*KRYXS* - Exhibition BLOG -

Kimberley's Works!

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Korean Girl 2010

PaintTool SAI

As the title suggests, the work portrays a Korean girl with dyed brown hair with highlights done up in a messy bun with a side parting, along with some of her hair, not long enough to stay at the bun, falling at the sides of her face. The blouse she is wearing also takes inspiration from Korean apparels, which are usually in light, pastel colours with frills.
In addition, the form is also idealised; since despite being Asian, she seems to have slight western features on her face, furthermore, the colour of her eyes are magenta, which is an unnatural and unusual colour for human eyes. The size of the eye itself is also unnaturally big, with skin that is unearthly pale, almost humanely impossible, and seems to resemble that of a doll’s. The form of the subject actually appears quite flat, but there are certain shadows that give hints of being 3-dimensional.
The eyes of the subject are looking away from the viewer, at something, or someone which is at the left of the picture which leaves the viewer with a sense of mystery and curiosity as to what the subject is really looking at.

Spring/Summer Collection 2009

PaintTool SAI

The work shows 3 models wearing mainly short dresses above knee length, mainly to suit the climate during spring or summer. The dresses are dominated by warm colours such as pink, red or purple in tune with the seasons.
On the left is a model with hazel brown hair in an up-do with straight bangs falling across her face. She is wearing a very light pink scarf tied up almost like a ribbon, with a light thulian pink checkered dress with an opening at the end to reveal a grey poof skirt. In the middle is a slightly tanned model with long, chestnut brown hair with an hourglass figure accentuated by the tight fitting tube dress which seems to have a giant zip attached, zipping opening from the bottom, revealing an extension of the dress, which is poof-ed, purple and patterned with pink lines. While on the right is another model with hair the colour of amber done up in a curly bun. Resting on her neck is a striped pink scarf which goes down to her checkered vest which was partially covering her cherry blossom pink dress. Just right below her knees are brown high boots with an ‘X’ patterns going all the way.
Outlining the figures are black outlines which give more definition to the figures as well as the clothes. The sketchiness in the outlines also shows the prioritises how the clothes are designed rather than having the perfect strokes, as long as the design gets across, the rest is not as important since they are fashion figures.
Overall, the figures seem to be flat, very 2-dimensional like. The shadows at the back also suggests that they are standing in front of wall.

Bronze&Beautiful Collection 2010

Copic markers, Copic multiliners, normal markers, crepe paper and feathers.
With two couture dresses at the side, there is a design meant for casual wear in the middle. All are similar in the aspect that the colours are dominated by different shades of brown, hence put together in a collection together. Furthermore all the models are brunettes with chestnut brown hair. Only a few lines of peach colour was drawn along the darker areas of the skin to give hint of the exposed skin, giving the effect of a dramatic light setting. The couture piece on the left is inspired by beads and the patterns of the soccer balls which is used mostly at the torso. Below, the cloth starts to drape in an almost walnut shape, and the cloth continues down as it is draped over circular rings. The cloth stops at knee length, a layer of white ruffles continued to protrude from the remaining edges of the cloth. A remaining strip of cloth still hooked on the lower ring drapes down, curling in a circular shape. Right in the middle is a casual piece with semi-long ruffled sleeves, in light brown with a grey and white vest aligned with the square metal studs around the vest. A brown leather skirt is pulled up waist high with a thick, white, slightly corset-like belt across. The long haired model is also carrying a handbag, similarly studded with the metal studs and is mainly white, grey and light brown in colour, the design is exotic, having some Egyptian feel to it. To the right, is a couture piece made comprising of 3-D materials such as crepe paper and feathers. Crepe paper has been crushed and flattened together to create an abstract yet unique texture in the design. Following that, feathers are used for the rest of the dress in a flared out manner. The feathers also has a more primitive and exotic influence on the design.

Opposites - Couture 2009

Copic Markers, normal markers, background - Photoshop
In this design, the two figures are greatly contrasted by the shape of the dresses as well as the colour tones. The figure on the left is dressed in cool colours and dominated by teal, the dress is rather skin tight as well, with usage of patterns and lace, while the figure on the right is a dynamic contrast to the figure on the right as it is mostly dominated with warm and striking colours like hot pink and maroon. The right figure also has a rather huge poof starting from the waist of the figure all the way down to her knees which consists of purple ruffles arranged in a random order facing different directions, hence making the dress seem more interesting. The contrast in shape also leads to an asymmetrical balance. Aside from the dresses, the figures’ limbs are almost stick-thin and 11 heads tall which differs from the normal human figure of being 7 heads tall, thus makes the figures heavily idealised. However, it accentuates the silhouette of the dresses and enables the dresses to be able to stand out more.

