Japanese Street Sketching
Drawing practice using japanesestreets.com as reference. In my next series the girls need to be wearing proper clothes, so I have to learn how to draw them.
Learning to draw good clothes is pretty much like learning to draw an entirely new character. They say so much about the wearer instantly. When a character is naked (as a lot of mine are), they’re timeless and untainted by genre. As soon as you dress a character they’re gong to get judged for what it is you’ve put them in. Even though nakedness expresses more vulnerability, as an artist I feel far more self-conscious about posting characters who are dressed.
I don’t think I’m all that good at making sure the clothes I dress my characters in speak clearly about who they are. I’ll often draw them in watered-down versions of what exists in my wardrobe, since it’s on hand at the front of my mind. It doesn’t help I currently find what I own very boring.
This clothes mismatch is the main reason I dislike my last watercolour. I don’t think the clothes say anything exciting about who she is. It’s my job to make sure that everything in the picture is playing an equal role in telling the story, so it’s time I learned how to speak through style.
This is the fun part though! I get to do heaps of awesome research followed by tons of practice! I’m serious, I love this part SO MUCH. And there are few things more inspiring and original to me than a blog on Japanese street fashion, so what better place to start?
I’ll probably throw some of The Sartorialist in to the mix too, once I’m in a good flow.
If you have any other suggestions for awesome fashion blogs (street, high fashion, runway, editorial, male, vintage, New Zealand), please let me know! I am a sponge for visual information!
Oh, and a huge big thank-you to everyone who responded to my last post. You guys are AWESOME and so incredibly helpful. This is why I know the internet is the best place to call home.
Construction Monster
There is construction going on at the building down the road from me, and I hear the most interesting sounds. One of them is this scraping melodic wailing sound, which brings into my mind the idea of some strange creature. It’s this odd mix of organic and metallic, and even though it’s a horrible sound there is still something about it that makes me smile. I imagine that the construction is destroying the home of a creature and he is unhappy about it.
I found the source of the sound and I was disappointed. Reality just isn’t as cool as the kinds of things my head makes up for me. I knew it wasn’t going to be a monster on the construction site, but until I found out what the sound was it held a mystery.
I decided I’d draw up the monster anyway. A good story is much more valuable than any reality. He’s ended up looking like a strange kangaroo made from dust busters, but I still like him.
Dream Comic
Inspired by Emily Carroll’s beautiful visual dream journals I decided to try one out myself. I typically have very vivid dreams, so I think I’ll do some more of these. Thanks for the great idea, Emily!
A New Year, a new Website design.
It’s a brand new 2011, which is a good excuse to shake up jemshed.com with a new design. While it’s not perfect, I’m happy with this update. Go check out the portfolio to see my new gallery layout. I’m still tweaking it, so if you find bugs let me know.
This year is going to have a lot of changes for me. I’ve applied for JET 2011, which means I could be moving to Japan in August. I’ve always wanted to live there, it’ll be a childhood dream come true. I’m waiting to find out if I get an interview.
There is a new Collective Noun project underway, which features illustrations and comics made by me. We’ll be launching on 11/1/11. Keep an eye onRockstars2011.com for more information.
I am looking for illustration and graphic design work. It’s a tough scene to break into, but I’m focused and determined to work really hard and get myself moving up in the industry this year.
I’m planning to make this blog more active now that the website is better designed for it. It’ll be a little bit of a mixed bag. I plan on posting sketches as well as links to awesome things and people. I’ll also sneak in a few small updates like this one on general Jem life stuff.
Oh, and here, have a sketch from my new Sketchbook. 2011 is a year for bunnies to chase away all the tigers from last year, but I still have to open with a girl who keeps cats in her hair.
