THE SPARK

Happy 2012

2012-01-11T10:27:00.001+08:00

We're into the New Year! And as I figure out the steps I need to take to be a better artist this year, I am aware of the blessings I have too!

My last three months in LA left me wanting for more, no way will three months do the trick, more like three years! But I've met enough talented contemporaries and bought a whole load of books to sustain my energy here for the next few months.

Work is streaming in, and particularly painting jobs! That is way awesome!

The Elephant Parade is in town. I caught ALL of them yesterday at the SAME spot at the Singapore Botanic Gardens - all 162 pachyderms! They have been installed all over the island for the past two months. One of the interesting ones I found is the a baby asian elephant in a durian body by artist Nat Posila and Ed Robinson.

Looking forward to the unfolding of surprises in 2012!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T17:17:00.002+08:00

It's the time of the year when everything starts slowing down. It's good that this still happens. We all need to take our breaks every now and then to keep our bodies, minds and spirits in check.

CHEERS!! :D

2011-12-21T08:05:00.001+08:00

image from 112 Katong Facebook Page

WOW! Three months gone and so many changes in this little red dot! Just Katong alone has 112 Katong, Tides @217, the Jago Close Coffee Shop revamp, and the Santa Grand Hotel is now opened! Amazing work within such a small area! Either that, or three months away has been long.

On my flight back, I made friends with a couple of travellers, and many were asking if the government sponsored my three month stint. This immediately told me that what I just did in the last 90 days was incomprehensible! Many commended that I was brave. My quick reply to that, "... you mean suicidal?"

So what is my take home?

To be very very good at my craft, I have to be immersed in the right place. And the right place at this point in my life seems to be LA. I love living in Singapore, it's just that, this is not the place to breed artists... at this point. Maybe later, but no, not now at this point in time. So you get the drift. I need to live in California. I need to spend some time there to hone my skills. And in order to do that, I need a job there to be able to sustain me.

Enough said. Time to put some words into action.

In the meantime, happy holidays!! :D

Gusto!

2011-12-02T02:56:00.001+08:00

"Sing with gusto," my choir master used to tell the basses. Now I know what she meant. A reminder from today's readings too not to build your house on sand!

I used the time in the morning to do a little R&D. It is not everyday that you get a close to apocalyptic look in your town! Last evening's strong winds are the result of some high and low pressure activity near the Las Vegas area as reported by KTLA.

How bad was it? The damages can be seen clearly in the photo montage above. Schools are closed, a huge tree branch fell right through my neighbour's roof, and we're all preparing for round two... tonight!

A Bird's Eye View

2011-11-24T07:23:00.001+08:00

I trekked up the Sam Merrill Trail this late morning. Not knowing how high or how long it'd take, I loaded my bag filled with Art materials and began the hike right after Mass.

Thinking it'd take about 40 mins to get to the top, I made frequent pit stops to admire the view behind me and whipped up a really quick sketch when I could. The path was narrow, so I had to be mindful of other travellers. I bumped into Patrick on the way up and he said it'd probably be another hour plus. So I kept going minus the sketching. An hour passed, and I was still walking, wondering how long more I'd take. I had no GPS, no map, I was alone, no watch to keep track of time, and furthermore... it was a school day! :D

As I inched upwards, I could almost see more dirt track ahead of me. That kept me going. I was reflecting on this and it kind of became a metaphor for my current journey towards Imagineering. I had no idea what was up there, but I enjoyed the journey with so much to see especially from a higher elevation. I met fellow trekkers on the way that reminded me that there are others on the journey.

90 minutes and still no sign of the top. I wondered to myself a lot... How much longer? And like life, there were so many distractions: Will I be back in time to do some work before class later? Will I have enough water left? Will I have enough time to go buy groceries for the Thanksgiving dinners (yes... two) I'm preparing tomorrow? What if a deer jumped out of no where and starts charging at me? Or if a snake slid up and nit me? All these thoughts on top of the fact that it was getting hotter.

I decided to ask the next trekker how much farther. I got my answer 10 minutes later, "You're pretty close... 10 maybe 15 minutes," she says. With that sudden burst of energy, I realised I was climbing faster. Also the width of the route became tighter and steeper. This always happens when I'm just around the bend of something awesome.

20 minutes passed. 25.... still no sign of the summit. The air was getting thinner, my pulse heavier, my water bottle - two gulps lefts. This was when I told myself. Forget school, forget the work, I'm right around something really awesome!

Just then, I saw something industrial in the midst of the organic shapes ahead of me. It was a sign!! And just further up more, the peak of Echo Point. I saw a trail of rusted metal chunks from the former Mount Lowe Railway leading up to Echo Point House. Only the foundation is left, due to the 1938 floods! This is where I believe many would have gone, "That's it?"

But for me, I pictured a revitalised turn of the century amusement park with the old tram and cable car system running. I hear an echoey audio of the old style amusement park soundtrack and rides with children screaming cheerfully. Also there are eateries and games stalls for the happy families that come up here to take a break.

Just then, two trekkers that had just arrived the top asked me if I knew the directions to another higher altitude. Of of them pointed to the higher plains and said, "Over there, you get better bird's eye views." Not surprising that it's named Inspiration Point.

On my way down, my mind was occupied trying to build this fun getaway. It was then I got my answer - keep moving forward especially when things seem to be going against your flow, you'll never know what's around the bend and it's a good way to check what you really want and have passion for. :D

Last but not least...

2011-11-15T08:32:00.006+08:00

Facebook has decided not to import automatically blog entries from blog sites. This should happen in the next week or so. This will be my last blog import into Facebook, but the blogging on this site will go on here - http://imaginativespark.blogspot.com/.

I forgot to mention when I went to Dreamworks the other day, I saw a bus sign with an oh so very aged and faded out logo. Right at the bottom of the sign is the Burbank Transit Logo that I designed some 15 years ago for a competition here. What a trip back into time! I never really saw this final product until that day... Oh well, time for a change!!

The building behind the bus sign is Imagineering... in case you are all wondering. :D

Whaaaa - taaaaahh!!!

2011-11-10T05:33:00.002+08:00

It's been 52 days.

Yesterday, I popped into Dreamworks Studios as a guest and got beat up by a Panda! The place houses about 12oo creative talents from the many various art forms and it was so amazing to see how life moves on the "campus". I was even that close to seeing the Concept Art for a couple of new movies along the pipeline... way cool! :D

And just diagonally across from Dreamworks Studios on Flower Street is... Imagineering.

Trader Joe's

2011-11-07T05:01:00.003+08:00

Thanks to this grocer, I get all my cooking done in 30 mins! :D

Almost anything I need to find is here. And most of the items are either washed, peeled, or pre-prepared so I only focus on the cooking and not the prep. Most of the items found are fresh too, so it's free from all those chemicals. The range of food here go as far as the south east asia, so that keeps my options wide and helps me stay creative in this form of art.

All Hallow's Eve

2011-11-02T01:27:00.007+08:00

So Halloween night came and went. I had classes the entire day: from 9am to 10pm. The only thing close to a halloween ritual I did was probably to buy the above skull... muah ha ha ha... I just hope I don't get issues with security at the airport next month.

I've past the halfway mark, which means I haven't got much time left here. This is when I begin to feel that I should actually spend more time here to hone my craft. You don't just get better in 3 months. :D But overall, classes are going good. The amount of energy generated here keeps me going.

WOW! 7 Billion. I kinda know what 2 million people may look like... but 7 billion is just way over my head.

It's All Saints and and All Souls today and tomorrow... so I guess there's still time to celebrate. :o)

Live from the L.A. Zoo

2011-10-28T14:42:00.006+08:00

Today seemed like a good day to visit the zoo, so that's what I did. Armed with my drawing tools I headed 15mins east of Pasadena.

I was partly here to scout The Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel and several new attractions for my theme parks design class, but little did I know that today was the grand opening for this brand new carousel!

