World of Arts; Build Your Drawing Skill

Good drawing requires few basic skills. - Photo by: drawingartpic.com

Everyone has the ability to draw whether it is good or not. Such as any other skill, drawing quality will improve with repetitive training. This process anyway can be shortened with talent and proper training. So, if you are interested in drawing, one thing that you need to put in mind - find a good training program and keep on learning.

Drawing

Drawing is an important skill in many fields. Whether you truly want to be an artist, or you want to be a biologist or scientist – the drawing skills really going to help you a lot. Even for house builders, basic drawing skill helps them to materialize their ideas easily.

If you are talented in drawing, then the process will be much easier. Anyway, learning of the basic drawing skills is still required in order to improve your result. There are few skills in drawing to make sure you can produce the greatest result as you want it.

Basic drawing skills:

Drawing lines need to be trained properly to get a good result. - Photo by: bikersshop.info

Drawing of shapes

The first step in drawing is the ability to draw shapes. This practice actually will help you to control your hand to produce the same thing that you want to draw from your mind. By drawing the simple shapes such as circle, square, ellipse, triangle, and long straight line, you can tell the amount of pressure that you need to apply and how to move your hand correctly. This exercise will get easier after some period of times, until you find that it is not a problem at all.

After that you can go to the next step with 3D objects such as cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, triangular pyramid, square pyramid, triangular prism, and torus. Learn how to use the construction lines to make sure you get the shapes correct. Then you can go to the next step of shading by adding the direction of light source. This is the fun part of learning basic drawing.

Drawing basic shapes to help you get it everything in the right proportion. - Photo by: fun-stuff-to-do.com

This exercise can be upgraded by experimenting with different materials such as coarse surface, for example a brick instead of just regular cube. So you can see the different shades of light on the surface. How about when you put few shapes closer, how the light will look like on each surface.

Draw in perspective

This is another important basic skills in drawing. Perspective will give the depth in your drawing. It also will help you understand how to draw objects that are closer and the objects that are further. There are a few important steps in this exercise.

One point perspective

One point perspective. - Photo by: helloartsy.com

Two-point perspective

Two-point perspective. - Photo by: helloartsy.com

Three-point perspective

Three-point perspective. - Photo by: helloartsy.com

By mastering these basic skills you are ready to draw a panorama view. Is also helps if you’re drawing multiple object with consideration of space and depth, for example, large room with furniture, windows and door.

Drawing Human and Animals

Basic drawing of the head (for manga character). - Photo by: moziru.com

The next step you can start to learn how to draw human and animals. You can start this part earlier before you learn the perspective drawing. It’s depend on what is your goals are. If you want to draw a portrait as your main subject than you can skip the perspective drawing. But still, you need to learn the perspective in order to master all the basic techniques in drawing to improving your skills.

Drawing human and animals have their similarities. Here you need to use your skills in drawing the basic objects a lot. You are going to use many construction lines, drawing basic shapes such as round, circular lines, straight lines and many others. That’s why you need to keep on practicing in order to have proper control of your tools – and how to use the right pressure for different types of lines.

Composition

The right composition will make your drawing more appealing. - Photo by: watercolorpainting.com

Composition is an important element to make sure that your drawing will give an impact to your viewers. Good drawing skills alone will not be enough to get a good result without correct composition. It’s allow your viewer to catch the right message on your drawings.

Composition is not hard to understand, but you need to train yourself properly in order to get it right. Once you get used to it, usually it will be naturally get into your drawings. All of these elements usually will be explained in most of basic drawing classes.

Keep on practicing

Keep on practicing will help you to fasten the process of drawing. You will know when to remove some guidelines as you can imagine where it will be. Don’t do this at an early stage as it will make you unable to grasp the technique properly.

Keep on doing the same practice as shown on your exercises. Try different characters, shapes, scenes and try your own imagination. You might someday draw with your own styles, but let it happen naturally. Sometimes you will notice it when you are in a hurry – but don’t rush it.

Some links to learn drawing for free.

• Free basic drawing by Bill Martin
• Another best drawing site by bikersshop.info
• Another useful tutorial from design.tutsplus.com
• You also can follow some tutorials from artistinschool.com (there are also many inspiring videos related to art).

* Links and videos that provided in this article are just for guidance, you can find your own exercise if you think you like it.

Dive Into The World of Arts

Art produced by Google’s Deep Dream Artificial Intelligent - Google Deep Dream

There are huge definitions of art and whether we understand the meaning of art or not, we might contributed or came crossed it without even realize it. Before we go through some definition of arts one thing we can be sure, art is important in our lives.

These are few definitions of the arts from various sources;

Google Dictionary:

• the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
• the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance.
• subjects of study primarily concerned with human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects).
• a skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice.

Wikipedia:

•  Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artefacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. In their most general form these activities include the production of works of art, the criticism of art, the study of the history of art, and the aesthetic dissemination of art.

