#please do tip your filipino artists as well | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nellycanwrite · 2 years

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hello po ate! halos magkasing edad lang po tayo pero amazed po ako sa experience nyo po! any tips po for writing and drawing po? thank you!!!!

English translations provided for my non-Filipino audiences below.

Oh my god I am weak to people calling me ate NDBSHWHSHSUW 🥺🤲 HELLO THERE LANGGAAAA🥰💘

For tips, well, there’s nothing much to say really except practice! It took me years to be at the level I am now. All I needed was a bit of patience, dedication, and discipline!

For starters (and a short disclaimer), I am by no means a professional artist nor am I a professional writer. Despite how people say I’m already good at what I do, I’m still studying to become better.

I’ve already started drawing and writing since sixth grade. I practiced everyday until I could really say I’m good enough for my standards. My writing is initially for academic purposes (since I have been trained specifically for journalism, specifically radio broadcasting and news writing), but it somehow turned into a love for creative writing. I only started doing art again in 2020, so my methods might not be as effective for me as it is for you. My methods for improving on art and writing are the same, but I’ll go ahead and expound!

1. Find Works that Inspire You the Most and Study Them.

For Writing: This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go ahead and do an academic study for each piece of literature that you find interesting (but it does help to do so!) I graduated as a Humanities and Social Studies student, so it was inevitable that I had to do an academic study on literature. I didn’t like it at first, but I soon found it extremely helpful in my writing! I came to love analyzing literary works and devices—particularly Edgar Allan Poe’s works—and binged read his pieces! Later on, I tried to emulate his style of writing with my own works until I found my own writing style that I quite liked! This doesn’t only apply to classic literature, reading works from your favorite authors, digital or otherwise, is just as effective too! I got inspired by @clichejoe‘s way of writing and really studied it first before I dived into my current fic! @breannaaiedail‘s excellent weaving of emotion to their writing was most helpful as well to get an insight on how feelings intertwine with words.

For Drawing: My style of drawing is first inspired by anime, the splash art I see in games, and DnD artworks. I was addicted to RossDraws’ style and tried doing the things that he does. But as soon as I realized that my artstyle doesn’t really suit me as much, I tried to change it up and apply my own little tweaks on top of his own teachings. I don’t have much to say with my first stages of art because I just basically…went for it. I saw those Pinterest tutorials on anatomy and made my own style based on those foundations. I just kept drawing and drawing and drawing until it just became a part of me. After I decided to pursue art as a career, I went into a deep dive and visited the foundations of what art really is. That meant reading books about anatomy, color theory, composition, and shape language. I took a lot of my inspiration from my fellow artist friends and basically just picked up bits and pieces of my style and applied them to my works. Allan Becker’s character design prowess always appealed to me and I’m aiming to have Max Grecke’s style of rendering and shape language! Loish is where I find a better understanding of color and character simplification. If I need inspiration, I always go to @cheesy-cryptid‘s works and just stare at her amazing composition and colors! At one point, I wanted a semi-realistic style of art. But I just want to yoink her art skills and apply it to my own!

2. Practice.

For Writing: You don’t become a good author overnight. I can’t even say that I’m a good enough author by my own standards yet. You might be wondering, how do I practice writing? Well, just start clicking away on your keyboard! Inspiration comes and goes as it pleases, so use that opportunity to start writing! You can write drabbles of the most fun ideas! You can search up a drabble list and start there! Remember, your imagination is limitless. Start practicing there and write everything that comes on top of your head no matter how weird it sounds! My method of practice is fairly simple: I find the most mundane thing I could find and make it sound interesting;

The pen. It is mightier than the sword. Yet whose hand grips this mighty weapon? The just? The wicked, the pure? Or is it the harbinger of death whose tip holds the fate of heroes of the unknown?

For Drawing: Practice. Practice. PRACTICE. In art, there is no easy way in. There are no cheats, there are no artist hacks, it is the acquisition of skill through constant practice. A hard pill to swallow to some people is that they wouldn’t get better even with how much they tried despite not even trying to practice. Start off with knowing the fundamentals of drawing; anatomy, composition, and perspective. Even if you say you already know this stuff, trust me, you don’t. Do art studies, observe how everything interacts with another, and just start grabbing that pen or stylus and draw. Draw what you feel like you wanna draw at the moment. Draw that prompt you always liked. Draw your crush. Draw the plants in your house. Draw fanart of your favorite character even! Consistency makes quality work, and all you have to do is be patient with yourself. If that didn’t motivate you to practice, look at my art from 2020 to present. I did consistent practice every day and did studies, watched tutorials, and just had an “I’m going to improve by practicing” mindset. Now it led me here. Just practice, practice, practice! You won’t get better by just sitting and waiting on a miracle. You gotta do it yourself!

3. Don’t be Discouraged.

For Writing: Like I said, you don’t become a good author overnight. It takes time, patience, and dedication. If you see someone write better than you, don’t be discouraged. Behind every excellence is a thousand failures. It takes trial and error to become a good creator. It doesn’t matter if you write bad or fail; everyone fails at some point! The most important thing is how you should get back up on your feet and continue your journey. Take your time, set your own pace. Don’t be discouraged.

