Choosing a Subject for Your Design

People have often asked me why my subjects are usually all women, or couples. They ask, "Is there a deeper meaning to why you choose these persona to be highlighted in you sculptures"?

When artists try to depict something through their subject matter, it may range from an array of different possible sources. It could be that one carves out a statue of a mother out of his concrete love for her, and thus seeks to express and narrate that love through visual stylings. Another example could be one of the popular subjects here in the Philippines; poverty. Some artists (in fact many actually) prefer to use poverty as a main focus point, deriving all their related materials into the idea of portraying the local poor in the country. This could stem from a deep root or affection to poverty, as our country has had its share of stories on the streets, but art is one of the many great ways to express the deepest stories of one's life.
 

For me, choosing a subject was simple, ever since the beginning (at least for most of my works). My genre of abstraction and distortion played a part too.

I started out with the abstract woman in a singular composition because  for the most part of my life, I had heard stories from a lot of people about their pastimes and favorite escapades and timeless imaginations of romance. As a young boy, I got the idea in my head that somebody out there must be looking to find the perfect partner. I envisioned a young girl, not far from my own age. She was constantly thinking and pondering on life's matters and matters of the heart. I couldn't draw her face because dreams aren't often very clear. But the emotion struck me, and the abstractions took place on my sheets of paper not long after.

My pieces have something to do with the yearning for human love; for a strong imperfect, forgiving love that most people think of as myth in this day and age. I find it to be the greatest subject I can manifest through my hands and mind.

These days, I have also begun to create more and more subjects of lovers in pairs and couples locked in each other's embrace. This came about fairly recently with the release of "Aurora Australis" and some of my other pieces. Till then, I only had one pair-subject work, which was featured in the beautiful Sins exhibition as a themed subject that reflected the garden of Eden and the story that took place there. "Whispers of Eve" was a bit farther from my usual standpoint on romance. At the time, I depicted Eve as a seductress to Adam, not by choice, but by nature. I did this in line with the theme of our exhibit for the night, but have not done so again ever since. These days I do create a lot more subjects that involve the presence of couples, but I do so with a lighter feeling in mind. I like manifesting the feelings of love that I share with my own special someone, such that my pieces have been more circular and continuous for the most part. I enjoy drawing inspiration from emotions because they are the deepwell of my art. I hope in fact that through my years of growing up, I'll be able to shape and contour my works to every inkling of love that I experience... So that maybe one day, my own subject matter can be considered as a visual novel or narration of characters I've met and characters I will meet, that have played out scenes in the world I have come to know and love.

Another Day of Art in June

These days, coming across inspiration seems to be quite common. I breathe a sound air whenever thoughts come crawling into my mind. Emotions shake me fast, each and every day. I gather them collectively and fashion new ideas on paper, and eventually, put them into clay. 

For as many ideas that come, there are those that leave. Innovation, even in sculpture is a necessity, just as much as technique, concept, and skill are taught in the academy. I do hope that one day, this important ingredient will make its way to the minds of my generation, and we can start creating a new power in art. One that will take the entire civilization by a novel vision.

Today, like any other day.. I wake up, and continue the process of dreaming.

Visit us at the Artasia Gallery, And Let Me Know When You're Coming :-)

For the online presence of our artworks, the Artasia gallery makes use of its home website at www.artasiaphilippines.com, you can contact any of us there via email, or view some of our past works. The Artasia is home to several artistic talents that encompass cross-media creation, including painted relief sculpture, embossed digital canvas painting, and hybrid abstract sculpture. The degree of composition in our media usually makes use of two or three material differences to contrast and embody elements alongside each other. Our edge in the visual field is to utilize these unique sets of elements to present a depiction of personal subject for the public community to view.

If you’re in the neighborhood, drop by the Artasia Gallery at SM Megamall, Building A 4th Floor. We might be there ourselves to give you a warm welcome ☺If you'd want to have a chat face to face about a piece you may be interested in, I'll gladly join you there if schedule permits. Just email me at kylochua@yahoo.com

-or if you’re just taking a break online, take a look at some of our older works at the Gallery website.

RPN Newswatch Last June 21

Last June 21, RPN-9 came over to our workshop for a segment on sculpture with me and my dad. It was the second time filming a program shoot for me, so I was very nervous. We were able to demo a ball clay model of one work, and provide them with a look at how our sculptures have evolved through the years. With our Father-Son, Mentor-Student relationship, we've come a long way, from exhibiting a first few pieces back in 2006, to setting up the studio, to our works with organizations like UNICEF and PAWS.