This must be mating season for the Masai long neck ungulates! So many visitors equipped with their camera phones waited patiently for Artimus to make his move on Neema. The wooing took ages! What a gentleman! :D I was almost there for 40 mins, nothing happened except for a couple of misfires! The only thing I got are several pages of sketches using col-erase Prisma pencils. I just used it once for an assignment recently and I thought why not use it today. The pencils feel like magic - an easy application! Ha ha... I was happy with the turn out of some of the sketching. After which, I popped into Swains to get some more!

See the sketches here http://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/2011/10/live-from-la-zoo.html

The Norton Simon

2011-10-27T05:52:00.006+08:00

Monday's painting class became a field trip to Pasadena's Norton Simon Museum (it's only five mins from where I live! :D) It is probably the most informative museum visit I have ever had. And the best part was that Karl got us in for free.

We started outside with Rodin's most famous piece Les Bourgeois de Calais. I never knew how animated this piece of artwork is until now. Moving on into the museum, we covered 14th - 17th century art, 18th - 19th century, and then finally to modern art. It was interested how some of the pieces in the modern art section were created by Karl's friends.

Take home: Every famous artist from Degas to Picasso, from Mondrian to Sargent, all went through lots of pain, either that or they were kicked out from convention to break out from what everyone else was doing. They took the risk. But before all of that happened, ALL of them understood the classical and traditional way of doing things... yes, even Mondrian. If you don't understand what's traditional, what are you going to break away from? Here's an example: We're all familiar with Picasso's style. But if we go way back, we'll see that he came from a traditional art background. Here is an image of his work when he was a student at 15 years old. Enough said.

Gouache Rocks

2011-10-25T14:36:00.004+08:00

This past weekend, I attended a Mike Hernandez 3-day seminar on Gouache. The closest I came to dealing with gouache was doing colour swatches for Colour Theory oh so long ago.

The two plein air locations over the weekend were Vasquez Rocks and Laguna Beach. So besides learning a new medium, I get to see two pretty (and far away) sites within the LA county! Vasquez Rocks is a place many film productions use as a location for their shoot. But the minute I saw the rock formation for the first time, I thought to myself... Cars. Not only did I get to see breath-taking sites, I got to meet a wonderfully talented bunch of classmates too. :D The finishing texture of gouache reminds me of the fine sandy rough edges that Mary Blair's produces in her art pieces. I like!!

Gouache is here to stay. :D

To view the other pieces, click here.

Blairing out colourfully

2011-10-21T05:49:00.006+08:00

Photo taken at the Disney Galley at the Disneyland, Anaheim to celebrate the art of Mary Blair and 45 years of the It's a Small World attraction.

Today, Google honours Mary Blair's 100th birthday. No wonder the Oscar hosted a tribute for her last night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Yeah, I had class so I didn't go.

From Alice in Wonderland to Cinderella, to the It's a Small World Ride, Mary Blair has been the one behind the concept art for the Walt Disney Company. Her style so uniquely engaging and colourful, has definitely impacted the work I have done! *tear*

During character class last night, our lecturer confessed that he was almost to a point of shedding tears when he first stepped into his art class. (He studied something completely different and only got into art in his 2o's.) He realised that there were so many good artist out there, and that he was so way behind. But he pushed on. He loves what he does, and continues to do wonderful pieces, especially with animals! You can check out his work here. Later, during class, I mentioned that I am kinda going through the same phase right now. Of course I left out the fact that I'm as old as him which means I'm only, well, say... 14 years behind?? That's a lot of catching up! So... back to work. :P

See what happens at 12 noon at the It's a Small World Ride's Front at Hong Kong Disneyland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Ikg8RgM2w

A Day in the Life...

2011-10-17T00:01:00.004+08:00

I began assisting Karl for the recording of his in-class lectures. These will be hosted online for anyone is interested. The seminar I attended is called Story Beats: Drawing Character moments that show story sequence. And my... what a valuable class! :D

I was able to pop in and out of Woodbury between the seminar and night class to say Hi to former classmates and Deans during the Graphic Design 80th anniversary celebrations yesterday. Good to see Mr Bill Keeney, my former dean, who lives in the south of France now with his wife. What a life!

The official Imagineering Day session on Thursday (14 Oct) was packed! The only thing I got out of it was how big the company is. Too big! Ha ha...

Homework is pouring in... putting on my busker's hat and doing the juggling thing again!

Check out that Vinyl

2011-10-13T07:16:00.005+08:00

Okie, so I'm not into dolls... I think. But because I was passing by the Disney Store yesterday in the city of Glendale, I popped in to check it out. The Disney Stores around aren't what it used to be. I remember more noise, more toys over flowing from the shelves, more sale items... everything has toned down a couple of notches.

But there was this one collection that caught my eyes! Basically, the toddler versions of the Disney Princesses designed by Glen Keane and Mark Henn - two veterans that have been animating Disney Animation for decades - especially the princesses.

My favourite one seems to be Rapunzel. Details right down to the freckles on her cheeks!

Baby steps

2011-10-10T14:36:00.006+08:00

After class last Saturday noon, I popped by my alma mater for a visit. The school of Graphic Design is celebrating 80 years this coming Saturday, and have invited 80 Alumni to come give one piece of advice to current students. The session itself should take 80 minutes. I was asked months back even before I knew I was heading out here to prepare something. Since I have classes on that day in the morning and in the evening, I have prepared a one minute video for my segment.

On top of that, alumni were asked to submit their recent works for an exhibition. Four pieces of my current work has been selected. Can you spot it in the picture above? My first works exhibited in L.A.! :D

All my classes have begun and the homework along with it. A total of 30 hours I will clock excluding a couple of seminars here and there. It's going to be creatively intense!! Ah... now I remember what I missed in the last 15 years or so. :D

I finally bought a scanner. I had no choice. The classes need work to be blogged. It would have been absurd to pay a dollar for each scan as a service knowing I'd be scanning quite a load of stuff. Good thing is Target was offering an all-in-one (with wifi) for a low UDS39.99. How crazy is that? And also in perfect (Kairos) timing!! Why are quite a number of things here so economically priced?

So look out for my works online... soon.

Yo-ho Yo-ho...

2011-10-06T16:04:00.007+08:00

This evening, I had my first character design class with David Colman. And into the second hour, out of nowhere pops John the Pirate. I painted him two weeks ago at the American Animation Institute. If there's a pirate related anything that calls for a model, John Tucker is your Buccaneer! If you have seen the book, Force: Character Design from Life Drawing, there he is on the cover! :D

A very professional model... in fact, because he knew we were going to do short poses, he brought with him his entire regalia in his treasure chest which includes a barrel of rum, pirate swords and replica guns, a spyglass, and oooh, did I mention a bag filled with pirate themes soundtracks??

And so that's why the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride at Disneyland has been down for weeks! Arrrrggggh...

FIgure Drawing 101

2011-10-04T14:40:00.004+08:00

It's getting colder in the nights. Winter's fast approaching.

But during the day, it's very Mediterranean-like. Warm hot sun, virtually no perspiration. Or what seems like zero humidity. I appreciated intense sun today as I was feeling a little feverish.

Last Saturday, classes with master draughtsman, Glen Vilppu, started. Taking these classes from him and Karl really puts me back right in the very beginning. I am constantly re-learning and correcting my old drawing habits. Like Karl Gnass mentioned once in class, "You must encounter resistance in order to grow."

Did I mention how everyone here is so so so good at what they do?

That's Glen showing me his little secret weapon for his guerilla washes, made with love using a small empty Altoids container, some putty, gesso and a clip! :D

Simpsonfied

2011-09-30T16:39:00.006+08:00

Today was another sightseeing adventure for me!

It began with Timothy Walter Burton's Specially Ticketed Exhibition at LACMA. There were literally over 700 pieces in the form of sketches, sculpts, photos, videos, etc. And it reminded me of how important every piece of work is important, right down to the smallest thumbnail or sketch.

