I can't believe christmas is just around the corner.
And when Christmas is up and coming, so is my birthday... UUEEGH!
But that is ok. It means the holidays are coming for most people.
People need to lax out and rest! (Not nurses though, its a 24/7 job! But we sacrifice our holidays to care for your family. RESPECT OUR WORK kthnx. What was that about? let me explain, Victorian Nurses at the moment are trying to fight the silly government to not make changes that could harm our patients. But the public reckons we just want a pay rise. I just dont want to have up to 10 patients as opposed to the 4 I get now. I don't want to come into work for 3-4 hrs in the morning, knock off and come back again at night the same day. Nurses are nurses for a reason! We care for the PEOPLE. not the condition. But the Government wants nurses to take on more work, stress more and see patients as problems instead - Just so they could save a few bucks. Sorry, that's unfair. Our work is hard, but the community appreciates it, why can't you Ballieu? Anyways enough ramble on the nursing strike thats happening now ahaha!!)
Has anyone been to a burlesque show lately? I absolutely love their costumes. (<- this link shows where i got my reference image from. soooo prettyyyyyy!!)
If you notice, I really suck at hands. So instead of practising, I've hidden them behind astronomy and a sweet.
Unfortunately my printer couldnt scan the whole page... so I took a photo for interest as to how it looks on the page. My scanner loses a whole lot of colour too :( I also hate how i painted her cloak. bleegghh. just dont look at that ok? :P
I can't seem to find my palette... My room is in extreme mess you think I got robbed. So in consequence I used scrap paper as a palette. Bad idea! When paper gets wet, the paper fibres become loose, creates clumps and goes all over your brush and painting! lesson learnt!
Anyways! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Heaps of hugs and cuddles from me.
Those who do not know him, let me introduce this amazing person.
Shaun Tan is an Australian Illustrator/Writer from Perth who has published many books for children and young adults. Although his work is predominantly categorized as illustrations and stories for children, his work is well known to appeal to adults as well. He has the flair of being able to create imagery that can be bizzare, interesting and beautiful, but then when you have a closer look, it can contain something more dark, sinister, deep and meaningful. Many times, he takes a stab at current societal events.
Shaun Tan has received numerous awards, many are very highly prestigious and recently he won the 83rd Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film for The Lost Thing (based on his book that he both wrote and illustrated of the same title).
Intimidated yet?
The following are my favourite books by Shaun Tan!
A page from The Arrival. This book is crazy amazing. It really holds true to many of the stories of the refugees and migrants. Shaun Tan captures the strangeness and weird feelings that you feel being in a totally new and different world, perfectly.
A page from The Red Tree. Quite a depressive story!This page here in particular is about how sometimes, darkness feels like it is overcoming you, following you everywhere you go. Simple and emo story, but it is a great reminder that there ARE positive things in life...
Watch The Lost Thing here! (Then buy it cuz you'd wanna support his hard work. It took him 10 years afterall! and 2 years prior for the original book!)
Now you know how awesome he is...
Well today, I was privileged to sit and listen to Shaun Tan talk at ACMI as part of the Melbourne Writer's Festival.
and Wow, he is so inspiring!
I've always and still admire Shaun Tan from a distance as I am too shy as anything.
But to be in the same room as he was today, I was so giddy!!
First time seeing Shaun Tan in person! It was very pleasant to find out and see that Shaun Tan, the highly esteemed Australian, heck! international super dooper illustrator and writer to be such a humble, genuine, geeky, intelligent and introverted person (kinda like me!!!)
I admire not only for his creativity, quirky and absolutely amazing work that he makes, but how his mind ticks and tocks!
Shaun Tan appreciates that life is beautiful because of its imperfections.
Thus, art and films are more aesthetically appealing when they don't try to be so perfect.
Shaun Tan conveys this perfectly in his short film The Lost Thing as he hand painted and created all the textures in the film making it have a more imperfect feel.
I just have to agree with Shaun that it is the imperfections in life that's what makes life and te world around us, beautiful.
I also admire how Shaun Tan. even after working on The Lost Thing book and short film for so freaking long, STILL doesn't quite understand it! Strange aye? How can the creator still not understand his own work? I think that's so cool though.
Really, The Lost Thing is a simple story but there are gunk loads of themes to it. You could interpret it in so many different ways. I love how it is kept open . You could become really philosophical while you try to make sense out of it but in the end, its just about that thing that was lost.
I was really intrigued with Shaun Tan's back stories to his creations too. Seeing what inspired him, motivated him, what made him tick tock, how he reacts to things, his likes and dislikes and his outlook on things... just wow.
Like I said, he is my hero!
To end this blog, I will share some of his interviews on youtube just so you could get a gist of how awesmely WOW Shaun Tan's brain really is.
It is now the month of MOVEMBER, which means that this month is all about the MEN.
"Men men men men manly men men men"
(you sang along with me didn't ya?! of course you did! you wouldn't leave me all embarrassed! I wonder what the 2.5 Men show is like now without Charlie Sheen? mr. Kutcher, sorry but its just NOT the same anymore!! You belong in the 70's... But that's another topic to discuss)
In all seriousness now, silliness aside, men and women are not all that equal!
Sure, men may get better pay than us.
Sure, Men get praised for having sex with a lot of women but if it were reversed, women would be shunned and stoned to death. :O
Sure! Men are more valued than women in some cultures because they carry on the family name...
SURE! Men have a faster metabolism than women and so can burn fat more faster...
Thus, men don't put on weight as easily as women..
THUS, I.. i mean WOMEN, just cant eat all the sweets they would like as men do....
BUT!
Statistics prove that life isnt actually that fair for men.
Their lives are shorter.
They suffer more with illnesses and diseases and cancer and suffering and pain...
They mostly die from things that are very very preventable!
WHY??
Because men are silly of course.
They are a proud species, where they must keep the "weak" and "emotional" stuff inside themselves.
But MEN!! It is KILLING YOU QUICKER!
Don't be so proud.
BE A MAN! Look after yourselves.
Because we care and need you men :)
So that's what Movember is all about. To be a little silly and put on ridiculously good looking moustaches and spread the word that men CAN look after themselves a bit better. They just need a bit of a reminder.
Be MEN, man! I support you!
Now, moving on from the battle of the sexes, we arrive to DIVERSITY.
Here is a drawing, and some progresses leading up to it, celebrating our diversity in multicultural Australia.
Lets grow up together and celebrate our individuality, uniqueness and own quirkiness.
(This is actually drawn for the Whittlesea Art Competition as part of their celebrating diversity campaign...wish me luck!)
So, what have we learnt? That a 'stache actually looks good on the chicken. ;)
Support your fellow men and well, everyone! Because we all deserve it.