Drawing of ancient woodworking from Egyptian painting. - Photo by: The Yorck Project

Well, we know that’s not enough to explain about the arts. So we can see few other references, perhaps from Huffingtonpost, or something deeper from Mentalfloss, and don’t forget to check on details discussion “What is Art? and/or What is Beauty?” from Philosophynow. So arts can be in many forms from the way we talk, to the way we walks (it’s everything) and we are all doing it with the different impacts to our surrounding.

Here's what we are going to share few forms of the arts that we knew well. Perhaps we can learn more about it in details. We also will share few people that good at it, and few sources that we can learn more about it. So, we can choose which form of arts that we like and go through it more deeply. These resources will be added from time to time (just follow the link provided).

Drawings:

The starry night by Vincent van Gogh vallued at more than hundrend millions - Photo by: wikimedia

Drawings are the most basic form of arts. Even though some other arts don't require drawings, many others rely on drawings as their basic such as pottery, woodworks, ironworks, glassworks, architectures, and many others. Whether there’s a physical drawing or not, those arts need to start with some drawings.

So let see drawings in general through their media;

Drawings; pencil drawing, charcoal, ink or monotones.

Coloured drawings/paintings:

• Colourpencil
• Crayon
• Pastels
• Chalk
• Watercolours
• Acrylics
• Oil paintings
• Airbrush.
• Pen - ballpoint pen, technical pen, fountain pen, nib pen, marker

* Other forms of drawings such as graffiti, mural, comic or manga can be related back to the panting media above.

Crafts:

Craft is another broad form of arts that can be categories into few different classes. Here we will list few of it and will try to add more as much as we can. Usually craft also will be linked together with drawing skills.

Textiles:

Even though the process of producing the textiles itself is an art, but the arts that related to textiles are developed tremendously. The arts of textiles including producing products from the textiles and also the patterns using the same materials or additional materials as additional.

•  Applique
•  Beadwork
•  Crochet
•  Dyeing
•  Embroidery
•  Knitting
•  Lace
•  Patchwork
•  Passementerie
•  Quilting
•  Rug & carpet making
•  Textile printing

Pottery:

For pottery it is easier to classify the arty types using the materials that use (as the arts mostly known by their materials).

• Earthenware
• Terracotta
• Stoneware
• Porcelain
• Fritware
• Egyptian faience
• Ironstone
• Jasperware

Wood working:

Chinese wood carving at Green Lake Hotel, Kunming. Photo by: thisiscolossal.com

It’s hard to classify the woodworks as I am not so sure all of them. So if there’s any opinion to add on this topic, please don’t hesitate to add it in the comment or send me an email. Here I will list some of them base on how the woodworks process;

•           Wood carving
•       Parquetry
•       Japanese carpentry
•       Spindle turning
•       Pyrography
•       Clogs
•       Lacquerware
•       Craft with plant materials - coconut shell, bamboo, rattan, and etc.

Glass:

Glassart in Formosa Boulevard Station, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan – Photo by: wikipedia

Same goes for the glass, the process has also become the classification of the glassworks. One process might have different distinctive results. Usually craftsman will only mastering one type of glasswork - because it requires different type of tools.

-        

•       Glassblowing
•          Stained glass
•          Glass sculptures
•          Etched glass
•          Cold glass
•           Enamelled glass
•           Glass mosaic

Metal:

There are different types of classification of metalwork, it’s either by the types of metal that their use or the product that they produce. Sometimes we also known them with the process. But here let us list some of it to see the different;

-        

•       Goldsmith
•          Silversmith
•          Sculptures
•          Masks
•          Metal plates
•          Ornaments
•          Furniture
•          Jewelleries
•          Musical instruments

* Goldsmith and silversmith can also producing jewelleries, but they are specified to each metal if they only work with one metal only.

Creative Arts:

Writings:

Popular novels - kosmosaicbooks.com 

Writing is also another important types of art. From the basic form of writing it’s allow us to record some important information in the history. Today we have different types of writing for different purposes even for different languages.

•          Journals
•          Diaries
•          Essays
•         Storytelling
•          Poetry
•          Memoir
•          Scripts
•          Blogging
•          Free writing

Performances:

Photo of book cover: Michael Jackson: The King of Pop by Chris Roberts

Acting, singing, theatre performances, magician, stand-up comedy, dancing and live performances (acrobatics, mix of performances).

Cooking:

Japanese foods presented with beautiful decoration. - Photo by: savvytokyo.com

Cooking is another huge topic to talk about, but still so important in our history. Every dishes need to prepare accordingly or it cannot be eaten. We might add extra decoration – that will be different part of art. We will try to list some of it, but then we only get clearer picture when we go through it one by one.

