What Does Art Mean To You?

[beartisticandsuch]

Anytime Is Cooking Time: What I Consider Art

Hi guys! 

Today’s blog is very important to me. Why? Because it is the day that I get to show you guys what I love to do in my spare time. Now, you guys all know about my sculptures, but what you don’t know is that there is this thing I also love to do: cooking. For me, cooking allows me to express my creativity in many ways, and sometimes I can go all out and make a whole scene just for a certain food I’ve made. 

I know what you’re going to say. What does that have to do with art? But I believe cooking can be very artistic. Let’s take a look at this definition:

“Culinary arts, in which culinary means ‘related to cooking,’ is the art of the preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals”

I completely agree with that. I have dedicated so much time cooking certain foods, but I also have dedicated the same amount and sometimes even more time in the way I present what I have made. I want to show you guys some of the foods that I’ve made recently that I had considered about the way in would look for other people. 

I made this last winter for the holidays. As you can see, I put a lot of effort into the way the onions were places and just the presentation in general.

This is butter garlic chicken with veggies and white rice. As you can see, I payed a lot of attention to where I should place each portion, as well as added some decorations (the cilantro). I was also thinking about the decorations in the plate just because I think it made the whole dish complete.

For me, when I’m having a stressful day or just feel like I need a break from everything, I go to my kitchen and just start pulls ingredients out. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m going to make, but I make sure I am having fun and making something other people will like with me.

Cooking also comes in the form of baking, which is what I mostly do lately. I remember the time I baked my mom this whole bouquet of cupcakes that were supposed to represent flowers. I created a whole set for the bouquet, and I remember she was so touched. That is what I love about cooking. You can make someone’s day just by making something for them. The video is not perfect because I don’t have my final version, but I want you guys to see how creative you can get with food.

This blog was all about me and my creativity, but come on, we all love food! So, I want you to think next time you’re in the kitchen about the way you’re cooking and presenting your dishes. You can really make someone feel so special just by adding a little bit more of time and details.

Thanks guys! Hope to see you guys soon!

[beartisticandsuch]

When Things Don’t Go As Planned, Don’t Panic!

                                                       Hi guys! 

So, today I thought I would do something a bit different. Prior to this, I had planned to show you guys about a different type of sculpture that you can do, which include metals. However, something horrible happened to me this week </3, but I thought I’d give you a little inside because it’s an important part of an artist’s life. I’ll still give you a little sneak peak at the end about metals, but this post won’t focus on that.

Now, do you guys remember the turtle from several weeks ago? I had promised that I would show an update, but I wanted to show it when I had the piece complete. BUT, everything changed Tuesday of last week. The following picture is that of my turtle (final) before I fired it to make it more secure.

This was my turtle after I fired it. It unfortunately exploded. :(

I would have wished that it was only that one that exploded, but my other two sculptures that I was working on also did. 

Now, you might be thinking that I was screwed, and if I’m being honest I also thought that. I definitely shed some tears because I had worked so hard on these pieces, but then my professor came and gave me some helpful advice. He told me, “Just because it’s not perfect doesn’t mean it can’t look beautiful.” 

I was shocked. All this time I was thinking he expected perfection, but here he was encouraging me to make it interesting even if it’s looking a bit funky at the moment. He grabbed some wood glued and began to put the pieces together. Then he called me over, and he told me to keep going. AND GUYS! Let me tell you, that is the best thing I could have done. These are my pieces now, which I am very proud of :)

I don’t know about you guys, but I think they look very interesting. I think the cracks on the turtle make it look a bit more antique, let alone the colors that it has. In some parts it’s shaded darker, while the top parts are a bit lighter. It kind of looks like the turtle was painted and shaded at the same time. Now, for my figure sculpture, I LOVE IT. I think it looks so much interesting like this than when it was looking perfect. Of course, I’m going to add some more details, and maybe fabric to make it look more sophisticated ;) But I am so glad I didn’t throw them away (which I would have normally done before.) 

I still haven’t done the last one, but I have started and know it’s going to look BOMB! I learned so much throughout this process, but I am also really thankful for my professor because he always encouraged me.

