Design Project: Ideas shape the World.

Design process:

1. Gathering ideas:

        With the topic "how technology changed the world", there were many ideas both positive and negative came up in mind my. In the end I decided to visualize the positive benefit of technology for the world. The idea of my final artwork came from the story of Galilei stating that Earth is look like a giant ball and goes around the Sun. Galilei was hung to die because of that statement, but later on, people realized that Galilei’s idea was true and then it changed the whole science concept about the world. So I get inspiration from that story and come up with the concept: Ideas shape the world.

Mega-construction, satellite, cars, air-plain, connecting people, online world, modern lifestyle, wireless connection, etc. All of these technology are simply started with an Idea. No doubt that the World changed by technology, but in another aspect, the world changed when the Ideas generated.

 2. Design and editing step by step:

Step 1:   - I sketch the idea on and A4 paper, then scan it to a JPEG file in order to edit it by Photoshop

  - Resize the sketch into A2 paper and resolution of 300 Pixels.

Step 2:

  - Because the scan file is a bit blur, I decided to re-draw it by photoshop and change some detail in the picture.

Step 3:

 - Starting with the bulb, I created a black background, then put two layers which I blended with Luminosity color and Divide color to create the "halo effect" for the bulb.

 Step 4:

  - Coloring the ocean and continental with blue and green, I also colored the bottom of the Bulb with gradient tool to make it look like metal.

Step 5: 

 - I blend the ocean with some texture to create the waves in the ocean.

Step 6:

  - I tried to color the buildings with its real color. Each building I paint with multiply layer and one more overlay effect. The Dubai tower I used the gradient tool to create metal color, then blend it with another purple color layer.

Step 7:

  - Finally, I added some more detail such as the car, the satellite's path.

  - I create a new layer and smug some white line to create the cloud and oxigen atmosphere.

3. Final Artwork

4. Artist statement.

 
Based on the concept: Ideas shape the World. I create a huge bulb which covers the Earth to show demonstrate the concept: the world changed due to the technology (idea). The halo effect around the bulb used to visualize the moment when the idea “buzz!” – the moment that changes the world. I draw five buildings which build up in five period of time to show the development of technology from ancient time up to now. A ship, a middle-class car, an air plane and satellite show that technology is for everyone, from poor to rich, from youngster to old-school, from worker to CEO. Every changes and opportunity is all start with an idea. So, be creative and don not afraid to try the new things.

     

Pop-Art: The Real Me!

Photo Montage: Crushhh E'm Allll!!!!!!!!!!!!!

National Art Gallery Trip: The Picture that moved me.

In the trip to the National Art Gallery in early of June, I saw a picture at the first floor of which I found very attractive for me.

The picture as a modern art product of a Chinese (I assumed) artist named: “Dream and Reality”

The name has already attracted me in the very first second I saw it. The picture has three sections are top, middle and bottom. In the bottom of the picture, there is an old skinny sickness-look man lying on the floor, he seem like in a coma and can not move, hear or listen to anyone but thinking about his life. The man just lying there alone with no one taking care for him, such a lonely and pathetic situation.

In the middle of the picture, there was three illusions of the old man sitting in a line beside the real man in the bottom. The three illusions are looking at three different door, they all look skinny like the real man, but showing three different emotions.

The man on the left is giving two little girl in the left door a candy, his face somehow brighter with happiness which inspired by the two girls, but they seem scared of him.

The man of the right is looking at the room where he and his family were having good time watching TV together. The scene is so simple but it represent the simplicity of happiness.

The illusion man in the center is holding his head, look like he is very depress and regret, and the room in front of him, is the exactly image of him-self and his three illusion. It like an endless circle where he keep looking at his pathetic situation and regretting about what he has missed in his life.

We can feel that the two men on the left and right represent “the dream”, dream about happiness, about life, kids, family… about things that we regret when we have lost it.

And the illusion man in the center represent “reality” where we suffering with the regret and stuck in the pathetic reality.

The picture raised a feeling inside me about love – life – family. We are nothing without love, and in the end of the day, the things we will regret the most is not spending enough time with our family – it’s the most beautiful, peaceful and worthy time in an individual life.

Beware of the life flow, spend as much time as possible with the one you love. Love – faith – family is the one matter in an individual life.

Body Art - express yourself by yourself...

     Body Art is a type of art that employ human body as both subject and object in creativity. As we all know, human body is a masterpiece of mother natural, so it is also the unlimited passion for artist’s creativity.

     Body art appeared very early in the history, tribal paints and tattoos were origin by tribe members to distinguish rank and society status. Body art also been applied in time of war in order to strengthen warrior’s mind and faith.

     And this tradition still exist until today. Many gang use tattoos and scarring as a membership ID and ranking. Talking about gang, we definitely have to mention about Yakuza from Japan, a group of mafia who has developed tattoos as the true art and masterpiece.

     Body painting is also a significant part of body art. Body painting artist working on people’s body, creating illusion and impression without making any sense of sexual. They using the skin as background, the body curves as frame, then paint on some part or the whole body to express their idea.

    

 Nowadays, body piercing is another popular form of body art to express beautification and symbolism. Normally body piercing is about creating a hole in some part of the body to put some kind of jewelry there. Some youngster today consider piercing at ear, nose, tongue or eyebrows, etc…as a way of express their characteristic and status. Some people have religious or spiritual motivations or simply want to express themselves or share their beliefs. Body Art is a great way to achieve this.

