The Art of Passion

Cultural Architecture

2011-11-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

Cultural Architecture

With my strong fascination with buildings and the influence of Feininger’s paintings on architecture, I sketched a series of buildings which take the form of religious architecture such as churches, temples, and mosques. At the front, the left is an abstract form of a mosque and the right is an abstract form of a church building. At the back, the left is an abstract form of an Indian temple whilst the right is an abstract form of a Chinese temple. The cultural elements are merged together so as to convey unity among the many cultures in a multi-racial country such as Malaysia.

By,

Adrian Puan Jia Shuen

B0701229

Art Visuals Finale - Intercultural at HELP

2011-11-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

After choosing the top 3 pre-finalized designs, I decided to virtually draw everything from scratch using Adobe Photoshop CS3.

As my Cubism-inspired artworks consist of the overlapping of many broken-up object planes, a set of common Photoshop techniques were used to achieve the abstract motives in my designs.

Below, I'll briefly describe the techniques and step-by-step procedures I implemented in achieving my final pieces.

>>> Interwoven <<<

1. I created a new canvas sized 16x20 inches with 300 dpi and I opened the file of my sketch titled Interwoven. By using the Move Tool, I transferred my sketch unto the new canvas.

2. I then scaled my picture to the new canvas while holding down Shift.

3. To make my sketch black and white, I clicked on Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

4. As I wanted the sketch to stand out more for later use, I darkened the canvas by adjusting the levels (pressed Ctrl+L).

5. By using the Polygonal Lasso Tool, I traced and outlined the shape that I want on a new layer. I then pressed Shift+F5 to fill the shape with colour.

6. For shapes with curved lines, I utilized Warp (Edit > Transform > Warp).

7. I dragged a part of the shape to form a curved side. I used the Warp technique for all planes in my

artworks which require curved side(s).

8. This is an example of how I added extra shapes and colours into an existing shape. First, I used the Magic Wand Tool to select the layer, right clicked and clicked on Select Inverse. Then, with the shape selected, I can now add in the elephant nails by using the Brush Tool.

9. By clicking on the Brush Tool, I can change the size and the hardness of the brush stroke by adjusting the Master Diameter and Hardness.

10. Here is an example of the aforementioned technique. Lower opacity was used to create the overlapping effect between the 3 hemispheric shapes.

11. In cases whereby I want to create a rectangular shape within a curve shape, instead of utilizing the brush tool and painting it (which is a hassle and messy), I used the Clipping Mask to overlay a new shape onto an existing shape. I did this by putting the new layer on top of the layer I want to overlay, right clicked the new layer, and chose Create Clipping Mask.

12. Elephant design (representing the Indian culture) completed.

13. By using similar techniques I used for the elephant design, I created the floral element (representing the Malay culture).

14. I then create this Chinese element by using the Wand Tool and colour Fill techniques explained above.

15. As the Chinese element colour was too blatant (causing the design to look particularly heavy), I decided to implement a experimental technique by first overlaying the design.

16. Then, below the design, I formed numerous triangular planes with different levels of opacity to achieve the desired effect.

17. Here is how it turned out eventually.

18. I completed the design by adding more planes in the background. To give the shapes a depth of field, I highlighted the shapes using the Wand Tool.

19. Then, I used the Brush Tool (using darker colours) to create different shades and value of colour within a particular shape. I did this for all the shapes in my design.

20. This is how it looks like after I finish adding depths to the shapes.

21. By adding texture into my flat-looking design, I chose a particular texture that I like and Desaturate the colour so as to make it black and white.

22. Then, I overlay this layer and place it at the top of all the layers.

23. This is my initial rough sketch.

24. My finalized design of Interwoven.

>>> Festive Illumination <<<

1. In designing the first element of Festive Illumination, I traced and colour filled the desired shapes by using the Wand Tool and colour Fill function. There were many times when I realize that the outcome of the shape doesn't appear to be clean nor symmetrical. To counter that, I used the following technique to create a perfectly balanced shape. First, I used the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select half of the shape that I didn't want.

2. Then, I pressed Delete.

3. Then, using the Wand Tool, I select the other half and duplicate its layer.

4. By selecting the new later, I flipped it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal).

5. Using the Move Tool, I placed the mirror image on the other side of the existing shape, hence creating a symmetrical plane.

6. Using the Flip Horizontal technique, I created tassles (with random, multi-directional strokes) on the Chinese lantern.

7. As for the golden, squarish bead, I used the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the area that I want.

8. To make the colour of the golden bead more realistic, instead of filling in a flat colour, I used the Gradient Tool to select the shades of colour that I want.

9. Here's how the gradient Fill looks like.

10. As the Golden bead looks too squarish and flat, I decided to use the Warp function (Edit > Transform > Warp) to give the shape little curve edges.

