BKK Unzine Issue 11

Theme: Loving Portraits

Published: 1st July 2021

bkk UNZINE issue 11 Portrait

Welcome to BKK UNZINE art magazine, home to unseen independent artists from around the world.

Art is the PORTRAIT of the Author” – Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)
French Poet, Novelist, Painter, Graphic artist, Playwright and Filmmaker

If there was one person who lived creativity and knew Art it was Jean Cocteau. The theme of the issue you are about to read is Portraits. This was a very popular theme as you will see from the number of submissions we have received. 

We also have a new feature (the table of content) and a new section (Artist spotlight) Enjoy the ride!


If you are an artist and you want to get featured, the next theme for the August issue #12 will be Travel, you can submit your artwork at this link:

Artists in this issue

Songwit

Songwit

Ban Rak Sun

Ban Rak Sun

Rockefeller Profile

Rockefeller

JJ Scott Profile

JJ Scott

Piya

Marc Kuegle

Piya

Venky

Mai

Olya Shu

Ymir Profile

Ymir

Stefan Profile

Stefan

Piya

Chartlajam

Boris

Boris

Jigme Profile

Jigme

Elizabeth

Elizabeth

Piya

Giuliano

Boris

Andi

Piya Profile

Piya

Jane Forrest Profile

Jane Forrest

Christian Profile

Christian

Jaya Profile

Jaya

Nirut Profile

Nirut

Kamanita Profile

Kamanita

Superfah Jellyfish Profile

Superfah Jellyfish

Connor Profile

Connor

My Fantasy Thai Self

Chartlajam Fantasy Thai Self
Pencil drawing on DHL notebook

I drew this during the lunch break in my office back in 2018. It was very cold in the office with the incoming exporting information blowing my brain up. My DHL notebook has a blank page like a sketchbook so I drew myself from imagination. I want to walk everywhere topless, have long hair with side-shave and wear big ass earrings.

Chartlajam

Split

Markers on illustration paper

Everyone has a split personality in some way.

Rockefeller Losorata

Spirit of The Male Gaze

Ymir Spirit of The Male Gaze
Digital: Procreate on iPad Pro with Apple Pen

Belief and superstition have always been two of the most important tools of education throughout the ages as it is easier to carve rules and expectations onto the unconscious of people utilizing them. Teaching methods have improved and become scientific in today’s modern world, yet there are still some foundational notions that we keep failing to educate people about. So, I promote employing the educational tools of the past to eliminate some social issues, for instance, the male gaze.

The male gaze is seeing a person as a sex object or a commodity. Such a disrespectful view is against human rights, but there is a great number of people and institutions who possess and promote this view consciously and unconsciously. To educate such people, I think we can spread the superstition “Spirit of the Male Gaze.” She appears when you view somebody as a sex object or commodity and plucks your eyes out to collect them.

Ymir

There Will Be Blood

Ymir There Will Be Blood
Digital: Autodesk Sketchbook Pro on Wacom Intuos Pro • Print: Epson Exhibition Canvas (only 25 copies) – A1 – 59.4×84.1 cm

The last of the 8-portrait series “The Mothers of The Universe, this portrait is inspired by Turkish culture, and Yörük elements of attire are employed. During the Independence War which resulted in the establishment of the Turkish Republic, women played a special role in defending the country against the invading countries by fighting their way towards the army to supply them with weapons and ammo. In Turkish culture, almost no woman is afraid of seeing blood as, since their childhood, they’ve acted as healers and midwives.

But in today’s Anatolia, many women are oppressed, tortured, forced into prostitution, and ruthlessly killed by men, and the only thing that makes a woman respectable is her virginity or marriage. If a woman loses her virginity before marriage, she is considered fallen and her life becomes hell. The name of the work suggests an irony between the facts that women are not afraid of blood and that they are oppressed by means of a few drops of blood that indicates their virginity. The series of eight portraits named “Mothers of the Universe” aims at representing the body of the woman in a celestial and divine manner as opposed to the way it has long been viewed: as a commodity and sex object. In today’s world, women murders are widely neglected by governments and especially in uneducated areas, the number of women threatened, tortured, and killed by their husbands, ex-husbands, lovers, ex-lovers, or other relatives, neighbors is growing each day which makes one think that more and more people are starting to see women less valuable than animals.

