February 2011 // Issue Two // Visual Arts Magazine // www.innovatedmagazine.com
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exhilaration fulfillment [ SPOTLIGHTS ] Cathrine Langwagen, Petur Antonsson Biserko Fercek, Amanda Church James Stamboni, Thea DeLeon Sean Lee, Lance Chicote
[ HIGHLIGHTS ] Adobe Photoshop: Bokeh 2 Bokeh 2 provides a wide range of creative focus effects and accurate lens simulation in a simple interface. Adobe Photoshop: Exposure 3 Exposure 3 brings all the creative tools of film photography to the digital world. Over 500 analog techniques and organic looks...
Innovated Magazine | Editors Note
Introducing the “artistic showcase of talent”, also known as Innovated Magazine. We have to say that we are proud to be launching our second issue of Innovated Magazine. We know that many of you have never heard of us; how could you...We are new to the scene. We wanted to take a moment and introduce ourselves and maybe explain a few things about who we are and what our goal is. You see it’s very simple...We are here to enhance the art world. Everyone at Innovated Magazine is devoted to the arts, it’s safe to say we have an obsession for design, music, and anything and everything beautiful and inspiring. That is what made us come together and start this publication. Innovated Magazine is dedicated to finding Up & Coming talent from around the world and giving them a chance to display their work to all of our readers. This is an opportunity
Mallory Lindsley-Çiçek Creative Director & Production Manager mallory@innovatedmagazine.com Semih Çiçek Multi-Media Director semih@innovatedmagazine.com
for these amazing artists to tell their stories and experiences and inspire others with their words and amazing artwork. We like to think of ourselves as an “artistic showcase of talent”. We expect these artists to use our services to the fullest and hopefully gain the recognition and respect they and their work deserve. We have put a lot into our product and the artists involved have been more than amazing to work with, so we would like to take a minute and thank everyone who was involved in each issue and wish them much success in their artistic futures. So, here we are, trying to make an impression in the art world. We hope that all of our readers enjoy all of the work we have put together and we look forward to working with some of you in our future.
Please contact us at: info@innovatedmagazine.com For our latest issue, please visit: www.innovatedmagazine.com Innovated Magazine is published by 2 Innovated Design Studio
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10 TIPS OF THE TRADE:
Adobe Photoshop: Bokeh 2
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Bokeh 2 provides a wide range of creative focus effects and accurate lens simulation in a simple interface.
TIPS OF THE TRADE:
Adobe Photoshop: Exposure 3
My unrestricted imagination
My style has a uniqueness, which is to incorporate little details that you might not notice the first time around...
Creating his style
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My drawing approach has varied, as I’ve explored ways of drawing from very cartoony, to manga,to realistic studies.
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Exposure brings all the creative tools of film photography to the digital world. Over 500 analog techniques and organic looks...
Cathrine Langwagen:
Petur Antonsson:
Biserko Fercek: My greatest hobby
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It was the time of two-eyed Russian cameras, movies in middle format, first expositions and learning the basics.
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Amanda Church: Mandy Pants: Psychedelic stylings
From New York to Florida. To invigorate the arena of beach wear with groovy psychedelic artwork!
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42 James Stamboni:
The finer points of tradition
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In the spirit of theatre I went forth conceiving of my models as players. I knew every person I chose to paint...
Thea DeLeon:
Exhilaration and fulfillment
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As I grew older, I began finding outlets to express this part of myself with. I explored the fields of music...
Sean Lee:
The colour of culture!
I am based in Malaysia - a country which is filled with unique cultural. The concept of my artworks are the stories...
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Lance Chicote:
A photographer of people
His work is often described as inimitable, with his ability to couple landscape architecture with people...
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created by AlienSkin Software
Creative Focus See a variety of Bokeh’s capabilities used in combination to focus attention or change the mood of a scene. Results can be dramatic or so subtle that no one will know you enhanced the photo. You no longer need expensive specialized optics to achieve these looks.
Motion Simulate zooming or spinning through a long exposure, even though your original image was shot fast. Bokeh can even handle spiral motion which can’t be done with real lenses or even Photoshop as far as we know!
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Tips of the Trade | Adobe Photoshop: Bokeh 2
Bokeh 2 provides a wide range of creative focus effects and accurate lens simulation in a simple interface. Photographers use Bokeh to draw attention to their subject by manipulating focus, vignette, and depth of field. Bokeh gives you the visual language of specialized lenses without the expense or hassle. Just drop a focus region over your subject and choose a preset or easily craft your own look. source of information: http://www.alienskin.com/bokeh/index.aspx
Creative Aperture Highlights are the most distinctive feature of out-of-focus areas. With Bokeh you have complete control over boosting highlights and reshaping them. Imitate expensive lenses are get creative with stars, sparkles, or even hearts!
Vignette Traditionally a vignette is the darkening at the edge of a photo caused by limitations of the lens. Bokeh simulates that perfectly, but also lets you go further with flexible shape, intensity, and bleaching controls. The results can dramatically alter the mood of a scene.
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Depth of Field Bokeh can make backgrounds fade into the distance, as if you went from an f/22 aperture to f/2.8. Bokeh is even better than a real lens because you can change depth-of-field after the shot and choose which objects to blur. Just keep in mind that this effect requires a detailed selection.
Film Grain Bokeh 2 can simulate realistic film grain in the newly blurred region to match your original photo, making the result look perfectly natural.
Toy Model Look Shooting a scene from high above with an expensive tilt-shift camera can make the subject look like a tiny toy model or train set. This look is quick and easy with Bokeh’s planar focus region.