Runway descent

HB,2B,5B,5B Pencils
In the work ‘Runway descent’, it shows a model descending the runway, adorned with an intricate couture dress which has made use of drapery, scrunching, flares, frills, as well as ruffles. The different techniques have been applied in several layers, building its way down in harmony with the other techniques used on the fabric. The dress in the work is also carefully modeled as the creases on the fabrics are meticulously outlined and shaded appropriately, clearly revealing the depressions and oppressions in the fabrics hence enabling oppressions in the fabric to seem as if it pops out while the darker areas add to the depth of the work. Furthermore, the graphite is also blended in together to create a silky smooth texture. An aura seems to be emitting from the subject matter as well to enable the subject matter to be able to stand out more and appear to really have a charismatic aura like a model should have. The subject matter is unrealistically tall and slim, however it is successful in beautifying the dress.

Rachel's Works!

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Mariposa

2010
Poster colour and acrylic paint, pencil, glitter
The title of the painting, Mariposa, is the Spanish term for butterfly. As its name suggests, this painting’s main subject matter is the big pink butterfly on the left side of her face. The colours used to paint the butterfly are mostly made out of pink and silver. The silver paint and glitter gives the pink paint a richer hue when placed side by side. The dark black eye- liner emphasizes her eyes, making them look bigger and more alert. The brushstrokes in this painting are smooth for the model’s face but rough and slightly choppy for her hair. It creates contrast between the two different styles. This painting gives the viewers a cheerful feeling, like the arrival of spring. The butterfly can be interpreted as the symbolism of blooming flowers during springtime. The black swirl just below her eyebrow can also be interpreted as the vines of plants or flowers and the model’s brown hair reminds people of the colour of tree bark.

Sweet Icing

2010
Poster colour and acrylic paint, pencil, glitter
This artwork consists of cool colours, mostly silver, blue and different shades of purple. The painting portrays a model posing with many rings on her fingers. As the title of this artwork suggests, the cool colours used give the model an icy look that naturally sharpens the look of her features, bringing them out more. Furthermore, the blue and purple jewels near her cheek bring out the make-up on her eye better by complimenting the colours used. The glitter also draws attention to the various hues of blue used in the colouring of her eye make- up. The silver glitter used on her rings and nails give the painting an overall sparkling effect. This artwork can be interpreted as the arrival of the icy cold winter season as autumn comes to an end. The colour of the model’s hair and eyebrows can be interpreted as the brown scenery seen in autumn where the leaves of trees fall. The blue eye make- up and the rings that dominate most of the model’s face represent the arrival of the harsh winter. The metallic silver lips can represent the icy lakes that are frozen during winter, and brings across the feeling of the flawless surface of the frozen lakes.

Title

Medium:
write up

éclat bleu

2010
Poster colour paint, pencil, glitter
The title of this painting, ‘éclat bleu’ means ‘blue sparkle’ in French, which refers to the model’s eyes. The main subject matter of this painting is a model’s face and the bright yellow flower in her hair. There are three bright colours used in this painting, namely, yellow, blue and bright pink. These three colours are striking and eye-catching; hence they draw the viewer’s attention to those particular areas. The model’s eye make- up is kept simple and less decorative but on the other hand, it still has a slight touch of glamour in it because of the glitter. The use of radiant colours for the model’s features accentuates them, giving them a sharper and cleaner look. The model’s curled dark brown hair gives her face a softer and gentler appearance, but yet also a dark mysterious look as her hair covers one side of her face. The brushstrokes in this painting are visible and mostly rough. The choppy brushstrokes look like waves and gives the painting a slight sense of motion.