By process;

•          Roasting
•          Grilling
•          Blanching or boiling
•          Sous-vide
•         Steaming
•         Baking
•         Stir-frying
•         Fermenting
•         Salads

* There are many other types of cooking arts that we need to discuss it in more specific articles, especially when we talk about specific dishes such as specific dishes related to some part of culture, e.g.: sushi, kimchee, tom yam, rendang and etc.

As you can see, there are too many form of arts and I cannot list of all it here. So I will come back to add more of it in this list. From here we can see more articles to help us to develop the skills or to learn more from those who are good at it, or maybe we just want to get more information about it. Hope this will help for us to enrich our knowledge.

Beautiful Art, Japanese Lacquerware

Stationery Box in Kōdaiji style from Momoyama period (1573-1615). - Photo by: metmuseum.org

Lacquareware is produced in several areas in Asian countries, especially China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar and maybe a few others. The origin of this art might start from China then spread into many other countries. Lacquerware has beautiful shiny finishes that resemble porcelain products that also originated from China.

The beautiful of lacquerware start from the beginning of the process that requires the layer of lacquer to be applied over and over again and the curing process that take several days to weeks. The total time to complete one product might take several months to years.

While in Japan the usage of lacquer (in Yayoi era) was so extensive from basket, farming tools, fishing gear, in many other materials - in order to protect these materials from damage easily. Then the usage of lacquer evolved as a craft during the Asuka period. The transformation was influenced by the Chinese arts that transferred to Japan. There were large amounts of lacquer were required during that period, that requires the amount of lacquer harvested to be controlled.

Old Chinese lacquerware from Ming dynasty, Wanli era (1573-1620). - Photo by: collections.lacma.org

One of Maki-e motifs. - Photo by:  Pqks758

Another antique stacking boxes with Maki-e. - Photo by: ancientpoint.com 

The advancement of the craft not limited to just painting and scraping, but also the usage of other materials such as ‘mother of pearls’, brass, copper, lead, silver, platinum and gold. Here in Japan the usage of the valuable metals is more popular and known as Maki-e (蒔絵, literally: sprinkled picture).

This technique was developed during the Heian period (794 – 1185) and became popular during the Edo period (1603–1868). This technique requires high skill, craftsmanship – that most of the young artists will go through many years to produce high quality arts with this technique.

There are many other techniques for Japanese lacquerware, but the Maki-e was considered one of the best technique mastered by Japan. Other than the technique, the motifs and the shapes of the materials that produced from Japanese craftsman also presenting the authenticate designs.

Even though we can still find the Japanese Maki-e lacquer products, the price can be expensive – most of it is antique products. The time intensive works to produce this art might be one of the reasons why not many artisan works on it.

Here I will include few videos related to Japanese Lacquerware works and arts in order to help you understand more on this topic.

Largest Living Bird: Greater Rhea

Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) also known as ñandú (Guaraní and Spanish). - Photo by: Rufus46

Greater Rhea (Rhea Americana) is another “largest birds that still live today” also in the group of flightless birds. Greater Rhea lives in the eastern part of Southern America native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Just like its cousin, the ostrich, greater rhea lives in open areas such as grasslands, savannah or grassy wetlands. There’s a group of this bird established itself in Germany since 2000 with growing population.

Growing so big makes it harder for greater rhea to be able to fly. The average weight for an adult bird can achieve 20–27 kg (44–60 lb), while stand at 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) to top of its head. The size also is bigger for the male bird compared to the females. The size of males can reach up to 40 kg (88 lb), stand nearly 1.83 m (6.0 ft) tall and measure over 150 cm (59 in) long, although this is uncommon.

Greater rhea with its fluffy feathers. - Photo by: parcanimalierdauvergne.fr

Greate rhea's foot is strong for running. - Photo by: jungledragon.com 

Same as other flightless birds such as ostriches and emus, they mostly rely on their legs to run away from predators (when being threatens). Their wings are useless for flights, but will work as balancer when they are changing direction during their run. Same as any other bigger birds, greater rhea has stronger legs that can be used as a weapon instead just for running.

Even though their diet mostly consists of plants, fruits and seeds, this bird also enjoys meals of insects, lizards, birds and other small animals. It is easier for this bird to adapt itself as they don’t have any trouble to find their food. That also explained how their population grows rapidly in their new territory in German.

Greater rheas, chasing each other. - Photo by: knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk

Male greater rhea nursing its eggs during the incubation process. - Photo by: Ralph Bower

Greater rhea is a solitary bird until the mating seasons. While the males are polygynous, the females at the same time are polyandrous. Few females will lay their eggs in the same nest prepared by the male; with the total of eggs can reach up to 50 eggs or more. Other special characters of this bird are the males will incubate the eggs and also taken care of their young.

Rhea eggs were collected by human and their meat also were eaten. Instead of that, rhea’s skin also been used to produce leather products. Their population was threatened by human, until the regulations, safe this bird from totally perished.