“Illuminate the Sky” The Art of Pyrotechniques

Fireworks as an Art

It is a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for culture, religious purposes, and events. The most common use of a firework is a fireworks display. A fireworks event (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics) is a display of the effects produced by firework devices. Fireworks competitions are also regularly held at a number of places. Fireworks take many forms to produce the four primary effects: noise, light, smoke and floating materials (confetti for example). They may be designed to burn with flames and sparks of many colors, typically red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and silver. Displays are common throughout the world and are the focal point of many cultural and religious celebrations.

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Difference of Firework and Fireworks Firework is  a device consisting of a combination of explosives and combustibles, set off to generate colored lights, smoke, and noise for amusement. While, Fireworks is an exciting and spectacular display of art as musical virtuosity and also a display of rage or fierce contention.

How Fireworks are made Fireworks are complex tools that require great care to make, not only for it to perform properly, and also to avoid fatal accident. The following information helps in better understanding on how it is created.

*There is no chemical stated to avoid circumstances

http://www.madehow.com/images/hpm_0000_0002_0_img0097.jpg

Tube-like fireworks It is made by rolling thick paper tightly around the former, such as a dowel (solid cylindrical rod usually made of wood, plastic, or metal). Though it can be made by hand, most factories of firework uses machinery to develop the tubes. Whenever the tubes is used on a fireworks, at least one end of the tube is plugged for the burning gases and chemicals for it not to escape through that end. It is always made of non-sparking materials such as aluminum and brass ( yellowish alloy of copper and zinc). When a clay is inserted as a plug, it is consolidated with heavy object such as a mallet.

A sleeve is sometimes used for the walls of the tube to prevent it from splitting or bulging.

Aerial Repeater To make a common square-shaped repeater, several tubes (tube-like fireworks) are fused with each other in rows. Two holes are punched in each tube, small pieces of fuse are placed to transfer fire from tube to tube. Then, the rows are glued on top together, and inserted with fuses to transfer fire between rows. Cardboard are placed after each strips often called as “sandwich”  to strengthen the bonds between each part. The “sandwich” is then turned upright, and a measured black powder for fireworks is distributed to each tube, After that a small tube containing aerial effects is placed into each larger tube. Then, the bottom and sides of the repeater is covered with another cardboard to hold it firmly, followed by plastic cellophane on top and a colorful label on the side.

First Fireworks display on a supertall skyscraper

History

It was said that during the Song dynasty (960-1279) when fireworks were discovered. A Chinese monk by the name of Li Tian, who lived in the city of Liu Yang in the province of Hunan. Some says that it was discovered by accident or serendipity by a Chinese cook that accidentally mixed charcoal, sulphur, and saltpeter that was commonly found in a Chinese kitchen those days. The mixtures of these elements cause the burning and when in a compressed enclosure like bamboo, it will explode. Another claim is that it was originated in India but it has been declared the Chinese are the discoverer of an impressing discovery that amazed many eyes through the ages. In China, they celebrated annually the invention of firecrackers every 18th of April in honor of Li Tian and made a temple for him during the Song Dynasty. The Hunan province in China remains as the main production area of fireworks in the world. These firecrackers were bamboo shoots filled with gunpowder. They were exploded at the commencement of the new year to scare away evil spirits. Much of the modern focus of fireworks is on light and color, but loud noise (known as “gung pow” or “bian pao”) was desirable in a religious firework, since that was what frightened the spirits. By the 15th century, fireworks were a traditional part of other celebrations, such as military victories and weddings. The Chinese story is well-known, though it’s possible fireworks really were invented in India or Arabia.

Settlers brought fireworks over to the Americas around the 1600s, where they continued to be used to celebrate special occasions and to impress or scare off Native Americans. The very first 4th of July celebration was in 1777, only one year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The United States was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War and the outcome was still uncertain, but beautiful displays of fireworks instilled a sense of hope and patriotism in the citizens of the young nation. When trade relations were established between the U.S. and China less than a century later, Chinese firecrackers became a major import in America.