Next up, Film Roman Inc. This studio produced many cartoons. And one of the more popular ones is The Simpsons. Not only did I get to preview this Christmas' (2011) episode, I got myself Simpsonfied by assistant Director Ricky Manginsay. If you're interested, the image is on my facebook. Ricky is a former co-worker of Philip, my former lecturer who arranged this evening's tour.

Sony sent a free software upgrade for my camera, which now includes a couple of filters to play with. Spent the afternoon trying out the different "lenses". You will see me using some of them in my future posts.

The bulk of my classes have commenced, and looking forward to the next jammed packed 10 weeks. For now, it's back to figure drawing with Karl Gnass.

A Pink Evening

2011-09-30T03:33:00.003+08:00

I finally made it to Pink's at La Brea. My sister recommended the place to me a long time ago!

The hotdogs are not too bad. I think I prefer the veggie baja fresh with guacamoles and tomatoes! The best thing here is the very causal setting.

Next up, Erin (family friend whom I used to babysit) and I dropped by Pink Berry! If you are from Singapore and have never seen the image below before but find this familiar... you're probably thinking Berrylite. Yes, the founder of Berrylite in Singapore studied here in L.A. for 4 years. No prizes for guessing where he got the concept, name and idea for the logo from. :D

Just Pas-sing by...

2011-09-28T14:49:00.008+08:00

And so I have arrived in Pasadena! It's been a week or so.

I will be taking a bunch of classes from a couple of schools in the vicinity. So much has happened in the last week while settling down, I figured I should just start blogging about my journey and not procrastinate.

Today, I met some interns from Imagineering for dinner. It was at Burbank's JB's and even though the session was short, at least I finally made contact with someone inside of the company. :D All this happened while at my painting class at the Animation Guild. My classmate there, who is also a Woodbury Alumni, hooked me with them - her former classmates. The connections are happening a whole lot faster than my attempt in 2007. WOW!! :D

Dinner ended, everyone had their appointments, so I decided to pop by the monthly meeting at the Animation Nation on 2006 Magnolia. Today's speaker is a true caricaturist who started from scratch. During the course of the 2.5 hour session, I was introduced to the vast array of work that spans his 19-year career which resulted in the loads of philosophies for my downloading.

My take home for the evening is to "put my stuff out for all to see". For a long time, I've kept works in the vault just because I feel I'm not ready for the world. Well, this blog (that's now connected back to Facebook... again) has been switched "on".

So here I am, sharing with the world my roller coaster adventures towards my dream...

Evening with Stephen Silver

Taking En Plein Air to greater heights!

2011-09-02T01:26:00.002+08:00

It's been awhile... why with all work going on for my final year project and other ongoing projects... But I'm back, after a retreat away from Singapore. It is definitely refreshing!

School is done officially at Eggstory. In fact, the school's not even called Eggstory any more. Grad Show falls on Sept 9. And the strange thing is that I am not focused on that all. :O) I have already begun serving out my year long bond with Imaginative!

I'd like to begin this new phase in my life with this clip. In a way, it is a metaphor for my life - Do what you love even though what you do may not make sense (cents) to many, but it is in this uncertainty that will take you by surprise and take you to places you wouldn't have imagined! :D

Two extra weeks

2011-06-26T17:07:00.003+08:00

Okai. Latest in the news... we're getting two extra weeks to complete our project. SO end date of school is now pushed to 29 July 2011. I'm seeing this as a blessing because of the last month or so that had its set of extra activities like my sister's wedding. The prep and post alone took up quite a bit of time, but it was well worth it! :O)

I also had the privilege of Jerry Ching, a former lecturer, look at my final year project. I only had a window of 7 minutes, but it was the best 7 minutes at school! Lotsa tweaking, polishing up, new pieces to work on in the last month at school, but so looking forward to completing the whole thing!

The Con 3 ended their camp today. In the midst of all that is going on, it was good being there!

Push on!

Focus... I am Speed

2011-05-27T08:47:00.004+08:00

Six weeks and counting. Yes, you heard me. Another 45 days more and I'm done with school officially. This is the point where most of us begin to wonder if we can extend our days at school. Isn't it ironic?

The above is a test render for my fly through of the park. I've had an incredible amount of help from some of my school mates on this and am really grateful. It's gonna be a tight race to the finish line... very exciting, a little apprehensive! ;o)

Drawn to this

2011-05-09T09:37:00.010+08:00

It was a hyped up weekend because of the General Elections. I'm glad that all the buzz is finally over. Actually, the weekend ended pleasantly with an open figure drawing class held at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia. Tucked away in the greens of the Tanglin area, this school organises uninstructed figure drawing sessions not just to students, but to the public.

For the past five Sunday evenings, I've been going there with some of my schoolmates for these sessions. This is a gem an animation student like myself will prize - more drawing! And how generous of the school to keep these sessions open to all! Did I mention it's free too? Classes like these definitely make the drawing scene especially here in Singapore (whether you're an animator, illustrator or hobbyist) more alive. One of the highlights of this open class concept is the opportunity to be exposed and learn from the many various styles of drawing from artists of all walks of life.

Thank you, Patrick, for organising this. Sessions begin again in the Fall '11.

Last Leg

2011-05-01T15:51:00.004+08:00

It's been a long while since my last photography project. And last night when it happened, I almost felt I was recording life at supersonic speed. I have been drawing a lot and those things take loads of time. There I was snapping away at the wedding, when it dawned on me... I really love to draw! :o)

Approximately 10 more weeks and I am done with school. HURRAY that it's going to be over soon; BOO I've got so much more to cover as I inch towards the finishing line. My interim was last week, and that was a good halfway point to remind me where I stand at this point.

Old Town Coffee

2011-03-04T09:30:00.002+08:00

I was at Amoy Street yesterday during some research on the buildings there for my theme park design, and popped into the famous hawker centre there for breakfast. Strange, but the coffee I had tasted a little salty...

Jokes aside. I have four months and two weeks left till the end of school, and am revving up my gears to top speed. Like Elvis once sang, "It's now or never."

The Beginning of The Last

2011-02-28T09:19:00.005+08:00

About six months from now, I will be done with school. Definitely looking forward to that. But in the meantime, a lot more to do and learn this final semester. Now I can appreciate why these things take time and a reminder why in similar universities and colleges in the US, it takes four years to obtain a degree. So whether my two year programme is suffice, I will only know at the end of it.

The above is a strawberry cheesecake baked with love for me on my birthday. It is a reminder of what truly is important in my life and what needs to be done in the next 6 months... and looking forward to making it happen. :O)

Rest is Good

2011-02-23T12:28:00.005+08:00

I'm in my week long break before the last semester commences. The rest is necessary to prepare myself for the last leg of school. :O) I have learnt during this time the need to listen to people better, and also not to overload myself with work as it rubs off to others close to me. Not healthy, not right.

Dropped by Anatomy class yesterday under Derek Eversfield and within 10 minutes, I realised that I had been learning a different method of drawing the whole of the last semester as seen in the drawing above. Yikes! Since Anatomy studies isn't available the last semester, I hope that I do not have classes that run on Tuesdays from 1 to 5pm so I can ride on that class!

For now it's rest... :O)

The Grass is Looking Green

2011-02-16T23:30:00.005+08:00

It's the last day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. So much has happened in the last two weeks. I was mostly occupied with completing school projects for the semester. It got done. And now I am on my two week break before the last leg of the journey.

I have learnt to take my breaks and to truly enjoy them. It's part of recharging one's body by not overexerting it.

I caught the Green Hornet yesterday and guess who was starring in it? Edward James Olmos as Michael Axford. He's probably more known for his role as Gaff in Blade Runner and the more recent Admiral Adama in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He popped by into class one day last semester and I had the opportunity to take a picture with him.

