Showing posts with label china. Show all posts
Showing posts with label china. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Illustration Friday: Baby
Portrait of a Chinese baby girl I saw over during my recent visit to China; my submission for this week's Illustration Friday! : ) (Sort of like an Asian Gerber baby!)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
June 3, 2008; Red Dragon
Inspired from a dragon pattern on a tea set I got in Shanghai, China. (with bonus photo of actual tea set! I didn't end up getting the beautiful tray it is shown with in the store where I took the pic- all the tea sets I saw in China had these elaborate drainage trays that they came on).
(plus more fun with the pentel brush pen set!)
(plus more fun with the pentel brush pen set!)
Friday, May 30, 2008
May 29, 2008
Objects from China:
Portrait of a Bronze age beast! Yes, another cool object from my favorite museum.
So now that I'm all caught up again, I'm off on another trip for the weekend (yes, I cannot stop travelling!), so unless I can figure out how to take fantastic cell phone pics of my sketch book and post them, look for more drawings on Monday! Thanks for bearing with the hit or miss updates as of late, but all the daily drawings are there and accounted for sooner or later! : )
Portrait of a Bronze age beast! Yes, another cool object from my favorite museum.
So now that I'm all caught up again, I'm off on another trip for the weekend (yes, I cannot stop travelling!), so unless I can figure out how to take fantastic cell phone pics of my sketch book and post them, look for more drawings on Monday! Thanks for bearing with the hit or miss updates as of late, but all the daily drawings are there and accounted for sooner or later! : )
May 28, 2008
Objects from China:
Yet another awesome find from the Guangzhou's Museum of the Nanyue King; this one is a top decorative piece for an ornamental room screen divider; originally feathers were placed on the top of his head. I absolutely love his smile- some sort of demented Chesire Cat demon god!!
Yet another awesome find from the Guangzhou's Museum of the Nanyue King; this one is a top decorative piece for an ornamental room screen divider; originally feathers were placed on the top of his head. I absolutely love his smile- some sort of demented Chesire Cat demon god!!
May 27, 2008
Objects from China:
This one is based off another gem from the Guangzhou's Museum of the Nanyue King; it's inspired from a jade dragon ornament that was found on the Nanyue King himself, and makes up the logo of the Museum.
This one is based off another gem from the Guangzhou's Museum of the Nanyue King; it's inspired from a jade dragon ornament that was found on the Nanyue King himself, and makes up the logo of the Museum.
May 26, 2008
Objects from China, part II:
I found this fantastic door knocker at an antiques store in Shanghai and just thought he was absolutely wonderful! Not sure how authentically "antique" he was, as there were two of them, but he had such fantastic character, I couldn't pass him up!
I found this fantastic door knocker at an antiques store in Shanghai and just thought he was absolutely wonderful! Not sure how authentically "antique" he was, as there were two of them, but he had such fantastic character, I couldn't pass him up!
May 25, 2008
Objects from China;
I saw this beautiful turquoise fox-like bronze at an exhibit in Guangzhou's Museum of the Nanyue King (they were having a wonderful special exhibit on "The Bronze Age----Relics of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties from Henan"), and it totally inspired me to draw this relic up. I never think of turquoise as being found in China, but there you have it!
Anyway, the museum had some beautiful pieces- I was super bummed they didn't offer a catalogue of the special exhibit, but I did buy the official catalog of the permanent collection! ; )
I saw this beautiful turquoise fox-like bronze at an exhibit in Guangzhou's Museum of the Nanyue King (they were having a wonderful special exhibit on "The Bronze Age----Relics of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties from Henan"), and it totally inspired me to draw this relic up. I never think of turquoise as being found in China, but there you have it!
Anyway, the museum had some beautiful pieces- I was super bummed they didn't offer a catalogue of the special exhibit, but I did buy the official catalog of the permanent collection! ; )
Thursday, May 29, 2008
May 24, 2008
Good to be back home! After 36 hours, gaining a day, a taxi ride, 2 train rides, a bus ride, a plane ride, and a car ride, it's finally good to be back ho...zzzzzzzzz.........
