All new and All different Toycon!

Toycon is considered as a con to watched out for all toy hunters in the Philippines. Whether you collect Marvel and DC action figures, Gunpla, Hotwheels, Dolls, Figuarts, Die Casts, Statues and other stuff, this is the real deal. This is the place where you can find the toy that you wanted when you were a kid or the missing piece in your collection.

However, with the sudden announcement
of the ticket price, some people don't seem to like the idea of change. The increase of the ticket price was unreasonable at first but for me, it's damn worth it tho I'm hesitant to go in the first place.

I've been attending toycon for a few years and I can say that there are numerous problems. First, is the place. It's like you're in an air conditioned Divi but with less wild people. Lot of people roaming around, taking pictures, and looking for the toys. If you're a cosplayer and wearing heavy armor, props in all your body, sweat all over because of the heat but you have to act in character and roam around, I can say that you're really have the passion and love on what you were doing. That is why i salute all the cosplayers who gave an extra excitement and a plus factor in the event. Let' us be frank here, people love to take  selfies with them, especially with a hottie cosplayer, right??? Ooopppss!! :) Cheers to all the cosplayers for surviving the event!! Second is the Food area. you can't properly eat with the amount of people and extreme heat ( For me coz I sweat a lot). But if you are hungry as hell, i don't think that it will matter. 

Nevertheless, this year's Toycon is a game changer. It happened last June 10-12 at SMX convention center. A larger location that can cater more congoers. The gigantic Voltes V is this year's main attraction with the 22 ft iconic robot. Lot of people took  with it, who wouldn't  if you see that gigantic robot right? Of course i'm one of that people. Anyways, they also have a Stan Lee area where you can see stuff with his signatures, like a lot of signatures. a lot of guest like Hodor from Game of Thrones, Mario Maurer, Dean Cain, Pat Lee and many more.

Things that i enjoyed were the tons of booths where you can find great stuff tho I wasn't able to find the Pizza Spidey :( the display area from different toy groups, like I can stare at the display cabs for a long period of time. Gigantic Funkos and NBA players statues that were also selfie catching for the people. Lots of stuff I can't even put it all here hahaha.



The last flaw that we just noticed was the.....space management. Yeah it's spacious especially on the right side, likke more people on the selling area that leads to less people going to the artist alley. I also didn't see the point of putting colorful stuff at the center and the lighting was bad.

Weighing the good and bad, I can say Toycon 2016 is still good. The excitement and thrill of toy hunting is still there. Meeting fellow collectors and gaining new friends would be the real highlight of Toycon 2016. It's a great start to level up the pop culture convention knowing that Asia Pop Comicon will be back this August.

Hauls!

Think Big!

The smallest hero to conclude the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2

It’s very unexpected for a not well known hero to have a blockbuster movie even having the thought of having his own movie is really surprising. Ant-man for consecutive weekends is at number 1 and topping “Pixels”. Marvel studios has now made $226.5 million globally and more than $106 million in the United States.

To give you a short background, there are different people who wore the Ant-man suit in Marvel Comics but the most popular from them is Dr. Hank Pym. He is a scientist who discovers the Pym particles (the size manipulating particles). One thing that most comic book readers cannot forget about Hank is beating his wife Janet Van Dyne. He is also a founding member of the Avengers but in the movie, he is an old scientist and considered as an urban legend because of his Ant-man missions while working for shield. Then the second Ant-man is Scott Lang, which is the protagonist in the movie. He is a thief who wants a shot for his redemption in order to give something good for his daughter, Cassie Lang (In the comics, Cassie became a part of Young Avengers and known as Stature).

HENSHIN!

The story is very simple and it tends to target audience that doesn’t have any idea about Ant-man. It’s about Scott Lang helping Dr. Pym to prevent the Ant-man shrinking technology to be replicated by Darren Cross because the technology might go in the wrong hands. The movie is fun to watch because of Michael Peña and his buddies’ crackling jokes that made us laugh all throughout. The difference of the movie from the comics is that Darren Cross, not by Hank Pym, portrays Yellow jacket and he is the villain in the story. I really like the appearance of the Yellowjacket costume especially the two stingers and the helmet that makes me think he could be a great kamen rider, Henshin Hahaha!

