and ended up in a more secluded area in the park. There was a lot of fallen trees, making some very interesting composition.  That area of the park became one of my favorite place to wander around it.

This print is much darker in person.  But most of my prints look lighter when I post them, I chose a much darker prints.  For a physical print, I would want to set the enlarger to F16 for more than 5 seconds.

Tomato Part 2

Instrument: Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
Material: Strathmore Bristol Smooth

Today I will be making this a quick post.

This is the second part of my pen & ink tomato series.  I used two other type of techniques, one of which is cal hatching.  Hatching is one of the basic pen and ink technique that add value to a surface in a linear fashion.  Along with stippling, cross hatching and a few others, these are the type of techniques I used when I first learned pen and ink.

Icy Winter

Instrument: Vivitar 35MM 70mm zoom
Material: Ilford Black & White Pearl 8"x10"
Print: F11 for 7 seconds

I really do not like this print, the subject I picked was terrible.  I cannot get any feeling when I am looking at this.  Usually, when I pick a subject I try to make it personal.  Something that will evoke a feeling in me, makes it more special when I see it.  But the contrasting tone is good.

This location is near my mum's place.  Many years ago during the summer, I would go there to ride the carousel further into the park.  Although, there have been a lot of work put into renovating the park, the untamed and isolated look of the surrounding woods is what made me go back year after year.  In a city filled with cement and steel, this park is a hidden gem.

Water Colour Pen & Ink Alternatives

Instrument: Branch
Material: Tempera paints, Ink, Bristol Smooth

Pen and ink really fun to do.  If you use a crow quill dip pen, they possibility you can create with it are endless.  Depending on the nibs, how you hold the pen. and how much pressure you put into it, will change the way the line looks.  It is not something you can get with a micron pen.  But both of them have their benefits, depending on what you want to achieve.

A fun way to try out pen and ink is to substitute the quill with a thin tree branch.  By sharpening the tip, you can use it as a makeshift quill.  But make sure the material you are working on can hold the ink, or it might just rip through as you draw.  Personally, I like working on a smooth paper because the ink can easily glide over the page.

Tomato

Instrument: Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
Material: Strathmore Bristol Smooth

I am feeling under the weather today so I will make an early post in case I fall asleep early.  Not only am I sick, the weather is also terrible.  I was going to go ice skating with a few friends today, and I was hoping to get some good pictures.  Maybe another day.

This piece is part of a 4 parts series done for my Pen & Ink class.  Over the next few weeks, I will post the rest of the series.  As I have mentioned in my previous post, pointillism is my favorite technique.  In pen and ink, stippling is a technique that is kind of similar to pointillism.  It is very time consuming when you use dots to add value to a surface.  But this technique gives the artist a greater control over the application value.

The subject of this piece is a tomato.  I did not have a reference when I drew this, so I really hope it looks like a tomato.

Beginner Water Colour

Instrument: Princeton Series 4050 Synthetic Sable Wash 3/4", Escoda Optimo Kolinsky Sable Watercolur Brushes Pointed Round and Detailer Round
Material: Grumbacher Watercolours, Strathmore 400 Series Watercolour Paper Pads

The only watercolour I have left in my portfolio.  As much as I like to draw, I am terrible with colour.  I am not even sure why I kept this piece.  Maybe it is because I wanted to remember the only decent watercolour I ever did.  There is something about mixing the paint with water that makes it hard for me to achieve the fluidity I want.

I love the idea of watercolour but Watercolur 101 was the only watercolour class I ever took.  Learning from my Freshman year mistake of buying everything on the supply list, this time I actually asked around before making my purchase.  As many people would know, art supplies are not cheap.  If you are not going to continue with this style of art, I suggest you to really think about it before you pay over $30 for an Arches Watercolur Blocks.  There is a difference in the texture and feel to the paper.  But spending more money doesn't exactly get you the best result.

As a beginner into this, it is alright to play around a little bit.  So start off with something you would not mind messing up with.  Personally, I love Strathmore brand and I have used it for all 4 years in high school.  As for brushes, there is no need to buy a whole bunch of them.  If you are short on cash, the student brush that comes in a pack works fine.  If you can let go a little bit more, pick a few you really like.  I have a handful of watercolour brushes (and some for other paint materials), but I usually only use 2 brushes, 5 at most in one sitting.  My regular size 3/4 inch wash and the detailer round is what I usually use.

Unfinished Doodle

Instrument: Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
Material: Paper

Found this in one of my sketchbooks. The doodle was never finished and I cannot remember why did I draw this in the first place.  All I can remember was how bored I was that day.

Usually, I do not draw like this.  I tend to only draw inanimate objects and stay away from drawing people and the likes.   On my good days, I am able to draw a relatively good portrait but always look a little awkward.  The biggest problem I have when drawing people are their hands.  Hands are the hardest parts for me.  Ironically, my final art assessment was to draw a hand, and somehow I passed.

