Blog Feed

            Today is it. Today is the day that I leave this house forever, and never have to be near my mother, or annoying siblings again. Given this may not have been the best way to go, but it’s still better than being in that terrible house right? Why is that even a question? After today I know for a fact that it’s for the best that I am no longer in this house at all. No longer will the person that is supposed to love me most blatantly disrespect me. She deserves to be without me; she deserves to have to struggle to make sure that everything goes fine in the house. Fuck it; honestly she doesn’t even deserve to live! But that will come in time. Until that glorious day, I am happy to just be removed from the situation; whether I am in a cop car or not. Why am I in a cop car you ask? The kid who everyone expects to be perfect? The kid that everyone looks up to, and expects to have the best of the best grades, and the best of the best attitudes? Your cousin? What is he doing in the back of a cop car? He’s never even been to the principles office without leaving with the sound of metal bouncing on his neck from the newest award, so why is he leaving his house with the only sound of medal clanging coming from the handcuffs on his wrists? This makes no sense to you I know. But once you think about it, believe me it will. Sure I was happy, during school, and whenever I was around you. Sure I got all my work done, and made sure that all of my class work was completed. Sure I was able to get the valedictorian award 2 years ago in 8^th grade without even having to really try, but what about the things everyone doesn’t see? What about the things that cannot be seen with the naked eye? The things that can only be seen if you get to know this person. Most often these things that cannot be seen are the things that are hurting us the most, and these things sometimes push you to do things you wouldn’t normally do. Especially when they build up inside you, and get released all at once like an irrupting volcano. I should be used to it. It should not bother me that much at this point right? I mean I have been dealing with it all my life. The constant verbal abuse stemming from a sick and bitter mother with nothing better to do than bring you down along with her.

 “Nigga shut the fuck up!” The first 2 strikes came fast and unexpected. As what seemed like half my brain tried to register the pain that I had in my face, the other half was already reacting with a sense of overwhelming anger, and pure hatred. In an instant my brain had chosen whether or not it would go into fight or flight mode, and unluckily for my mother, it had chosen fight. As the pain continued to engulf my face, before I could realize, another strike hit my face. The third strike. Strike three took me to a place I had never been before. The anger that burned inside me; the adrenaline that rushed through my veins; these two things brought me to do something that I never believed I would do; hit her back. My one solid strike to her face had more force behind it than the 3 strikes she had landed on me combined. This resulted in more surprise on the faces of my older sister, and little brother who had been sitting on the bunk bed next to us watching the entire thing. From the moment it happened I knew what would come next, but deep down inside I knew I didn’t care, because I would finally leave the abuse that I had struggled living through for the past 16 years. Not another year, not another month, not another week, day, hour, minute, or second, would I deal with it all. So as I sit here in the back of this cop car and you wonder why I am here? You should be wondering, why am I not here earlier? And the answer would be, because of the three strikes. 

​So this year I want to expand what I do to a bigger audience , so I took my talents to sound cloud and used my promoting connections to get hits and plays on my mixes.Now when you search DJ MALO on sound cloud you will see me in the top row.I have people from all over the world hearing my music.

Hope You Love It.

https://soundcloud.com/dj_malo

Other art work I did this quater:

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1k-E5gINnrdNJMhvo9yqFbssQ0iDOZH7XareHNfrSd3Y/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tyd2u-qrp9Dyu-kqWdraNRsQDM59i_cUL8686amu3hQ/edit 

Link to google doc (: 

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/pub?id=1Xg8TsVpgt25c5uFPmxYrMFe2nJ7ubeSpdmGIW3iy3yw

​

Sugar skulls (calaveras de azúcar ) are a decoration for altars and tombs. They are used on Day of the Dead, and on November 2nd to adorn tombs and altars. Since they are made out of sugar, they are edible. The base is made out of white sugar. The decorations and colors are made out of colored sugars, icings, and bright foils.

I came up with the design of my skull by using several sugar skulls as a reference. Sugar skulls usually have a lot of floral and plant aspects, with lots of bright colors. They tend to look feminine, with lashes on the eyes. So I made the eyes big and round with lashes. Since sugar skulls are supposed to be colorful, I added some floral decorations on the side and on the top of the skull to make it more colorful. 

The process to make this took awhile. We had to make a plaster mask out of the material casts are. I wasn't comfortable using my face as a plaster mold, so I used a fellow classmate to model for my mask. After the mask was completed and dried, I was a bit iffy on what colors I should use. I first went with red for the background, but I quickly changed my mind and painted the red over with maroon. I forgot I had to make the mask like a sugar skull, so I repainted the mask completely white and did my current design. It didn't really resemble my sketch, but I still thought the mask was pretty.

Here's my mask


And here's other assignments/sketches I worked on throughout the quater.


 

​A sugar skull is the structured of your face plastered and molded into a hard structure. 

I came up with my design by simplify going with the flow of what my artsy fingers wanted me too. I figured why not use blue for tears and throw an odd future cross on there. Make the lips red for lip stick. 

