I went to KLCC and Pasar Seni (Kasturi Walk) as part of the exploration for the final project. My first stop was Pasar Seni.
After I got off the MRT, I got lost for about 5 minutes before stumbling upon Kasturi Walk. On my way to Kasturi Walk, I noticed it was quite empty and quiet, and I have to say I kind of like quiet places. Also, I saw a stall at the roadside and it sort of reminded me of 'pasar malam'.
Fig. 11.1: Stall at the roadside.
Fig. 11.2: Right outside the Pasar Seni MRT.
After walking a while I saw Kasturi Walk. It wasn't very jam, but there were a lot of cars--typical Malaysia. Malaysia has a car culture. A lot of people use public transport but I guess it's apparently 'not enough' because the roads are still jammed in a lot of places.
Fig. 11.3: Kasturi Walk.
I did a bit of research on Kasturi Walk, and I found out that it first opened in 2011, during the Chap Goh Mei festivity at Central Market which was organised by Federal Territory Wanita MCA & Universiti Putra Malaysia's (UPM) Zhong Hua Cultural Association. The purpose of the Kasturi walkway was in line with the government's effort to attract more tourists to the iconic location.
Bernard Bond, the managing director of Central Market said that it was important to retain and promote culture in the area, which was why they used the wau as a symbol of Malay heritage.
Fig. 11.4: Outside Kasturi Walk.
Upon reflection, I found the whole place a bit weird because Kasturi Walk was well-decorated but not the surrounding areas. It made me think back about the times I was walking around Bukit Bintang area, from Pavilion only to accidentally stumble upon streets that were not filled with 'glamour'. This contrast made me feel uncomfortable because to me, it just shows the great divide between the upper middle class and the elite against the lower middle class and the poor. Especially when there were a lot of beggars sitting around outside the entrance of the MRT and the surrounding buildings outside Kasturi Walk.
Fig. 11.5: Around Kasturi Walk.
Vid. 1: Walking through Kasturi Walk.
Vid. 2: Stuff sold at Kasturi Walk.
There were a lot of local food like satay, coconuts, cendol and more. There were also stalls selling some batik scarves and some of the stalls were selling things like caps and bags. This place sort of reminded me of a pasar malam. Pasar malam is a night market, which is carried on specific days (depending on the area), where a lot of food and items are sold there. It was sort of a place for everyone to mingle (other than mamak). When I was younger, I used to go to pasar malams quite frequently, and it was something my classmates in elementary school would talk about as a place to 'hang out'.
I got onto the LRT to go to KLCC this time. I realized that whenever the train conductor announced the next station, it would be in Malay first and then English. In fact, most of the signs everywhere were in Malay and English. Malay was for the locals while English was there for tourists.
Fig. 11.6: Sign across the LRT in Malay and English.
Vid 3: Heading towards KLCC.
As I was walking towards KLCC, some of the things I noticed was an advertisement by HSBC Amanah and the fact that there were just way too many people. It was not really something new to people who frequent KLCC or maybe other areas but to me, it was not something I was used to as I avoided going out most of the time.
As soon as I entered KLCC, I smlled Rotiboy. I remember when I was younger, my family and I would go to KLCC after church almost every week and then we would buy Rotiboy. It was a sort of tradition for our family.
Fig. 11.7: Rotiboy.
Fig. 11.8: Outside KLCC.
At this point, I was feeling drained from being outside for too long. Going out really wasn't my thing. I preferred to be at home, just reading or drawing something. Being alone was calming, as I watched the rise and fall of the fountain.
I started to wonder, is technology part of culture? I mean, technology is part of our daily lives. With people, using Whatsapp to text or people addicted to posting things on Instagram. And also, all these were taken with my phone. It has sort of become a 'way of life'.
Fig. 11.9: Fountain outside KLCC.
Soon after, I went to Kinokuniya for awhile. I walked past the literature section and a section filled with Chinese books. It made me think about my educational background, as to how I am taught Chinese in school but my mother tongue is English. And in fact, my proficiency in Chinese has deteriorated ever since I started my pre-university studies, because I mostly used English to converse with classmates and lecturers.
Vid. 4: Chinese section in Kinokuniya.
Before I started to do this assignment, I was confused as to what culture was. After speaking to Dr. Jinchi about it, I think I had a slightly clearer understanding but I was still a little confused so I went to google, and I also asked my friend what was HER relationship to culture.
Fig. 11.10: My friend's attempt in explaining what culture is.
Fig. 11.11: Demographic factors; My friend trying to breakdown what her relationship to culture was.
Fig. 11.12: Values; My friend trying to breakdown what her relationship to culture was.
After all that, I was still slightly confused. From my visual exploration of Pasar Seni and KLCC, I could do Malaysian culture, something like a pasar malam scene. So I did a painting depicting a pasar malam scene.
Fig. 11.13: Artwork of a pasar malam scene.
