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Coessential

Tooting zine fair today

Thanks everyone who came to see my work today. I enjoyed it a lot though I was definitely shy sitting in front of my works...Thanks for your purchase, thanks for your appreciation and comment :)

Zine factory at home

It will be my 1st zine! The 1st exhibition I curated in YMCA was a Fanzine exhibition. However, it is my 1st time to design and make my zine. I really enjoyed the process although I was sick. It was my 2nd time to host this 'binding home factory' since my last 自發作 (DIY book) exhibition.

Looking forward to the Tooting zine fair tomorrow. Excited~ I hope someone will buy my zine too ^^

My 1st group exhibition in London

I was so sick...because I was working on another exhibition apart from Tooting Zine Fair. Please come and visit this exhibition, 'Without Boats, Dreams Dry Up' at Chelsea College of Arts...which will start from tomorrow (Thur) A group of participants exhibits after the Shortcourse/UK we participated in October last year.

Love on sale now

My friend bet it will in Taiwan, who knows? :p

Tooting Zine Fair

It will be my 1st time to do a zine personally, as well as selling it in London.

Please come and visit Tooting Zine Fair if you will be in London this Sat (25Feb)

Face project

I haven't posted these 2 drawings here although I finished them in October. This is a Face project exercise I did in college. I have chosen 20 abjective words and illustrated them in the drawing the left, then I selected one of those, enlarged it and make the right drawing. This exercise surprised me cos' we decided to further develop these 2 rabbits in my coming final project which I have not expected.

Mid point reviews

I kept looking on the drawings on the floor and thinking how to improve them. It was not difficult to work on colorful Kaka which looks fancy, but making illustration which looks simple but sophisticated is really difficult...

Shining star

(Illustration I drew in 2009)

I can't work alone, without you.

I don't mind I am not a star, but I do mind if you are not here again...

It is not a matter of independence, I just hope you are be with me.

In a relationship

Connected

Thanks Tracy!! I thought of you when I was reading 'Social & Cultural Anthropology', then I received your postcard this morning. I have never thought it is my studying matter in my life...although it is necessary to designers. I reckon you are professional on this...An-thro-po-lo-gy.....I coming back very very soon, and there will be a lot to share with you. Cake+coffee+chat chat chat together~

Local culture

Photo taken at Brick Lane, London, Feb 2012

"Culture embraces all the manifestations of social behaviour of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the group in which he lives, and the product of human activities as determined by these habits." (Franz Boas, 1930)

We don't necessary to hardy work to reflect our local culture. What we normally do, eat, speak, wear, etc, reflect our cultural background. Although HK maybe too 'international', but we interpret our life language in HK way.

Tooting zine fair

Actually, it is a zine designed as Christmas present to my friends in HK...but I did not have time to finish it although I rushy worked on it until morning. However, I will have a new zine as I will be a stall owner at Tooting Zine Fair 2 weeks later~ I must need to do something...although other deadlines are coming. Nervous....

Present love with Swatch

(Photo from Swatch)

My Valentine's Day gift I received last year was an invitation to design Swatch Love Collection again! In the 1st Love Collection, Nadia grabbed her love balloon on the ladder top. This year, Nadia and the rabbit whisper and further present their love to you. I hope you like my designs [read more on news clips]

Learn to love and to be loved. Happy Valentine's Day :)

To you

Hihi, what are you doing here? I bet you are roaring why you have to work today and thinking how to spend your time tonight...keke...Many people burrowed in roses and valentine's day cards in London today. And, I was roaring why this city is so dirty, with black rainwater...(Is it the UK I expected?) I hope I will be in HK soon, and very soon I will finish my research essay, and my final project. When I meet you again, I have visited Bologna for illustration book fair and other cities. No worry, there are couple of cities I am waiting for you to go with me! I look forward to seeing you...

Love, Jasmine

Treasure

Visited Farmer's Market in Oval with Eva as soon as I received her text message. It was excellent to stop myself from work for a few hours and chatted with friend sitting near to the stalls. It was freezing cold, but I enjoyed sharing on our projects. I like this homemade coffee walnut cake. It was just simply carried by a simple paper bag and tissue paper. It has more human touch. Satisfied, and I worked until midnight again...

Love rain

Research essay

During the presentations, we were asked what the challenge was in this project. In this MA course, the most challenging task is writing the research essay, which I rarely do analysis and arts/cultural critique....Or, I have never done it. I kept changing and narrow my research topic before the contextual study tutorial. The topics have been 'Illustrations on ethical issues', 'Changing role of illustrations in Hong Kong', 'Role of illustrators in children's illustration books'...etc. The topic ideas came from my experience and what I am thinking of doing illustrations. However, we must narrow the topic to make the critique more specific and relevant to my projects.

My illustrations are always claimed to be cute. I was asked by an audience at my illustration talk in HK, 'Is Kawaii character becoming dominant in HK illustration industry?'. I did not give a brief answer in this Q&A section. But, I hope my coming essay will give him a good answer later. And this audience was my drawing teacher and former chairman of HKSI, KY Chan :)

Apart from analysis of cultural context, I hope it will be an opportunity for me to understand and evaluate my involvement in this 'movement'. Workhard and I hope I could provide a satisfactory answer.

Expectation

Are you disappointed?

Messy working place

I must buy a big big big working table in Hong Kong...:p

Failure

We'll have mid-point review in late Feb, and Gary Powell was invited to give us a sharing today. He is an optimistic illustrator. He said we are not lucky, we just make our own luck with our faith. Delay, but never deny. Thanks a lot!

Peko with noodle

Sorry Manca, I can't wait to post this here before the exhibition started. Thanks my tutor, Jan Woolley. She reminded us to believe our own instinct, no need to change our works to suit others' palate. We''ve present our real selves. 'Your target audiences are the ones who understand your works. If not, they are not your targets who buy your books.' Peter Suart told me at Hong Kong Arts Centre 4 years ago.

I am still learning, and of course we need to balance and take risk.

Paper

I usually work on these books: 1) The little diary, to record what to do; 2) Snoopy journal, is my reflective log to record my working process and evaluation..and life experience in London; 3) A4 project sketchbook, for project development and sketches. I will carry this to travel too; 4) Sketchbook in leisure, to draw something irrelevant to project. My college's name is debossed on its cover....Actually, there are more drawings on other specified papers. I collected them in another A3 fold, and it is extremely heavy now....I'd imagine the huge cost I ship them to Hong Kong later....

Snow rabbits

It snowed in London finally! I was excited and went out as early as I could this morning, because I needed to take photos of my rabbits and snow. So happy to chat with my sister on Skype (finally again..) afterward, we 'kakaka' and 'wakaka' for 2 hours. I hope I can back to HK soon and we'd chat again at cafe. Wakaka, kakakkaka...I made my room noisy in this happy Sunday :D

ps. I did not work today...so I'd better skip the workshop tomorrow...

Arts materials at Cass

"CASS" is my favorite place in London, where I must spend money in each visit...There is wide range of arts materials and always on sale. And I spent 2 hours I here last time...

They are so attractive and part of them is not available in Hong Kong and they are much cheaper...Student day is coming and we will have chance to get a lot of free products (oil, gouache, cartridge pad, marker, vouchers, etc) :D

Attack

There is no enemy, apart from youself.