     

     In another hand, expressing yourself through your body can be fun and exciting, but that feeling might not last long while the tattoos or piercing is permanent. Therefore we should considerate motivation, opinion and other options before taking a real body art. As an tattoo artist said: Think before you ink!

References 
http://www.blog.temporarytattoosaustralia.com.au/what-is-body-art/
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1rkb4imnI1rpwph6o1_500.jpg

Angels in the middle of nowhere!

Hopeless! That word appears immediately in my mind at that moment this picture getting in my eyes.  Two little innocent vulnerable kids sitting in a scrapyard where full of rubbish and dust. They look just like two angel who landed in the wrong place, or simply fell from heaven to hell.

The look in their eyes obsessed me. Look that the older kid’s face, what kind of feeling is that? He must be so depress of hunger and hopeless. There’s no sign of hope in their eyes, because the truth is, what can they expect? Some biscuits, a proper set clothes or a helping hand? No! Because deeply they understand that they are in the middle of nowhere. Just look around, there’re only rubbish, dust and wall. There are thousands of people are living this way and sadly they can’t escape from that.

            In another hand, this picture shows me how great the humanity is. See how the two kids are comforting each other. The way they hug show the deep connection there are in. It is obvious that the elder kid will protect his little innocent brother no matter what happen, that is his instinct duty and what he living for. This proves that love exists everywhere, even in darkness or sunshine, hunger or comfort, love will and always be the stair for human to climb over hardness.

Destiny. Hope. Love. Faith. Humanity. It's all in one, and one for all.

References:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/pictures/111027-best-nature-pictures-2011-environment-animals-science/

Blue – the mystery color.

    Blue - one of the three most basic color in nature - presents everywhere around us. Blue is the color of sky in the beautiful morning, color of the deep mystery ocean under the sunshine, blue present in the apple of European’s eyes, etc.

    Blue its self carries a lot of meaning. As representing the color of sky, Blue creates a sense of freedom and expansiveness, light blue also go along with imagination, intuition, sensitive and inspiration. In another way, dark blue which is represent the ocean is associated with mystery, intelligent, loyalty and also sincerity, trust and stability.

    Blue has positive affects on people mind and body. It creates a sense of peace and relaxation. It help cooling down people’s metabolism help them feel balance and self-expression.

    Blue have different meaning in different culture. In some Asian countries, blue has strong connection to religion belief, bring peace and keep bad spirits away. In Iran, blue is the color of mourning, while in western it is somehow represent love.

    For me, I like blue because it help me to calm down and feel peaceful. I still can not understand why people stereotype blue with sad emotion. Anytime that I feel stress or boring,  I usually look at the sky, count the birds fly or simply feel the air; sometimes I also open some music video about ocean and watch. More than that, according to Vietnamese tradition, my life is associate strongly with water and blue. So I stuck with it from i was a kid until now.

    Overall, when you feel stress and need to rest, I got a picture for you. Watch it and listen to Summer Paradise - Simple Plan. Every burden will all gone, I promise....



Reference:
Picture: http://fk27wallpapers.blogspot.com/
http://www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-blue
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/blue.htm

Pattern hand drawing.

Elements and principle of Design

            A – Elements of design.

    >       Point / Mark: The smallest and most basic element in design. Used to form a line or shape. It can also be used to form a value or pattern. (Placed close together to create darker value, placed apart to create lighter value).

  >      Line: a group of points the describe shape or outline with two variables:      width and length. There are many type of line such as actual, implied, vertical, horizontal, diagonal and contour lines.

   >          Shape: The area within an implied line, Shapes have two dimensions, width and length, can be free-doom or geometric. Shapes can be distinguish by color or value changes.

   >       Form: Form describes the three dimensions of an aspect. Forms have three properties that is width, length and depth. Form can be view from many angles.

   >        Space: Space is a three-dimension volume with width, length and depth. Space on a two dimension painting creates an illustration of deep.

   >         Color: colors have three properties. First, hue – name of the color. Second, value – prefer to the lightness or darkness of color. Finally, chroma – the intensity of color.

   >       Texture: the surface quality of the artwork. It has the degree of smoothness or roughness.

B – Principle of design.

    >       Balance: the way elements be arranged to create a sense of equilibrium and stability in a picture. There are two type of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical balance.

    >       Point of interest / Emphasis: the area that stand out the most in the picture which making people put more concentrate on it, hence make the picture more attractive.

    >       Contrast:  an aggressive different between two things, areas or objects in a picture that creates interest and tension for the picture.

   >          Rhythm and movement: about placing the shape s or objects in a regular repetition to create a sense of movement.

The Waves - By Huu Toan

The Waves

     Inspired by these stormy days in Malaysia, I keep thinking about my home town and how my family living back there. So I draw this pic to release my emotion.
     The blue waves represent the the hardness that my family and me are going through, wave by wave. But I color the waves just light blue instead of dark blue,because it's also represents life and life is beautiful, even in  some rough periods.
    The sky is painted by red, a bit of gray and white. I make it feel like the dawn to send the message that: it's the new dawn, and the storm is gonna end.
    Overall, I tried my best mixing the color and blend it in order to make people feeling peace instead of stress watching the picture.