ILUS 301: Digital Illustration

My Digital Illustration class was led by industry professional Yeoung-jung Kim, and through her tutorials we learned various tools in Illustrator and Photoshop.  This was mildly frustrating for me since I didn't have Illustrator to practice with, and I don't do well in morning classes [too sleepy, haha]. But, the assignments were pretty fun, so here you go!

#1 Music Dyptich: I chose "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga and "Cold War" by Janelle Monae'

#2 Creature/World Design: I borrowed from an earlier assignment in the Spring and revised my 'Elephant Spiders"

#3 Environmental Poster: Decided to tackle the Lionfish problem and went all Communist on it

#4 Op. Ed Cartoon: My interpretation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest

#5 Self-Portrait- decided to abstract the idea and made 'myself' [a Piscean] as a Tarot Card

ILUS 300: Process

Back home for the holidays and bored off my butt... which means more frequent updates, ahaha!


So on top of all the amazing things I learned in my Advanced Illustration class [like portfolio creation, making snazzy business cards, and learning how to research into the markets that you wanna get into], my professor Durwin showed us an interesting method to complete an illustration, from conception to completion.  As an example, I'll show you guys the process for my first assignment.

1) Tight Pencils


This is essentially your lineart, in its final stage- not much, if anything, will be changed at this point [that's what all the thumbnails are for!].  A good rule of thumb is to keep tracing paper in your sketchbook- revisions are so much easier to make when you don't have to erase a shit-ton of graphite lines.  Plus, if you're working digitally, it's significantly easier to sub it and correct :)

lineart ahoy!  Eric and the Princess Rana', in all their glory

As an extra step, I draw my linework over again in CorelDraw. BEST PROGRAM EVAR for linework- fuck Adobe's various renditions of the Pen tool! *shakes fist*

2) Value Comps


This helps give illustrators a simplified road map to properly visualize lights, shadows and midtones, without the confusion of adding colors where tones tend to get muddled to the untrained eye.  By concentrating on what we want to be the focus of the image, working on value comps helps us figure out what combination works the best.

Once your focus has been decided, you play with value- starting from all white, to all black.

3) Color Comps


This does the same thing as the value comps- but with pretty colors instead :D  Yay color theory!

This time, the focus of your piece is centered on using various color schemes- in this case, value, complementary, saturation and temperature.

Princess Rana's Color Theory excercise

4) Final Illustration


Believe it or not, this was not the final step! [but at least things got easier after this]

So after you decided what type of colors you want to use, your layout has been finalized, you crank out the final illustration!  As you may be able to tell, some changes were made from my initial sketches, especially for the background.  Also, a very important part of this image was the mood/time of day of the illustration- in this case, the warmth of a mountain sunrise.  I also had to change some things anatomy-wise, but nothing that tracing paper couldn't solve ;)

Ta-daaaah!

5) Application!


"Application" meaning applying your final piece in its intended format- for example, my piece is supposed to be a character illustration, or concept art.  So in my case, my process all laid out on a single sheet will more than suffice [lucky me!]. The bonus about layout sheets is that I can also share things like initial idea sketches and color palettes.

A larger one would've also included character bios- but it's not necessary.

So there you go, my process from start to finish.  Process work was definitely the key-phrase this semester, especially after all the other work I had to do for my other studio classes.  It'll be a while before I work this entire process into my routine, but it'll definitely be some thing I'll save for my larger projects.

Finally done!

... with  my first year in Vancouver, and as an Illustration student at Emily Carr University.

it's been thrilling, inspiring, hectic and stressful, and i wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.  but right now, i'm SO glad it's done with for the next month!

i'll be spending the next few updates showing off the final products of each studio class i've had this semester, starting with ILUS 300: Advanced Illustration.

this class was the first time i felt in control about what my projects were going to be- probably because it WAS in my control.  our professor Durwin first grouped us based on the industry we expressed the most interest in working in.  in my case, i was in the concept art group, since i want to be in character design at some point.  proud to say that i was one of the only two girls in the whole group, too :D

so my project was basically to finally sit down and design the main characters for a novel i've been meaning to write- from top to bottom- and work on a character-based illustration to introduce them.  we were originally supposed to do four parts to the projects, but it wound up being two due to time constraints, and the bulk of other things we had to do for the class [i'll share all of that at another time- it's almost midnight here, and i have yet to pack for my flight!]

so without much more yammerin'...

Assignment 1...

...and Assignment 2!

Shakespeare in Paradise Poster Design

while i was back home, i was propositioned with again participating in the artistic side of the 2nd annual Shakespeare in Paradise Theatre Festival, by contributing a poster design for one of their plays.

last year, i delivered two designs and thoroughly enjoyed the process, so i was more than eager to lend my services again.  with a 2 week deadline set upon me [with no computer of my own and while i juggled a 9-5 summer office job], i completed my design for the main play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  the design went on to be printed out on T-Shirts and promotional posters for the play, featured on TV spots advertising the festival, and even went out to beat the other 7 different posters for the other featured plays and WON the Poster Competition on Facebook!

