OLD MELBOURNE

My Butterfly Story

I drew this butterfly but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I had in mind a butterfly fairy floating in the woods but after a few failed attempts on photoshop, I gave up and I realised I need to do more research and self-study to achieve that effect. So I used my butterfly for a children's book illustration instead...

The cover turned out like this:

It's nearly 3 AM now. I'm off to get some sleep.

We are going to the snow soon!

Took these photos last year when the season ended...but I want to post it now cos we are going to the snow soon!!

Seahorse : My New Illustration

So I tried to give illustration a go. My original illustration below. Took approximately three days to complete. I realised that when you do want the outcome to be really good and if you want to create something as intricate as this, you shouldn't take any shortcuts. The whole process involves drawing an outline first, then creating a pattern in black and white, then scanning the whole image and then colouring every single detail in photoshop. I must remember I have to be more patient next time to achieve better results.

TO BE CONTINUED

THE MANDALA PROJECT

I am not very good at illustration. I cannot draw an image on top of my head. I have to be copying it from somebody else. However, I am realising now that I'm very good with patterns. Anything abstract seems to just flow when I start something on paper. For me it's like connecting the dots and placing anything that would look nicely to fit the consistency of whatever it is I've started doing. It's something I find so easy.

I've been inspired to start this Mandala project when I was applying as a student to get in the Faculty of Design at Swinburne University. The assessor, as I would like to call him, would be the one to decide on whether I have the design skills to get in. I scheduled an interview with him. So whilst my assessor was browsing through my works, he stopped flipping at one particular illustration and said "Oh this is nice, it's a Mandala.." and I was like "I didn't even know I was doing a Mandala". Apparently, a Masters student he was supervising was doing a thesis about Mandala/s. Anyway, after my folio assessment, he said I could enrol. So I passed!

When I got home, I googled what it is since I wanted to find out more about Mandala/s. From Wikipedia, it says that a Mandala is a sanskrit word for "circle". It comprises of concentric diagrams that have both spiritual and ritual significance from religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. It's often used as a spiritual teaching tool for establishing a sacred space and aid meditation... So I figured, oh so that's why in the movies, they always draw a circle and place candles and they go inside the circle to meditate.

Anyway, I've made a few more Mandalas (images above). Maybe when I get a bit more time, I'll illustrate one that's really intricate. But this'll have to do for now.

BRIGHTON BEACH

So I finally got permission from Tita Gi to upload these. It's one of my first ever commissioned photo projects! I hope there's many more to come. The editing took hours to complete. I had to google how to create that vintage effect in photoshop and I was so slow in figuring things out. Nevertheless, here it is. It was a good practice.