For Drawing: Oh boy do I have an experience for you. I actually just started doing digital art last 2020. I had to stop drawing because of the usual “there’s no living in art” mentality, but here I am today and taking up BA Multimedia Arts in college despite my peers wanting me to become a lawyer. The struggle I had as a 17 year old artist at the time was that everyone was so much better than me. Even the 12 year old kiddoes are better at rendering than I am. But I used that feeling of envy as motivation: if they can produce banger art, then why can’t I? So I practiced and took inspiration from those instead of being discouraged! Just continue the grind and I’m sure you’ll improve!

This came out longer than I intended it to be, so I apologize for that SOBS. I just love talking about stuff like these!

Translations:

The ask: Hello! We’re almost the same age but I’m already amazed at your experiences! Any tips for writing and drawing? Thank you!!!

Ate (ah-teh) is used to refer to a girl or a woman older than you. The literal translation is "big sister".

Langga (lang-gah) is used as a term of endearment for someone younger than you. It can used to refer to people platonically, in a familial sense, or in some cases, romantically. The tone used for this ask is platonic.

#nelly answered #gawd this became a bit *too* long #writing #drawing #artist things #writer things #creative advice #art advice #writing advice

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creativemorningsvancouver · 1 year

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We are excited to invite Francis Arevalo as our speaker for January.

Please join us.

January’s global theme is ‘SANCTUARY’ and we are excited to invite Filipino-Canadian Francis Arevalo, an artist, producer, founder and manager at UWIDO, and mental health advocate.

A multi-hyphenate from Vancouver, Arevalo’s work in the music industry is informed by his previous work as Music Program Coordinator at Creative BC and Board Director at Music BC. As a hip-hop artist, Francis writes to uplift, inspire, and energize himself and his communities. He is known for his personal storytelling, thoughtful messages, and colourful production.Arevalo’s production highlights include co-producing Desirée Dawson’s JUNO-nominated EP Meet You At The Light (2021), producing and co-writing Mikey Jose’s Wait (2020), and his own artist catalogue. Francis released the Threes & Frees EP in November 2022, as a teaser for his upcoming debut album HEATCHECK! for release April 27 2023.

We asked Francis a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career? I find creativity to be nebulous and hard to define. For me, creativity arises from the intersection of imagination, expression, problem-solving, play, work, experience, environment, evolution and liberation. It connects the space between my personal and the collective, what’s inside me with what’s beyond me. Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? I don’t believe there is such a thing as “best” creative inspiration or energy, because I don’t put ideas into a hierarchy or relate to them in a binary good or bad. There are just ideas, and circumstance and personal/collective need determine the usefulness, appropriateness, and potential of them. I can more easily think of circumstances in which I most reliably receive or come up with novel ideas or progress on something I’m thinking about: long walks, most often and ideally just before sunrise. There is something powerful for me in that space in the morning before the day becomes a day and the rest of the world starts needing things from me. The early morning is my time for me and my ideas, feelings, wants, and turmoils to have the space to be full. Physical movement the mental, emotional and spiritual movement. Timing my walk to end just after sunrise gives me a sense that I’ve made progress and I almost always end up somewhere new with an idea that I wouldn’t have gotten to otherwise.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? Learn how much sleep you need to feel well. As someone living with bipolar disorder, I have a complicated relationship between sleep and creativity, but overall, I wish I slept more when I was younger. It takes a certain capacity for me to properly cultivate my ideas, and I need to be rested to do that work.

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? My creative peers who don’t often speak or present about their works in this way.

This month’s live musical guest is Bella Roces. Born Isabella Boquist, Bella Roces comes from a Filipino-indo and Scandinavian background. Bella released her first single in 2018, “You’re Confusing”. Since then, Bella has performed in various shows and venues throughout Vancouver, including The Railway club, Fortune sound club, the Juice Truck and more. For her soft spoken soul, singing and song writing became a way for Bella to express herself. Growing up, she was influenced by her parents love for R&B and alternative indie. Bella’s smooth vocals mixed with her authentic, vulnerable, song writing that connects across generations. Please join us.

#sanctuary #cmvan #creativemornings #vancouver #community #creative #yvr

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gypsophiaa · 5 years

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click for better quality!

don’t repost! reblogs appreciated (・ωｰ)～☆

meet Stella, my Blood Donation / IkeVamp Persona! more detailed description under the cut!

she's not that different from my Cradlesona, but i did change some stuff that are half true irl to make her fit well in the ikevamp universe. i mean i wish i can speak and understand several languages so i downloaded duolingo skskskksks

go make your own Blood Donation! Here's my lil reference you can use, I added some more details to fit in the story :) also, a big thanks to @trulipan for the inspiration of using the character screen!

*disclaimer: the character screen belongs to Cybird, the character info and sprite are fan made :)

Basic Info:

Nicknames: Stella, Sol (Leonardo), Peaches (Arthur and Comte)

Birthday: October 21

Age: 25

Height: 156 cm

Nationality: Filipina

Blood Type: A

Physical:

Eyes: bluish purple

Hair: gray platinum with bluish tips, short and wavy

Accessories: golden hoop earrings, sunflower pin (a souvenir she bought before arriving to the musee)

Features: beauty mark above her left lip, a fainter mark on her right cheek

Illnesses: sleep deprived (?)

Social:

Species: Human

Previous Occupation: Graphic Designer

Occupation: Right-Hand Woman (Assistant)

Relationships:

Arthur Conan Doyle, bickering writing buddy. They often get mistaken as siblings and it peeves them both. Stella dislikes his flirty and teasing personality a lot but she’s more than willing to lend a hand if he starts to run out of ideas (which is NOT her body). He loves to tease her and get her on her toes, which resulted to Sebastian lecturing him quite often. Ironically, they’re close friends

The Count of St. Germain, father-figure. They met when she accidentally dropped her sketch notebook. He complimented how she smelled like peaches and started calling her like that (which Arthur caught wind of and started teasing her for it). He spoils Stella rotten with chocolates, satiating her sweet tooth as much as possible to keep the smile on her face.