Here's the final design!  I'm quite proud of it <3

One Thing I LOVE About Third Year @ ECU

..the ability to direct my own work!

seriously, it's an amazing thing to be able to hear- that your assignments can be based on your own ideas and stories and that you can develop them to add to your portfolio.  my advanced illustration class in particular is lovely in this regard- i can push my own story and actually get some illustration work done for it.  i know i've been mostly remiss about uploading my past work, but once these first assignments are out of the way, i can show you all what i've been thinking up!

Now on Blogger!

... because I've always loved blogger over wordpress, so nyah!

besides, I'm pretty sure the statue of limitations on my keeping the blog on wordpress has long expired.


so here i am and here i shall be!

*shakes the dust off*

Well, it has been quite a while. I see that a lot of my DIVA 200 classmates have also ceased the update of their art blogs- which does make sense, since the purpose of this was indeed an assignment.

but I liked blogging about my various art endeavours both out of school and in, so I'm resolved to pick things back up!

So, expect the following updates from me very soon:

1- an upload of my Illustration assignment from the Spring semester at ECU
2- some videos of my best animations from the Intro to Animation Course I took in the Summer
3- my tales or art from back home in the islands
4- and what I'm doing now! [aside from enjoying my brand new laptop <3]


'til later, grasshoppers

a tiny bit of shameless self-promotion...

...but if you are on Facebook, FIND ME!!  I'd love to keep in contact with everyone now that classes are essentially done with!

You can find me here- I promise I don't bite :D

DIVA 200 Final Assignments List

It's very weird for me to be finished with my first semester here at Emily Carr.  I'm really gonna miss everyone I've met so far in my various classes!

Anyway, I decided for ease, I'd compile a list of all my assignments and link/show them accordingly, starting with DIVA 200.  Links will be added once they're finalized and/or located.

Assignment 1- this blog!

Assignment 2- my *glisten)HIVE internship [this links into my review of the installation plus my experience]

Assignment 3- Suzi's audio project

Assignment 4- Urban Intervention

Assignment 5- Video

i just remembered!

Michaela's video assignment and her source materials reminded me about t.A.T.u.'s music video for "Prostie Dvizheniya" which translates roughly into "Simple Movements", and I forgot to post the link up here.  so here you go!  it's one of my fave songs from the duo, video notwithstanding :P

Video Assignment- "sip-sip"- now with fortified subtitles!!

Click Here, Click Here!

So after a lot of headaches with software [the Mac vs PC debate has officially ended as far as I'm concerned- iMovie saw to it that I'll work in Audacity on my crap computer may times over before I touch a gorgeous Mac and use iMovie again!!!] and other computer-related woes, Im releved to introduce my video assignment for my DIVA 200 class- "sip-sip"  I hope you guys enjoy my little slice of home :D

exciting prospects

there's a chance that my Transforming Spaces entry will be heading to Freeport, Grand Bahama along with the other entries in "A Sudden and Violent Change"- not to mention i have a potential buyer for the painting.

all i can say is WHOOOHOO!

*shakes the dust off this thing* UPDATED

...sorry!

i guess the proverbial 'crunch-time' has finally hit me, like it seems to have all my fellow ECU peers.  i've heard horror stories of term papers, grad film reels being pulled, and all the homework piling up to where there's no air to breathe.  i can't say i'm in THAT situation yet... but i am starting to feel that pinch.

at the same time i can't believe it's been 3 months since i moved here and that my first semester is very quickly coming to an end.  even more alarming is that i may actually be able to start my third year studies by fall, if my summer plans work out the way they should.  i just have to pace myself and stay on top of everything, and my heavy workload should decrease soon enough.

that being said, i had to re-do my Urban Intervention piece because the humour that i was going for was totally misconceived as unintentional malice, so that was a slight bust.  but after taking the advice of my peers [and a little bit of digigng through EMC financial statements, i was still able to salvage my initial idea, modify it, and print out some banging stickers- 7 in total, actually.  the pictures will come in a little while- according to Zoe they are pretty damn huge.

..this last video project has me worried, though- and that's mainly for the state of my slowly-dying laptop.  it can barely handle a simple news clip, let alone video-editing.  but i think my concept is pretty solid.  no sharing yet, though- that comes tomorrow once i learn all the technical stuff.

UPDATE:

here's some of the photos of my installation around campus, 5 out of 7 of the chosen locations.

[gallery link="file"]

Assignment #4 [or is it #5...?]: "Where Your Money Goes"

Coming from a small liberal arts college in the Bahamas, I see anything that eliminate the need to walk across vast stretches of unused land a blessing.  So imagine what a lovely surprise I get when I find out that Emily Carr has an ELEVATOR.  It's pretty nifty, right?  A small school such as this, has provided an elevator for its students/faculty/guests can use to get to the second floor.  A perfect thing for the heavily-burdened or slight lazy amongst us.