Concept Art for Wasp

Easter eggs are also present in the movie. Most notable part is how Anna Akana describes Spider-man in the last part of the movie, "We have a guy who can jump. A guy who can swing. A guy who can crawl up walls." This really implies that it is Spider-man. Also the OsCorp logo at the brief case in the presentation of Yellowjacket tho I'm not sure if it's really an OsCorp logo. The credit scenes tell us many things, first one is Hope Van Dyne as the Wasp. Hank Pym shows to his daughter the prototype wasp he and his wife working on and it's about damn time. The last credit scene shows that Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson found a badly beaten Bucky. It maybe vague for now but in my opinion Steve and Tony already have a faction and finding Bucky/ Winter Soldier should remain secret or might as well Stark will capture him. Enter Ant-man which could play a big role in keeping it a secret either by making them small as they stay hidden or as they accompany Bucky in a safe place. Lots of stuff could happen since in MCU they don't really follow the story in the comics.


Therefore, if you haven't watch Ant-man go give it a try and you may see things differently.

Manga!

MANGAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Aside from reading comic books from western countries, I also read "Manga". Manga are comics created in Japan, or by Japanese creators in the Japanese language, conforming to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. In Japan, most of the people from all ages read mangas. Unlike comic books in western countries, mangas offered a wide variety of genres: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, suspense, detective, horror, sexuality, and business/commerce, among others. Since then, manga became a part of Japan's culture. Another difference between westernize comics and mangas is that mangas are read from right to left.

Basically, Mangas are typically drawn and printed in black and white but there are also some colored mangas. Also in Japan, mangas are usually serialized in large manga magazines, often containing many stories, each presented in a single episode to be continued in the next issue. If the series is successful, collected chapters may be republished in trade paperback books called tankōbon. A manga artist (mangaka in Japanese) typically works with a few assistants in a small studio and is associated with a creative editor from a commercial publishing company. If a manga series is popular enough, it may be animated after or even during its run which is good and can sometimes boost more popularity for the series. Sometimes manga are drawn centering on previously existing live-action or animated films. Aside from being animated, some mangas are also translated into live action films. 

Some of my favorite mangas are One Piece, Naruto, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Kuroko No Basuke, Shingeki No Kyojin, Ratman, Slam Dunk and many more. Since in our country mangas are not sold in singles, I can only see trade paperback books. In order to keep up with the manga series I used the internet to read mangas that are scanned by random people and the post it on different websites. I highly recommend to read mangas because it can help you be a good person ( I'm a living proof HAHAHA )

Talking pictures

At this moment I really don't know what to post regarding my interest/ hobby or so what ever you may call it. Again and again I browse, scroll down, type, search and TADAAA! Still nothing happens. As I have mention before some artist tend to be bored and just like me sometimes I can even think very fast. What did I do? I check my surroundings and try to think of an idea that is related to me and my interest. After some time while I am typing this I remember one picture that I saw last week. There are some art that gives us message and I find it cool. Here's the picture that I am talking about.

Splendid quote! I remember way back then my friends teased me for me being a negative hence the so called negamind. Basically in arts there are times that you think that is your limit and you can't do anything about it. But the art speaks up and tell us to stand up and pull yourself together. 

Another examples

Art can also be a medium for the message to be delivered in the mind's of the viewer. Not all kind of art are made just for entertainment but their are some art that can be an eye opener or message for everyone. Just like this picture at the left, it shows that if you're not struggling it simply means that you are not giving your best shot.

There are also some arts that seems to be talking to viewer or at some point breaking the fourth wall. Art is just so amazing and full of varieties. Maybe one day you'll be reading or viewing an art made by yours truly. Remember Be an Optimist Prime!

Photoshop!

As our technology continues to move forward, artists find their way to increase their creativity and talent. With the help of computers, it's very easy to add some spice on your work of art. What am I talking about? It's the Adobe Photoshop! See I'm a marketing student but I use this kind of software that before I think this will not help me grow as a marketing student. I used Photoshop when I was 4th year high school and as the years passed by my skills continue to grow. I would like to feature in this post what are my works that I've done with the help of Photoshop.

