Beginning to make a story board!

This is not so easy for me, temporary. Without any training of drawing, there is some obstruct for me to represent my imagination and ideas appropriately. Meanwhile, this is the particular reason makes me to practice my drawing through creating a story board. The necessary amount of pictures and its jot concerning about drawing capability makes it one of my best choices to start learning and developing drawing skills.

There are tough time spans for every beginning. However, some confidence shall be possessed that I have this potential to make it qualified, as I learned 3D modelling skills before.

Summary of Bid for City of Culture presentation

Always the Best Team

It shall be a little late for doing this for I had specific tasks for passed days. However, the necessity of this conclusion can not be denied. It was extremely accidental how this team was composed. I still remember that day about 2 weeks ago when I sat beside a desk with James and Iniyan, while came the plan of cross-discipline group making, we were presented Hannah, Rock and Candy. It could be said that the 6 divers members are all talented. We decided the team name quickly of 'Team Pigeon'. What sounds funny is I did not know what kind of animal a 'pigeon' was for that while.

James is quiet with skillful painting and drawing. Sometimes he is thought to be a mystery, owing to his habit without using Facebook or other social media except unimail. We could not find him occasionally for several times. But it doesn't matter because at last he showed us his ability to make art crafts. He painted Mr Pigeon perfectly that made this mascot a star during the presentation.

Iniyan possesses impressive software capabilities and colour controlling ability. He composed our works about each aspect of the town and drawings with facts and made it a colourful magazine. Additionally he designed out team logo, quite a pretty one. He is a professional photographer as well. With a qualified camera, he took many beautiful pictures in group working, especially about Drawing Leeds.

Candy is a kind and diligent girl. Whenever she get a quest, a strong energy can be observed from her to finish what need to be done. She learned to use Photoshop when she need to do a part of the magazine. After knowing that she had to collect information about architecture in Huddersfield, she went out and interview people everywhere for 2 days.

Rock is as energetic as I am. The little disadvantage of English could not obligate him providing excellent suggestions for the team. Making magazines, both electronic and paper version, was his idea. The working experience in a design company before had made him an indispensable part of the team. Moreover, he accepts much disagreement and modifying of his work. That was sparse for a person capable as he is.

Hannah showed us her arranging ability and positive state on the first day. I recommended her to be the team leader of us. What happened after that proved this action was absolutely correct. As a fantastical captain, she possesses extraordinary knowledge that we need and meanwhile she would like to share everything she knows kindly. She thought of the ideas of making team T-shirts and giving characteristic states to a pigeon as a local resident. In addition, she accept many methods we told contradicting hers. She is definitely the best choice to work with if there would be other group project later cause she is the most brilliant one I have ever seen in her age.

I can say honestly that I did lots of work during this group as well. Without anyone of us, this presentation would not be so successful as everyone have seen. All of us have become friends in this project. What's more, it is a significant experience of creative thinking and MA studying, both individually and collaboratively.

Invisible Visual Effects

Picture from psychologies.co.uk

Nowadays, production of almost every film can not avoid of consideration for budget about computer effects. Its  high-efficient and low-risk state gives tremendous possibilities for visual performance of films. In spite of the high requesting to investment, producers are always eager for this technology because it would give the film a potential to obtain more financial margin.

For the audiences, watching a film with fantastical visual effects can bring themselves enjoyable experience. Some commercial films, for incidence Transformers, Lord of Rings, Harry Potter and Pacific Rim, are successful about providing exciting visions with computer special effects.

However, there are some films with less commercial trend also contains enormous visual effect technology that more difficult to recognise. They were in some condition that requiring to show special ambiance. For them, the visual effects play the roles of making probable visual shots for story telling, not entertaining audiences with stirring elements.

The Kings Speech VFX Showreel from Molinare on Vimeo.

The King's Speech, screened in 2010, told a legendary story about King George VI of the United Kingdom. As this was basic on a real story happened during probable World War II with quite a different environment in London comparing today. Additionally, rendering the public appearance of royal family is not a simple job. Then some technological solutions were found. They made many shots at front of green screens, produced vary environments through windows, simulated London mist of last century. This arrangement may not be observed easily, cause it was perfectly fitted into story and scenes. Most audience do not concentrate in, comment about, even notice about this kind of effects. They are invisible visual effects.

Some similar disposing also happened when Forrest Gump was making. That film, also contains numerous of computer-effected shots, definitely made many managements smoothly and peacefully. Actually, in my opinion, it shows us a method that every dealing ways in art creating, high-technological or low-technological, can be an assist for the drama, meaning and expression. It does not have to be an extra part to attract audiences, but can be a natural segment fused in a progress of story telling.

