TED TALK Reflections

I am a terrible speaker. No matter how many times I practice, and no matter how long I stay up (though I can never manage to get past 1 o'clock) my voice shatters and my knees buckle. The whole fancy audion stage didn't quite help either. However, Lukas went before me and he had somehow managed to ease my panic. He sang a song and played his ukulele, and that made me wonder if it's not so bad after. I admired his bravery so I decided to be brave myself. As I stepped onto the stage, I glanced over at my grandma's picture. I smiled, because it felt like she was urging me to go on and begin my speech. "Everything will be over in 5 minutes," she seemed to say. I tried to hide my fear today during the TED talk by projecting my voice and reminding myself that this was just my gifted class I was talking to. To be honest, I was a little excited, even, to see what people would say about my message.

The first time I was outlining what I would be saying, I focused too much on the outline. I had A LOT of things to say about my drawings and every steps that I went through to produce them. However, I remembered that this was a "TED talk". I suddenly wanted to give a real, original message that people would ponder upon afterwards. I've done that many times while watching TED, so I thought, "Well, I'm officially a TED speaker to, so why not go for it?" My main message was for people to stop paying attention to little details, or mistakes and to look at the whole picture instead. That's what I've really gained out of this project, and wanted others to know.

To be honest, I don't even know if I said all the things I've wanted to say, or truly managed to keep them pondering. I've forgotten everything, as soon as I stepped off of the stage. The nervousness that was supposed to overcome me in the beginning decided to rush over me as the talk was over.

Now for the part that I dread so much.... SELF EVALUATION!!

I would like to give myself a 30/30 for trying really hard, yet that's not how it works in the real world. I don't know about the time range on the stage, but when I practiced, it was around 5 minutes. For visual components, I tried to keep things simple, but made sure they hit my main points as I went along. However, I didn't press the clicker enough in the beginning, so I had to shuffle through some slides, so A POINT DEDUCTION! Hmm, I think I drove the presentation, because I didn't have much visual anyway, to take away audience's attention. I thought I was being passionate about my work, because I truly love drawing and painting! However, some people have asked me if I hated painting, so I guess it seemed as if I hated drawing? So another point I guess, for not seeming passionate. (Sorry if I confused anybody. I was just mad at myself for focusing too much on little details and not looking together "as a whole". But I do love painting and drawing... just in case anyone was wondering. :D) I think I've explained my process and purpose thoroughly. And as for delivery, I'll be generous to myself by only taking off one point, because I've tried... Like I've said, I wanted to sound enthusiastic, but talking about my failures kind of stopped me from being all happy and screaming "YAY!".

So my self-evaluation grade would be 27/30. (Pretty generous, huh?)

The Ten Commandments
Some of the commandments I've successfully(?) achieved.

1. Dream Big
I dreamed big... I've tried to tell a unique message, but I'm not sure if it stayed in anyone's mind. I thought it could change the world, but it didn't change any of the students, so maybe it only works for me.

2. Show us the real you
I don't think I've ever talked about my feelings and what I went through EVER, in front of so many people. I'm always the "listener" type because I find other people's stories more interesting than mine. However, today, I shared my passions and especially my frustration. It was easy for me, since I had a lot of failures to show.

Some of the things I didn't do well...
1. Don't read your talk
I stuttered in the beginning as I stumbled with both notecards and clicker. So I had to constantly look at my notecards in the beginning. However, starting from the middle, I stopped looking at the notecards, because I've gotten used to talking in front of the scary camera and neutral-faced audience. I don't recall, but I don't think I glanced at the notecards towards the middle to the end. Yet, I still stumbled and had to look at the notecards, so I wish I could've done better.

2. Connect with people's emotions
Unlike other people, I wasn't able to make ANYONE laugh during my speech...nonetheless "cry". I wish I could blame someone for this, but it's all my doing, sadly. If I have a chance to excuse myself, I would say, "But I wanted to get my message across, and I thought I shouldn't make anyone laugh while trying to be serious with my work".

I want to say thank you to those who helped me set up my presentation, because I honestly can't even do a task of plugging my computer with the projector. I also thank everyone for complimenting my work, even though I know that you are all just being nice. I'm sure this will be in my memory forever... Today, as of Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013, I now end my journey as an artist... Thank you again for staying with me until the end.

