Aficionado advertisement

Image from Fashionpulis.com
-from a Fashion PULIS reader

Shocking how some companies approve such a tasteless ad. I bet the artist never conceptualized the project before executing the design. This is a "Testimonial ad" wherein celebrities endorse product "they use". Testimonial advertisements should have a connection between the product and the endorser. What is with the use of psychedelic colors? I get it that it is from the packaging design. I also understand the use of the "rainbow" color which might come from the "rainbow flag" used by the LGBT movement which is genius. But it is a senseless and tasteless advertisement. Focal point is also important. The colored shades is an eyesore. That's the first thing people will see when looking at the ad. It could have been an effective eye-wear advertisement. They should have given importance to the celebrity endorser and should have not covered the eyes.  Eye contacts are one of the most important features of testimonial ads. If the endorser is not looking at the consumer, he/she might as well look at the product. And the slogan... oh my... assuming that everyone who goes out the street reeks. I have seen a lot of "pang-masa" advertisements but this is the worst. It has an Elton John/Andy Warhol type of (terrible) concept ( I love Elton John & Andy Warhol). It's such a shame how some graphic artists charge so much for a terrible piece of work. This is just my personal opinion. Boooyah!

Read the funny comments and reactions at Fashion Pulis.
- "Great work ain't cheap; Cheap work ain't good"

This is an exemption

There might be some truth in advertising after all. Here is a funny print ad i saw back in 2011. Re-posting this from my personal blog dated 7/14/2011. So true, it hurts... hahaha!

Where in the world is the Philippines?

Head of the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS, Rodolfo C. Severino’s latest book Where in the World is the Philippines raises questions on the width and breadth of Philippine territory. The distinguished diplomat tackles this issue comprehensively, tracing the confusion to the colonial days when the world was divided between two maritime powers, Spain and Portugal, up to the present with countries delineating their territorial boundaries guided by the “veritable constitution of the world’s seas” 
— the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

A re-post from my personal blog

This is a re-post from my personal blog dated 12/14/2011:
My son found this blue heart-shaped M&M. My little boy gave it to me but his dad ate it! Bad daddy!

An apathetic point of view

I have come across a lot of people who go to an art gallery without any knowledge or whatsoever about paintings. And for some people, an exhibit is a place for socializing, drinking a glass of wine, cigarettes, showing-off new gadgets and for some artists, self-promotion. Have you seen an artwork that you wanted but would never buy unless you have talked / heard / read a review from a art critic or the artist? You buy an art piece because you want it and not because other people say so.

The artist:
If you talk to the artist, you would probably hear an out pour of heavy emotions. To simplify it, you will hear drama. No artist can work with a bad mood. NEVER! This is a whole lot of crap. Artists paint because they ENJOY and LOVE what they are doing. So how come some of these artists would say that they painted a certain piece during a very difficult time in their lives? Bullshit.

The art critic:
Yes, art critics hired by prestigious galleries to sell their paintings. Art critics will tell you what you want to hear and not what the artist wants the audience to see. I am wondering why these people know more than the artist as if they have painted the pieces with their own hands. Art critics use tactics and dictate what the people must see. This is very VERY misleading. Remember, critics are hired to sell - just like companies hire advertising agencies for product promotions. There is NO TRUTH in advertising.

If buying an art is an investment, buy works of notable masters and never trust a review from critics alone. If you buy a painting just because you like it, buy one and hope that someday it would cost a ton of fortune. Fingers-crossed. This is just my personal opinion. No offence to my art critic and artist friends though, I still love you all! :)

Art critics

 

I have recently been looking at art pages via facebook. Some of the comments are written by so-called "art critics". Why do i read and waste precious times on these pages? So i can pick-up with what is being created by fellow artists. I studied fine arts and i paint. When artists paint, it does not have to represent a feeling or situation. One cannot feel a painting. People look at things differently. It all really depends on the person looking at the artwork. Art critics are people who specialize in writing or reviews for art collectors and potential buyers. They write reviews about an artwork about how they view it and not what the artist wants the people to see.

Art critics want drama and in particular... gimmicks. I agree with the fact that people always want something new. Something out of this world. Something unique. But as a matter of fact, gimmicks fade. It is a fad. A fad is any form of behavior that develops among a large population and is collectively followed with enthusiasm for some period. There you go, SOME period. This not apply to all art critics. This is just my personal opinion.

So, what's my point? Art is an investment. Who would want to waste money on a "biodegradable: art that would last for merely a week? It is a shame how some critics endorse these kinds of works. These types of works degrade art pieces of artist who spend time on working on a masterpiece for a month. Critics should not endorse artists based on gimmicks alone. I even heard about an artist who puts paint on his shoe and steps on the canvas and signs it. how stupid do you think people are? Art is something beautiful, valuable and timeless. I don't have a little bit of respect for artist who thinks that art is purely business. Art is a connection between a painter, the artwork and the buyer. It is a part of the painter that is given to the buyer to be handed down from generation to generation.

I personally don't believe that art should have emotions. I paint something beautiful, period. Before college, i used to cut out magazine pictures that i like and paste it on the wall. No particular meaning, just something i like. I bet most of us did the same when we were younger. In college, we had art criticism as subject. We had to critic paintings of some of the master painters like da vinci and picasso. The whole class had this very long discussion as if they had time traveled and got to meet the artist and so on...

Do we have to rely on art critics alone or on something our eyes want? Art critics are the advertising agents of prestigious art galleries. Do you believe all the commercials you see on tv's and magazines? Are you the person who jumps at the latest fad and regret a spur of the moment purchase? I am a painter and graphic artist and I specialize in advertisements such as those you see on prints and tv's and i can say that there is NO TRUTH in advertising. and if so, I ask you, would you rely more on art critics or your own eyes.

Project: Technical photo retouching

Technical photo retouching is just the same as creative manipulation in terms of software use. This is mostly used on cosmetic ads. Photo restoration is easier to do... lots easier! Just like i said about high-resolution photo. Manipulation for photo restoration or enhancement (adjusting colors / contrast / white balance (i.e. gradation retouching), sharpness, removing elements or imperfections on skin or materials)
This is a picture of model Sophie Dahl. The first image is an example of editing out the lines, freckles, etc. the second picture an example of make-up application using photoshop - in this case 80's makeup. The third photo is adding wrinkles and lines to make the subject look older. I used a bit of photo manipulation to add sagging skin, etc. Technical photo retouching is used by cosmetic companies to show the "before" and "after" photos. All of the images are painstakingly edited in Photoshop and Illustrator. These images are not for any commercial use. The pictures are from different advertisements and pictorials on the web. This is for my personal portfolio use only. http://melanieseverinocreativedesigns.blogspot.com/