For nearly 1000 years, the only colors that could be produced by fireworks was the orange flash/sparks from black powder, and white sparks from metal powders. But in southern Italy in the 1830s, scientific advancements in the field of chemistry enabled pyrotechnicians (the modern term for the old “fire masters”) to create reds, greens, blues, and yellows by adding both a metallic salt (strontium=red, barium=green, copper=blue, sodium=yellow) and a chlorinated powder to the firework composition. Potassium chlorate (KClO3), a new oxidizer that burned faster and hotter than potassium nitrate, allowed pyrotechnicians to make the new colors deeper and brighter. The harnessing of electrical energy made it possible to obtain pure magnesium and aluminum by electrolysis, which also made fireworks burn brighter. When fine

aluminum powder was mixed proportionally with an oxidizer, the resulting mixture – flash powder – burned much hotter and faster than black powder, allowing for the manufacture of louder firecrackers and salutes in aerial fireworks.

Another name for firework is Pyrotechnics, comes from Greek word pyro which means fire or heat. Any firecrackers, rockets, explosives or anything that produces lights and sound in an explosion are considered fireworks or pyrotechnics. Normally, fireworks are commonly used to drive off evil spirits and ghosts during old times because it is believed that they are frightened of loud sounds that firecrackers produced, but was modernized and used as a weapons in battles.

Dragon Fireworks Inc

Manufacturers of Fireworks.

1. Dragon Fireworks Inc., staying true to its company motto of “Safe, Quality Fireworks is our Commitment”, is the Philippine Fireworks Industry leader and the country’s largest fireworks manufacturer and exporter.

2. Ajanta Fireworks Industries was founded by Late Shri A. Arunachala Nadar in the year of 1974. With our founder’s hard work and passion towards development, the company has emerged as reputed manufacturers in the Indian Fireworks Industry. We are delighted in presenting our product catalogue for the coming season. We have designed this catalogue with the theme “Celebration of the World”, show casing the various celebration across the world along side with our colourful products.

3. The site of Pyrotechnics Guild International, an independent worldwide nonprofit organization of amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts. Site includes history of fireworks, fireworks safety guidelines, along with links to fireworks associations, journals, display operators, clubs, and manufacturers and distributors.

4. US Dept. Of Labor. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Developed as part of the newly established Alliance between the American Pyrotechnics Association and OSHA, the initial emphasis on these pages are on common hazards and solutions in the retail sale and display of pyrotechnics. Issues in the manufacture and transport of these devices are not currently addressed.

5. Fireworks: NOVA Online is produced for PBS by the WGBH Science Unit. Wideranging site covering history and science of pyrotechnics, along with new high tech advances, Includes a teacher’s guide.

Firework competitions:

• The World Fireworks Championship is one of the largest pyrotechnic competitions in the world. The competition takes place annually over three weeks in December and features separate fireworks displays from six international pyrotechnic production companies. Competitors come from all over the globe, with participating teams providing a 25 minute long ‘pyromusical’ show for the attending crowds. At the end of each display, a score is awarded by a team of four international judges. By the tournament’s conclusion, the competitor with the highest score is presented with the Winner’s Trophy, which is made from solid gold. The design of the trophy is influenced by the host city taking part.

• Montreal Fireworks Festival is an annual competition held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been held yearly in La Ronde over the Dolphins Lake, since 1985. The display is hailed as the best and largest fireworks festival in the world. It hosts an estimated 3 million each year, with approximately 6,000 fireworks set off during each show. Each summer, eight or nine pyrotechnical companies from different countries present a 30-minute long pyromusical show, competing for the Gold, Silver and Bronze Jupiters or trophies.

• The World Pyro Olympics is an annual competition amongst fireworks manufacturers held in the Philippines which runs for five days. Two countries fire each day; the last participant fires on the final evening of the event. Awards, such as the People’s Choice, are given out after the exhibition. The crowning of the World Pyro Olympics Champion ends the event.

Fireworks World Records:

Kuwait

Largest firework display of all time

77,282 firework projectiles were launched in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Kuwait’s constitution, becoming the largest in history. The display was part of celebrations on November 10, 2012 on the coastal Gulf Road.

Niagara Falls

Longest firework waterfall

The world’s longest firework waterfall was the ‘Niagara Falls’, which measured 3,517.23 m (11,539 ft. 5 in) when ignited on August 23, 2008 at the Ariake Seas Fireworks Festival, Fukuoka, Japan.

Cebu, Philippines

Most firework rockets launched in 30 seconds

The most firework rockets launched in 30 seconds is 125,801, organized by Pyroworks International Inc. (Philippines), in Cebu, Philippines, on May 8, 2010.

Portugal

Largest firework rocket

The largest firework rocket is 13.40 kg (29.53 lb.) and was produced and launched by Associaçao Nacional de Empresas de Produtos Explosivos (Portugal) at the 12th International Symposium on Fireworks in Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, on October 13, 2010.