Our host was Janeena Chan, an actress for various shows on the channel list, she was also the sister of my friend, I soon found out. It was a very exhilarating moment because we were wondering just about two things, how the sculptures would look on television, and how we would look. At the end of the day, they had some nice artwork shots and the interview ran pretty smoothly. It was quite odd seeing ourselves, but it was a good experience for the both of us. I just wanted to say thanks so much to everybody who supported us throughout our careers and endeavors. :-)

Here's a link to a post on YouTube if you're interested in watching. It's a bit fuzzy, but the shoot was intended to show me and dad as a team of sculpture artists for Father's day 2010. It's actually a nice way to bond with your family and loved ones when your interests connect on many levels.

Discovering the Edge of the Genre

Sculpture and abstraction are two birds that fly together, through the years, I have developed my own personal take on the matter and continue to move continuously in that direction to this day.

While abstract works on my part have their distinct mannerisms, I want to show you several other styles by some known artists who keep a certain personality in each of their pieces. This consistency- this vibrancy that they display in series makes them even more coveted in the world of art styles.  I believe that the real capability that abstract art holds, is the one to capture an artist’s original and passionate taste.

Dale Chihully is a pioneer in the glass art movement, he gave it the vision to become a large-scale catalyst in the world of sculpture, and introduced the world to a distinct kind of modern art. Using a varying degree of color, shapes, contour and sizes, his abstraction proliferates into a thousand strand like colors that burst out with a sense of life and wonder. Such a style, especially on a large scale is truly a laudable practice indeed for any glass sculptor.

Alexander Caulder is a kinetic artist whose monuments and mobile art are famous around the world, his contribution to the community of kinetic sculptors has rapidly increased the popularity of their craft, spreading it around the world. His mannerisms showcase a distinct separation of bold and opaque color, suspended through space, yet usually in a movement crafted into pattern and genuine flow.

Seb Chua made it known to the national communities that sculpture and art can be harnessed for social change. His movements started with the collaborations with UNICEF international and made their way into concrete efforts to contour art for the cause of child welfare in the Philippines. His abstract style, tangible and anatomical, create a solid mark of humanity in the viewer’s eyes. His UNICEF and PAWS sculpture series especially have in them, a captivated soul of emotion that is uniquely expressed by a rounded, gazing subject identity.

Artslant and the Portfolio Opportunities it Presents

Ever since I came across this website, it's been on my head as one of the interesting places that artists can create an online portfolio. From the flash transitions to the blog and networking capabilities, I really think it's a neat place to be for art followers around the world.

Aside from the ability post exhibit dates, locations and co-artist exhibitiors, Artslant allows you to generate this nifty slide presentation of all your works in a modern contemporary fashion. The site specializes in linking up people interested in different artists and bonding them together with a cloud connection of net interpersonal pathways and follow throughs.

I've also been able to create my own page on the website, and just wanted to tell the community a little bit about it, just in case some of my friends out there wanted to find a good presentation platform online for their works. Enjoy guys, and here's the link to my page as well if you're ever in the neighborhood:

Kylo Chua on Artslant

http://www.artslant.com/ny/artists/show/93124-kylo-chua

Art Media and Innovation

I didn’t jive specifically with sculpture right from the beginning. Back when I was in highschool, I first started out with exploring different forms of art through experimentation. Since then, abstraction has always enlivened my spirits, so even as I made my way through different painting methods, my personal taste still marked my path. Painting and drawing were the first mediums that became my favorites. Sculpture, is my permanent favorite, as I still believe it to be my most diverse and versatile media, though my passion for the other art forms hasn’t diminished much over the years either. Even today, I still want to find a way to integrate the beauty of painting into my love of sculpture. If time permits, I’ll begin experimenting again, combining acryilics and lacquer hues with epoxy coatings on my sculptures. This was one of the things I originally wanted to do, but postponed for the time being. Somehow, innovation in art must come from the vision to see something different, not just in subject, or single elemental difference, but in creating something bigger, affecting something larger, like creating a hybrid medium, or finding a new genre, the possibilities are endless, you just have to know how to look at things from an upside down angle.

 

Some of my earlier works, and even some recent ones convey a very simplistic take on abstraction, but eventually I found my greatest passion in sculpture because it is the one medium I personally love, because of its element traits that can be harnessed to convey even the most vague of expressions. But if you think sculpture is just limited to the fine arts, you’re definitely wrong there. Here are some sculptures on the forefront of design innovation, combining function and aesthetics into one compelling composition. They were conceptualized by astounding individuals who’se credit is duly given. For these pictures, and their sources, you can refer to www.yankodesign.com, an international design and innovation site that also helps me find inspiration for my own projects and works.

