Favorite Place Growing Up.
This is the view (well, maybe if you're really tall) as you enter the HI-VI Arcade at Ameristar Casino in St. Charles. Most kids in middle school are more interested in loitering at the mall, but I spent my Friday or Saturday nights at the HI-VI with all the other kids who, I assume, were dropped off by their gambler parents. I was reeeeeaaallly big into DDR. And I hate to be that hipster who says "I liked it before it was cool".... but I did. I started playing like, back in 2000 or 2001.
Anyway, now that I'm off my soap box, I used to hang out at this arcade with a bunch of hardcore DDR nerds and... it's one of those experiences that's hard to explain in words, but there was a competitive yet friendly aura about the place. Regardless of your skill level, you came in, you cashed out everything in your name for some tokens, and you took turns having the time of your life on this retarded-looking flashy metal box for 7 hours or so. There was this weird connection to the game, to the players... it's hard to describe, but it's that feeling of being part of something. I know it's not exclusive to arcade junkies... it's something universal that you can feel with any sport or hobby you're passionate about.
Favorite Place Locally.
I've lived here for about a week. I don't yet have a favorite place locally. So I chose what (I think) is sort of ironic but not entirely out of the specifications of "locally" -- my bedroom at my apartment.
NOOOOO it's not some artistic statement about being homesick (As a matter of fact, my room here doesn't resemble my room back home at all). It's just a comfort zone thing.
oooooohhhhh :O you draw neato backgrounds !
ReplyDeleteI draw no such thing! DX I'm looking around at the other students' drawings and mine are sooooo sloppy in comparison. Hahaha. Thank you though!
ReplyDeleteGosh the arcade looks exactly like the one I used to go to back when I used to live in Pennsylvannia. Well at least the layout of it.
ReplyDeleteI like the lanturns in your room.
I would suggest you laid your sketches on a flat surface and then take a picture of them inorder to elimate that annoying curve. Or just scan them.
It was definitely an interesting layout for an arcade, I thought.
ReplyDeleteYeeeahhhh, taking photographs of them was a horrible idea, but the lighting in my apartment sucks, and it was either have it on a flat surface with no light, or have light but hold it in my hand like a fool. I just fixed it though... went down to the library and scanned 'em in.
Thanks!
Haha my brother is a DDR freak :D it's fun to watch him. lol
ReplyDeleteOh and if you have a Facebook there is a group called Kansas City Art Institute Campus Activites and they update it whenever they have fun stuff to do.
The answer to your question is that we cosplay stuff like Soul Eater, Pokemon, Mad Hatter, Phoenix Wright etc. xD
Ohhh, dude, awesome! I was wondering where (and if) there was some sort of listing for groups or activities or something extracurricular.
ReplyDeleteAaahhhhhhh that's so cool. I'll admit I kind of fell out of my anime phase a while back, but I still think cosplaying is the coolest thing in the world. I've never really seen Soul Eater but I love the character designs. And you can't go wrong with Pokemon. I'm going to get really nerdy here for a second, but do you cosplay trainers? Or the actual pokemon? Like the gijinka stuff?
Concept:
ReplyDeleteGood choices. It's very interesting that a public space like the arcade, which is also a place of performance to a degree...especially DDR, can become so intimate...hold such personal memories. Even though there are no people present in the image, the potential for activity is quite inviting. Arcades engage all the senses.
Composition:
Both compositions contain a lot of information. Which speaks to the importance of place and objects...how they hold meaning for us.
Detail/execution:
Both have a fair amount of detail, but since I can't view them larger and since both are rendered very lightly, some of the power that detail presents is lost. There is also little to no tonality...which strips the space of a sense of light. Light in both cases here would have added a narrative element to both images. There are clearly deep memories with the first image and the second speaks to the newness you're experiencing right now, but that is not fully realized.
You may want to work on your understanding and execution of perspective a bit. Gaining control of that skill allows you to branch out and create even more complex environments. Perhaps also a more committed line weight would help ground the images. Both feel a little safe...lacking dark darks and contrast. A full tonal arrangement will convey a stronger sense of intensity.
Following instruction:
Good