Artgerm on Deviantart
http://artgerm.deviantart.com/
I have been following this particular artist's work for quite some time now. I first found him on the ever popular deviantart.com, a website that I've really grown to love. I like to browse on here a lot of the time to view other artist's work. It's a great way to share your work and have some kind of online portfolio to showcase it and get feedback from others. Anyways, the artist's name is Stanley Lau. He is from Singapore and he does a lot of digital art works, and uses photoshop (I wish I could be that good in using photoshop someday haha!). I was most attracted to his work because I enjoy his kind of style, his use of colors, his sense of perspective, and the way that his characters have this fantasy-like realism is fantastic. Browse through his gallery if you have time. It's a real treat.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Art Event #9
Bunimovich Stadium
http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/Flash/Chaos/Bunimovich/Bunimovich.html
This is a flash animation that illustrates two balls moving at the same speed in Bunimovich Stadium. This may not really be considered "art", but I think it's interesting how art and science constantly coincide with one another. Learning how to work with Flash cannot only be beneficial in creating artwork, but in also demonstrating certain scientific concepts. Like in this website that I found for instance, there are various other flash animations illustrating different physics principles. I think Flash is a great tool for anything like this really, and I'm glad I got to learn how to use it in this class.
http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/Flash/Chaos/Bunimovich/Bunimovich.html
This is a flash animation that illustrates two balls moving at the same speed in Bunimovich Stadium. This may not really be considered "art", but I think it's interesting how art and science constantly coincide with one another. Learning how to work with Flash cannot only be beneficial in creating artwork, but in also demonstrating certain scientific concepts. Like in this website that I found for instance, there are various other flash animations illustrating different physics principles. I think Flash is a great tool for anything like this really, and I'm glad I got to learn how to use it in this class.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Art Event #8
"French Cinema"
DATE & PLACE VIEWED: Tuesday April 16, 2009 in Arts 240 at 6PM
Dr. Remi-Fournier Lanzoni was the lecturer at this event. He was the author of "From Crime Scene to Popular Screen: The Millieu in the Cinema of Henri Verneuil". This event's schedule included a lecture for about an hour, from about 6-7PM, and then a screening of the French thriller film, "Tell No One". During the first part, Dr. Remi-Fournier Lanzoni went through a powerpoint about all the various aspects of French cinema. He mentioned a lot about the use of chiaroscuro, especially in crime cinema. Dramatic lighting was utilized, especially in the film noir type plots. The lecture was more of an exploration of film noir genres through the years, as well as a touch on other genres that aren't really "film noir", but are more of tributes to that particular genre. Different genres altogether, may still include elements of film noir, but are not classified in that film genre category.
During the second part of the event, we watched the film "Tell No One" which was, to my surprise, very very good. I would recommend it to anyone. It was a crime film that included much suspense. I appreciated how this whole event was very French oriented. The one in charge of the event was a French professor here, but I forgot her name. I've always been interested in learning French, and being at this even made me want to learn the language even more.
In terms of how this event relates to our class, I suppose the category of "film noir" can contribute as an artistic style that can be included in people's work. The whole use of dramatic and emphasized lighting, chiaroscura, shadows and a strong sense of competition sounds like something interesting that can be played around with in the artwork that we do in this class, be it through photoshop or even flash with the animations that we're doing. With my social issue topic being incareration alternatives, and crime being a major factor associated with incarceration, perhaps I can put that "film noir" feeling to good use.
DATE & PLACE VIEWED: Tuesday April 16, 2009 in Arts 240 at 6PM
Dr. Remi-Fournier Lanzoni was the lecturer at this event. He was the author of "From Crime Scene to Popular Screen: The Millieu in the Cinema of Henri Verneuil". This event's schedule included a lecture for about an hour, from about 6-7PM, and then a screening of the French thriller film, "Tell No One". During the first part, Dr. Remi-Fournier Lanzoni went through a powerpoint about all the various aspects of French cinema. He mentioned a lot about the use of chiaroscuro, especially in crime cinema. Dramatic lighting was utilized, especially in the film noir type plots. The lecture was more of an exploration of film noir genres through the years, as well as a touch on other genres that aren't really "film noir", but are more of tributes to that particular genre. Different genres altogether, may still include elements of film noir, but are not classified in that film genre category.