Leonardo da Vinci, language mentor. He was impressed when she understood what he was saying in Italian. Then tested her with Latin, German and Spanish. Stella was ecstatic to learn more languages causing his sly advances go over her head (much to everyone else’s relief). She organizes his room as best as she can as thanks.

Theodorus Van Gogh, mortal enemy but not really. He would always refer to her as “Arthur’s little sister” and it would often lead them to constantly bicker. However, both of them share the addicting love for pancakes and will eat it at any time of the day, this was one of the few times where they get along very well. Other times usually involve making Vincent happy and safe. Secretly, however, they look out for each other like actual siblings.

Sebastian, meme buddy. They converse in memes, confusing everyone else, when not too busy in work. She would often ask him historical facts about the others and appreciates him going the extra stretch (she likes listening to his history fanboying). He would also save her from Arthur’s teasing and Theo’s yelling, but sometimes he just stands at the corner and listen to them go mad because he finds it amusing.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, radio (I don’t know how to call it HAHAHAHA). Stella would intentionally pass by near his room just to listen to him play the piano, reminiscing the time where she had a violin. It had always been her dream to hear a live, professional recital of one of his pieces, so hearing him composing new ones just beyond a door made her very happy. Mozart knows she’s listening.

William Shakespeare, neutral but very afraid. Stella avoids him as much as possible, his words are very confusing and deep but she tries her best to understand and remain kind.

Napoleon Bonaparte, older brother figure. He knows her unusually strong peachy scent would attract others and he dedicated himself to protect her. She's probably the most casual one to wake him up — Stella earned the free slap card when he tries to kiss her as thanks for endearing his habit.

Jean D'arc, stranger. She hopes to get to know him better. She would always see him with empty eyes and worries for him. She would often secretly pray for his happiness. Jean knows this.

Osamu Dazai, laugh pill. Though she often gets startled when he enters through windows out of nowhere, its followed by laughter she couldn't control. He likes seeing her laugh and it encourages him to never use the door (much to everyone else's dismay).

Isaac Newton, neutral. They don't speak much. Stella would smile his way whenever she sees him but often receives averting eyes in response and a mutter of hello. She would sometimes lightly hop in Arthur's teases about apples.

Vincent Van Gogh, lover. Stella admires his works since forever and to see him alive and well in person brought tears to her eyes when she realized that everything happening around her was real. Their relationship grew gradually, taking soft steps together until they realized they were in love. She would always sit near him when he's painting at the garden and play with his pet raccoon. She melts when he smiles.

Personality: Artistic and bubbly, she finds beauty in everything. Very expressive, but she keeps a facade when she's sad and it is quite difficult to pin out. She's more than willing to help anyone with whatever she can do. She is easily pleased with the simplest things and gets overwhelmed with gifts. She's usually quiet but if you spark a conversation with her it can go on for a long while, she likes to listen to stories and experiences. She loves to learn different languages and cultures. Can be smart then a dumbass the next moment. Underneath the innocent face is a sultry attitude that she's mastered to control and portray to catch people off guard — though she gets flustered easily when complimented.

Before the Visit to the Louvre: A fresh graduate from BA Multimedia Arts, she earned enough money from commissions to travel to famous museums and relax before starting her work on an international news media site.

Likes:

Chocolates

Adobong Baboy (A Filipino dish)

Pancakes

All the pets!!

Flowers!!

Dressing up!!!

Warm colors

Modern day jokes

Performing

Fruits

Dislikes:

Arthur

Skirt chasers

Being belittled

"Arthur's little sister"

Not knowing what is happening

Being stagnant (not doing anything)

Washing the dishes

Skills and Special Abilities:

Can understand several languages because of her constant travelling, speaks Spanish and Filipino very fluently.

Paints

Writes short stories

Can act like a completely different person if needed

Can go for three days without sleep or sleep for three days, no in between.

Inhales food like Kirby, her stomach has a void somewhere and she gets full very rarely.

Plays the violin (when she was a kid, very rusty today)

Paired with: Vincent Van Gogh

Life in the Mansion: On a daily basis, she helps Sebastian in his duties. Sometimes, she can be found talking business and assessing deals with Theo. She can also be seen in her room rereading Arthur's first manuscripts and editing them. When taking a break, she's sitting by the garden and having tea with le Comte, or watching Vincent paint. She would drop by the library an hour before bed to have a quick foreign language lesson with Leonardo.

Other Info:

She sings when painting very softly, especially when its raining where the pitter patter can drown out her voice.

Cries a lot in her sleep, mostly because of overthinking. She's gotten used to a life where she would be happy for one moment and devastated the next.

She bites. Metaphorically and literally. Arthur got hurt because of it one time.

Bribed easily with sweets — to an extent. She's not that stupid.

Always screams when surprised from behind while quickly whipping around to slap whoever jumped on her. She got a terrible childhood history with those kinds of surprises.

Slaps people by accident when she gets all panicky and will constantly apologize for such a rude habit.