But, I didn't feel satisfied with it. It just seemed to be lacking something. I didn't feel that I could connect to it at all. So I went back to google again and I came across an article called "Your Personal Culture" by Steven Pressfield (https://stevenpressfield.com/2013/12/your-personal-culture/).
At first he reflected about how Los Angeles is a car culture. Even when the Metro Line gave away free passes, the trains were still 90% empty, which then made him think about cultures in general.
"Institutions have cultures. Apple has a culture, IBM has a culture; so do NASCAR and Wired magazine and the surfing locals on the North Shore of Oahu. The Roman legions had a culture, the Navy SEALs have a culture. Al Qaeda has a culture. Institutional cultures give shape and identity to the individuals within their organizations. If you’re a bubble-headed bleached blonde working for Fox News, you will dress, think, and act differently that the Commie pinko socialists at MSNBC....To change an organization, change its culture."
He wrote about institutional culture, of how no matter how hard we try to resist that culture, in the end we will buy into the culture. However, there was also something called 'individual culture as well.'
"But there’s such a thing as individual culture as well. A personal culture unique to one individual. Personal culture is what you and I have to have, and if we don’t have it, we have to acquire it. As artists and entrepreneurs we must design, construct, and perpetuate an interior culture that is as vivid, unique, and self-empowering as that of the corporations and institutions we work with and compete against.
Who is an example of someone with an “individual culture?”
Stevie Nicks has a culture. Bruce Springsteen has one. So does Louis C.K. Chris Christie has a culture. Nelson Mandela’s personal culture was so strong it could change a nation and even the world."
He described personal culture as something that is constituted of our point of view, our style, our sense of humor, our unique gifts and drives. "Our personal culture is our voice. it's our artist's sensibility. It's our Authentic Swing."
He also then said that the evolution of a personal culture takes place in two stages:
First stage: we have to find it.
But never fear, as we already have one from the minute we were born.
Second stage: the construction and reinforcement of that individual culture.
Sometimes, it happens without us even thinking about it.
Then, a philosophical question: why do you and I need a personal culture?
"Because a culture supports us and empowers us. When we’re down, it holds us up. A culture is different from a brand. A brand can be false; it can be constructed artificially to monetize our work or to hype our ego and our narcissism. (A brand, it should be said, can also be real. That’s the best kind.)
A personal culture is true, whether we’re selling something or not. Our culture works in a crowd and it works when we’re alone; it works at the North Pole or in outer space.....I say the same for a personal culture. It’ll evolve. You’ll find one only to shed it like a snake sheds its skin. That’s fine. Because the new culture, if it’s true, will be a deeper, more authentic version of the older one."
Culture encompasses customs, ideas and social behaviour. Culture is a way of life. The way we speak, behave, act and think are all influenced by culture. So I embarked on a new idea, and I had a visualized the way it looked: which was a girl underwater with items that represented her personal culture.
Fig. 11.14: Work in progress for artwork no.2.
Fig. 11.15: Final artwork.
Girl
The girl has blue hair. Blue is often associated with stability, and symbolizes wisdom, confidence and intelligence. The hair is curled around some objects. This represents how some of these objects have shaped the way she thinks, her thoughts and etc.
Book
To represent my mother tongue-English, despite being Chinese. I grew up on English books, specifically literature. I loved literature and I still love literature. In fact, because of this, I have to say that my values aren't 100% Chinese. I value individuality over filial piety. It's not that I don't respect my parents but I don't want to entirely have my life choices decided by my parents and not retort or fight back due to filial piety. I will still speak up for myself.
Bowl of rice and tea cup
To represent the culture I originally had: Chinese culture. Chinese. I was brought up with Cantonese culture, and I can still speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese.
Paintbrush and paintbox
To represent my values: creativity.
Water
To represent the mood/state of mind: calmness.
Phone and laptop
To represent the technology culture. Technology has become part of my everyday life-to do my work, to call people and to do this e-portfolio/blog (lol).
Cross
To represent my religion: Christianity. I was baptized as an infant and was raised on Christian values: forgive, love your enemies, don't take revenge, be kind unto others, help others in need, be patient. I still hold these Christian values very strongly.
Fish
To represent the culture I originally had: Chinese culture. According to Feng Shui, a fish represents wealth and prosperity because the actual word in Chinese for fish, in Pinyin: yú, éš, also translates to “abundance” 裕 Pinyin: yù.
Design principles used:
Asymmetry - the entire composition is asymmetrical.
Contrast - the colors orange/yellow and red is contrasted against blue.
Branching - the hair is branching out from her head to every direction.
Feedback
I did not attend class so no feedback.
Reflection
This project was very confusing, but I think the main point of both project 2 and the final project is to self-reflect on what has contributed in shaping the way I think, the way I talk and the way I behave, to create my own personal culture. While religion and cultural tradition has shaped a part of my identity, the rest of it is shaped by my choices.
