Travel illo
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Em’s Travel Diary – my own column!!
This year has been great so far for me and I am happy that I am given a chance to write and illustrate in a spread column (2-page) in Gaya Travel magazine. I can never imagine, in a thousand years, that this will be happening.
It all started when a friend, Rayyan Haries, tweeted me about wanting to feature my artwork on the cover of a magazine; Gaya Travel. I later set an appointment with him and met with the Creative Director, Sharm, and we discussed what he had in mind for the magazine’s new look and feel. I showed some of my artwork online and out of spontaneity, Sharm offered me a spread in this magazine to write and draw. Like seriously?Of course, I’d be crazy not to accept it…so I said yes! Truly happy and I am very thankful to Rayyan and the Gaya Travel team!
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Featured on the cover of Gaya Travel Magazine
Some of you were already aware that I am illustrating for a magazine but I did not mentioned it previously as I want them to break the news. Since the news was already out this morning on facebook, I sure am excited to add to the buzz.
Here is the cover I illustrated for Gaya Travel Magazine. Do look out for the issue at you nearest bookstores (will update the locations).
Final version of Gaya Travel Magazine cover, Issue 8.1.Previously it was done in the form of digital vector but somehow it seemed to be flat, and I tend to agree with that. So I drew again using traditional medium; watercolor.
Preliminary vector illustrationThe proportion of the watercolor work did not match with the vector, so the team had to cut the traveller image as you can see in the final cover above. It was all my fault as I was lazy to do the proportion calculation. Anyway, it turns out great too. The masthead color really makes the cover stands out.
Don’t forget to get a copy of the magazine, ok. Should be out next week. Here’s the better version of the cover in full.
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SEA travel illustration done!
Finally got to finish the Southeast Asia travel illustration last night and submitted to the magazine team. Will publish the full version once I got the printed copy.
This one was very challenging as I had to get every details out. I think I did well on the Petronas Twin Towers and Karaweik Hall but it was hard getting Angkor Wat done. But nonetheless, other landmarks seem to cover its lack of details. Others were not so bad; the Komodo was fun to draw as well as the Lion Head of Singapore. So yeah, after submitting it, the creative director likes it better that my vector version.
Basically I was given a text (editor’s note) to based on for the cover illustration. The editor wrote about tourism in Malaysia and Southeast Asia as well as Europe. As the magazine is a Malaysia-based magazine, I thought I draw landmarks and icons of Southeast Asia. The magazine’s main objective is to promote Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Mixed media (watercolor and colorpencil) on watercolor paper. This painting will be on sale soon. -
Moleskine: sketches of botanical plants at PalmenGarten
I just got around to sketch some simple botanical drawings on my Moleskine sketchbook.
Pen and watercolor on Moleskine sketchbook. - Art & Places, Frankfurt, Germany, graphite, moleskine, prismacolor, sculpture, Travel illo, TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS
Art & Places: Statue of Minerva, Romerberg, Frankfurt
Here is a statue of Minerva situated in front of timbered houses at Romerberg, Frankfurt.
Pencil and color-pencil on Moleskine plain notebook.Minerva was an ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and reason, of warfare for a good cause, protector of handicrafts, arts, schools and sciences. She was the daughter of Jupiter, the king of the gods.
Minerva was built from red sandstone by sculptor Friedrich Schierholz in 1893/94. It was half destroyed in 1944 during the WW2 and again in 1951 by the Romans. Later in 1983, sculptor Fritz Klimsch sculpted an exact copy of the statue. Minerva wears a lion head’s helmet with a crest decorated with a head of a woman (not sure what this means) and feathers.
She holds a spear on her left hand while the head of Medusa on her right. She is wearing a toga protected with an Aegis, a shield or buckler, on her body. She stands on a column decorated with floral ornaments.
Reference:
Kunst Im Offenlichen – Minerva Fountain
- Art & Places, Frankfurt, Germany, graphite, moleskine, prismacolor, sculpture, Travel illo, TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS
Art & Places: Statue of Justice, Romerberg, Frankfurt
The statue of the goddess Justitia that graces the Fountain of Justice (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) stands proudly at the heart of the Romerberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Pencil and color-pencil on Moleskine Plain Notebook.Previously, in 1610, the sculptor Johann Hocheisen created the fountain and the figure from red sandstone but after the war, Justitia had lost half of her arm (not sure left or right) and the scales went missing. Later in 1887, she was rebuilt in bronze by F. R. Schierholz, funded by a Frankfurt wine merchant.
Justitia, the Roman goddess of Justice, is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Justitia is depicted with a set of scales suspended from her right hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case’s support and opposition. Mature, pretty and draped in flowing robes, she is also carrying a sword in her left hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party.
The statue is adorned with 4 water nymphs on the corners of its pedestal as symbol of fertility.
Reference:
Wikipedia.org – Lady Justice
Fountain of Justice
Historical Frankfurt – Fountain of Justice -
Art & Places: Pinang Fountain, Georgetown
At the King Edward’s Place roundabout, there is a sculpture of areca-nut palm (or commonly known as betelnut) standing proudly to greet visitors with it’s unique modern look contrary with the historical Jubilee Clock Tower.
Pencil on Moleskine. Coloring was done digitally.Standing at 4.8 meters in height, the metal sculpture serves as a fountain where a spray of water comes up from inside the sculpture. Named as Pinang Fountain, the sculpture was erected to commemorate Pulau Pinang which translates ‘the Island of Areca-nut Palm’. History has it that when Portuguese traders discovered Pulau Pinang (which was a small uninhabited island back in the 16th century) they named it “Pulo Pinaom” as there were abundance of Arecanut Palm trees found around the island.
Reference:
http://www.penang-traveltips.com/pinang-fountain.htm
http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/portal3/about-penang/history.html