Markers - I like fatter ones.

Doug Chayka, who was one of the full-time instructors at the Academy, showed us his marker drawings he had done in Berlin, which inspired me to revisit using the tool. (The last time I had extensively use the Sharpie marker was for 2-point perspective exercises in Intro to Industrial class) I soon found it not quite right and moved on to a similar but different type of marker, the one that I've used for the images above and below.


It's lets me block out shapes in a more graphic way, which presents exciting challenges in my decision making.


I drew people, but sometimes (well, most of the times) they're gone before I'm done...


and this is what happens.

Sketches

Updates have been delayed since my last access to a scanner, but now I finally can use one at Teachers College, Columbia University!

Some pages out of my sketchbook during the gap...

After the Illustration Academy, I was back in Virginia, and on Sundays, attended Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Vienna. I always arrived at least an hour earlier than the 4th service I went to because my dad had choir practices. That hour prior to (and often after) the worship is such a good opportunity to sketch people coming and going, having conversations, resting in the shade on a bench.

Children are often in the scene, but always moving (very fast)


I once stood in a back corner when they had a info session for prospective small group leaders. Almost all of them sat very fixedly.

Coming Soon!

I've been working on constructing a online portfolio website for several weeks. It turned out to be (as I should've expected) a more complicated, time-consuming, and attention-demanding project than I had anticipated, as I began with very little knowledge about website building or using Adobe Dreamweaver. (I do have an experience creating a simple flash site on a watered-down version of Flash called SwishMax, but barely used or needed knowledge on code.)

Well, the site is in the process of being made available on internet, so it will soon be open to the world!

Travel Poster

Last assignment at the Illustration Academy was creating a travel poster. I chose a small Korean town known for its traditional mask performance. In the town of Hahoe (하회마을), you can see people actually living in well-preserved traditional architecture from Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), and enjoy outdoor mask dances put on every week for the visitors.

Final sketch.

The name of the town (하회, or 河回 in Chinese characters), which means "winding river," refers to the village's geological trait of being almost encircled by Nakdong River. I wanted to connect (quite literally) this natural feature and the cultural heritage of Hahoe in my image.


Value study.

Color study.

I looked at Korean traditional landscape paintings for inspiration.

Detail.



For more information about the Hahoe masks as well as other Korean traditional masks, visit Hahoe Mask Museum.

Figures

Every Tuesday and Thursday nights at Illustration Academy: figure drawing. Here are some of the pastel drawings I made, most of them in about 15-20 minutes.

POP!

"Snap, Pop, Crackle" was the title of the assignment given from 3 Illustration Alumni, Robin Eley, Andrea Wicklund, Edward (Ted) Kinsella, who have all established steady illustration careers after their Academy experience. They also had the same assignment and decided that it was the best project they could give in their "homecoming" week.

thumbnail.

We were to make an illustration that describes one of the three sounds and I chose "pop." My idea was a kid hunting balloon animals with a sling shot.

final sketch.


color study. I had two versions and the one that's not posted had a pink balloon animal, as Andrea suggested. I decided to go with pink because I was able to go a little deeper with my values in the shadowy areas of the balloon.

detail.
Jacklyn, who was one of my suitmates during the Academy program and sat behind me in Studio 2, modeled in absolutely awesome poses and expression.

detail.
There's more than just one of them! I threw it in to be a second read and to prompt the audience to wonder what more fun and fantasy would be contained in the forest.

Conversation: Consolation

In the 5th week of the Illustration Academy, Chris Payne gave a really fun & open assignment: illustrate two people in a conversation. He stressed the correct use of photographic reference, and encouraged each student to get "good" models (of which, Chris was one of the best examples, as he gladly appeared in many of our references with hilarious and dramatic facial expressions and gesture).

I chose a conversation between two women at a funeral, one comforting the other over a grim loss.

final sketch
(I was happy that it was very close to the first thumbnail!)

value study in charcoal.

color study using the same media (nupastel) and paper that were also used to created the finish.

detail of the pastel version.

I also decided to work on another version, applying the masking fluid technique Anita Kunz showed in her demo. This one's done in watercolor and ink.



detail of the hair in the ink/watercolor version.