Saali Art

02/02/2023

Five hour workshop: reflections.
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Recently I gave my first day long workshop about technology, VR and behavior manipulation to MA product design students at OsloMet.
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We discussed Dark Patterns (online behavior manipulation tricks), attention economy, big data, surveillance capitalism and lots of other anxiety inducing terms.
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Here are three things that impressed me the most:
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1. Giving workshops is super fun!
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The students were brilliant. The group was active and engaged, and we had lots of discussions all throughout the workshop.
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Before the workshop I was worried that I might not have enough material to talk about in 5 hours, but the day went by quickly.
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2. It takes ages to prepare!
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I wanted to make it engaging, informative, and various. So that the informative and theoretical bits are backed up by examples, and followed by discussions. So that students have time and motivation to digest new information and reflect on it. But OMG, I hope it takes less time when one has more experience doing this.
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3. It takes lots of energy.
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By the end of the day, when I guess my adrenaline level somewhat subsided, I felt completely exhausted 😅 I gave lots of shorter workshops and presentations before, but this one felt more like a marathon. I guess 2 flights commuting to Oslo and back also contributed.
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But, on the other hand, I felt satisfied and inspired. All in all, it was a fantastic experience, and I hope I will get a chance to do it again.

17/10/2022

Imagine you are an astronaut on an abandoned space station. You are looking for a key to open a safe with a treasure in it.
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This is what is doing here - playing my VR game during the early hours of our MA exhibition :)
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Making this game has taught me so much! Now I have a mountain of thoughts and materials to share about it. I hope it will be fun for you to see. Stay tuned!

04/10/2022

What is the point of art?
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If you consider yourself to be creative, I'd bet you have struggled with this question at some point.
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This quote is the answer that spoke to me when I was looking for it during my MA studies.
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Quote from: Michelkevičius, V. and Dobriakov, J. (2018). Mapping artistic research: towards diagrammatic knowing.

27/09/2022

The new issue of Replikk" is coming soon with my work on the cover and two more inside! 🥳🥳🥳

Check the journal out here Tidsskriftet Replikk and here: https://replikk.w.uib.no/

27/09/2022

24/12/2020

Merry Christmas and a Better New year!
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Hey guys! I have been away for the last couple of months. It was quite an exciting time and I will make a post about it a bit later.
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For now I wish you all a fantastic Christmas and a great and happy New Year.
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This year was challenging in many ways, but, hopefully, it wasn't all bad. Let's remember all the good things that happened to us this year and hope that the next one will be better.
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I would like to thank you all for your comments and likes and feedback! In my complicated relationship with the social media you are the ones that make it fun!
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Cheers!

11/09/2020

Paper or screen?
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These are two things that I cannot seem to reconcile when I am sketching.
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On the one hand, there is nothing like the feel of paper under your pencil, the motion, the touch, even the sound of graphite scrubbing on the uneven surface. That feeling of control of the material, sensing its limits on some almost subconscious level.
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I know that there are people who learn to draw only digitally, rather than the old way, with paper and pencil. I would advise them to introduce at least some old fashion sketching in their study process. It gives you a sense of authenticity in the process that one can not experience with a tablet.
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On the other hand, one cannot disregard the convenience that drawing digitally gives. I have switched to digital illustration a long time ago and never regretted it. The cleanliness of the process, the convenience of tools, hotkeys, hand gestures, the time saved on deleting, correcting, redrawing...
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But every time I come back to paper sketching, it feels like home! This is it. This is what it is supposed to feel like.
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Until my hand begins to automatically tap on paper, trying to undo a stroke. Or stretches to a keyboard to hold ctrl+z. And the magic is gone! I am brutally reminded that it costs more than a second to erase or correct.
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And so I resolve to go back to digital sketches again. Until I begin to miss the paper. And so it goes on and on and on. And I wonder, should there be a final decision on that? Paper or screen? Or should it just stay this way, like a pendulum?
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24/08/2020

Lifehack against distraction
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Sometimes when I am working on a long project that includes a series of pictures, my brain begins to get distracted. I start to think about all the other ideas and projects that I ALSO want to get busy with. Preferably immediately and simultaneously and right now.
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So here is a hack that I use to keep my head in line: I come up with a simple no-brainer project that I can do during the short periods between the main work. It lets me get a break from whatever it is I am working on and allows me to come back refreshed.
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So, to keep myself focused on one project, I get busy with another, more straightforward project. Now that I have put it in words, it sounds counterproductive, but it actually helps. The second project acts as a sort of no-pressure playground to go and get a little rest. And in the end, there is also another picture finished, like a bonus 🎉
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Is it crazy? Do you need such distractions when working on a long term projects?

12/08/2020

When is it finished?
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How do artists understand that the picture is finished Is there a nominal last stroke, after which one can be sure that it is done It is a complex and fascinating topic that I discussed with my good friend several times already, and we cannot quite put our finger on it.
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Here I will gather some of my thoughts on that, using my process video as a general illustration of the topic.
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In short, I think that there is no such thing as that last stroke. I believe that there are several particular steps in the process. None of them can be avoided if I want my picture to look good. If I skip or mess about with any one of them, the result almost guaranteed will be annoyingly disappointing. No matter how much time I will spend trying to find that last stroke in the end.
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So here are the steps that I think are crucial:
🔸️figure out your base composition!
🔸️choose colors wisely.
🔸️add details, but know when to stop.
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I have already written some of my thoughts about color palettes. If you haven't read it yet, check this hashtag out . I will write some more about each of these steps in my next posts, so stay tuned!
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03/08/2020

Vinyl cover illustration and label design.
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Recently we have talked about this project in the context of mock-ups. Today I want to finally show all the pics together! Swipe left to see the pictures both in the mock-ups and separately. (And, if you haven't yet, check out my previous posts where we talked about color palettes and mock-ups!) The drawing process comes next 🖌
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Unlike most of my projects, this one began not with a description of the project, but with the illustration itself. Normally I get a request from a client to make an illustration for their project. Then we discuss the subject, the target audience, the requirements, etc. And only then I begin to sketch.
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This time I first made a drawing and only then came up with an idea of what kind of product (and client) it could be handy for.
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But that is the story of the cover illustration. The label came later. I have designed it to be in harmony with the cover style and included all the potentially useful info that can be placed on such a vinyl.
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I hope you like the mock-up! And if you know anybody who might need a cover illustration for their music - let them see this post 👩‍🎨 @ Bergen, Noway

28/07/2020

My new website!
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Remember a hundred years ago I was asking you guys to give me some advise about websites? Since then I was working on my new one! It took me ages, because I had to do it between my work assignments and, you know, the rest of my life. But finally it is finished! Yaaay!
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I am so glad that I have made it. And so happy that it is finally finished (and I can invest my newly freed time for something fun!)! So, give me hi-five! Patt me on the back! And go see my brand new website-baby! :))
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And also, I would be greatful if you tell me what you think about it (don't be too polite, I can take critics too :)!