"Blueprint of a Dreamer" From the Ateneo de Manila University

"Blueprint of a Dreamer"

(Posted by: Martin Villanueva, Fine Arts Program) 
 

         The splash page to his Web site reads, “Art is the language of dreamers… When things are most beautiful, that’s probably when they are most driven.” On the main page, opposite his name,  another proclamation: “Casting a dream.” Twenty-one-year-old Eusebio Ehron Kylo Y. Chua III, or simply Kylo, an Information Design senior, was recognized this year in the 42^nd Shell National Students’ Art Competition (NSAC). His “Halik ng Sirena” or “Courtship of the Siren,” a cast marble figurative abstraction with allusions to native folklore, garnered Honorable Mention in the sculpture category, topping thousands of entries. The ceremonies were held last October 21 at the Ayala Museum.

The sculpture features two personas, Malakas and Maganda, forming the area of Luzon and then ”channeling down” into the middle of the Visayas region, where three foreign bodies—sirens—rise. These sirens represent, according to Kylo, the modes of our past, from the Spanish, to the American, to the Japanese regimes—landmarks in the journey into nationhood. The white coat symbolizes an identity waiting its own writing, its own illustration, its own coloring—again, a statement about the Filipino.

His rise

The NSAC distinction is a milestone in what has already been a fruitful three years of sculpting—yes, only three years. The love for art came early because of his artist-father, Seb Chua. The  older Chua is a co-founder and a resident artist of the Artasia Fine Arts Gallery, where Kylo is now also a resident artist and the group’s head of design.

Two-dimensional art (sketching, drawings, and paintings) was where Kylo began. When his father began sculpting, Kylo could not help but take interest as well. “I’ve always been curious of different forms of art,” he said. There was something exciting about something that was not flat on a page or on a canvas. “Sculpting is exciting because it’s three-dimensional,” he said. “I would closely observe my dad and his friends as they sculpted things, and I thought it was interesting.” 

This interest has taken him quite expediently through art’s litmus tests for legitimate talent. None of his 13 completed sculptures are left unsold. He has participated in various group exhibitions. And now, he has this latest recognition.

His process

 Amid those who throw the word Art around, there will always be something to be said about the craft. Sculpting seems to take this further still, anchoring itself in a methodology that is a lot about engineering—designing and building—as it is about mere expression and creation; the proverbial putting the brush to the canvas to see where things go.

For Kylo, it almost always begins with drawing, a rough blueprint, if you will. Then, he’ll take as much as two weeks to shape the clay. This is Kylo at his most obsessive, perhaps his most manic self. He then returns to deliberate method and process. He makes a plaster mold, applies up to eight layers of gloss and white lacquer, and then finally casts  marble and fiberglass.

This was the first year Kylo joined the NSAC, and it was decision made in an aw, shucks; why not? spirit. It was after all his last year of eligibility. Joining did not, however, come with an expectation of winning.

The idea for his entry was much influenced by discussions about colonialism in the history class he was taking, a level of clear-minded thought and insight Kylo admits is present in his works in general—but not all the time. There are occasions ch when inspiration comes simply from pictures on the Internet.

His mind

The appeal of the form for Kylo lies in paradox, in the notion that hard, static material can accentuate fluidity. “That’s what I try to do with my work,” he said. “I want to make it smooth, like it’s moving.”

He shies away from getting overly discursive, for he admits to having sparse interest in theory and criticism. In a lot of ways, in a world where the creative and the academic (or at least the well-read) have become one and the same (many will argue necessarily so), Kylo is a throwback to being a son of influence and mere observation. He can come across as a bit of a romantic, perhaps as an idealist. Another quote on his site, taken from a 2006 opening, reads, “Life is a playground. I believe that new ideas are the backbone of our generation. Whether in art, innovation, or business, the mind can work in amazing ways when it believes in a dream.”

His father, whose works he describes as more rigid than his own, remains his main influence, and so too his father’s artist-friends. “Figurative abstraction” is uttered almost for convenience—like he read it somewhere, by an author with a name he will claim to have forgotten, and he found it an apt label for his own works for the sake of those who insist on asking.

