Architecture Sketching

Began a new project to study classical architecture in the UAE. So I won't be making all the videos that I had planned to, but I think it's for the better. Just had to reorganize my priorities I guess.

Here are some sketches from yesterday. Megan and I have been learning how to draw using different techniques, and we messed around a bit with perspective. She learned stuff in 10 minutes 'cause she's such a fast learner, and grasped concepts that took me full semesters to understand.

Then we went to the mall and got some coffee after we studied some more buildings.

Came up with a challenge to draw each other while simultaneously using both hands.

The results:

Basically have five more days before I'm off to Iowa.

More sketching to be done,

-Deena

Beach Sketching!

My favorite subjects were voluptuous women who weren't afraid to wear itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis.

More summer,

-Deena

Productivity Ensues!

So I'm really hoping that the upcoming week(s) will be as productive as possible!
I've got some shoots lined up, and hopefullyyy, I shall execute before I leave on the 25th of this month.

Just a little list of what should be in store:
-A food photoshoot (What?! That's too awesome!)
-A cooking video
-A dance video
-A singing video
-A central Asian photoshoot

Ok, now I've realized I might not be able to do all of this in just 12 days, but maybe I'll get the shooting done and edit over my stay in Iowa.
I'll have to get organized.

For the past few days, I've been reworking my sketching style. I've realized that I spend way too much time sitting there trying to improve the quality of the drawing rather than fleshing all my ideas out and getting gestures down. I should be able to post some new sketches tomorrow.

Go out there and make something,

-Deena

001

Right... so I suck at this posting on a blog thing... 

I'm more of a tumblr person. It's a very, very bad addiction. I literally bursted with joy when I found out that tumblr wasn't blocked like Facebook and Twitter. But I must not slack off..

Internship is productive but boring and gives me allergies : /

It's hard trying to balance between what they want and what I think they should want. I'll just need to do more convincing and impressing. 

Other than that I learnt some pretty fancy stuff. woohoo

I also updated my Behance with some of my work, so check it out.

For now I'm spending my summer with Willi Kunz, but I must read less and practice more!

ffffffff

just messing around with letters.

Frustrated

All my internships ended last week... I think the sudden change from being extremely busy to all-of-a-sudden-not-busy-at-all has gotten me down. 

Yep, been sitting here for 10 minutes trying to explain it but I really can't.

Woke up this morning and wanted to storyboard a dream I had, but I just couldn't do it.

Wanted to make a feeling painting for it at least, but I don't know what direction this is going in.

Here's the WIP:

It's this hooker from my dream who was kinda masculine and underweight and wouldn't stop smoking.

I've no idea why I had this dream.

Just one of those days when you can't be constructive at all...

-Deena

Slow Days

So this has been a pretty bad week.

One of our university's best professors passed away.

He was seriously one of the best people ever, and I feel so blessed to have ever met him. He was so sincere, kind and entirely genuine. No matter how long the day had been, he still had time to sit with you and offer advice and help you. I remember when registration had closed, and I didn't get any courses in, and it seemed like my first semester was off to a bad start. He stayed back when everyone else had closed their offices and were leaving to go home. He sat with me and talked to me about my interests, and then he signed me up for a great semester. He was one of the first people to encourage me to transfer to Design. And although I had only really talked to him that one time, each time after that, whenever I saw him walking around, he'd always look my way and give me a big smile and say hello. Even though he met hundreds of new faces every semester, he would still remember you.

I'm so crushed to hear of his passing, but I'm happy to have met him. May he rest in peace.


I went to the funeral prayer at the mosque and later we went to meet his family to give our condolences. 
I don't think I knew what true sadness was until I finished speaking to each of his relatives that were at the majlis. I could see and feel the pain in them, and I felt so hollow afterwards, like I left part of my heart with them or something to that effect.


I've been replaying all the bad feelings I've ever felt in my head, and I just have to find a way to move on and put everything into perspective again. Drawing's helping me a lot, and Austin Madison made a challenge to storyboard 'Rejection' in 4 boards, and I figured it'd be a good exercise to get some of the bad feelings out:

And a last word:

Say the things you need to say to the people you care about.

-Deena

Intern

Last week was crazy.
I'd wake up at 6 am, get to the Dubai metro by 8, get to my first internship by 9. I'd design graphics for ads on facebook with an online electronics store. Then at 11, I'm back on my metro to go to my sound design/video editing internship. I leave there at 4 and take the metro to my other design internship, where I make infographics for an online fashion store until 7 pm. Then I get home at 9, and I fall asleep after I draw and write some ideas out. Gonna continue this for a week.

 

A windowed parking lot. 

From far away, it looks like the reflection is a face of a woman with bangs.

 'My' office at the editing internship.

At the metro.

It's been a tiring but really great experience. I've been taking a lot of notes and photos for a graphic novel idea that I've been trying to flesh out for a few weeks now.

Tryna be all productive this summer,
-Deena