The visual effects influences film making deeper than imagination. It is beginning to impact other art aspects like music videos, vocal concerts and operas. It can be supposed there would be much more utilisation of computer visual effects for many parts of life. Including invisible effects.

The Pigeon in Huddersfield

Although the name 'Team Pigeon' was thought out fortuitously, it seems that the members pretty like it. From then on we have almost done everything about pigeons. This thinking circumstance provided numerous methods made our team and project unique from others.

First day the name was decided, Iniyan has made an icon of our team. It is drastic beautiful. When we decided to do some team t-shirts, this symbol would definitely be on them.Then we had an idea that we can make a painted pigeon taken everywhere in Huddersfield and take some pictures. It was agreed that the logo is too serious for this energetic activity in spite of the nice looking. Then I tried to paint another more funny pigeon for this.

We planned to make it more stylised so that James did a large painting with his brushes and paint. Today we paid some time to print our magazine for presentation then we began to practice the motivation.

We put it at some special spots of the town and captured the moments of its 'travelling'. When we did this in the train station beside the cat's entrance, a senior gentleman 'warned' us to be careful of the cat that may quite like this fat pigeon. 

The consequence of this 'Pigeon's Travelling' method should be better than we imagined. This would be a blocking point in our presentation. We always have fantastical thoughts cause we are the best team.

I paid an exciting visit to the Design Museum in London yesterday. Something astonishing like 3D printers, special lamps and antique telephones were showed there. During those 2 days in London I suffered a situation that I forgot to took anything for brushing teeth with me.

Then an idea just came to me that if there was a special item performing as a container meanwhile teeth-brushing tool and additionally easy to take with would be fantastic.

In addition, Juliet talk about some creative thinking methods in the class this morning. I think maybe I can link some thoughts through what I observed and the practical needs in life.

Then comes the Card Cup. When not used, it can be taken anywhere like a card , a little bigger than a wallet and thinner than it. One part of the item was made of soft rubber with a gap at the top. and there was a plastic shade inside fixed to the bottom able to rotate horizontally. There was another less wide soft rubber container for teeth brush and paste. Whenever the time of use comes, the shade inside can be rotated to 90 degrees to make that part to a cup.

Seeking for Direction

Confused by some questions, I met my tutor Anneke and chatted for about half an hour at Friday morning. I spent several days to think about my future proposal for this module. The following situation is I could not assure anything of these art aspects that all made me interested and worried.

3D modeling is what I am drastic familiar with. I can continue to make robots as I did before. There might be little risk if I choose this. However, improvement would not be performed in that way, for neither my creativity nor my trend of exploration. Additionally, I can do other categories of 3D works, for incidence short play, production design , individual works or stylised art works. Contrarily, this direction still would not advance my art ideas. The basic art thought is what I lack and strictly required now. After working with only software and technology, I can not relise this more.

Meanwhile, I may can replenish this drawback with work in some projects or internship. There is some opportunities recommended by Anneke that two company about Visual Effects may be suitable for me.

Actually, I used to be drastic interested of Visual Effects. From quite young I began to watch the TV program Movie Magic. I was eager for a career of movie visual work. Then this aspiration was relieved cause I felt myself may not capable enough to do such a category of art. Then I began to concentrate on other aspects of art works. I started to consider some individual and less commercial stuff. 

Dramatically, the chance I was dreaming about was offered to me directly now. I can consider it as the condition that I have already own some trend of a vocational visual effect artist. However, some hesitance appeared in my brain. Because of my personal experience, even most fortunate incidence for myself still requires to be thought about. I need to discuss it with my family and decide later. Anyway, this fortuitously lucky opportunity makes me excited.

Drawing Leeds

Honestly speaking, I was not quite confident that this project today would be an engaging one at the beginning. I took a shallow sleep only for less than 5 hours that, I concerned, would make me feel out of concentration for the whole day which is disastrous affection to my enthusiasm today.

Good news is a welcome climate was performing in Leeds today making the buildings and streets gorgeous. Furthermore, the satisfying temperature provided comfortableness. Contrarily, this might give me more trend to feel sleepy.

Fortunately, we own a magical team leader and amiable mates. Hannah, leader of Team Pigeon, is dramatically familiar with Leeds. We  had a fantastical lunch that makes everyone of us filled with happiness. There is a condition that Team Pigeon is composed with British, Indian and Chinese members. We are all talented, however we may have extraordinary divergence about diet. What could be more suitable than a diversified buffett? Hannah recommends us the restaurant of Red Hot that let this meal be a colourful point in the journey today, and this is how brilliant she is.