I think not only men but also women should be educated as they are mothers who raise the future generations. So, women are not only the builders of the next generations but the architects of a whole reality, who can deconstruct the current patriarchally constructed reality and reconstruct a new one in which people see each other as human first, man or woman later. Therefore, the series of portraits that represent women as bodiless, timeless, celestial beings, aims at raising the awareness that such a world is possible if we work together, thus is named “Mothers of the Universe.”
You can see the rest of the portraits at the link below on my Behance page.

Ymir

Segata Sanshiro Never Dies

JJ Scott Segata Sanshiro
Digital: CLIP STUDIO PAINT

Inspired by the mascot of the 1990’s Sega Saturn adverts in Japan and the intensity and aggression found within.

JJ Scott Illustration

Best Friend

Jocelyn Nong Ma
Oil on Canvas, March 2021, 24 x 36 inches

This is a portrait of my best friend, Ava. We are both painters studying contemporary art together at the Etobicoke School of the Arts. Ava was the first person in our class to be truly vulnerable with us through her art. Because of her bravery, our class now has a family-like relationship; we love and support each other through everything, and push each other to do our best work. Her honesty and her paintings have been my biggest inspiration for my own art, and without her work my art would not be where it is today. Being with Ava and the community at our school makes me feel so safe, but now because of the school closures due to Covid-19, I had lost that feeling of safety. Now by painting Ava, art created a feeling of safety and belonging I feel at my school, but from my room, in lockdown.

Jane Forrest

Rama IV Look 2

Christian Rama IV Look 2
Acrylic on Canvas, 100 x 100 (2019)

There is not a lot to say, except . …. I guess, I just like the contrast between her calm look and all the dusty and noisy mess on the road behind her, which she seem to filter out completely. Hats off to her.

Christian Fielitz

Don’t Give no Cause or Alibi

Stefan Issue 11
Oil painting on canvas 2021; 33 W x 35 H x 0.1 D cm; Not Framed; Unique artwork

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the mask – the emblem of the pandemic – has fed my creativity. The mask is an object of controversy: a symbol of censorship and separation, but also of care and protection.

Stefan Doru Moscu

An Expression of Power and Compassion

Giuliano Evolution
Digital : Autodesk Sketchbook
Style : Mimicking Watercolor on Textured Paper

This is one of the digital sketches for Illustrations I worked based on from Pinterest art for a client. And of the several unique individual concepts this is the one that gave me a flow that I have not felt doing any other illustration. I could totally feel the power and kindness merging into one when I see it.

Venky

Untitled

Jigme Mothial Comic
Acrylic on canvas

it is a portrait of a man who didn’t care about himself and went out to help others during the pandemic. The colors I used are symbolic of the people who help the country. The yellow symbolizes the king, the orange symbolizse the minister DESUUP and the police who help the people to follow the protocol. The Saharsara shows the kindness and willingness of the people and the king to work together for the good fortune for the country.

Jigme Tshenda

Deep

Elizabeth Deep
Digital: Krita

The actual portrait itself is of no one I know. I was inspired by other artists that have done similar styles with the fishbowl effect.

Elizabeth

Portrait

Jaya Portraits
Color pencils on paper

I wanted to draw models’ faces from magazines. The woman in red is popularly known as AFGHANI GIRL, she had been on the cover page of National Geographic Magazine. The candid beauty of the picture stirred me to recreate her on paper.

The other women in this collage were popular models back then in the 1990’s. Every famous magazine would feature them.

It was challenging yet fun. The result may not have been perfect, but I wanted to prove to myself that I can.

