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Mikaela expresses her thoughts, dreams and creativity through different forms: drawing, painting, writing and photography - to positively inspire people to appreciate art and explore the world.

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My Pursuit of Van Gogh: The True Story
Leuralla Toy and Railway Museum
How Quora Awakened My Curiosity Again
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Ig: ArtByMikaela

It’s been years since my last attempt at digital painting. Obviously, there was no progress since 10 years ago. Observing my speed painting today on Paint3D, it looks exactly like my output when I was 18 - the time I just started playing around Adobe Photoshop. I never improved because I never practiced! How I wish I have plenty of time to spare to hone my skill on anything!

The former Colonial Mutual Life Building in Watercolour —- This is a painting for one of my best friends given as a birthday gift. It’s actually his favourite building that was unfortunately demolished in the heart of Melbourne, Victoria, AU. This painting was done in mixed media (mostly in Reeves watercolour and some details using Copic markers) on aquarelle paper 15x11 inches (38x28cm) posted on black board. ——————————————- HISTORY OF THE BUILDING 1837 - Towering its neighboring building with over 138ft in height comprised of seven stories (high ceilings) , the Colonial Mutual Life Building was originally built with granite blocks weighing up to 10,000kg; Walls and floors were made of Italian marble; “Carved and polished Belgian marble was used in skirtings, dadoes and architraves; The roof and downpipes were of copper. The all-up cost of the building was Â£233 000, including Â£72 000 for the supply of the granite.” The building was demolished in 1960 due to its presence being “uneconomic” despite its status of grandeur and opulence. —-

Joker on Polymer Clay — I’m terrible in sculpting and painting. Basically anything 3D is beyond my scope. For years, my creative outlet has been writing and I rarely do any visuals anymore. At the spur of the moment, I had the urge to try polymer clay once again and did this Joker sculpture for a friend who loves to collect Jokers. Originally, I wanted to buy one but then I thought, “Hang on, I don’t know which one he doesn’t have one yet.” It’s unrefined and far from perfect but those imperfections add character to it, don’t you think?

“LOVE” is a pop art imagery by Robert Indiana (Died May 2018). It was originally designed as a Christmas card commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art in 1965 and was later on created as a sculpture made of COR-TEN steel and now displayed in Indiana at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. R. Indiana’s style revolves around Americana, signage, and the power of ordinary words with hard-edge abstraction of the day, and included political and social overtones. The artwork has been reproduced on 330 million postage stamps that travelled around the world, which lead of unauthorized recreation, distribution, commercialization and monetization, of which he never got commissioned for. He has been a prominent and respectable figure in the world of modern art and his artworks were exhibited alongside Andy Warhol at the World’s Fair in Queens. Nonetheless, his iconic artwork has been one of the most reproduced image in the modern era, which most of the people are familiar with. This painting is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City.

“Drowning Girl” by Roy Lichtenstein is an iconic pop art (1963) painted using oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Its style was a recreation with an eye for detail on "tonal variations with patterns of colored circles that imitated the half-tone screens of Ben Day dots used in newspaper printing." - The entire painting is inspired by two pieces: (1) A splash page of the 1962 comic Secret Hearts #83, a story called "Run for Love!"; And (2) Japanese printmaker Hokusai's world-famous wood-block print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” - When pop art is mentioned, it’s Andy Warhol that usually comes into mind. Roy L. is actually the first pop artist to use a cartoon style in his paintings as early as 1958, beating Warhol who started the style in the 1960s. This painting is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City.

I wasn’t expecting to see a Jackson Pollock painting during this exhibit. Hence, I was stunned. Such magnificent and iconic work of art before me. Entitled Number 7 (1950), what seems to be random strokes composed as a calligraphy of a dance of the artist’s movement.

My mind is still blown by the concept of this - the repetitive images evokes her ubiquitous celebrity status, the vibrant colors represent her vivacious personality and the overall sombre mood represent her passing. This was created after her death. The first time I saw Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe Series (1967) was during the Andy Warhol x Ai Weiwei Exhibit back in 2016 at NGV and I still feel the same chills seeing it again.

It’s smaller than I expected. (The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, 1931)

Restoring vintage cameras is a pricey hobby. Someday when I get back to photography. :)

I still cannot fathom how they brought this inside NGV. I love this place. I’m so lucky it’s only 3 blocks away from work.

Still lacking depth and realism with rendering.. #art #sketch #illustration #copic #creativity #lady #muse #eyes

Naboo starfighter —

My quick sketch of a disproportionate X-Wing Starfighter.

Quick sketch before bedtime

Transition of styles from right to left just because I'm left handed. XD

Practice sketch

Watercolour sketch: Scaled

Checking if I can still draw. Looks like it.

Ig: Mikaela_Song

The Royal Arcade, completed in 1870, is the first arcade in Melbourne and the longest standing arcade in Australia. Its architecture was designed in the Italianate style, drawing on influential French and English models demonstrating essential qualities of those traditional styles by an English architect Charles Webb. Some of his notable works are the Melbourne Grammar School, Tasma Terrace, South Melbourne Town Hall, The Church of Christ, Banks and Co. Warehouse, and the renowned Windsor Hotel. An interesting fact about this place is that the land was purchased for £20 in 1837 and then later was bought for £650 in 1855.