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Tips of the Trade | Adobe Photoshop: Bokeh 2
PRODUCT REVIEW: Digital Photo Pro It happened quietly and subtly. One day, no one had ever heard the term, and the next, it was appearing on lens spec sheets as though it had always been there. Bokeh has gone from an obscure Japanese word to a term that has caught on with photographers, art directors and photo collectors, and has become part of their daily lexicon. The word refers to the blurry areas in a photograph, of course, and one of the reasons it has become so ubiquitous is because Alien Skin Software developed its Bokeh software to rave reviews a few years ago. Now a new version, Bokeh 2, has been introduced, and it builds on the abilities of the previous version. At the heart of Bokeh 2 is the ability to apply the effect with a fine degree of control. If you have a photograph with an annoying background that you wish had been completely
soft when you shot it, the controls and sliders in Bokeh 2 can help you make it look like it was shot at ƒ/2 rather than ƒ/22. The software works with Photo-shop CS5, and now it’s compatible with Lightroom 2 and above, which makes it possible to batch-process images en masse fast. You’ll particularly appreciate that this is a program with an interface that was created by photographers as opposed to software engineers. Controls are logically named, and effects are logically applied. For example, there’s a control that lets you specify the number of aperture blades and the amount of blade curvature you’re simulating. Overall, Bokeh 2 gives pros a powerful tool for making subjects pop out of a cluttered background without having to reshoot. It’s easy to use and let’s you apply as much or as little control over the effect as you want.
Source of Information: http://www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/more-gear/dpp-solutions-alien-skin-bokeh-2.html
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3 Black & White Films
Color Films
Kodak Technical Pan: Known for high contrast and fine grain. Originally used in scientific applications.
Fuji Velvia 50: Even higher saturation version of Fuji Velvia.
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Tips of the Trade | Adobe Photoshop: Exposure 3
Exposure brings all the creative tools of film photography to the digital world. Over 500 analog techniques and organic looks are back like cross processing, Polaroid and vintage Daguerreotype. There is careful research under the hood, but the controls are simple so you can focus on the creative choices. The result is a photo that looks like it was made by a human, not a computer. source of information: http://www.alienskin.com/exposure/exposure_examples.aspx
Cinema
Color Toning
Bleach Bypass: A more modern Bleach Bypass look with low saturation, high contrast and grain.
High Key - Platinum Toning (warm): A strong blue channel in the black & white conversion adds to the vintage dark look. www.innovatedmagazine.com
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3
Infrared
Kodachrome
Kodak HIE: HIE is extremely grainy. We provide versions with and without grain because it can be distracting.
Kodachrome 35mm - Faded cyan & orange: Old Kodachrome sometimes shows fading and color shifts. Here the sky is cyan and skin is orange/brown.
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Tips of the Trade | Adobe Photoshop: Exposure 3
Lo-Fi
Vintage
Agfa CT Precisa 100: Cross processed Agfa CT Precisa 100 and a strong vignette bring out the sky.
Color Toning - Brown + Vignette (Ilford HP5+): A brown toned black and white print that has an aged appearance.
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3 Polaroid Polapan - Pink Blue - Glowing: Polapan was an instant monochrome slide film. It was grainy and often had an accidental color tint.
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Tips of the Trade | Adobe Photoshop: Exposure 3
PRODUCT REVIEW: Digital Photo Pro Raleigh, North Carolina – June 22, 2010 – Alien Skin Software today announces the immediate availability of Exposure® 3, the new version of its photography effects plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop®. Exposure provides accurate film simulation and a wide range of creative effects in a simple interface. “Exposure has grown beyond film simulation into a creativity tool, especially with the addition of Lo-Fi and vintage effects,” said Tom Welsh, the architect of Exposure. “There is carefully researched science under the hood, but we keep the controls simple so photographers can focus on their art.” “Alien Skin Software is helping Exposure users get the most out of Photoshop CS5 by quickly adopting 64-bit support”, said Bryan O’Neil Hughes, product manager for Photoshop at Adobe. The most significant new features in Exposure 3 are: 64-bit support for Photoshop CS5 on both Macintosh and Windows Tight Lightroom® integration that does not require Photoshop Aging effects and vintage films such as Technicolor and old Kodachrome
Simulation of Lo-Fi toy camera photography Hundreds of new settings in all categories, including more films, color toning, and aging User interface improvements such as a much faster preview and hover help Tight Integration with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Exposure 3 now works in Lightroom 2, including batch processing, and does not require Photoshop to be installed. Exposure 3 is one of the first plug-ins to work with the 64-bit version of Photoshop CS5 on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Exposure provides multiple techniques for nondestructive editing in Photoshop, including Smart Filter support and rendering effects on a duplicate of the original layer. Creative Effects Exposure brings all of the creative tools of film photography to the world of digital, such as discontinued films, dark room tricks, and lo-fi camera quirks. New in version 3 are vintage looks like Technicolor movie film and old Kodachrome that are distressed with dust, scratches, and vignettes to complete the illusion of age. Lo-Fi cameras like Holga and Lomo are simulated with lens blur, warped vignettes, and funky colors from cross processing.
Source of Information: http://www.digitalphotopro.com/newswire/alien-skin-software-exposure-3.html
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I
’m a fantasy artist with an attraction to nature and magical things, but what does that really mean? The word fantasy covers so many subjects, one definition of it is “imagination unrestricted by reality”. Being dressed in a beautiful Victorian ball dress and wearing matching diamond ridden jewelry is equally much a fantasy as having wings and being able to fly, and with my art all of this is possible to create. I bring the fantasy settings to situations of everyday busy people, putting them into artworks with photo manipulation and painting that are as unique and personal as the memories and dreams of those people. My artworks are completely customized to suit and contain all the elements that the client wants in them. I base all my works around photos of the client and the client’s wishes and then I add many other parts of photos and painted elements that will end up in the final picture. In a way you could say that I put your dreams onto canvas for an artwork that you can look at over and over again and dream yourself away in.