May 23, 2008
Fish aquarium store or restaurant? Eating out in Guangzhou, China, is like going to my favorite aquarium store, but here I have to worry about picking out my dinner instead of picking out something to decorate my tank with!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
May 21, 2008
Crazy drivers!!
I have never experienced driving as crazy as Chinese drivers outside of video games- the only way to describe being driven around China is like Grand Theft Auto, but without the car jacking or hookers. Or Crazy Taxi. Come to think of it, our taxi driver -did- drive on the sidewalk at one point. So maybe more like Crazy Taxi.
Seriously. I thought I was going to die at several points. But in a fun way! They all drive like maniacs, but they manage to do it without cars being wrecked on the side of the road everywhere (that I could see). Words cannot even describe the madness. I don't think my drawing can even accurately describe it. Go play a video game (like crazy taxi) and drive like a reckless maniac, and perhaps that will come close, but without the death defying part. (to experience what it's like to be a pedestrian crossing a road, go play Frogger. Seriously- life building skills people!)
I have never experienced driving as crazy as Chinese drivers outside of video games- the only way to describe being driven around China is like Grand Theft Auto, but without the car jacking or hookers. Or Crazy Taxi. Come to think of it, our taxi driver -did- drive on the sidewalk at one point. So maybe more like Crazy Taxi.
Seriously. I thought I was going to die at several points. But in a fun way! They all drive like maniacs, but they manage to do it without cars being wrecked on the side of the road everywhere (that I could see). Words cannot even describe the madness. I don't think my drawing can even accurately describe it. Go play a video game (like crazy taxi) and drive like a reckless maniac, and perhaps that will come close, but without the death defying part. (to experience what it's like to be a pedestrian crossing a road, go play Frogger. Seriously- life building skills people!)
May 20, 2008
"Just Looking!"
The vendors here are in-sane! They are pretty aggressive, and will try to sell you anything; there were times I wasn't even sure what they were selling, they were just listing off prices to me!! I've been offered watches, bags, countless fruits/snacks/foodstuffs, jewelry, toys, water, maps, zippy magnet things that make annoying sounds, hats, wallets, bone carving things, pan flutes, more watches, more bags, portraits, little jasmine scented dangly things made from straw, postcards, fans, necklaces, tours, photos, things with my photo on it, rollerskate dealies that attach to your shoes, and things that i'm sure i'm forgetting about, and these are things people have come up to me in the street to sell me, not including brick and mortar vendors. You can't glance at something without being descended upon by salespeople. The merchants in the shop like to yell out either "hello!" or "just looking!" which seem to be the only english they know, which strikes me as odd. Shouldn't I be the one saying, "just looking?"
The magic words are "Boo Ya," which translate to "no thanks/ not interested", which came very, very much in handy; although you have to be as persistent as they are, which can be pretty tough at times!!!
The vendors here are in-sane! They are pretty aggressive, and will try to sell you anything; there were times I wasn't even sure what they were selling, they were just listing off prices to me!! I've been offered watches, bags, countless fruits/snacks/foodstuffs, jewelry, toys, water, maps, zippy magnet things that make annoying sounds, hats, wallets, bone carving things, pan flutes, more watches, more bags, portraits, little jasmine scented dangly things made from straw, postcards, fans, necklaces, tours, photos, things with my photo on it, rollerskate dealies that attach to your shoes, and things that i'm sure i'm forgetting about, and these are things people have come up to me in the street to sell me, not including brick and mortar vendors. You can't glance at something without being descended upon by salespeople. The merchants in the shop like to yell out either "hello!" or "just looking!" which seem to be the only english they know, which strikes me as odd. Shouldn't I be the one saying, "just looking?"
The magic words are "Boo Ya," which translate to "no thanks/ not interested", which came very, very much in handy; although you have to be as persistent as they are, which can be pretty tough at times!!!
May 19, 2008, part II
Strange food!
At a banquet this evening, looked into the pot and had this looking back up at me! It was very tasty, although I didn't try any of the parts that had anything that could look back at me...