Project 2 (04/11/19 - 10/11/19) - Self-Portrait
Lecture
My groupmates (Angdio, En Yang, Gaby, Ming De and Syafiq) and I gave a presentation on Southeast Asian Designers which makes up 20% of our coursework marks (that's a lot!).
The Southeast Asian designers we presented are:
Kiki Poh - Malaysia's first Pixar artist
Yohanes Raymond - Award winning independent graphic designer
Muid Latif - Graphic designer, digital artist and web designer
Datuk Mohammad Nor bin Mohammad Khalid (Lat) - Award winning Malaysian Cartoonist
My favorite artist from this list is Yohanes Raymond as I really like his designing style. Below are some of his works:
Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series Yohanes depicts the events that happens whenever it's Eid al-Fitr. In Fig. 10.1, the design is an illustration of people in cars, and the cars are in a traffic jam, bumper-to-bumper, which is a common scene whenever it is Eid al-Fitr as everyone rushes to "balik kampung" which means "return to hometown".
Fig. 10.1: Balik kampung; Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series
The colors are contrasted against each other which is red, light pink, teal and light blue but there is also harmony as pink and red are warm colors, whereas teal and light blue are cooler colors.
For Fig. 10.2, there is higher contrast as black is contrasted against green and red. As Eid al-Fitr is also a holiday that encourages Muslims to forgive and seek forgiveness, Yohanes depicts this in the figure below. Contrast is seen in the rest of the packagings.
Fig. 10.2: Sorry; Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series
Fig. 10.3: Eating; Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series
For Fig. 10.4, the younger man is kneeling in front of the elder man, while the elder man is touching the younger man's head and hand. This is a common form of greeting. However, this can also be seen as a forgiving gesture where the young man is asking for forgiveness.
Fig. 10.4: Greeting; Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series
In Fig. 10.5, traditional bedug drums are beat to notify the faithful that is it time to break the fast.
Fig. 10.5: Bedug Lebaran; Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series
In Fig. 10.6, Yohanes depicts the children playing with a sort of fire cracker. Usually, cousins would bond with each other through playing outside the house after dinner.
Fig. 10.6: Cousins playing; Eid al-Fitr Chocolate Packaging Design Series
Orchidee Bar & Grill For this, Yohanes was in charge of the art direction, branding & identity, menu book and website design. The main elements used are orchids which represents beauty and copper which represents luxury.
The first design principle used is repetition, where the repeating element is the purple orchid and there is also harmony by variety, where the unity is the same color: purple, and the variety is the differently sized flowers at different angles throughout the composition.
Fig. 10.7 General design; Orchidee Bar & Grill
He used the same design to design the name cards and menu book etc.
Fig.10.8: Name card; Orchidee Bar & Grill
Fig. 10.9: Other items: Orchidee Bar & Grill
Fig. 10.10: Menu book, serviette etc.; Orchidee Bar & Grill
Yohanes uses contrast by using the space, and photos in between. Therefore, contrasted is created throughout the website. The text is aligned in the middle.
Fig. 10.11: Website design; Orchidee Bar & Grill
Fig. 10.12: Website design; Orchidee Bar & Grill
Project 2
Research, Idea Exploration & Thought Process
For project 2, we had to do a self-portrait. We had to do some research which is to explore KL. So in addition to the class visitation to ILHAM gallery, I also did my own exploration which is KLCC and Pasar Seni.
On the paper Dr. Jinchi gave us, we had to do some self-reflection:
Who am I?
How has culture affected me?
How do others see me?
How do I see myself?
I got some inspiration from some artworks in ILHAM gallery.
Somehow, I feel a sense of isolation and loneliness from the portrait of S. Teddy and Secret of Love No.3. I wondered what Kow and Supparkijjumnong were thinking when they did these artworks.
Fig. 10.13: Portrait of Stevanus Teddy Darmawan (S. Teddy) by Kow Leong Kiang, 2009
S. Teddy's blue hair evokes a sense of sadness somehow. I think it's because I use blue a lot whenever I don't feel happy. As for the Secret of Love No. 3, the black and white papers makes it feel 'old' or 'vintage'. Sometimes when people look back at an old photo of theirs, it seems recognizable but unfamiliar . Somehow, that's the feeling I'm getting from this artwork--the artist is looking back at a young version of herself -- a moment she doesn't remember.
From the information board hanging on the wall, I soon found out that it is assumed that this piece is a self-portrait of herself when she was younger or a photograph of her younger sibling.
Fig. 10.14: Secret of Love No.3 by Thanathorn Supparkijjumnong, 2017
I really liked The Old Gun Man and The Philosopher Eater by Samsudin Wahab because of it's surrealism and gestalt. There's a sort of symbolism present in the paintings.