I think what I wanted you guys to take from this is that as an artist, sometimes s***t just happens. However, that doesn’t mean our artwork is not valuable or interesting to someone else, and even ourselves. Plans set us for failure if they don’t go as planned, and that is why I want you guys to know some things:

1. If any piece of yours has been defected, don’t panic and take a step back.

2. Don’t throw it away. Try looking at it from a different angle and see how you can fix it.

3. Don’t be afraid of trying something “weird” and go with the flow from that point on.

4. If you’re still not happy with your work, still keep it. Show it to other people. You don’t know if someone else might find it interesting :) 

That’s it guys! I hope you learned something from this post, or maybe found it interesting. I promise next week I’ll have another type of artwork, which I’m sure you guys will love :)

Here’s a picture of a sculpture using metal that I promised at the beginning ^_^

[beartisticandsuch]

Photography: A Picture Can Tell A Thousand Words

What more perfect place to talk about photography than on a site that is 99.9% made out of them?  

Hey guys! Welcome back :) Today I wanted to write about this art medium: Photography.

Everyone takes pictures, and most of them end up being shared in social media sites. Recently, we have gone from having to buy professional cameras, to being able to take shots on our mobile devices. However, does that mean that every picture that is taken with our personal cellphones is a photograph? Let’s take a look at the original definition of a photograph:

“A picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto film or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment, or stored digitally.”

For me, a photograph is not just simple every snapshot that we take just because we want to, but there has to be a deeper meaning behind that shot being taken. A picture could be simply that, just a quick snapshot, but for photograph I often think there should be more considerations that we have to think about.

For instance, this is just a simple picture I took while I was walking down the park at Wisconsin Dells! I didn’t think much of it, but I wanted to show my friends were I was.

Now, this photograph I took years ago with a digital camera I had at the time. I remember I took two buses to get here, but I had passed by this place some time before with a friend and wanted to capture the environment. It looks grainy and dark because I tried to scan this photograph. For this photograph, I had to think about the placement of the camera, and luckily I was able to capture a boat right at that moment (which became my subject). 

“There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph.” - Robert Heinecken

For me, there is indeed a difference between the two of them. I’ll shortly show you my favorite photographer: Michael Kenna.

Special moments should create an inspiration in us that will make us want to choose the best angle, position of the camera, time to take a picture, subjects, spacial distance between objects in front of the camera, etc. It should be more than just taking a shot because we are bored and want to do that for fun, because believe me that’s what I do as well, but only for Snapchat. Haha

These are some of his photographs, and as you can tell, he has put so much thought to the whole composition of the shots.

That for me is photography guys, not just a shot of the food I’m eating right now.

Though let’s admit it, who doesn’t do this? Haha Hungry yet?

Now I don’t want to say that some of the quick shots that we take can’t be considered photographs, because I have also done that. However, we need to pay more attention to what we are capturing and why. Like I said in the beginning, a picture can tell a thousand words. So, let’s let these photographs tell those words in the best way possible. I hope you guys think about this a little bit more next time you take a picture. In a way, I do believe we can all become photographers. Lol As long as we have fun taking them, we should continue to capture beautiful moments in our lives.

Thanks for sticking to the end ;) Come back next week guys! 

EXTRA:

Me attempting to take a “photograph” with my iPhone.

[beartisticandsuch]

Your Voice Is Music To My Ears - My Gem Gem

You might not understand the title at first, but let me give you a little back story. Basically, I have this friend called Gemma. Every since she was little, Gemma would always sing and play instruments. Now that’s she’s older, she opened a Youtube account in which she posts covers and her own songs.

Gemma’s voice is so beautiful that just listening to it makes me feel like I’m listening to an actual song. Now, I don’t want you to think I’m exaggerating, so I’m going to include this little video I made of her that pretty much summarizes her and her love for music. 

In the video, you learn that she has loved music since she picked up her brother’s guitar, which I found fascinating. However, what I find more fascinating is that she learns how to play different instruments just to be able to sing different songs, and that is not something many aspiring artists are willing to do.

I think music is a very powerful medium of art, mostly because it is in everyone’s life on a daily basis. Anywhere you go, the grocery store, your car, your television, and even in your room, you are bound to listen to a song at one point. Our taste in music is different from every single other person, and in a way, music makes us unique. One thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain. It, instead, frees your mind. “Music gives a soul to the universe,  wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

This next video is just a little cover that Gemma did in Korean. I hope you guys like it :)

Dean - 21

Now, I don’t necessary sing (at least not in public), let alone play any instruments (if we don’t include that one time I played the flute). However, I do think that we all have that little inner artist that comes out from time to time in the shower.

You all know what I’m talking about, right? Haha So, it’s okay that not all of us have an amazing voice to sing because we can all sing as long as we’re enjoying it.

Lastly, I want to ask you guys to check out my friend and support her by subscribing. She mostly sings covers in Korean, but she is starting to also upload more music in English. Anyways, you won’t regret it, so go go go! ;)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC39-g8Mofs5wxQNDRcpnvTA

See you next week, y’all!

