The Seoul-ful experience

It was one of the most wonderful time of my life. I went to Seoul in South Korea to attend the awarding ceremony of the 20th Daekyo Eye Level Children's Literature Award. The experience was surreal, memorable, and fun, as exciting as sharing you these most cherished moments... 

My forever bashful smile and pose captured together with all the winners and Daekyo executives.

With Daekyo Chairman Kang, one of South Korea's top influential businessmen and president of Badminton World Federation, and Dora Yuet Lan Tsang, short story grand winner from HongKong. Chairman Kang's personal rags-to-riches story, through the power of learning, is very inspirational. Dora's winning children's short story, Much Hairdo About Nothing is very funny and aptly for today's vain kids.  

Daekyo Eye Level, our generous host. At the headquarters building, with managing director Mr. Terry Son, Gritty and Dora Tsang, my sister, and yours truly. 

The educational brand name E.Nopi or Noonopi, is a household name in South Korea, which later rebranded to Eye Level to cater a much global consumer. I am sold at the company's philosophy that is based on "eye level" teaching and learning, meaning the system is tailored to fit from the child's perspective whereas most adults assume the other way around.  

The trip was really memorable because it was my first time to experience snow. It is truly a beautiful and magical experience for me. They were however amazed at me because not all people liked snow. Maybe it's the same thing with the sun or rain...and super typhoons!  

Most buildings are futuristic as if they are sets from a sci-fi movie. This is a dazzling side view of the city hall, a juxtaposition of classic and modern designs amidst urban bustle.
I rarely saw cluttering giant billboards and tarpaulins.

I am very impressed with their road courtesy, sure heavy traffic is still expected on some occasions but you will never freak out from stress and rudeness! Everyone seems to abide traffic laws, yes, even buses. I already gave up on our local traffic situation: I just wish every motorist in Metro Manila will achieve that level of respect on the road. I don't think any new traffic schemes can save us from this traffic from hell, only respect and consideration for each other can redeem and fly us to our destinations.

Posh and automated place where we stayed.

A send off coffee chat with our very warm hosts and Eye Level team, Ms. Yoosun and Bella, together with the funny and outgoing Dora and Gritty, and my shy but fab sis.

At the Eye Level Learning Center. 

An early looming machine at the Museum of ethnic people 

Vintage and ethnic shoes!

Types or evolution of fans

 Monuments are really monumental. Take note of the sweet couple below.

Street plushies at Myeongdong

 Too Cool for School kitschies at the streets of Myeongdong

Awesome graffiti (or mural?questioning what is street art lol) inside the artful Insadong mall restroom.

A beautiful snowy morning at Seoul skyline.

Presidentiable posters and a camera-furious tourist. 

The magnificent Gyeongbokgung palace.

Gyeongbokgung palace interiors.

Real palace guards. We were too shy and scared to have a picture with them haha.

 Lucky me and my sister at the snowy Bukchon traditional village. Most of the houses are over a century old and there are actual residents. I wonder how they are dealing with annoying tourists constantly swarming by the place. 

And of course, the immortal Gangnam area!

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a unique book nook!

I thought this book nook inside a mall deserves a separate blog post. 

Before leaving Seoul, we dropped by E-mart, a large department store near the Incheon international airport. While waiting for my companions, I noticed this corner full of boxes and books. At first I thought it was a children's book selling area. But based on what I see on the this banner, it's probably an org dedicated to picture books. Too bad, there's no english translation! 

So I went around and looked at the artworks first:

These illustrations look awesome yet raw and unpretentious, and they look really professional!

And then I looked at the books:

They all looked great too! Amazing.

Then, I realized these were made by kids! or that's how I interpret it. I just hope I'm correct :-)

I checked the organization on the banner, The Story Book Institute on their site: http://www.maybook.co.kr/ 

Again, there's no english translation and I'm so helpless. Google translate doesn't translate korean language that well. It's probably a school for kids teaching how to make a picture book. Maybe someday, I can come up with a similar workshop so that many local kids will learn to appreciate more the art of making picture books!

The ultimate bahay kubo

How else can you illustrate a classic Filipino rhyme? This very fresh and so-current paper cut illustrations by Pergy Acuna is a funny take. I'm pretty sure Bahay Kubo (Straw Hut), published by Adarna House, will be a cult classic for kids today, as the popular rhyme is for every generations.

The scenes are whimsical and anthropomorphizes veggies—kids will definitely never see them the same way again. The illustrator smartly created her own simple, single scene visual narratives.

This is the best and funniest scenes for me. How about a crying tomato and onion for a pizza party? It's modern and very clever! LOL.

There are more visual puns spread throughout in this small but thick book, perfect for small readers. Like me, they will surely enjoy the illustration details and scenes, and will crave for more!

grandpa's light

I only had brief moments with my lolo (grandpa) when I was a kid and it was a blurry memory, but I remember that he made an impression that he was a simple happy man. My other lolo however, I have no idea who he was because he passed away even before I was born. It's also sad that there are not much photos of them anymore, afaik. I might have to dig some vintage photo albums in the province for that.

Fortunately, there's now a children's book that celebrate our often ignored lolos and so that we can rekindle our best memories with them: Ang mga Lambing ni Lolo Ding (roughly translated, The Sweetness of Grandpa Ding), story by Michael Coroza and illustrated by Maurice Risulmi, published by Adarna House. It's a poignant but endearing story about memory and death.

For me, what really makes this children's book special aside from its theme that courageously deal with death, is the illustration's creative use of lighting. The illustrator is very adept at rendering an ambiance that captures a realistic yet dramatic lighting.

