39# review of exhibition at science centre, on inventions of china
i went to an exhibition on inventions of china at the science centre this year for some school trip thing. there were many different categories, ranging from pottery to the making of paper (there was even a demo!). one of the sections i was interested in was the sewing. they actually looked like paintings and photographs lols! very zai. below are some of the pictures i took of the exhibition, mainly focusing on pottery and the needleworks.
this was a really large sewing of a peacock. very vibrant colours and equisitive needlework. i liked the very dreamy and shu qing2 background. it actually feels a little romantic lols! the tail feathers are very colourful and had many different shades of colour, which made my ponder how many different types and colour of thread the artist used.
actually i cant remember what was the media for this artpiece. either sewing or painting. either way the artpiece was amazingly realistic. it depicts the daily life of the nobles, such as calligraphy and needlework.
another sewing piece. again, very fine needlework. the picture depicted carps (they are a favourite of the chinese lols!) swimming in a pond. i like the way the piece is able to “illustrate” the transparency and shimmering effect of water. it is really amazing considering that there is no simple “blending” method in sewing, and the colour of the thread are constant.
this one totally rules lols! its a shuang1 mian4 xiu4, that is, the sewing can be viewed from both sides, aka you cant just make a mess of one side and display only the neater side. very realistic (i think i am overusing the word, but all those artists are just so pro lols). because of the transluccent quality of the cloth the sewing is done on, it feel as though the lady is actually there. a very beautiful piece 
one of china’s most famous inventions, tao2 ci2. pots made by craftsmen in the past. the designs on the pots are very vibrant and beautiful. the pots are very smooth and sleek (looks at the sheen off them lols!) usually, the pots have very detailed designs moulded on the handles.
painting done on plates. there was a man on demo (he was working on the one at top left hand corner when i passed by). dragons are the symbol of power and authority in china. its quite interesting that the number of claws a dragon denotes the status of the dragon. the max number of claws is five, and that is reserved for the emperor. the chinese dragons are always very detailed, each hair and scale is clearly drawn in all the pictures of the dragon. the plate on the top right hand corner depicts mei2 hua1. mei2 is oen of the three most loved plants in china (if i remembered correctly) the mei2 on the plate was painted by dabbing paint and using very brisk strokes. however, it is still able to look very realistic and graceful. the one on the bottom left hand corner is a plate with shou4 (longetivity) painted at the centre with peaches on the sides. i like the way the peaches looked, its very simple yet realistic. the gradient is very smooth too. the shou4 in the center is quite abstract, and with sharp edges. however, it fitted well with the soft contours of the peaches, each balancing out the other.
the trip was really fun. i liked the many intriguing inventions, and also enjoyed viewing the many artworks on display. it was a pity that the trip was quite short, and i didnt have the time to finish viewing all the exhibited items in details. nevertheless, it had been really fruitful and enjoyable
31# visit to Nike gallery in china
during the china attachment program to beijing last year, i visited a Nike gallery in an art street (i forgot which street though). the gallery featured the limited edition of Nike shoes, and also had many art pieces dedicated to Nike’s products. i found the art pieces very innovative and interesting, cos well, they were very pro. all are digitally done. below are some of the photos i took:
i liked this picture a lot. the colours are very vibrant and effectively caught my attention. initially, i thought it was just an abstract and random painting, but on closer inspection, i realised that it had actually incoperated the nike shoes as part of the design. i liked the symmetry the painting had, and even more so that the two sides of the painting are not exactly the same, however, they are still compatitable with each other. this makes the painting more interesting than if it were to have two identical sides. the way the picture was rendered was very beautiful, especially the splatters and the dripping parts. the painting seem to also have incoperated wings in the design, seeming to imply that the shoes are soaring in the skies. the colour combination, red, yellow, white and black, also brought out the contrast in the painting. the colours red and yellow reminds me of that of the sun, like the shoes are dominating as the sun in the skies.
this painting is very outstanding, due to its use of contrasting colours. the painting is seen from the ariel view, showing the top of buildinds and structures which are reaching up to the sky. one building, presumbly symbolising nike and its products, is much more prominant than the rest and extends much higher, showing how much more outstanding nike is compared to the others. the building is also a different shade of colour from the rest. this further emphasize the difference between nike and the others. i liked the design for the font on top of the building, though i cant really make out what it is. i also liked the rendering and blending effects for the text, especially how it is made to look like glass yet very opaque. the background is an art by itself, and helped to bring out the buildings.