Also I am pleased to announce the editing work I did for the making of the HOME music video titled "Home" - The Journey which was launched as part of this year's Total Defence campaign. It is out on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZAv1ZYNLM4&feature=player_embedded. Enjoy! :o)

Fried Egg

2011-01-27T23:00:00.003+08:00

Today was the last day at Egg Story. On Monday (31 Jan), I continue the rest of the journey at Fusionopolis at whatever the new name of the school is. Having the new school at Bouna Vista has its pros and cons. The biggest obstacle will be travel time. Technically, if I take the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), it'll take a really long time on the Circle Line to get to school. That's not a good use of time each day. Otherwise, I should be looking forward to finishing school in my last Semester which begins late February. I definitely looking forward to toilet doors with actual handles on them.

Good bye, Omelette! Like the Spanish saying goes, "Afterall, to make a beautiful omelette, one has to crack the egg."

Occlusion Ambient

2011-01-26T21:14:00.003+08:00

This is my first occlusion ambient pass on Maya. By the way, if you had just click the link on the left, you will know that Maya is the sanskrit word for Hindu concept of Illusion. Yes, I am back at it again (dunno whether to sigh or smile). My matte painting class also needs Maya for the last project. Maybe it's for the better. It's always good to have another set of skills, but this Maya you are talking about. I've always wanted to render my 3D models to this point, but we were never taught how to in year one. Calvin says rendering OAs can fry one's computer.

Anyway, this is a scene from my Comic Art class project with Spiderman! :O)

Two and a half weeks left to the end of the semester. Hang in there!

Tangerine in the Sky

2011-01-21T22:17:00.003+08:00

On my way back, directly facing east was the full moon rising. It was optically huge as it was very near the horizon. I'm glad it was truthfully orangey red too, because that's the colour of the sun! It's a reminder that the Chinese Lunar New Year is fast approaching. Which only means more make-up classes. My consolation will be that at least, things are moving. :O) I have definitely picked up quite a bit of skills this semester, knowing that there will be a lot more to learn.

Land scouting

2011-01-20T00:19:00.003+08:00

I went to Jewel Box at Mount Faber one morning to do some land scouting for the theme park design. And most likely, it's going to be on that strip right on the horizon. Area blocking for the various lands have been nailed down. All it needs now is to be populated with attractions. So far, the four lands I have allocated to this island park are Adventure Land, Mermaid Lagoon, Old Town and Port Discovery.

Three more weeks to the end of the semester and you can just imagine the load. It is confirmed. School begins at Fushionopolis, Bouna Vista on 31 Jan.

Cheerios!

It's new - 2011!

2011-01-10T20:37:00.005+08:00

I might have posted this image before. It was a trip I took to Chiang Mai a couple of years back. The reason why I chose this image is to simply usher in the new blog year in refreshing kind of way... I still can feel the cool midst on my face.

It's four more weeks to the end of the semester. Very, very little time left for what I have to do. Plus the impending Chinese New Year holidays (you know what this means... more make-up classes) coupled with the off days because of the moving of the school. New rumours tell me that we're moving month-end. So it's a stretch of break on the first week of February... I think.

I've nailed down what I want to do for my final year project and it definitely has to do with Disneyland! I've decided that I'm gonna create a Disney theme park for Singapore and it will be situated at the island of Sentosa. I call it Disney Island. At this point, I'm working out the schematics of the park - a top view of the park with a rough blocking of the potential lands and rides to be put in place. Looking forward to the next seven months to complete it. I realised that this IS the best time to do this. Otherwise, I doubt I will ever find the time to do it outside of school.

You'll definitely be getting updates right here... so stay tune!

2011-01-10T20:36:00.001+08:00

Season's Greetings!

2010-12-25T13:10:00.001+08:00

Stitch wishes all a Merry Christmas!! :O)

In 10 days

2010-12-20T21:50:00.003+08:00

In 10 days, the year will come to a close and I will be leaving this place. The school will move to Fusionapolis at Bouna Vista. Like everything else, I have gotten all too familiar with the Bugis Area. Everything from how and where to jaywalk, to the best place for lunch, to mass times in churches around the vicinity. Hey, at least I know where the cheapest long term parking is in town! :O)

I will miss the convenience of the Straits Commercial and Art Friend where I can just pop in to top up my materials and art books to drool over at Basheer. The $2 combo fruit juice store at the ground level of Fortune Centre. Printing facilities at Sunshine Plaza. Sights like the tough shirtless old man on wheelchair moving himself from point A to point B, and the old woman who sits right behind the bus stop in front of St Joseph's Church on Victoria Street waiting for tuppence. Sights that will now remain only as a memory in the form of Joint Photography Experts Group thanks to my little digital camera.

Soon, I will have another place to explore and familiarize myself with.

HOME

2010-12-15T23:29:00.002+08:00

So yesterday concluded that last shooting session for the music video. It was a very extensive set-up. Now I can begin the editing process of the "Making Of" video.

The trip to the Bird Park was above what I had expected. The last time I was there was 22 years ago. Lots of new things to see. Will post those at http://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/ when I am done with the current zoo postings.

In other news, Egg Story Productions has officially shut down. The school's not affected... as of yet.

A Hairy Affair

2010-11-28T16:03:00.002+08:00

"Pure Awesomeness!"

(And I'm not saying this because it's Disney...)

What Truly Matters

2010-11-25T09:12:00.006+08:00

It's been a juggling act these past weeks. With a pretty good stream of work coming into Imaginative, these posts on my blog has begun to take its toll. But here it is... updates.

I've been blessed with a handful of caricature drawings of late and that in a way has allowed me to polish my workflow process and of course, skill.

For the last two and a half months, I've been working on a campaign called What Truly Matters in 6 Words. And as the name suggests, participants pen down in black and white, what is most important to them concisely. This allows participants to slow down and think through their lives! It's a programme conceived by Prime Time - Doing What Matters. The big event launch is on 27 and 28 Nov from 10am at The Drome at Plaza Singapura. But if the internet is more your cup of tea, go ahead if you can spare the time to log in your six words at http://primetime.sg/whattrulymatters/

Last week, I stepped into Parkview Square for the first time to do a shoot for one of the video clips for the What Truly Matters campaign. And my oh my... what a beautiful view! There I was on the 15th floor, with my lunch treat and a splendid view of the city!!

Don't make me cross

2010-11-10T01:17:00.003+08:00

So why did the zebra cross the road?

Two weeks back, back by popular demand, our class took a trip back to the zoo for figure drawing. (I actually can't wait for the Jurong Bird park outing!) It's been a year since we were there as a class. And this time around, I brought my water colours! Will upload photos in the workshop soon.

Thought the above image was a clever idea at the zoological gardens. :O)

Peek a mouse

2010-10-25T17:41:00.004+08:00

Working on a fan art piece right now that's due really soon for Character Design. This one has been getting me really inspired! Here's work in progress.

The haze is here to stay, throat's a lot better, so that's good! Another thing that's good for hazy days is the ability to magic lasso the sky and BAM... you've marqueed your buildings in a fraction of a second.

Cough... cough...

2010-10-20T22:17:00.003+08:00

The haze is back and with a vengeance. Apart from the coughing and headache, I'm looking at the brighter side of it.

It makes for great atmospheric depth drawing. The further objects are from the viewer, the "lighter" in colour it is.

:o)

Tigger this

2010-10-07T12:09:00.001+08:00

It's been nearly two weeks since the start of the semester and the buzz word has been Bounce. I'm taking Environment Design, Comic Art, Character Design, Matte Painting, Back to Figure Drawing and 2D Visual Effects. Of course, I have the Utama project on the side to deal with too. I've been drawing quite a bit, and working on something that I've not really paid attention to - bounce light! Almost every class I've attended has left that word ringing in my ears.

