BIO
I spent my early years (1975) working as a Book Illustrator, Visualizer, Storyboard Artist, Cartoonist, in what can be described today as a “Blue Ocean” environment. The market for illustration was just emerging by virtue of the proliferation of International Advertising Agencies in Kuala Lumpur. With no art education and no cert, I was practically the only one working the freelance market because all the qualified artists were safely under employment in the nice big offices. Freelancing and working from home was a new thing back then. My neighbors often asked why I was not working because I hung around the house the whole day. It was when I discovered the Airbrush in 1982 that my Freelance career literally took off with flying colours. A decade later I started hand drawing Architectural perspectives for housing developers to help them market their properties. Hand painted perspectives were fun, but not efficient as there was so much to be done. I embraced the computer (1994) when it came on the scene and it took me into a whole new world of 3 D, computer walkthroughs, animation.
https://www.facebook.com/stancreative.co/
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Day whatever of Lockdown.
Cabin fever engenders dreams of the great escape when the opportunity presents itself.
Obviously I cannot getaway so they manifest themselves in these dramatic sketches.
Come along for the ride?
Those grand children who are overseas could not come back because of the requisite 14 days quarantine and attended the funeral online via whatsapp video calls.
Aside from being included in the life proceedings, they also got to go phone2phone and face2face with those who are not present physically.
From birthdays to funerals. It is clear,things will never be the same again.
Online Funeral
My mother-in-law was admitted to ICU in University Hospital for kidney failure the day lockdown was imposed. We have been in and out of the Covid 19 battle zone for almost a month and she has deteriorated over this period and became increasingly dependant on machines to survive. Yesterday she passed away and left the family in tears. Because of MCO(Movement Control Order) the funeral was reduced to a 30 minutes, no frills, no wake affair - for family members only.
The great hold up
This scene plays out everywhere in the world but it is hilarious when you see this while queueing up to get into the bank.
Not everything can be done online. So I had to go to the bank. They only let you in after determining that you really need to get counter service. You first have to fill out a redemption form to declare where you have been recently, after which the burly security guy sticks a gun-like apparatus to your fore head.
To take your temperature. Then you fill out what feels like tons of documentations that takes forever.
I made some mistakes and had to go in 3 times over the course of 3 days. And had to go through the whole process all over again.
I remember people are not supposed to hold up banks. Well banks should not hold up people either.
LOL
The Digital Nomad
Now everyone can be a digital nomad. Working from home is the new normal.
A far cry from those days when my neighbors think I am a jobless bum hanging around the house the whole day.
When you are in the creative business you can work from just about anywhere. All you need is internet connection.
Wifi. Or data. Here, my buddy digital nomad Jinren has a meeting with his Canadian client, while my wife Jen checks her mail.
Lockdown makes no difference
Social Distancing
Nowhere is the new catch phrase "Social Distancing" brought to bear more clearly than here in our home - when we have 2 different online meetings going on simultaneously, and have to be separated because of the bone chilling shrill audio feedback.
Online Caricature Art Jam.
Lockdown was lifted. Lockdown was reimposed. Then lifted. Then reimposed. Signs that things will never be the same again. Welcome to the new normal. This was drawn onsite. Surrounded by my tools, and an ever changing screen. Lockdown escapades. I participated in the recent Lukis Lukis onlineCaricature Artjam with Artist friends all sketching guest/model Jolly Lollie from their own homes. We enjoyed ourselves in spite of some technical problems and hiccups.
My artist friend Sky Yong is shaping up to be quite adept at emceeing and interviewing the guest when the emcee pulled out. We learn new things everyday if we care to try. And dare to fail.
Online living room
Lockdown Day 27 - Now my dining table has become cybercafe central and is site of all manners of online meetings, birthday parties, demos, learning and munchies. BTW my table is not curved.
Just bending the rules of perspective.
A salute to the frontline workers in this war with Covid 19.
While many of us just had to stay home during these trying times, these brave souls put their lives at risk everyday in a dangerous environment. Here- a hive of activities just outside the ICU. I have had to repeatedly step aside to avoid hospital beds on wheels as they whiz by- here passing a group of housemen being briefed on status of patients.
And of course I scrub down and thoroughly disinfect when I get home. Not to mention self quarantine.
To be safe, stay away from me for a while.
My Days in ICU
At the beginning of Lockdown, my mother-in-law fell ill and had to be hospitalised and I find myself daily in an environment that I would much rather avoid.
But since I am already there for a visit anyway, the icu with all its medical gadgets and paraphernalia makes for a fascinating sketch subject. And of course I scrub down and thoroughly disinfect when I get home. Not to mention self quarantine.
Artist at large.
For an inveterate sketcher who finally escaped the confines of my comfy studio to stalk the streets , drawing inspiration from the urban environment, after 4 decades of working as an illustrator alone at home, the Covid 19 lockdown is like throwing me back into prison. I am coping with the new normal. By incessantly sketching and going online.
Stan Lee a.k.a KULit
Cartoonist - Confinement Diary
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