this picture, on first sight, looked very abstract. the picture incoperated the nike shoes in the shape of a heart. it is very delicately done, and very difficult to see unless you are looking for it. the shoelaces are the only clue to finding the shoes lols. the heart is very nicely rendered. the gradient and blending is very smooth and sleek. the white highlights and shadows also helped to enhance it further. i liked the way the “blood” in the background poured out from the arteries from the heart. i think it was good that the artist chose to use pink for the blood instead of red, as red would have made the heart stand out less. pink is a good choice as it is close to red and also it goes along well with the background colour, which is grey. it also gives the feeling of the blood being “there yet not there”, and gives a certain “fakeness” to it, making it seem very surreal.
i liked this picture a lot because it is just so adorable. the nike shoes are potrayed as characters in this painting, giving the shoes a sense of individualism and funky-ness. like for example, the pink shoe on the bottom left, which is tying its own shoelaces. the pictures drew different shoes as differnt characters with different characteristics and occupation, and is in a way saying how nike shoes are able to suit every single person out there, and the tailored to fit the likings of their costumers. the picture is able to make a even bigger statement as it is in a nike gallery and among limited edition. the drawing style is very clean cut and simple, and very modernised, giving a very modernised feeling, trendy and with character like the younger generation.
29# i spotted zai stuff at the art gallery!
one fine recess, i was at the drinks stall with my friend. when walking back, i suddenly spotted zai looking stuff in the distance at the art gallery. i then veered off in the direction of zai stuff (dragging my hapless friend with me) and started snapping photos of zai stuff with my trusty little handphone 3.2 mb camera. so yeps! below are some of my favourites
i think this is a character from an rpg game. i liked the style of painting a lot. its a little like airbrush. the colour combi is very ncie too. it gives a very serene feel to the picture. initially, i thought the picture was cg-ed, but on closer inspection, i realised it was actually painted woohoo! the gradients are just so smooth lols!
once again, i had identified the media the picture was done in. on first look, i had thought that this picture was painted, then only afterwards did i realise that it is actually colour pencil (!!!) oh my its so superbly zai i was speechless. i liked the expression and feel of the little girl, she look so innocent and cute haha. the jacket was very nicely done, especially the sheen off it and the shadows in the folds. it was very detailed and wonderfully coloured godly!
this one is a pen sketch of some ruins. reminds me a lot of the lord of the rings it look really realistic, near and far. i liked the way the light is potrayed and how the buildings in the distance fades away. the crosshatching is very merticulously done and to think that there is no “undo” for pen makes it even more zai lols!
this is a painting (watercolour i think) of a lake. i like the transluccent effect of the painting, which is especially fitting for painting the water. it is very cleanly done and had a myriad of colours, which adds to its depth and beauty. i especially liked the rocks, beacuse of the many different hues of colours they exhibited.
this is a character design done in water colour or water colour pencil ( i think) i love the character design its so pretty haha. its very cleanly done and despite the pale colour scheme, it is very outstanding amoung the rest of the paintings. i like the soft gradient and the transluccent effect. its a pity that the painting is not very finished =\ it just left that little bit more. but nevertheless, its still really pretty
this is a painting of a rose. i think its done in poster colours. its very pretty. the shadows are very nicely done and complimented the colours of the rose. the gradient of the petals are very well blended. the rose actually looked very soft and touchable, which is quite a feat indeed. the edges are a little blurred, creating a dreamy effect.
i am so happy that i went to the drinks stall that day. the pieces are so godly i do wonder who drew those pieces, would be great to know them lols! the paintings and drawings are really skillful and totally godly haha
27# visit to chinese culture museum
during my trip to beijing last year, i visited a chinese culture museum. there were many interesting artifacts inside. below are some of the photos i took
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this is a gate at the entrence of the museum. i like the designs on the gate (though it cant be seen in the picture) its a remake of the tian an men, if i am not wrong. the gate had dragons on its beams. since dragon represents the element water, it is suppose to protect the gate from fire, quite similar to the designs of the structures in the forbidden city. these designs are very complicated and detailed; its amazing that the ancient chinese people actually painted every single one of the structures in the forbidden city and tian an men square.
coins from ancient china. because ancient china was divided into many provinces, there are many different types of currencies. some coins were shaped like swords and others round like this ones here. there are patterns on the coins, probably to help differentiate the value of the coins. some had engravement of animals and others words and flowers.
