"Rainbow Face" for Embracing Our Differences Contest

I discovered Embracing Our Difference contest online. I chose "Rainbow Face", a color pencil drawing on black paper. The contest wants a horizontal size and the drawing, itself, is in square. To solve the problem, I added several manipulation effects in PhotoEditor (free online similar to PhotoShop) that made the work fit in the whole horizontal size. I used tools such as Blurred, Smudged, Sharpened, Paintbrush, and few more. I also used Adjustments to improve the color, the darkness/lightness, and so forth. I also used Filter for effects that enhance the quality of the work. So, the solution was to add rainbow Paintbrush strokes, add rainbow splashes and dots, and other tricks. I also enlarged the artwork to fit in the horizontal space, which helps the work look more in good use of space and make the composition more interesting. 

If my digital artwork gets selected, it would be blown up into a large horizontal-shaped banner and be displayed in Sarasota, Florida from April 4th to May 31st, 2018. Here is the site for you look up and learn more about the display event:

http://embracingourdifferences.org/mission/

Here is the digital artwork I am submitting.

You can click on this image to see it bigger.

Transformed Selfies

I have been creating photos of self-portrait in different characters or personalities. This is a slide show I created to show you the pictures of myself. Took me two days to create this slide show. You will see me dressed in different characters with make-ups and costumes, and also pictures of myself as Eddie, but in different styles and different personalities. I only used iPhone to take the pictures, but I went beyond just taking selfies. I used PicsArt app, Instagram, and PhotoShop Editor to be able to create photographic effects or manipulations. It has been a lot of fun to do this. I have thought of doing self-portraits for a long time while I was thinking of Cindy Sherman and Robert Mapplethorpe as the most influential photographers. Therefore, I decided to go ahead by taking advantage of those widely available high-tech approaches: Using iPhone with PicsArt, Instagram, and Photoshop Editor. This turned out a good way to show you my photos because printing them out and framing them are expensive for me as of right now. I do want to do the printings and framings, then exhibiting them in a gallery down the road. 

Solar Eclipse and Rainbow Digital Artwork

I just created this "Solar Eclipse and Rainbow"digital artwork. I used a photo of the color pencil self-portrait and put it into PhotoEditor (free online software and very much like PhotoShop). I also put in a real photo of the 2017 solar eclipse, which I took a picture of it with my iPhoto during the moment that the eclipse happened. I also took a picture of the rainbow that appeared in front of me with my iPhone and put that in as well. I then combined them within the best composition I can arrange in the space, then manipulated them, using the tools available in PhotoEditor. I made my face transparent, blending it into the sky where the solar eclipse exists. I also blended the rainbow. I was trying to make them become one piece as possible. I then realized that there was nothing below all three of them at the bottom of the picture. So I went back to the original photo of the rainbow and cut out the hills, pasted it in, and then completely made it become black. That solved the problem. I then tested the Filter affects that were available in PhotoEditor. When I clicked on Kaleidoscope under Filter while working on the rainbow, it suddenly became wild, turning the rainbow into an actual kaleidoscope special affect. It was an accident, but it turned out really cool. I decided to keep that, just only enlarged it, and moved it to make it work for composition. Then it was done. 

You can click on this to see it larger.

It is my message to say rainbow is related to LGBTQ pride, which is in me. If you look at my face closely, there is a rainbow paint on my face, but hard to see due to the kaleidoscope affect of the real rainbow. Yet, the rainbow, itself, is the true representation of my pride. Also, when you look at the ear on my face, it has a hearing aid on it. That tells me I am deaf. This shows my pride to be deaf as well. Adding the solar eclipse just adds the power of spirituality in myself. So is seeing my transparent face floating in the sky.

Song of the Journey poem in ASL with Dangerous Signs

Dangerous Signs members and I performed my original poem titled "Song of the Journey" in ASL for Dr. Bill Destler's retirement celebration (now former RIT president) this early summer. Eric Severson spoke my written English poem excellently. We, myself and Dangerous Signs members, worked hard on this complicated science-oriented poem. I was amazed that we did this so well without any errors during this performance. The video, done by RIT media, turned out amazing and beautiful. I am honored to have my work get shown out to the public like this. 

The funny thing is that this particular poem was rejected by some kind of committee group for Dr. Bill Destler's becoming a new RIT president celebration a while ago. Now my work got a chance to be seen later for the man's retirement celebration. 