The Royal Bank Branch at 287-301 Collins St. is an 11-storey building that was built between the interwar period 1938-1941. It’s design by Stephenson & Turner boasts the sleek lines and glamour of the art deco period using traditional materials with sweeping curves and the iconic horizontal and vertical lines that define its features. At the present time, the ground floor of the building is occupied by ANZ as one of its largest branches in Melbourne.

Collins St x Spring Season

Elizabeth St - Spring Time

The Australian Club was established in 1878, as one of the nine original clubs founded by the English settlers in Melbourne. Until today, the original building still houses one of the finest clubs in Australia with all its internal and external 19th century architecture intact.

I guess this will always be one of my favorite pictures taken during my travels. Taken in some part of Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong back in 2008 during my first trip alone without my parents, I was walking by myself along the risky urban streets of the Southern part of Kowloon, a major island of HK. - As a country, HK is perceived as a condensed metropolitan, known as the financial regional hub for corporate offices in South East Asia, and a relatively stressful competitive environment for white-collared workers. - However, I find solace in the concrete jungle of its towering skyscrapers, greenbelts in every corner, little shops along its alleys, hidden gems on its local streets and the huge interconnected shopping malls. - HK will always have a special place in my heart and I always have anecdotes to tell. - PS I got lost in HK when I was 5 years old.

Pairs of Imperial Guardian Lions or nicked by the West as “Foo Dogs” or shí shī (Chinese: 石獅; pinyin: shíshī; literally: "stone lion") can be seen as decorative elements in every entrance around the Forbidden City. There are two kinds of designs in the palace depending on the time period it was created. The one pictured above is from the Ming Dynasty. The other (not in photo) is from Qing Dynasty which has a different face and more decorative items throughout its body. The existence of guardian lions roots back to Chinese buddhism that spread throughout Asia. It usually comes in pair where it “would consist of a male leaning his paw upon an embroidered ball (in imperial contexts, representing supremacy over the world ) and a female restraining a playful cub that is on its back (representing nurture ).”

The last time I heard about Wangfujing’s Donghuamen Night Market is that the lease expired and they closed it imminently back in 2017. I guess this is considered one of the last photos I would’ve ever taken of the area. There were a lot of exotic food sold which was an eye opener for my ignorant self to their traditional cuisine. - - I first learned about it during my obsession period with Discovery’s Travel & Living channel back when I was a teenager. Despite having been brought up in the society which is a mixture of Filipino, Spanish and Chinese cultures, I felt such a foreigner to this land. However, I definitely felt closer to the culture where my ancestors came from especially when my appreciation that originated only from educational material things was realized in person. - - I will always love to come back to Beijing and explore the area. Every corner has an interesting story to tell which contributes to the bigger picture of its society as a whole. - - (Please ignore the watermark on the picture. My new url is www.mikaelasong.com)

Collins Street has a lot of interesting buildings with different architectural styles.

“T & G Mutual Life Assurance Society” built a lot of iconic and prominent buildings in Australia and New Zealand. One of its largest interwar commercial buildings, the company’s large headquarters in Victoria designed with vertical Art Deco style was built in 1920s along Collins St. Every building features a landmark tower with a distinctive stepped top with a signage of the company. — The company, T&G which stands for ‘Temperance & General’, was founded in Victoria in 1876. By 1950s, its policies’ funds reached £86M; Amalgamated with National Mutual Life Association in 1983; And bought by the French Multinational company, AXA in the 1990s.

The grand interior of ANZ Banking museum has a lot of interesting intricate details. The historical building is along the famous Collins St in Melbourne.

I’m missing HK! This is the longest period in my life where I haven’t been back to the city very close to my heart. 😭😘💞

When darkness envelopes the sky, even the liveliest place during the day can resonate the dark reality of desolation. — Pictured above is the iconic hallway of The General Post Office of Melbourne with its current architectural design that started its construction in 1861. During the day, this hallway is full of life and one of the busiest cafes in the city.

The former extension of the iconic Georges Department store that opened in 1891 and closed its doors in 1995, The Georges Apartments’ facade of the Parisian look has been meticulously preserved. Inside is an atrium with a generous glass ceiling that lets natural light illuminate the spacious area showcasing its elegant splendor.

Completed in 1880 for the Melbourne International Exhibition and hosted for the First Parliament of Australia in 1901, the Royal Exhibition Building is the first heritage site in Australia to be awarded as a World Heritage Site. The dome was inspired from the Florence Cathedral “while the main pavilions were influenced by the style of Rundbogenstil and several buildings from Normandy, Caen and Paris.”

Melbourne’s two most iconic heritage in one photo - The Flinders Street Station that was officially opened in 1910 and the SW5-class tram that was first introduced in 1923.

RMIT Building #12. The height of this staircase reminds me of the saying, “Yard by yard life is hard, inch by inch it’s a cinch.”

A state of the art iconic building that sits along the intersection of Collins and Swanstons streets, the Manchester Unity Building was built during the era of Art Deco (Gothic) movement in 1931-32. Despite the hard time that the Great Depression has brought, the directors of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (MUIOOF) decided to press ahead with the construction of the building to show the society that economy would improve and the establishment of it will provide employment.

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