Sunday, January 29, 2017

Growth / 成長


去年這個時候幫泰文老師畫了一些泰國文化的插圖,雖然很可惜最後沒用到這些圖,今年又回頭看時,覺得自己可以畫得更有風格,這也是我的成長吧!

Last year at this time I was illustrating a book on Thai culture for my teacher, but unfortunately, the project was canceled halfway. When I look back now, I feel that I can come up with more stylized pictures, which I think indicates my growth. 



         明天又要去曼谷旅行了,可以吃吃看畫過但還沒體驗過的食物,我自己很期待喔! 

     I am traveling to Bangkok again tomorrow. I am looking forward to sampling food that I have illustrated but haven't tasted yet! 

"Booster" year / 「機」年


新年來了,希望自己可以大鳴大放!

Here comes the new year. I hope I can live the new year to the fullest and reach out to the world!



        趁著好天氣,趕緊享受陽光和百花綻放!

     Let's seize the beautiful day and flowers in bloom! 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Cheeky / 厚臉皮


遇到一隻厚臉皮討愛的貓,我也變得厚臉皮了。

I ran into a cheeky cat asking for love, and I've learned to be cheeky. 

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Starry starry night / 星空下


和孩子們一起去彰化服務學習,孩子們形容給我聽小小教室裡的夜晚,我覺得人肉堆疊戰很有畫面。

I went on a service-learning trip to Changhwa with my students. When the girls described to me the scene in the small classroom, I couldn't help drawing it.

        這幾天發生許多大大小小的故事,不過當我看到滿天的星空,心裡冒出的還是同一句話:難怪我會一直想要來!

     A lot of stories happened during the past four days. But the twinkling stars at night erased my doubts and reassured me of my decision to take such a trip with the kids!

Friday, January 20, 2017

Mansfield Park / 曼斯菲爾德莊園


雖然我一直深受時尚插畫吸引,我的畫風卻不是以時尚為特色。要準備珍奧斯汀的「曼斯菲爾德莊園」插畫時,我突然想到時尚插畫是很好的起點,很適合奧斯汀筆下的女性角色。

I've always been into fashion illustration though my style is not fashionable at all. It occurred to me that fashion illustration would be a superb starting point when I was about to prepare the illustrations for Jane Austen's Mansfield Park because her ladies feel beautiful and want to be beautiful. 



        畫著畫著是很開心,不過這些模特兒非常有姿態,不僅身形美,眼神也都有故事。

     I had much fun drawing the models in the fashion magazine. They not only look beautiful but also make me curious about them. Their eyes tell stories. 



        她們寫字看書的樣子也好帥氣,就算和女主角范妮天差地遠,但我還是很高興可以做新的嘗試。

     I focused particularly on how women read and write. However, these models appear to be very confident of themselves. They are worlds apart from the protagonist Fanny, but it was still nice for me to take a new try. 



        這本小說到底在說什麼呢?簡單地說,就是乖女孩范妮從小寄住在有錢的阿姨和姨丈家,和乖男孩表哥艾德蒙青梅竹馬,不過長大之後因為新的角色出現在莊園裡,艾德蒙愛上了勢利女瑪麗,而瑪麗的風流男哥哥亨利則受到范妮的吸引,范妮看著自己深愛的艾德蒙被愛蒙敝,還要一邊抵擋亨利的猛烈追求,還好她的堅忍不拔最後換來艾德蒙的愛。

     What is the novel about? Simply put, the good girl Fanny was sent to Mansfield Park to live with her rich aunt and uncle when she was little. She grew up together with her gentle cousin Edmund. With the arrival of the new characters, her life began to change. Edmund fell in love with the beautiful but snobbish girl Mary Crawford while her player brother fell for the charm of innocent Fanny, who had to suffer silently from seeing her beloved Edmund blindfolded by love and make every attempt to resist Henry in the meanwhile. Luckily, her virtue and perseverance finally won Edmund's heart. 

        插畫比賽除了三張內頁插圖以外,還要設計封面,而且規格有嚴格的規定,其實剛開始我並不確定自己做得出來,不過我不想就這麼放棄,很幸運地友人幫了我一把,讓我可以達到目標。

     Besides the three illustrations for the story, every contestant was required to design the cover as well and meet some specific rules. In fact, I wasn't sure if I could make it, but I didn't feel like giving up either. I was blessed with Alex's help so that I could reach my goal. 



        范妮是內向壓抑的角色,在珍奧斯汀的作品中是較沒自信的女主角,不過我覺得自己很像她。

     Fanny is an introverted and repressed role. She is probably the least confident heroine in Austen's books, but I can relate to her because I see much similarity between her and me. 



        與其把重點放在她和其他角色的互動,不如把舞台都給她吧!她的慰藉除了艾德蒙外,就是書和花草,還有自己的書房。

     Instead of placing emphasis on her interaction with the other characters, I prefer to feature her only in my illustrations. Apart from Edmund, she took solace in books, plants, and her personal space, the East room. 



        像書裡說的,就算是快樂,范妮也安安靜靜地感受。

     As is said in the book, Fanny feels ecstasy in a quiet way. 