11. Here's how the golden bead looks like now.

12. To make the picture more relevant to my reference (Cubism), I overlapped rectangular shapes onto existing shapes by utilizing the Clipping Mask function.

13. The Clipping Mask function tremendously useful for overlapping complicated shapes such as this.

14. As the edges of the shape I outlined and filled did not look sharp, I used the Refine Edge function (Lasso Tool > Refine Edge) to smoothen the rough edges. Here, I set the value of radius, contrast, smooth, and feather that I want and click OK.

15. Then, I Fill (Shift+F5) the selected area with the colour of the existing shape.

16. Here is how it looked like after the edges were smoothened.

17. Similar techniques were used to create the Indian and Malay element in Festive Illumination.

18. For the flames, to make it as realistic as possible, I used the Warp function to create the desired shape.

19. Every flame was dragged randomly toward a similar direction so as to make it as realistic as possible.

20. Here's the result.

21. To make the flames even more realistic (especially between the yellow and orange contrast), first, I used the Brush Tool with low Hardness and paint it over the flame.

22. Then, I created a clipping mask on top of the respective flame.

23. As a result, the orange blends well into the yellow, making the flame look more realistic.

24. To make the flames in the artwork glow, I used the Brush Tool with low Hardness and low Opacity and paint it on the top of the flame.

25. As I like the colour of this texture, I decided not to Desaturate it and overlay it on top all the layers.

26. My initial sketch in which the feedback obtained was that it was too abstract and it has yet another building element in it.

27. The final version of Festive Illumination.

>>> Cultural Architecture <<<

1. My black and white sketch of Cultural Architecture.

2. Tracing on my hand-drawn sketch, I used the Polygonal Lasso Tool to outline the shape I intend to work on first and fill it with the chosen Foreground Color.

3. To give the shape a depth of field, I used the Color Picker to choose a darker tone of the existing colour and used the Brush Tool to create a shadowy effect.

4. Here's the after-effect of the darker blend of colours used to create a realistic looking building.

5. I worked on one building after another.

6. For the shapes with curvy sides, I used the similar Warp technique mentioned above to create the desired shape.

7. Edit > Transform > Warp.

8. I dragged it according to the shape that I wanted.

9. To make a similar shape on the other side of the building, I duplicate the layer.

10. Then, I flipped it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontally).

11. By clicking on the Move Tool and hovering the mouse outside the selected area, I rotated the shape and fit it accordingly.

12. 4 buildings completed.

13. Realizing that my layers were all over the place, to make the designing process smoother, I then decided to group the layers and label them accordingly.

14. For shapes that were more intricate such as the one shown in the picture below, I used the Polygonal Marquee Tool to roughly cover the space I'd like to Fill.

15. After I Fill in the colour that I like, I placed the layer above the other layers so as to hide the excess space I filled.

16. Here's a picture with all the buildings and the ground completed.

17. To distinguish the sky from the blue building, I added a grainy texture (Filter > Texture > Grain) over the layers of the sky.

18. This is how it looks like with the grainy effect.

19. Using the Place function (File > Place), I chose the picture of the texture that I want and scaled it according to my artwork.

20. Then, I overlay it.

21. My sketch.

22. My final rendition of Cultural Architecture, it is also the artwork I have chosen to exhibit.

Needless to say, my sketches are highly inspired and closely referenced to the artist of my choice, Lyonel Feininger.

In all three sketches, balance is achieved through the manipulation of shape sizes and light-dark contrasting colors. They are also used to create the desired depth of field. The proximity between all the elements is tight and the planes used to create their shapes tend to interpermeate one another, creating the perception of unity which is based on the theme that I chose – Intercultural at HELP. Repetitive triangular and quadrilateral shapes were used to form the shapes in all my artworks. These final versions of my sketches are achieved through many levels of improvisation.

Art and Pieces

2011-10-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word 'culture'?

That was the very first question I asked myself before I began sketching. Almost instantaneously, 3 human figures ran across my imagination. And so it begins...

Playing on perspective and distorted lines, I decided to draw the most obvious form of intercultural difference which can be seen in Malaysia - traditional costumes.

I then began to wonder what other forms of intercultural components are there to represent the fusion of culture in a single drawing. And I thought of the different kind of traditional and unique weapons used by the 3 main races in Malaysia - Malay, Chinese, and Indian.

To make it more interesting, I began to thought of ways to make the initial idea less traditional and more abstract. I began practising the principles and elements of design used by my reference - Lyonel Feininger by highlighting the focus of the drawing with triangular forms, using different shades of black.

With close reference to Feininger's work, I tried to infuse mountain drawings of different culture into this piece. The feedback I got was not positive as it's too abstract. I decided to ditch this idea and move on.