My first ever work in photo shop :)

1st time to put colors 

My cover art for my supposed to be comic book

There are many ways to utilize the use of photoshop. As I have said at first I used it just for my hobby but as the years passed I've learned that I can use it in marketing. I used it for advertising like posters, prototype of billboards, buses and etc. I hope I can fully learn this software and someday I can teach you and be like me also in the future. I'll share some other my other works :)

Minimizing is beautiful

There are times that putting so much detail in an art can sometimes make the work more less beautiful. Why not make it the opposite? Why don't you try to lessen the details and see what happens? Basically what I'm talking about is an another form of art called "Minimalism". Minimalism is any design or style in which the simplest and fewest elements are used to create the maximum effect.

Art by: Belhoula Amir/Cosmosnail

As a specific movement in the arts it is identified with developments in post–World War II Western Art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with this movement include Donald Judd, John McCracken, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella. It is rooted in the reductive aspects of Modernism, and is often interpreted as a reaction against Abstract expressionism and a bridge to Postminimal art practices.

The terms have expanded to encompass a movement in music which features repetition and iteration, as in the compositions of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Adams. Minimalist compositions are sometimes known as systems music. The term "Minimalist" is often applied colloquially to designate anything that is spare or stripped to its essentials. It has also been used to describe the plays and novels of Samuel Beckett, the films of Robert Bresson, the stories of Raymond Carver, and even the automobile designs of Colin Chapman. The word was first used in English in the early 20th century to describe the Mensheviks. ( Source: wikipedia.com)

Here are some example of minimalist art that captures my attention

By Malaysian based artist Marcus

Wolverine or two Batman?
source: http://arnumdrusk.deviantart.com/

Art by Luiz Arthus

I even tried to do this kind of art as a teaser for my supposed to be comic book

Comics!!!

Did you know the words “KABOOM”, “KAPOW”, “ZOOOOOOOM!”, “SHAZAM!”, “FLY!”, “UP UP AND AWAY WEB” or the lines like “it’s a bird it’s a plane no it’s SUPERMAN!” or “with great power comes with great responsibility.”? All of this famous line comes from small pieces of paper called “Comic book”. So what is a comic book? A book with Illustrations? Panels? Speech Bubbles? I guess not. Comics are seen differently in everyone’s eyes and it’s up to us how we personalize it. 

Today's generation of people tend to spend their time looking and touching their own smart phones. I even saw kids have their own touch screen apparatus. For me I find it odd but I have to face it that "change is inevitable". Way back from my childhood days, every time I'm free I always read comics. So what am I pointing out? I'm proud to say that I have an awesome childhood. Growing up with my favorite comic book super heroes like Wolverine, Spider-man , Captain America and etc. I remember my mom used to buy me comics whenever she go to malls and tears of joy comes out from my eyes way back then hahaha

Going back to the purpose of this blog which is about art uhmmm YES! Comic book is an art, an art that transport in other world. One of the most important thing comic has done for me is it is my own way how I relieve my stress. Most probably reading comic book is my withdrawal reaction whenever I’m experiencing stress. Comics provide it each week with many titles to choose from. From ten to twenty minutes I am transported into a fantasy world dealing with its own problem and how the protagonist of the story solves the problem by the next issue or the end of the issue. Comic book are consider to be a literature but not as much like Shakespeare or even today’s must read novel like Harry potter or Twilight. And lastly Comic book inspires me that in every problem there is a solution. The crisis in our life might not end today but maybe if we pursue it will end the other day. Just like in comic book there is always the word to be continued or the end. It taught me how to hope, not to a super hero but to hope and trust to myself and to God the true hero.

I know I am no super hero. I’m just an average teenager, comic book guy, but I still do my part to make my life worth living. Comic books are my form of escape from a real harsh life that I face every day and get the greatest joy from reading it. So grab your own comic book read it and you will know what I feel whenever I'm reading it.

How an artist thinks?

As what I have said on my previous blog, I'm a self proclaimed artist and there are things that sometimes I tend to go against the current. There are times that I'm bored and I all do is to draw and draw. When I'm browsing the my facebook news feed I saw one blog from my friend and it catches my attention. The blog is from Kim Phillips and it was posted last March 2012. Here's the link http://12most.com/2012/03/13/12-striking-tendencies-creative-people/


According to Kim Phillips,Creative people are different because they operate a little differently. They:

1. Are easily bored
A short attention span isn't always a good thing, but it can indicate that the creative person has grasped one concept and is ready to go on to the next one.

