The End at Last… For Now?

This post is long overdue, but luckily, I am my only audience at this point. I can’t say that there has been this huge revelation about life or art or anything really now that I’m done with the whole project; I’m just glad I can finally mentally move this assignment from “in progress” to “completed”. There are not a lot of personal projects that I can say I’ve finished, so I am quite proud that I managed to persevere through this one. Giving myself a pat on the back for a job decently done.

As for new projects… I don’t want to abandon this website, so I might keep this site to use as a blog where I can rant or do random things. It’s not like anyone will be tuned in, so I’ll be able to say whatever I want whenever I want. And because life isn’t interesting without a challenge, here’s a new goal I’m setting for myself:

Blog everyday for a month.

Ready, set, go.

Cheers.

High Koala-ty

Sydney, Australia

Wow I am on a streak this spring break! To be honest, I got sort of uninspired while drawing the Eiffel Tower, so I moved onto a place that was not part of the itinerary. It was a rough sketch that took a couple hours as opposed to the four or five hours the other drawings required, so there isn’t a lot of detail. Nevertheless, I am moderately proud of this piece due to the fact that it added spontaneity to my project and to my philosophy of life. I’ve been having a lot of epiphanies lately- with it being close to the end of my high school career and all- and it’s during these times where I wish I had had these realizations earlier in life. Regret is man’s bitterest medicine, and I have taken my fair share of doses.

With these manifestations, however, comes the increased capacity to become cheesy- to follow a cliche. I am prone to exhibit such symptoms, therefore I will stop myself before I need to attach virtual barf bags to the sidebar for convenient use. I won’t make this post too long either, so while I- your honorary tour guide- am figuring out my own moral philosophies,  I challenge you- my fellow readers- to venture on a journey of your own. Start a project you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the courage to. You may be surprised by what you find.

Cheers.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…

Paris, France – London, England

I must say I’ve gotten quite into the groove of sketching architectural subjects. It has been easier in some aspects (for example, drawing the background takes little to no effort), but some parts of the process will always be laborious no matter how many times I draw the same building. If there’s one thing I have gained from this experience, it’s patience as well as a profound appreciation for not only those architects that had the imagination to conjure up such a structure but also the workers that made the sketch a reality. Over the break, I have been making an endeavor to read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, which follows the (very, very long) path of different yet oddly similar architects. It did not occur to me until I started writing this post that my project ties very closely with my current reading interests. I like to think these happenstances are actually premeditated, but alas, I am not that forward-thinking.  Nevertheless, I am pleasantly surprised that I enjoy Rand’s writing and that my regard for this 20-time project is turning out to be a positive one.

As for the drawing itself, I will say the Eiffel tower probably took as much time to draw as the rest of the work combined. Quite tedious, but rather rewarding. I would like to thank my dear friend Michael Xu (“he doesn’t even go here”) for the lovely background on this piece. I was at a point where I was dreading how much longer I would spend on this one. These are times when my conscience wonders why I am devoting so much time to do something so purportless, but these are the moments when I gain deeper insight into what it is that motivates people. I draw because it creates something tangibly personal- a connection far deeper than any postcard or childish picture I might have taken. Others might do it because it adds an interpretation to the subject unlike anything currently in existence. Regardless, we maximize marginal utility because we savor the feeling of satisfaction, of self-worth. After all. it’s an innate characteristic of being human.

Cheers.

Time for Self-Reflection

Venice, Italy

As Venice is often called the “City of Water”, I feel like this is a fitting place to do a little self-reflecting. Needless to say, it’s been a long journey, both literally and metaphorically. Whereas I only calculated a few hours per drawing, each place ended up taking around 6-7 hours of sketching because I was constantly under the impression that I wasn’t doing the place justice.

On a much lighter note, I am actually really proud of this drawing of Venice. It was not as hard as I anticipated and it turned out really well. I’m glad to see that each consecutive piece of artwork is looking better than the last. The first piece I drew was very rough and smudged, and as I grew comfortable with the paper and the materials, it became a lot easier to focus on the details of each place. I guess this could also symbolize the fact that as I become more mature and educated, it will be simpler to do things that used to take laborious hours to accomplish. But enough of that analysis; we will have no such thing on this blog.

Oh, before I forget, I should probably let you know that I’m changing my original plan/goal of this project (but only slightly, so don’t fall out of your seats just yet). Instead of devoting one drawing to each major city I’ve been to, there will be a melange, so be on the lookout for two cities the next drawing instead of the initial one city. This will allow me to shorten down the number of drawings I need to do without leaving any places out.

Cin Cin. (Cheers)

Journey to the West

Beijing, China

Yay, we have made it to our second destination: Beijing! I actually finished this last week, but I half forgot half procrastinated getting this uploaded. I try to act like I am on top of things but life gets pretty distracting at times (House of Cards, for example, cannot wait for anything). Nevertheless, I am glad I finished this one like I said I would; planning normally does not work out in my favor, but I digress.

These, my friends, are monuments that can be found in Beijing. Tiananmen Square in the background is a famous place adorned with significant history (history that the Chinese government refuses to acknowledge exists), and you won’t believe whose face is smack-dab in the middle of it. That’s right- it’s none other than the beautiful Mao Ze Dong, with his receding hair line and state-of-the-art figure. We, as Chinese people, are greatly saddened that he is no longer a part of our world, but at least we have his picture (which, by the way, is on everything) to remember him by. It may seem like I’m a bit bitter and critical of Chairman Mao, but it’s mainly due to the fact I can say these things without being persecuted.

In the foreground is a very small portion of the Great Wall of China. This structure is our pride and strength. True, you can’t actually see the wall from outer space, but that’s not to say it isn’t impressively big and expansive. I don’t know about you, but I can barely make my bed in the morning, so for people to go and build something 500,000 times longer than that is beyond my comprehension. Kudos to you, my deceased friends; your efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Can’t believe we’re finally leaving China! Get excited for something a little different, and I’ll see you whenever I see you.

Cheers.

One and Done

Guangzhou, China

欢迎您到广州！Welcome to Guangzhou, or (as some might prefer to call it) Canton! I’ve visited this place a total of 6 times, starting from when I was a wee little baby. My parents met here and this is where the majority of my extended family lives, so it’s imperative that we visit as often as possible.

This is the beginning, and hopefully I will see it until the end. Next week, we will move west across China, landing ourselves in a place more historically significant than my parents’ hometown of Canton.

I realize this post just barely skims the minimum word limit, but as hackneyed people like myself say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I’ll see you next week.

Cheers.