Invented Scripts - a brief on Asemic Writing

Visual poetry as the name suggests is visually appealing, probably the first thing one would notice before the text. That makes poetry all the more exciting, I guess. There is of course double interest in the written words and the intentional form that is mostly based on the theme. It could be a recognizable pattern or a free form that could range from poems exploring handwriting, scribbling and scrawling, abstraction and illustration, mathematical equations, asemic and pansemic writing with invented scripts, xerographic pieces, material process, colour and collage, crossings out, forgotten notes, found text, interaction between paper and pen-ink, geometric poems, inarticulate poems and minimalism and the list may go on. In short, it is something like raw poems or Poem Brut. It’s more experimental in nature and your imagination can run wild creating all sorts of patterns/forms with concrete words using different typography as well. There’s a play of intermedia as well in the current times with digital formats being available and made easy. You can see earliest examples in the Metaphysical poet, George Herbert’s “Easter Wings” and the radical experiments of e e Cummings poems like “In Just” etc. The movement is said to have drawn inspiration from Dada and Surrealism. One can see examples in the works of Joan Miro’s “Le corps de ma brune” (1925) and Piet Mondrian's incorporation of Michel Seuphor's text in “Textuel” (1928).

My inclination here is more towards Asemic writing as of now. As mentioned it’s more of an invented script, an impression or shadow of the conventional writing personal to the poet but having an effect on the reader all the same. It’s a kind of pseudo or mock writing like what the children do even before they begin to write actual words. We see them do it all the time, it’s natural. Some even have pictograms and ideograms in it and the meaning isn’t rigid. It’s open to interpretation and each interpretation can be the perfect one. The most important aspect is that it is not bound to any language and the knowledge of a particular language is not essential to understanding the writing. It’s beyond all those barriers and yet able to relate to words and meaning. It bridges the void where words fail. Simply put, it is something you can’t read. There are calligraphers from circa 800 CE like Zhang Xu and Huaisu who have practiced illegible writing; it is not something that sprung up in the modern times though the variations and mediums have just widened beyond belief.

Andrew Topel’s Letters Patterns Structures

Mary Ellen Solt’s Forsythia

Abstract calligraphy, Concrete Poetry, controlled scribble, doodles, earliest writing, experimental calligraphy, ideograms, illegible writing, Inism, jazz writing, Kandinsky shamanism, Ungno Lee letter abstracts, Mail Art, André Masson automatic drawings, Henri Michaux alphabets narrations, mock letters, pseudo writing, scrittura asemantica, Austin Osman Spare sigils, Taoist magic diagrams, Cy Twombly’s works, Vinča script, Made Wianta calligraphy period, Zhang Xu wild cursive,  Luigi Serafini's Codex Seraphinianus  and several more come under asemic writing.

Man Ray, Kandinsky, Henry Michaux, Max Ernst have all experimented asemic writing at some point of their creative career.

Michael Jacobson’s blog TheNew-Post Literate is an impressive treasure-trove of Asemic writing. I read about him at Asymptotejournal. Some Asemic writers/poets include Tim Gaze, Geof Huth, Erik Belgium, Michael Jacobson and many more. I am just starting out and new to this scenario and have a lot to learn about the people and the works here. So please excuse me if there are important omissions but then do let me know so that I can include it as well.

Michael Jacobson - Page 1 from The Giant's Fence

Tim Gaze

Now that you have a general idea and a sense of what this is all about, let me show you a couple of works that I did. I can not share my favourite ones here though as I have submitted it elsewhere. These are the most recent ones from my booklet project (the second one). Glimpses from the first are on my Instagram. I took these pictures while the sun was setting and I loved the shadow it created through the glass door. What do you think?

 Aurora

Euphoria

Serendipity

These two are from my first booklet:

 Epiphany

Talisman

I did a lot of readings from different sites like Asymptote Journal, Michael Jacobson, Asemic writing, Wikipedia, Geof Huth blog, Andrew Topel blog, Richard Kostelanetz, 3am Magazine, Poetry Foundation, Litro, Brittanica, Power Poetry, Hyperallergic, Script and a couple more random articles before I wrote my piece. 

So, have you heard of Asemic writing/poems before? What do you think of it? Do let me know your views, thoughts and ideas.