I began to brainstorm other forms of designs that may depict 'intercultural' at its best. With the many colour theories we learned from class in week 5, I decided to play around with them. I tend to also utilize many light-dark contrasting colours, different variations of colour value and saturation to achieve the desired depth of field. Placement and variation of sizes were used to create a visual link between the elements.

The culture tree.

Playing on gravity, I reversed the gravity of the subject matter to instigate curiosity and wander.

Two different coloured hands caring for the world.

Intercultural fabric design.

Intercultural vases.

These masks portray the distinct make-up technique commonly used by the 3 different race - Chinese, Indian, and Malay.

An improvisation of the above drawing.

After experimenting with the colours, I realize that my favourite colour concept is triad.

Most of the designs I came up with are based on improvisation. I enjoy taking different elements of culture and integrate them into a whole using the Gestalt principles - Proximity and Similarity (using triangular shapes). Take the few drawings below for example.

The first looks bland and empty as it's too centralized. Below is an improvisation of the above drawing, now from a different perspective (abiding the rule of thirds) and with a tilted horizon line.

This is the final result of the abstract cultural lamps I want to achieve. Similar to Feininger's work, the colours used here are mostly cold colours. It creates a sense of tranquillity.

Here's another example of my work through improvisation.

In the first piece, I used the water reflection to create the illusion I want to achieve, which is the image of 3 cultural buildings.

Next, I improvised it and drew an obvious image of 3 cultural buildings side by side. This drawing is called 'The Cultural Buddies'.

To make it more abstract, I utilized similar principles and elements of design used above to create the improvised version.

Here is another version of 'Intercultural' with cultural architecture as the subject matter.

From what I gather while working on this assignment, one's art work can actually make more sense and can be perceived to be more 'matured' after implementing the principles and elements of design taught.

Cartoonist turned Cubist - Lyonel Feininger

2011-09-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

As the name suggests, Cubism is an avant-garde art movement which includes artworks comprised of broken-up object planes interpermeating one another. To understand Cubism on a deeper level, one must first find out what 'avant-garde' actually means.

Avant-garde, in the adjective form, refers to works that are innovative or experimental with particular regard to art, culture, and politics. It represents a radical move towards what is perceived as typical and customary.

Cubism revolutionized European painting and sculpture, its ability to depict objects from one viewpoint to multiple viewpoints has inspired movements in the music, literature, and architecture realm.

One particular artist whose works I find inspiring and exquisite is a cartoonist turned cubist - Lyonel Feininger. He was a well known and highly admired German-American artist who made huge contributions to the expressionist and cubist schools of art in the 20th century.

Lyonel Feininger

Feininger was one of the founders of the Bauhaus school of art and architecture and was associated to the famous expressionist group - Blue Four. He used to work as an illustrator and cartoonist for 20 years before he began his career as a paint artist.

Feininger's paintings have a significant and distinctive progression which starts from colourful, lively, and cartoon-like drawings to his characteristic muted, sombre and abstract style. He infused angular planes of different shades of light into his paintings, intersecting and overlapping these planes until an object is made perceptible.

Longeuil, Normandie, 1909

Carnival in Arcueil, 1911

Gross Kromsdorf I, 1915

Hopfgarten, 1920

Barfusserkirche, 1924

Sail Boats, 1929

Lunar Web, 1951

Based on Feininger's later artworks, it is apparent that he utilized a common set of elements of design. They consist mostly of visible, multi-directional lines, geometric form of shapes which are predominantly triangular, and strong colours in multiple shades of light. The visual texture in his oil paintings seem dry and grainy.

The principles of design typically used in Feininger's paintings comprise of a harmony of repetitive shapes with numerous variations, light-dark contrasting colours, and dominance of different shape sizes. As most of his artworks do not have a linear link between shapes, Feininger tends to utilize the placement and size relationship to create a virtual link between the elements in his paintings.

On a personal note, I am particularly interested in Feininger's works of genius due to their somewhat subliminal yet expressive portrayal of a sense of alienation felt in modern society. His works also include many architectural elements which I am very fond of.

The Masterpiece of I

2011-09-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

'I define passion. Passion defines me.'

A bold statement for a guy 23 years of age?

Passion to me is the inner urge and desire that propel me into doing things that gratifies my interests.

I for one, have many interests. Event management, expressive writing, reading, just to name a few.

Dance, however, is where my deepest passion lies in.

In dance, every artistic body movement is a swift stroke of art painted on a blank canvas.

A masterpiece only which the dancer can truly appreciate.

In dance, is where a person's deep seated feelings and thoughts truly show.

A masterpiece which sometimes if we're lucky, we can relate to.

I've been dancing through life, and I have no intention of stopping.

I dream to be better at dancing, to be able to connect better with I.

Because just like everyone else, I am a masterpiece, of which pieces I alone can muster, of which I alone can put together.

Dance with me, connect with me.

Picture courtesy of The Passion of Dance by Richard Young.