This semester has been a whirlwind. I am working on so much in my four courses. This is a short list of what I am composing and will be posting after the end of the semester (Dec. 12)
-A 20 page paper on "Language Death" which will inspire my UG thesis on linguistic change and evolution of language
-A portfolio deviating from Form/Formlessness that includes: instruction manual, an epic (connected with UG thesis), signage, and lots more!
-Collage work including cut ups, neat images from advertisements, and much more
-Art History compare and contrast of Dali's Atmospheric Chair and Pollock's Greyed Rainbow
I am really excited to be finishing the book version of "Survivor's Encomium" and posting more images later in the season.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Final Project
Cheers to the last day of class tomorrow ! In order to complete my final project, I have chosen to create 20 books expanding my "Survivor" theme and give it a much different dynamic:
- There will be a dual narrative with juxtaposed themes, but very different moods. The book will be serious/memorial and read more humorous when flipped.
- Instead of colored drawings, I am using the class suggestion of black and white line drawings.
- I am going to sew the binding to give it a scrapbook/collage look!
I am really into this project. I found some awesome materials and I am loving the hands-on nature of this course and all the fun adventures of book-making! Book-making is certainly not an easy hobby but it allows creativity to roam in all sorts of directions. I have taken a lot of photos, so I hope to upload some later this evening after the sun sets. The warm rays are pouring into my window by my desk right now as the afternoon takes care of its business. I wanted to get my post up so my classmates can peer into my ideas and get an idea of what to expect tomorrow.
Not sure if I'm going to continue to roll with the title, "Survivor's Encomium" or rename it, this is something I'm still considering.
- There will be a dual narrative with juxtaposed themes, but very different moods. The book will be serious/memorial and read more humorous when flipped.
- Instead of colored drawings, I am using the class suggestion of black and white line drawings.
- I am going to sew the binding to give it a scrapbook/collage look!
I am really into this project. I found some awesome materials and I am loving the hands-on nature of this course and all the fun adventures of book-making! Book-making is certainly not an easy hobby but it allows creativity to roam in all sorts of directions. I have taken a lot of photos, so I hope to upload some later this evening after the sun sets. The warm rays are pouring into my window by my desk right now as the afternoon takes care of its business. I wanted to get my post up so my classmates can peer into my ideas and get an idea of what to expect tomorrow.
Not sure if I'm going to continue to roll with the title, "Survivor's Encomium" or rename it, this is something I'm still considering.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Proposal
It's been a while since I have posted a blog so here's a little catch up:
Book #3 was finished with lulu.com and another book, "Cento" simply titled was made and distributed to Quimby's. For the final project, I am going to reproduce "A Survivor's Encomium" into a special edition and interactive book. The edition will be 20. Each book will be handmade with copies inside as well and expand the theme of survival. My research is going to be focused on the interactive quality of the pages, where there will be pockets with additional info, fun folding, and flipped pages.
The most unique feature will be the hybrid narratives of the book. One side of the book will read more serious while the other is a humorous homage. The duality will expand on the encouraging memoir quality of the small stories as well as the humor that I have developed in the other minibook and zine. I am going to design the cover(s) and the page count will be: 12. The book will also have a scrapbook-like aesthetic because I am going to use different textures, colors, and materials.
Besides classroom distribution, I am going to also send this final production from class on to my usual receivers including my mom, friends Diane & Simone, and former professors.
Book #3 was finished with lulu.com and another book, "Cento" simply titled was made and distributed to Quimby's. For the final project, I am going to reproduce "A Survivor's Encomium" into a special edition and interactive book. The edition will be 20. Each book will be handmade with copies inside as well and expand the theme of survival. My research is going to be focused on the interactive quality of the pages, where there will be pockets with additional info, fun folding, and flipped pages.
The most unique feature will be the hybrid narratives of the book. One side of the book will read more serious while the other is a humorous homage. The duality will expand on the encouraging memoir quality of the small stories as well as the humor that I have developed in the other minibook and zine. I am going to design the cover(s) and the page count will be: 12. The book will also have a scrapbook-like aesthetic because I am going to use different textures, colors, and materials.
Besides classroom distribution, I am going to also send this final production from class on to my usual receivers including my mom, friends Diane & Simone, and former professors.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Print on Demand pt. 1
Hello ! I am just checking in on the progress of the next project, which is the Print-on-demand book. I am ordering a perfect-bound, comic book sized paperback from lulu.com of my short story, "Swept." I illustrated 15 pages, and produced a humorous, and embellished fiction romance about a man who can't settle down in one place because he gets swept away as soon as he's comfortable.