FOCAL POINT - Annual Art Book Fair - Sharjah Art Foundation

We set out to Focal Point on Friday evening eager to get our glances and grab some exciting stuff from the various curated tables set forth by Sharjah Art Foundation's annual art book fair. This year it was at Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Art Square. a 174-year old heritage site located in the heart of the city, within the Al Shuwaiheen Arts Area and opposite Sharjah port. Originally built in 1845 and renovated in the 1990s and then again in 2017, the former residence hosts artist studios, exhibition spaces, SAF exhibitions and Sharjah Biennials.

It was a pleasant evening, the winter slowly setting in except for the weekend traffic which took us one and a half hours to reach the almost specific point when our GPS unexpectedly took the liberty and took us on a bylane tour! Finally, we had to seek human intervention and got to the book fair. Since there wasn't a parking space my daughter and I almost flung ourselves out of the car as cars were lining up behind but thanks to the timely signal. 

When we stepped in, the sun had begun to set leaving a golden glow through the canvas roofs and the faint shadows dancing against the walls and the tables, the hip music, the colorful flags, the bustling crowd had a carnival effect on us. We instantly loved the setting, the ambience!

This second edition of Focal Point had over 150 independent publishers and artists presented across 55 booths and curated tables. Over three days from 14th to 16th, the visitors, am sure, must have discovered art books, art projects and journals, catalogues and monographs, comic stips, zines and booklets, picture books, bookmarks, pins, stickers and tote bags. The focus this year was on zines and comics. Focal Point was divided across five sections - Edit, Independent, UAE, SAF Publications and Magazines. Each one had a colour code for easy identification of its location in the brochure. SAF/Edit is the Sharjah Art Foundation's curated presentation of printed matter from across the world with a focus on the UAE and MENASA region. They had publishers like Arab Comics, Art 21, Asia Art Archive, Fantagraphics, Illusion Comics, Jabal Amman Publishers, Khoj, Minaa Zine, etc. Independent publishers included one of our favourites, Tara Books among others like Blaft Publishers, Africa Institute, Perimeter Books, Afterall, Tosh Fesh, Lendroit editions, Tok Tok Magazine, Lars Muller Publishers, Sharjah Architecture Triennial, etc. UAE publications included catalogues, zines, etc. from art institutions and galleries from across UAE like 1X1 Gallery, Art Jameel, Emirates Fine Arts Society, Green Art Gallery, Ishara Art Foundation, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah Museums, Tashkeel, The Third Line. etc. Magazines like Canvas, Selections and Tribe were present too.

Visitors also had the opportunity to participate in the workshops organized by SAF for kids and adults that were free but needed registration. They had workshops like zine-making, freehand drawing, bookmark making, How to draw manga and pen and ink illustrations. 

We got talking to representatives of many of the curated tables who were eager to explain it all and it was wonderful to get to know them and what they did. I did buy a couple of lovely pieces too. My daughter was particularly in love with the "Tamil Pulp Fiction" tote by Blaft Publishers. Dhwani, a graphic designer with Tara Publishers was lovely and lively talking in detail about each piece and she exuded the energy and love that she so cherished for each one of those works. I met a couple of awesome artists, one of whom I know for the last couple of years, whose comic book I ended up buying as it did have some awesome comic strips and some favourite people in it. 

We had been there on Friday and so we could hear the band, Sways N Edges, playing which really added to the ambience. Visitors on 16th would've heard Adiga; both local bands. After all the book hunting if the visitors happened to feel hungry or wanted to grab a snack the food and beverage vendors were at hand too.

It was a beautiful evening well-spent and we did return home without much hassle, heartily. It's actually wonderful to see Sharjah Art Foundation coming up with so many initiatives and projects as part of bringing in the community and the kind of awareness that they are creating not only among artists of the region but also among the masses. This needs to be emulated! Kudos to the whole team and the participants!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. 

Please do not publish/post this article anywhere without the written permission of the author. Sharing this post with proper credits is ok.

Inktober Cats

Whoever had taken part in Inktober would probably still be under the veil of it's hangover if you are like me. This is My Inktober post and am sharing some works I did over the 31 days of October. In case you wish to know more about Inktober, do check this POST.

As mentioned in my earlier posts elsewhere my first Inktober of 2017 was about Insects. Second Inktober, I was a bit more ambitious and took up Temple Sculptures which really was a tough nut to crack as it needed elaborate and intricate work which consumed a lot of time but I enjoyed every bit thoroughly, observing and learning a lot. This year my time and space were limited so I had to take up something easy but wasn't sure what to delve into until the last minute like until the last week of September. I thought of subjects like birds, then animals particularly dogs, squirrels, cats, etc. then portraits (that's in my list for quite some time. I have worked on it every now and then. I find it quite an interesting subject) and then finally decided to go ahead with cats.