Modern Egyptians

2010
Poster colour paint, pencil, felt pen
This artwork mainly consists of striking rich colours like golden brown, ebony black and crimson red. The white colour used stands out against the golden brown hair of the model. Similar to the dynamic Egyptian eye make- up, the ebony black this artwork focuses on the dark coloured make-up used, such as the scarlet red lips and eye- liner and mascara. The pattern painted below the eye is similar to that of the Egyptian stone carvings on walls. The dark rich colours used in the make- up makes the model’s main features stand out, making its shape clear cut and distinct. The striking colours also draw attention to her facial features. The pure white colour used to paint the jewellery she is wearing resembles small pearls strung together in a tight necklace. I was inspired by the make- up used in the past during the period of the Egyptians. The dark mysterious colours used in the make- up make the model appear fierce and gives her an edgy feeling. It also gives her a bit of character by bringing out her facial expression. In my opinion, this painting successfully brings together the make- up designs used in both the past and the present, thus as the title of the painting suggests, a modern Egyptian.

Xin Yu's Works!

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The Girl In Pink

2003/2004
Art & Craft
This art-and-craft work was done when I was about seven or eight. Basically, it is a model of a girl made up of a plastic bottle. It is decorated with beads, buttons, and some other cut-and-paste paper to doll her up. The girl has shoulder length black hair and facial features drawn with markers: two curved strokes for the eyebrows, circles for the eyes, a protruded point for a nose and a big smile. Her dress is painted pink, with some buttons and colourful cut-and-paste prints that is glued onto it, and she had on a matching bead necklace. The girl’s arms are made of cardboard and she does not have legs. Being young, the facial features of the girl I drew are made up of simple strokes and are reduced to their basic shapes. The shapes are mainly geometric and are clear and defined. The painting done is bold, straight and solid. It is also applied in flat areas of colours, with a limited colour scheme. It is clear that the depiction of light was not a concern of me then because the form looks flat due to the flat painting, although literally, it is a 3-dimensional artwork. The dominant colours are bright and warm, like pink, orange and yellow. Although the girl stands rigidly on a flat bottom, her arms are in a position that makes her look as if she is posing. This makes the figure a little alive. The visual movement starts from the shiny and colourful prints of the decorations on the girl’s dress. Then, the viewers’ eyes travel to the pink beads on her neck and lastly to her rather plain face. The absent of her legs does not seems to affect the overview of the figure much. As a seven or eight year old girl, I guess people’s outer appearance catches my attention more, especially attractive outfits and things that are colourful and gay, rather than their true self. This is probably why I was more focus on the girls dressing and neglected the natural features. I guess I was still not mature enough to think of others’ “natural goodness”. Perhaps, a simpler reason was that I could not draw a pretty face then. Anyway, I think it is consider a success for me to convey my idea as the viewers are certainly more interested in the patterns on the girl’s dress and necklace rather than her plain face.

Codename Beware

2010
Ceramics and Poster Paint
On the other hand, this is another 3-dimensional figure that I have done this year. It is made of clay and coloured with poster paint. The head is made out of a clay pinch pot while the body was made by twirling long pieces of clay up. These two parts were put together using slits and the other parts are added onto it using the same method too. The blue clay figurine looks like a huge rat agent on a mission. They are quite a few unique features on him that made him special and one of a kind, like the fiery hair, the visor with a “BEWARE” print on it, the zipper-like scar on his face, the bloody razor tooth that sticks out, the fat and round belly, the driller-like hand, the two white wings and the fountain pen-like tail. As this model is made of clay, all the lines drawn and shapes form, unless using poster paint, I had to either carve them out or use extra clay to stick onto it, so they are all very visible. The shapes and forms are quite proportionate. The dominant colour is blue, which is a bit unrealistic, but it is the other brighter colours that catch the attention of the viewers more. As the hair are red and yellow in colour and the wings are white, the viewers eyes most probably land on those part first before taking in the rest of the model. The paint is considered quite thick and solid for poster colour paint and the brushstrokes are almost invisible, probably due to the clay surface. Different from the previous work, this one have more 3-dimensional effect. The tail that twirl around the body and the wings help in creating this visual effect. The composition is quite symmetry as I purposely divided the features of the figurine quite equally to the right and left sides of its body. For example, the scar is on the left side of the rat’s face while the tooth sticks out at the right side of the mouth; the tail appears at the left side of the rat’s back while the driller is on its right arm. This work is supposedly for us to use our imagination to create a “wild thing” after watching a short clip of a story called “Where The Wild Things Are”. We were encouraged to add elements from our daily life into this creature that we created. For example, I created my “wild thing” with the hair that looks like fire, the zipper scar, the fountain pen tail and the driller arm. Perhaps, the viewers will find it interesting to spot all these daily life items from my artwork and I could have added more items into it to make it more intriguing