Imagine my horror, though, when I see the interior of this elevator.  In short, it looks horrid.  For the purpose of carrying largepieces of delecate work, the padding on the elevator walls makes sense.  It's smart.  Visually, though?  It's REPULSIVE!  And THIS is what was up when the focus of the Cultural Olympiad shone upon the school?  Is that what our guests saw venturing upstairs?

We really don't have enough money to make sure aesthetics and functionality can get along??

COMPLETE! My "Transforming Spaces" Entry

so if you were paying attention a few posts back, you would remember i talked about being asked to participate in the Transforming Spaces exhibition by a friend of mine back in the Bahamas.  well folks, after a week of constant work [even with me being too sick to think straight at times] and about $200 down the drain in both materials and shipping posts [oye my heart!!], i'm pleased to show off the final piece!  check it out below, and leave comments!

[caption id="attachment_69" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Based on poems by Xan-Xi Bethel"][/caption]

CODE LIVE 2 Review: *glisten)HIVE

firstly, i must give my apologies for my tardiness with this assignment. the last week of the break- which started out really promising with my 21st birthday on monday- spiraled into bouts of chronic exhaustion and me being REALLY ill. i'm still beating off the exhaustion, to be frank, so i'm pretty glad this first week back is kinda mellow. but yea, i feel like hell.  again, my apologies.

so without further ado, here is my CODE LIVE 2 Review of *glisten)HIVE [you really think i was gonna choose something else? aha!]

A small video clip for your viewing pleasure.

*glisten)HIVE is an interactive digital installation piece presented by Canadian artists Julie Andreyev, Maria Lantin and Simon Overstall, which was displayed in the Intersection Digital Studios room at Emily Carr University.  The exhibition ran from February 4th until the 21st, as part of the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition [CODE] LIVE 2 Exhibition, in conjunction with the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

The  exhibit consisted of 4 transparent screens, suspended in mid-air, in a pitch-black room.  Participants either on-site, or at their leisure at the project's webpage, submitted their thoughts about their pets or rescue animals- how they imagined their animals' thoughts when happy, sad, conflicted, etc,-  as Twitter-styled tweets.  These entries are then randomly projected onto one of the four screens in pairs, appearing as a jumble of both random letters and the chosen phrases, creating the illusion of swarming insects- gradually getting closer [and sounds getting louder!] to the viewers before slowly fading back into the background- only to repeat the cycle again.

Outside of my love of animals, this exhibit holds a special place in my heart because I was able to assist in the research of material for the launch of the project.  From January to the middle of February, I scoured through Twitter to find tweets about animals, or accounts set up to in the name of someone's pet so that the pet [in actuality, of course, it's the human acting as a medium for the animal's supposed thoughts] can 'communicate' with their fellow 'anipals', or any other human who is interested in their Twitter-based antics.  These accounts in particular turned out to be the most successful source of information, as they were rife with content about the pet's thoughts about their owners, their other animal companions [some friendly, others akin to sibling rivalry!] and other events in their life like feeding time, the weather, or whether or not bath-time was fun or not.  Through my research I found nearly a hundred [if not more!] accounts of parrots, dogs, cats, bunnies, ferrets, even some odder finds such as turtles and hedgehogs!  Whenever I found a suitable account filled with content, I would compile my findings in appropriate lists on Twitter [which I have provided for you all to take a peek at], then alerted Julie to them so that she could comb through them as well, and select the tweets that she wanted to use.  My job as an intern for this project also entailed me constantly sending out the link to the website to my friends and animal organizations in the Bahamas to enlist their participation.

What I believe was Julie's intent with this project, was to bring awareness to the idea of an animal having consciousness- akin to the capacity of a human's.  Instead of thinking of animals as simply 'dumb beasts' who are incapable of feeling like a human feels, by searching for these accounts from 'animals' on Twitter, as well as encouraging on-site participants to word their tweets as if they are not speaking, but their pets are, you unknowingly start the process of empathy- you put yourself in the position of your animal and you start to think "What if?"  What if I was my bird, trapped in my cage all day when my owner normally lets me out in the afternoon?  Would I be irritated?  Upset?  How would I feel when he finally walks in the door and opens my cage, greeting me with a kiss on the beak?  Would I be happy with that?  Would I still squawk like hell to voice my displeasure? You may even start to change your actions based on your tweets, and be more conscious about letting your bird out for some exercise, maybe even give him some treats to get on his good side.  You become more aware of your animal's needs and you react accordingly- you've become more humane without even knowing.  At least, that is the hope, after participating or viewing the various tweets.

...And even if you are already a caring pet owner, it's always quite thrilling to see and hear- amidst the mass of swarming letters and the rising cadence and clashing of flute, bell and dog's whine- to suddenly spot your tweet- your pet's thoughts suddenly become visible, and you smile knowingly [or let out a little squeal, as I did].