Before this, we went to Merrine Centre as planned yesterday. It is a commercial mall different with others. Getting through the entrance there was a art material shop, and there were many spots in first floor that can watch people moving at the ground floor. We drew what we were focus on. I utilised this as an opportunity to practice my perspective thinking, consequently I drew them as Geometry objects. I considered myself a photographer so I borrowed everything I did not prepare for drawing. I tried to draw a art craft in a window made of different components form a violin, a chair, a trumpet and many other things. I drew half of it and stopped to save time by the reason that it its complicated. It seems that Inya is not quite interested in drawing. Instead of that, he brought a camera with high quality to catch some beautiful moments.

The exciting lunch described before was following this. After lunch we took a wander of two circles. We stopped at two pretty places. The first one is a church with lots of pigeons (We call them as our "spies".) and sat down to draw for about a quarter.  Rock was too concentrated in art to realise we had called him to leave for minutes.

Then our steps fell slow in a nice point of landscape. I had a simple drawing to practice the perspective viewing again, Hannah collected a leaf with beautiful colour as a bookmark. Inya took some photos. Again, Rock shows how deeply he loves drawing.

During moving back to the Gallery, we saw an old singer with a magnetic voice and excellent skill of playing electric keyboard. Then  met Rowan with her worming smile. Then Juliet assembled us into a studio in the Gallery and discussed the methods appearing in our brains today. It provides a lot of inspiration for our group project. During the time in the gallery, Inya took about 50 photos of Rock when he yawns. How sleepy can he be?

Something I thought of this morning in the class. A portable artist studio was the topic I chose.

When assembled, it is not large that can be wore on the wrist like a watch.
While be separated to 4 parts and put on the ground, 4 laser line would be emitted to connect each other if switched on. then other lasers would be emitted vertically to create a cuboid space like a hologram. the artist can just walk in and work with the screen in the air. Using the programs with movements, different jobs can be proceeded at the same time. The size and shape of the cuboid studio can be adjusted with the way put on the ground depended on the person working inside.

It is a long time since last time making small symbols with Photoshop functions.

Trying to draw with pencils or tablets are both difficult for me now. On the contrary, they are significant skills for working and creative minds.

It might still be a long time span to be familiar with drawing. Somehow, at the beginning of learning 3D modeling, I did feel confused, not confident, and hopeless. At last I passed through that tough period much worse than now. Consequently it can be believed in that I can get satisfying capacity of drawing sometime.

A Sample of the Magazine!

After a shot seminar between some of the group members, the size of paper magazine has been decided temporary. For I am proceeding in collecting the information about cultural retails in Huddersfield, I made a sample of the two pages they will look like. I tried to put some drawing and a picture of blocked colours composing a restaurant. The main title of the assessment is "Drawing Huddersfield" after all.

I interviewed several of these shopkeepers. They are excitingly nice and toll me about their business and live in the town.

In addition, this journey advanced my communicating capabilities with English, brought me some lovely regional persons and let me observe the particularly astonishing shops.

This two-day work has made me exhausted physically, on the other hand, doing something social and creative positively is definitely a fantastic experience with the spirit feeling fulfilled.

Paid a visit to the Byram Arcade, Open Market and some stylised shops. This is a surprising town with colourful spots and beautiful people!
(This is a Photoshop work to a photograph with some white brushes I did on it.)

The Brain does not work rationally. Sometimes it is just filled with sloth.

Met the tutor in the morning, who is so nice and engaging. I thought about her suggestion, then decided something.

I would continue making commercial high polygon models for some commercial aims, meanwhile some stylized works with 3D skills, illustration, drawing or painting (like Quenching Blue) would be my main progress to explore in this module. For this requesting, I would like to approve drawing and art appreciation. Also I would learn to use cinema 4D and Adobe Illustrator to expand my discipline capability.

This is a scene drawn by the tablet. The rainy day lets me think of wet city streets.

The general plan of the group campaign has been made. There is one thing I noticed: This is a brilliant group!

Finally I have the opportunity to post my Drawing a Day works these days.

First day we visited a studio with nice qualified paper sculptures. There was a beautiful camera mold made of paper. So I thought maybe it could become a robot.

The next day there was an Open Day activity in campus, during which I observed a band playing jazz skillfully. I captured this moment when they were taking a break between two songs, so that different kinds of movements were showed by them. Staring these instruments, I was considering would they become a robot.

Drawings of two days were done in the same piece of paper. A nice metal can containing tea for one day, the London Eye and a "London Nose" for the next day.

 I was a little anxious about the situation that I still require a laptop. A day later I tried to draw a souvenir I bought in Cambridge.

 If there is a camera can be put in a hand with a soft screen at the backside, many fantastical moments would be captured.

 Thinking about the word "harmony", I had thought of Taiji in ancient Chinese culture.

Our group (Team Pigeon) had a great discussion, just like squeezing minds from brains.

After 2 months without a computer, finally comes my laptop.

Additionally, I received a challenging work, which needs to be finished by group. Fortunately, it is a creative one.