Self-portrait, 2006

2006
Pencil
This is a self-portrait in my sketch book drawn when I was ten. As far as I can remember, this is the first self-portrait I did. In it, my long hair is laid down with my fringe falling over my forehead neatly. My expression is focused but emotionless and I am wearing a spaghetti strap. The lines, although clearly defined, are quite sketchy. This is probably due to my uncertainty in creating realistic shapes. Indeed, the face shape is quite unnatural and the hair is too neat and smoothing to be real. In fact, the hair seems to be formed geometrically. Apparently, there is an attempt to create the depiction of light and shading. The depiction of light appears to come from the left side of the drawing from the viewer’s point of view. There was some shading done at the hair and the face to depict reflections so as to make the self-portrait more realistic. Shading is done at the cheek, chin and nose instead of lines to define them. The shading is not detailed and the degrees of shades are quite limited as well and at some point, the contrast between the lighter and darker part is even too big. This self-portrait is off-balance. For example, the gap between the two eyes is too small while the space between the nose and the mouth is too big, causing little space for the chin. All this are not proportional to reality. The mouth was drawn slightly to the right so the composition is a little off too. On the whole, this is a simple self-portrait with little detail. This is just a face of a typical girl, I think this was what I wanted to convey when I drew this self-portrait. There is nothing special about me, just a girl with long hair, big eyes, with no unique mark to show that the girl in the drawing is me. I think I did achieve the impression of me just being “another girl” as my self-portrait was not very detailed. I only drew the obvious features, like the eyes, nose and mouth. I think I could have added a mole, a birthmark or even a pair of earrings to leave a greater impression on the viewers.

Dimensions, Our Dream Band

2010
Comics,Pencil
This is a sketch I did recently of an imaginary rock band that my friends and I came out with. In this drawing, the band is performing on stage with the audiences cheering and holding cards in the background. On stage, there is a banner with the band’s name, Dimensions,written on it with different fonts. Four faceless members of the bands are playing their instruments: “Pyoji” as bassist, “Kitai” as lead vocalist and guitarist, Leesh as back-up vocalist and pianist and “FilanteStar” as drummer. The drawing was mainly sketched out using F pencil and further made bold with 2B pencil. Shadings are done using 2B pencil and made smoother looking. This drawing was done in comic style and the subject matters are not natural or realistic. There is an attempt in creating a linear perspective by depicting clear lines to show the stage and the audience. However, the size of the drum set seems to distort the perspective a little as it looks huge compare to the other form on stage when it is suppose to be in the background. The quality of the lines is straight and a little sketchy. The depiction of light appears to come from many light sources as it can be seen from the many shadows of the forms on stage. The forms are carefully modelled on the stage but the audiences are somewhat flattened. The subjects appear to be in motions and their poses are natural. The composition is quite balanced as they are about equal number of audiences on both side and the spaces on stage are taken up evenly. The drawing of the performers on stage and the drawing of the audiences have a great contrast as the performers are drawn with more details while the latter are much more simplified. This contrast is meant to show the importance of the performers while the audiences are more of “calefares”. This artwork is done as something my friends and I can relate to our “childhood” dreams when we look back. Although it is quite silly in a sense, I am sure it will bring back wonderful memories in the future. The faceless subjects on stage create a sense of mystery as to the identities of these rock band members. This way, the viewers are even given the chance to imagine themselves to be the subjects in the drawing.

My Working Corner

2010
Photography
This is a photo I have taken of a corner in my house. This genre scene basically divides into two parts: on the left is the television set while on the right is a table with two chairs facing a full length window. Beside the television set is a display cabinet and a cupboard while there are two bonsai and a pile of books on the table. Some effects are added to the photo, like “spotlight” and “despeckle”. I also blurred some part of the photo and adjusted the brightness and contrast. The “spotlight” effect makes the forms looks more like they are in a “corner” and one have to look through a hole to see it, which adds on to the mysterious impression. I also used Photoshop to blur the photo, leaving out the desk, thus creating an atmospheric perspective in which the desk is the important form I wanted to emphasize on. This allows the visual movement to start from “my working space” then the rest of the dissolving forms. The depiction of lights can be seen clearly that it is coming from the full length window from the reflection on the cupboard. I found that the objects are arranged in a balanced composition as the television set and the desk basically take up the left side and right side of the photo respectively. However, I think the blurring effect did affect the balance of the photo a little as the desk is now the dominant form. I always like to do my drawing in this corner. Looking and listening to the goings-on outside, ideas would come to me and inspire me to draw. This has not changed over the years, even though the pieces of furniture there have changed many times. Therefore, I chose to take this photo as the subject matter links to my theme “Then and Now” as this place is where I had done most of my artwork in and it has witnessed my artistic progress through the years. I think I am quite successful in conveying this point by highlighting the desk and blurring the other forms. This way, viewers would understand the importance of the desk in the photo.