At a banquet this evening, looked into the pot and had this looking back up at me! It was very tasty, although I didn't try any of the parts that had anything that could look back at me...
May 19, 2008
Moment of Mourning
At 2:30 today, everything stopped what they were doing; car traffic, foot traffic; everything came to a complete standstill, and all the horns and sirens sounded for three whole minutes. My mom and I, on our way to see a temple, were completely bewildered, as we had no idea what was going on, but as we were later told that evening, it had been one week since the large 8.0 earthquake had struck in Sichuan province, and all of China was having three minutes of "silence" at exactly the time when the earthquake had hit a week ago. It was eerie knowing that all across the country that everybody had come to a standstill; however, it was very confusing in the moment, not knowing why everybody had stopped, and why all the horns and sirens where going off with no warning or reason!!
Speaking of the earthquake, it was all over the news during our visit; lots of blood drives and money donations everywhere; very tragic and lots of very sad imagery all over the tv footage and newspapers.
At 2:30 today, everything stopped what they were doing; car traffic, foot traffic; everything came to a complete standstill, and all the horns and sirens sounded for three whole minutes. My mom and I, on our way to see a temple, were completely bewildered, as we had no idea what was going on, but as we were later told that evening, it had been one week since the large 8.0 earthquake had struck in Sichuan province, and all of China was having three minutes of "silence" at exactly the time when the earthquake had hit a week ago. It was eerie knowing that all across the country that everybody had come to a standstill; however, it was very confusing in the moment, not knowing why everybody had stopped, and why all the horns and sirens where going off with no warning or reason!!
Speaking of the earthquake, it was all over the news during our visit; lots of blood drives and money donations everywhere; very tragic and lots of very sad imagery all over the tv footage and newspapers.
May 18th, 2008
I like to call this one, "the Other Sleeping Dragon." Jet lag+ snoring parents= fail!
May 17, 2008
Adventures in Shanghai!
Today was a whirlwind tour around Shanghai; walking down Nanjing road, around the Bund (fantastic people watching), and finally over to Yuan Garden before swinging back over to the Bund to see it all lit up at night. Whew!
Along the way we saw tiny fishing ponds stocked with goldfish where kids could fish for goldfish, surly watermelon man vendors with mean knives and cigarettes, and checked out some famous soup-dumplings at Yuan Garden (thanks for the tip Will!)
Today was a whirlwind tour around Shanghai; walking down Nanjing road, around the Bund (fantastic people watching), and finally over to Yuan Garden before swinging back over to the Bund to see it all lit up at night. Whew!
Along the way we saw tiny fishing ponds stocked with goldfish where kids could fish for goldfish, surly watermelon man vendors with mean knives and cigarettes, and checked out some famous soup-dumplings at Yuan Garden (thanks for the tip Will!)
May 16th, 2008
Our first meal in China! Our friend and host in Shanghai, Michelle, bought us to a local Chinese-Muslim noodle shop where they were making up some fresh ramen noodles. It was a super yummy meal and a great way to start off our trip!!
May 15th, 2008
On the way to China!
This is a rough map of our route; my handy sketchbook happens to have a map of China in the front: we spent a day and a half in Shanghai (1), 5 days in a city on the coast called Xiamen (2), then a day and a half in Guanzhou (previously called Canton) (3) before leaving via Hong Kong.
These next two are sketches on the plane, one from the National Geographic issue on China, one illustrating the plane ride!
This is a rough map of our route; my handy sketchbook happens to have a map of China in the front: we spent a day and a half in Shanghai (1), 5 days in a city on the coast called Xiamen (2), then a day and a half in Guanzhou (previously called Canton) (3) before leaving via Hong Kong.
These next two are sketches on the plane, one from the National Geographic issue on China, one illustrating the plane ride!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Ni hao China!
Hey everybody! As you may or may not know, I am off on a week and a half adventure in China, so I will not be updating my blog until May 25/26th. I will be drawing every day about my adventures in China (Shanghai and Xiamen, mostly), so be sure to tune back in to see the new additions. I can't wait to see what adventures and new sights this trip will bring!!!
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