[beartisticandsuch]

Printmaking: It Sounds Simple, But It’s Really The Opposite

Hey guys! Okay, so like I said last week, this post is going to be all about printmaking.

I’ve always been interested in printmaking. I’ve always been interested in creating multiple arts of works from a single piece, which is why I’ve done molds in the past. However, although you can definitely do this with printmaking, this form of art requires way more than just printing on sheets.

In this video, you can get an idea of how basic printmaking is made. However, is it often divided into parts.

1. By relief: Ink is applied to the original surface of the matrix, often named as woodcut and linocut.

2. By intaglio: Ink is applied beneath the original surface of the matrix, often named as engraving and etching.

3. By planographic: The matrix retains its original surface, but is specially prepared and/or inked to allow for the transfer of the image, often named as lithography and monotyping.

4. By stencil: Ink or paint is pressed through a prepared screen, often named as screen printing and pochoir.

No matter what type of printmaking technique you use, you can bet that you will need patience and a lot of attention to details. I say this because I once went to the printing lab at my school, and everyone was so cautious of every single move. However, as you can see in the video, in the end you have a lot of fun making these works of art. It is a challenge, but I know you learn a lot.

This particular video caught my attention because the artist uses various types of ink, and every time he passes the roller, a different color stay on different parts of the image. That is something that impressed me, specially because I have tried that before but it didn’t go well. Haha

Meghan used the technique of planographic.

This piece was made by my friend Meghan. As you can see, there really isn't a right or wrong answer as to what this piece represents; you can interpret it as you want. And that is who Meghan is, a person that is learning to make works of art that are abstract. 

Meghan is interested in ceramics more than printmaking, but she wanted to try how printmaking was. She says that she is often too stressed trying to make her artwork because it requires a lot of time, but she also likes her projects when she finishes them. I was inspired because she tried something out of her comfort zone, and that made me want to take the printmaking class as well for next semester.

So, that’s it guys! I hope this post inspires you to try printmaking at home. It is not simple, but it is definitely worth it.

Please come again next week :)

[beartisticandsuch]

It’s Valentine’s Day And I’m Doing...

Homework. More specifically, homework that involves art. So, I guess it’s not that bad :)

My professor decided it would be a great idea to have us create a sketchbook about the elements and principles of art and design, so that’s what I’m doing this week. It might not sound as interesting as the other things I’ve talked about, but bare with me. PLEASE!

Basically, we have to either find a picture or draw something that represents each of the elements/principles. Now, you may be wondering: What are these elements and principles? Well, these include: point, line, shape, form, color, texture, space, motion, balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/harmony.

I’m planning on making a little book that has a picture in the front and a description of why I chose that picture in the back. As you’ve probably have seen my work from my previous posts, I love to be colorful and experiment with different forms of art. Therefore, I decided to add a little touch by making this sketchbook more personal by adding my pieces to it.

POINT.

This picture is meant to represent the element point. I remember I drew this back in high school. I didn’t think much of it, but I do remember I spent like a whole day planning it. It wasn’t for any project or anything related; I guess I just had too much time on my hands. Anyways, you can tell that this piece was made just by simply placing dots all on a sheet of paper. Now that I look back at it, I think it looks beautiful. I am more surprised that it actually looks good. Like there isn’t much change in the sizes of the dots, but somehow it all seems to work out. That’s my opinion though...

LINE.

This one represents line. You might be wondering why is that, but if you pay close attention, most of the drawing is made out of lines. Lines make up the face, the background, the name, the flowers, etc. I have the original picture with me, so I’m thinking about maybe folding it in half to show the original picture and my drawing to kind of create the whole picture. Let me know if this is a good idea. 

FORM.

Lastly, I want to talk about form. I created this piece in my sculpture class last semester, and I remember I enjoyed it so much. I think this is the perfect representation of forms because you have so many kinds in one piece alone. I remember my professor gave me so many compliments for this piece, so I think that says something. Haha

I want to end this post saying that art is very liberal. You can pretty much create anything you want, but you also have to know the elements to transform any piece from good to great. If you pay attention to them, you’re most likely to create pieces that can communicate your feelings or perspectives more clear. I have seen a huge difference in my work after I started paying attention to them, so if you’re interested you should as well. 

Go look up the rest and let me know if you see any changes or not.

I’ll you see you guys next week with another type of art. If you want a clue, it involves printing ;)

Thank you <3

[beartisticandsuch]

Painting: Are You More Of A 2D or A 3D Person?

