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Andreea DobrinGraphics portfolio

National Universtiy of Arts Bucharest

Graphic Arts Department/2nd year/2013

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National Universtiy of Arts Bucharest

Graphic Arts Department/2nd year/2013

Andreea DobrinGraphics portfolio

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Summary

Curriculum Vitae.......................................................Book Intervention......................................................School Days............................................................Antipa.................................................................Mofturi................................................................Sketchbooks............................................................Photography............................................................

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page 11

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page 67

page 79

page 95

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Andreea DobrinCurriculum vitae

Graphic Arts at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, second year.BA in Business Management at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest.High School Diploma at “I.C. Bratianu” National College in Pitesti.

Modernity and Tradition in the City of the 21st Century etchings group exhibition, Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti, Torino.Mofturi poster group exhibition at Rapsodia Theater, Bucharest.Desene la Palat group exhibition at Casa Artelor Gallery, Mogosoaia Palace.Expozitie de afis group exhibition at Mansarda Gallery, Art and Design Faculty, Timisoara.Arte la Antipa group exhibition at the National University of Arts Bucharest.Ánuala artelor grafice group exhibition at Mansarda Gallery, Art and Design Faculty, Timisoara.

2011-2013

2000-2004

1996-2000

Mar 2013

Dec 2012

Nov 2012

Oct 2012

Jun 2012

Apr 2012

Studies

Group

Exhibitions

Born on 03/08/1981 in Pitesti, Arges

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Modernity and Tradition in the City of the 21st Century , experimental etching techniques at Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti, Torino held by professors Franco Fabrero, Claudia Tamburelli, Zuzu Caratanase and Andrei Ciubotaru.B - a Creative Approach to Bucharest, graphic design workshop held by Marc Andrews and Christian Deggen from Andrews:Deggen Design Studio, Amsterdam.The results were published in an online magazine and included works by students based on graphical intervention in the surrounding cityscape.

9 years of practiced graphic design in local advertising agencies mostly for the web environment but also logos, identity packages and offline works for commercial purposes.

05-12 Mar 2013

21-25 May 2012

2004 - 2013

Workshops

Graphic design

experience

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11

This book intervention project is a personal initiative. It started from the simple premise that as children we were always forbidden, among other things, to draw on books, that we would ruin them. I wanted to overcome that interdiction, bought a book from a local antique bookshop and started to draw on it. It is a book of poems by the Romanian author Ion Barbu, not one of my favourites as I grew up, but whose creations I now see in a totally different light. I’ve never read poetry so focused as I did when I was drawing next to his rhymes. Just like myself he had double interests: he was a mathematics professor and a poet and both art and science intermingled in his case.

The drawings

in the book

were done in

black ink

liner. At first

they were mere

experiments

around Ion

Barbu’s poems.I

have to admit I

wasn’t reading

the texts very

carefully.

Book intervention

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What started

at first only

as a playful

act continued

more and more

serious as I

unveiled the

possibilities

of book

intervention.

It simply

becomes a

different

object then the

original.

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14

The organic

universe of

Ion Barbu was

a perfect

match for my

intention to

study the

animals at our

Natural History

Museum “Grigore

Antipa”, a

place where I

had previously

been with my

classmates for

a different

project earlier

that year.

15

Exploring both

literary and

scientific

worlds yielded

these results,

a third

universe almost

filled with

creatures that

are partly

true, partly

inspired by

poetry and

in the end

sometimes just

left for the

imagination.

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17

Working in the

museum gave me

the opportunity

to have people

interact with

this kind

of project.

Children are

the best at

administrating

constructive

criticism

as well as

compliments.

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19

Workers at the

museum got used

to seeing me

there every day

during winter

vacation,

as that was

the most

concentrated

period when

this work got

done.

Some of them

were also

curious about

seeing someone

drawing.

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The drawings in

the book have

had quite a

trip. Some of

them are merely

decorative,

others are

symbolic and

others, that I

prefer, have

managed to

convey just

a hint of a

feeling, a

question that

opens more

questions.

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Being at the

museum made

me want to

create out

of this book

something like

the journal of

an explorer,

collecting

information

about the

wildlings in

its trips and

having only a

book of poems

to record them.

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Some of the

drawings

spawned other

creatures in my

imagination,

an animal out

of a tree, an

insect out of

lines of text,

things I later

used in other

larger works.

That is the

best benefit of

concentrated

work, the

spring of new

ideas.

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I find myself

more and more

fascinated

with animals

and their

role in our

human lives,

the symbolism

behind each

and every

species, the

folklore they

inspired, the

religions they

served if we

think of some

civilizations

like the

Egyptins and

so many more.

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27

I intend to

make this

project a

part of a

series, pick

out different

Romanian

authors and

see what those

colliding

worlds would

bring to light.

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After graduating from Business School and working for eight years as a self taught graphic designer here I am, finally doing what I always wanted to do: studying art, drawing. It was the best decision I’ve ever taken and still proves to be surprisingly good in ways I hadn’t even foreseen when I first took it. I learned a new way of thinking in the creative process and that is probably the greatest benefit. I met professors and students, people that have “the itch”, that never sit still in the routine of life, people that work hard and when you think they are finished they work even harder. Above all they are talented and beautiful and you cannot ignore this vibe and it’s this vibe that makes you better. And here, in this world, I come every day and draw.