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
unr im
“My style that you m artwork. T the whole
Cathrine Langwagen | Digital Art
my
restricted magination
e has a uniqueness, which is to incorporate little details might not notice the first time around you look at the To discover new things every time you look at an artwork is e purpose of great art in my opinion.�
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Cathrine Langwagen | Digital Art
Creating visually beautiful images full of nature’s magical wonders is my greatest motivation for the art that I do. Since when I was younger than I can remember I’ve always had an artistic side, I was always scribbling down drawings and used to love drawing class from the first year in school. Quite early on I realized I had an “eye for composition” as one of my teachers put it. I could see by just looking at an image if it had balance or not, and when drawing I would always add things until it was balanced. Growing up in a small village near nature and animals it was a pretty obvious theme that would influence my art. After I finished school I did a primary school teacher’s degree at university since I’ve always loved children. But after graduating and doing some minor teaching work my boyfriend got an opportunity to work in Australia so as it was a chance of a lifetime we decided to go. The years we were there I had a change in my outlook on what I wanted to do for a living and therefore continued to draw and paint a lot in my spare time. When my boyfriend gave me my first drawing tablet for my computer I started slowly learning that one could draw digitally, and once I tried some drawing programmes I started experimenting with the possibilities of computer made art. In the beginning I didn’t realize just how powerful a tool the digital side of drawing was until I bought my first ever digital art magazine. That moment I was hooked; I knew that this is what I wanted to do. When we moved back I got absolutely obsessed with learning digital art properly, so for the next years I kept at it, looking at tutorials, reading digital art magazines, joining online art communities and trying to learn from leading artists in the business. My keen interest in nature and magical things became apparent in all my work and today I can say I finally feel absolutely comfortable and happy with my very own style and way of working. When crossing over to the digital based art side I realized just how limited traditional media had been for me personally. I just had so many images in my head that I wanted to get down on “paper” and the time consuming side of traditional media kept holding me back. With the digital side I could combine photos with painting and adding filters and if I made a mistake I could just hit the
undo button! It was such a time saver compared to the traditional side where one needed to start over again. I could see that the future for me was digital because it opened so many possibilities and so few limitations. I knew this was what I wanted to be part of. The business idea of Cassiopeia Art is to create unique, beautiful, fantasy pieces of art that can be enjoyed by everyone curious to find magical things in everyday life. The artworks themselves fit a wide range of clients/individuals who are looking for that very special and unique piece of art picturing them or someone they know in a dream world with no limits of what can be
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Cathrine Langwagen | Digital Art
portrayed in a very realistic fashion. A print like no other in the world to decorate their wall. Musicians or writers might look for that specific fantasy adventure or concept image to be shown on a book cover or maybe a CDcover or even artworks to depict the inside of an illustrative story, fairy tale or novel. Other clients may be company entities wanting a specific range of artworks to decorate their business stationary, their logo or artwork to decorate the walls of their offices. Alternatively game or film producing companies may be looking for concept art with a magical twist. The range of Cassiopeia Art’s style can suit many different areas where the focus lies on fantasy in some form. My style has a uniqueness, which is to incorporate little details that you might not notice the first time around you look at the artwork. To discover new things every time you look at an artwork is the whole purpose of great art in my opinion. It keeps intrigue and interest high and you never grow weary of an artwork full of little hidden treasures. There is something to rediscover every time you look at it. I also tend to have a love for depicting children and animals in my works, mainly because their innocence and openness helps to create all that fantasy in the first place. They see magic and wonders where an adult might see obstacles and heartache. Most of my work resembles paintings, which is what I strive for. I love the idea that you look at an artwork on the wall, you can see that it’s a painting but it still looks so real. When you look closer you realize that it might actually not be a painting, maybe it’s a photo, but how can it be with all those fantasy creatures in it? To make completely different photographs melt together you have to balance light source, hues, levels, colours, perspectives and saturation so they all match. Otherwise the end result does not harmonize and the image looks chaotic and unrealistic. When all photos are cut and stretched and placed together and all colours, hues and levels have the same balance then comes the task of adding the correct light source, adding naturally flowing transitions and blending the elements
together. This involves a lot of painting as well. All my photo manipulations contain a fair amount of painting and brushstrokes. Sometimes an element that needs to be in the image can be impossible to find photos of, fantasy creatures for example, and here painting the subject or building it up by using many smaller pieces of photos for realistic textures comes in. In my work “Pondering” for example, I really wanted a little pet dragon but how do you photo manipulate a dragon since they don’t exist? In this case I painted it using references from different lizards and then added on real photo textures of lizard’s scales to try to get a real look of the little creature. The greatest support and influence for my digital art is my long-time boyfriend. Without his huge interest in computers and getting me into the digital canvas in the first place, I would never have ended up where I am today. My freelancing as a digital artist has recently been taking off with greater opportunities than before. A lot of it comes down to the fact that I feel confident in the art I create and that I have found my style and my passion for creating the images I do. I’m part of a creative team based in Saudi Arabia but I also have started up my own company called Cassiopeia Art. The art business is a constantly changing but always a developing sector with lots of competition. It’s not the easiest industry to break through in, but I believe that if you have the passion for something, and that passion shows in the craftsmanship that you do, then people will notice it and they will appreciate it and want it. I’m looking forward to my future as a full time digital artist!
CONTACT BLOCK CATHRINE LANGWAGEN Digital Art Work Displayed in Article: Fire | Freedom | Once Upon A Time | Pondering | The Forgotten | The Journal Contact Details: • http://www.cassiopeiaart.com
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creating his STYLE “My drawing approach has varied, as I’ve explored ways of drawing from very cartoony, to manga,to realistic studies. I’ve found out that I do my best work when I’m stylizing and designing for animation.”