I decided to give myself a limited time, say 10 to 15 minutes. It was most rewarding for me since I am a slow worker and setting a time limit was fruitful. Also, it turned out to be more intuitive in a sense not allowing much thought. Sometimes I wasn't happy at all particularly on the first 2 -3 days and I sometimes started over discarding what I attempted but by the fourth day I got the hang of it. 

My Inktober Cat Series:

 Day 1

 Day 3

 Day 6

 Day 7

Day 8

 Day 12

 Day 13

 Day 14

 Day 16

 Day 21

 Day 25

 Day 28

 Day 29

Day 31

I have posted all my 31 drawings on my Instagram in different posts though. Do check out the rest there.

Linking it to the Awesome ladies at PPF.

Inking Your Way in October - The Inktober Phenomenon!

Like they say “It’s that time of the year” when every illustrator in particular and every artist in general whether seasoned or the first-timer, prepares themselves to immerse in 31 days of drawings with pen and ink. Though I mention pen and ink which was how it was conceived in its beginning it has moved on to be more than just pen and ink. It has ‘stimulated’ artists’ across genres and mediums. Yes, I am speaking of Inktober as anyone too familiar with the art world routine would know. Though Inktober has its Official prompt list many artists take to their own versions including me.

According to Jake Parker, the Creator of Inktober:

“Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month.

I created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve my inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.

Anyone can do Inktober, just pick up a pen and start drawing.”

The Inktober website mentions the Rules and Prompts as:

1) Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want).

2) Post it on any social media account you want or just post it on your refrigerator. The point is to share your art with someone. :)

3) Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2019

4) Repeat

Note: you can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. Whatever you decide, just be consistent with it. Inktober is about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more you’re consistent the better. That's it! Now go make something beautiful.

I can vouch for this myself since I have been taking part in Inktober, religiously, for the past 3 years and as anyone would know “Practice makes a man perfect.” It allows us to completely delve into the area(s) we would like to focus on. First year I took to Insects “Tiny, but Me!” I wanted to bring to notice the importance of tiny beings in this universe who have the right to life just like any of us. The second year I took to a much more intricate work of temple sculptures and I spent almost 4 to 5 hours over a drawing as I was trying to ‘learn’ by making a sketch on paper, transferring it to the sketchbook and then inking it. So this year I wanted something ‘light’ and I am making Cats – our feline friends -  all within 5 to 10 minutes and it is quite gripping and exciting to observe their expressions and working through the process.

Jake Parker, Illustrator and Creator of Inktober currently living in Utah 

says that like the last two years, Jake is planning on a large piece with 31 characters, only this year he’s developing his SkyHeart characters.

He started Inktober day 1 with ‘Wake’ who is the central character in his graphic novel SkyHeart.
He goes on to say: 

“I don’t know about the prompts for this project. I mostly knew what I wanted to draw going into this, but the prompts have inspired ideas for some characters...just out of order. Like, today’s prompt is “ring” and I have a character inspired by it, but I’m saving them for the end. Wake’s prompt is day 29: injured. But I wanted to draw him first. So I guess I’m doing the prompts out of order this year.”

Loish a.k.a Lois van baarle currently a freelance illustrator and animator located in Utrecht (the Netherlands) 

“I decided to create something really personal. When I saw the prompt, 'frail', the first thing I thought of was my cat Charlie, who passed away last November. I was so attached to her, and seeing her health decline so quickly was traumatizing. I only realized in hindsight that she had been growing weaker and weaker for a long time. The reality of losing her was such a difficult thing to process that I didn't even realize it was happening until she was very sick... Until her final days. This drawing is based on one of the last pictures taken of me and her before everything escalated. I miss her every day and dealing with her loss truly has not gotten any easier.” Loish on Day 8^th prompt.

Myriam Tillson is a Freelance Sculptor and Prosthetic Makeup Artist from London

She begins her day 1 with the prompt "ring" and says:

“As you may have noticed, I failed at "taking it easy" and went straight for the high-detail, wrist-annihilating, fine-liner design... Anyway. This was fun, and so it begins!”

She adds, “I inspired myself quite a bit from the incredible @willmurai for the plants and environment in this piece. His ink pieces are out of this world, and I want to practice textures and composition this month.”