During the second part of the event, we watched the film "Tell No One" which was, to my surprise, very very good. I would recommend it to anyone. It was a crime film that included much suspense. I appreciated how this whole event was very French oriented. The one in charge of the event was a French professor here, but I forgot her name. I've always been interested in learning French, and being at this even made me want to learn the language even more.
In terms of how this event relates to our class, I suppose the category of "film noir" can contribute as an artistic style that can be included in people's work. The whole use of dramatic and emphasized lighting, chiaroscura, shadows and a strong sense of competition sounds like something interesting that can be played around with in the artwork that we do in this class, be it through photoshop or even flash with the animations that we're doing. With my social issue topic being incareration alternatives, and crime being a major factor associated with incarceration, perhaps I can put that "film noir" feeling to good use.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Art Event #7
Stop Motion with Wolf and Pig by dokugyunyu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmkLlVzUBn4
Once again, I discovered another animation while surfing around on YouTube. It is stop motion photography, just like the previous animation I blogged about. I find this particular video especially great because it shows us an adventure that takes place all in one home. Even though you'd think having only one location to work with would seem limited, the artist created another world within a generally smaller space, such as that room in the beginning. He also utilizes the use of pictures within the pictures we are currently watching. I thought this was very creative in its use of all these different elements. The artist's YouTube page features various other animations (other stop motions and more) that he's done, which are also much fun to watch. Again, this is relevant to our class because it's good to be introduced to different kinds of animations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmkLlVzUBn4
Once again, I discovered another animation while surfing around on YouTube. It is stop motion photography, just like the previous animation I blogged about. I find this particular video especially great because it shows us an adventure that takes place all in one home. Even though you'd think having only one location to work with would seem limited, the artist created another world within a generally smaller space, such as that room in the beginning. He also utilizes the use of pictures within the pictures we are currently watching. I thought this was very creative in its use of all these different elements. The artist's YouTube page features various other animations (other stop motions and more) that he's done, which are also much fun to watch. Again, this is relevant to our class because it's good to be introduced to different kinds of animations.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Art Event #6
Museum of Photographic Arts
Over the spring break, I visited MoPA. There were several exhibitions in the museum (which are still currently there), but the ones that I will talk about in particular are “Lou Stoumen: The Naked Truth”, “Lou Stoumen Award Winners: The Legacy".
The first exhibit, “Lou Stoumen: The Naked Truth” featured some of his works. Stoumen was a photographer, a writer, a soldier, a filmmaker, a teacher, and an adventurer. He traveled to many places such as China, India, Mexico, Africa, South America, and Alaska. Through his travels, he wanted to capture the energy of a changing world in his photographs. In his work, you can tell a lot about the times that each particular photo was taken. His photos are filled with culture and a certain wonder about the world around him. There was a focus on the everyday lives of people from the different countries that he had visited. I felt like I could relate to him in this way. I’ve always been someone who has a great interest in the cultures of different countries. Even engaging in things such as learning a variety of different languages or having a willingness to try other cultural foods that I have never tried before have become a part of who I am. This sense of wonder and excitement that I have for the world and the variety of people that live in it is something very beautiful that can be captured through a lens. As I view Stoumen’s works, I feel that he has this same excitement. Stoumen is also drawn to the power of text and image to enhance our understanding of the world. He combined his own writing and photographs to create “paper movies”. This reminds me of graphic design, and how it is not only about aesthetics, but also about communication and how well you can communicate something through a particular image. I wrote down an interesting quote from Stoumen: “I try to learn enough art, compassion, and laughter to stop time occassionally – to manifest on photographic paper a few ordinary miracles.”
Over the spring break, I visited MoPA. There were several exhibitions in the museum (which are still currently there), but the ones that I will talk about in particular are “Lou Stoumen: The Naked Truth”, “Lou Stoumen Award Winners: The Legacy".