Secretly very horny and has earned a PhD in self control. (Really makes you think that she's actually Arthur's long lost sibling)

She can't smell her peach scent which drives her nuts. A lot of people had told her that since coming in to the mansion. She's never even had peaches before.

The scent grows stronger after sex and bathing, which she found odd because none of the products she uses has peaches as an ingredient. She even uses a different perfume every time but the peach scent still somehow overpowers it.

Vampires are the only ones who can smell the scent, human don't.

Never touch her notebook. Ever. She's insecure about whatever notes and doodles she has. She's hidden it deep in her closet that even she herself forgets.

When questioned why she "doesn't look like a Filipina," she answers with deadpan eyes and a bored look. "We were colonized by the Spaniards for 3 centuries. My grandfather is Spanish." She's tired of being asked often.

Has acted for school plays all her life.

Laughs at everything.

Cries when mad, it adds annoyance to herself.

#now if only i was actually proud of this #im only happy about the layout tbhkjafaf #but the design of the character itself not so much #this may change still #especially the relationships #ikesona #blood donation persona #persona #ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevam #ikevamp oc #oc #イケヴァン #ikemen series

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tanukijay-official · 4 years

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Countries Away Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of the fanfic

Martin is Martial Law.

This one was kinda based loosely on an animation made by my favorite countryhumans artist here, @caseykeshui .

Enjoy!))

Loco, maniac, sick bitch, psychopath, Yeah, I'm gonna show you I'm gonna show you, Yeah, I'm gonna show you Mental out my brain, bat shit go insane, Yeah, I'm gonna show you I'm gonna show you Yeah, I'm gonna show you

-------------------------------------------------------------

Philippines Maharlika stood at the entryway to Burreling High School, crossing her tattooed arms. They weren't real tattoos, but her kid brother, Martin, had a habit of drawing on her arms with a sharpie. So, she asked her friend Indiana Kakai to edit them a bit. Sure enough, it gave her iconic tattoos. Now she got them touched up every so often. Philippa looked at the doorway, gasping when she saw Spencer Espanola carrying her unconscious crush, Amos Janesville. The closeted gender-fluid ran to them. "What happened?! Okay lang ba siya?!" She asked worriedly.

"He's fine. Just unconscious and injured. Where's Candon?" Spencer asked back.

"He got away, thanks to you guys. The twins got him home." She saw the flags on their faces. "They got you, huh?"

"Si. I got my home country, Amos got his. Think he struggled and ended up getting knocked the fuck out. Poor guy." He looked at her again. "Philippines, about us-"

"Ayaw kong pag-usapan ito, Spencer. What happened at my country and home is not your fault. Your power hungry father is the cause." Philippa interrupted. Spencer nodded.

"Okay." He went to lay Amos on the grass. The filipino gender-fluid stopped him.

"Hindi dito. My house is closer. We can help him there." Spencer was shocked.

"But, Philippa, your hermano-" Philippa raised her hand.

"This will be a lot better help to our friend there. Pick him up, please Spence. We’ll talk at the house and see if Candon can come pick him up after,”

Spencer nodded his head and stuck his hands underneath Amos’ back, before lifting him up in a bridal-style position. Both teenagers nodded to each other and began the walk to Philippa’s home. Where her always angry father and overly annoying twin brother lived alongside her.

When they arrived, Philippa tried to twist the door handle only to find out it was locked. “Hey Martin!” She called out. A faint stumbling came from inside as she heard the footsteps get louder. “Yeah?” He asked in return.

”Could you unlock the door for me?”

”Yeah, sure. Just give me a second,” - There was a light click and a large squeak as the two saw Martin stumbled back with the door knob in his hand. “Here you go sis,” He mumbled, then wondered off your his room.

Spencer gently laid Amos on the oddly decorated couch that Philippa’s father made. He felt for a pulse and felt a soft thrumming against his finger-tips. As Spencer sighed he pressed his hands on Amos’ putting a little pressure. The other male grimaced some and calmed down, before Spencer checked everywhere else. “No broken bones. Just a busted lip and a concussion on him,”

”That’s good-ish. I’ll ring up his brother,” Philippa said as she got the phone. "I can't believe this happened! Why are people doing this to us? We're just kids!" She asked as she dialed Candon.

"Don't know. I hope we find out soon though. Before more people become like us...." he said, looks at Amos. "He loves you, y'know. For a girlfriend." Philippa smiled.

"And I love him." She smiled and Candon picked up. She gave him the short version and Candon gulped.

"I can't pick him up. My mom will notice the flag. She wasn't too happy about Zeke and Austin coming home with them." Candon said. Philippa cursed under her breath.

"Okay then. He'll stay at my house then. My father is gonna be pissed. See you at school." She hung up. She sighed.

"Amos is staying here." She reported to Spencer, who nodded.

"Okay. Hey um...." Spencer shoved his hands into his pockets. "About.... us...." Philippa looked at him.

"Whaddya mean?" It suddenly hit her. "Oh... that."

3 years ago

"Hola!" a 13-year-old Philippines Maharlika turned to see another 13-year-old Spencer Espanola. Philippines cocked her head.

"Kamusta? Paumanhin, hindi ko sinasalita ang iyong wika, ginoo." The young girl said. Spencer chuckled a bit. He smiled.

"Lo siento. Me llamo es Spencer." He pointed at himself. "My name is Spencer. Who are you, you beautiful creature?" Philippines blushed.

"Ang pangalan ko ay Pilipinas. I am Philippines. My father calls me Philippa." She smiled. Spencer shook her hand.