Due to boredom I do some sketching
during my OJT days at Maybank

2. Are willing to take risks
Fearlessness is absolutely necessary for creating original work, because of the possibility of rejection. Anything new requires a bit of change, and most of us don’t care for change that much.

3. Don’t like rules
Rules, to the creative person, are indeed made to be broken. They are created for us by other people, generally to control a process; the creative person needs freedom in order to work.

4. Ask “what if…”
Seeing new possibilities is a little risky, because it means that something will change and some sort of action will have to be taken. Curiosity is probably the single most important trait of creative people.

5. Make lots of mistakes
A photographer doesn’t just take one shot, and a composer doesn't just write down a fully realized symphony. Creation is a long process, involving lots of boo-boos along the way. A lot goes in the trash.

It took most of my time and put hard work but sad to say
this is a trash due to mistakes :(

6. Collaborate
The hermit artist, alone in his garret, is a romantic notion but not always an accurate one. Comedians, musicians, painters, chefs all get a little better by sharing with others in their fields.

7. Are generous
Truly creative people aren’t afraid to give away their hard-earned knowledge. The chef can give you the recipe because she knows you won’t make it like she does anyway.

8. Are independent
Stepping off the beaten path may be scary, but creative people do it. Children actually do this very well but are eventually trained to follow the crowd.

9. Experiment
Combining things that don’t normally go together can result in brilliance or a giant mess. Trial and error are necessary to the creative process.

10. Motivate themselves
There does seem to be a spark that creative people share, an urgent need to make things. They are willing to run the inherent risks of doing something new in order to get a new result.

11. Work hard
This is probably the most overlooked trait of creative people. People who don’t consider themselves to be creative assume that people who are creative are magical, that ideas just pop into their heads effortlessly. Experienced creative people have developed processes and discipline that make it look easy.

12. Aren’t alone
The good news is that it’s possible for everyone to be creative. There are creative accountants, creative cooks, creative janitors, creative babysitters. Any profession or any hobby can be made into a creative pursuit by embracing and using creative traits.


My Favorite part of the blog is the statement saying. "Finding something you’re really passionate about will help you take a chance and might just result in something wildly creative." It's a bit inspiring for all the people who always say that they are not creative or artistic. What are you waiting for? Go out find yourself and let creativity go inside.

Articulated Comic Book Art! (Hobby / Interest)

A.C.B.A

Well I'm not an expert in this kind of thingy but I can assure you that A.C.B.A. is a whole lot of fun. Basically A.C.B.A. stands for Articulated Comic Book Art, created by boognice 10. I was just an ordinary toy collector way back then. I just like to see my figures on a cabinet with different poses. Unfortunately I'm not that good at posing but the day I saw the ACBA at facebook, it gives me a huge help.

Here are some of my sample shots

Articulated Comic Book Art is a visual art formed by a passionate group of action figure collecting community. Right now there are almost 2,815 members in the group. Each one of them has their own style and they are from different parts of the globe. It's a good thing that you have a unique kind of art and the world is your audience :) Just like what I said I'm still not good at this but I know someday everyone will recognized my style.

Art and reading as a hobby

They say that art is a diverse range of human activities and the product of those activities. Art has many branches like painting, sculpture, photography and other visual media. Music, dancing, film making are also considered as an art. I can say that I'm a man of art. I love art, in a way that I was born to become an artist (lol).

In this blog I would like to share my hobby/passion/interest or what so ever you may call it about art. I can say that I am good at drawing. I tried to make my own comic book and I'll try feature it next time. Other form of art that I usually love to do are toy photography, photo editing and music related art. 

This is my 1st time to do inking as well as adding colors to my work. I used Adobe Photoshop for the touch ups.

One of my master piece

I would just like to tease you on my work hahaha. You know the irony here is that I'm not a Multimedia Art major. I'm a proud marketing student! At first I didn't find it useful but as years passed by I can tell it to everyone that being artistic is one of unique selling proposition. Hopefully I'll find a job that can fully utilize my skills especially in advertising. Most of my ideas came from comic books and web sites that I find interesting. Obviously I also love reading stuff and after that I'll try to think of an idea base from what I read. I'll end this for now and I hope you will wait for my other works :)

Strike a pose!
sample of an Articulated Comic Book Art