Sources:

http://www.tumblr.com (images)

http://www.pyrouniverse.com/manufacture/plugmaking.gif

http://www.wfboom.com/images/spot_definitions.jpg

http://www.pyrouniverse.com/manufacture/repeater3.gif

http://www.pyrouniverse.com/manufacture/repeater4.gif

http://www.rizerfireworks.com/images/556.jpg

http://rizerfireworks.com/images/61_shot_assorted_aerials.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6lw37ejE11ra56fxo1_500.gif

http://www.allsparkfireworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/firework-festival-of-light.jpg

http://www.festival-pyrotechnique-cannes.com/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=2

http://www.pyrouniverse.com

http://chemistry.about.com

Members:

Shou Jhon D. Tochinai

James Patrick Barredo

Martin Joshua Aquino

Dominique De Guzman

Aian Krystal Gayle Sulpico

Joseph Darren Santana

Food Porn

 

Image copyright @ blog.pistahan.net and http://www.google.com.ph

            Food porn is a spectacular visual presentation of someone cooking or eating in advertisement, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media, foods boasting a high fat and calorie content. Food porn often takes the form of food photography and styling that presents food. The term was coined by Rosalind Coward in her book back in 1984, Female Desire in which she writes: “Cooking food and presenting it beautifully is an act of servitude.” In the United States, food porn is a term applied when food manufacturers are capitalising on a backlash against low-calorie and diet foods by marketing treats that boast unhealthy foods.

 

Image copyright @ livinlavidalowcarb.com

 

         All of us have been to a fast food restaurant and after waiting for several minutes and receiving poor service, we get what we wanted. But sometimes we are left shocked or devastated seeing our meal different from what we saw from the pictures. The only thing that we can do is to stare down at it sorrowfully. This is where the food porn takes place. The main objective of food photography is getting the attention of the customers. Food porn is a kind of advertising to make food look good in pictures to catch the audience’s attention. For businessmen who is in the fields of food industry, this kind of trick or deceiving is very convenient for them because it helps them raise their income or profit, but leaves the customers disappointed, though not all business or restaurant practice this kind of advertising.

Image copyright @ www.dailymail.co.uk

               This is a clear picture showing the difference of Ads from reality. We can often see this at McDonald’s, Jollibee, and other fast food restaurants. Interested on how to make a perfect burger for food porn? Follow these steps:

1. Fry the burger just enough to brown the outside, leaving the meat rare and the patty un-shrunk.
2. Brush on a mixture of caramel colour and clear pastry piping gel that gives the burger a meatier appearance.
3. Follow that up with grill marks burned.
4. Pick the very best bun that you can get.
5. Put everything in front, so that all the ingredients can be visible in one shot.
6. If you’ve done your job carefully and the photographer is talented, you’ll end up with a burger that is completely inedible.

 

Image copyright @ http://www.google.com.ph

            Food blogging or food porn isn’t always used for advertising; there are advantages in food porn that can help each one of us. Even if you’re not into weight loss, your body will always crave to healthy foods. And maybe at the same time you’re probably trying to balance out a sensible diet with good taste that will satisfy you. There are food blogs which are written by medical professionals who understand that making good meals means incorporating flavour as well as healthy ingredients. There are also blogs which gives us new recipes and ideas. Blogs like this can help us make our body more fit and balance our diet. We can also learn new recipes for our children.

Image copyright @ http://www.tastybuttons.blogspot.com

There’s a very weird trend now going on. People just love taking pictures of their food before diving in to wallop it. It’s so cartoon! They can spend so much effort and time to take those food pictures. We think that by the time they are done, the food is cool and not as tasty as it should be. Maybe people take pictures of their food because they want to share or to let people know not just food but art. Maybe some people just show appreciation that’s why they took pictures of it. Maybe some people are open of trying new things that’s why they would eat a different dish and took pictures of the food to have it as part of their memories.

The cameras on phones are also so powerful these days, the photos they take rival most point-and-shoot digital cameras. They can also be used to film homemade full-length HD videos. With these powerful cameras in cell phones, cell phone users are able to take high quality pictures that will match to their high quality food.