"Then that is what I shall call you. Walk with me please?" Soon the two walk together.

For two years, the two met in secret, sealing a relationship.

A year later, Adelio Española found out about their outings. Enraged, he forced them to see him kill Philippines's mother, Pearl. Spencer was to stay behind his father, while Philippines was trapped in the embrace of Martin. Her father had held her mother.

Spencer's eyes met Philippines's. She saw and screamed. "SPENCER!!" It broke him into a million pieces.

"Ven Spencer. Estamos saliendo." His father had said. Spencer gulped.

"¿Puedo al menos decir ... adiós a ella? A Filipinas?" Adelio shook his head no. So Spencer did the one thing he shouldn't.

"SPENCER." Spencer ignored him and ran up to Philippines with a hug. With a small whisper, he said,

"I'm sorry, Philippines... I will miss you...." he said through his small tears. Philippines hugged back.

"Batang lalaki." Her father said. Spencer turned to him as the guards neared him. The father smiled. "Malugod kang tinatanggap kahit kailan." You are welcome here anytime. Spencer nodded and went to his father solemnly.

The morning was cold, as she watched her brother trudge with their mother’s body in his hands. She wanted to cry, scream, kick - do anything to cause a reaction, but all she felt was stone cold. It was the man who claimed that he would protect his family with his life, that did this. A mess of words rolled off her tongue as she slid down her bedroom wall into the floor.

”Mama please come back,” She whispered.

Present

She held onto Amos’ hand and took him up to her bedroom, before returning back to Spencer. “Just try to forget about it please, it was in the past and we were young,” Philippa told him, grabbing his wrists.

”If...if you say so,” He replied, gently pulling away.

”So you gonna go home now?”

”Might as well, I’ll probably just sneak through the backdoor. But typically he’s asleep at this time,” - He pointed his thumb to the open window that reveal a harsh tint of darkness from the sky.

She nodded and grabbed his shoulder. “Y’know you can stay here if you want,”

”I don’t want to be a bother,”

”If you say so,”

With that Spencer stood up and opened the front door, before slamming it closed. Philippa sighed and ran a hand through her hair, mimicking frustration. She could hear his shoes against the asphalt of the sidewalk as he jogged back home. Maybe everything would turn out normal this time.

#countryhumans #countryhumans america #countryhumans spain #counryhumans philippines #countryhumans japan #countryhumans canada #countryhumans australia #countryhumans new zealand

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onestowatch · 4 years

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RINI on “Bedtime Story,” Sensual R&B, and Making the Perfect Chicken Adobo [Q&A]

RINI makes R&B sound effortless. The up-and-coming Melbourne artist makes the sort of effervescent music perfectly apt to soundtrack sunset-soaked drives along the coast and late-night inhibitions. This sentiment comes to life in the sensual “Bedtime Story.”

Taking a cue from more PG-13 after hour events than the moralistic teachings of childhood tales, “Bedtime Story” is an intoxicating slowburn. RINI captures the scintillating tip-toe, the excitement of that first night, while still making sure to respect his partner’s boundaries and desires.

“I was trying to say that I am ready for this girl, but at the same time, I don’t want to force anything. But knowing that she was on the same page and she’s liking the mood, it was time for me to make my move and make her feel good," says RINI on the underlying inspiration behind the new track. We stan a healthy representation of physical intimacy in R&B, especially when it sounds this good.

While RINI sounds undeniably polished in “Bedtime Story,” the Melbourne artist has made leaps and bounds since originally going from busking on the street to penning a deal with Warner Records. We had the chance to catch up with RINI via e-mail to chat about his new single, go-to lockdown meal, and growing up in the Philippines.

youtube

What’s your earliest musical memory?

My earliest musical memory would probably be the time when my mum would play my dad’s old CDs of all Michael Jackson’s music/music videos. Mum would put them CD’s on and I would watch Michael perform and dance on TV and copy all his moves.

How would you describe your music without using any genre terms?

I’d say my music is sultry, smooth, sensual, like velvet and dreamy.

You emigrated from the Philippines to Australia as a kid. How did both your upbringing and the Australia music scene inform both you and your music?

Growing up in the Philippines definitely opened a lot of musical pathways for me. Back in elementary school, I remember sometimes my classmates would bring their guitars and jam over lunch times. I didn’t know how to play back then so I just watched, but that sort of sparked my interest in playing the guitar, so I started learning it. My dad would always play music on the big-ass sound system we had in the living room ,so all our neighbours could hear it loud and clear and he’d always be putting on some Bon Jovi, Queen, Aerosmith bops and all these other slow rock jams. He also had musical instruments that he’s collected over the years from working on a ship. They’d just be sitting in the storage, so I picked the guitar up and got my cousins to teach me how to play chords.

Moving to Australia gave me a chance to experience something different. Musically, I was exposed to a lot of R&B music here in Australia because the friends that I hung out with listened to a lot of hip-hop and R&B music. I was introduced to a whole new culture, but will always have the influence that I had been given when I was young, and I think that shows a lot in my music – an old soul with a new sound.

You got your start busking on the streets of Melbourne. What’s the greatest thing you took away from that time in your life?

Busking on the streets of Melbourne was a very significant time of my musical growth. I decided to busk on the streets because I wanted to make extra money for myself, so I could buy music production gear and also it was just the best way I could improve my confidence. I also gained a lot of followers from busking and gigging opportunities as well. The greatest thing I took from it would probably be that we need to work for what we want and be willing to try something new and different once in a while, learn to step out of your comfort zone.