Above is my Matte Painting teacher giving me a lesson on being patient. Especially for leaves on a tree, one has to draw in the leaves digitally one at a time. You have more control that way in the flow and energy of the tree, rather than just using an automatic "leaf" brush. Well, lots to draw and many more things ahead to learn!

:O)

A day in the life of...

2010-09-29T08:43:00.003+08:00

One of the classes I am taking this semester is Comic Art. Ha! I'm not really a comicky person. The Hong Kong series Lao Fu Zhi is what I read most as a youngster. No words only pictures. Well, according to my instructor, Comic Art is the high point of Art. As a comic art illustrator, one must have in depth knowledge to Anatomy, Costumes, Hair, Background, Drama, etc...

I have much to learn in this class! First assignment, a coverpage and colour splash layout!

And finally... The Lion King Musical will finally roar its way to our shores this coming March! It took Singapore quite a bit of time to bring them in since their first broadway opening in 1997! It's the musical event for the year. I usually don't make such statements, if you know me. ;o) Anyone working at OCBC that can get good rates?

Hakuna Matata!

Semester three

2010-09-27T20:36:00.004+08:00

Back at school for the next 20 weeks. This time, I will be focusing on Concept Art as a major. Thank you for all your guidance in assisting with the choosing of the major. There will be plenty of drawing lined up for me! ;O) A group from my cohort has invited me to join them in their story from concept to finished product. The aim is to finish this by next May (2011) as part of our major project - right before we graduate. The short clip project is on Utama.

In the past recent days, I hear a lot of engines revving up on the streets. Quite a couple of cars not being able to participate in the F1 finals last night, have taken this personally and out of the race track. Yes, I've been hearing vrrroooooooms every now and then coming from the regular roads here in Singapore. Torque about ego!

And finally, selling at McDonalds in Singapore is coffee shake. At S$2.85, it comes with either Oreo or choc chip topping, but I have it plain. The last time I enjoyed this yummy was some seven years ago at the McDonalds at the foot of Genting Highlands in Malaysia.

Tight one

2010-09-23T21:48:00.003+08:00

It's the second week of school break, and that only means one thing... more work coming in for Imaginative. :O) Lots of thing are happening, the biggest rumour is that the school might be moving west - towards Buona Vista, very close to where Double Negative is. Oh well, we'll see if it's really going to take place. I'm pretty comfortable where school is right now.

I'm glad that school term begins only next week. The traffic on the roads around my school has been pretty bad in the last few days because of the F1 racing this coming weekend. Ah, the third year running here in Singapore, the novelty has worn off and that is no long the torque of the town.

I did some grocery shopping at a local supermarket a couple of days back and to my surprise, almost everyone was mouthing the lyrics to Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears, a song that was played there. How interesting what goes on back there in the unconscious level - what subtlety!

I will be loading my work for the bull story in the Workshop, so do check that out. And lastly, I have taken out my tagboard, because there have been some free-loaders placing ads there. So if you need to tag, please do so by clicking "comments".

3 more days...

2010-09-07T19:56:00.003+08:00

With Ramadan around the corner, I got my first treat today while serving my in-camp training. The owner of the the muslim stall at the canteen, Alffi, made some kachang pool last evening and brought some for me to sample. It's an Arabic meal with ghee as the main ingredient. Oh yes! All that cholesterol! :oO Too bad ICT will end this week, otherwise, it'd be more tidbit goodies on Monday! :O)

Tomorrow is another crazy day with school's final week assessment at 1pm, meeting to finalise video clip at MINDEF and a photography session at NTU! But for now, it's the final dash... maybe even burning of the midnight oil to complete my presentation for the assessment. Looks those celebrating the Hungry Ghost Festival aren't the only ones burning this night!

Thank you for the Music

2010-09-02T23:38:00.005+08:00

I'm back at the Twin Towers for two weeks of in-camp training. This time round, I'm producing a trailer for Kit Chan. It's strange but I've been given a couple of videos from the USA to string... think this: I've been watching and cutting videos of The Star-Spangled Banner, God bless America and We Are the World for my ICT. How ironically misplaced!?

Last weekend, I had the privilege of covering Corrinne May's concert at DMC. It was definitely an experience! Very very talented musician!

In other melodious news, I just downloaded iTunes 10.

There we go again... enough of motivation for me to pick up an instrument.

Being Positive

2010-08-21T12:33:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to spend a day with the creative people at Double Negative here in Singapore for a day in the life of a 2D artist. I tried out rotoscoping and cleaning up a scene. Brings back memories of my advertising days using Photoshop. Click on the link to see what exciting projects they have worked on to date. All thanks to an instructor who has very good ties with the company there. In a way, I feel that the experience is definitely a far cry from the "internship" that I am currently going through at school. My one day there equates to even more than the 12 weeks of "internship" at Eggstory. Period. And guess what? They even provided lunch!

And that is why being at double negative is something to be positive about! :O)

Toro! Toro! Toro!

2010-08-13T02:28:00.003+08:00

Not to be confused with the 1970s Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbour flick, I'm talking about bull fights in Spain. I've been immersing myself in the world of Mary Blair. She was the only female during her time whose style was really appreciated by Walt Disney. Among some of her art works are concepts for Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Her style is so uniquely stunning, it influenced the style of It's a Small World ride in Disneyland!

I've been designing characters on a bull fighting story set in Spain, with the matador and the whole enchilada in the style of Mary Blair. And I've gone back to the use of the mouse to illustrate these characters - a skill I picked up in the last 10 years or so. Very exciting to be able to incorporate my skills before into the skills I am learning now. :O) AMEN!

Keep Moving Forward!

Majulah Singapura

2010-08-09T08:18:00.006+08:00

Mixed fruit juice at S$2 a cup seems to be the in-thing these days. This one's a mixture of strawberry and banana. The colour also reminds me of the national flag. Yes, it's that time of the year when we spend quite a hefty sum of dollars to showcase where we are now - including mobilising almost the entire military and about 12,000 volunteers to releasing a display of fireworks and a two and a half hour 'live' show that went through seven weeks of preparations at the Padang itself. We are definitely Singapore... Happy 45th! :O)

I'm back at the bull story and have decided to work on another side project. You are only as good as the amount of work you put in. Keep moving forward.

Limbo

2010-08-03T09:21:00.005+08:00

Yes, everyone knows that the iPhone 4G is finally out in Singapore along with the iPad... but we'll save this Pad one for another story. The phone however has been something I've been thinking of having for the last three years... yes, since version one. What's preventing me from getting one? Well, firstly, that's not the only thing I need to get. There are other things more important at this point on my plate. For now, I'm sticking to my Nokia 6110 in service to me for nearly six years! A little wonky at times... we'll see how long more it lasts.

In other news, I've been placed, taken out and re-placed, and retaken out for my Pre-Production "internship". Call me a spare tyre, the dynamics of the story telling changes, and when it does, so does my placement. Right now, my cohort is split into doing two projects: Le Petit Sommelier and the other one with the working title "Red Bull". Yesterday, after handing in a dream animatics sequence for Sommelier, director says Red Bull.

Ay Caramba!

ps - use of phones for photo courtesy of my sister and her fiancée.

See ya, Mama

2010-08-01T09:46:00.003+08:00

My grandma left the physical world on Tuesday (27 July) night at 80 years old. In the last few years, she had been wheelchair bound and since then, living with a weak heart. I know now she's finally reunited with my gong gong up there and is free from the strains of the physical world - I felt the sense of peace at her coffin. :) You had a full life, I will remember your ayam buah keluak and salted vegetable soup! Thank you for the the life I knew at Tembling Road.

See you one day! :O)

It's the Muppet Show!