The painterly style of the illustrations rendered digitally also effectively creates a personal connection with the viewer. In fact, the digital medium is barely noticeable. The illustrations are warm and "human" despite it was made with a machine. It makes you wonder and look closer if it's really painted from a computer, unlike a Pixar or Disney animated film. For me, this is how digital media should work seamlessly in art and illustration.

The settings are nostalgic of my childhood, especially on this scene. I can easily relate to this because we used to have fun playing on the streets with my siblings. I'm not sure if some (sheltered) kids still have the privilege to do that now since our streets are becoming dangerous.

The strength of the illustrator is his ability to clearly render characters with unusual expressions. The spread above best exemplify this skill. This is also one of my favorite scenes. 

My last exhibition work for this year!

"Prosperidad" (Nagbabatak ng Buto)

24" x 24"

acrylic and drawing pencils, seeds on resin, on canvas

My work for Ang INK's 21st Annual Exhibit, Mabubulaklak na Dila  

at the Canvas Gallery and Gardens

The exhibit is our illustrative interpretation of Filipino idioms. When I was in grade school, it was hard for me to understand such expressions, not to mention searching them all to answer my homework. I'm glad that our group have come up to illustrate and help illuminate these expressions for kids today.

The idiom assigned to me is nagbabatak ng buto, which literally means "stretching bones/seeds." It really means working very hard to achieve something.   

details of flowers/seeds on resin

details of atsuete seeds (annato) on resin

adding first layer on figures

Initially, I wanted her hair red but later I realized she'll look too foreign for local kids.

I've added another layer of color to tone down the hair and make her look ambicultural.

more textures and layers of colors made with drawing pencils

finally affixing resins with acrylic medium

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Cute magical bunny in watercolor and acrylic meditation painting

Space cats in watercolor and acrylic meditation painting

Spirit animal in watercolor and acrylic meditation painting

How to work with resin

If you have seen Riusuke Fukahori's ambered almost real goldfishes, I'm very sure you've also been amazed. He works patiently (and hazardously) with resin. So, his work inspired me to experiment with resins and integrate the material with my works.

Resin is a clear viscous liquid that hardens to a glass-like material through a chemical reaction with a catalyst. There are many types of resin and its applications, better search the web for proper terms and guidance.

If it's your first time to handle a material like this, I suggest that you first search a lot of info on Google and Youtube before making something ambitious. Although I've read a lot of info regarding resin, my first attempts were not very successful. It takes a LOT of patience and couple of tries before getting the right process for your own project. 

Even if it looks fun to do, be forewarned that resin is a VERY TOXIC substance. Wear proper safety tools and protection like respirators, gloves, aprons, etc. Take precautionary measures as well: work only outdoors as it gives off a very odorous/toxic smell, stay away from flammables. THIS SUBSTANCE IS NOT FIT FOR CHILDREN.

I was thinking of a 3D floating illustration cast in resin for an exhibit so I made them in pieces, 

to be layered later in batches to the resin mold. 

 I painted the back of the pieces with white acrylic and latex paint because when you dip the paper in resin, it will look transparent. 

Collect all your materials first before pouring in the resin.
I collected dried seeds and little flowers then colored them with acrylic for this project.

I got my gallon of polymer resin (clear cast) at Polymer Products Phils. (local chemical store with branches around metro, check their website) which costs Php7++ per gallon with MKEP catalyst. Quite expensive so make the most of it. A costlier but less odorous version (but still toxic, I think 350ml) can also be bought from Diovir with the brand name Easy Cast. Check for proper proportions on the web but sometimes they're not accurate enough. If you put less catalyst, it won't cure and stays sticky forever. When you put more catalyst, it cures very quickly, cracks, and turns very hot. 

The proportion I used for resin + catalyst was based on trial and error (you'll see later in the photos): for every cup (8oz.) of resin, I put 1 ml of catalyst (use a small syringe). This proportion is good enough for projects this size or smaller molds, it cures just at the right time: it gels around 15-30mins then harden after more than an hour and totally cured after a day. Some plastic cups can melt with curing resin (see photo above) so find sturdier cups. 

In the photo above, I placed the first batch of incorrect resin mixture into a glass bowl mold (I bought this bowl for this project only, don't use this for food after), which cured a bit faster than I thought so I made another mixture to pour in quickly to even the batch. Btw, mix the resin + catalyst thoroughly - it will turn yellowish after a while, but clears when cured. Also, don't worry about bubbles, it will rise up eventually.

When the first batch lightly cured and in a gel-like stage, I placed some seeds, making it float. To avoid bubbles on objects you place, dip first the objects in a mixture then gradually place it in the mold with a stick.

I tried to color some mixture with oil paint and acrylic. The shelf life of a mixed resin is around 15-30 mins. with covered mold. Mixed resin doesn't cure in open air, so cover your mold as much as you can.

The colored mixture looks like a blob when dropped. 

The paint pigments scattered to a mess after a while.

My first failed attempt, I had to scoop it out quickly for another batch. I mixed in too much catalyst. I got so excited about the project so I messed up the correct mixture proportions. 

Almost successful attempt, if not for some bubbles trapped in the objects and some paint bleeding.

Unfortunately, this project was unsuccessful. I wasn't patient enough to get through each layer. 

So, I just made another artwork for the exhibit :-)

***

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And please check out my youtube videos and sub my channel:

Cute magical bunny in watercolor and acrylic meditation painting

Space cats in watercolor and acrylic meditation painting

Spirit animal in watercolor and acrylic meditation painting