I
’ve ever had only one goal in my life. My journey as an artist started when I was very young. My name is Pétur Atli Antonsson Crivello and I was born in a small town on the east coast of Iceland, a small island in the northern Atlantic, raised by my icelandic mom and french dad. I have four siblings, one older, two younger, and we used to play together a lot. Draw, build with clay or lego’s. I rarely watched television, we only had like 1 channel anyway, and no VCR. My friend had Nintendo though, so we would play Super Mario all the time. When I was around 10 years old, we had this fake tattoo parlor in “shack city”, a summer program for kids to gather and build their own little houses and create a little town. It had it’s own economy and money, and you’d run a business. I was the tattoo artist and I drew on other kids with pens. It was quite lucrative, and soon we were the richest in town. While I was drawing, my friends would continue building our shack and even added a second floor. At that time, I would also start reading adventure books and french or Belgian comics which inspired me hugely. Spirout et Fantasio, Gaston Lagaffe and Tintin were among my favorites. When I was 12 my family and I moved to the capital area of Iceland, on the west coast. As I grew up into my teenage years, I never stopped drawing or reading. When I was 14 we moved to France for a year, my dad was working there, but he owns a travel agency. Living in France was a big change from Iceland. We lived in a big old house in a small town in Alsace, with much stricter schools. I remember vividly getting punished for messing around in gym class. But it was a great time and I made some good friends. The environment was very inspiring, and I could
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Petur Antonsson | Illustration
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Petur Antonsson | Illustration
hang out for hours in the comic books sections at stores and read all the awesome comics. After France we moved back to Iceland and I went on to major in art and design in high school-college. The school system is slightly different. I took my first figure drawing class there. The course I was on was called multimedia, so we were exposed to many different art forms. Although I had to take math, science and languages, I also took drawing, photography, film making, graphic design and even some animation. It was a great inspiration for me, but when I was 20 and graduating from there, I knew I had to get better at drawing. Everyone knows that you can get tired of too much school, so after graduation I took a year off and worked for a bit, I also took a trip to Hawaii, Japan and South Korea which was really great. I’ve always loved traveling, something we did as a family quite a bit, but this was the first time by myself. I realised there weren’t many options for me in Iceland, it only had one art academy which was very fine artsy, something I just didn’t imagine myself doing, trying to survive in the cruel gallery world. I started looking at schools elsewhere, and luckily my parents were very supportive of me and helped me every step along the way. I’ve been very lucky. In 2006 I moved to San Francisco, California, to study illustration at the Academy of Art University. This started a whole new chapter in my life. Being in art school was a dream come true. I had good instincts as a draftsman, but I was clueless about
some fundamental basics, like rendering forms and especially colors and painting. But I was like a sponge and I learned very fast. It was the training I had always wanted. Some of my favorite classes were clothed figure drawing, advanced perspective, landscape painting, quick study painting, narrative painting, visual development for animation, and drawing for film. I had some great teachers and made good friends. I pushed myself to improve and over the several years at the Academy I managed to win a few awards. Including the Barbara Bradley Award, Best of Show at the Academy’s annual spring show, and also an award at the Society of Illustrators student show in New York. Alongside school I also started doing some freelance work. I illustrated a few album covers for bands in Iceland, did some storyboards for a director and illustrated a childrens book. I released my first comic in Iceland, written by comic writer Hugleikur Dagsson and also a board game that I illustrated, and I had been working on designing for a while with several friends back home. Since I started school I’ve always had something on the side going on. I needed to prepare for working full time as an artist after graduation. Firstly, I got money. But also important, it gave me experience, reputation and something to show for. It’s also a lot of fun if you get an exiting project. Many projects I get are from people who knew some previous clients, and they liked that work. So networking is important, and it helps to have an approachable, likeable,
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Petur Antonsson | Illustration
but professional attitude. Not to mention the ability to deliver. My drawing approach has varied, as I’ve explored ways of drawing from very cartoony, to manga,to realistic studies. I’ve found out that I do my best work when I’m stylizing and designing for animation. In general as an artist it just helps to be interested in many things and how they work. At the end of the day, you can’t hide your style, whatever you do it creeps into your work. I’m inspired by any type of well done entertainment, from comics and novels to games and movies. I also spend time looking at what others are doing,like my favorite artists work, which inspires me to raise the bar and push myself. There are several steps I take to complete an illustration. First, I have to know what it’s for, it’s purpose. Then there is probably the most under-estimated step, research. Research is very important to any good illustration or design. No good artist just
pulls random stuff out of their head. Unless they already know everything in the world. The real world is so amazing, there is so much you just wouldn’t know if you hadn’t looked it up. To make something good it has to have certain element of realism, that this world you are creating is real, even though it might be stylized. It can be anything from fashion to architecture to people and poses to how the sky looks like certain time of the day. Once I have some idea of what I want to do I do some thumbnails, play around with staging, angles, doodles of characters. The most important part of thumbnails is the composition. After I find something I like I make a bigger drawing where I design everything. Most important parts of the drawing stage is the design, both character and environment, and the perspective. Once I’ve solved all those problems and I’m happy with everything I scan the drawing in for the painting stage. At this point the drawing has just become a stepping stone, and none of my line work will actually show in the end, but that’s ok since the design is good. Most important part for any painting is the lighting, since color is the result of light. Since I’ve already solved the composition, designs and perspective, I just need to focus on lighting and mood. If all the elements work together it creates a powerful and emotional illustration. As of now I’m still a student at the Academy, but I will graduate in the spring of 2011. What happens then nobody knows, but I aspire to get into visual development for animation or games. I’m very much excited about the future and working full time as an artist, the only goal I’ve ever had.