I've asked some fellow ECU students how they felt about the exhibition, and most responded with positive remarks, although one girl did express dismay that she never got to see her tweet about her dog appear, even though she sat in the room for nearly an hour.  As far as a technical critique is concerned, I believe that rectifying that issue would be the best course of action- to have the tweets cycle through randomly, but also allowing newly posted tweets to be seen within a few minutes of submission- after all, the anticipation in seeing your entry float around the screen for a few minutes shouldn't be dampened by the simple action of 'random selection'.

In closing, I can safely say that working with Julie on this project was the highlight of my first term here at Emily Carr [how many can say they helped do research for Olympic art, after all?], and that I felt the exhibit was a rousing success.  If you missed this particular presentation, you missed out on something very thrilling and innovative.  I can't wait to see this project return in the near future, or to see what new innovations the team can come up with.

Something Interesting.

I feel this lends itself to the discussion we had in DIVA 200 about the digital realm and its impact on society. This view is from the gaming perspective at the DICE 2010 convention. Have a listen.

http://kotaku.com/5479125/points-for-toothbrushing-the-gaming-speech-everyone-is-talking-about?skyline=true&s=i

When I Paint...

....i feel the rush of the powerful, the sip of ambrosia still bubbling on my tongue as i realize i have my foot on the threshold of omnipotence. i become the Creator, the Great Judge as I decide what springs to life and what remains unformed in the shadows. i become the God of this New World and i revel in its glory, in its abundance..

and then when i stop, the ambrosia dries up, the colors grow cold and i am removed from the splendour- the uninvited guest at the party. the key is locked away and i can no longer access that world which was once mine to enjoy, the same world i willed into being. the paintbrush falls and i am vanquished. i am human, once again.

small break in the ranting- Assignment 4

i figured let me get this blog on track for once, haha.

our next assignment is something that isn't too new to me- we're designing a vinyl sticker to be displayed somewhere on granville isle/emily carr. due to my lack of transportation, i don't really know where on granville island i would want to put my sticker, nor what i want to express in the assignment itself. i've become more interstedin exploring the rationale behind this whole 'anti-olympics' sentiment that seems to be running rampant throughout the city [mainly because i find it to be rather silly, but that's for another entry], so i may decide to jump on that. now all that would be left is to find a suitable location...

My Problem with Protesters Part One- PETA

this particular topic has been bugging me for about two weeks now, the idea of protesting and the tactics people/organizations undertake to get their points across. most people who know me well enough know that i'm pretty opinionated about things that rub me the wrong way. what i'm also pretty vocal about is when organizations or people do/say INCREDIBLY stupid things to leave an impression.

my DIVA 200 class got a taste of this when i said that i'm not a fan of PETA. might sound odd, considering my love for animals, and even my involvement with julie's *glisten)hive installation. it hurts my soul when i see an abused animal, and i still get teary-eyed when i see freshly-killed meat heading to the market.

i also know that PETA has done quite a bit to rectify the animal cruelty problem, and there are a few success stories attributed to their intervention. and some of their idealisms i can say i approve of- for instance, their anti-fur campaign. i HATE seeing people in fur, even more so when it's not like an antique coat or something akin to a hand-me-down. the whole 'i'd rather go naked than wear fur' campaign? brilliant, really.

where i differ with PETA's 'good intentions' is mainly their methods. there's a way to educate people without resorting to scare tactics, sensationalist pranks and what i consider borderline deception. oh don't worry, i'll give my examples.

point 1/2- their scare tactics/deception.
yes, some of the things they show are pretty gruesome. i have a pretty weak constitution for slaughterhouse footage and the life, so i know that my use of the term 'scare tactics' could be taken with a grain of salt. however, when they go ahead and scare a pre-teen into becoming a vegetarian, i draw the line. i can't find the exact article of the case im referring to, but here's a link to the same campaign. But this detail of this same case is what irritated me. This kid and his mum were out, and a PETA offical LURED this kid away from his mother with what he thought was an honest to goodness McDonald's Happy Meal. what he got instead was the scare of his young life- pamphlets and GRAPHIC photos of chickens being 'abused' and slaughtered for food, specifically for McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. the personnel did NOT approach the mother first. the personnel did NOT ask permission from the mother who WAS with her son at the time, or even give her the pamphlets to decide for herself if it's something she wants to share with her kid in any shape or form. instead, she virtually scared him into NEVER EATING CHICKEN AGAIN.

this is a kid who isn't even 13 yet! somehow this is considered right??

do kids need to know how their food is produced? at some point in time, yes they should. when they are OLD ENOUGH to properly make that decision for themselves.
should you, as a member of PETA, essentially USURP the role of a parent and share with susceptible minds these frightening images of gore and death? absolutely NOT.

and this beelines itself to the deception bit. at first glance, a lot of their propaganda will fool you into buying into their little stunt. from a design side, sure- you can say it's really clever, changing Ronald McDonald into a knife-wielding murderer [as if kids with a fear of clowns ALREADY didn't have a hard time as is!], or the Inukshuk logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics being subtly changed into a figure clubbing a baby seal. but ethically? it's fucking sick.

why are you so okay with deceiving/tricking people into buying into your crap? is it because you know if you tried the diplomatic approach [like holding a damn conversation], they're going to make you out to be a bunch of nutjobs?!

point three- the goddamn stunts.