Jaya

If you have missed our previous issues, you can read them here:

Human Diversity

Piya Human Diversity
Acrylic on canvas 80×100 cm

This painting is called “Human diversity” and I created it as a tribute to the “All lives matter” topic. It shows women of different skin tones and from different countries which are gathering together in harmony.

Piya

Reflection

Giuliano Reflection
Acrylic on fine art paper

“Reflection” is a Madonna in Art piece that was first published online in 2001. This portrait of Madonna Ciccone also known as “Madonna The Queen of Pop” is inspired by the “Music” hit album. This painting was chosen to be include d in a publication by Pop Art Books London UK and it was finally released in 2003 “Madonna in Art” London UK compiled by Mem Mehmet. The style of this painting “Reflection” is Abstract Diffusion, and in its essences reflects the raw use of color and paint strokes connected by lines. This painting was the most complex painting created in the Style of Abstract Diffusion and is a re-invention of abstract art in the modern world, considered to be a masterpiece by many critics. This piece was also exhibited at the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park Bangkok Thailand in 2018 on our solo exhibition called “Healing Art” and impressed many visitors.

Giuliano Cavallo

Guillermo del Toro

Songwit Guillermo del Toro
Pen on paper and colored in Photoshop

Guillermo del Toro is the person who showed the beauty of monsters, the darkness of human minds, and childhood dreams through his cinematographic universe. With his honesty and passion, he is one of the people that no matter what he has created, I’ll always follow his work.

Songwit

Painting Self-portrait at Night

Ban Rak Sun Self-portrait
Pentel brush pen and watercolors

I like painting at night as it is a quiet and relaxing time for me. While I was painting this at night, I could observe myself reflecting in the mirror. The person in the mirror is myself but I feel like it is another person. The person in the painting is myself but it is another myself interpreted in my own way. The process for this painting makes me focus on myself more. Once in a while, it is good to have time like this.

Ban Rak Sun

Do you want to suggest the theme for future issues? 

L0v3ly V@mp1r3

Andi Lovely Vampire
Photoshop, Lightroom on Wacom tablet

I mixed different technique for this portrait. It started by a photo I tool of my wife, then I manipulated it in Photoshop. I replaced the eyes with 3D eyes and removed the background. I applied some filters first and then repainted all of it with a Wacom tablet. The digital painting took a very long time actually. I finished by applying some actions scripts for the dispersion effect and post-production in Lightroom. I love my wife and I always found vampire women to be very sexy, so I transformed my wife into one;-)

This was a first artwork of a series I made in 2017, where I tried to digital paint some friend’s FB profile picture as a caricature.

Andi

Sunshine in a Smile

Olya Sunshine in a Smile
Watercolor

There have always been and always will be days when you feel blah for no (or for many) reason. But there was never a cloud the sun didn’t shine through remember to smile.

Olya Shu

Patrick

Nirut Patrick
Marker on vellum

Wearing my geekiness on my sleeve here, but I’d just recently finished watching Star Trek: Picard and regardless of how people regard modern Trek it just brought back memories of a childhood role model (that being Jean-Luc Picard the character and not particularly Patrick Stewart the actor {no slight against him, however] although the piece is titled “Patrick”). This was done a while ago with marker on vellum and I kind of regret not going back to that medium more often.

Nirut

ONE TAKE (DJ STICKY KEYS)

Marc STICKY KEYS
Digital : Photoshop – Camera: Canon 750D

This is a portrait I did of Dj Sticky Keys. He is a Malaysian/American DJ based in Bangkok. Go check out his music! It is a digital collage made in photoshop. I used a Canon 750D for the portrait shot.

Marc

Meet Our New Artists

Let’s hear from the new artists featured in this issue…

Rockefeller

Finding my way back to art. Did illustrations to 2 e-books (Flash Fiction and How to survive the new normal). Wrote and sung a song called “Amen” in digital stores.

JJ Scott

Jonathan Scott has been working in UK comics since 2015, contributing to many of the UK’s best independent publishers. He has recently relocated to Bangkok, Thailand.

