Pages

Friday, February 17, 2012

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Got My New Sketchbook!

 
Here it is! I am stoked to start working on this limited edition sketchbook project! For more information on this project click here.

My theme this time is The Secret and How to Tell It. The book is due by the 30th of April, I will do my best not to submit at the last moment this time!

I will be posting some progress pictures, so check back often.

Cheers!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Sketchbook Project 2012 World Tour

 
I have finally finished my entry for the Sketchbook Project 2012 World Tour.
In short, this project is about people all over the world filling up a small sketchbook, which will then go on a world tour and end up on permanent display in the Brooklyn Art Library. Many of the sketchbooks will be also available for viewing online too. The artists could choose several themes for their work. I stuck with the open theme of "This is a Sketchbook".
Although I started out in watercolour and acrylic, I soon switched to ballpoint pen as I realized I wanted the sketchbook to have lots of line drawings and just mainly black and white work. Since the theme was so open, it was tough to start drawing right away as I simply did not know where to begin. A trip to Hawaii over Christmas definitely helped though! Almost every place there is worth capturing on paper or camera! I then continued with sketching places that were inspirational to me in the last few years. Some from memory, some with the helps of photographs I have taken during some of my trips. 
One of the main things I liked about this project is that is made me sit down, pick up a pen and draw for a while, concentrating on just this task and putting all the everyday things aside. I liked this project so much that I signed up for the Sketchbook Project Limited Edition too. There are still 354 spots left on the project, so if you feel like showing your sketches to the world, I highly recommend signing up.

Interview with Karl Magi from Suite 101

Yana Klimava is an artist who works in watercolour and acrylic. She creates images that capture light and landscapes in her work.

Yana Klimava explores the visual world through her watercolours and acrylic works. Klimava grew up in Belarus where she attended the Minsk Lycaeum of Visual Arts. She finished high school in Canada and went on to Carleton University's School of Industrial Design. She's been living and working in Calgary for three years and I talked with her about her artistic practice and the intersection of art and design.

During our conversation we talked about what has inspired Klimava as an artist. She says, "One of the most influential things in my life comes from my early childhood. It was a small art class where kids were given all the freedom they wanted and no one ever assumed anything and no one judged. I do actually keep in touch with my teacher from that class. He definitely erased the fear of the white paper and helped me along with expression and not being afraid of what the result will be."

Another major influence, Klimava tells me, was her formal artistic training. She says, "My opinion is that in order to be able to do stylized work you need to have a foundation of classical training, You can always fall back on it. It gives you an understanding of the world and you can make it your own. By no means have I excelled at being a classical painter yet. Its just something you constantly have to be working at."

Read the entire article at Suite 101: Click here