2010-07-26T22:51:00.006+08:00

For the whole of last week, I was on night shift from 7pm to 12am. I was assisting a puppet video production at Wesley Methodist Church. By Singapore's standards, it was an extensive production. The story's to document how the Methodist Church came to Singapore. Was definitely one of those funner projects to be in! ;p

A Night at the Museum

2010-07-18T18:13:00.003+08:00

This past Friday was filled with art in different forms, from Ballet Under the Stars at Fort Canning Park to various outdoor art installations near the local museums! All museums opened till 2am! The main show titled Parabole 2.0 piece directly at the front of the NMS was a let down... either that or I didn't understand what was going on. I left after four minutes of the 40 minute programme! ;O)

My favourite piece for the evening was right outside the SAM. It's named the World's Slowest SMS. Any can participate by sending a text message to the number in the picture above, the message will be displayed on the scaffolding... in about a couple of minutes.

Somewhere over the...

2010-07-10T12:06:00.002+08:00

Every once in awhile, a rainbow might cast a fainter second bow that is caused by a double reflection of the sunlight inside the raindrops. This phenomenon of multi-coloured arc is usually seen together with raining clouds. What stumped me a few days ago when I saw it, was that there were no raining clouds! Or maybe there were, but I couldn't see them within my (at least) a 100km radius view of the horizon.

You've Got A Friend In Me

2010-06-22T09:26:00.003+08:00

The toys are back! And they're bringing a lot of warmth into their latest movie - Toy Story 3!

I'm also back at school with the next 12 weeks of learning Pre-Production work. Hopefully, by the end of three months, my group should have a trailer or animatics of some sort out. It's individual story idea brainstorming for one week before we start diving into group work. The moderators have reminded us that it's going to be a grueling 12 weeks, so by next monday, a pitching presentation is already due. :O)

A brand new something

2010-06-21T07:16:00.004+08:00

This was taken on my last leg of the trip in Rotenburg, Germany. I am using this photo to begin the next phase of school. Yes, I am back and all recharged! :o)

It will be 12 weeks of Professional Practice or in some schools, this maybe known as an internship. Only difference is that the sessions will be held in school, guided by the production team of the studio. In about 90 minutes, I will find out what to expect... so tune in!

Dobry Den

2010-06-16T13:08:00.005+08:00

It's been a trip of non stop drawing and eating ice cream! Here I am at the famous historical Charles Bridge in Prague. Earlier in the morning, I was at the at the Church of Our Lady of Victory where I spent quite a bit of time in front of the Infant Jesus of Prague. There is so much to absorb in this beautiful city!

Climb Every Mountain

2010-06-15T14:36:00.000+08:00

I'm on an adventure with Gingy right now, and I've been spending a lot of my time documenting my trip in ink and photography. It's a good time to be away from my regular routine in Singapore and the breathtaking scenic views of central and eastern europe is greatly assisting that. The peace and quiet here also allows me to discern whether to specialise in Concept Art or Animation for Year Two - my next phase in school after 12 weeks of Pre-Production.

The above picturesque view is taken at the Maria Plain in Salzburg. Will post my sketches onhttp://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/ when I get back, so keep a look out for that too!

Done Deal

2010-06-06T19:57:00.002+08:00

Assessment for semester two came and went. Was placed the last one to go, by that time, everyone was so tired, I had no comments from the reviewers. So I'm done with Semester two and way glad it's over! I'm on a long awaited two week break (last one was nearly 42 weeks ago).

I plan to be sketching lots in the next two weeks. Join me here! :O)

Sunrise at Doha Int'l Airport

Finals

2010-05-31T22:29:00.004+08:00

It's the final week of Semester two and I am glad it is almost over! :O)

This week will be filled with final project presentations and one big assessment on Thursday. The clock is ticking and I am sure everyone is busily trying to finish all their projects.

I leave you now with a napkin sketch of my character design project that I handed in today. Will be posting up several scenes at
http://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/ so feel free to check that out! Tomorrow's the handing in of HD video project entitled "Project: Red Light".

Friar Derrick John Yap - priest for Christ

2010-05-29T23:26:00.003+08:00

Recently, with the Church under attack left right centre regarding child sex abuse, I am proud to witness an old friend of mine taking up priestly vows yesterday. It was truly a beautiful celebration! St Mary of the Angels (Singapore) was packed and overflowed with guests as not just one, but three friars were ordained. The sign is loud and clear... ;o)

Rigging 101

2010-05-23T09:33:00.001+08:00

When you see this, it just tells you that I am near the end of the semester. Two more weeks exactly. I'm completing several projects simultaneously, two of which are worth mentioning at this point.

A) Docu-drama for HD video
Everything has gone exceptionally smooth (in general) for this project. Even my trip to Batam for some of the scenes was trouble-free. So much so, I'm almost certain that we had picked on the right subject to work on. The working title's Project: Red Light, and that's about how much I'll reveal at this point.

B) Character Design
I'm more or less happy with the seven characters that have resulted from the months of brainstorming. I will be placing the characters into scenes with sets and props within the week. The props play an important role for the realism of my characters, so will be working hard on that. Was just at Page One and was inspired by the Art of Toy Story 3!

More updates real soon!

Life's Short

2010-05-08T22:57:00.002+08:00

I got one of my classmates to shoot me fooling around at the kampung (village)... it sure brought back memories of my grandparents' kampung! Ah... the so simple things in life! :O) Up, up and away!

Less is More

2010-05-03T10:05:00.003+08:00

Two days at Kampung Air (ah-yeah) in Batam reminded me about contentment, that I don't need much to be happy. Is it about being able to access a whole load of information about the world with the lastest technology? Maybe it's me choosing to be ignorant?

Thank you for the world so sweet - Ho hum!
Thank you for the food we eat - Yum yum!
Thank you for the birds that sing a ling a ding...
Thank you Lord for everything... Amin!

Boo!

2010-04-14T00:08:00.004+08:00

Today, my group handed in our cut for the horror flick project. There were a couple of minor tweaks from comments. More feedback next week. In the meantime, stay tuned for it! We've been allocated new groups for the final project. Looking forward to completing that one too. :O)

Boo!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

2010-04-08T23:53:00.001+08:00

Here's one more colour study of Bert taking Michael out kite flying!

Correct framing

2010-04-02T22:52:00.003+08:00

This is a shot I took on one of my digital photography field trips. The idea is simply to frame a subject.

My team of three for HD video is almost done shooting and our first cut for the horror flick should be ready by next week. In the meantime, I am assisting another group as an acting talent.

The character design presentation for Mary Poppins came and went. You can check out the designs trickling in on http://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/. Our next assignment is due in 8 weeks. I have choosen Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurais to be the basis of my project. I am supposed to come up with characters in another time and in any form. I guess I will be watching the movie this weekend!

It's the time between Lent and Easter! Wonderful things are being revealed! :o)

Organic modelling is not a food

2010-03-26T20:41:00.004+08:00

It's week 10 of semester two. Halfway to go before the end of the semester and things are definitely beginning to pile up. There is a character design presentation on Monday that I'm trying to finish. It's my take on Mary Poppins, Pixar style; and also my first HD video short story assignment. So far, it's been pre-production work. Will start shooting with my team next week after Monday's presentation. Theme for that 5 min short - Horror! And finally, a short presentation on my favourite photographer for Digital Photography this Wednesday.

In the meantime, will leave you with organic modelling. We just began creating a face today. More updates real soon after Monday.

Stereoscopic

2010-03-05T11:02:00.003+08:00

I've been attending a stereoscopic seminar organised by my school in the last three days. In fact, I'm posting this blog 'live' from there. Enough said.

Now I gotta get my FCP plug-in.

Supa Do-rye

2010-03-03T11:56:00.002+08:00

It has been pretty dry the whole of February. I know this for a fact as I only remembered it raining only for 3 days. The rainfall in February of 2010 registered at 6.3mm! This may not sound like anything especially if you are from a place that seldom rains. But for a tropical climate like this island I'm living in, it's considered really dry. Even the plants I water get yellow real quick when I don't tend to them too. It's been reported in the news that it's been the driest season in the last 150 years. Yes, the last time it was this dry was in 1869!

Guys, global warming. Do something. www.earthhour.org.