YES WE GET IT. killing seals is bad. very bad. we also get that it should be stopped, and shame on those who support it/stand by idly and do nothing about it. but do you REALLY have to pie a ministry official in the face on national television??

i'm sorry, but antics like this? that's just childish in my eyes. it's akin to a 5 year old throwing the most feared of temper tantrums JUST so that people can ooooh and aaaaah over her and she can feel validated and loved and noticed for the next 5 minutes. what is that benefitting? i'll answer this one for you: NOT A DAMN THING. you are NOT stopping a seal getting clubbed to death by throwing a shaving cream pie in a person's face. you are not causing someone to stop and think about the animals that suffer by drenching them in what looks suspiciously like blood. instead, you are probably going to get them thinking about how they can have you arrested. and that won't be saving a seal or a chicken, either.

also, getting all uppity because the President of the United States swatted a fly is really, REALLY lame. not to mention stupid. i'm sure that energy could've been put into stopping a seal from being clubbed. but no, you chose to pour your tears over a FLY. something i'm so damned sure you yourself have swatted, squished and Baygon-ed the HELL out of. no tears wept for the bears in china being kept illegally for their bile for 'ancient chinese medicine', or for the wolves and wolf pups that Sarah Palin is okay with SHOOTING IN THE HEAD from a fucking HELICOPTER. you cry over a FLY.

i'm REALLY gonna sympathise with your causes now!

look, i'm all about getting you point across. i get that need as someone who has delved into activism back in the Bahamas. but i consider it a point of pride that i NEVER tried to trick, manipulate or shock someone to get my views across. there's a better way to do these things and get results, and even to gain respect for what you do. ever wonder why PETA's name is almost like mud to the common folk? it's for shit like this that they pull, to make you believe that they're saints in disguise for pitying those of creation without the ability to overcome us and defend ourselves from their cruelty. maybe if most of the stunts they pull weren't as asinine, you'd actually have more supporters.

part two of this rant comes later- this was too much work to type about.

like gaming? crude humour? try this on for size.

my boyfriend Travaldo started his own gaming/entertainment podcast a little while ago- if you're a person who appreciates witty banter and honest talk about video games, then the NPC Podcast is for you- take a listen, become a fan, write in, and tell 'em Lindsay sent you :D

link will also be added to the Blogroll.

art to be posted within the next few days!  thank gawd for a two week break from school!

February 11. Day of Absence. All day.

February 11. Day of Absence. All day.

Posted using ShareThis

a little slice of home: the East of East Street project

it dawned on me that i haven't really shared much positivity about the Bahamas here on this blog- it's kinda because i couldn't find any, haha.  but this awesome 10-min documentary was posted on Facebook recently which highlighted a special community art project that took place last summer, and that i got to volunteer my time to for a few days.

actually, if it wasn't for this project, i never would've learned about ECUAD, so call it providence if you'd like, haha

anywho!  you can find the link here- enjoy!

and without further ado [thankGAWD]

after much screaming at the screen, several well-chosen profanities, a dozen middle fingers, a good exhale and some brownies to make me feel better [thanks love!], i've FINALLY completed my DIVA 200 assignment. i liked the project, don't get me wrong. i just loathe audacity and all its problems galore.   i'd be better off working with sock puppets at this rate.

again, my apologies for not meeting the deadline of 6pm.  i really did try, but the best-laid of mice, men, and a certain Rogue, do often go awry.... and consider this a warning, for anyone who decides to sneak a listen- things do get kinda loud [it's intentional!] so if you DON'T like to blast music in your ears, i wouldn't suggest turning the volume up for this one. seriously.  i nearly lost my right eardrum with how many times i had to check it.

anyway, enough with my ramblings.  here it is. next entry will be more entertaining and thought-provoking, i swears.  thank the gods for the next two weeks off- i could use the vacation.

Audacity is the Devil's Spawn

i think the title speaks for itself.

thanks to me having a lecture class this afternoon, the only way i can possibly complete my audio assignment fo DIVA 200 is if i carry my boyfriend's laptop with me and multitask. [the bonus to that is that now i HAVE a reason to stay awake!] so a warning to my classmates who by now must be already finished with their version- i'll probably be a bit late with putting mine up for download. i'll definitely have it up before the night is over [i only have one portion to go], but i highly doubt it will be before 6.. sorry!

this is a test pt2

feel free to ignore tis- just testing out this public server space we get here @ ECU'

test image

new tings!

so i'm gonna share with you folks the two poems i have been sent to depict for my involvement with Transforming Spaces.  they're written by a fellow Art student/badass poet named Xan-Xi B. and her poems are pretty damn deep.  i love them for their tone, their subject matter, and their strength.  it's an honour to get the chance to depict them.

in the meantime, if you have any thoughts/interpretations about the pieces, don't be shy- let me know what you think.  it could help influence/reinforce my interpretation of the pieces- and subsequently, affect the final product.