i liked this series of panda figurings a lot. they are just to adorable these figurings were made from clay (tao ci), which the tang dynasty was famous for. its very small, about just one segment of the thumb, but very detailed and of good craftsmanship. it does say alot about the skills of the craftsman in ancient china. the colours were also very vibrant.
this is defintely a treasure. its made from clay (tao ci) and is extremely detailed. its a drawing of the ariel view of a province in china. the mountains and water in the background were extremely well depicted. while it only used a single colour, it was nevertheless able to create shadows and depth and even texture in the drawing.
this vase is made from clay (tao ci) i liked the blending of the two colours, smoky blue and purple. it look very exotic because of the two colours. the vase is extremenly smooth and polished, and had very detailed patterns on it.
this artifact is totally amazing it depicted buddha sitting on a waterfall with dragons prancing underneath. the artifact had many details, for example the headdress of the buddha. the dragons are very realistic looking, and it is quite a feat considering that the statue only used 4 basic colours. the cloth of the buddha also looked very realistic, especially the folds and drapes.
this headdress totally reminds me of the one tang san zhang worn in journey to the west. though that one is of course much more simplified. the headdress had little statues of buddha on its four faces, and also on the top of the headdress. it is shaped like a flower (probably a lotus since buddha is closely associated with the qualities of the lotus) the two bands of cloth trailing down from the two sides had golden words from the scriptures on them.
this is a model of a typical house in ancient china (the higher class). the roof of the house had little statues of aspicious animals lined up at the four corners of the roof. the number of status represents the status of the owners of the house, the higher the status, the more status will be present. there is a maximum of 7 status, and that is reserved solely for the emperor’s palace.
i found the trip to the museum very enriching and interesting. before the trip, i already liked the chinese’s artworks, and especially tao ci, and the trip had been an enjoyment for me. it was a pity we were not given enough time to look though everything in detail, else i would have spent my whole day there without getting bored at all.
25# art street in china
during my trip to beijing, i visited an art street. there were many stores as well as galleries in the art street, and artworks could be found virtually everywhere there. below are some of my favourite works and comments:
this are some sculptures in a random corner of…cuboid cabbages. i liked the sculptures (probably cos my nick is cai) cos they are actually very relalistic. the folds and veins in the cabbage are merticulously made. the cabbages look surreal, cos the conventional shape for cabbages are well, defintely not cuboid. however cabbages need not always be ..round..there are other shapes for the cabbages to take. and colours too. the green one is the ideal colour of the cabbage, while the yellow looked stale and the whitish grey one seem to give a feeling that it is non existant.
i cant find the picture without random people so yea, thatsmy friends posing. theres one with me posing too but i am not posting that one up 
the man outside is staring at the smaller man inside, and vice versa. its like as if the man outside and the man inside are actually envious of each other, or simply pondering what would it be like to be in each other’s situation.
this is a painting i saw at one of the many art galleries in the street. i found it very intriguing. the man is drawn as a mass of strings, unravelling at the ends. it kind of reminds me of a voodoo doll, cos of the strings. the sunglasses hid the eyes (if there were any) from the viewers, making the character seem very mysterious, shading the character’s eyes and thoughts from other people. i didnt have the time to go in and read the description, which was quite a pity since its really a very interesting painting.
this is a spray paint cum paint drawing done on some garadge door. its done in a very “street art” style. i like the colour scheme a lot. it gives a very cheerful and lively feel to the picture. its amazing that the artist had done this in spray and paint, considering that there is no “undo” for these media, and using minimum colours to create a picture. perhaps that was the reason for choosing the panda, since panda = black and white lols.
24# advertisement of heinz ketchup
this is an advertisement of heinz ketchup
this adv has made a very strong statement: without heinz ketchup, food is like sawdust and cardboard (aka you just cant live without heinz ketchup). the idea is very innovative. heinz, unlike other food advs which showed scrumpitious looking dishes, had instead chose to potraying food as cardboard, unappealing and bland without their ketchup, effectively showing how important and essential heinz ketchup is in our daily diet.
the adv used a very pale colour scheme (mostly white) for the food and the background, while the heinz ketchup itself is bright red. the drastic difference in colour allows the ketchup bottle to stand out despite being small. it also conveyed the message that heinz ketchup is the only one which can colour the dishes and make them taste good. the attention of the viewer is also inevitably drawn to the heinz ketchup because of its colour, more so when the background is white.
in comaprison with the many advs which employed merticulous food photography and digital rendering, this particular adv stands out cos of its very clean-cut feel and its simple colours, which effectively catches the viewer’s attention.
