doodley doo

Just some doodles I've done recently with my new Prismacolor markers that I'm super duper excited about. Hands are fun to draw, what can I say... !

Planet Tilda

If anybody were to ask me what my favorite editorial of all time is, it would be this one right here. "Planet Tilda" was photographed by the magical photographer Tim Walker and styled by Jacob Kjeldgaard, two geniuses I tell you! Despite the tangible materials, colors and body posture, there is something so supernatural that makes one look at these images twice. Of course, the juxtaposition (every one hates this word BUT I CAN'T HELP IT) between the structural suits, accessories and facial latex with the more soft knits and leathers create a beautiful tension that make me go blergh. 

It may be Tilda herself, who already has an androgynous, alien-like appearance. Apparently, she is pretty well known for acting like a weirdo as well. However, I don't really see her as a weirdo in this editorial. She seems effortless, fearless and strong; her small hints of her femininity in each photograph, whether it is her soft eye contact with the camera, the way she wraps her hands on her neck with soft leather gloves and a cozy sweater, or her bright green eyes, subtly add that special touch that I think makes it so magical. 

In my opinion, this editorial removed the over-commercialism and reminded me that fashion is an integration of several different aspects of art. Being an art and fashion nerd, this will be a repetitive theme on my blog, ~trust me.

김대현 Daehyun Kim

Trained in Eastern Art Painting, Korean artist Daehyun Kim incorporates modern and contemporary style into a traditionally Eastern method of illustration. I found these illustrations surprisingly gruesome and dark for such a simple and innocent appearance. I am convinced that colors do not limit the kind of emotions that a piece of art can evoke, and I found that pretty inspiring. He also reminds me how badly I want to go to Seoul. I feel like I am missing out on such an important part of global culture...

Maurice van de Stouwe

These shoes are by Maurice van de Stouwe. I am loving the contrast between the oxidized metal and sleek leather. That coral reptile skin is a great detail as well... It is a great transition between the rustic and the modern aesthetics of the shoe. Checking his stuff out definitely makes me want to explore more unknown, young shoe designers. 

Bonnaroo

These are a few of my favorite images that I took at Bonnaroo. It was so colorful through out the day, even through the night. The best acts were Radiohead, D'Angelo at Super Jam, Black Lips, St. Vincent, Tune Yards, Alabama Shakes and The Roots.  I always go with the intention of listening to my favorite bands, and then end up discovering new bands that I love. I forgot how great music festivals are for listening to new music... 

My Own Stuff

Trying to find my creative outlet this summer. I've thoroughly enjoyed mixed media. 

Scanner Darkly by Dazed and Confused

I love this editorial combines my love for fashion, photography and fine art. I find it is so intriguing because it is not straightforwardly selling clothes. In this case, the clothes are used as a tool to emphasize certain  qualities of the image, such as texture, to make the image seem more aesthetically appealing and interesting. The model's textural and three dimensional hair was also created a great contrast with the two-dimensional illusion that the paint created on the models face. It is exciting to run into editorials that involve so much creativity and thought when there are so many editorials out there that look so similar to one another AHEM AMERICAN VOGUE YOU GOTTA CATCH UP. 

Observation

Works above by Edgar Degas

Above works by Egon Schiele

Artists like Degas have been criticized for objectifying women in their work. He and Egon Schiele tended to portray women outside of their environment, focusing more on the shape and movement of the woman anatomy -- viewing them much more of an object for the practice of observation. 

I do not agree with the objectification of women whatsoever, but I cannot help but appreciate the beauty of their work. They point out subtle parts of their body (like knotted hair, back dimples, loose hair at the nape of the neck) and actions (contraposto holding the back of her dress, stretching, leaning towards the ground in exhaustion) that make them certainly real women. 

Something about not giving eye contact to the viewer also intrigues me. It makes me feel like I have walked in on the subject doing what they do naturally and when they are most vulnerable, when no one is watching. Schiele does it interestingly because he takes these women who are posing in very natural and vulnerable manners, but they are taken outside of context with a plain, untouched back ground -- asking us to create their surroundings ourselves.

There is a reason why artists love to draw human beings, especially in the nude. The human body is made of a variety of curves, lines and despite of it being called symmetrical the human body is flawed enough that it is not actually symmetrical... a challenge to the observing artist. I am not excusing the sexism and objectification of women that has existed in art. Rather, I am just appreciating the talent of the artists themselves. 

Being a fashion dork, I especially love this last illustration by Schiele. He uses great saturated colors and the dress has a great cut. 

Enough dorking out. Peace.

Great Discoveries

I don't know how I found these illustrations (probably tumblr let's be serious), but I love them so much. They're by a German illustrator named Baron Hans Henning Voigt for a the German version of the book named "Carmen" by a French author called Prosper Mérimée during the 1920s. Apparently he was married to the awesome writer and early feminist George Sand. I love how he creates a variety of textures with just black and red lines within simple, yet strange silhouettes... the images just make me smile.
thx, internet !!!

Ugly Betty for Citizen K

Love this editorial. It mixes the beautiful and (what is considered) the ugly, creating a humorous yet serious comment on media's beauty standards. Not to mention the clothes are great. I'm inspired. 

Interesting Strangers

First blog post! Here are some photographs of people I have seen in New York that I have found inspiring and interesting.