” FOOD PORN “

Food porn. Some of you might think differently when you hear this term for the first time. Truthfully, I also did think differently, haha. I’m sorry about that. But, when I researched about it. It did made me think.. Better yet, crave.. For not just one particular food but I think all ( after seeing so many delicous foods *saliva drop ). Seeing this “food porn” really does make you hungry. A friendly note, do not, as in NOT, look at food porn when you are in a strict diet. I, myself, is in a very strict diet but after I looked at beautiful images such as this made me eat whatever food I saw. One thing I did see about food porn though that most foods shown here are mostly sweet foods or desserts ( but maybe its only just me who think this ). Food porn, in my opinion, could really help a lot of people eat healthy food. For a change, I think photographers that has talent should take pictures of healthy foods ( vegetables, fruits, etc. ) to at least help people crave healthy foods not those junk foods and fast foods that are really bad for our health. Yes, you can’t deny those foods are damn good but we need to control our intake for this kinds of foods. So, once again to anyone there that is a ” food porn ” photographer please do help us “crave” for healthy foods.

I hope you liked our presentation of food porn. May you please be inspired to be interested in this kind of art. The art may be old. But, we think that this art should be put into a shelve once again.

Members:

Carlo Abo

Kyle Baquisal

Paolo Bolanos

Shawn Castillo

Niccah Cha

Angelu Cruz

Jake Iyas

Francesca Lopez

Carlo Pabello

Sebastian Santiago

The Art of Cartooning

 

Image: (L) www.cartooningbasics.com / (C) animationresources.org / (R) www.un.org

 

THE ART OF CARTOONING

           Cartoons has been part of history for some time now and when we hear the word “cartoon” people may think of their daily newspapers, favourite cartoon shows, anticipated comic books and many more. A cartoon (derived from the Italian word “cartone” and dutch word “karton”, meaning strong, heavy paper or pasteboard) is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. But due to modern innovation it eventually turns into an artistic style of work intended for satire, caricature, humor and entertainment.

           A person who draws a cartoon is called a “cartoonist”. A cartoonist may work on different formats and styles: animation, booklets, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, graphic novels, manuals, gag cartoons. Traditionally, a cartoon is made and drawn by the cartoonist using a pencil and would usually be published in black and white but due to modernization cartoonist are now equipped with modern digital media such as drawing tablets and Photoshop.

 

Image: bado-badosblog.blogspot.com

BRIEF BACKGROUND

            Our ancestors all over the world drew on caves and rocks using different kinds of implement and support to portray what is their life at that present moment. Ancestral artworks are usually hunting scenes and ritual scenes. It only differs on the style of showing and  doing their artwork. In later centuries, Mayans and Egyptians made use of rocks to show their language and Gods at that time. While in the middle ages, monks and other enlightened artist would paint and draw pictures on their books to illustrate a specific topic and for better understanding. Through the 17^th century onwards, the art form of cartooning was used for advertisement, newspaper articles, comic books and eventually was used to make motion pictures such as films, clips and movies that gave birth and opportunity to the television. Thinking back we realize that cartooning didn’t just helped in giving entertainment to the people but also it contributed a lot in the aspect of communication.

Image:www.novinite.com     ____________________________________________________________  Image:www.novinite.com

 

TYPES OF CARTOON

COMIC STRIPS

Cartoons in comic strips are usually published in newspapers and magazines. These are usually composed of more than one panel box or strip boxes which are composed of series of drawings having a common story or a single plot. The usual objective of comic strips is to give entertainment and joy by giving out punch lines or jokes at the end or in any part of the story.

Image: TomSito.com- TOM’S BLOG

POLITICAL CARTOONS OR EDITORIAL CARTOONING

Political cartoons usually serve as a visual commentary on current events and issues. Usually satirical rather than just funny, they may say the political viewpoint of the cartoonist or an addition to the article in a newspaper or magazine.

Image: acp.studentpress.org

CARICATURE OR PORTRAIT

An artist in this kind of cartooning usually finds for a dominant trait or features in the subject’s body or face. Caricatures are usually portraits of people mostly movie star and politicians in which the artist makes the dominant trait of a specific person more revealing to other people. Example is a mole of a person. The artist would make it bigger because some people are more recognizable because of their mole. Moreover, Caricatures have been an important part of newspapers and magazines for a long time, and then it became a regular feature in daily newspapers. Back then until now, making caricatures can be considered as a job or profession.