He appreciates the works of the others recognized by the NSAC and describes them as contemporary. He believes that he shares with them an affinity for the abstract. “Realism is boring,” he said. “Each person, when they make an abstraction, is going to really create something different.”

The lesser need for approximation, he believes, allows for a more creative sense of individualism. Or, as he told scholar and professor Oscar Campomanes in an interview for the Philippine Daily Inquirer,   “I believe that man is most beautiful when he is lost. It is only when life takes us into its own imagination that we eventually know more about ourselves. So in truth, the vague obscurity of abstractions like mine are relevant in showing how man awakens to know his own name in his journey of uncertainty.”

His place

 Kylo under stands where his own works are situated in modern Philippine sculpting, and it is a quite the populist’s place.

Unlike works by others he has observed, Kylo’s are not too “separated from décor,” nothing too obscure. “It’s modern in the sense that it’s abstract, but it’s not too contemporary that people who don’t understand art can’t appreciate it.” It’s an attitude inherited admittedly and unapologetically from an artist-father who is also a businessman. It has allowed for a type of patronage that actually means being purchased and displayed. And, it fits quite neatly with his course at the Ateneo.

Information Design, after all, is treated as a course for problem solving. And as ID program coordinator and former Fine Arts Program director Fr. Rene Javellana, SJ, likes to say, “The age of the starving artist is over. The tsinelas has been replaced by a USB stick as the artist’s accessory.”

His future

Kylo’s long-term goals include having time for sculpting and other personal endeavors in the arts while also having a hand in the family business and maybe putting up his own graphic design studio.

A thesis, however, will play a significant part in the immediate future. He is in the process of creating an online encyclopedia of Filipino sculptors that overcomes the limitations of viewing two-dimensional images on a screen. He has discovered a programming script that will allow one to view a three-dimensional object on screen from all angles simply by dragging one’s mouse. 

It is an ambitious thesis, funded by the Artasia Gallery and one that adheres to his interests and what appear to be advocacies: art, technology, and yes, Filipino-ness. He is currently vice president of Free Love Philippines and co-founder of Isangisla, both endeavors advocating youth empowerment and innovation.

He has a lot on his plate, but after all, Kylo is a dreamer, one very much rooted in clear-minded thought that is undoubtedly aware yet healthily unobstructed by the pessimism that can naturally arise out of such awareness. He is the type of dreamer that institutions and individuals alike cannot help but pull for.

Article Source URL: (Ateneo de Manila University Website) http://www.admu.edu.ph/soh/global/module.php?LM=articles.detail&id=1263002898263 

Picture Source: Shell National Art Awards 2009 + Select Gallery Photos from the Artasia Gallery

Art for Social Change

Over the past years, I've learned about the many aspects of sculpture from my dad; Seb Chua. From developing a personal style to creating works based on inspiration and story, he's been my artistic mentor for over 3 years now. We both focus on the mood face of abstraction in a changing world and purposely create expressive depictions using our own personal mannerisms. For this bit, I want to talk about a few projects that my dad was able to head a year ago in collaboration with UNICEF Philippines.

My dad partnered with the organization, to manifest concrete social benefits for Filipino Children through his passion; the art of sculpture. To make this dream real, he created "A Mother's Love"; a sculpture of a breastfeeding mother and her infant son, to commemorate the parental bond between two human beings. One relationship whose love is unsurpassable in society. Over 25 pieces were sold out during the first few months of the project, and a great percentage of every artwork's revenue went directly to the organization's funds. The purpose of social benefit or social change is a novel concept for the Filipino art community, but through this project, I realized that one can use any human passion for something greater than his own benefit. To this day, my dad still teaches me about the many facets of art that can be utilized for promoting life and welfare.

Recently, he launched the unveiling of the second UNICEF sculpture, "The Bond" also of a similar subject and theme. I was able to have the honor of hosting the event at Artasia, introducing this new piece for the benefit of the nation's children fund and UNICEF's efforts for child welfare. The night was a great success and it led me to believe that art can really make a difference in society. For the future, I hope that more and more Filipino artists will also use their mastery to help make a better community and promote social change.

Lighting and Photography for Sculptures and 3D Art

I'm not a professional photographer, but I have tweaked around with the camera for quite a while now, experimenting with different lighting types, modes and backdrops. Usually, sculptures that are monotone like mine tend to blend well against a solid contrast (like black or grey) so it wasn't hard for me to set up a cloth draping down from a horizontal pole and make it my background.