CONTACT BLOCK PETUR ANTONSSON Illustration Work Displayed in Article: Chemist | Future of Iceland | Guardian The Vanishings | Western
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Contact Details: • www.paacart.com
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I
was born 50 years ago in Zagreb, the main city of the Republic of Croatia, where I finished my education and where I live at the moment. By education I am a construction engineer so that my formal job has nothing to do with my hobby. But never the less photography was and always will be my greatest hobby ever since my childhood days. My grad school teacher was also a great fan of photography so she was looking for children who showed talent in photography, and You could consider that as a beginning of my photo career. It was the time of two-eyed Russian cameras, movies in middle format, first expositions and learning the basics. In that time it was hard to get any literature in my country about photography. It was my great wish to go to a photography school but it wasn’t a great future investment at that time so under the influence of my parents I didn’t enroll that school. Later in high school I passed on to a 35mm camera with exchangeable objectives, also my first Russian development machine and later on to some German types as well. It were purely black and white photos and the inability to obtain colored photographs turned me away from my hobby for a great number of years. Everybody was talking only about colored photography, everything was expensive and new and I found some other hobbies.
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Biserko Fercek | Photography
my
greatest hobby
“It was the time of two-eyed Russian cameras, movies in middle format, first expositions and learning the basics.�
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Biserko Fercek | Photography
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Innovated Magazine // Issue Two
Biserko Fercek | Photography
With the appearance of Commodore and ZX Spectrum computers became my new obsession and on my friends Amiga then later on my own PC I started working on graphic design. I saw Photoshop for the first time when I started using Windows OS during the early 90s. When DSLR cameras became cheaper I started to take photography seriously again. Things filled each other out and so I combined my computer knowledge with photography. Obviously Photoshop was the link between the two. I am a great fan of blur and in my work I use all sorts of different objectives that allow that kind of effect. Those are TS and Tilt objectives, Lens Baby in several versions and some “plunger” home made objectives. I love filtering photos, using all sorts of textures, and I even think I made my own recognizable style. My wife and I love traveling so its not uncommon that we travel to distant countries just to make photos. I put my work online on several web pages, but I would like to point out ArtLimited as the best one. I had a few exhibitions, won several photo contests, and my work has been published in photo journals. I try to spread my love to photography on others via the e-zine “blur”. You can see more of my work on my gallery at: http://bibo.portfolio.artlimited.net/
CONTACT BLOCK BISERKO FERCEK Photography Work Displayed in Article: A Sight For Sore Eyes | End Of The Day | Grod I’ll Be Back | Old Boats | Zambratija
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Contact Details: • http://bibo.portfolio.artlimited.net/
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Article & Review by: emilyevenseerdmans.blogspot.com
I
f Pierre Bergé is trying to recast YSL as an artist first, a fashion designer second, artist Amanda Church is going one better. Instead of borrowing a painting - say a Piet Mondrian - and putting it on the silhouette of the day, Church takes her own psychedelic and freeflowing work and applies it to her favorite garb... To make “Mandy Pants!” One of the first things you may notice about this very stylish lady is her sassy short hemline which has earned her the nickname “Mandy Pants.” From this apt moniker sprang the inspiration behind her new line of shorts. “Last summer I was really into board shorts but never found a pair with a really cool design. So somehow I came up with using my own paintings as the design, and when I lost my job in January, I decided to start the Mandy Pants business.”
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psy To invigorate the arena
Mandy Pants | Designer Apparel
ychedelic stylings of beach wear with groovy psychedelic artwork!
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Amanda’s first foray into the fashion fray was customizing the Fendi Chef bag for the New Museum a few years ago. “I really like the artmeets-fashion idea -- it was interesting to morph my own work to mesh with something else, since art generally stands on its own.” “I wear my Mandy Pants lounging around the house, out and about in the neighborhood, to the gym, biking, and at the beach -- they are supercomfortable! Mandy Pants are made of a kind of polyester that feels like a faux-suede. They are very durable and can be worn in the ocean or pool and also put in the washer and dryer. “These shorts use the painting as their design, and future products (men’s board shorts, bikinis, beach towels) will use different paintings, but I won’t be making work specifically for Mandy Pants products. I want everything I make to have the same groovy, trippy, happy, sexy vibe as my paintings!” A lavish 18 silkscreens are used to reproduce the pattern. As befits a work of art, they are a limited edition of 200. Available in xs, s, m, and large, with a generous fit, they retail for $80. Mandy Pants are currently available exclusively through A Little of What You Fancy, East Hampton’s oldest boutique and one of the only non-chain stores to remain on Newtown Lane. Owner (and friend) Kelly Smith has the most incredible style radar, from Kerry Cassill linens to Carthusia perfumes from Capri to my mother’s special Hamptons line (if I do say so myself). Don’t be surprised to see other famous style setters and shop owners sniffing around to see her latest finds.
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Article & Review by: Amy Maclin It never fails to amaze me, the things that inspire people; I love it when a fashion designer will turn a movie or a decade or a 17th-century Dutch painting of fruit into a collection of coats and dresses. I still fondly remember that first episode of Project Runway, in which Jay McCarroll made that silver frock out of the Chrysler Building. My friend Amanda Church, who’s an artist, reversed the equation by turning one of her paintings into board shorts. (They’re called “Mandy Pants.”) I find them deeply groovy. They’re made completely from scraps cast off by large-scale clothing companies, and put together in Peru by workers who get fair wages and benefits. More of the paintings, which are so exuberant that I wish I could channel some of that energy. Next she’s making men’s trunks, and matching beach towels. (By the way, Mandy sells her Pants at A Little of What You Fancy in East Hampton, NY; Still Life Mercantile in Woodstock, NY; and Diva’s Closet in Vieques, Puerto Rico.) Maybe I’d feel inspired to make something myself, if I had a proper inspiration board to go above my desk. Right now I spend the day looking at a phone list, a ripped piece of notebook paper with my computer passwords, and a beautiful photo of a chicken sniffing at some marigolds. Oh, and a photoshopped picture of me with Tony Bourdain, my imaginary boyfriend. (A kind coworker made it for my birthday. I am forced to admit that it is pretty inspirational.)