Fig. 10.15: The Old Gun Man by Samsudin Wahab, 2009
Fig. 10.16: The Philosopher Eater by Samsudin Wahab, 2009
The first place I visited was Pasar Seni by taking the MRT from Kajang Stadium. The first thing I noticed I guess, was the sky. It looked as if it were about to rain, but it wasn't raining (yet). It was the perfect weather to be indoors, reading or doing anything while listening to some jazz and classical music. But here I was, exploring KL. It was my kind of weather--not too wet (gloomy) and not too hot (energetic).
Fig. 10.17: While waiting for the train; Perfect weather.
Vid. 1: Departing Kajang MRT Station.
I did not take many pictures, as my phone was old and very slow so I resorted to just taking videos and making some notes in my phone. I was at Kasturi Walk, or so the big sign at the entrance of Central Market says. I wasn't there for long, because I wasn't fond of the environment. It was crowded and people seemed to stare. Furthermore, I couldn't really seem to find anything in particular that stood out to me but I think that's because I didn't do a research on the area.
Vid. 2: Kasturi Walk.
I took the LRT from Pasar Seni to KLCC. When I entered KLCC, I smelt something very familiar--it was Rotiboy! I used to eat it a lot in my childhood. I still remember the time I was 6 or 7 and my family and I would go to KLCC very often. And without fail, I would request my parents to buy Rotiboy. It became a routine.
Fig. 10.18: Blurry pic of Rotiboy which was taken while I was walking.
It made me think back about how my dreams back then was to become a doctor. I felt my purpose was to help others, which pushed me to aim to become a doctor. Up until last year, I still had the ambition to become a doctor. I decided a few years back to become either a gynaecologist or a cardiothoracic surgeon. But, that was just a childhood dream, as now I'm currently majoring in Software Engineering with a minor in Creative Media & Design, and I plan on doing an extension in Artificial Intelligence. It's weird where life brings us sometimes.
Vid. 3: Kinokuniya in KLCC
I entered Kinokuniya and it feels like I've entered a place I can call 'home'. I remember the first thing I did whenever I entered a shopping mall was to go to the bookstore and stay there for at least 6 hours. Just reading whatever I could get my hands on. I found myself wishing, to not be so busy with coursework related to my major so that I could read and paint again.
After a bit of walking around, I felt tired. So I went outside to sit. It was very windy outside. There were a lot of people but somehow it wasn't noisy at all. It felt like I could just blend into the background. Being out and about in KLCC just reminds me of how introverted I am--not liking the great outdoors, and just being alone to think to myself.
Fig. 10.19: Outside KLCC.
The weather was just the same: a sort of grey sky but there was no sign of rain anywhere. Coupled with the wind and the splashing sounds of the fountain, a calm ambiance was created. It put me into a melancholic mood, and I then ruminated about the events that occurred this year--the ones that shaped me into the person I am today.
Looking at the fountain, made me think of new beginnings--which for me, was the start of my minor in creative media & design. I was finally doing something I wanted to do. On top of that, my term as the vice president of C.S.I. Volunteers was ending. I thought back about all the events I did as a vice president, and how it all aligns with my core values.
Fig. 10.20: Outside KLCC, in front of the fountain.
When I reached home, I immediately knew what I wanted to draw and what colors I wanted to use. First I set a mirror in front of me and then started to draw my own face. My goal wasn't to be as accurate as possible, it was to capture the mood I was feeling.
I listened to Lac d'Annecy by Haute-Savoie on repeat to help me concentrate.
Vid. 4: Lac d'Annecy by Haute-Savoie
I envisioned a girl holding a cat with books on her head, surrounded by some leaves against a dark blue background with some orange and gold in it.
Fig. 10.21: Work in progress.
Fig. 10.22: Final work.
Girl
First, let's start with the girl. She isn't wearing any clothing, which suggests a sort of vulnerability. The front of her body is covered with a mixed of colors, mainly blue and purple which suggests melancholy or sadness or perhaps even a vivid inner life.
Books
Her vivid inner life is re-emphasized by the books on her head which means her inner thoughts are very active and she tries to translate it to something external. But on closer inspection on the books, the blue book is 'Coding 101' while the red book is 'Design Principles'. Blue, which is often associated with stability, and symbolizes wisdom, confidence and intelligence represents what she is confident in. Red is associated with determination, passion and desire. She is passionate about design principles and the book is slightly opened, with the pages flying. This could symbolize how she is starting to unleash her inner creativity and thoughts. On top of that, the red book is lying on the blue book, keeping it shut. Perhaps maybe she's considering to pursue a career in art instead of programming, effectively closing the book shut.
The books are placed on her head, to symbolize her balancing between two fields. The colors are in contrast to each other to also represent the different in the two books. One being technology, one which is art. However, they are similar to each other which is they are both books. Designing and programming both require creativity and problem solving.