At first I needed someone to do my mask for me. I have sensitive skin so plastering my face was a no no, and plush I did not want that stuff in my hair.  When my friend Serena said she will do it for me. I  than began to cut up pieces of the clay while Serena Vaseline her face. Once that was done I put a straw in Serena mouth and began to dip pieces of the clay in the water and then on Serena face. I made sure I did Serena nose last so she will not have to go a long time breathing through a straw. Once the clay harden I carefully removed the clay structure off Serena face and place it on the table. I had to wait a few days to design because we had art class Monday and I did my skull on a Wednesday. Once monday came I began to paint the face. It took some time to get the paint because I did not know what color, after that I just told myself not to think so hard and follow the art. The art gave me the colors black,yellow,red,and blue. Next I began to paint. I had my headphones in listing to Biggie smalls. While Jamming to Biggie I just started to paint. While painting Serena said that this reminds her of the joker. I laughed and said it does... then continue to paint off of that idea. At the end I came up with this skull. 

Here's the link to The Shining review.

Link to review here.

Dear Readers,

There was a happy halloween in Art class. I created a sugar skull, which was a messy but fun  experience. A sugar skull symbolizes the day of the dead, it is a mexican tradition. It’s celebrated like a halloween. In art class we took our own face plastered it. Then let the plaster dry and harden for a day or two. I added my own creative twist, with paint. I let the brush speak, I didn’t have much of a vision. But once I started, I went for different patterns. This project was the longest process because you want it to be correct,and like you want it. I can put my mask on my own face, to scare or to make someone laugh. Thanks readers for listening.

​ To me a sugar skull is some thing people of Latino or any kind (or Spanish decent) make in remembrance of their past family or friends. When you first told the class we here making sugar skulls I thought it was some you ate. When I googled it I found it not be that. As I was going thought the images I found the ones that are famine with the hair and lips to be really pretty so I based it off of that.

The way I draw my sugar skull I really wanted it to come out that way. But as I was painting I thought that it didn't have to be my past vision so I just started painting and hoped for the best. I really felt like I had to have bright red lips, and the first thing you saw when you looked and mine was the eyes. I felt like I put that in the skull well. in the end I'm very happy with what came out of this.    

(note: I'm very sorry for the way the picture turned out)

A sugar skull is a classic decoration for the Mexican holiday, la dia de la muerta, which is basically halloween. Traditionally, it is made out of sugar that has been formed into a skull shape and is decorated in a colorful and intricate pattern. 

While sketching on my own, my style tends to lean towards creepy. So when designing what to make my skull look like, I wanted to make it disturbing while realistic. 

The process of making the mask was not too complicated but it was certainly a new experience for me, starting with the casting of the mask. We had to make mold of our own faces using plaster sheets. After making the molds, we had to shape them by rounding off or cutting edges. In my own design, i decided it was not odd enough to begin with, so I attempted to cut out eyes, to give it another level. But then I continued with painting the mask, starting with a what base coat and then adding any and all details. Finishing touches of the mask included removing the strings hanging off of the edges and fixing any smudged paint. In the end, I feel I reached my goal and am very proud of the product. 

Final Product:

Other Projects from quarter:

Kimberly Parker

Senior Art Blog

Sugar Skull 

A sugar skull is a one of a kind decoration and symbol. Sugar skulls celebrate and honor the dead. There is a holiday in Mexico called “The Day of the Dead” and instead of mourning over the dead, they celebrate their lives. The people of Mexico use these sugar skulls to symbolize death by using a skull, and decorating it with bright festive colors to celebrate the death. This quarter, we were asked to make our own sugar skulls. So, I did my independent research about what sugar skulls really were. I sketched an idea in my sketchbook, seeing what designs I would like on my sugar skull. I looked up some ideas online and finally saw a sugar skull that I really liked. I sketched something similar to it and then began my construction of my skull. 

We used paper mache, water, a straw, and lots of Vaseline to do construct the skulls! First I laid down on the table and had my peer Christian get the paper mache and water ready to put on my face. While I was on the table, I rubbed Vaseline all over my face, over my eyebrows and lips so the paper mache would not stick to my face and the mask would come right off after it hardened. I put a straw in my mouth so I would be able to breathe. Christian then began to put the paper mache over my face, pressing dow on every piece to mold the mask into the shape of my face. After putting layers and layers of this paper mache on, we waited for the mask to harden, this took about five or six minutes. 

After the mask hardened, we peeled it off of my face, immediately I wanted to wipe the slimy Vaseline off of my face! During the next art period, I used a pencil to start sketching out on my skull the designs I wanted. I did not erase anything on it once. Once I started to sketch, I liked everything that I drew. Once the sketching was done, I picked out all of the bright colors I wanted. I mixed red and white to make the pink, blue and yellow to make the green I wanted, and so on. I used different brushes for different parts and different brush strokes. I painted until I felt like I had my sugar skull master piece. That is what I ended up with, a master piece! 

My L.A.N. consists of a series of airports and airport expresses, broadcasting wifi to all the individual devices in my home. This is in conjunction to the hardwired ethernet connections, and my entertainment system. Before this class, I had approximately no knowledge at all, whatsoever, even slightly, about home networks or any networks to be honest. Now, I can proudly say that I have a very very minimal understanding of networks, clearly a vast improvement over my old situation. One word of advice, have someone who understands your network explain it to you. Very, very slowly.