Last Posts...

I posted on these people's blogs

Anne Ryan's: http://equestri-anne.blogspot.com/

Himavath Jois's: http://introtojavaprogramming.blogspot.com

Donna Intintolo's: http://donnasgeniusproject.blogspot.com/

Week 6: The Final Project

Week 6

This is it... Today I end my journey... I'm in tears to think that I'll be having no more painting times and have excuse to sketch photos and paint instead of doing homework or something. Now that I look back on this project, I've had so much fun. It was so fun yet hard to choose what kind of photo I'll draw, and actual painting was, without a doubt, amazing. I'll tell you the end of my long yet worthwhile watercolor trip.

During spring break, I went to various places. I went to BROADWAY to watch the musical, Phantom of the Opera. I brought my sketchbook all the way to New York, hoping to get some inspiration and draw something in the midst of a busy street. However, I couldn't find anything that I thought myself  capable of drawing. So without any luck, I came back home. My family friend, Hyun Ji and Charlotte came over break though, so I asked them for advice. They suggested going to Merrymead farm.

My favorite ice-cream place!!!

This has all of my favorite memories! I come here during Halloween season, and practically every week during the summer. They sell the most delicious ice cream and cookies. Also, this was the only "nature" place I could find near my neighborhood. So I went with Hyun Ji and Charlotte to the farm and sketched with them. My final goal was, as I've mentioned throughout the blogs, to sketch and paint on the spot. However, I admit, I could only fulfill half of my final goal. I wanted to bring water paint there, but it was just not possible to bring water bucket and watercolor paint/paint brushes along with me. Therefore, I had to just be satisfied with the fact that I can sketch something on the spot.

Please excuse my face... It was early in the morning

I believed drawing live animals onto a piece of paper would be the hardest part, yet I was sadly mistaken. Not only did I fight the continuous sharp winds, the millions of flies swarmed all around us! You might think I'm exaggerating, but I am being dead serious. While I was drawing, 13 flies flew onto the paper, and whenever I tried to shoo them away, they just died there! So theoretically, my painting is a graveyard for those annoying flies.

I finished the rest of the painting at home after taking a picture of the animals. (Because it was obvious that I won't be able to remember what I saw.)

Picture:

Drawing:

TIPS
Before I actually went to the farm and sketched the animals, I researched and read articles to learn tips on how to draw life drawings. First I learned about how to draw life drawings of a human, because even though I didn't draw any humans for my project, I thought the tips would work for drawing other life drawings as well.

The first tip I learned was to notice things. I took this tip into consideration while drawing the final project. It really helped a lot, to mentally note specific details. I noted the sizes, colors, and shapes of the animals, to help me while sketching.

The next tip that I learned was very important: slow, steady, and confident hand is better than indecisive  chicken scratches. Though I had learned this, I always have a habit of scratching some lines here and there, because I think the drawing looks better. However, as you can see in the drawings, the drawing looks very unstable, and blurry. I regret not having steady lines, but it's too late now. I have to be satisfied with what I have. :)

The last tip I'm going to share is about light and the dark. The article says shadows and lights give a life-feeling to the drawing. So when I was at the farm, I tried to show the light and dark with the pencil. However, Hyun Ji told me that if I was going to watercolor paint, it is better to erase them and show the  light and the dark with paint, not pencil. The reason being is when the pencil comes in contact with water, it would smear all over, causing a catastrophe. Thanks to her, I was able to stop myself from ruin  my project.

Thank you everyone who posted some REALLY nice compliments on my blog. You kept me going! :)

Works Cited

"How to Draw a Horse." How to Draw a Horse. N.p., n.d. Web <http://artyfactory.com/drawing_animals/how_to_draw_a_horse/how_to_draw_a_horse.htm>. 

McJunkin, Ryan. "Top 10 Life Drawing Tips." N.p., n.d. Web. <http://ryanmcjunkin.com/top-10-life-drawing-tips/>.  

Posts

I commented on...