Mandy Pants | Designer Apparel
Article & Review by: Emma Grady, www.treehugger.com Mandy Pants surf shorts, reclaimed polyester and silkscreen. Credit: Mandy Pants. Amanda Church’s board shorts -- made with reclaimed polyester fabric and her own colorful silk screen design -- have us looking forward to next summer’s surf. Her limited edition collection (only 200 total) called Mandy Pants makes use of leftover fabrics and materials, and provides an unexpected canvas for her art. Click through for more photos, including the original painting that inspired the line. Amanda Church’s collection of 200 shorts were sewn by a family operation in Peru -paid fair wages and provided with benefits and no materials used in production were made to order. In total, only 180 meters of recycled fabric was used. The polyester is mass produced in China to meet the demand of large fashion companies. It is then imported and manufactured in Peru. Leftover fabric from large scale production is then sold to local dealers and sewers who produce garments in smaller quantities. We like how she keeps production on a small scale and utilizes otherwise wasted fabrics Credit: Mandy Pants. The limited-edition board shorts (only 200) retail at $80 and are available at A Little of What You Fancy in East Hampton, at Still Life Mercantile in Woodstock, New York, and on Facebook. Mandy Pants.
Mandy Pants are available at the following locations: • • • • •
Shirley Can’t Surf (Key West, FL) Otherside Boardsports (Islamorada, FL) Bass Museum, Gift Shop (Miami, FL) A Little of What You Fancy (East Hampton, NY) TG-170 (New York City, NY)
CONTACT BLOCK AMANDA CHURCH Designer Apparel Work Displayed in Article: Cream Point (detail) | Day for Night | Wings (detail) MP Tee | MP Pants | MP Panties
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Contact Details: • getmandypants@yahoo.com
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I
first started working on my current body of work a little less than two years ago, beginning in the last months of my final semester of undergrad. The school I was attending was not a school for academic painting, and so I mostly taught myself how to paint a finished and naturalistic figure. The painting department at SUNY New Paltz was very open. A lot of things that couldn’t get made in the other departments got made there- sculptures, textile works, etc… but not a lot of guidance was offered for traditional technique. In a round about way I think this helped me hone myself into the painter I wanted to be. While there was no one teaching me the finer points of traditional figure painting, there was no one stopping me either. This freedom was key to what benefitted me at New Paltz. I felt the odd student out, given my preferences, but I never caught too much flack for it. Admittedly, many of the things I made in undergrad were conceptually thin- some were just vessels for me to hone my chops. Despite this, by my senior year a lot of thing were falling into place. I was producing work that I felt was technically accomplished, but at the same time I was feeling weighed down by time spent painting background scenery that I was not invested in. I became interested in seeing what it would be like to paint the figure stripped of context, and a scrap piece of aluminum panel offered me the chance to explore this. Since the aluminum itself had a presence, and a reactivity, it could be left unpainted while still being “finished” where as raw or gessoed canvas could not. With this in mind, my last painting at New Paltz became my first painting on metal. It was a simple composition, a gracile figure waist deep in water, evoking the tradition of the Naiad imagery. I chose a lovely and somewhat androgynous friend as my model- physically she had an otherworldly quality to her. She was an aerialist I had met working in a New Paltz based performance troupe, and her slim yet powerful figure presented an interesting challenge to the traditional Naiad. To get the reference shots was a bit of an adventure, we had to climb up the side of a local cliff to find a particular swimming hole that had a vibrant green hue to it. The water was cold, but
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the
fin
“In the spirit of theatre I w conceiving of my models as I knew every person I chos paint- some of them have b close friends.”