From what I have learned over the years, to be able to draw a good pair of hands you need to understand the basic structure before you move onto the details.  But even knowing that I cannot draw hands to save my life.

Unique NYC

Instrument: Vivitar 35mm 70mm zoom
Material: Ilford Black & White Pearl
Print: F11 for 10 seconds

This is one of my favorite part of the city.  During high school, I would walk pass this story every week on my way to my favorite cake shop.  When I was deciding on a theme for my college photography assignment, I decided that I want to show the unique blend of culture in the city.  St. Marks Street contains some of the city's most colourful shops. The featured here in my print is a Japanese izakaya call Kenka.  An izakaya is similar to an Irish pub, an informal pub you would stop by after work to get something to eat and drink.  The outside decors are very eye catching and always makes me stop to look.  Next time when the weather is better, I want to take my friends there to eat.

Sunset by the Shore

Instrument: Vivitar 35MM 70mm zoom
Material: Ilford Black & White Pearl 8"x10"
Print: F11 for 10 seconds

The first snow of the year had me missing the days when I can stand on the sand and feel the warm sun on my skin.  Every time I look at this print, I can imagine myself at the shore and feel the cooling ocean breeze across my face.

This was taken on the Coney Island beach.  Ever since the pier and boardwalk have been renovated after Sandy, I would often take a walk there.  During the summer, the best time to visit this place is on Friday.  Spend some time walking on the boardwalk, get a little something to eat from one of the stores and wait for the firework after sunset.  My usual spot to walk the firework is on the sand near the boardwalk.  However, patrol usually starts asking people to leave the sand a little after the firework is done.  I like to lay down on the blanket while watching the show, and stay there after to watch the stars.  It sucks to have someone disrupt the mood.  But I think those few peaceful moments are so worth it.

Another great spot to watch the firework is on the pier.  I might try that location next time.  The pier extends pretty far out to the ocean, and I think the view would be great.

I like the print for the contrasting tone, so I made a small 4"x5" print for my room.  Maybe some day I will send that small print to a friend.  But right now, I cherish it too much to part with it.

My Introduction to Film Photography

Instrument: Enlarger
Material: Ilford Black & White Glossy Photographic paper, glass stones, dried flowers

During middle school in preparation for my high school art audition, I was taught a brief lesson on photography.  There was nothing amazing about the lesson, other than my first time holding a film camera.
Senior year of high school, I was allowed to select my own studio class and I chose photography.  I actually was stuck on picking either photography or sculpture.  Ultimately photography won because I thought photographers were really cool, and it really is very cool.  Developing the films and prints myself was the best part.  Going into the film room so I can open my film canister and load it into the reel while doing all this in the dark.  

My first assignment was to create a negative (the black side on the left) of items placed directly over a photographic paper.  It was really fun to play around with the arrangement.  After the print is developed and dried, we had to make a positive of that (the white side on the right).  The end result was very cool and reminded me of the kaleidoscope I had as a child.

I think my instructor did a very good job with the assignment.  It was easy and got me used to use the enlarger and other areas of the dark room.

My First Piece

Excuse my terrible scanning job.  Most of my works were done on sketchbooks that are larger than my scanner, and I did not want to rip them out.

Instrument: rose art colour pencils
Material: paper

This is the first piece I ever did in high school.  This is a mountain landscape with the sunset reflecting off the water.  I think I spend around 1 weeks to finish this.  I was very proud of this piece, and my only regret is not having known about Prisma colour pencils at that time.  The wax of the inexpensive colour pencils is very dull and not very pigmented.  I can only imagine how much more vibrant this would look if I had used Prisma colour pencils.

Before auditioning for the school, I knew nothing about arts other than me doing some doodles on my notebooks.  As my introductory class into fine arts, my instructor went over some of the famous artists.  When I saw Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, I was shocked by his technique.  I was amazed by him and respected his dedication to finishing such a painting with just dots.  So when the time came with an assignment my instructor told us to pick any one of the techniques we learned and use it to complete a drawing, I knew what I wanted to try.

Even to this day, Seurat is one of my favorite artist and pointillism is one of my go-to technique when I am doodling.

A Moment of Peace

As my first post, I want to share a scene that has been ingrained in me.  This was taken during my vacation in China.  

Walking on an empty temple road on a mountain, overlooking the fast developing city crowded with millions of people.  Down in the city, the air is hot and stuffy.  But as I walk down the road that stretches around the entire mountain, the wind carrying the light scent of jasmine gently brushed across my hair.  It is so peaceful and all I can hear is the leaves on the trees tousling in the wind.  As the sun is setting, I looked down into the city.  This was a scene I never want to forget.