Blogger Cynthia Cynthia's Thoughts
Cynthia - 2009-10-07 15:28

I watch a lot of anime (this is probably an understatement). Recently I watched Chobits by Clamp when I noticed some of the different camera angles. There were times when the main character was talking to some one and all you could see was their feet. The fascinating part was that although all you saw was the pairs of feet, you could still sense the emotion in how the characters were standing.

 According to most findings the three major parts of communication are body language, tone of voice, and words.

   - 55% of impact is determined by body language—postures, Feet Imagegestures, and eye contact,

   - 38% by the tone of voice, and

   - 7% by the content or the words

(Percentages taken from: wikipedia)

 hands imageThat being said, we can see that the majority of human communication is based on visual cues from the human body. Though you may not see a person’s face, you can understand the message they are sending just by their overall appearance.  A couple holding hands conveys a close intimacy or love. Proximity in general is a good indication of intimacy. A couple standing or leaning towards one another is a sign they are intimate, however two people with a wide distance between them indicates unfamiliarity or disgust.

 Today’s challenge is to find unconventional means of displaying emotions through various angles in your designs.

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Cynthia - 2009-08-28 13:46

Kawaii is usually translated to mean “cute” or “adorable” in Japanese, however over the years kawaii has become a subculture for not only Japan but also art in general. The kawaii Cheeseburger Chat(pronounced kah-why-ee) genre is a form of taking everyday things and “cutifying” them. A cheeseburger is suddenly a character with a personality and something you must have on a key chain or clothes.

I’m sure you have seen kawaii art. Some of my newest designs have been heavily influenced by the kawaii genre. My Kawaii Kimono Girls are vector-based artwork that use bright colors and a lot of cuteness. Even my Cuppa Kids are little characters that are influenced by anime kawaii art styles.Sakura-Chan

Lets take a deeper look at all things Kawaii!!

Many trinkets and girly accessories are beginning to find the cute factor elevated. Have you seen a pair of cupcake earrings, or that little cuppa tea with the little blushing smiley face? These are all part of the huge kawaii movement. Smiling faux food is part of the core of the kawaii movement, however kawaii is not limited to just food items; there are also monsters with giant round heads, tiny bodies, and big eyes that can be called kawaii. There is also fluffy clouds, toilet paper, and poo that all sport the kawaii cuteness. There are no limits to what you can make cute.

For practice take everyday items and making them cutesy by adding big eyes and little smiles. For a challenge, try using items that are not cute (like the poo example) and give them a childlike, kawaii appeal. 

Here are some sites I used to reference: Blueh Meuh Sushi

Wikipedia

All Things Kawaii Blog

Here are some kawaii artists you might enjoy: 

Bluuh Meuh Design

Bottled Talent

Till next time, keep Reaching for New Designs!

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Cynthia - 2009-08-03 13:19

Everyone who has taken an art class has had to draw or paint the infamous bowl of fruit. This exercise is to strengthen your understanding of shapes, depth perception, light and shadow. It is a great exercise for anyone to do to understand the basics.

Chai SpiceFood and beverage packaging is a wonderful place to get inspiration, however the food and drink itself can be a source of inspiration as well. Take the Cuppa Kids I have designed.  Pictured on the left is my Chai Spice Cuppa Kid.

The Cuppa Kids were inspired by 4 tea types: Green Tea, Black Tea, Rooibos Tea, and White Tea. They were also inspired by teas I personally enjoy drinking: Chai, Earl Grey, Matcha, and Silver Needle.

You can find this common theme in most of the “kawaii” art designs; cute cupcakes, smiling fruit, let your imagination run wild.  You can use personification or just simply the concept or color scheme.

A hamburger can inspire a color scheme for fast food: tan and crème for the bun; dark brown for the burger; red for ketchup; yellow for mustard; dark brown and beige for bacon; white for onion; green for lettuce… the possibilities are endless.

chefBURGER picA great example of using inspiration and color schemes from food is chefBurger’s Business Identity by Tad Carpenter. I love how the little burgers have such huge personalities. The use of standard colors as I mentioned above for the burger men mixed with pale blues and plaid are amazing. The style of these burger men are heavily influenced by the Japanese “kawaii” style I was talking about earlier (I’ll write a post detailing this more at a later date).

Check out Tad Carpenter’s chefBURGER pics on flickr
Check out Tad Carpenter’s site for more inspiration
The official chefBURGER website is also a must see!

Till next time, keep Reaching for New Designs!

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