Pile on the layers!

Sunset Spectrum

Browsing through Flickr, I came across this images and it caught my eye. At first glance on my screen I thought it was a painting of some sort of the clouds. Upon clicking on the enlarged picture I was surprised to find that it was actually an image. The clouds make it seem like the image is a painting its lines and strokes. It just looks amazing. I feel like the optical illusion worked on me.

Upon further research, I wondered how the images were created and I found my answer on the artist's page. He took over 200 shots of the same scenery with a time-lapse and then he compiles them together with the layering and blending technique on Photoshop. I was shocked at how easy the images took to compile and it amazed me to see that the techniques can be utilized to create astonishing images like these.

I would definitely try this technique the next time and I'll sure to try and create wonderful images like these.

By Matt Maloy. 

(A photographer who has been sharing his inspiring and awesome photographs since 2009)

Scribble away.

While browsing through a site, I came across these pictures and I was inclined to click on it. Lo and behold, I found these wonderful illustrations by a Malaysian Artist called Vince Low. This post is mostly inspired by the fundamental classes we had last week where we had to use lines to create images. I was awed by the illustrations as the strokes and lines looks wonderful. It amazes me how just different strokes and lines can form such a detailed image and that makes me appreciate the lessons taught earlier a bit more. There are so many ways for lines to be used in an illustration and just by looking at these I realized that even scribbles can make a detailed image.

Vince Low is an artist and illustrator from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In a recent personal project entitled Faces, he uses hundreds of scribble lines to create detailed portraits of famous celebrities. The works are fascinating to study to me, with a very clear and detailed portrait emerging from a chaotic series of scribbled lines both large and small. Looking through it all inspires me to be more creative with my lines. Lines are not just structured and straight. Different lines emit different emotions and looking and this made me understand the concept a little bit more.

Beauty of Vandalism.

Taken in Prague June 2013 on a long wall filled with graffitis.

Side of a building in the Paris streets, June 2013.

Underpass in Munich, October 2011.

I've always thought that graffitis were vandalism when in Singapore but as I travel and opened my eyes to the beauties of street graffitis, I've learnt to appreciate the art in them. The past few years as I've travelled across a few countries in Europe and United Kingdom and I've walked past many walls that were spray painted with vibrant colors. Some may have meaning to them and some may not but the colors and designs come together with the neighborhood and sometimes enhances the walking experience. These burst of colors and meaning on plain sidewalk walls are not just vandalism anymore, instead it feels like they're  painting a story or giving meaning to just a simple road picture and I find that amazing. These spur of the moment works that are on walls inspire me to be more creative. The colors, shapes and movement in them go well together to create a story. Some may be really just be plain vandalism but when on a wall with many other graffitis or spray paint works, it can tell a story or just be a mere wall with names on it and that to me is something interesting and wonderful.

I've heard about 2 notable graffiti artist that were involved in a "Graffiti War" - Banksy and King Robbo - with each other. The 'war' started back in  1985 on a tunnel in Camden, London and the original artist being King Robbo. They have never met but they would paint over each other's work to prove a point. Since then they have painted over each other's work notably and fans have started to anticipate what the next artist would spray paint next. Since the fights, their fan base grew. Seeing their works and reading the story made me realize the beauty of graffitis and how it can depict a story with colors and spray paint on a plan wall.

In 2011, King Robbo sustained a head injury that induced him into a coma. An as an ode to King Robbo, Banksy decided to end the graffiti war with a copy of somewhat the original graffiti spray painted by King Robbo, 28 years ago. The war has not stopped and it is still ongoing. I find these 2 artists' history with each other interesting and from just one piece of work, it sparked a slew of creative spray paintings to one-up one another and thats gives me a surge a creativity just by reading and looking at the art. I feel that by looking at graffitis, it is a way to express our creative side on a different less conventional media but even if the government or general public may find them unsightly there are still others that can appreciate the beauty in them.

This article sheds a clear light on the ongoing feud and the progress of the 2 artists:


King Robbo Exclusive Interview: My Graffiti War With Banksy by Jo Fuertes-Knight

Some pictures of their works:

Original graffity by King Robbo

Enter Banksy painting over it.

King Robbo's rebuttal.

Final art by Banksy for King Robbo while he was in the coma.

Mercedes' Secret.

A quote taken in the Mercedes Showroom 

located in Germany Oct' 11.

This was taken while I was in Germany 2 years ago. It was on display in the Mercedes showroom around the old and new models of the brand. The quote did not display the original writer. The bigger fonts are in German language and the translation is underneath it. This quote was a representation of the brands' innovation and motto to create newer better cars that are meant for the people. Sometimes when looking into the future, we have to be creative and ask the right questions to stay in the industry.

'To stay fit for the future,

You have to ask the right questions - 

sometimes unusual ones.'

This quote inspires me to think of the future; to be more creative and to ask questions. At a point where I was in a rut with my creativity and what I was doing, this quote helped motivate me to ask questions and be rather optimistic with the state I was in. It proved to be a helpful quote and it one that I cherish and remember when my creative juices are run dry.