Make everyday Earth Day.

What is Evil?

2010-02-20T11:23:00.004+08:00

This is a current piece that I am working on. Just finished with the bust. Will start work on the full bodied pose really soon. My theme is Evil. To many different people, evil comes in many different forms. But for my project, I have chosen the subject of Man's greed being the cause of evil in this world - global warming, famine, abuse, war, etc.

Beginning With A Big Bang

2010-02-15T14:35:00.002+08:00

The Chinese Lunar New Year began a minute earlier yesterday and the noisiest part of the island probably came from the Marina District with a four to five minute display of colourful fireworks.

Also in from the U.S. is a prize cheque. More details here.

A New Case

2010-02-12T10:19:00.005+08:00

The buttons on my mobile decided to pop again. This is the second time I am changing the casing. It's been 2.5 years since I last changed it. It was really strange that I had to use a pen to press certain buttons, almost like using a stylus.

In other news, my school doesn't allow students to self-swap classes. An email titled "Self-declared Make-up Class = Absent" was sent out yesterday.

I am from Cohort 6A. I had an urgent appointment to handle yesterday and had to use the afternoon to tackle it. So I went for the morning class (Cohort 6B). Of out courtesy, I asked the school if I could swap, and "NO" was their immediate reply, saying that WDA or MOE might spot check on the school. It wasn't that I was trying to ditch class or that I was hopping over into another Cohort's class. (Same cohort, morning session.) And so what if WDA or MOE decides to spot check on the school? Is it illegal to swap classes?

I know that Education is a privilege. In its purest form, it allows one to better improve skills and knowledge. I am further planning to swap classes so that I can go for Cohort 7's figure drawing classes. How can a school deny me of that? I remembered that studying in the U.S. was NOT like that at all. With an eager desire to learn, instructors and the school authority would make things happen whenever there's an obstacle.

Would love to hear your views! Email, comment or tag. Happy Chinese Lunar New Year and Presidents' Day Weekend!

Presenting...

2010-02-03T16:49:00.005+08:00

I began reading a book today titled "The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs" that I had accidentally bumped into at the airport the other day. I love doing presentations and so far halfway chewing into this book, I have been affirmed of some of the things I have doing in my keynotes. Also learning and picking up techniques that are new to me. What's great is that the book focuses basically on Apple products which you would know by now how big a fan of the tools I am of theirs. This makes reading it a breeze. wheeeee...

Penning thoughts

2010-01-29T11:55:00.004+08:00

So what else is new besides the iPad?

Last evening, a couple of us from Eggstory popped by DigiPen's information session, something like an open house. Neat four year course in Animation. What was even greater was the tour of the campus and what our eyes feasted on. The above image is of their Drawing Room. Sure brings back memories of my days in California drawing on those benches! I guess I'm stuck with the $5 IKEA chairs that I have for now.

Lights... camera... snap!

2010-01-20T10:45:00.004+08:00

Already into the second semester. Boy was that 1-day (excluding weekend) break short. I will comment about classes next another time, after I've been in it a little longer.

Yesterday, I went to Universal Studios for a shoot. A lighting company hired me to capture the works they've done within the park at Sentosa. And of course I had a first glimpse of the park before it opens. Since I'm a theme parks guy... I rate an above average. But this park is definitely better than any of the other theme parks that has opened in Singapore before. Maybe because the entire park isn't fully operational yet? Many of the props and buildings are made here in Singapore and the finishings are just so-so. I'm sure it's always a budget factor. But definitely worth a visit when it has officially opened. Hopefully then, the fine-tuning may just make the difference! :O)

A Sack Reflection

2010-01-15T15:05:00.001+08:00

Finally, I'm done with my first 20 weeks. Our assessment ended yesterday and I would like to share this animation from one of my presentation piece with you all.

The flour sack, no doubt simple in design, but it takes a tremendous effort to animate, especially if you are doing it the first time. Timing is key and coupled with comedy, can bring bring about a smile or even laughter in someone feeling down.

I was just sharing with Philip Garcia, my animation instructor, how I used to get really inspired watching Disney movies in the 90s, and would pause the videos to draw out the scenes. Back then, or even when I was older enough to be in college, holding a job as an animator was simply far fetched. Imagine this conversation in Singapore, "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

"Draw cartoons and make people laugh" would be the reply that might cause people to wonder if I am certified crazy. Would have loved to have Philip continue to teach us advanced animation, but that's not going to happen because he is leaving the school. At least, he taught me and that alone is something I can proud of. :O)

Colour My World

2010-01-13T00:04:00.006+08:00

A couple of my classmates have been organising painting sessions outside of class time. And this is the first time I had joined them for the session. We used acrylics and it was a great feeling to be able to apply coloured dyes onto canvases again! :O) See painting here - http://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/

Later in the morning is my assessment session at 10am. 14 of my classmates will showcase their stuff from Semester one. It's been one heck of a ride, especially towards the end with all the last minute swapping with make-up sessions.

For now, it's time to charge up those cells of mine... Zzzz...

Up, up and away!

2010-01-08T20:01:00.002+08:00

Today, six of my classmates surprised me with this book. How cool! Thanks, guys!! I will be enjoying every bit of inspiration from it! I've peeked on the inside and it's been WOW so far!

I completed my flour sack animation... finally! Phew! Now I can start piecing my assessment stuff together. It's on Wednesday, 13 Jan. We are not having much of a school break as assessment has been pushed forward to day 10 of the 14 days of break we were suppose to have. So much for taking a break.

Twenty Ten

2010-01-04T12:05:00.003+08:00

Cheers to 2010!!

I rendered the drink above on board North West Airlines on my way to Japan in my sketch journal. In this new and exciting year ahead, I will be resurrecting Imaginative's Workshop Blog. Instead of my design works, you will be seeing more sketches and illustrations posted there. http://imaginativeworkshop.blogspot.com/ This will keep me drawing for the year... hopefully. :O)

Speaking of which... O how do I miss my figure drawing classes! Looking forward to this new year and all it has in store for me. Whoooo-peee...

What a view

2009-12-19T08:36:00.005+08:00

Yesterday evening, all the way from Yokohama City at the Nogeyama City Zoo, I caught a glimpse of Fuji-san. That was the treat for the day on top of the zoo visit. It's a small little zoo about three stops and a 15 minute brisk walk away from the Yokohama Main Station. Spent a little time sketching the animals there, and boy did they look cold and sad. :O(

Today, I head back for Singapore. It's been a pleasant trip. A little cold at times because of the winds here. But the food was good!

Well, see you back home! Cheerios! :O)

Something smells

2009-12-17T08:14:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, I woke up pretty early (yeah, what's new?) to head out for the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Some of you may have seen on either Discovery Travel and Living or Japan Hour (Singapore TV programming) how auctioneers conduct early morning bids to local fish buyers.

I realized that the bidding area is closed to the public only because in the recent years, due to the influx of tourists in the area, it has create more of a distraction than business.

Great experience! Not was there sea food, also, fruit and vegetables! And everything fresh from the local farms! Had an authentic ramen breakfast within the area too! Yum yum... :O)

Siggraph starts today. More updates later!

Yokoso Japan!

2009-12-13T19:08:00.004+08:00

That's a picture of my bed for the night.

Yes, I am in the land of the rising sun, only that the sun sets pretty darn early because of the winter solstice. I have my sketchbook ready to go... how to draw in the dark now? I guess it's Art History Term paper time right after this posting.

So what am I doing here in Japan? Siggraph Asia 09. It's some Annual Animation Conference held this year in Yokohama. A bunch of my classmates will join me tomorrow morning. I got here first because of the different timings Northwest Airlines (now merged with Delta) has with their mileage claims.

I arrived in Narita at 2pm today and will be spending a night at a neat cozy hostel. The host, Mr Yama, is extremely helpful! Do check this place out if you are in the vicinity!