Sharon's Works!

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Rainy days

2001
Colour Pencils
This “art work” was done when I was in kindergarten. It shows me lying comfortably on my bed while it is raining heavily outside. The windows are drawn messily, made by random stokes to create the effect of window grills. This entire art work is very sketchy, and definitely shows no attempt in the blending of colours. The composition is very unbalanced as the bed is placed on the left side on the painting. The choice of colours varies largely, but is mostly made up of bright and contrasting colours, making the bed and the girl exceptionally striking. The girl’s skin colour is yellow, making her seem very unrealistic. The painting is made up of flat areas of colour and there no attempt to make the objects look three-dimensional. There are no details added to the forms, such as little random pencil strokes to depict rain droplets. The figures are outlined with pencil and there is no variation in line thickness.

Untitled

2003
Poster Paint and Crayon
This painting was done when I was in Primary school. In the center of the painting, there is a girl, supposedly to be me, standing under a big tree, happily surrounded by animals – the dog, butterfly and squirrel. The composition of this painting is rather balanced as all the forms are evenly spread out. The colours used in this painting are very vibrant and warm such as the bright green and blue. Colours are applied in flat areas. There are two mediums of art used in this painting, crayon and poster paint. The figures in the painting have been outlined thickly with black. There is little variation in line thickness. The figures are not in proportion, especially the girl, as her head is exceptionally big compared to the rest of her body, and her hands are very tiny. The clothes of the girl have little detail except for the heart in the middle of the shirt. Overall, this painting exudes a happy feeling!

Castles

2005
Poster paint and Crayons
This painting was done in an art lesson when I was in Primary Three. It shows a row of colourful castles varying in height and design. There is a bright orange sun at the top left corner. The sky is coloured in navy blue. The composition of the painting is balanced as the castles are arranged orderly side by side. The colours are bright and cheery, mostly warm colours, such as brown, orange and a range of pink to red. The background is painted, while the castles are coloured and outlined with a mixture of crayon and poster paint. The outline is uneven, with a variation of thickness in the lines. Some parts of the painting are smudged together and there are a lot of little white spaces here and there, which make it more childlike. I personally like this painting as it is very cheery, and childlike, and shows a child painting her dreamland of multi-coloured castles…

House (At night)

2006
Poster Colour
This painting was done in an art class around Primary Four. It shows a quiet night scene, where a car plies along the street past a big house. There is light coming out from the house, though it looks pretty mysterious. The viewer’s main focus is the big house, followed by the lamp post and lastly the car. The dominant colours in this painting are blue and yellow. The figures are outlined in black. Little dabs of black water colour create the shadowy effect on the trees. However, in the painting, some of the black ink has smudged off to create a blurry effect, and thus creating unevenness in the outline. There is use of different tone of blue, lighter blue for the parts of the painting where the yellow light shines on. I like this painting as it exudes a mysterious yet calm feeling. It is as if you can feel the warmth from the house and yet you are out alone on a quiet street.

“Still Life” Outlined in Blue

2009
Acrylic Paint
This still life painting was done in Secondary One. It was probably my first time using the canvas. I realized it is hard to do the sketch of the still life on canvas before painting because of its rough texture. I painted several fake fruits, a kettle, a tea bag, and a “dim sum” cover sitting on a flower pattern table cloth. The composition is rather balanced. The colours used are mainly warm colours such as yellow and brown. There is little shadow added to the painting which makes it seem a little flat. If one looks closely at the painting the right edge of the table disappears after going behind the dim sum cover. The objects are outlined with thick blue paint. This painting was rather unsuccessful as it does not really look like a still life, but being my first time using the canvas, it was pretty memorable.