Cat
The cat represents her personality. Cats, are known to be unpredictable and unreadable. People often assume cats are cold, calculative, mean etc. But, once you get to know a cat, you'll find out that cats are very soft and gentle, and they express their emotions differently where normal people cannot easily interpret their behavior.
On top of that, during her time as the vice president of C.S.I. Volunteers, one of the events she oversaw was about a cat called Mr. Syopz, where she liaised with Madame Alice, a lecturer in Taylor's University and helped to obtain donations of about RM5,000.00. This was one of the events as it was her event as the vice president.
This is also linked to her core values, where she wants to give help to people and/or animals in need.
Leaves
Some of the leaves are around her, while some are in front of her, sort of covering her. She doesn't like being 'seen'. Some of the leaves are painted blue with some gold in it.
Background colors (blue, yellow/orange and gold)
The colors represent her state of emotions, which is a constant melancholy. There are some orange/yellow colors in it, where she tries to see the silver lining (in this case, gold lining) in her life, because life is not all that bad.
Design principles used:
Asymmetry - the entire composition is asymmetrical.
Contrast - the colors orange/yellow is contrasted against blue. The skin color of the girl is also contrasted against her dark hair and dark background.
Branching - the leaves are in a sort of repetition, branching out.
Oblique - the leaves are in an oblique direction.
Feedback
Ms. Sherry said I did a good job on it.
Reflection
This project was very fulfilling, as I enjoy doing self-reflection while painting. Painting for me, is to express emotions and thoughts in a subtle manner.
Adeel, Atiqah, Chua Chin, Han, Dondo and Farissa did a presentation on Symbol, Image and Words.
Symbols are a mark, sign or word that indicates, signifies or is understood as representing an idea, object or relationship.
There are five types of symbols:
pictorial symbols: appear as the real-world feature, although it is often in a generalized manner (Fig. 9.1).
functional symbols: represents the activity that takes place at the represented feature (Fig. 9.2).
conceptual symbols: represents a concept related to the represented feature (Fig. 9.3).
conventional symbols: do not have any intuitive relationship but are commonly used so that map readers eventually learn to recognize them (Fig. 9.4).
abstract/geometric symbols: arbitrary shapes chosen by the cartographer to represent a certain feature (Fig. 9.5).
Fig. 9.1: Pictorial symbols
Fig. 9.2: Functional symbol.
Fig. 9.3: Conceptual symbols.
Fig. 9.4: Conventional symbols
Fig. 9.5: Abstract/geometric symbols
Image is a visual representation of the external form of a person or thing in art. There are a few techniques to create images, each with different effects:
Monochrome: a black and white image (Fig. 9.6).
Flat: a minimalistic approach that focuses on simplicity and usability, which tends to feature plenty of open space, crisp edges, bright colors and two-dimensional illustrations (Fig. 9.7).
Vector: made up of points, lines and curves. All the shapes within a vector are calculated using a mathematical equation which means the image can scale in size without losing any quality (Fig. 9.8).
Knolling: the act of arranging different objects so that they are at 90-degree angles from each other, then photographing them from above. It creates a very symmetrical look that feels pleasing to the eye (Fig. 9.9).
Skeuomorphism: a digital element designed to look like a replica of the physical work (Fig. 9.10).
Crop: cutting away & discarding unnecessary portions of the image, allowing the person to change the emphasis or direction of an image (Fig. 9.11).
Contrast: occurs when two elements on a page are different (Fig. 9.12).
Blur: the act of making images more unclear or less distinct (Fig. 9.13).
Saturation: refers to the intensity or purity of a color; the more saturated a color is, the more vivid or brighter it appears (Fig. 9.14).
Opacity: enables a person to make an element of a design transparent; the lower the opacity, the more transparent an element is (Fig. 9.15).
Fig. 9.6: Monochrome.
Fig. 9.7: Flat image.
Fig. 9.8: Vector image.
Fig, 9.9: Knolling.
Fig. 9.10: Skeuomorphism.
Fig. 9.11: Crop.
Fig. 9.12: Contrast
Fig. 9.13: Blur.
Fig. 9.14: Saturation.
Fig. 9.15: Opacity.
Words are the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed.
Words are used to emphasize on a theme or message that the designer is trying to convey, which entices the readers to engage with the text. There are a few types of designs that include words:
Words/phrases that are iconic and possess an ideology (Fig. 9.16).
Words or phrases that form the actual content of the work (Fig. 9.17)
Fig. 9.16: Words/phrases that are iconic and possess an ideology.
Fig. 9.17: Words/phrases that form the actual content of the work.
Exercise
We had to take photos around campus, so I went to the library to snap some photos of books, and a status outside D1.14 as well as some plants near the car park.
Fig. 9.18: Law books in the library on 3rd floor.
Fig. 9.19: Law books in the library on the 3rd floor.
Fig. 9.20: Scenery directly outside D1.14 on the ground floor.