White is a neutral color that can blend into most scenarios pretty well, save for maybe a pure white wall (I tried this too.) The thing when photographing three dimensional art is to consider the effects of the lighting on the color-tone and texture of your subject. I'm just an impulse photographer so I speak in layman's terms without the fancy optimization terms. Another thing I usually notice to make a huge difference, is the effect of the flash on the gloss and warmth of the piece. During the day, flash makes little difference obviously, but when I photograph pieces at night with a controlled makeshift lighting, there are times when using the flash cancels out the natural skin-tone of my own pieces, while retaining the white color with a semi-matte effect. I like playing around with the different shooting methodologies, but usually the best combination for me is just using the standard tripod with remote clicker to stabilize the shot. Combining that with a very wide opened lens for around 3 seconds (by adjusting the aperture and shutter speed slightly) makes quite a clearer shot rather than just your usual auto-mode with flash. I do like how it comes out when the elements of photography come together in good harmony (mostly by accident because I'm just a beginner at this.)

Fine Art Exhibition at The Oakwood Hotel, Enchanté

Last May 15, our sculpture group in coordination with the Oakwood hotel and Enchanté Restaurant created an abstract themed contemporary art exhibit. Me, along with my dad; Seb Chua, and several other sculptors set up a contemporary display of works imbued with the theme. We weren't able to attend the opening night ceremonies, but we came by a few days after to mingle with some guests and representatives. We drove by today and checked on our collection of works. Amongst all the pieces sold, our group's reserve comprised of over a third of all the sculptures patroned and sold. All in all, I'm very proud of the roster of art pieces we were able to come up with for the event.

I believe that the night and the entire month gave rise to new exposure for many artists, not just for us. The amount and quality of the selected works was quite  grand. The roster was commented by most of the hotel and participants. We were able to hear good feedback from Trish, the restaurant manager and some of the guests and staff. I'm glad that businesses in other sectors collaborate with artists in joint events such as this to give the best of both worlds to guests, both foreign and local alike. Our group is planning more exhibits with different venues as well in the coming year, aside from regular residency at the Artasia Gallery in Megamall. I will update the venues and times on this website so check up from time to time.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to visit this exhibit, it is still currently ongoing at the 3rd floor of the Oakwood hotel near the SM Megamall and Shangri La are. The gourmet restaurant sponsor is Enchanté by Chef Jessie who owns two more designer restaurants/cafe's I believe.

 (These pictures were taken today via my cellphone camera, so I'm sorry for the blur and the layout. I just wanted to give you a glance at the exhibit after all the commotion of the opening and after most of the guests today have already left.)

Contemporary Abstract and Design

Here's a little graphic manipulation I designed two years ago for the Artasia Gallery's promotion. It's a rough patchwork resembling a humanoid subject melded into a dark forest abstraction. I found the play of subjects an interesting combination, because I see sculpture as man's master creation, just like God sees man as his master creation, forming him out of natural earth and minerals.

For me, abstract composition is an interesting concept, because it allows today's contemporary artists to evaluate society in terms of opinion, history and bias. What's more interesting is that abstraction can meld these things together to create expressive arts that can range from the representational humanshape figurines, to pieces inspired by surrealism and dadaism conveyed in the most simplest of contours.

Creating the Emblem for the 2010 GSIS Competition.

This 2010, The GSIS and AAP (Art Association of the Philippines) Commissioned me with creating the emblem for their annual nationwide competition. I was able to explore several Filipino themes that pertain to our culture and national heritage, however the idea of creating an abstract-inspired "Sarimanok" stuck to my head. This is the trail of thought I followed in the creation of the emblem prize.

 To add a distinct contemporary play, I integrated a silhouette of the letters "G S I S" into the design, hidden in almost plain sight. I finished the entire design in an enamel of polished color mixed with subtle tints of darker and lighter hues. A total of ten of these were made and sponsored by GSIS and the Art Association of the Philippines for the participants and highlights of the event.

This year's GSIS event quite well yesterday night, and I do hope they continue the competition for years to come, because it provides a source of inspiration and a medium for motivation among different artists here in the Philippines. It stands in reputation alongside the other prestigous competitions such as Metrobank's MADE competition, the NSAC (National Shell Art Competition) which I was a part of last year, and the AAP Annual Art Competition held regularly by the organization.

Remembering The Ateneo and My Journey into Art

Now that graduation celebrations and all the chaos of school life is over, I kind of miss the Ateneo days. It's different being in a working environment from day-to-day, you tend to reminisce and look back on some of the memorable events in your life. Ateneo, and its entire community was a great support for me growing up as an artist in college.