Jane Forrest

Jane Forrest is a 16-year-old artist based in Toronto. She is currently majoring in contemporary art and studying contemporary photography at the Etobicoke School of the Arts. She is a painter and photographer and primarily works with oil paint on canvas. Her work focuses on themes of control, the global pandemic, and community. She has shown work at Alberta University of the Arts, US Gallery, and Arts Etobicoke.

Jigme

Hello, I’m an art student from Bhutan and my name is Jigme Tshenda. Hope you guys like my paintings!

Christian Fielitz

Christian initiated art studies Universitaet der Kuenste and Art Academy – Weissensee, both Berlin. Foregoing an opportunity to study in London, he very regrettably chose a conservative field of academic and professional occupation. This decision diverted him from his true passion – Art & Design, but only briefly. His artworks encircle furniture design, illustrations, graphic novels and paintings. He worked many years in Madrid and other locations and is now based in Bangkok.

Stefan Doru Moscu

Stefan Doru Moscu is a visual artist, born in 1982, living and working in Brasov, Romania. He received a B.A. in Art and Restoration from the State University of Sibiu, Romania and works with both painting and sculpture. Stefan’s surreal paintings explore society’s transformation from the past to the present. He culls inspiration from decaying objects, old photographs, pop culture, and art history to present a critical view of various social, political, and cultural issues. His works are characterized by a darker color palette and obscured figures, giving his compositions a more somber mood. </p> <p>Stefan had an artist’s residency at Glo’Art in Belgium in spring 2015 and 2017 and has exhibited his works in the US and across Europe in countries including United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Poland. Most recently, his works were a part of “The Other Art Fair” in London and “The Sea/Das Meer “international group exhibition at Group Global 3000’s Projectspace in Berlin.

Nirut Chamsuwan

Born Thai, grew up American and finally settled in Bangkok, I find myself drawn to myriad interests (currently illustration, sequential art, pop culture, movies, toy collecting, cooking and English… oh, and the dear love of procrastination). Graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in the US with a degree in architecture, but look upon that as practice for drawing backgrounds in comics.

Kamanita Klinjuy

Former work orientation instructor of the Consortium (non-profit organization preparing Indo-Chinese refugees for resettlement in the US). Former after school activity teacher at international schools (teaching drawing, woodworking, Thai cuisine, electronic fun, batik painting, biking and scouting). Former amateur triathlete, finisher of 4 triathlon races; Mekhong River (2 times), Laem Mae Phim and Hua Hin – Cha am. Now living in Phanat Nikhom, Chonburi working on cartoon character design and 3D design. My happy time is while drawing and playing harmonica at the same time since I’m more concentrating on both hand and ears plus gaining happiness from the two activities. Free time: Meditation

Connor Flynn

I like to think of myself as a portrait artist, certainly all the work I have made so far are portraits. Usually either drawings with markers or some paintings. I am trying to learn to be brave with my practice to commit to each line, leave pencil behind and capture a sense of immediacy and impact with my marks.

Angelina Jolie

Kamanita Angelina Jolie
Markers, pencils on cotton cloth

Portrait drawing is quite challenging due to its details. I always make my own frame from soft wood, stretching on it with thick white cotton cloth and use a permanent marker, EE and mechanical pencils, carbon powder and brush on.

Kamanita

Don Vito

Superfah Don Vito
Watercolour on canvas

Made in 2013, to express my love for Don Vito.

Superfah Jellyfish

Sketch I

Connor Sketch
Pen on paper

I’ve been trying to draw more with pen. Sometimes it works sometimes not, it’s kind of like an act of faith. I like how this one turned out.

Connor

Couldn’t Sleep

Boris Couldnt Sleep
Ink tools (brush pen, nib pen, gel pen) on copy paper

I had this image of a frog sitting on a tiled road, it’s difficult to describe in words and I had to draw it, but instead of drawing a random scenery, I decided to organize around the avatar I use in my comic strips. And yes I could sleep after I drew this.

Boris

Artist Spotlight

Artist spotlight is our new section where we interview artists to get insight on their craft.