Fig. 9.21: Statue of a chinese scholar outside of D1.14
Fig. 9.22 A plant near the parking lot on ground floor.
Fig. 23: Some books taken at home.
At first, I struggled to find an idea but decided to start anyways because of the saying "to know what to paint, you have to start painting". So initially, I cut out the chinese scholar out of the picture and then pasted it onto the Fig. 9.22, then suddenly I had an idea.
Fig. 9.24: cropped plant.
Fig. 9.25: cropped statue.
I decided to do a piece on symbolism, where the foundation of wisdom is reading many books. The chinese scholar represents wisdom, while the plant in the middle of his chest represents growth. Then I put the books under the status to look like it is 'supporting' the statue, to represent the foundation.
Fig. 9.26: Final piece.
Feedback
The feedback I got from Ms. Sherry was that it was silly but fun. Additionally, she said that it looked like it was floating, so I had to add grass to it to make it look like it was sitting on the grass.
Reflection
At first I was confused on what to do, but I managed. I realized all I need to do is just start, then I will know what direction I'm heading towards.
For this week, the lecture was presented by Kelly, Ronan, Desy, Lida and Yangfan on alignment, hierarchy, direction and perspective.
Alignment is used to:
organize and group elements
create balance
create structure
create connections between elements
create a sharp and clear outcome
There are two principles of alignment, which are: edge alignment (Fig. 5.1) and center alignment (Fig. 5.2). Edge alignment is either positioned at the left, right, top or bottom whereas for center alignment, the content is aligned to a center line down the middle or across the horizontal.
Fig. 5.1: Edge alignment.
Fig. 5.2: Center alignment.
There are proper alignments and mixed alignments, to give off a structured serious feel and playful feel respectively.
Fig. 5.3: Proper alignment vs mixed alignment.
Additionally, alignments can be either simple or complex. Simple alignments are very straightforward and do not require much thinking to implement.
Fig. 5.4: Simple alignment.
Fig. 5.5: Complex alignment.
Hierarchy, is the control of visual information in an arrangement to imply importance and is used to:
add structure
create visual organisation
create direction
add emphasis
help a viewer navigate and digest information easily
There are nine types of hierarchy:
Hierarchy in scale (Fig. 5.6) : the larger the element, the more attention it will attract.
Hierarchy in color/contrast (Fig. 5.7 & Fig. 5.8) : brighter colors draw more attention over muted ones & dramatically contrasted colors catches attention.
Hierarchy in space (Fig. 5.9) : more space around elements will attract attention.
Hierarchy in depth (Fig. 5.10) : when various blur effects are applied, an illustration of depth is created.
Hierarchy in perspective (Fig. 5.11) : flow of hierarchy starts from the perceived front and moves towards the back into the distance.
Hierarchy in proximity (Fig. 5.12) : closely placed elements appear to be related
Fig. 5.6: Hierarchy in scale.
Fig. 5.7: Hierarchy in color.
Fig. 5.8: Hierarchy in contrast.
Fig. 5.9: Hierarchy in spacing.
Direction helps to guide the viewers' eyes from an area to another, with three types of directions:
Horizontal: direction from left to right & vice versa
suggests calmness, stability & tranquility
Vertical: direction from up to down
suggests a feeling of balance, formality & alertness
Oblique: slanting direction
suggests movement or action
Fig. 5.10: Horizontal.
Fig. 5.11: Vertical.
Fig. 5.12: Oblique
Perspective indicates depth in a two-dimensional image. There are two types of perspective: linear perspective and non-linear perspective.
There are three categories in linear perspective:
one point perspective: uses a single point to create an illusion of depth
two point perspective: include vanishing points outside of the drawing
three point perspective: third point is either below or above a drawing, to convey the illustration of height in the artwork.
Fig. 5.13: One point perspective.
Fig. 5.14: Two point perspective.
Fig. 5.15: Three point perspective.
Non-linear perspective is a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on flat surface. There are three types of non-linear perspective:
This time, the lecture was done via a presentation by Amelia, Chia Min, Jacklyn, Jing Wen and Tabita.
Pattern is a repetition of more than one design and it can be anything.
Fig. 4.1: Patterns.
There are four types of patterns:
Meandering - pattern built on the repetition of an undulating line
Branching - pattern that branches out from a point
Spiral - pattern that is winding in a continuous and gradually widening (or tightening) curve
Packing and Cracking - pattern that deforms or 'cracks' when things are packed
Below are examples of each of the four types of patterns.
Fig. 4.2: Meandering.
Fig. 4.3: Branching.
Fig. 4.4: Spiral.
Fig. 4.5: Packing & cracking.
Repetition is defined in art as 'to be exactly the same over and over'. Repetition is used to build a sense of tension and is often used to provide a deeper meaning to the artwork.
Fig. 4.6: Repetition
In illustration, a single object often connotes adjectives and feelings of spare, along, almost empty and loneliness. In contrast to that, a repetition of many objects gives a feeling of abundance, innumerable, unmanageable or out of control.