That is the question a lot of my classmates asked me at my Sculpture class on the first day of class. Before then, I had never thought about it. I soon realized that most of them were interested in painting, or 2D, which didn’t make sense to me since they were in a Sculpture class, which is 3D. Then I started seeing their paintings, and I was mesmerized. That is why this week I wanted to write about painting, because it is such a beautiful art form, and it needs a bit of attention.

This is not a painting made by any of my friends, but I wanted to include it because it’s from a channel I follow on Youtube. This girl has so much potential and is so talented. The way she paints is amazing, and the details that she is able to come up with are incredible. For instance, in this video you can see how detailed she was with the girl’s face and hair. Often, time lapse videos for me get boring, but I could watch this one over and over again because it’s so eye-catching.

Now, back to my friends’ paintings. I wanted to write about one specific friend because she’s going to have an art show this year at NEIU. Her name is Veronica Cerda, and she’s an art major focusing on painting. I remember Veronica was one of the ones who asked me if I was more of a 3D person, and I also remember her saying she was definitely a 2D. At first, I thought she was just good at painting, but when I saw her artwork I was so surprised.

Veronica calls this painting ‘Soul Searching’

As you can see, this painting is definitely not made by an amateur. She dedicates her time to these paintings; they are everything to her. You can see that this picture is more on the cool tone of the color wheel, and it makes you feel very relaxed. However, what caught my attention to this painting was that you can see the depth in this picture. You see the moon in the background, the trees in the middle ground, and the tree at the floor in the foreground. This was interesting to me because she once told me that she didn’t know how to play with depth when we had to do a project involving depth in class, but I guess depth in painting is completely different.

I want to leave you guys with her website here so you can check out some of her other work. She also sells her work, so if you’re interested you can definitely contact her. http://www.veronicacerda.com

In a way, I also think I wanted to write about painting this week because I am close to painting the turtle that you guys saw on my first post. This whole process reminded me of the time I painted a previous similar project from my Sculpture class last semester, but the only difference was that that painting was flat. My turtle this semester is more on the 3D side.

This is my little fish from last semester. As you can tell, I tried playing with depth here, but it didn’t go so well.

For it being my first attempt at painting a work I had done, I think I did an okay job. I definitely need more practice with colors and how to shade in the darker places. However, I think I am ready to start painting my turtle this semester. I definitely think I am more of a 3D person, but I do think I have a soft spot for painting. Of course, not close to my friend but maybe half way. Haha

So, I would encourage anyone to try and paint something. It seriously helps so much when you’re stressed or feeling a little overwhelmed. Plus, PAINTING IS BEAUTIFUL. Even if it doesn’t look appealing to you, someone somewhere out there will find the beauty in it. So try it out, and let me know how it went!

I will make sure to update with the painting of my turtle, so stay tuned.

See you next week! ;)

[beartisticandsuch]

Video Production: A Little Inside Of The Production ‘Bojack Meets Diane’

Welcome Back!

As you can see, today I chose to write about something that is very important for me, and that is making videos. I won’t go too much into detail with this post because I will write about some of my other videos later on, but for now I want to introduce you to my first group production, which was both fun and challenging. Let me know what you think :)

It was time for our group project, and all of us were excited. It would be the first time we actually rented a place, found props, rehearsed for the scenes, and basically made a whole production. We found extras for the background, and even bought a big piñata. It all seemed to be a good experience, and it was.

I don’t remember quite well my first thoughts, but I do remember I was annoyed because I was carrying the lighting kit. I was like, “Why can’t this be any lighter?” But at the same time, I knew this equipment was necessary in order to have the best quality in the video so I sucked it up. 

We all had experience with filming, but not with making decisions and budget planning. However, it was all good because we had “the expert” with us. Haha

Sean was our director, or what we called “THE GOD.”

When you work with people, you have to learn how to listen to every person’s ideas, and that is exactly what Sean did. He obviously had more experience than us, since he was a tutor, but he never once forgot to say “So, what do you guys think of this?” I think that this was what helped us in the long run. We began filming, and the rest is history. I do remember we had some difficulty with the actors remembering their lines, which we included as bloopers in the end of our video. But overall, it was a great experience.

Video Production allows people to express their perspective of the world in a very artistic way. Though I mostly focus on editing, I do enjoy the whole process. I love when I can choose what goes and what gets cut from a sequence, and also how much influence I can have on someone just by showing my piece. In my opinion, everyone is a storyteller in a way or another. However, videos allows us to be even greater storytellers. Some are scared of filming because of low budget or not enough familiarity, but I would say to just give it a try. Know you’re not an expert yet, but you can learn so much from every video you make. And that is the beauty of it, YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE ANOTHER BETTER ONE.