Also, in my deep gratitude and honor, Peter Haggerty (former National Technical Institute for the Deaf English professor) edited this poem before I submitted it to that committee. I also would like to thank Laune Davis Haggerty, director of Dangerous Signs, for pushing this work to be presented with strong support and belief in my work.

Here is the hyperlink of the video:



ENJOY!

I Love You Greeting Card

It took me several weeks to create this card. I took a photo of my hand and a crystal heart thing I have. I then combined the hand and the heart together. After that, I found the stars/landscape photo online, but mindful of copyrights, I changed the stars/landscape in different colors, light affects, and other manipulations. I also cropped the picture to only the far right side of the photo, meaning I removed the middle and left of the picture. So, it doesn't look exactly like an original photo found online at all. I then did a lot of tricks, trying to blend the heart/hand into the background, trying to make the I Love You hand stand out by adding the white on the outlines on the fingers, using Embossed, Drop Shadow, Paint, Fill Bucket tool, and a few more. It was a challenge to make it work. I then used Apple's Page software already in my iMac laptop to create a card. After adding the purple background behind the image, I added the border around the image. I then added the Nature shape (tall grass blades) and two thin lines above and below the image. Henceforth, it's done. 

You can click on this image to see it bigger.

Eddie with Flame

I used an iPhone to take a photo of myself, wearing a red shirt, zebra-striped felt hat, a sunglasses, and a piano tie. I lit up a cigarette lighter in front of me, which enabled the flame-glowing affect on myself. I then manipulated the work in PicsArt app, which created the Cubism-styled shapes on my face and shirt. I then went into PhotoShop to darken the background with a black paint tool at around 50% transparency. I also blurred the background to smoothen it out a little. I had to blur myself to reduce the pixelations and sharp edges. If you look closely on the sunglasses lens, you'd notice a reflection of my iPhone in front of me. That's an interesting result.

Click on the photo to see it bigger.

4 Photos Arranged Together into Tiles

Put the 4 photos of myself into PhotoShop, then arranged them together to make it become to look like this. A tile style. Each set next to each other and above and below each other. It was a challenge to fit them correctly. Though it was fun to do. 

I took a photo of myself with iPhoto, wearing a black shirt. A black cloth was hanging behind me. I then used PicsArt app to make the photo black and white and I used some effects to make the face/hand glow with high contrast, blurs, and etc. Noticing too much sharp edge on my head and the eyes/nose/mouth on my face, I had to fix it. Also, the nose nostrils were deep black, which didn't match the eyes, mouth, and eyebrows color (grey). I used PhotoShop to solve the problem by blurring the edge and filling the nostrils in grey color. This is titled "Death" and it's pretty much influenced by Robert Mapplethorpe's self-portrait with a skull on the cane, which I saw at Rochester George Eastman House several years ago. That Mapplethorpe photo really hit me and I shall never forget it. Powerful indeed!

You can click on this to see it bigger.

70's Vintage Self-Portrait

I had a photo similar to this but lost it. I finally found time to do it again with the right sunlight into the room from the window as natural light. I wore the white long sleeve shirt, untied black tie, and a black hat. I posed similar but not exact like how Patti Smith posed in her 1975 "Horses" album (photo by Robert Mapplethorpe). I then made the work into black and white in 70's vintage look and added the cracks around me as if it's an old 70's picture. Turned out interesting. I had fun with this project.

Click on this photo to see it bigger.

Self-Portrait with Make-Up and Hat

Here is a new self-portrait I just created. I put the make-up on in front of the mirror, which took a while to do. Then I used my iPhone, facing myself, and I turned myself around to see what backgrounds would look like. The glowing sunlight coming from my window became my background choice. I snapped the picture of myself with that background. I then used PicsArt app and manipulated the image with effects that enhanced the quality and beauty to the work. It was a lot of fun but a lot of work. 

Enjoy the picture and you can click on it to make it bigger.

Series of Self-Portrait with iPhone

For a while, I have been doing self-portraits, just by using an iPhone. I have been going beyond just regular photos by manipulating them, using PicsArt app. Influenced by Cindy Scherman, I portray myself with different poses, characters, and styles. It has been fun doing the digital photo manipulations in creative ways. I will continue to work on the self-portrait projects and eventually have them framed and exhibited in a gallery or somewhere down the road. 

Enjoy those amazing photos I created. Click on those pictures to see them bigger.