           Image: www.un.org

ANIMATED OR MOVIE CARTOONS

Animated or movie cartoons is the most modern type of doing a cartoon. The word animation is derived from the Latin word anima which means spirit or soul, so animation literally means to give life to something. This kind of cartoon is also known as moving pictures because the artists were able to make the cartoons move by making a series of artworks with a common characteristic but with a different position at a time. They often depict animals rather that humans. In the past, animated cartoons are usually presented on black and white and would only have a very limited movement features. However due to modernization, artist are now able to make movie cartoons with greater length and with better quality. The artist are now able to present cartoons in 3D or three dimensional in which our minds are tricked into thinking that the cartoons are real and with volume. For short, we think we can touch and interact with the cartoon itself. Also, this kind of cartooning is usually found on films, clips and movies.

 

Image(L): electrokami.com          Image (R): www.mlive.com

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Personal Experience

             I myself have been a cartoonist specifically “Political cartooning” for almost 4 years now. Whether you believe it or not, I am still on the process of learning every style and techniques in the art of cartooning. I have attended some cartooning seminars and have joined many press conferences. Two of my model or should we say “idol” in cartooning are Rene A. Aranda (Chief Cartoonist, Philippine Star) and Jonathan P. Nacua (Author of” PARADOX, The Art of Editorial Cartooning).

For me I define cartoon as a channel of thoughts and visuals. I as cartoonist present my imaginations, thoughts, ideas through drawing pictures. Instead of using my mouth I use my hand to put words into stroke, I show what my mind shouts through the use of paper and I share my passion and heart in all the artworks I have made. I remember one guideline given by Nacua in his first volume of the Paradox “Let your cartoon speak for itself. Remember, readers of editorial pages are educated and intelligent who need not be spoon fed”. I have lived with this principle every time I draw in which I try to put a simple message in all of my artworks because it is my way of letting the audience know my stand in the society.

In Editorial Cartooning we present our stand in the current issues in the society through artworks. We usually do cartoon in Satire (humorous) to get the attention and the interest of the readers. One of the problems we face is the multiple interpretations of the readers in our artworks. Some would appreciate while others don’t this usually leads into wrong understanding of the message.

In Editorial Cartooning, there are two things to be considered. First is the idea. For me, the idea is the hardest part in making a cartoon because in making one is like doing an experiment in a lab or trying to solve a math problem using the trial and error method. An artwork won’t be possible without an idea, for everything will only run through the territory of your idea and nothing else. Second are the Technicalities of your artwork. I remember Rene Aranda always saying to us to have our own style and to practice making our own identity for every drawing is different. Technicalities consider both the implement and the support used by the artist in making an art. It also evaluates the connection of the idea and the artwork. Both must support and help the audience in digesting the gist of the message.

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Learning and appreciating cartoons is easy if we want to due to the fact that most of us loved and lived with cartoons during our childhood days. Cartoon is neither simple nor complex because in cartooning you can make your own forte freely. Cartooning is an art because: 1) It needs skills to be performed. 2) It is a sign because every cartoon portrays a different message and audience will tend to have different interpretation on the given art. 3) It is a reflection of life, for cartooning depicts the nature of the culture and the tradition of the author because in every country and places, there are different ideas and concepts which can be put into cartoons. 4) it is an expression for cartooning is a part of the artist’s mind and perception about the things around him or whatever he thinks at that moment. And lastly 5) it is composed of beauty, for cartooning is a beautiful pathway of showing one’s emotion and feelings. Truly, Cartooning is an art.

 

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Created by: Riff Nova, Joanna Vizconde, Anj Castillo, AJ Carandang,

Jan Macariola, Gelo Porciuncula, Mavee Ong, Aynah Sabile

Personal Experience by Riff Nova

1CMC- BSBA Marketing and Corporate Communications

San Beda College

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Sources:

History of Cartooning

http://www.realisticdiplomas.com/custom.aspx?id=153

http://www.coolcartooning.com/cartooning-history.html

Types of cartooning

http://www.angelfire.com/comics/central1/uses.html

web.li.gatech.edu/~rdrury/600/write/sp1_07/ctn/Kinds.htm

The Art of Caricature

     Art may come in many forms. It may appear in music, writings, hand works, paintings and lot more. Some are not even defined but are present in our daily lives. The presence of art is justified by the eyes of the one who sees it. It is a vast universe of countless thoughts where nothing is absolutely right or wrong.

     Art is also a powerful entity. It creates mediums where people can hear with their ears covered, can see even though blind folded, can speak with their mouths covered with thick pieces of cloth and  it can also give a person the capability  to influence  a person he have not yet met. The most common form is the ones which are drawn. One is what we call caricature. It will seem to be a simple drawing but it is more likely to exaggerate feelings and ideas. That is the reason why caricatures are commonly used in political, reforming and economic advertisements, or simply for entertainment.