Australia isn’t particularly known for R&B, but you make it sound so effortless. What drew you to R&B in particular?

The way R&B made me feel was something I have loved for so long. I feel like R&B is so flexible in a way. You can make a song that has sad lyrics sound a little more calming and joyful rather than down and depressing. The groove of R&B music is also very pleasing to my ears, makes me want to dance.

You now find yourself in LA. Beyond the ongoing lockdown, how did you find the transition?

Moving to LA for me was a little difficult, but also a good thing. Difficult because being so far away from my family is something I’ve never really experienced like that, but it’s also great because I’ve learned to be more independent, and I find myself being more motivated knowing that I’m doing music as an actual career and being away from home gives me the drive to work harder. LA is very different from Melbourne in terms of culture and also time. I feel like when I’m in LA everything moves so quick and you really have to keep pushing yourself, which I don’t have a problem with.

Shifting gears, what was your favorite bedtime story growing up?

Unfortunately, my parents never told me any bedtime stories haha, so I wouldn’t know one. I also haven’t spent a lot of time reading books, which is something I want to do more often now, but it’s because I spent a lot of time playing computer games when I was younger. Nothing else really mattered back in those days, I had too many territories to protect in San Andreas.

Guessing your latest single, “Bedtime Story,” has a far less PG origin story? Mind sharing some of the inspiration behind your new single?

Yes, I basically wrote the song that way because I was in that situation with a girl. I was sitting at a certain point in the relationship where I was basically ready to take it to the next level physically without being forcing about it. That’s why the song sounds exciting and fun.

What’s your go-to meal? Break us down the recipe. Need some serious recipe inspiration while stuck on lockdown.

Chicken Adobo is the way to go. Shout outs to my Filipinos out there. Just get some chicken and marinate it in soy sauce and garlic, leave it for a couple hours. Put it in the pan to cook, add some water and the rest of the marinade sauce then some salt, pepper and a couple of bay leaves then let it be for half an hour til the chicken’s tender. Put some vinegar, cook for another five and then you’re good to go.

What’s next for RINI?

I’m excited for the next coming months leading up to my album release and right now my new single (“Bedtime Story”) with the music video. We’ve also got a couple other singles to watch out for. It’s going to be different, but I can ensure everyone who listens to RINI will enjoy the album. Once this Coronavirus is over, I would love to go all around the world and play this album live.

Who are your Ones To Watch?

Yes! Right now I have Olivia Dean, an artist from the U.K. Love her music and her vibe. Another one’s Dijon, his song “Skin” really got me and I think he’d be fire.

Listen to “Bedtime Story” below:

#rini #bedtime story #interview #R&B #soul

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blissfulmaiden · 4 years

Text

Advocacy: 5 Practical Ways to Express Your Filipino Patriotism (Task 3, for WIMternship, Batch 9)

The Philippines is one of the Asian countries with a colorful history and people. If it became a person, it would be like anyone else - has both positive and negative attributes. Our teachers from elementary taught us we, Filipinos are hospitable, respect the elders, have close family ties, God-fearing and helpful to one another (Bayanihan). We also possess procrastination, superficiality (ningas kugon mentality), crab mentality, colonial mentality and complacency (pwede na ‘yan).

Fellow Filipinos had long been unpatriotic because of the rampant corruption in the government and hopelessness in personal economic status. They patronize foreign culture and products instead. Little they know that there are now many local companies produce a great quality of what they offer and compete to their foreign rivals. So who are you going to choose?

But what if you dislike leaving your country unsupported anymore? What if you do not have any money to always buy local products? How are you going to show your love for your country?

Below are 5 simple tips on showing your love for our country - the Philippines:

Follow all the Philippine laws. You do not know any law? Here’s an example - no jaywalking. Use ped xing or pedestrian lanes when crossing the street. Cross the street when the green human-shaped pedestrian traffic light is on or when the red light on the car traffic light. In following such, you help maintain order on the street and avoid danger for yourself if you didn’t cross it properly.

Show respect to Philippine symbols. Whenever you hear the national anthem, do you take time to stop, stand up and put your right hand on your chest? By doing so, you are saying, “I respect my country & this song so I’m going to do this.”

Keeping old Filipino traditions alive. My parents remind us up to this day that we should say po and opo to our elders. Using those words is a sign of respect for them. Another way of showing respect is by doing “mano po” that translates to [your] hand please as the greeting starts the gesture of touching the back of the hand of an elder lightly on one’s forehead as per Wikipedia. My favorite is the Filipino way of courtship. I will not suggest the harana or the man will sing a song for the lady he courts in front of her house. But if you still like to do that and show your great singing voice, then go. What I will suggest, based on our culture, is that a man should go personally to the woman’s house and ask her and her parents if she could court her. Aakyat ng ligaw. In that way, you hit three birds with one stone. Parents highly regard this act because it shows respect and seriousness to them in wooing their daughter.

Patronizing all forms of Filipino art. As Michael Buble observed, half of our population has a great voice. Our Original Pinoy Music or O.P.M is beautiful and unique. It is now again booming thanks to new artists like Moira dela Torre, Ben and Ben, and IV of Spades. By singing and listening to their songs, you could influence your friends as well to love O.P.M. Don’t forget the Pinoy food, movies and TV shows which you could have for free by asking your parents or friends.