As I am looking around at the blogs today, it seems like most of the class is a little behind in this project with deadlines and the timeline our teacher gave us, which is great for me because I found Spring Break was a little too short, and it's Spring semester so with all the colds/flus/allergies going around, I was under the weather and feeling ill slowed down my progress as well.
As soon as I have the pdf link available I will post it; however, seems like there may be a problem accessing lulu.com has a page that says "Access Restricted." Hmmm... I will have to explore that later, I'm off to my next course!
link:
www.lulu.com
As I am looking around at the blogs today, it seems like most of the class is a little behind in this project with deadlines and the timeline our teacher gave us, which is great for me because I found Spring Break was a little too short, and it's Spring semester so with all the colds/flus/allergies going around, I was under the weather and feeling ill slowed down my progress as well.
As soon as I have the pdf link available I will post it; however, seems like there may be a problem accessing lulu.com has a page that says "Access Restricted." Hmmm... I will have to explore that later, I'm off to my next course!
link:
www.lulu.com
Thursday, March 10, 2011
"A Survivor's Encomium:" The Zine Edition
All my classmates know, that for the zine project I expanded my minibook, "A Survivor's Encomium" to a 11 page zine. Thanks to the suggestion from our teacher!
Making a zine turned out a lot harder than I thought. Or how it looks! I had some challenges with margins, white space, putting together completely straight text, and printing. The overall result was: Room for improvement. There ended up being a typo on one page and no back cover because of the size of the paper. I couldn't figure out how to give a classy looking backcover since all the cardstock I could find is regular size.
For putting together the zine while ill it turned out pretty good. For distrobution, I exchanged zines with my colleagues and gave one to my teacher. My family ends up with a copy and I have two left over to give out. I am mailing one to the writer S.L. Wisenberg and to my former teacher, poet Simone Muench. For the next project, I am going to do a print-on-demand work. It's a longer work, that gets professionally published by lulu.com or another similar company.
My original thought it to send out after illustrating a short story I wrote and am fond of called, "Swept." It's a comedy/romance about a man who has a hard time staying in one place.
Making a zine turned out a lot harder than I thought. Or how it looks! I had some challenges with margins, white space, putting together completely straight text, and printing. The overall result was: Room for improvement. There ended up being a typo on one page and no back cover because of the size of the paper. I couldn't figure out how to give a classy looking backcover since all the cardstock I could find is regular size.
For putting together the zine while ill it turned out pretty good. For distrobution, I exchanged zines with my colleagues and gave one to my teacher. My family ends up with a copy and I have two left over to give out. I am mailing one to the writer S.L. Wisenberg and to my former teacher, poet Simone Muench. For the next project, I am going to do a print-on-demand work. It's a longer work, that gets professionally published by lulu.com or another similar company.
My original thought it to send out after illustrating a short story I wrote and am fond of called, "Swept." It's a comedy/romance about a man who has a hard time staying in one place.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Zine pt. 1
I am so sorry I almost forgot to blog about my zine project!! This is way late. Sorry groupers.
Surabhi suggested, helpfully, that I expand my mini "A Survivor's Encomium" to a 16-page zine. The mini was a little teaser, so I decided to heed her advice and go for it.
I have planned to use the same six people, draw them in black and white line drawings, and add narratives and other images.
For example, I will start with a Table of Contents and then for Otto Frank, I will describe his life and events that made him a Holocaust survivor.
Each other person I will add details about events each survived and add some quotes, song lyrics, or stories. At the end I am going to have a "resources" page that lists support groups, networks, e.g. and a bibliography.
It will be a more detailed and expansive project inspired by the minibook. So far, I have just done the mock up and gathered information. I will start the physical creation this weekend and post another blog with pictures.
Surabhi suggested, helpfully, that I expand my mini "A Survivor's Encomium" to a 16-page zine. The mini was a little teaser, so I decided to heed her advice and go for it.
I have planned to use the same six people, draw them in black and white line drawings, and add narratives and other images.
For example, I will start with a Table of Contents and then for Otto Frank, I will describe his life and events that made him a Holocaust survivor.
Each other person I will add details about events each survived and add some quotes, song lyrics, or stories. At the end I am going to have a "resources" page that lists support groups, networks, e.g. and a bibliography.
It will be a more detailed and expansive project inspired by the minibook. So far, I have just done the mock up and gathered information. I will start the physical creation this weekend and post another blog with pictures.
Monday, February 14, 2011
My First Trip to Quimby's
Quimby's is a quaint little bookshop at 1854 W. North Avenue in Chicago. I took the bus there and the blue line back. Getting there was simple. Looking around, I saw many inspiring zines so I definitely recommend anyone who is short on ideas to check it out for themselves.
Mainly, I went to distribute my minibook, "A Survivor's Encomium." After glancing around, I found a backshelf section that would be perfect since it contained an array of minibooks and lots of one pagers.
