I felt like messing with Illustrator in the tiny window of time where I got to sneak inside my room in the slower hours of this afternoon. It got my mind off feeling exhausted, at least.
I practiced working with shapes so I thought of drawing a simple cupcake. I figured I could use it for our store, besides. Anyway, the tools feel a little wonky to me, half the time, I don’t even know what I”m dragging or clicking at.
I think I’m putting the program to shame because of this stock illustration looking cupcake. It looked too commercial so I tweaked it in Ps into something more to my liking.
Not quite finished but happy enough that my patience got it this far. haha. I’ve been quite into Italian architecture lately. Much influence on the books I’ve been reading, I think. Even my current read is set in a fictional city of Camorr which I think probably is medieval Italy because of the canals and the capas and the garristas and the contrarequiallas and their sharks! Yeah!
Okay. Seem to be having a bit too much fun with that. I just want something pretty up the top of my blog that’s all. haha.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAY! Lavou mother! Gidraw na jud tika, upaw lang haha :)) Notch ko nagforget sa imong birthday!
Hello babies!
I’ve actually been home from camp for a couple of days already but I don’t know, I don’t feel like going on around here much on summers. I was practically made for the summer, you see.
Anyway, you’re probably a bit uncomfortable by now, me staring right at you as you read so I’ll get on with what I have to say. I bought myself a pen tablet for my birthday and I only ever got to actually sit down and try to get the hang of the thing at coffee time this afternoon.
I used to swear I love traditional art but that was just to make myself feel less sorry that I don’t have gadgets for proper digital art. I still like working with markers and paint and pens but there’s something really liberating about drawing with this pen tablet. You get to erase things and trace or paint over sketches without ruining the surface of your sheet. It’s actually quite easy once you get the hang of not accidentally activating commands on the tablet because that’s what really put me off the first time I tried it. I stowed it in my drawers for 3 weeks wishing I hadn’t bought it.
But it’s actually quite nice. Getting the right textures are a bit tricky though, I haven’t found the right brushes and techniques to use on Ps just yet, right now it it feels a bit too airbrushy. At least it’s a comforting thought that if I ever get unemployed for longer than my parents will allow, I could always airbrush jeep drivers’ children and idols on big ARMAC jeeps around the city for money or something. haha.
So. How’s things?
Tzaddi Esguerra 2013
These were the tiny framed paintings I made for mothers day. They’re actually just gum paste tiles I painted with food coloring so they’re pretty okay to eat too.
From sketchbook to… a slightly bigger sketchbook.
I remember when I started out here, Alphonse Mucha was one of my favorite artists. It’s taken me more than three years to actually give art nouveau a go. Which isn’t such a terrible loss really, considering I could barely draw faces then. I could only imagine what it could have done to my self esteem had I tried his style then. haha. Actually now that I’ve thought it through I think I have tried. And failed.
But yay. I might actually try to color this in in a few years :)) Man, this blog has been a real help.
Quick t-shirt layout for our church’s little summer camp. I wanted to put on sunglasses but the oldies might think it a little pushing my luck too far.
What is art? We use the term loosely around here because we have a simple idea of what it should be. Art is subjective. What’s art for me may not be art for you. But who are we to define what’s beautiful and meaningful to one person?
Our theme for this month is Art just like all our April issues. But this time we’re including more feature articles compared to our previous April issues. One of which is our conversation with Dia Frampton, another The Voice alumna, during her visit to Manila. We also have photo diaries from New York (taken by Cru Camara, one of our photographers who is currently studying in our dream school) and Stars Live in Manila. Justin Timberlake’s comeback is also one of the biggest headlines this year and you know we did not hesitate writing a story about it.
Ecks Abitona, our fashion editor, also covered one of the many exhibits that happened in the past few months, Art Fair Philippines for this issue. A lot of magnificent contemporary artwork adorned the walls of The Link but nothing was quite like “Then It Happened”, a series of photo-realistic paintings by none other than our cover boy, Luis Santos. His skills and vision as an artist is incredible. Find out more about his story on page 70.
We are still ironing out a few kinks from our rebranding and our new website so please let us know what you think by emailing us. The whole process involves a lot of decision-making so we need your help and you can do so by answering this survey. Who knows, we might be seeing you in your favorite bookstores someday.
Best,
Maine Manalansan
Editor-in-Chief
I hope they let me stick around a bit. haha. yay!