There are two types of repetition:
Regular (even) - objects are arranged in a constant, well ordered manner and is flat.
Irregular (uneven) - objects are not balanced in shape or arrangement and not smooth.
The images Fig. 4.7 & Fig. 4.8 are examples of regular and irregular repetitions.
Fig. 4.7: Uneven repetition.
Fig. 4.8: Even repetition.
Texture is the element of art that refers to the way things feel or look, creating an illusion of touch. There are three types of texture: physical texture, visual texture and hypertexture. Physical texture (tactile texture) is defined as patterns of variations upon a solid surface (Fig. 4.9).
Fig. 4.9: Physical texture.
Visual texture (implied texture) is the illusion of having physical texture. There are three types of visual texture, namely: decorative texture, spontaneous texture and mechanical texture.
Decorative texture is texture added to to a surface which is usually placed in a uniform way (Fig. 4.10).
Fig. 4.10: Decorative texture.
Spontaneous texture is created by 'accident'. This texture centers around the process of creating the visual, which are the marks of the texture made is added to the shape (Fig. 4.11).
Fig. 4.11: Spontaneous texture.
Mechanical texture is texture created through mechanical means (Fig. 4.12).
Fig. 4.12: Mechanical texture.
Hypertexture is defined as both the realistic simulated surface texture produced by adding small distortions across the surface of an object (Fig. 4.13).
Fig. 4.13: Hypertexture.
Then they presented texture in painting, which refers to the look and feel of the canvas. It is based on the paint used and its application or the addition of other materials. There are four types of texture in paintings which are actual texture, simulated texture, abstract texture and invented texture.
Actual texture is a combination of the look and feel of a painting and often associated with both the heavy buildup of paint such as impasto effect or the addition of materials (Fig. 4.14).
Fig. 4.14: Impasto effect; actual texture in painting.
Simulated texture involves drawing the visual effect of texture without adding anything to it (Fig. 4.15).
Fig. 4.15: Simulated texture.
Abstract texture is the concept of the object is translated in textural patterns (Fig. 4.16).
Fig. 4.16: Abstract texture.
Invented texture is a way of adding alternate materials to create an interesting texture, which is entirely created by an artist's imagination (Fig. 4.17).
Fig. 4.17: Invented texture.
Lastly, surface design is any work created by a designer where its purpose is to be applied to a surface to enhance its visual appearance or functionality or both. Surface design can be seen everywhere, from prints on clothes to bet sheets (Fig. 4.18 & Fig. 4.19).
Fig. 4.18: Floral print; surface design.
Fig. 4.19: Geometric print; surface design.
Exercise
We had to do an exercise on pattern, repetition, surface and texture. The materials we had to bring were items that could help us create patterns. I brought a potato, a pair of scissors and my watercolor tools. I used the tip of my mechanical pencil to carve a shape out of the potato as it was easier to control and not as easily breakable as a pocket knife. At first the shape wasn't showing nicely so I widened the lines then tested the pattern out on a piece of paper. The shape I carved was a flower and circles surrounding it. For the testing, I used yellow color (Fig. 4.20).
Fig. 4.20: Test stamp of my pattern.
Since the testing turned out fine, I proceeded to do a proper pattern. This time, I did a gradient from yellow to green (Fig. 4.21).
Fig. 4.21: First piece.
However, I wasn't satisfied with the way it turned out and the colors I used so I wanted to try out another one (Fig. 4.22).
Fig. 4.22: Final artwork.
Feedback
For feedback, Ms. Sherry made us tear an A4 paper to eight pieces so that we could write comments to our classmates. I received 13 pieces of paper. Most of them said that they liked my pattern and color choice but there were two comments that advised me to not place the stamp in the center. In fact, Ms. Sherry gave me the same feedback earlier. She said that I shouldn't be afraid of stamping the sides so that the pattern continues.
Reflection
The exercise this time was quite hard as thinking about a unique pattern took a long time and I felt lost at the start. But I learnt a lot about what other patterns there are from walking around and seeing my classmates' work.
Ms. Sherry gave us a lecture on symmetry, asymmetry and visual balance:
Symmetry - the visual quality of repeating parts of an image across an axis, along a path or around a center (Schenker, 2019).
Asymmetry - the opposite of symmetry (Schenker, 2019).
Balance - the principle of designing so that the composition is equally weighted throughout(Schenker, 2019).
Examples of symmetry (Fig. 3.1 & Fig. 3.2), asymmetry (Fig. 3.3 & Fig. 3.4) and balance (Fig. 3.5 & Fig. 3.6) are below.
Fig. 3.1: Example of symmetry.
Fig. 3.2: Example of symmetry.
Fig. 3.3: Example of asymmetry.
Fig. 3.4: Example of asymmetry.