The clerk at the front desk was real friendly. He asked a few questions, a courteous inquiry about what class I was taking and who was teaching it. He seemed sad that he didn't know our teacher which I thought was cute. I filled out a form with my name, contact information, permission, and price. Signed away, and he promised to put them on the shelf.
I also told him I would see him again soon for the next projects, and he said there is no limit for placing self-publishing inside the Chicago store as long as it is under $25.00. Overall, a real fun adventure!
"A Survivor Encomium": First Minibook
Creating my first minibook was exciting. I decided to do a minibook of drawings because I wanted to practice sketching. I also used color because it adds personality to the faces and people I drew.
I really enjoy drawing celebrities!
I came up with the concept because we are all survivors of something that has shaped our lives whether it be: racism, sexism, prejudice, hate, controversy, hardship, obstacles, or illness. The list goes on and on. Survivors inspire me to press on. One of my favorite quotes is:
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." (Unknown author). I hope everyone enjoyed reading and looking at the illustrations in my minibook. I enjoyed creating it.
I really enjoy drawing celebrities!
I came up with the concept because we are all survivors of something that has shaped our lives whether it be: racism, sexism, prejudice, hate, controversy, hardship, obstacles, or illness. The list goes on and on. Survivors inspire me to press on. One of my favorite quotes is:
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." (Unknown author). I hope everyone enjoyed reading and looking at the illustrations in my minibook. I enjoyed creating it.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Introduction
The blog created today, "Awl my Pages," serves as an electronic diary for the Advanced Writing Workshop, "DIY Publishing for Writers..." and a documentary of my first practices of self-publishing. The class will last throughout the Spring semester and cover all aspects of self-publishing. We will create chapbooks, zines, and our final publication which is an open form.
I am particularly interested in imitation and exciting forms. I have written sonnets, epistles, bout-rimes, odes, and my favorite so far is: the cento. I love to borrow language!
On the right, is the first quilt I made. It's a sample pattern of different blocks. It demonstrates my favorite color and love of design, nature, and color.
Below, is "Cats & Bats" a celebration of my favorite holiday.
This is called "Fairy Tea Party." I am working on it now, it still needs to be quilted. It's at Stage 3.
On the right, is one of my paintings. I like to paint poems I like from other poets, or my own poems: this is a poem by Amy Lowell called "The Bungler." One of my favorite poems.
Past work relevant to the course:
I have transferred to SAIC this semester after studying a hybrid of Professional and Creative Writing at Lewis University for three years. Previously, I took several intensive writing classes and produced several portfolios of creative writing including: poetry, creative non-fiction, short fiction, and prose. I made one chapbook with Simone Muench and Kim Ambriz, titled "A Brunette's Brigandage." The chapbook included original poems and two creative non-fiction pieces.
I am particularly interested in imitation and exciting forms. I have written sonnets, epistles, bout-rimes, odes, and my favorite so far is: the cento. I love to borrow language!
Outside of writing, I have been painting and drawing since I can remember. I started quilting five years ago after my mother gave up and handed down her sewing machine and tools. I was really surprised that I had a natural ability for quilting because I had little to no experience sewing before creating my first quilt. I was relatively self-taught because my mother gave basic advice but I spent most of the time learning through reading introductory books. Making a quilt is a three step process. First, you have to design the top which is also called blocking. After the top is done the quilt is "sandwiched" meaning, the layers are created including: the top, the inner stuffing, and the bottom and/or backing. After the layers are bound, the last step is the actual quilting. Quilting sews together the layers and completes the look, it can be simple or decorative. Quilting takes a lot of patience.
Importance of past work:
I value art and design because it hones creativity and individuality. Writing is a journey. The journey can provide catharsis, growth, and so much more. Art provides communication that goes beyond language and basic understanding. I believe my past work has provided a great foundation for self-publishing.
I am looking forward to improving throughout the duration of the course. My creative process will certainly expand, becoming more thorough and diverse. I hope to learn more unique ways to express my personality and personal values. Self-publishing is a great way to use my past work and create more outlets for distrobution. Distrobution will express my personal and professional goals. Some of my goals this semester are to continue to expand my writing, reach a broader audience, and hone my artistic skills.
Examples of my artwork:
On the right, is the first quilt I made. It's a sample pattern of different blocks. It demonstrates my favorite color and love of design, nature, and color.
Below, is "Cats & Bats" a celebration of my favorite holiday.
This is called "Fairy Tea Party." I am working on it now, it still needs to be quilted. It's at Stage 3.
On the right, is one of my paintings. I like to paint poems I like from other poets, or my own poems: this is a poem by Amy Lowell called "The Bungler." One of my favorite poems.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)