When you

make quick

sketches, I’ve

been taught,

it should be

like one long

breath of air.

It should flow

out of one

concentrated

gesture. The

mind is at work

just as much or

even more than

the hand.

School days

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In the first

week of

school our

professor told

us to forget

everything we

knew about

drawing until

that point.

I didn’t know

much so it was

easy to throw

away the little

I knew...and I

started to draw

freely.

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Charcoal and

ink drawing

with a corn

stick are some

of my favourite

tools. They

seem to do

half the work

themselves. The

truth is they

simply “force”

you to become

free because

they lack

precision.

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I never thought

that drawing

reflections

in the mirror

could prove

so different

than drawing

after reality.

The mirror

reinterprets

reality and

when we draw

that we do a

reinterpret

this

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Colour is

a personal

war for me,

probably for

many. But once

started there

is no battle

more exciting

than that

of finding

the perfect

relation

between two

tones of colour

and making them

sing.

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We don’t have

many models

at school.

This is one

of the three

available.

Meet Angela.

She lives in

Buftea, near

Bucharest and

for these

two paintings

she had two

overcome a very

tough winter

to arrive at

school.

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Angela doesn’t

talk much as

opposed to

the other two

models, she

seems to be in

a world of her

own. I don’t

even think she

sees us when

she poses. I

wonder how she

became a model

for the school.

I’ll ask her

that next time

she poses.

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Meet Flory. She

is warm hearted

and drawings

after her

come out very

expressive. Not

just mine, but

throughout the

whole school.

She doesn’t

usually take

her tea naked.

Just for the

sake of art.

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The project at the Mogosoaia Palace lasted for about three weeks and finished with a group exhibition done during this time by my colleagues and I. It’s a Romanian architectural landmark built in one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen. It inspired us all for the exhibition.

Mogosoaia is a

small village

at about 15

km outside of

Bucharest. Even

though I’ve

been in the

capital for 13

years, I had

never visited

this place

before this

project.

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The trees and

the stillness

of the place is

so impressive

and so much

in contrast

with what lies

so close,

the crowded

capital. It’s

almost unreal

because of

that.

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These etchings

are using the

Aqua Forte,

Aqua Tinta

and Soft Wax

traditional

techniques.

The one on the

right it’s

done during a

workshop at

the Accademia

Albertina di

Belle Arti,

Torino.

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I intend to

one day follow

the path of

illustration,

mostly for

children books.

Of one thing

I’m certain:

drawing will

somehow be

involved in my

future.

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The Antipa project was organized by two coordinating professors, Carmen Apetrei and Stela Lie and it consisted of us drawing at the Natural History Museum “Grigore Antipa” for about a month during spring of 2012. The museum became very familiar during that time, almost like a home, I knew all its dioramas and the info that was played over and over. What never got old was people’s reaction to seeing certain animals in the museum, especially children’s reactions and questions. Some kids came with their attentive mothers, some with their encyclopaedic fathers, some with their nannies and some with a dad that was on the phone during the whole visit. If you stayed long enough you could make a very comprehensive study on family mechanics and that fits a Natural History Museum very well. I learned from children that Leonardo Di Caprio was a great painter and that you can say “spaghetti” instead of “cheese” when you take a photo.

The lizard

drawing on the

left was done

in watercolour

and strives

for the animal

as a sign. My

intent was for

it to have

calligraphic

power, to have

one clear way

in which the

eye follows the

drawing.

Antipa

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During the one

month we stayed

at Antipa I

avoided the

insects room as

much as I could

because, like

most people, I

fear bugs and

cockroaches.

Drawing them

was a challenge

and I thought

it would cure

my phobia, but

it didn’t.

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The bug drawn here is a Cyclommatus Metallifer. It does seem like it’s made out of metal or that it could break metal with its pliers like horns. Despite the fear they induce in me, there is also fascination in the way nature built these creatures. It is true what the philosophers said about drawing, that it is a different type of assimilating knowledge, different then science or religion.

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I made these

drawings using

my first grade

fountain pen,

one of those

objects made

in China that

were so popular

when I was a

child. I even

had one with

a golden tip

and one that I

received for my

birthday from

my dad.

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Lorem ipsum

dolor sit amet,

consectetur

adipiscing

elit.

Pellentesque

fermentum

rhoncus

auctor. Donec

scelerisque

posuere odio,

in rhoncus

orci feugiat

sit amet. Cum

sociis natoque

penatibus et

magnis dis

Here I

discovered

and applied

the secret of

drawing insect

wings, the

secret between

heavy and

light objects.

I didn’t know

up until that

point that if

you drew all

the details in

a wing it will

make it look

heavy.

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Caterpillars

and the

Elephant Bug

are the stars

in these

drawings. Even

though I feared

insects, in

the end some

of the best

drawings I did

in the museum

were there.

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Watercolours

and a squirrel

hair brush

helped create

these small

paintings. The

pink fish on

the left got

stolen during

the exhibition,

just like

a lot of my

colleagues

works. Luckily

they were

prints of the

originals.