Speak in Filipino. The Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino advised that it’s not Tagalog anymore but Filipino. Based on a KWF Resolution 2013, Filipino is a “native language used all over the Philippines as the language of communication, orally as well as written, by native groups all over the islands.” Speaking this wherever and whenever allows us to communicate to all Filipinos no matter what class they belong to. It also recognizes us as a proud Filipino by using our own native language and passing it on to the next generation.

Even if we change the color of our hair, eyes, or skin, it is important to identify ourselves with whom we really are and flaunting it to the world. Stop complaining about the faults of other Filipinos, especially the government. Instead, rise and show your positive side and contribution to your motherland. In this time, one can unite a country just like what People’s Champ and Senator Manny Pacquiao is doing when he has a boxing fight.

#wimtern

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makeupartistofthehour-blog · 6 years

Photo

YES! I am a Make-Up Artist.

SUCCESSFUL? Yes, you can say that. But that didn’t happen overnight. In my mind, I would always have to remind myself of all the trials and challenges that we went through in the last 10 years to get to where are we are today.

Yes, 10 YEARS! 10 YEARS!

The life of a Make-Up Artist is not easy. It is a very colorful life that’s full of so many ups and downs. It’s not as if you can mix and match colors and blend them well and have all the tools that money can buy will make you succeed right the first time.

It just doesn’t happen that way.

You have to have your own share of wins and losses to learn how to succeed in this game.

Many are in awe and in envy every time we set up our lights, our collection of make-up (from the cheapest to the most expensive ones) and all other tools of the trade in every gig.

You hear their OHS & WOWs as if we’re the only EXPERTS with the BEST MAKE-UP TOOLS & BRANDS in town not knowing that there are just so many of us competing like crazy for every bride, debutant, model or simply every face possible that needs making-up.

If you are lucky you get the friendliest and easiest faces to please that give you an A1 rating in all possible blogs. Other times you get the most complicated and difficult face that will not just let you down and criticize your work but even bad mouth you in any possible way.

More than making a profit, it is the passion in making beautiful faces that drives us to become a very successful and professional make-up artist. But I will not be a hypocrite, earning a DECENT profit is also what I and others need to live in this world, to feed our families and pay our bills. So, it’s still a puzzle to many when others charge a Php500 per face in this day and age when the oil prices have gone up close to Php50/liter, your taxi or uber fare has gone up to Php300 from Manila to Quezon City, your favorite long lasting lippy and other make-up brands have gone up. How now does a Php500 per face give you a decent profit.

Others say that to be successful you need to make a thousand faces - INDEED THIS IS TRUE! BUT how can you simply do this when you don’t have enough profit to upgrade your skills by going back to school to learn new things, enough profit to help you upgrade your tools and offer the make-up brands that your customers demand from you? It just doesn’t add up. AND, LOW PRICE WILL NOT MAKE YOU THE SUCCESSFUL & PROFESSIONAL MAKE-UP ARTIST THAT YOU ASPIRE FOR. IT IS A FORMULA OF SO MANY THINGS that you have to learn through your journey as an artist.

In our 10 years in business, we have mastered the dynamics of this industry. And, we realized that CHANGE is the only thing constant in this world. Make-Up Artists come and go because they grow old or become stuck in their world and just fade away.

AND, we don’t want to be stuck just because our hands will get old and rusty, our taste and style will go old fashion or simply because we are just too old for the Millenials to be appreciated. So, this ignited our passion to further move up to the next level of owning or partnering with a make-up brand that we can trust and help young and aspiring artists succeed. AND, we found 727 Cosmetics Japan to be the best partner to help us in this advocacy.

This page is all about 727 Make-Up Philippines’ showcasing the talent of hardworking Professional Make-Up Artists who have reached the height of their success. It is all about 727 Make-Up Philippines valuing local talents who persevered in pursuing their dreams no matter what the odds are.

Our weekly blog gets to share the inspirational stories of featured Make-Up Artist/s and open up their lives to fellow MUAs on meaningful real life experiences that they can learn from. Get to learn the tricks and treats of the trade from our featured artists and relevant make-up tips that you may find useful and applicable to your style.

Others may find it off helping and promoting MUAs who compete with you. Our take on this? THERE ARE 105 MILLION FILIPINOS TODAY. SO, THERE IS ENOUGH MARKET FOR EVERYONE. YOU JUST NEED TO LOOK AND FIND THEM.

Lastly, this blog site also aims to create a community and a sense of camaraderie among fellow Make-Up Artists where the young ones can learn from the wiser and the wiser to give back to the industry that has been good to them.

#727makeup 727makeupphilippines makeup 727makeupartistofthehour makeupartist makeupaddict makeupislove makeupartistislife

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sdspintos · 6 years

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How to Do Graphic Design for Your Blog: 5 Tips from Graphic Artist Ken Benitez

When talking about the skills needed to maintain a blog, I often hear people talking about writing, photography, and social media management. An often overlooked skill is graphic design. As a blogger, I have the hardest time with graphic design—but I do acknowledge its importance. How many times has an article looked more appealing because of an added infographic? How many times have we clicked on an article from our Facebook news feed just because the featured photo looked interesting? Effective graphic design is important.

youtube

I asked help from graphic designer Ken Benitez to share his thoughts on fonts, colors, and the most helpful tools that help him in his craft.