     A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person, animal, or object to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others. Comically distorted drawing or likeness intended to satirize or ridicule its subject. The word was derived from Italiancaricare which means “to load or change”, was probably coined by the Carracci family, who defended the practice as a counterpart to idealization.

Brief History of Caricature

     Some of the earliest caricatures are found in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, who actively sought people with deformities to use as models. The point was to offer an impression of the original which was more striking than a portrait. Caricature experienced its first successes in the closed aristocratic circles of France and Italy, where such portraits could be passed about for mutual enjoyment.

     The first book on caricature drawing was entitled A  Book of Caricaturas that was published by Mary Darly’s in the year 1762 in England while the first known North American caricatures were drawn by Brig.-Gen. George Townshend in 1759 during the battle for Quebec to amuse his fellow officers. Another ad-up in the history of caricature were the two great practitioners of the art of caricature in 18th-century namely Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray. Rowlandson was more of an artist and his work took its inspiration mostly from the public while Gillray was more concerned with the vicious visual stabilisation of political life. During their century the caricature became connected with journalism and was put to severe use by political commentators thus photo-process engraving made it possible to produce and illustrate daily newpapers cheaply that has been the reason for bringing caricatures to the general public. While in the 20th century caricature increasingly moved into the editorial, sports, and theatrical sections of newspapers.

    The pictures you can see above were the cover of the book “A Book of Caricaturas” by Mary Darly and “The Plumb-pudding in danger” by James Gillray which presents the caricatured version of Pitt and Napoleon that was voted as the most famous of all UK political cartoons.

Notable Caricaturists

    Max Beerbohm

• Created and published caricatures of the famous men of his own time and earlier. His style of single-figure caricatures in formalized groupings was established by 1896 and flourished until about 1930.

Honoré Daumier 

• Considered by some to be the father of caricature.

Thomas Nast 

• A famous caricaturist and editorial cartoonist in the 19th century and is considered by some as written in 1908 by the New York Times to be the father of American political cartooning.

Al Hirschfeld 

• Also known for depicting a variety of other famous people, from politicians, musicians, singers and even television stars. He was even commissioned by the United States Postal Service to provide art for U.S. stamps.

S. Jithesh 

• Is best known for his Super-speedy style of Celebrity Caricaturing Stage Shows. He belongs to the genre of the odd and rare species of Performing Caricaturists. He is the first one who courageously and successfully experimented with and explored the performance dimensions of the ‘Art of Caricaturing’ as a perfect “Stage Art” with consistency.

Drawing of Caricatures

     The British caricaturist Ted Harrison said that the caricaturist can choose to either mock or wound the subject with an effective caricature. Drawing caricatures can simply be a form of entertainment and amusement in which case gentle mockery is in order or the art can be employed to make a serious social or political point. He also said that a caricaturist draws on the following aspect; 1^st are the natural characteristics of the subject, 2^nd are the acquired characteristics, and 3^rd are the vanities.

     Meanwhile, drawing caricatures can take years of training in art school. You will need to study the human anatomy to perfect your drawing of the face and body and of course, you must have a natural skill that goes along with the training to be able to draw portraits and caricatures. Learning to draw caricatures that are convincing can take some time and practice, but practicing the wrong thing won’t get you anywhere so here are the simple main 5 points that you could remember to draw a good caricature.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Learn to see proportions and to compare things.

2. Study and memorize the average proportions of the human head.

3. Find a willing model that will sit still long enough.

4. Look closely at the model and ask yourself it some of its parts were bigger than the average.

5. Don’t be intimidated or overly concerned with the drawing parts and just try to focus in the proportions. That is the key for a good caricature.

Here are some videos that may help you draw caricatures in new or unique ways:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Ax1i9yutk

                                                                                                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhEAfDaI2Sc

                                                                                                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF9U70O38U0

     This type of art is evidently seen in news papers where political aspects are tackled. A democratic form of state strengthens its rate of usage. When reformists are trying to throw rocks and bombard the politicians with complaints or demands, they make caricatures. It is because these comic like articles are attractive and are most likely to get a reader’s attention. Moreover, it may appear less offensive.