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Posters for a children theatre play. This was one of my favourite project from school thus far. The play was a kind of a collage from various literary sketches written by Ion Luca Caragiale and was directed by Chris Simion who is known for her experimental and modern approaches. We had access to their rehearsals and that was new to me. I never knew the kind of work theatre people have to go through before we actually see the play on stage. It’s a lot of shouting, a lot of repeating, objects flying around and nerves stretched to the maximum. In the end the results seem effortless. The fact that I got to meet Alexandrina Halic, the voice that told us stories on the radio when I was a child, was the cherry on top of everything. The graphic challenge itself was intense and I immersed in it with everything I got.

I made a string

of paper people

which got used

in various

ways for this

project: as

a standalone

object for a

photo shoot, as

a detail for a

poster and as

an illustration

for the play’s

program flyer.

Mofturi

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The sketches on

the left were

done during

the play’s

rehearsal and

the one on

the right is

a hands on

example of my

Edward Gorey

influence, an

illustrator

I admire very

much.

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Who knew that

pop-art and

Caragiale would

ever come

to mix! The

work on these

posters was one

of the most

fruitful due to

the fact that

my professor,

Carmen Apetrei,

gladly shared

her printing

knowledge.

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It was the

first time I

used a pantone

sampler, the

first time I

understood what

pantone colours

actually

meant and the

correspondence

that exists

between

physical

colours and

the way we use

them on the

computer.

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Caragiale’s

colourful

characters

were very

inspirational

for the

characters

seen here. It

helped that

we knew these

characters

ever since we

were children

ourselves.

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Lorem ipsum

dolor sit amet,

consectetur

adipiscing

elit.

Pellentesque

fermentum

rhoncus

auctor. Donec

scelerisque

posuere odio,

in rhoncus

orci feugiat

sit amet. Cum

sociis natoque

penatibus et

magnis dis

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The play’s

program flyer

was another

challenge of

the project.

The graphic

design part is

another aspect

of our jobs

that interests

me and seeing a

product of mine

from concept to

print was quite

an experience.

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Drawing in sketchbooks is one of my favourite ways of expression. They are intimate, they are mine, they are mini projects in themselves because sometimes they are finished just as they are. The drawings in there are not necessarily the scaffold for something else. Sometimes I feel like the word “sketchbook” doesn’t do them justice. They are drawingbooks, period. I have one drawingbook, the one pictured on the left that is half started before I got into art school and continued during the first year of studies. It’s interesting to draw parallels between the two periods. Some things I knew better instinctively and lost a little bit after entering school. Others were major improvements. I am glad I have a testimonial for my evolution during those times.

The sketchbook

pictured on the

left is a red

Moleskine. Yes

I succumbed

to the much

beloved brand

and I don’t

think I’ll

ever get tired

of it.

Sketchbooks

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The domestic

surroundings

are some of

my favourite

things to draw

after. It

wasn’t always

like this in

the sense that

I wasn’t always

aware that you

can make an

interesting

and beautiful

drawing

after almost

anything.

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Sometimes the

drawings in the

notebooks have

a therapeutic

effect on me.

I write things

that have been

hanging in my

system for a

long time and

it feels good

to see them out

in the open.

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Leonardo’s

notebooks

proved great

inspiration for

this particular

drawing.

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I’m also

interested in

cinematography.

This particular

drawing is made

after a movie

still shot.

86

The domestic

common things

at work. My

bathroom, my

detergents,

my clothes

hangers,

my cat. My

universe.

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Who knew

clothes clips

could talk!

They spoke to

me on a boring

day and became

important,

uncommon.

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Represented

here is

a series

of family

portraits: my

dad, my grandma

who is in

heaven now and

my boyfriend’s

nana, Mikisori.

Family members

prove to be

great models

for us art

students.

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These

preparatory

sketches were

done for one of

my favourite

theme. It was

an illustration

theme. We had a

model, Claudia,

who posed there

almost like a

princess or a

Dutch royalty

and we had to

build a new

story around

her.

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I feel very

comfortable

drawing on

small surfaces.

The next

challenge is

to draw with

the same force

on a larger

surface. This

applies both

in my drawings

and in life.

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Photography was virtually unknown to me until I entered art school. I’m referring of course to the artistic part of it. I am still far from understanding its sensitive rules and its poetic power but it definitely counts as one of the most pleasant surprises. After learning a few things about photographic composition in the first year, playing with our digital cameras, during our second year at school we immersed into to the accidental by taking photos with improvised pinhole boxes. Some of the results can be seen here and on the following pages.

The local

surroundings

don’t look

so eastern

Europe through

a pinhole box

photography.

Photography

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The unexpected

type of imagery

is the biggest

surprise in

these photos.

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The characters

seem almost

painted. And

they are...but

with light.

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Long exposure

was required

for these

interior

photos. My

apartment seems

completely

transformed.

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The mystery

surrounding the

characters was

an unexpected

effect.

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I improvised

a small photo

studio in the

bathroom at my

place.

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Developing the

photos myself

makes the

whole process

so helpful.

2013

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