The first exhibit, “Lou Stoumen: The Naked Truth” featured some of his works. Stoumen was a photographer, a writer, a soldier, a filmmaker, a teacher, and an adventurer. He traveled to many places such as China, India, Mexico, Africa, South America, and Alaska. Through his travels, he wanted to capture the energy of a changing world in his photographs. In his work, you can tell a lot about the times that each particular photo was taken. His photos are filled with culture and a certain wonder about the world around him. There was a focus on the everyday lives of people from the different countries that he had visited. I felt like I could relate to him in this way. I’ve always been someone who has a great interest in the cultures of different countries. Even engaging in things such as learning a variety of different languages or having a willingness to try other cultural foods that I have never tried before have become a part of who I am. This sense of wonder and excitement that I have for the world and the variety of people that live in it is something very beautiful that can be captured through a lens. As I view Stoumen’s works, I feel that he has this same excitement. Stoumen is also drawn to the power of text and image to enhance our understanding of the world. He combined his own writing and photographs to create “paper movies”. This reminds me of graphic design, and how it is not only about aesthetics, but also about communication and how well you can communicate something through a particular image. I wrote down an interesting quote from Stoumen: “I try to learn enough art, compassion, and laughter to stop time occassionally – to manifest on photographic paper a few ordinary miracles.”
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Art Event #5
MUTO A Wall-Painted Animation by BLU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGaqLT-gO4
This is a short film that I came across while browsing on Youtube, that I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy watching. It involves stop motion photography in a very quirky, imaginative, and rather surreal way. I like how the wall drawings are done in the streets, which give it this whole urban graffiti-like feel. I've always thought about trying stop motion photography, but I know it will take a lot of time and work. This video is relevant to our class because it involves animation, something that we've been learning about. I think it is especially interesting because it showcases another type of animation, and it is good to explore various kinds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGaqLT-gO4
This is a short film that I came across while browsing on Youtube, that I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy watching. It involves stop motion photography in a very quirky, imaginative, and rather surreal way. I like how the wall drawings are done in the streets, which give it this whole urban graffiti-like feel. I've always thought about trying stop motion photography, but I know it will take a lot of time and work. This video is relevant to our class because it involves animation, something that we've been learning about. I think it is especially interesting because it showcases another type of animation, and it is good to explore various kinds.
Art Event #4
Flash Animation by Daniel Yu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oILLemHxAg
I believe this is just a demo reel of this particular person's animation work. I discovered it on Youtube one day and found it really cute and fun. I couldn't help but wonder if this person had really done this work himself, because it looked like it was really from a children's cartoon you'd see on TV. I still love cartoons and watch them to this day so this was something delightful for me. The characters and designs are very creative, and you can tell that the particular artist is quite advanced and experienced in what he does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oILLemHxAg
I believe this is just a demo reel of this particular person's animation work. I discovered it on Youtube one day and found it really cute and fun. I couldn't help but wonder if this person had really done this work himself, because it looked like it was really from a children's cartoon you'd see on TV. I still love cartoons and watch them to this day so this was something delightful for me. The characters and designs are very creative, and you can tell that the particular artist is quite advanced and experienced in what he does.
Art Event #3
Chiho Aoshima
http://www.galerieperrotin.com/artiste-Chiho_Aoshima-17.html#
Chiho Aoshima is a Japanese pop artist, and I remember falling in love with her work from the first time I saw it. The provided link is an online gallery of some of her pieces. She is a graphic artist and her work is often of surreal scenes and dreamscapes. I love the colors that she uses in her work, and her particular drawing style is also very attractive to me. In addition to her large scale image works, she has also done sculpture and an animation.
http://www.galerieperrotin.com/artiste-Chiho_Aoshima-17.html#
Chiho Aoshima is a Japanese pop artist, and I remember falling in love with her work from the first time I saw it. The provided link is an online gallery of some of her pieces. She is a graphic artist and her work is often of surreal scenes and dreamscapes. I love the colors that she uses in her work, and her particular drawing style is also very attractive to me. In addition to her large scale image works, she has also done sculpture and an animation.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Art Event #2
Teen Girl Squad
http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgsmenu.html
This is a cartoon series from the ever popular homestarrunner.com website that I've really grown to love since my early high school years. Basically the story is about four girls who go on various adventures and engage in stereotypical activities of teenage girls; only, it's more of a comedic and crude take on those experiences. The animations aren't exactly amazing, but this animation series has really grown on me and can provide a good laugh now and then. Being an animation series, this relates to our class and how we do Flash animations.