Jenna's blog: http://jennamakesfood.blogspot.com/2013/03/dont-be-fool-eat-my-blueberry-fool.html?showComment=1364865559493#c2994053543197136622

Kara's blog: http://karaspicture.blogspot.com

and

Bryce's blog: http://brycesong.blogspot.com/

Week 5: Tick Tock Draw Erase

Week 5

This week has been an unsatisfying week... I have worked on the sketch for Big Ben for what seemed like ages. I was too caught up on the details, where I erased, sketched, erased, sketched, and erased OVER AGAIN!! I was almost in tears in frustration. Why, why did I choose this picture, I did not know. However, I have finished the sketching, and thought, the hard parts are OVER! Yet, of course I was mistaken...

First what I drew off of:

Sketch:

Drawing...

Ahh!! My hand!!

Rough Sketch

Product of repeated SKETCH & ERASE

Some of the people asked me if I was going to do anything from my "imagination", instead of copying off of a photograph. Here's what I had planned out (I thought it was ingenious at the time). I was going to draw a clock surrounded by a giant tree. Inside the clock would be a depressing winter image with a lonely swing like this image:

Sketch:

However, outside the clock would be a happy, beautiful scenery, highlighting the difference. The message I wanted to convey is that we're too caught up with our own schedules to stop back and appreciate the good surroundings around us. Check down below to how that turned out... 

Tom Lynch

This week, I read about a new watercolor artist, Tom Lynch. I have to admit that I had a stereotype where artists like to keep their drawing technique "secrets" to themselves and only tell their students to just try their best and paint as they like. However, while I was watching his videos and reading some of the tips, I began to feel ashamed to have thought that way. This guy just seems to nice and relaxed, where he makes you feel like you're welcome to come over and stare at him while he's painting. Okay, I think you've had enough of my adoration of Tom Lynch, so I'll talk to you about who he is. According to his website, he is referred as one of the U.S.'s premier watercolorists. He's very involved with his works, where he wrote 7 books and hosted several PBS TV Art Series. It seems natural that he has been the spokesperson for the entire National Arts Materials trade Association, since he talks at ease. Also, he was just recently listed as one of the nation's top 20 teachers by a leading Art magazine.

Here are some of his breath-taking paintings:

Cafe Row by Tom Lynch

Early Colors by Tom Lynch

Link for more pictures: http://www.hilligossgalleries.com/search.asp?artist=lynch

Link for his webpage: http://www.tomlynch.com/

He's fascination towards his work is everything I had thought of a perfect mind set of a true artist. I've always said to myself that if I had the talent, I would want to highlight things in my work that are easy to miss. I wanted to convey a message that is original and genuine. Tom Lynch-the amazing artist said, "I feel it's the job of the artist to bring to the viewer the best of what can be found in the landscape along with a little creativity or exaggeration...normal and ordinary are not for me." Who wouldn't love this guy?

I also learned very important things that I had troubles with. He said in one of his videos that his painting thoughts have evolved as I've noted below:

-Realism detail (capturing like the photographs)

-Close values

-Impressionism (subtle impression)

-Color and contrast (feel good)

-Sunlight and shadow

Like him, I think I've went through the same kind of process. When I was first drawing off of a photo, I wanted to make it exactly like the photograph. I have definitely missed some of the key components, such as lighting, and color with contrast, because I was so caught up with copying off of the picture. Later, I began to think that it would be nice to put my own feelings to the paintings, such as impressionism and convey to the people of my own feelings. However, I felt it was impossible, because I was just copying off of a photo. I hope that next week, when I'm sketching and maybe painting on the spot will bring those elements out. 

Lastly, what I hope to gain off of Tom Lynch's teachings is his driving force. He had mentioned about how he wanted a variety of paintings, and want the artistic extra. Every artist, I presume, want someone to look at his painting and be able to say "wow". How long and how much dedication I need to bring that kind of compliment out of people, that I don't know. However, even after this project is over, I want to continue this "hobby" of mine until that goal has been met. 

My paintings

Big Ben

The result of using too much water...

Final painting

My own drawing

As you might be able to tell, my idea of clock just disappeared... I didn't know how to make it as a clock without making it seem...awkward...

Works Cited 

""oak Creek 9 X 12"" - Originals. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://tomlynch.fineartworld.com/artistViewingRoomCtl.php?artistid=263>. 

"Tom Lynch - Home." Tom Lynch - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.tomlynch.com/>. 

"Welcome to Hilligoss Galleries." Welcome to Hilligoss Galleries. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.hilligossgalleries.com/search.asp?artist=lynch>. 

I posted on...