In the Philippines, “Erap jokes” became unexpectedly very popular when former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada was accused with corruption during his term, but the caricatures’ contents are not relevant with the said accusation. It contained degrading and defaming jokes about the former president. The main humor of the caricatures was Erap’s stupidity over simple things. Obviously, the main authors of these works are his critics. Hence, this art manifested its power to deliver messages to the beholder.

While in the United States of America, caricatures were used as a tool for campaigning during elections maybe because caricatures are attractive and it is pleasing to the eyes. Another use of caricatures in USA is that it shows the love and idolization of fans to their superstar idols that they made replicas of the actors, actresses, popstars, and athletes through the use of caricature.

     Art is an armament that wields a sword that slashes and stabs one’s knowledge into another person’s mind. With this sword comes its sturdy shield that defends one’s point of views and ideas. It preserves a person’s or even an entire culture’s priceless treasure of its reflecting story through the ages. These weapons are instruments which extends a person’s freedom. Nevertheless, these are weapons that are not meant for violent use but for beautification of the world we live in. They are forged to create a greater understanding between people.

     The form of art in caricature is to deliver message to those who are in dire need to know something or someone. It can influence a person’s life. It may lead a good man to the wrong path and lead a bad man to the right path. Art in such a way of caricature gives the artist a responsibility and the beholder a greater responsibility regarding his impressions.

Manny Pacquiao

      This caricature was made by a Filipino caricaturist named Nichard. This caricature is Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao who is a Filipino boxer and a politician.

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The Art Of Japanese Manga

Japanese Manga as a Form of Art

Copyright @ Viz Media

Manga literally known as “Humorous Pictures” in Japan is a famous from of literary art. It is famous not only from it’s country of origin but also in various parts of the world. It is said to be the most contageous “literary fad” among the youth in the present. In it’s country of origin, Those who are involved in creating manga are respected and idolized. Since the time of it’s origin, manga has been continually evolving up until now. Different styles of drawing the “character” appeared and disappeared as time went by and the simple-then two dimensional drawings became more and more of a complex three dimensional CG drawings.

Copyright @ Sankaku Complex

A manga’s primary medium is paper. A manga is created by using different techniques such as drawing, sketching and sometimes, coloring. Similar to American Comics, A manga has multiple panels and text boxes that depicts the character’s conversations, thoughts and sometimes narrations.. The difference between the two is that manga is primarily read from upper right to lower left  Unlike It’s American counterpart, A manga has a more small and compressed look. An average manga, In every page has about four to six drawings that are aligned and compressed in it’s panels that depicts different scenes of the plot. Some mangas also feature some two-page spread in some of it’s pages to beautifully depict a certain scene.

 

Copyright @ Gangan Books Shueisha

Manga is famous for It’s unique artwork. It is said that If you compare an American comic and a Japanese manga, you’ll notice what is the manga and what is not. Unlike the crude way of drawing comics, Manga has a softer look and is more neat to the eye. One of the most unique characteristics of manga are the character’s eyes. In majority of mangas, the character’s eyes are made to look either big, small or curved that make the characters more likable and cute by its fans. One other aspect of manga that’s not in its American counterpart is on how the feelings show what they feel. In mangas, when a character feel a liking to another character, a blush in an appearance of a blurred line near the face appears that clearly shows what the character felt. When a character becomes sad, a scene in the next panel will probably show them get down their knees in the middle of the street or somewhere else and cry like a water faucet. 

 

Creating your own manga:

Copyright @ Technewspedia

Drawing a manga is usually tougher than just drawing because it requires more planning and efforts. Writing a manga is not
also as easy as writing a text story because the pictures in the manga tell a story while the words in the novels tell the story. Making up a story as you go
along will never work out when drawing manga for such methods can easily cause mistakes. When drawing a manga, the most important material you are ever going to need is your imagination. Without it, how in the world are you going to survive the manga world?

Copyright @ idrawgirls.com

Unlike other forms of literary art, creating a manga isn’t just about using one technique but using about two or three such as drawing, writing and sometimes coloring. First, decide what your Manga comic is going to be about; the key to a good Manga comic is “exaggeration.” Write a paragraph about the story, from beginning to end, but leave out the details and characters. You have to reduce the paragraph into one sentence that describes the comic to get a good idea of what to name your Manga comic and work on characters to develop your story, determining their values, interests, loves, hates, friends, enemies, powers or talents and a background. Write a profile for each of your characters as if you were describing the character to a friend. This will help develop a voice as you write your own book. Decide how much background or plot you want to expose to readers in your own book. Try teasing your readers with hints about the plot, but pack your Manga comic full of action. This is important; you have to break your story into sections. Decide at which point you want to tell your readers something, or if you just want to introduce a new character, in what scene and what circumstances are necessary.

