Weekly Project #2: Bastille Lyrics Art

2013 was the year I fell head over heels in love with Bastille. I love music and a lot of bands, but Bastille's albums Bad Blood and All This Bad Blood blew my socks off. I adore lead singer Dan Smith's vocals and the alternative-indie-synthpop music is beautiful. Music that sends shivers down my spine and gives me goosebumps is always good. These albums do both. :)

I have seriously thought of giving it the number 2 position in my favorites list after American Idiot by Green Day, an album that is deeply connected to my high school / teenage years. I'm sure a lot of 90's kids can relate.

So, as this [past] week's project, I composed a sort of lyrics artwork. I'm no artist and the best I could come up with is combining the two albums' cover art. I overlapped the letter art of All This Bad Blood with the album art of Bad Blood and voilà, I had a sort of mini-poster. The catch is that everything is "painted" in letters - the lyrics of all 24 songs. It was quite the task, but I think it was worth it. (No doubt, I have a huge margin for improvement. But these activities were devised to make me make art!)

The Final Piece:

All This Bad Blood - Bastille

The Inspiration:

Bastille - Original Cover Art

Rough Sketch:

Pencil Sketch and Design Scheme

Work in Progress:

All Lettered Out

Looks cool under flash...

Materials Used:

White Royal Executive Bond Paper
0.5 red and black gel pens
water-based gold paint
Ujala paintbrush in number 1

So what do you think? It didn't turn out the way I had imagined it, but I still think it's cool. I may get it laminated. What's your current fave band?
I also think it's worth mentioning that this band does amazing covers. Give them a go if you haven't already. (In case you haven't, where have you been?)

Playing Bastille on loop,
Ekta

Weekly Project #1: Harry Potter Deathly Hallows T-Shirt

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and have been one for a very long time. I was one of the lucky kids that grew up with Harry and his mates at Hogwarts. I waited for my letter when I was 11 and every year after that. I pretended my castle-like school was the actual Hogwarts and that Chemistry class was Potions. Now, many years removed from the last Harry Potter book (and movie), and no time to reread a favorite from the series, leaves me with what I like to call "HP Nostalgia Strokes". The latest one ended with me painting my very own Deathly Hallows T-Shirt. Sure, one can buy a Deathly Hallows shirt anywhere, but there's a special feel to one you've poured your heart into. Plus, I love DIY.  

The combination of one of my most cherished art forms and fictional obsessions feels like the perfect debut for my "Weekly Project" series. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to indulge in this activity. It was relaxing when I wasn't obsessing over the intricacies of the perfect shape of the symbol itself; I promise I tried to keep my perfectionism at bay. I did have fun. The whole process took much longer than I initially anticipated. Let's just say I spent a few evenings after work completing one step at a time. 

First, there was the "stencil" to make. Remember Geometry? Turns out it's useful even after school. The design work took some revision and trial-and-error. I legit used a protractor, compass, and ruler, but the result was worth it. There are probably less geeky ways to draw an equilateral triangle with an inscribed circle and median, but I didn't mind this method. My true inner nerd was reveling. A little bit of Math never hurt anyone.   

On the second evening, I did the actual paint job and as I hadn't created a stencil (alas, I could find any contact paper in Mumbai), I just went for it with my paintbrush and black fabric paint. I traced my design carefully onto the pristine white cotton tee using a thin metal ruler as a guide for the straight lines. It worked remarkably well. As for the wonky circle, I guess it could have been much worse.  

Wet Paint: Cool New Deathly Hallows Graphic Top in the works

Close-up of the Deathly Hallows symbol

By the next evening, my HP T-shirt was dry. To "seal and finish" or finalize the paint job, I simply ironed the reverse of my shirt.

I really wish I had taken the time to take pictures at each step, but I didn't. Next time definitely will!

Here's the final result:

My Completed HP Tee

Materials: white cotton T-shirt, 

Fevicryl hobby ideas acrylic paint in black (02), 

Ujala paintbrushes in numbers 3 and 6

I wore my nerd-shirt to work on Friday, no joke. So what if people think it's "dumb or juvenile"? (Nobody said this, but I could catch it in their eyes.) The shirt made me happy; it made me feel at home. And sometimes, that should count for more than we let on.

Permanently rolled-up sleeve
 with hidden stitches

I made a few alterations to my shirt just for extra comfiness. The collar was suffocating so I chopped it right off. Also, I like to roll up the sleeves on baggy T-shirts, but face the common problem of them constantly unrolling. I fixed this little peeve (haha, see what I did there?) by permanently rolling them up. All they needed were some invisible stitches (please let me know if you would like a tutorial on this). I didn't know if the stitching would keep the sleeves rolled up. After a day of commuting and work, though, I assure you it works like a dream. I wish I had thought to try it out earlier.



Do you ever let you inner "fangirl" loose? I would love to see some your creations or fave artwork. If you've been harboring any creative urges to express you love for a fandom, stop hesitating and do it! It feels great!  

-Ekta


PS: These make amazing gifts for nerdy friends or family. I made an HP themed one for a friend and she loved it. It's nice to give (or receive) a present with a personal touch. The extra time and effort goes a long way to show how much you know and care about someone.

WEEKLY PROJECTS

I love art. And I decided I need more of it in my life. Since I left school - not college, school - I have had very little art in my life. And that makes me sad. The reasons and excuses for this are plenty, but this is no place for them. 

So, a few months ago, I convinced myself there is no "bad art" (perfectionism sucks), and to go forth with this art adventure. Make things. DIY. Create. Learn to use a paintbrush or pick up a long neglected instrument. It will also give me an opportunity to go art supplies and stationery shopping (can you feel my excitement!!!)!? 

I'm also going to try and follow as much of "The Art Assignment" as I can. I'll watch all the episodes no doubt, but finding all of the materials for an assignment could be a problem here in Mumbai. This online series will start airing early 2014 according to their YouTube channel and will be hosted by Sarah Green (vlogbrother John Green's wife). I am excited for this!   

My definition of art henceforth:
Art = creative stuff

The Goal:
To plan and complete an art project every week and blog about it.

Let's see how long I last. I really do hope I last. The very idea of trying this out makes me happier. And anything that can lift the corner's of a person's mouth (except illegal things, duh) gets two thumbs up from me.

Join my art adventure that I'm titling as "Weekly Project" (incredibly imaginative, I know, what can I say, it's a gift).

-Ekta