Carolyn's blog: http://ccphotograph.blogspot.com/

Max's blog: http://benowitzianblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/recording-begins-if-we-kill-ourselves.html#comment-form

Lukas's blog: http://hawaiianminiguitar.blogspot.com/

Week Four: Practice Makes Perfect??

Week Four

Even though I am practicing a LOT, (maybe a little more then 20% of my time) I still didn't get to the "perfection" stage yet. However, I remember to keep on reminding to myself, "Artwork is beautiful because it's NOT perfect" so I don't lack confidence! This week, I was working on architectural drawings, where I sketch a building and use watercolor paint to enhance the drawing. My family friend, Hyun Ji, who majored in architecture, decided to teach me from the basics on how to buildings. She showed me her drawings of Venice, Rome, and other places that she drew of when she was in Europe.

First she had a little "talk" with me about perspective. She didn't have to explain a whole lot about perspective, because I told her about how I had to learn about perspectives in Geometry last year. This is a little picture of my "perspective drawings".

Then she taught me the basics of drawing a 3-D object. She told me to draw a box and draw an object INSIDE the box. We chose to draw a pink iHome for practice.

Hyun Ji's example:

My practice:

(As you can see, I messed up on the concept of putting an object inside a box)

She had many architectural pictures that she found from online for me to draw, yet the picture that she took of these vintage looking buildings captivated me. I screamed, "THIS IS THE ONE FOR ME!"

Picture:

Isn't this gorgeous? So beau-ti-ful!!!

Scroll to the bottom of this blog to see how I drew this amazing picture!

Thomas W. Schaller

This whole week, I was gazing at his works, I could only mutter one thing: He is PERFECT! If I may introduce this awesome guy, he is an architect and an architectural artist, and is considered as one of the best architectural artists in the world! He wrote many books, and won every major awards for his art, such as the Hugh Ferris Memorial Prize. His art has been exhibited around the WORLD! Take a look at some of his work...

Click on the links below to gaze at his paintings like I have!!
His gallery: http://www.twschaller.com/galleries/architecture/index.html
More paintings: http://artofday.com/wordpress/?p=2553

Watercolor painting techniques
I read further about watercolor painting techniques. This article talks about depth and luminosity, which I NEED! They talk about the one artist, named Ali Cavanaugh, and her techniques.

I'll share some of the techniques that I've learned:

1. Approach painting much like an oil artist will
-->Build up multiple layers and blend the paint for desired color and value. (This will help you achieve remarkable depth and luminosity)

2. After wetting the surface, slowly and meticulously put finishing touches one stroke by one stroke. (This could be helpful to show realistic skin tones and give rich darkness and depth to the picture.)

It was interesting to see that this artist takes pictures and then draw. She makes sure the photographs are the way she wanted them. I felt happy to know that I was doing the same thing as an actual artists are!)

Now let's take a look at MY paintings (The lighting enhanced my picture!)

I had SO MUCH trouble with this painting. First, the concept of perceptive was so confusing! Also, I think it was especially harder, because the watercolor paper was too small for this painting. I messed up the proportion on the staircase on the left, so the whole drawing is not proportional. I actually had a lot of fun with this though, because after I finished sketching, I felt a burst of happiness of imagining a finished product.

Special thanks to Hyun Ji for her help on this drawing! :)

Family Painting

I have a special attachment to this picture. This was taken at my grandparents' house the day before my family moved to the U.S. in 2007. None of us were ready to take the picture, yet smiled brightly to hide  sorrow. My favorite cousin, Brent, wasn't here, but I remembered to include in painting.

Painting:

I'm not quite finished with this painting, as you can tell. I want to add more things on the background, such as fall leaves, pencils, petals, or whatever that will fill the emptiness. If any have a suggestion, don't hesitate to comment. Thank you!

Works Cited

"20 Amazing Watercolor Paintings by Thomas W. Schaller." Art of Day RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

"About the Artist." Thomas W. Schaller -. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

"Thomas W Schaller Architectural and Fine Art Illustration." Thomas W Schaller Architectural and Fine Art Illustration. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://www.twschaller.com/galleries/design/index.html>.

"Top 10 Artists Colonies." Coastal Living. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

"Watercolor Lessons on Depth and Luminosity." Artist Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://www.artistdaily.com/Watercolor-Painting-Techniques/>.