        做完插畫的那一晚,想到五年前在英國讀書的時候,急著想用自己以外的風格畫圖,老師問:你為什麼不用自己的風格呢?五年過去了,我終於可以用自己的風格,不論結果如何,我都感到欣喜,因為我嘗試了之前做不到的事。

     On the day when I finished the illustrations, I thought of the winter five years ago when I was studying in London. I was eager to borrow others' styles, so my tutor couldn't help asking, "Why didn't you use your own style?" Five years have gone by, and I am proud to be me when drawing. Whatever the outcome is, I am joyful all the same because I achieved what I couldn't in the past. 

Monday, January 16, 2017

Swimming daytime owl / 白天游泳的貓頭鷹


每天寄一張明信片給吉吉三年了,多半是在清晨神智不清的塗鴉,有時候丟到郵筒還隱約覺得羞愧,總是在寄了一整年之後,我們會翻出來回顧,這是我最喜歡的時刻,我最常說:「這是我畫的嗎?」同時內心有種強烈的震撼,「原來我的人生有這麼多有趣的片段!」

I've been sending a postcard to Shaggy a day for three years. In fact, I draw the postcards mostly in the early morning when I am still sleepy and groggy. I sometimes feel kind of ashamed of the crude drawings as I throw them into the post box. We have got into the ritual of reviewing the postcards as we wrap up a year, and that is my favorite moment. My classic line is, "Did I draw that?" Meanwhile, I feel overwhelmed with the discovery that my everyday life is filled with so many fascinating moments and ideas. 

        下雨的週末咖啡館裡,一打開門有兩張期待的臉迎接我,吉吉和朋友郁馨提議把明信片放到網路上,接下來我們就開始一連串的行動,這中間還有行銷學的介紹和教學,頓時我們苦悶的人生都有了出口!

     On the rainy Saturday evening, as I open the door to the cafe, I am greeted with two expectant faces. Shaggy and Yu-shin propose that we start a webpage to share the postcards. Soon everyone takes up their smartphones and gets down to work. At the same time, we take our first lesson in marketing. Our rainy life suddenly lights up! 

        看似相同的一週又開始了,但我的生活多了一些可能性!

     Another seemingly similar week has started, but I feel there're more possibilities for me! 



Sunday, January 08, 2017

One thing to thank for a day / 感恩事項


知道House of Illustration和出版社Folio Society舉辦的經典書插畫比賽好幾年了,不過總覺得之前的書目很不適合我,今年開的是珍奧斯汀的曼斯菲爾德莊園,因為高中的時候很迷讀珍奧斯汀的原文書,所以不管怎樣,今年都要試試看。

I've known the illustration competition held by House of Illustration and Folio Society for years. However, I'd always felt that the books weren't quite suitable for me. This year the book is Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Since I was very much into reading Austen's books in high school, I have a strong desire to try illustrating for the book no matter what. 



        插畫就如同很多事一樣,可以令人又苦惱又快樂,一方面因為有目標而開心,一方面卻因為不確定,於是對自己產生許多懷疑。

     Illustration, like many things, can be upsetting and pleasing at the same time. On the one hand, I am uplifted because of the goal, but on the other hand, I have to deal with my inner doubts since I am not sure of myself. 

        就在好幾種情緒的擺盪之間,我看到了誠悅把每天要感恩的事項寫出來,那麼這個週末我要感謝這兩瓶美麗的墨水,幫我找到了出路。

     As I fluctuate between these opposite emotions, I read Yueh's FB page on which she listed one thing to thank for every day. In my case, I'd like to thank for the two beautiful bottles of ink, which help me find the way. 

        當然,不論如何,更要謝謝珍奧斯汀,我因此發現為她作插畫的藝術家還真多呢! 

     Last but not least, I have to thank Jane Austen. In fact, I've found tons of illustrators for her works! 

Monday, January 02, 2017

Yilan / 宜蘭


冬山河森林公園生態綠舟 / Dongshan River Ecopark

速寫看似孤獨,其實我發現,速寫這個舉動給路人的訊息是:來吧!來和我互動!今天帶著很復古的墨水筆和墨汁去戶外寫生,過來和我攀談的有對墨水筆感興趣的小姐,但是我最愛的是兩個坐在我身邊的女孩,安安靜靜的。

Sketching appears to be a solitary act, but the truth is, I've been sending quiet messages saying, "Come interact with me!" Today I decided to try a very classical ink pen and ink for my outdoor sketch. My tool attracted a lady who's highly interested in it, but my favorites were two young girls who sat to me in silence. 



羅東林場 / Luodong Forestry Culture Garden 

找了僻靜美好的湖邊角落,想不到遇到一位婦人,和我閒話家常,當下覺得我們說得太多,不過今天回想時,她的話語提醒我今年可以努力的目標,簡言之就是要有企圖心!

I looked for a hidden corner around the lake in the culture garden, but a senior lady living in the neighborhood couldn't help rambling with me on her daily routine walk. I had the feeling that we might have talked too much, but when I think back today, I realize her words remind me of my goal this year, that is, to be more ambitious!