推& 拉

              As promised, here's the guide to making your own 推& 拉 from Aang : The Last Airbender series.

Start with the Koi fish molds. You will need two of them to make the set. The one that glows is 拉 (the black one), the Ocean spirit.

Draw the markings for both fish. They both have a diamond shaped marking on their head. In case you're not sure, refer to Google.

Also draw a circle beneath 拉. You will need it for the lighting later. The circle provides a guide on which portion of the fish's underbelly that you should cut out

 Cut out portions of the mold according to the patterns you have drawn earlier using a small knife or a blade.
Be careful not to cut yourself in the process.

Remember to remove the eyes as well for 拉. His eyes needs to glow when he spiritually connects with Aang in the Avatar State.

Cut a hole at the bottom for fitting the lighting. You only need to do this for 拉, but I did it for 推 as well, since I wanted to see how it would look like if it glowed.

Get a piece of sugar paper or any other form of thin, opaque material to act as cover for 拉. Material choice is important as we want to make a diffused glow rather than a (blinding) glare.

Cut pieces of paper according to the size of the holes left in the material. The paper must be large enough to cover the holes and hang onto the surrounding area.

They should look like this when they are covered. (not very neatly done though)

推& 拉 after colouring is completed. Sorry no pictures for the process because I got carried away and forgot to take them.

Battery, light bulb and light bulb holder. Make sure the bulb you are using gives of WHITE light, not any other colour. Do not use LEDs as they are directed beams (shine in 1 direction), instead, go for bulbs with diffused beams (all round)

Connect the electronics and put the bulb inside 拉's underbelly hole.

There you have it, 推& 拉, with 拉 in the Avatar State. Hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial.

Through the eyes of children

               Oftentimes, adults are too busy with obligations and commitments to express themselves creatively. Given our current socio-economic condition, it comes as no surprise that we are so focused on making a living that we do not appreciate the beauty or wonder around us. However, children have ample time and innate curiosity to observe the world around them. As such, they tend to observe, copy and emulate things they have seen, capturing their beauty with either words, plays, pictures or arts and crafts.

              The artwork produced by children who have yet to be preoccupied with everyday concerns can be downright breathtaking. Not only do they encompass all forms of beauty, be it natural or man made, but also a sense of purity. When we adults look at them, it gives us, however small a sense, of returning to our childhood to bring back all those lost memories.

My personal favourites of artwork by children are below. These pictures were collected from a recently concluded online contest by my employer. To me, these pictures are both amazing works of art, as well as memory made tangible. Without further ado, the pictures that amazed and inspired me.

Kindergaten Category (Ages <6)

The winner of the kindergarten category went to this "spiderbug". Children often look up to heroes because they don't do what is easy, but do what is right. I'm pretty sure that most children have dreams of being a superhero one day, and to save they world. However, you don't need to be Spiderman or Superman to save the world. Simply reducing energy consumption and recycling waste products or using biodegradable ones will be helping the environment, and in a small sense, saving the world.
                      "I believe there's a hero in all of us" - May Parker, Spiderman 2 (2004)

Second place went to this cute little 2015 bug. Aside from being absolutely adorable, it also bears a greeting and a wish for the new year. 2014 has been a terrible year all across the world, with problems piling up and no end in sight. Terrorism, economic meltdown, natural disasters and having so many planes drop out of the sky. Let us hope that this cute bug can be the herald of a better, brighter year ahead.

Third place goes to this turtle, who, can you believe it or not, was painted by a THREE YEAR OLD! Amazing, isn't it? A paint scheme that suggested the turtle camouflaging itself in the ocean. Such a wonderful combination of background and painting skills. Perhaps the part that I like the most about this picture is the hand print on the turtle's back. Before I explain why though, I would like to tell you all a little story.
"A man approached a king and exclaimed that how fortunate the king was to have all the wealth, power and luxury. The king offered to switch chairs with the man. Only when the man sat down did he realise there was a giant sword hanging about the king's throne, held there by a single horse tail hair. The man begged to be allowed to leave the king's throne, realising that with great fortune and power also comes great responsibility"
That was the story of the Sword of Damocles. Why did I bring it up? Because we humans, as a species, have all the wealth, luxury and fortunes of this planet. The hand print on the turtle's back reminds me of our ultimate responsibility to each other, all the living things and the world itself.

Lower Primary (Ages 7-9)

A wonderfully painted turtle with a beach background theme. The head is even heading towards the water. A wonderful colour combination by this young painter. The dark spots on the turtle even corresponds to a certain species of turtle, though I have not been able to identify it. Any turtle experts here to advise?

An extremely creative interpretation of the common frog. I am unable to interpret much meaning from this particular animal, but I choose it  because of its vibrant colours and skin markings, some of which actually do happen in the natural world.