Her Name                                                                by: Xan-Xi


She is
wounded Earth
hostile
afraid

A ghost of Glory
roughened pearl
robbed of its shine

She is
a Mother; raped
forced to incubate
seeds of despair
birth poverty

Her womb is swollen
Heavy
She grunts
screams
squats
and squeezes
bawling men
from her sex

Flies alight on her face
bathe in her sweat

They shit there
Fly away

Remember?
Fertile and pregnant
Earth shook and shivered
Coughed blood

Then- held firm as
Her children rejoiced
Her war is won

Begun.

Earth belonged to them
at last

She is free.
She is proud.
She is beautiful.

She is
Big-hipped
Violet-lipped
Strong.

Now
Earth trembles
Earth quakes
Her babies are sick

She coughs
lungs rattle
as she tries to
expel
snot
It clogs her throat.

Long-lodged bullets shift

She weeps.

She is My Sister.

Her name is

Haiti.

Sister, Love                             by: Xan-Xi



Sisters to the sea
Stones in the ocean
We are-

Hispaniola
half-side
of a pot pourri
sweet, spicy flavour
mix-up
fix-up
boil together for
hot pepper-pot

Beautiful flower
Haiti
Once a pearl
Gem of the
Caribbean
Naked now
only hard rock
to sit on
to shit on

Sisters to the sea
Stones in the ocean
We are-

Haiti
you’ve been
robbed
mauled
butchered
chopped up
chopped down
until the tears of the people
soaked through
the dust
and dampened the
bones of those
black, dark
Africans
that fought for their
Liberation to
Paradise

Sisters to the sea
Stones in the ocean
We are-

Haiti cries
a little more
everyday
as everyday
more babies are
ripped from their
mothers’ wombs
life-cord dangling
political suicide

Know this!
Sister Haiti
has been
scrubbed rotten
rubbed rotten
sucked rotten
and loved
until rotten

Sisters to the sea
Stones in the ocean
We are-

Rocks on the
same water
We are
from the same Africa
Man!
the same Africa land

Shared the same womb
sucked the same
tits-
Tell Me
Why you want to
fight your brother-Man
Deny your mother
Come on Man

Sisters to the sea
Stones in the ocean
We are-

Skin pressed
glistening
black
Our pasts move together
close
like the gentle stroking
the sexing
of two lovers on
the Caribbean sea

Sister, Love
I will deny you
no longer

Awesome News Awaits You Within

so i started to notice a pattern in my life- when i'm a hair's breath away from moving onto the next big stage of my life, something happens that will benefit those behind me. when i left primary school, they renovated the hot assembly hall grades 1 thru 6 gathered in each morning, changed the floors and added a stage and A/C. when i left high school the long-rumoured cafeteria came into existence [as an alumnus at the time though, i did get to go to the opening and eat for free though, so that was a plus]. and finally, at my final week of being a COB student before graduation, the long-awaited Performing Arts Centre [that took my enitire tenure at that institution to be renovated!] was finally completed and open for the public for the 1st year art students to fully enjoy having their work displayed in. it's been amusing bad luck, actually, and i've always wondered if that cycle would break.

ladies and gents, it has been SHATTERED. here's how.

fellow artist/Queen's College High School alumnus Jonathan Murray has invited me- along with nine older/more seasoned visual artists- to participate in this year's "Transforming Spaces" tour and exhibition!

Transforming Spaces is an annual event held back home in the capital [Nassau] where various art galleries, spaces and studios open their doors and tours are conducted to each of them. local artists either show of a small portion of their work [like legendary artist Malcolm Rae], combine the chance to showcase their students' work as well [like my art tutor and Canadian Kim Smith], or use the chance to participate in special exhibitions specifically for Transforming Spaces [like my mentor John Cox and his gallery POPOPstudios does on occasion]

i ADORE Transforming Spaces. firstly, i think it's a wonderful way to show off the talent of Bahamian artists. i participated a few years ago as a tour guide and it was a rewarding experience because i managed to learn a lot more about those who've already established themselves as art pioneers. and it also gave me a good idea of what i'd have to do in order to crush them all.

well, this year, Transforming Spaces is gonna have a special exhibition entitled A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT CHANGE. i'm not gonna share too much on the idea of what the topic sprung from [cuz that in itself is like a full scale article], but the gist of the project is that 10 super-awesome local writers will write an essay, poem, or short story based on this theme, and the visual artists [aka ME!] will be tasked to reinterpret the pre-determined piece to work together like a diptych. we'll be getting our pieces at the end of this month, and i'll have 5 weeks to work at it.

the face that jonathan wanted me to work on this is humbling in itself, but when i see who ELSE is working on this project, i get a little starry-eyed. the guys enlisted on this are nothing short of fucking INCREDIBLE illustrators, painters, conceptualists and are just on another plane of artistic badassery, in my book. to have my name with them is crazy. it shouldn't be happening. me, fresh-faced, still schooling, barely-legal ME? in the same league as these guys? you gotta be shittin' me.

i am SO GONNA ROCK THIS.