James Stamboni | Fine Art & Painting
ner
points of tradition
went forth s players. se to been very
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she was a good sport- I explained to her I had been polar bearing in the same water the pervious year in early March, when there was still ice over half the pool. As an unbreakable rule I have never ask a model to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself… the catch here being that there isn’t much I won’t do for art. Working on the painting I found it had a vitality earlier works had lacked. All paintings change depending on how you light them, but even subtle changes in light would drastically alter the metal. These changes could make the pallet warm or cool, the surface could become flat or recede with depth depending on where you stood in the room. The result was a painting that never became old, never stayed in one place. This also helped me to reconcile with the tool of photography. Some naturalistic painters view working from photography, even your own photography, as “cheating”. When you don’t know how to work around it, it can lead to flat lifeless paintings. Having done a lot of drawing from life, and a good amount of painting from life as well, I’ve learned a good deal about how light works on people and other dimensional forms. Through this I’m able to overcome the flatness of reference images. Of course I’ve never remained 100% tied to the image I was working from, and the metal helped me take that freedom to edit as I saw fit further. The metal also prevented the existence of a definitive reproduction (this raises an issue of redundancy in some photorealistic painting). Towards this end, photography has been an aid, with time any money, but never since has it been a cage. The metal had one other unexpected effect: it got me dripping. This was a technique I had never found useful before, but it needed to happen to create space, and to activate the painting. This first drip was very small, but later drips would become increasingly large and powerful. Some would take on lives of their own within the work, integrating in new and different ways with the “finished” areas of the paintings. When that painting was done, I probably got the most important piece of feedback I ever received. A fellow painter told me that it was an icon, and that all the things I had been making were icons. I had never thought that directly about it before,
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but it was true. I always went for dramatic, singular images. Musing over this- I began to seriously consider the conceptual ramifications of my work for the first time. I think I finally consciously admitted how much I love Theatre, mythologies and (as I joke) even Lord of the Rings. These things are more than simple fancy; they create worlds, histories, built on archetypes of western thought that still distribute through popular consciousness. The core of these things seemed to be belief, or the suspension of disbelief. It resounded with my own issues having grown up Roman Catholicwith wanting to believe in Santa Claus until I was far too old to do so. It even resounded with the illusionistic way I painted. I was thinking about why stories change- how Mephistopheles offered Faust knowledge in one century, love in another, than fame as a composer, before finally giving up on him and turning to Robert Johnson. Of course the dark figure at the crossroads has lineages in him other than just the European Devil,- but that old trickster had some hand in that deal. I felt charm in these particulars, and what they said about each time and place. I thought of the loss I felt regarding my own beliefs to a persistent skepticism. More and more, I found myself seeing how important belief is to human consciousness. It’s what has allowed us to achieve the seemingly impossible, and though it can be dangerous if pointed in the wrong direction, in the hands of a critical and well meaning mind it empowers us and gives us character. In the spirit of theatre I went forth conceiving of my models as players. I knew every person I chose to paint- some of them have been very close friends. Whether they were playing Dionysus or the Sphinx, I was interested in how who they were interacted with the character they were playing. Towards that end, I do think each painting readily admits it is an illusion, a construct. My Sphinx knows she is not really a sphinx… all the strings are visible. Regardless… there is something to that woman- something real that carries through. I’m telling a story, and though it is a fabrication, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be gained. They offer insight in a round about way. I like the word fabrication a lot. It admits it is constructing something,
James Stamboni | Fine Art & Painting
but it lacks the accusation of dishonesty that construct carries…. I don’t think there is anything dishonest in these paintings. In the future I’m hoping to continue with these large icon paintings, allowing symbolisms to compete with one another to tell their stories. I think it sustains mystery, and gives things a living tension. I’ll be making them on a smaller, more personal scale as well…. but there are also some really big ones in the future. I have some ideas for other small works, drawings both from life and my head, on related themes. I’m also looking forward to painting fire- which should be a whole other kind of religious painting. Right now the possibilities seem endless.
CONTACT BLOCK JAMES STAMBONI Fine Art & Painting Work Displayed in Article: Mahler’s 9th | Not My Beautiful House Platonic Liquids | Waltzing Ariadne
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Contact Details: • http://stambo42.blogspot.com
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Thea DeLeon | Photography
&
exhilaration fulfillment
“As I grew older, I began finding outlets to express this part of myself with. I explored the fields of music, painting, creative writing, and drawing.”
W
hen I was younger, I was always labeled the “weird girl.” I was the awkward gawky looking runt who was somewhat bipolar and overall quite peculiar. Many described me as “strange” because I apparently saw the world differently from my peers. Admittedly, I was quite a strange kid – at times, I would retreat into my own world, which was dreamlike – dark, but enchanting. As I grew older, I began finding outlets to express this part of myself with. I explored the fields of music, painting, creative writing, and drawing. Although I jived with all of them, no form of art seemed to exhilarate and fulfill me as much as photography did.
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Thea DeLeon | Photography
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Thea DeLeon | Photography
I started out working as a freelance graphic artist – I learned the ins and outs of Photoshop and creative design. I developed my art background in high school, where I challenged myself with a higher-level IBD four-year course. Around about a year later, I discovered my love and appreciation for photography. I chose to pursue this hobby and earned my first camera at the age of 17. In the beginning, I used my friend’s as models and set up small photo sessions where we would play with particular themes. I also traveled quite frequently, so I got into the habit of documenting a lot of my trips. Admittedly, I was interested in photojournalism and travel photography in the beginning, but later found my niche in glamour and emotive portraiture. I took a few workshops in order to focus on these fields.
People tend to keep collections – comic books, Pokemon cards, stamps, antiques or records. As a portrait photographer, I collect faces, emotions and moments. Many describe my portraits as elegant and dreamlike, whereas my photojournalism work is often perceived as dark. I’d like to think I have a distinct style, but I find it is constantly evolving over time. I mainly rely on contrast and colors to provide a desired mood of the photograph. I also enjoy playing with light and movement. I find inspiration in many things. More often than not, people and their experiences drive me. I also find inspiration in fellow artists and creators –most of them local mentors and peers (namely Tricia Gosingtian, Sandra Dans, Jay Tablante, Bobby Wong, Rob Leung, and Manny Librodo). My favorite international photographers are HCB, Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, and Tim Walker. At 21, I work as a freelance photographer based in Manila, Philippines whilst working as a student employee majoring in Hotel Administration in Enderun Colleges. I have earned a variety of commissioned jobs delving into advertisements, fashion photography, glamour photography, engagement photography, product photography and events photography. I have also had a total of four exhibitions and one solo exhibition. I still enjoy doing personal shoots on the side, as it is mostly there where I am able to share my creative vision. Although I’m still venturing deeper into photography, I can undoubtedly say that I plan to pursue it until I’m old and gray and unable to lift a finger.
CONTACT BLOCK THEA DeLEON Photography Contact Details: • http://www.facebook.com/photosbythea • http://www.endintears.deviantart.com • http://www.bythea.tumblr.com
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Sean Lee | Digital Illustration
the
of
EXHIBITIONS
“I am based in Malaysia - a country which is filled with unique cultural. The concept of my artworks are the stories and experience around me.”