http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgsmenu.html
This is a cartoon series from the ever popular homestarrunner.com website that I've really grown to love since my early high school years. Basically the story is about four girls who go on various adventures and engage in stereotypical activities of teenage girls; only, it's more of a comedic and crude take on those experiences. The animations aren't exactly amazing, but this animation series has really grown on me and can provide a good laugh now and then. Being an animation series, this relates to our class and how we do Flash animations.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Art Event #1
"Physics of Animation"
DATE & PLACE VIEWED: Tuesday March 10, 2009 in Science Hall 2 Room 242 at 12PM
This was a lecture given by Alejandro Garcia, who is a Physics professor at San Jose State University. In this lecture, we basically covered the three basic types of animation (traditional, computer, and stop-motion), other animation-related work, and a general physics lesson for animators which included a lot of equations. We learned that "to create believable animations, animators need to understand the basic principles of physics". This lecture was definitely relevant to what we are learning in class about Flash animation, but I thought it was interesting in that we got to view animation from a more scientific standpoint. I also enjoyed how Professor Garcia showed us some scenes from several movies which included physics that didn't really make any sense (for example, from "Hancock", "Hulk", and "Nacho Libre"). These movie scenes were really hilarious to watch actually. And finally, a really good website that he gave us was animationphysics.com
DATE & PLACE VIEWED: Tuesday March 10, 2009 in Science Hall 2 Room 242 at 12PM
This was a lecture given by Alejandro Garcia, who is a Physics professor at San Jose State University. In this lecture, we basically covered the three basic types of animation (traditional, computer, and stop-motion), other animation-related work, and a general physics lesson for animators which included a lot of equations. We learned that "to create believable animations, animators need to understand the basic principles of physics". This lecture was definitely relevant to what we are learning in class about Flash animation, but I thought it was interesting in that we got to view animation from a more scientific standpoint. I also enjoyed how Professor Garcia showed us some scenes from several movies which included physics that didn't really make any sense (for example, from "Hancock", "Hulk", and "Nacho Libre"). These movie scenes were really hilarious to watch actually. And finally, a really good website that he gave us was animationphysics.com
Monday, January 26, 2009
Social Issue Topic
My social issue topic will be on prison alternatives, which is a topic that I hadn’t even planned on doing originally. I actually clicked on one of the links that was provided on the class schedule and randomly came across "Prisons" as one of the listed issues (from the “Hearts and Minds” website). I didn't know much about this topic initially, but it was something new and interesting. I read about how we are so reliant on incarceration as opposed to more humane, effective, and efficient alternatives to crime prevention such as rehabilitation, counseling, and education and job training. States are spending more money on prisons than on education. The majority of prisoners come from disadvantaged backgrounds and poverty-stricken neighborhoods suffering from poor education, unemployment, social isolation, and other factors contributing to more criminal activity. Prisoners face terrible conditions once in jail and after receiving poor treatment or guidance, they are released with very little to provide for themselves. More than sixty percent of ex-convicts commit a crime after they are released. Most alternative programs to prison are being carried out on the community and local level, which is what I will attempt to focus more on.
Friday, January 23, 2009
President Obama's Inaugural Address
First off, let me start by saying that I'm honestly not into politics. It's just one of those things that I know I should be informed about, but I'm not. I used to think that politics didn't apply to me. Once I entered college however, I've become a bit more informed and realized how ignorant I was to the world around me. I know that it is important to become more aware of what's going on in our nation and learn more about important issues, especially in this day and age when so much is happening in politics. It's exciting to think that I was part of the making of history, as I witnessed the inauguration of our first African-American president. As I watched President Obama make is inaugural address, I thought about how long we've come not only as a nation, but as people. As human beings we learn to adapt to change, and with Obama we definitely asked for that change. The following are just some quotes that I liked from his address:
"
"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned."
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."
"The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."
I am anxious to see what will come next for this nation as President Obama attempts to carry out all that he has promised. This is going to be a very interesting road ahead...
"
"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned."
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."
"The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."
I am anxious to see what will come next for this nation as President Obama attempts to carry out all that he has promised. This is going to be a very interesting road ahead...
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