Black and White Drawings

Because when I was younger, I was trying to see if I could come up with decent drawings, I had a sketchpad in which just drew what I could. I like drawing flowers in vases, as well as other inanimate objects. In this post, I'm sharing with you my black-and-white drawings a.k.a my experimenting with pencil shadings and shadows.I just edited them a bit in Photoshop because the shots were dark. Here they are:

(I used the Faber Castell triangular pencil in this one. I no longer have it, and I think the book stores and supplies stores don't have it as well. I made this sometime in 2001.)

(This is my favorite in this category. I was trying to create a shadow of the vase. I hope the black thing under the vase looks like one. By the way, the white line in the "shadow" isn't there in the real drawing. I wonder where that came from. I drew this on October 9, 2001, my 13th birthday.)

(Little Feast 1. This is my second favorite in this category. I drew this on October 12, 2001.)

(Little Feast 2. Drawn on October 13, 2001. No wonder this is similar to the previous one. I drew them on two consecutive days.)

(Fruit Basket. Drawn on January 4, 2002. I don't know what fruits they are actually. I just drew round "fruits". But one of them is an apple. :) )

(By Threes. My inspiration for this one came from a small vase with three fake roses in it displayed in the bathroom. I drew this on April 1, 2002.)

(What flower is that? I don't know. On April 29, 2002, I just drew random dots on the top part of the paper, then connected them and tried to make something out of it. I'd like to believe the drawing isn't that bad, is it?)

(Bouquet of Buds. I drew this on April 28, 2002. My inspiration for this was a bunch of fake flowers I saw in the house. I think it was a school project of mine.)

So there they are. My artworks. I plan on drawing again soon. I just hope I can come up with decent ones since it's been years since I last drew. Wish me luck. :)

P.S. I would like to thank Lisa for these awards:

Now, I'm passing them on to Jingle and my dear friend, Gia. Congratulations!

Flowers in a Vase and Other Drawings

When I was 12 until when I was 13 or 14, I used to draw inanimate objects and landscapes. I'm not really good at it, so I would watch my classmates who were gifted with this talent draw and do as they did. And then, as I got older and got busier with school and other things, this interest got buried under my other interests.

I'm not a frustrated artist. In this entry, I would like to share with you some of my drawings which were part of my attempts to be a well-rounded person. Here they are:

(This drawing is dated Feb. 23-24, 2001. I used Faber Castell colored pencils.)

(I also used Faber Castell colored pencils in this one. I wasn't able to put the date, but I know I made this in 2001 also.)

(Unlike the previous two, I used Pentel oil pastels in this one. I loved how oil pastels stained my hand, and I loved how easily they glided on paper as I color.)

(Flowers in a Vase. This is my favorite among the four. Like the first two drawings, I also used Faber Castell colored pencils in this one.)

So there - a peek into my attempt to enter the world of visual arts. Good thing I managed to keep them, so even if I don't draw anymore, I can just take them out and think that once upon a time, I thought of myself as a gifted child that I could do almost anything. Hahaha!

But these works of mine also show me that if I was able to draw things like those before, then I could probably draw again. I just have to equip myself with my colored pencils and oil pastels and come up with something again. :)

Green Images of Inspiration

I often see Images of Inspiration posts in Design is Mine , a design blog I frequently visit. Because of that, I was encouraged to come up with my own images of inspiration as well. Here they are in their green glory:

(The University of the Philippines Sunken Garden. I took this photo last June during an Ultimate beginners' tournament.)

(Water lilies. I also took this photo at the compound of old houses functioning as art galleries where these photos were shot.)

(More water lilies.)

(My favorite shot. The leaves are forming a shade from the afternoon sun.)

All images above were shot using my phone camera, because as usual, I didn't have a digital camera with me. I should bring one all the time, or better yet, maybe I should buy my own because our digital camera at home is for the whole family's use. But maybe I'll practice first using my phone camera, and let's see if I could come up with better shots. :)

Shoes of a Dancer

Viewed from the side,
Their arcs reveal
The dancer’s countless
Pointing and flexing
For the art called dance.

They are soiled.
No longer the immaculate
Pink that they used to be.
Stained and dirtied by the
Stages she has danced on.

They’re tied above
Her strong ankles,
Firm around
Her calloused feet,
And worn out by friction.

But when the dance is over,
And they’re untied,
They’re kept or tossed aside.
Her feet, again flat on the floor,
Just like everybody else.

-Katherine Lopez
(29 August 2010)

My Short Visit to My Org

Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to visit my college org when my teammates and I brought back issues to the UP Shopping Center for binding. It was nice to be back in our tambayan (hangout) and see a few of my orgmates.

Nandy and Achel. Cute pose! :)

Luka, busy working on something.

Edzel Tabing. You were just in time for the picture-taking. Hehehe.

With my buddy, Ging.

Another buddy pic. Let's catch up soon. :)

I enjoyed my approximately 20-minute stay at out tambayan. Another orgmate, Richard, was there, but he already left before I started taking photos.

Thanks guys! Until my next visit. :)

Thank you, Jingle!

Thank you,  Jingle, for this award, and to the other awards you gave which I failed to post here. :) Have a great weekend!

The Afternoon Light

This afternoon, my teammates in the magazine and I went to a compound of old houses which function as art galleries. And because the afternoon light looked so beautiful as it entered through the window, I couldn't take help but take photos of where the light landed. Too bad I left my camera at home, so I used my phone camera instead.

(I love how the dried weeds were turned into decor.)

(This is my favorite shot. The lighting seems perfect, adding just the right amount of drama in the photo.)

(This is just the landscape orientation of the previous one.)

(The living area.)

(Stairs. I don't know if my shot is any good, but I like the afternoon light's glare on the wooden floor.)

I enjoyed taking those photos. Maybe I should take more photos of anything that looks interesting, no matter how mundane it may seem. Who knows? Those mundane photos might be just what someone need to brighten up his or her day.