A brightly coloured bunny munching on an equally brightly coloured carrot. Extra points for giving the bunny a flowery wreath around the head, Japanese anime eyes and details around the ears. (The logo of my employers company on the bunny's body is totally coincidental XD)





Upper Primary (Ages 9-12)

Once again, a beautifully coloured turtle takes top spot. Once again, I am unable to identify the species of turtle used as inspiration for this particular work of art. The skill of this child to paint this price to near life likeness is amazing, something far beyond my ability. Maybe I need a teacher :p

A happy ladybug takes 2nd spot. Well painted eyes, clear outlines and creative colour combination goes to make this ladybug a real attraction. The hearts on the sides and back also deserve praise for their intricacies. (Once again, the company logo on the back is entirely coincidental XD)

A pink seahorse! No prizes for guessing whether it was a boy or girl who painted it. XD. I chose this because of its attention to detail. The markings all along the fins to the back, dot patterns in the front, wavy signs all along the back, markings near the snout and a little heart at the tip of the tail all contribute to making this seahorse a "must see horse".















Secondary (Ages 12-18)

 This piece was so amazingly close to the original that I initially thought it was a photograph of a race car. Lay it side by side with an actual Formula 1 car and you'll barely notice the difference. Even the stickers on the actual vehicle is replicated in exquisite detail. The only thing that's missing is me in the driver's seat. XD

Another happy bunny, and this one even appears to be wearing clothes. Nicely painted eyes, realistic carrot, headband with ribbon, detail around ears, a beaded necklace and purple polka dot bunny pants.

A stingray painted with waves and flow patterns that harken back to the early days of Chinese art. The swirl patterns, colour schemes and details, especially on the fins and alone the tail makes it one amazing piece.

















 For the complete list of winners, please have a look at the following albums.
Kindergarten

Lower Primary

Upper Primary

Secondary

That's all, have a nice day. :)

Happy 2015!

 HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEPS!! Its 2015 and I already feel lazy XD. To celebrate the new year, I've coloured a couple of butterflies with the new year numbers. Here are the steps. 

Draw the numbers on the butterfly wings. Use a 2B pencil to trace the outlines of the numbers. Make it as large as possible so that colouring them is easier later. 

 Final view of the butterflies before colouring.

To make it stand out, I chosen dark colours, so that the contrast in colours is more pronounced and beautiful. The colours I chose are black, blue and purple.   

Start by colouring the edges of the wings black. Make sure to have some form of protection for your table surface, such as newspaper. Here, I'm using an old rag as cover.

 Next, dip a different brush (if you have one) in blue. If you do not have a different brush, make sure the black coloured brush you are using has been thoroughly cleaned. Colour the inner edges of the wings on the border, but NOT touching the numbers.

Similarly, repeat the steps using the purple colour. Remember to use a clean brush. Colour right to the edges of the numbers, but do not colour the number itself.

Your work should look something like this at the 1/2 way point.












Next, colour the numbers using a bright colour. I chose to use lime green as the colour for the numbers. Using a clean brush, fill in the blank spaces. Be  careful not to let the purple and green colours touch each other. Its ok to leave a small blank space in between. It will be filled in later with a "special effect" :D

 

Using a wet brush (wet only, no colour on it), "draw" the green paint away from the centre towards the purple parts of the wing. This makes the butterfly look more natural and less like a man made product. It also gives your butterfly an "edgy" look. 

Your butterfly should now look like this











Here are both the butterflies done with a layer of shellac sprayed onto them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Keep watch for my next big project, the Koi fish from Avatar : The Last Airbender.

Santa Bug

           Christmas! Winter is coming! (Not to us in Malaysia though T_T) Anyway, I decided to make a Christmas themed artwork. I choose the ladybug as it was the closest match I have to an unforgettable character of the season, SANTA CLAUS!

Ok, lets start out with the ladybug before painting. The following pictures are the side and top views of the ladybug before painting.

>>>
Notice that it looks like fat man from the front? (hehe, i've been naughty this year)

Start by drawing in the lines. Remember it is always easier to follow a set of drawings than doing it free hand.

<<<  Start by drawing the features. I used a 2B pencil. However, if you find the lines not deep enough, you can always try to use a 6B pencil 
Draw the moustache and Santa hat. Additionally (not shown here) draw in his eyes in the shining, Japanese anime style.












Draw his suit, The curvature of the ladybug's shell gives the impression of a really large belly. Add in features such as suit trimmings, buttons, belts and the buckle. Draw a line down the middle to show that Santa is wearing pants instead of a skirt. :D

Start by painting the lighter colours first. You can always use the darker colours to cover any mistakes you made. Start with the white parts of Santa's suit, followed by the reds and yellows, and finally the blacks I used two coats to enhance the colour, but a single coat should do.

About 30% done. Try not to colour out of the lines you have drawn, otherwise it will be difficult to correct later on.

Colour the belt buckle first, followed by the black belt. (Santa has a black belt in eating, so don pray-pray arh...)

















>>
Colour his face pink using a mix of white, red and yellow. Mix in  any amount of colours to get the tone that you want. Remember to paint his eyes, nose, mouth and gloves black after you're done with his face.

Draw the linings using a marker pen in order to achieve  the "cartoon" effect. Your Santabug is now ready to be displayed. For extra gloss, colour protection and to make it waterproof , I added a layer of shellac, but it is not really necessary







                           There you go, Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Hello peeps, sorry for the no post November, I was busy growing my beard :D . Got some nice shots of some of fish. Didn't take any during shots though, so its just before and after. Mea culpa mea culpa.

Hope you like it. Merry Christmas and happy new year to all.