(via darkpantomime)
Source: stachemagazineonline
Tzaddi Esguerra 2013. Colored pencils, graphite, sepia and markers.
I lost all the stocked up rainy day money I intended for my secret Ultimate Gift To Self™ and a month’s rent and groceries to kick start job hunting season two weeks ago. Rainy days do come, don’t it?
It hadn’t been spent in vain, for sure, if anything it must’ve bought a little time.
Anyway, I don’t really know what to say now but I made the illustration above for my self. A little token to at least mark this sort of pivotal number.
I’m turning 20 in a few hours. A year ago I spent my birthday at a Starbucks in Katipunan with a good friend. Sounds a little sad, but I was quite the opposite: the entire day I had been running around the whole of Manila riding all sorts of transportation imaginable chasing, corny as it sounds, a dream — and I got it, right on time for a celebratory coffee in the wee hours of my day.
It wasn’t really much but I remember wanting it so bad. I like that feeling, wanting something badly.
I wonder what my 20’s have in store for me.
Tzaddi Esguerra 2013
Well, I now regret upping your hopes with the sketches. I have a soft spot for dadaism. haha
Not apologizing.
I’m doing it mainly for a local publication called Odd Proyekto. I wanted to make sure it was odd enough. I hope this time, it gets a green light for running.
I remember doing this brushpen sketch a year ago from a photo and planning on doing a collage of some sort with flowers I’ve managed to collect from places I’ve been over the summer. I redrew it with charcoal last week when I found it among my files. I tried practicing my shadows, only stopping when I realized it looked like what I imagine Margot Frank (Anne Franks sister) must’ve looked like before dying of starvation. huhu
I did a watercolor version from the charcoal drawing this morning. I notice I’ve developed this unreasonable resentment towards drawing or painting from pictures. I don’t know. I sort of hate it when a drawing comes out almost exactly like the reference photo if not for the different elements you’ve added or changed. I don’t know. Maybe I just loved how there’s much more charm in slightly off and wonky proportions and dimensions like Frida Kahlo’s portraits. I don’t know.
Point is, I enjoyed this little exercise of working from a sketch to adding in depth and dimension, colors and other elements and all. I’ll show you what I came up with in a bit.
I guess the one good thing about the rotating brownouts is that I actually get a little drawing done.
Zero electricity, idle hands and a ready mirror seemed okay conditions for a self portrait (I had been watching that movie about Frida Kahlo last night). You could tell it’s been a long enough power interruption because I actually got a little background work done which I never do I’ve never done ever.
I allowed my hand to distort and autoedit for something a little more interesting and aesthetically pleasing so this really isn’t me. haha. In case you’re wondering, have a tomatoier nose, smaller eyes and 100% less neck.
Funny how I woke up early enough last Sunday for a few sweet things, before the horrors shortly after breakfast.
- I woke up at around four and had a good hour or two reading, waiting for mom and dad to wake up for coffee.
- Then I took my mug to the rooftop keeping lolo company as he gardened and I sketched the view, I had to imagine a Renaissance version because our cityscape is horrendous. I finished by sunrise.
- I had a nice breakfast and took a nice walk to buy a Speedball pen holder because I found my pen nibs a few days ago all before it got too hot and I came home to hear the news of the accident.
I made this after I virtually did everything there was to do around the house and at the store. Everybody was all panicky I got panicky myself I did everything that came to mind. I think I even gotten as far as try cooking egg and brisket stir fry noodles.
I hated it when news from the hospital has to get through my mom first over the phone before my sister and I. Ugh. She’s just the worst choice. Too much sobbing - too much time for awful things to spawn in your head.
However that’s about it with the awful. I think things are starting to look up. I’ve just been to the ICU and talked to my cousin. I did all the talking of course, we don’t know how long we have to keep that tube up his throat, but it was nice to see veeeery tiny head shakes and very enthusiastic like 3° arm raises and hear whistly grunts from him. I wish the swelling stops soon so he could at least see his visitors too.
What a sport, that kid. I ask him if it really hurts as bad as it looks and he automatically shakes his head. I know that’s all bull but you’ve got to admire how keen he is on making it seem less terrifying.
Does the lord love kids or what.
Missing Pigments. Tzaddi Esguerra 2013. Coffee, Bleach, Ink
When a work in progress just doesn’t seem to work, cut out the good parts and make a collage. Wouldn’t want all that effort go into the trash.