Tomorrow I will meet my classmates back at the Airport before we head on down to Disneyland... or is it DisneySea? Oh the dilemma! :O) Just another day being a student.

And the winner is...

2009-12-09T08:54:00.003+08:00

This past Monday was our last Still Life drawing class. (Yikes! So fast!) It's sad to know that this is the last time Philip will be teaching us as his contract expires soon. We'll definitely be missing his patience, warmth, humour and character - something I bet you don't get very much from Hollywood. He's very down to earth and humble about his skills.

We chanced on the opportunity to award our favourite instructor, Philip, with a couple of items: a tee that says, "Voted number one instructor by Cohort 6" with our signatures on the back, a picture of all of us at the zoo and an honorary scout's badge. :O)

Hip... hip... hooray!

Drawing to a close

2009-12-05T09:29:00.003+08:00

I spent a good half hour plus running through my drawings with Philip yesterday. He guided me what to put in, what to leave out for the coming assessment on Dec 29. Everything is slowing snowballing to that date. So, the only thing is to start early whatever that can be cleared first.

Three more exciting, crazy weeks!!!

ipod this

2009-12-02T23:16:00.005+08:00

Today we continued working on modelling the iPod. For me, some days are better at Maya. But all days are for being picked at by Serbian instructor, Borko. My nickname is Harry. He gave that to me after that wonderful magic trick that nearly burnt down the school. :P

I have been looking hard to find some more time to go beyond homework, because homework only gets me at the same level as everyone else. If I wanna be really good, I know I have to just go that extra mile. The trouble is that finding time for that extra mile. A hint I hear from other cohorts is that semester one is always the honeymoon period. Oh man! Sometimes I wished that work wasn't in the way. But that'd be the easy way out.

Did I mention that since many instructors are taking time off this Christmas, there have been quite a bit of make-up classes this the past week, stretching classes from 9am to 7pm past in the next few days. An art history presentation next week, a five-page Art History term paper, a flash animation, two slow moving digital art projects and one traditional animation short is on my plate right now. Keep moving forward as Walt Disney once said...

4 more weeks

2009-11-30T07:52:00.004+08:00

The shoes outside The Stage from last Friday's assessment for Cohort 4 reminded me that I have only four weeks left to prepare for my end of term assessment. Not very much time actually to get my first semester's "portfolio" ready for the grading on Dec 29. Now is where term papers are dues, a couple more presentations, and of course projects... it's going to get a little wee bit bumpy.

Today will be week 3 of costume drawing. Our theme today will be oriental. :O)

That's a wrap!

2009-11-23T08:40:00.006+08:00

These two are from a series of five from last week's costume still life session. Joked Philip, our instructor, and I totally agree, "We get sick of drawing naked bodies after awhile." It's refreshing to draw people in clothes again! :p

Today we continue session two. Male in Shakesperean, and female in a flowy Spanish dance dress. I think I know what to focus on - the blending of the shadow folds to pull out the volume of the characters. Because we only have 20 mins for each costume, I will draw a little smaller today. :O) There is a reason where I draw so big. I draw big so that my mistakes are enhanced. I see it better. This is a good tip from Philip for anyone who wants to improve in their drawing skills.

Soon, I will leave for the PA Wearhouse to pick up the costumes on the way to school!

That's a wrap!

2009-11-18T23:36:00.005+08:00

This past Monday, the class pooled together some money to rent costumes for our drawing class. It began a series of four weeks of costume/ character drawing for our still life classes! I remembered clearly my classes some 13 years ago in L.A. with models in various costumes too! I'm glad that Philip, our lecturer, introduced this to the class!

These drawings take a little longer that usual, especially since we have to spend more time understanding folds and how material wraps around a person. Not only do we work on drapery, we begin to venture into character studies! Most of all, it is fun and am looking forward to the next three weeks! :O)

Since we're coughing out our own money to rent these outfits, no guesses where the models are from... they're none other than our very own classmates! What a class effort this is!

Body World

2009-11-12T00:08:00.004+08:00

This was shot at around 6:01pm - one minute past closing time at the Body Works exhibition at the Singapore Science Centre. That was how much I maxed my time! What a blast!! An eye candy!! As usual, I took a long time on the pieces I did. Only managed to draw 5 pieces in 6 hours! Will host images soon.

Don't clay clay ah...

2009-11-07T11:32:00.003+08:00

We're into week 12 and the focus around this point in time seems to be anatomy. This is the base of my sculpting piece, made with various sizes of aluminum wires, tape and foil. It will take me maybe 3 - 4 weeks (on and off) to get this piece done.

This coming Monday, Philip takes us to the Singapore Science Centre for Body Worlds. The exhibition showcases real human (and some animal) anatomies of various poses. Through the technique of plastination, the bodies are preserved so that people like us can wow and wonder about the intricacies of the delicate human body. And for art students, it's a great way to spend a whole day sketching and understanding anatomy!

Broom broom...

2009-10-31T11:26:00.003+08:00

This is probably one of my favourite ideas to date. The incredible hovering broomstick. It was quite an evening at Egg Story. I it wasn't for the lack of music, the party would have been brought up a notch. But nonetheless, fun. :O) Food, games and fellowship lasted until 9.30pm. Some of the fingerfood got really creative too, like the cocktail sausages with press-on nails at its tips!

I was working on the 'incendio' incantation for the very first time last night. As a result, I almost set the school on fire! No kidding. Well, everyone should have one of these "I almost burnt down the school" stories to share... and now I have one!

Halloween Decor

2009-10-29T20:56:00.003+08:00

The class is really excited about dressing up for tomorrow evening's halloween party! The decor crew is even more excited about dressing up the place. It's everybody's first time decorating for Halloween! (Well, except mine.) Imagine the energy! I find myself frequently saying. "Remember, less is more."

Now, finally, the cave on the ground floor of Eggstory has bats! :O)

The Zoo Review

2009-10-26T07:40:00.003+08:00

Here's a sampling of my zoo field trip from my Kingdom: Animalia sketch book. The class met at 8:30am and spent 9 hours at the Singapore Zoological Gardens. I was wandering on my own 92% of the time... and like always, there was not enough of it. Spent a bit time reviewing my work with Philip after "school". Gotta work on speed, accuracy... and construction.

My first time drawing using ink, this method forces me to use cleaner and less lines. I was struggling for the first few pages trying to use that new medium! That's a long way to go and I definitely need to go back there again.

What a fun day! :O)

Kids stuff

2009-10-23T07:40:00.004+08:00

I feel like a kid all over again.

Yes, that's an indemnity form. The kind you sign as a parent for your child's fieldtrip in very few words. Tomorrow is the zoo day. :O) I've gotten myself a set of watercolour pencils to accompany my sketches. May I be able to do wonders with it.

Yesterday, I accompanied Garcia to the PA Wearhouse to scout for some costumes. He wants us to practice drapery wrapping around the human body. What a brilliant idea!! Instead of drawing bottles and fruit or even just plain cloth pinched or resting on a table which are ultimately only assets (secondary items) in the 3D world, we will be drawing charcters (primary subjects) in a scene or period. We listed about 10 pieces we would want to rent over the next few weeks for our Life Drawing class. I may have to do the pick up and drop of of costumes??

Have been tasked to do decor for next Friday's Halloween gathering... am I looking forward to that or what?? ;p

Halfway there

2009-10-20T23:32:00.004+08:00

Checking in.

It's nearly halfway pass the first semester and a trip to the zoo will mark that occasion this Saturday. How cool! I've been sketching any animal that comes my way since our first lecture in drawing animals. That class was a pain, but necessary to understand the skeletal structure of animals, especially the horse.

No complaints about school except for the timetable. But hey, it could be worse! :O) Tomorrow, I have two work-in-progress assignments due so I need to nail that down before my brain shuts down for the day! Let me know if you have been enjoying the progress reports from school!

Cheerios! ;oD