FINALLY! Some artwork up on this biotch!

[gallery link="file"]

so without any further delay, i present to you the first fruit of my labours:  my final pieces from ILUS 200!

the topic was to pick two nouns [in my case, flower and paintbrush] and combine it with a human.  we could go nuts with the interpretations, but the only catch was that we HAD to use ink and watercolours only.

i've hardly ever used watercolors, much less actually being good at it, so this was really an experiment.  However, i am quite pleased with the results.  I may actually do more with it [i mean hell, i bought a whole set of tubes.  might as well use 'em, right?]

still not looking forward to this next project for this class though.  maybe if i look at some creatures from Avatar: the Last Airbender, i can get some insight.

Back in class....

...and Haiti's had a 6.1 aftershock. what the bloody hell is UP with this year? we've had more earthquakes in a week than we can shake a stick at [3 in South America, one in the US and one in the Southern Caribbean]. thankfully no tsunami warning for back home, but the attitude of my countrymen regarding the PM's decision to grant temporary residency to already detained Haitian nationals for the next 6 months is deplorable. they've said that they think by doing this they've giving the country away, ignoring immigration laws, yadda yadda yadda... same old Bahamian bullSHIT.

the ONLY criticism i agree with is that the PM should've acted with the Opposition instead of shunting them as always. everyone else from the US downwards has at least had the decency to contact/consult with the Opposition party regarding decisions. so this blatantly political move is pretty poor in my books.

...but again... for FUCKS SAKE people. have a damn heart.

....anyway, back to art matters.

i've managed to record some sound bits for my 3rd [...well, technically 2nd] assignment for DIVA 200. after consulting with julie about my feelings of isolation regarding my time here, she liked my idea of recording things that were 'similar' to back home, but not entirely- to highlight my feelings of displacement. for instance, the seagulls here are massive and their calls are foreign to me, used to the variety of seagulls frequenting the beaches of back home.

actually, now that i think about it, i must really be a bird person, because i was happiest watching the ducks and geese on granville island [which i hope to go back and get some extra sound clips from!] and the seagulls on the pier, than anywhere else in vancouver. of course, i use the term 'happiest' relatively. i like it here a lot, and i'm not necessarily homesick... just feeling out-of-place.

my ILUS 200 project was received well and i'll be posting the results of that today. but i wish that this second project was easier to deal with! we have to create a creature by combining animal/plant/human features, and paint a poster for kids, advertising this 'fantasy-land' where this creature resides. just one tiny problem.. I SUCK AT THAT!
most of my imagining has nothing to do with creature-creation WHATSOEVER. so this is really tough. not to mention my interests as a child were not really normal for girls back then. probably not even by today's standards, unless you have an... interesting mind.

the first VLOG will be posted on Facebook by the end of this week, as well as on another website [not photobucket, because they constantly fuck with my video to no end], now that i have content to talk about. sort of.

and finally, some blog links!

http://glistenhive.wordpress.com --> the *gisten)HIVE blog, which will be up really soon! don't miss your chance to contribute your animal tales to be included in the installation! you can send them as tweets to @mal22 or @glisten_HIVE- or, if you don't have Twitter, let me know so that I can give you my email for you to send them to me.

http://nicobethel.net/blogword --> a Bahamian writer/cultural art enthusiast i've had the honour of working with for the Shakespeare in Paradise Theatre Festival we had in the Bahamas in October. i go to her blog for her insight and views about what's happening in the Bahamas and the Caribbean- it's definitely worth the read. that way you have more than one islander source ;)

http://theartdepartment.org & http://www.conceptart.org --> if you are an illustrator/concept art lover and seriously want to venture into this line of work, i STRONGLY advise you check these guys out! trust me- you will not regret it.

alright, i am off to research/comment of my classmates blogs. Ja ne.

Project #3 and its Dilemmas.. [and other fun bits]

Our 3rd project in my DIVA 200 course is entitled "hyperlocal narrative, mapping and mobility". we are to team up [or not, in my case- i'm still kinda feeling things out as a newcomer, and i don't want to disturb the relationships that have already been built between my peers] and create a 3 minute audio file that CRITICALLY explores this notion, along with those of community and site, within the confines of Granville Isle and Emily Carr.

the only problem? i have NO IDEA WHERE TO START.

like i think i understand the premise of the assignment, but to be honest, there isn't much i can gather from it. i don't know what to explore critically, or how to do it, when i have no connection to anything here in vancouver, much less anything at school. i'm like this phantom trailing along my daily tasks, still very much the outsider looking in, and i have no idea where to put my foot down to steady myself. clearly, an email to ms webster is in order, if i'm ever going to make sense of this assignment. good thing tuesday's a free day for me until the afternoon... might be able to try something out then.

in other news, i finished my ILUS 200 assignment, and dare i say that i'm completely pleased with the results. especially since i've never used watercolors before. i'll be posting those up in a little bit- just gotta find my camera. my ILUS 201 project still has some major kinks to work out, with may require a change in tactics and/or software. if i feel like pulling an all-nighter, we'll see how that one goes.

and finally, i've been enjoying my role as an intern for *glisten)HIVE so far. there's a TON of websites and organizations that can be used for the project, and i've only been able to dig out a few good gems that Julie can use. i'm sure more will come though- just gotta keep an eye out to where they may be. of course, if you're reading this and want to contribute, you can check out the *glisten)HIVE blog link in my blogroll, as well as send any Twitter responses to me [@mal22] or to Julie [@glisten_HIVE] for us to collect.