I’ll leave you guys with the whole video, hope you enjoy!

Thanks for tuning in again ^_^

EXTRAS:

We obviously had too much fun!

[beartisticandsuch]

On The Wheel: Different Functional And Abstract Pieces

When someone thinks about Ceramics, they usually ask whether you’re making a cup, plate, or something around that topic. However, Ceramics is way more than that. 

For this post, I am not going to talk about my work but that of my friend Debbie. She is majoring in art, so making these pieces is what she loves to do. From what I’ve observed, Debbie loves to create abstract pieces. Though sometimes she might make functional objects, she always adds a twist to it to make it her own. Every piece she makes she adds some type of texture, which are usually lines that connect at one point. In the picture above, you can see that the lines go around the piece, and in a way they make the piece complete.

BEING ON THE WHEEL IS HARD. I have definitely longed to work on the wheel, but my first time was very scary. I actually haven’t done it a lot, so I don’t have much experience. However, I asked my friend and she says she loves it. She says is able to make so many creations that she wouldn’t with any other type of art. And it’s true, you can make art that is so personal and inspiring just with this tool. I do agree, though. You have to have patience when you’re on the wheel—but we all know that practice makes perfect.

Here, she is carving out the extra clay so she can begin making her design.

Ceramics is similar to Sculpture, but it is also different in some ways. With Ceramics, you can be very detailed and make your pieces unique. The fact that the wheel is turning and you’re making something at the same time is so amusing to me. Some tools you might want to use are like the ones in the picture, but you can pretty much use anything, as long as it’s pointy. Lol

And of course, this post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include some finished pieces, right? These are what I would call “functional” pieces. As you can tell, Debbie has obviously made these (that one piece in the middle gives it away). You can also paint them and even add some touches with other types of materials like wire and glass.

In conclusion, I would advise anyone to try it. You can’t really go wrong with it, you just have to be creative. I don’t believe when people tell me “I’m not creative, though!” Everyone has a little of creativity inside them, so don’t be afraid and do it!

Thank you for reading again, next week’s post will be waiting for you :)

[beartisticandsuch]

Sculture Piece: My Little Turtle

“Art is in the eye of the beholder” is a phrase often said when it comes to expressing an opinion about a piece of artwork. To that saying, I have to say that I agree quite a bit.

Hello everyone! This blog will show you some bits and pieces of things I consider to be artistic in one way or another. Through different mediums and materials that they come in, I hope you are also able to find them interesting and even share them with other people. Let’s have fun!

For this introductory post, I wanted to show you something I’m currently working on for my Sculpture I class, which I have dreamth about taking since I started my college experience. It’s a toy made out of clay. The plan is to later cast it into a mold made from plaster and be able to do many more replicas using different types of materials. Some of these materials include different fabrics, paper mache, wax, hot glue, etc.

This is a picture of what you need: a toy, clay, and simple tools. 

I opted for this toy because I mostly base my art on things that inspire me or are special to me. My mom knew about my love for turtles, so she brought this to me from Guatemala a few years ago and it became such an important possession to me. Often, I don’t really pay attention to how much it cost or how popular a piece is, but instead “What is the underlying purpose? What was the artist thinking as he/she was creating it?”

The purpose of this project is for us to have fun and create something inspired by an already made object while still adding our own twist to it. It really is not hard to start with. You can simply pick up some clay and start building your design. You don’t have to have a perfect sculpture from the beginning, and you certainly should not have to have a detailed one either. My professor once told us that the whole base of a sculpture is like the outline of a house, while the details are the windows, doors, furniture, etc. You don’t want to start building your windows before you have an actual layout, right? Therefore, don’t be afraid and pick up your tools. You’ll eventually reach your desired piece, I promise :)

I also want to share a tip with you: ADD YOUR PERSONALITY TO ANY WORK THAT YOU DO. In this shot, you can see that I’ve started adding some details to the back of the turtle (like the little snail). The toy went from being a candle decoration to some story I made up. Basically, turtles and snails are both considered to be slow animals. So, I decided to make them both look like they are running away from each other and involved them in a competition to see who is slower. I’m not sure what else I want to add as of right now, but I will for sure update when I’m done!

Art comes in different types of ways, which means that there isn't a right or wrong way when it comes to creating it. Art through the means of sculpture allows people to be artistic and creative. You can be literal and make such a sculpture like the one I just showed, or you can do an abstract piece and let the viewer make his/her own opinion about it. In the end, what's important is that you enjoy the process and are proud of your work! 

Hope you come back next week to see my next post! Thanks for reading :)