Andi is a graphic designer, traveler and free diver amongst other things. He does graphic design as a hobby now, He loves creating psychedelic fractal art and 3D art, he does vector art and photography as well.

For this issue we asked Andi about himself of course but mostly about the future of digital art.

Andi
When did you figure out that you liked doing digital art?
I always liked computers for doing art since being a kid but I fully realized I wanted to do graphic design on computers later, during my university studies which I dropped off to study graphic design. I loved 3D the most and still do! I did work as a freelance graphic designer mostly with Photoshop and web design jobs for a while until I could not earn enough to live decently in Switzerland and started to work in IT. At this time I considered digital arts more as a job than an art.

During many years working in various IT positions, I continued to do graphic design as a hobby. This is when I consider my graphic design became more of an art rather than a job of course. I found a software called Apophysis to create fractal art and started to play with it and loved the look of it a mix of: “dream visions and science”. It was literally art made from science! Around the same time, I found out a 3D landscape generator, an alpha version of Vue d’esprit that was free, so I played a lot with those and started creating my own 3D worlds too.

How do you decide which idea to pursue to turn into an actual piece of art?
It needs to be special as an idea or in the way of creating it, finding a way of mixing techniques or software to do something more, something special or learning a new technique which inspires me to create something new with it.

Sometimes, I start something, but I am not satisfied with the result or with the process to get there and decide to put it aside for later and do some other artwork instead and one day I come back to the first artwork, with fresh ideas & motivation or new technique/software.

What do you want to improve as an artist?
I want to improve my 3D skills, especially on modeling or 3D sculpting, character design, animation and VFX. Mixing reality and virtual worlds sounds very attractive to me, it is the future.

One of my next short term learning paths will probably be how to animate abstract things with sound and music as the driver of the animation/abstract artwork.

I mostly do visual art, but on the very few animations I do, I sometimes create my own music, so I would like to learn more about that to do abstract art animation driven by music.

Are there any digital art tools you are excited about for the future?
Rendering is now getting easier and easier, but you still need a powerful computer, and sometimes you need to rent one in the cloud for rendering a project.

Rendering was done traditionally on CPUs but nowadays they are calculated by GPUs and it makes things way faster but what I am truly excited about is the next step, real time GPU rendering.

We are only at the beginning of it, I am sure this technology will improve and become usable in every 3D software, not only game engines. This will be a game changer for 3D artists especially for motion design & animation!

What is your opinion on NFTs?
I am excited about it, but it is still a niche market and a bit elitist too sometimes. You only can become a member of NFT’s platform on invitation on many crypto art platforms.

This tech is applied to art and not well understood yet by everyone and if you can earn money with it in the form of crypto currency, it will not take long for governments all over the planet to try to regulate it more or less cleverly depending on the country. It may be good or more bad like a ban on NFT’s.

Our Upcoming Events

Japanese Art Collective in Thailand

This July go check out Sathorn11 Art space 

Meetup

We would like to let you guys know about our weekly drawing hangouts where we get together ONLINE and draw together every Sunday afternoon (Thailand time GMT+7).

Meetup Facebook

If you are not on Meetup, you can join us on our Facebook page under the Events section.

Artists in this issue

Songwit

Songwit

Ban Rak Sun

Ban Rak Sun

Rockefeller Profile

Rockefeller

JJ Scott Profile

JJ Scott

Piya

Marc Kuegle

Piya

Venky

Mai

Olya Shu

Ymir Profile

Ymir

Stefan Profile

Stefan

Piya

Chartlajam

Boris

Boris

Jigme Profile

Jigme

Elizabeth

Elizabeth

Piya

Giuliano

Boris

Andi

Piya Profile

Piya

Jane Forrest Profile

Jane Forrest

Christian Profile

Christian

Jaya Profile

Jaya

Nirut Profile

Nirut

Kamanita Profile

Kamanita

Superfah Jellyfish Profile

Superfah Jellyfish

Connor Profile

Connor