A Mini-Update!

since my Facebook page was feeling all left out, wordpress wants me to PAY for uploading video [which i find to be a crock of bull], and the fact that i've been real lazy with image updating... this is just a quick announcement.

VLOGS ON MAH FB PAGE!!

there, that was easy.

pics to come tomorrow! i promise! cuz all of my assignments need to be done by then anyway!

Currently in class....

....and these Macs are SEXAY AS HELL.

like seriously, i've been raised a PC girl, and even the Macs we used back home weren't this hot. i just wish that these keyboards didn't feel soo... awkward.  i think when i do actually get a Mac, i'll stick to the Macbook.

in more important news, the tsunami warning that loomed over the Bahamas thanks to that 7.0 earthquake that Haiti suffered has lifted- which is a HUGE relief for me, since I can rest easy knowing that my family and my country are out of the line of fire for now.

....but seriously.  i swear, as a Caribbean lady, it's like Haiti is the proverbial poor kid that's always mocked by everyone, but everyone runs a guilt-trip the moment disaster strikes- as it always does. reading everyone's comments on FB about how everyone must 'pray for Haiti' and the like sickens me, because i know that without tragedy, the rest of the Bahamian population would continue to badmouth Haitians [both legal and illegal immigrants] for everything they can try. it's very sad, but i know i'm not the only Bahamian sickened by her countrymen by the underlying hypocrisy.

of course, this has got me thinking about what i can do to help out those in Haiti, since sending money is pretty much out of the question [it's not like i HAVE money, as an art student on the other side of the freaking continent]. the solution will probably come to me as this class progresses, since this whole 'activism' thing runs rampant in this class like a raging bull. julie, if you read this, help a sister out ;)

UPDATE:  For anyone who can- here's a link outlining some of the LEGIT ways to lend assistance to organization dedicated to assisting Haiti in this time of crisis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/01/12/2010-01-12_haiti_earthquake_how_you_can_help.html

first 'real' post? say it isn't so!

i find it very interesting that here at ECU a lot of concentration is on thought process and planning when it comes to our work- and while by nature i'm usually very meticulous, when it comes to art i'm more of a doer than a thinker.  meaning that far less time is done planning and tweaking, and i usually just work with whatever comes to mind first.  hopefully this is something i can learn to add to my art persona.

the idea of being 'artistically' responsible, however, totally grabs me by the hairs.  i've had an activist streak in me that runs the entire length of my island home [and with 700 islands, cays, and random rocks to include, that's pretty damn long], that stems from a strong sense of justice and equality.  it doesn't take much for the emphatic part of my Piscean nature to stir when i see or read something tragic, or unjust, or just plain wrong.  [i cried at the death of Neda, for Christ's sake].  i love the idea of my art being not only an indulgence of my own ideas and plans, but a metaphorical megaphone to lend a voice, if nothing else.  and there are a LOT of avenues i can choose from my experiences and plights back home to bring that all forth.  but those ideas i'll have to put a little stopper on for now- i mean, i'm not in kansas anymore [pun intended]- and instead immerse myself into the bowels of Vancouver's social ills [for yes, even a place as friendly and picturesque as this has its dark side- a tale from my classmate Valin's childhood completely convinced me of that] for my muse and inspiration.

so the art shall come soon, and you won't have to deal with my self-indulgent rambling for much longer, haha.  just amuse yourself with the links provided in teh Blogroll [especially the *glisten) HIVE blog!] until this weekend's done.  then i will have fun things to show and tantalize the brain.  until then, ja ne.

ArtRogue on Facebook & other links

because i know it'll be easier this way, haha- i've included a Facebook Page link in the Blogroll.  mainly for the benefit of my friends back in the Bahamas for ease of contact, but yea.  check the Blogroll for that.

i've also included two other personal blogs of mine, my Carbonmade portfolio [a bit of a placeholder until work actually gets posted here], and the link to my boyfriend's art blog.  all are worth looking at and passing on feedback!  otherwise i wouldn't be posting the links!

speaking of links, more important links will be coming up soon.  keep an eye out.

UPDATE- the link for both ElectroDiva [the DIVA class blog that actually is the launch point for this blog] and glistenHIVE has been added.  since i'm interning with this project, i'd suggest you take a look at it. *wink*

this-is-a-T.E.S.T.

mic check.

check.

1...2...3...Bahamian Rogue, checking in.

Konnichiwa.

Now that the formalities are over and done with... buckle up folks.  This ride will be rough.