Filipino graphic designer Ken Benitez

Ken Benitez merges a creative vision with stunning design solutions. As a freelance graphic artist based from the Philippines, he has found inspiration in his love for the arts since childhood, and has allowed that passion to evolve with him both professionally and personally. His visionary style has an emphasis on clean, simple, and modern design with components that are both distinctive and unforgettable. His signature style is complex and nuanced, and his many talents are flexible and tailored for the needs of each project. His expertise in logo design and identity branding lend themselves well to brands seeking elegant and memorable graphic designs that will please almost any aesthetic preferences. For beautiful marketing materials to fit any canvas from small to large, Ken Benitez develops timeless and memorable concepts.

Ken Benitez Graphics

As proof of Ken’s skill, you only have to look at his portfolio and his list of clients, which includes Jason Magbanua! I enlisted Ken’s services to work on the branding of my blog, and I’m extremely satisfied with the results.

Just for background, these are the some of the things that Ken came up with for my blog. For this project, I wanted the new logo to be more classy, timeless, professional, comfortable and approachable. I’ve always been a fan of watercolor designs and rose gold, so Ken applied it in my letterhead and online collaterals.

(In case you’re interested to see how my mood board for this project was like (and how Ken totally transformed it!), this is the link to my Pinterest mood board. And this is what my blog looks like now!)

5 Branding Tips from Graphic Designer Ken Benitez

1.) The real work begins long before the actual making of the design.

Ken says, “Before meeting with a client, I prepare a questionnaire for him regarding his project to be able to know what type of business, product or service, target market, competition, personality and specific color he is considering. This process will allow me to choose the appropriate color/s for the brand.”

Preparing mood boards also help. What are the key visual reminders that you associate the most with your brand? It may be overwhelming to immediately identify specific colors and fonts. But if you put all your pegs in a mood board, you slowly visualize what you like and don’t like.

2.) Choose two to three colors that complement each other and the put forward message you want to convey.

For successful branding, you wouldn’t want a very cluttered logo that’s exploding with different colors! It’s also best to research on color theories—what messages different colors convey, and which colors complement each other.

View Source to Continue Reading: How to Do Graphic Design for Your Blog: 5 Tips from Graphic Artist Ken Benitez

#art paintings sculptures

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blissfulmaiden · 5 years

Text

Advocacy: How to Express Your Love for the Philippines (Task 3, WIMternship Batch 8)

The Philippines is one of the Asian countries with a colorful history and people. If it became a person, it will be like anyone else - has both positive and negative attributes. Our teachers from elementary taught us that we, Filipinos are hospitable, respect the elders, have close family ties, God-fearing and helpful to one another (Bayanihan). On the contrary, we also possess procrastination, superficiality (ningas kugon mentality), crab mentality, colonial mentality and complacency (pwede na 'yan).

Fellow Filipinos had long been unpatriotic, because of the rampant corruption in the government and hopelessness in each personal economic status. They tend to chose to patronize foreign culture and products instead. Little they know that there are now many local companies produce great quality of what they offer and compete to their foreign rivals. So who are you going to choose?

But what if you do not like to left your country unsupported anymore? Even so, what if you do not have any money to always buy local products? How are you going to show your love for your country?

Below are 5 simple tips on showing your love for our country:

1. Follow all the Philippine laws. You do not know any Philippine law? Here's an example - no jaywalking. Use ped xing or pedestrian lanes when crossing the street. Do cross the street when the green human-shaped pedestrian traffic light is on or when the red light is shown on the car traffic light. In following such, you help maintain order on the street and avoid possible danger for yourself.

2. Speak in Filipino. The Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino advised that it's not Tagalog anymore but Filipino. Based on a KWF Resolution 2013, Filipino is a “native language used all over the Philippines as the language of communication, orally as well as written, by native groups all over the islands.” Speaking this wherever and whenever allows us to communicate to all Filipinos no matter what class they belong to. Will you like to be recognized as a proud Filipino because you use our own native language? You'll be passing it on to the next generation anyway.

3. Show respect to Philippine symbols. Whenever you hear the national anthem, do you take time to stop, stand up and put your right hand on your chest? By doing so, you are clearly saying, "I respect my country & this song so I do this."

4. Doing old Filipino traditions. My parents remind us up to this day that we should say "po" and "opo" to our elders. Using those words is a sign of respect for them. Also, you could show respect by doing "mano po" that translates to [your] hand please as the greeting initiates the gesture of touching the back of the hand of an elder lightly on one’s forehead as per Wikipedia. My personal favorite is the Filipino way of courtship. I will not suggest the harana or the man will sing a song for the lady he courts in front of her house. But if you still like to do that and show your great singing, then go. What I will suggest, based on our culture is a man should go personally to the woman's house and ask her and her parents if she could court her. Aakyat ng ligaw. In that way, you hit three birds with one stone. Parents highly regard this act because it shows respect and seriousness in wooing their daughter.

5. Patronizing all forms of Filipino art. As Michael Buble observed, half of our population has a great voice. Our Original Pinoy Music or O.P.M is truly beautiful and unique. It is now again booming thanks to new artists like Moira dela Torre, Ben and Ben, and IV of Spades. By singing and listening to their songs, you could influence your friends as well to love O.P.M. Don't forget the Pinoy food, movies and TV shows which you could have for free by asking your parents or friends.

Even if we change the color of our hair or skin, it is important to identify ourselves with who we really are and flaunting it to the world. Stop complaining about the faults of other Filipinos. Instead, rise up and show your positive side and contribute to your motherland.

0 notes