Throughout my stay in the Ateneo, I've only ever joined two organizations because of personal reasons. I loved the Heights org, for being so supportive of the arts and artists in the school community, and at the same time, all of them were really very accommodating people. My friend Walt Hontiveros was the editor in chief this year, and he did an awesome job of heading the issues with his experience. The other organization I joined, was Celadon; the Chinese-Filipino community filled with a lot of Xaverians and Icans among others. My friend Matthew Cua, who oversees many projects in the Ateneo Innovation Center, was also a big part of my experience with Celadon and some of its events and parties. The org also sponsored an exhibit of the Celadonean artists and my piece "Arisia" was among the showcase.

Being a part of the Humanities department also gave me much support as an artist. Dr. Beni Santos, the dean of Fine Arts arranged the opportunities for me to give talks on sculpture to the Ateneo Community at the new art gallery just last year. Dr. Vilches, the dean of Humanities, also gave me many opportunities to grow, such as arranging the Solo Sculpture exhibition with my works as the only one of its kind during the Humanities festival.

I remember also that these were the stepping stones that led to a lot of appreciation for my work, and that made me very happy. It made me feel better about my efforts and eventually further my techniques and developments in the field of sculpture. Both of the deans I mentioned also helped me towards the LSAA (Loyola Schools Awards for the Arts), a shining moment for me and several of my graduating friends. My blockmate Smile Indias was the reason I was actually able to attend the LSAA as well, because she introduced me to it a day or two before the applications. I was very fortunate to be a part of the celebration and receive the award along with other artists of the Ateneo. I'm glad that the school started to recognize sculpture as a budding artform as well. It was a big honor for me to receive the very first LSAA mention for sculpture in the history of the university. I cherish that moment with the best of my memories and with the support of mom, dad, Erick and Jacq for that memorable night.

Up until graduation, the Ateneo has provided me with support and friendship. Even in the ceremonies themselves, I was able to show my work or appreciation by creating a sculpture entitled "Soaring Eagle" for the commencement speaker Mr. Manuel V Pangilinan. It was a proud moment for me as well. It's not everyday that your school asks you to create a piece to symbolize the entire community's appreciation. It was indeed a spectacular moment for me and for a lot of people. I will always remember and cherish the stories and friends I've made at this place of wonders and discoveries.

Today is one of those rare days when I get to enjoy the miracle that is breakfast. XD

Drafting From Inspiration : The Beginnings

Everybody wonders where to get inspiration and how to go about starting an artwork. For some, they create in the spur of a moment, wasting no time and going directly to the core of the work. For others, there is a long process of reflection, study, armatures, and several differently planned stages. I want to mention a little about the very first of these steps: finding the inspiration to create the design.

For most people, inspiration comes from a cause, or a purpose. Artists who revolve around the changes taking place in today's world create murals of innovation, migration, history and the like. Another example would be the artists who create based on emotion, like me. For this type of artist, inspiration comes from the unexplainable feelings within our mind. From love, to anger, to yearning, to sacrifice, emotional themes can directly influence how a piece turns out to be. During the sketching process, it takes time for influences to set in from inner moods. The feel of creation should manifest itself slowly and unhurried, making sure that the artwork is never rushed or compromised for the sake of time. For me, the beauty of creating by different stages, is the ability to look forward and backward at what you are making, seeing its history and drafting its future as a part of your own story. My own works are made with several stages, including the search for inspiration and the original drawings of the design. Goodluck to all of you out there who encounter the same situation, it's a great challenge and blessing to be able to search for what makes your heart tick.

Building My Twitter Design

A few weeks ago I joined the micro-blogging platform twitter. I find it very interesting, and unlike blogging services like blogspot or wordpress, twitter makes it easier to connect to people. The thing about twitter is that it gives the simple ability to tweet up conversations and make new friends. It's also a good place to share stories, information and works.

The thing about designing for twitter is that usually the only design aspect utilized is the single spread or tiled background picture. This single element must be able to encompass the many screen sizes. I did this simple design (above) with Adobe Photoshop. Some people design their twitter pages for promotions, including all their social networking identities in the layout, while others design for ambience, making their viewers feel a sense of relaxed conversation when visiting their page. I tried to combine the two together, to create a nice blend for my own design, but I'm still working on it. Somehow, I believe that part of the whole mico-blogging experience is seeing and feeling the personality of the user through the design of his or her platform. I'm signing out for today, so guys, have fun on twitter! Hope I can see you around there. :-)