Bobby Chiu co-founder of Imaginism Studios and the founder of Schoolism, a physical/digital art school for artists and illustrators. He has a lot of inspiring words to go with his ballpoint pen illustrations:

“The only REAL failures are the good chances that are never taken.”

“You can learn when doodling. That I agree. But when you draw to learn, you learn a lot more.”

On day 8 he says: “It's not like I'm 'married' to art. Art & I are one. It's more like we're conjoined twins like Kuato from Total Recall.”

On day 10 he says: "Inspiration can come at any time, ESPECIALLY if we’re constantly looking for it. These Inktober drawings have been quite special to me. I feel like there’ve been some new understandings for me of the capabilities of a simple ballpoint pen can be used, sharpened and polished. The idea for this came to me at 4:30am. Inspiration can come at any time, so in a way, this little critter is me awake when most people were asleep."

Annie Stegg Gerard, an artist from Northern Georgia and a Bachelor in arts says:

“I'm trying out a new vellum parchment paper that was recommended by the very talented @meredithdillmanart, and I'm in love!”⁠

She has been trying whimsical illustration and her goal is to create unique images that tell a story. Annie often draws inspiration from her life and incorporates her surroundings and environment like the Halloween themes, the full moon night and the pumpkin patch she visited during the weekend into her Inktober works.

Annie and Bobby have their own prompts while Loish and Myriam are adhering to the official ones on most days and move away on certain other. 

One can see that often artists are inspired by one another’s work and they learn more by observation and incorporating influences and inspiration from others. It is a way of enriching one’s own work practice.

The artists I have mentioned here are only a couple of seasoned artists but if you take a look at Instagram with the hashtags inktober, inktober2019, inktoberworld, etc. you are bound to meet a whole array of incredible artists who definitely leave you amazed and inspire to pick up your pen or pencil or paint or maybe an iPad. There are many artists who post their process as well both as time-lapse and process videos on Instagram and YouTube.

To conclude I would like to mention what Jake points out before the beginning of Inktober that Inktober is just a framework to get yourself to draw better and have some fun with your art. It is not a contest and the challenge is to see how much one can improve one’s art in a month, to inspire and be inspired. I love it when he says that there is no “Inktober police” going around shutting down people if they are not using ink or the official prompts and asks those self-declared police to keep such thoughts to themselves and use that energy to celebrate instead. 

Jake reinforces:
"While it's suggested to use real ink, keep things black and white, and use the official prompt list, the spirit of the challenge is very open to people being creative in what tools they use, how they use them, and what they create. If at any point the challenge gets too overwhelming and you aren’t having fun, pause for a day or two. Catch your breath, and just pick up where you left off.

In short: be nice, and have fun!"

Inktober website also offers a paid course on How to Ink.

Just 5 days left for this year's Inktober to get over and my next post will be on my Cats - this year's Inktober entries. Yes, that's what I am doing this year.

This is not a promotional post. This is the third year I am participating in Inktober and some of my friends were pretty interested to know what this is about. So this is meant for all those people who wanted to know about Inktober. So next year, be prepared friends to be part of the Inktober Fest!

Inktober information from Inktober Website.
Artists' quotes and images from Instagram. 
All rights reserved by the artists.

Animal Sketches - Photo Challenge

Trying different mediums is something that interests me the most just as trying different themes. We all talk about signature style, for me, it does change with each medium (acrylics, watercolour, pen and ink, charcoal, mixed media) that I use and I believe that's perhaps the beauty of it. When I saw Fonda Clark Haight's Animal Photo Challenge and the quirky, humorous and adorable pictures of the animals up for the challenge, I wanted to join in and decided 'impromptu' to use charcoal. I was blown away by the works of the talented ladies! They were pretty inspiring! Thanks to Fonda and the ladies there for such a creatively-fun-'workout'. The one thing I gained from this is to use charcoal with much more confidence and to draw freehand without a sketch and it was all spontaneous!

I have noticed and heard that unless one loves animals truly, the ones you try to portray wouldn't come out well- with true sentiment. What do you think?

So here I am sharing the endearing beings that I made from those pictures. I have used willow charcoal and a fixative. The paper is Derwent Academy sketchbook. Edited it with some quotes (a couple of them my own if it's not credited) in Photoshop.

Here're the images from the challenge:

Linking it to PPF and the awesome ladies there!