• • • • • • • •
2009-Fibe Show (Singapore) 2009-Beautiful Junk (Malaysia) 2010-KL Design Week (Malaysia) 2010-Malaysia International Toys Fair (Malaysia) 2010-Pipit Wonderful Market 4 (Malaysia) 2010-Kaka Art Market (Malaysia) 2010-INSIGHT-Malaysia Young Contemporary Designers (Japan) 2010-STGCC (Singapore)
COMMISSION WORK • 2010-Tiger Translate - GROWTH www.innovatedmagazine.com
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Sean Lee | Digital Illustration
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“don’t waste your talent !”
“
“
My faith is very simple:
Sean Lee | Digital Illustration
races in Malaysia are very touching and have given me a lot of inspiration. Their music, traditional dance, colourfull dressing and unique element, made me feel that, I have to promote this to throughout the world. I like vector art, and the style that I mostly do is a mixture of oriental and modern design together. My artwork is always full of brilliant colour, “The colour of Culture” is the message I wan to bring out. My Dream I am a “greedy” person, designer and art is my dream. But I understand that it is not easy to fulfill two dream together. So, I am a graphic designer during the day, but an artist at night. It is tiring, but I feel that it is worth it. So that I have to balance my artwork between sensibility and rationality. I started my illustration work in 2009, and I feel that it will continue until the end of my life. About Shabowl Brothers In December of 2009, I started a brand called Shabowl Brothers. Shabowl Brothers means best friends in Cantonese. It is a platform to sell my design and corporate with other artists. Shabowl Brothers products basically are based on my interests: Tee Shirt, Toys & Art Prints. My future plan is to make Shabowl Brothers my full time career.
My History When I was a kid, my toy was a monster drawn by me. I always drew a lot of monsters (especially dinosaurs) and asked my mother to cut it out to play with my transformer toys. I think this was the 1st time that built up to my interest in drawing. So, when I was 11 years old, I learned water colour from a famous Malaysian artist, Cheng Yeow Chye. I was training my art sense from there. My faith is very simple: “don’t waste your talent” ! this was my belief from childhood until now. So, when I was in secondary school, I was very active in art activity, like competitions and exhibitions. I graduated with a diploma in Multimedia Design from Penang Han Chiang College. My Style I am based in Malaysia - a country which is filled with unique cultural. The concept of my artworks are the stories and experience around me. For example; the celebrations of different
CONTACT BLOCK SEAN LEE Digital Illustration Work Displayed in Article: SF ALL | Taoist Lee | Nezha | IWEYT | 4 | TT Growth | ChunLi | GlobeFish | Sean Lee Contact Details: • http://seanleedesign.blogspot.com
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Lance Chicote | Photography
A
photographer of
people
“His work is often described as inimitable, with his ability to couple landscape architecture with people, and create aesthetic art.�
My Journey:
Lance Chicote, born the same year worldrenowned designer label Guess was established, has likewise pursued creative style and unique design, and has emerged as a great idiosyncratic creative of his time in which he specialises in fashion, wedding and portrait photography. In high school Lance became acquainted with his artistic nature, spending his school hours drawing on any scrap he could find. Graduating high school, his passion for art went from parttime hobby to full-time career, where Lance landed a graphic design traineeship in a local Subiaco Marketing studio. For ten years Lance worked in varying design studios, as well as cooperate organisations as the
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Lance Chicote | Photography
lead designer. In 2009, art took a new form when he picked up his very first camera. The original intention was for his photography to add further dynamic to his designs, but it wasn’t long before photography drew him in to fresh artistry, which he would then pursue as a full-time profession. Lance spent 2010 exploring all topics of photography; fashion, editorial, weddings, occasions, but they all had one thing in common, people. Lance established himself as a photographer of people, and here was birthed Lance Shot Me Photography.
My Style:
Established in the arts field Lance’s photography naturally has an artistic flair. His work is often described as inimitable, with his ability to couple landscape architecture with people, and create aesthetic art.
People photography is dynamic and provides endless creative opportunity. Every life wether real or make believe tells a story, and Lance’s photographs seeks to tell it. From the uncontrollable laugh of a child sharing his joy, to the tear of a groom awaiting his bride, right through to the model conveying the image of a fashion label, Lance captures it, all in art form. Creativity and colour are quintessential of Lance’s photography. Every photographer is familiar with the rules of photography, but all precepts have their limitations. Lance’s photography seeks to not be constrained by rules of composition or by what the natural eye sees. Similar to this, whilst he sets out to find engaging colours, he also creates them with his dexterity in design. With open imagination and colour design, he desires to draw out the experience of the subject and emotionally engage his viewers.
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Lance Chicote | Photography
My Inspiration:
As an emerging photographer, there have been many photographers he has looked to, to gain inspiration and guidance. One photographer in particular who has influenced his art is Carter Smith. His composition and natural use of lighting creates exceptional photographs. What’s more, his photography intrigues the viewer to seek out the story behind his subject. Quite simply, people are Lance’s inspiration. Gregarious in nature, he thrives on engaging with the diversity of subjects he has the opportunity to photograph. Lance believes that everyone has a story to tell, and some thing to offer the world. With multiplicity in experiences, personalities and the individual way in which people perceive the world, coupled with raw environment, inspiration is literally an endless commodity.
My Aspirations:
Lance’s future ambitions are multifaceted. He has a desire to establish himself in the mainstream fashion industry, working with fashion labels from concept through to published editorial. In addition to this, he has a passion to see his photography work for philanthropic causes; to capture the lives of humanity in its rawest and most natural state and engage society in social justice issues, encouraging a global community.
CONTACT BLOCK LANCE CHICOTE Photography Work Displayed in Article: Come Alive | Escape | River Floods | We Say Summer Chase That Feeling | Roll Away the Clouds
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Contact Details: • lance@lancecreative.com • www.lancecreative.com
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