Fig. 3.5: Example of symmetry; The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Fig. 3.6: Visual balance.
Exercise
Ms. Sherry gave us a lecture on symmetry, asymmetry and visual balance:
For the third assignment, we had to do a piece on symmetry, asymmetry and balance. Initially I was stuck as I had no idea what to draw. I did not want to do symmetry as I thought that would be too easy so I challenged myself to do visual balance instead. I finally decided on painting a big orange goldfish and three small black guppies.
This was visual balance as the size of the orange goldfish was balanced out by the color of the three small guppies.
Fig. 3.7: Watercolor draft of the painting.
Fig. 3.8: Final piece;
Feedback
Ms. Sherry said that we should try to think of our composition and use the whole paper.
Reflection
After seeing my classmates' works, I realized that there are so many ways to show asymmetrical balance.
Exercise 2 (02/09/19 - 08/09/19)- Gestalt
Lecture
For the second week, Ms. Sherry gave us a lecture on 'Gestalt'. Gestalt is defined as an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts (Dictionary, n.d.). There were a few examples she showed us in class such as Gestalt principle - law of figure & ground, law of proximity, law of closure, law of common region and law of similarity.
Figure 2.1 Gestalt principle - Law of figure & ground; Rubin's vase.
Figure 2.2 Gestalt principle - Law of proximity.
Figure 2.3 Gestalt principle - Law of closure;
Figure 2.4 Gestalt principle - Law of closure; World Wide Fund(WWF)'s logo.
Figure 2.3 Gestalt principle - Law of common region.
Figure 2.3 Gestalt principle - Law of similarity.
Exercise
For the second assignment, our works had to be done based on Gestalt's principles on an A4 paper, with pencils, pens and black markers. For my first sketch, I drew a pair of hands as the first thing I thought of was shadow hands. The idea was that it looked like hands but at the same time, the shape of an animal.
Figure 2.4 Sketch 1; A pair of hands to look like a butterfly.
However, I thought it did not really look like anything so I sketched another pair of hands.
Figure 2.5 Sketch 2; A pair of hands that look like doves.
I asked my sister what it looked like to her, and she said it looked like doves even though I was initially aiming for butterflies. But since it sort of look like doves. I decided on this.
Figure 2.6 Finalized drawing; A pair of hands that look like doves.
I colored the hands black but left two white circles at the thumbs to look like the doves' eyes. However, I still wasn't satisfied with my drawing and I was still confused as to what I can create with Gestalt principles. So I drew instruments: drums, drumsticks, violin and a grand piano with the intention to make it look like a smiley face.
Figure 2.7 Sketch 2; Instruments to look like a smiley face.
Feedback
I presented the dove hands and additional drawing to the class and Ms. Sherry commented that the dove hands look more like Gestalt instead of the second drawing. After the presentation, Ms. Sherry commented that the instruments to look like a smiley face did not look like a smiley face.
Reflection
After seeing my classmates' works, I understand Gestalt a bit better now. Furthermore after the class, I continued browsing through the internet for more examples of Gestalt. I realized that making an artwork based on a principle is a lot harder than I thought, as it requires a lot of creativity and thinking outside of the box to design something based on these principles.
Exercise 1 (26/08/19 - 01/09/19)- Contrast
Lecture
I did not attend the first lecture as I had trouble with my timetable and Online Module Registration (OMR). However, I emailed Ms. Sherry regarding what I missed and what was needed for the class. Ms. Sherry told me to go to TiMES to look at the class materials and asked me to meet her at 5pm the following Tuesday (3/9). Additionally, there was an assignment on ‘Contrast’ but she gave me extra time to work on it. Ms. Sherry walked through the whole of the contrast lecture with me on the said date and time. Contrast is when two or more elements in a composition are different from each other, which is usually used to create impact or to highlight the importance of an element in the composition or to make the design stand out. What makes contrast work is context, which is the elements around the main visual object is what gives the whole composition its meaning. There are a few ways to create contrast, which is:
Contrast in shape (Fig. 1.1)
Contrast in color (Fig. 1.2)
Contrast in scale (Fig. 1.3)
Contrast in layout (Fig. 1.4)
Fig. 1.1: Contrast in shape.
Fig. 1.2: Contrast in color.
Fig. 1.3: Contrast in scale.
Fig. 1.4: Contrast in layout.
Exercise
For the first week, our topic of our exercise is contrast and the materials we have to use are black paper and glue. For this exercise, I decided to showcase the life and death of a fish, which is one half of the paper will show a fish's body whereas the other half will show its' skeleton.
Fig. 1.1: Life & death of a fish; sketch.
Fig. 1.2: Life & death of a fish; Contrast.
Feedback
No feedback received as I did not show Ms. Sherry my work.
Reflection
Contrast was fairly straightforward, as contrast is one of the most basic principles in designing. So I did not find it hard.
Comments
Post a Comment