Image Copyright @ geek-news.mtv.com

Create a storyboard to put your sections into a sequence of events and create points in your story for the drawings to be placed. Start with notes of “where” you want your characters to be and “what” they should be doing to help create the scenes. Now, sketch out your characters in action. Create a final draft that’s a combination of writing and sketches ready for conversion. Convert your final draft into line drawings.

Image copyright @ SquareEnix

In order to make a story, you have to have a main character, his friends, enemies, and just random people. When you make the characters and draw them, you need to see their characteristics and create a story that matches it. Some stories have to do with normal people with normal lives. Others have to do with other worlds and such. If you want it to do with other worlds, you will have to create the world, the creatures, and the people. You can make the storyline when you gave it enough thought! Also, when making a story with normal people, usually it is in Japan. A lot of people like to put school uniforms on the main characters. It’s a little easier because they will always be wearing the same things.

Copyright @ Tithe Kubo

The art of manga itself was so contagious that it produced other kind of arts such as Visual Novels, Light Novels and especially Anime. Anime is (in simple terms) is pretty much just a Manga made into a television show or video. Sometimes, a manga may seem completely different than an Anime. This is because of the studio charge of producing the series may find that it needs something, other than the original book had, to make the reviewers stay interested and not to switch to something else.

Copyright @ AnimeSuki

Light Novels is a kind of literary art that is similar to a normal novel but contains a few “mangaish” drawings that define it from other kinds of novel. Unlike a manga, majority of pages in a light novel is comprised of text that is read from up to right and is arranged at a left-to-right reading. Also, text boxes aren’t present in the drawings in light novels as all type of conversations and thoughts in-line with the story are written in text form

Copyright @ Visual Novel Database

Visual Novels are like the combination of Anime+Light Novel. Visual Novel is considered a game as it allows the player to browse a “literature” while actively interacting with the characters in the game via actively playing it. It allows a player to go to a certain “route” that will allow the player to browse an “alternative” path of the story or reading the story from “a different point of view”. 

Copyright @ Lucky Star

Sometimes you have to sit back and appreciate Japanese Manga. Learning to appreciate manga takes practice. You didn’t learn anything quickly the first time around. Allow yourself several manga series before you begin to understand why it is popular and what the appeal is. Read a little slower at first as you get used to reading right-to-left or as you learn to mesh the pictures and the words into one image in your mind.

Copyright @ Saint Oniisan

Manga is one of Japan’s prides throughout the years and it has been a part of someone’s life, it’s just like an awesome entertainment that keeps people happy most of the time. It’s not that complicated to do, the drawings are insanely beautiful and they are all well developed with good hands. It’s very unique, fun and exciting, very realistic art that it seems so real when you get to feel the story.

Copyright @ AnimeSuki

The best manga and it’s affiliated arts are true gems that should not be missed — little portals into other worlds that will entertain, educate, and delight.

 

Some notable international manga authors in the manga industry:

Sonia Leong

A professional comic artist and illustrator specializing in the Anime/Manga style, She is the winner in Tokyopop’s U.K. Rising Stars of Manga competition June 2005 and also the Winner in NEO Magazine’s 2005 Manga Competition. She is best known for her work with leading U.K. manga collaborative Sweardrop studios. Her first graphic novel was the manga “Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet”.  Her work was featured in the Popcom films and some sitcoms of “The I.T. crowd”. She herself illustrated self-help mangas. Her primary motto is “Be creative and find true love”.

 Rem

an American manga artist, who illustrated and scripted the SOULLESS manga adaptation of the Parasol Protectorate novels for Yen Press. The first tankobon volume debuted as #2 on the New York Times Manga Bestsellers list. Her short story, Devil’s Candy won the grand prize of the first TOKYOPOP Rising Stars of Manga award. After the stated event, she became the illustrator of TOKYOPOP’s manga adaptation of the “Vampire Kisses” novels (by Ellen Schreiber). After spending two years working as a 2D illustrator and graphic designer on projects for ACCLAIM and DISNEY, she went on to win the Grand Prize of Morning Magazine’s International Manga Competition. She’s also the current illustrator and character designer of the original light novel Tokyo Demons. She said that her favorite thing in the world is when people’s faces melt off in movies.

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