Pencils And Roses

Two photographs of a pencil drawing I completed a while ago, just before Christmas. This gift drawing is one of the last works for 2013.

Happy New Year everyone! 

-Ainur

ONE music

Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons

  - The Ghost of Tom Joad & Do Re Mi Medley (Acoustic Cover)

Paolo Nutini - Freedom (Live Acoustic Cover)

Ed Sheeran - Masters of War (Acoustic Cover)

The Lone Bellow - For What It's Worth (Acoustic Cover)

Louisy Joseph - Redemption Song (Acoustic Cover)

Newton Faulkner - Paper Planes (Live Acoustic)

Mic Righteous - Somebody to Love (Live)

Baaba Maal - Tindo (Live Acoustic)

Kt Tunstall - Deportee (Live Acoustic)

 Lira - Something Inside So Strong (Acoustic)

Wedding Portrait

 2013

pencils

My very first wedding portrait. It was definitely a challenge and I took my time. At one point the progress was literally twenty minutes of drawing, five minutes of laying on the floor and staring at the wall, fiveteen minutes of drawing, five minutes on the floor and so on. This piece was very detailed and the size of the drawing little bit smaller than A3, so only in 1x1cm there could be so much stuff to be drawn. The hardest part of this piece would be the trees and the way they're supposed to seem blurry. I still look back to this drawing and think of the ways I could have done differently. This piece was a excellent lesson when it comes to different textures, light and working with the background. I enjoyed the progress and as I finished this piece about two weeks ago, there was a certain relief. Even thought you want to finish something, you start to miss the journey when it's gone. I had spent so much time with this that it felt kind of strange to realize it was done and that it was time to start working on something new. 

-Ainur

Scent of a Woman

Scent of a Woman 

2013

pencils/black pencil

One night, we were once again sitting on the sofa in our living room with my mom, watching TV and Scent of a Woman was about to start. My mom recommended the movie and I stayed up to watch it. It was one of the best movies I've seen. There were some outstanding scenes that were really tangible and honest, for example the Ferrari scene and the pseudo-courtroom scene.

By the end, I was so overwhelmed by the screenplay and the acting that I wanted to draw a portrait of Al Pacino and the same night I started it. I really wanted to capture the feeling on his face through the pencil. There is something marvellously brilliant in the way some actors/actresses are able to portray stories and characters, and by that so many things. It's the same kind of glimpse that you get out of a good song, photograph or maybe silence. Stroke of genius or brainwave, how ever you like to call it and where ever you possibly happen to find you. 

The tools I used were pencils, a black coloured pencil, the reference photograph and erasers. This picture on the right is the cover for the movie.

-Ainur

Getting to know pencils

Drawings that I have recently completed. The first three are special requests and the rest just for my own amusement. I made quick 20 to 30 minute practises on small pieces (A5) of paper. I have had a great time working on the drawings and I can't wait to get more work done with the projects I've now waiting for me.

rap artist Tommy Too Shugs

2013

pencils

2013

pencils

 2013
pencils
I made another drawing of this fellow. This is smaller than the previous piece little larger than A5.

 -Ainur

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

I have had this summer breeze song stuck in my head for a week now and I still do. It's not that bad..it's a nice song, but the fact that only two or three lines of the entire song won't leave my mind, is getting pretty exhausting. It's worse than in a long time, I have a hard time trying to concentrate on anything else than jasmine or summer breeze. I have never understood why can't one have a whole song stuck in their head! I hope the track gets changed soon.

Apart from summer breeze, autumn is soon here and schools are open. Again the time of the year when it's not OK to not know which day of the week it is or to decide to stay up all night. At least mainly...

Lately I've been in a mood that could be called as notquitehere. It's nothing new really, but getting back to normal daily life makes me pay more attention to it again. Everything seems so abstract, but still amazingly concrete. Yea, I know bla bla bla. I love it to sit somewhere and observe stuff around us. Sounds, moods, conflicts, tastes, noses, mouths, knees, talking, wind, trees, shapes, shadows, corners...it's absolutely fascinating and still I don't quite believe it. Tricks for the senses and I love it.

About two months ago, in June, I visited my friend in Germany. I stayed at her house for two weeks and overall it was a blast! I felt like part of the family and at the school the class that I was staying with was very welcoming. As I was there I knew I would miss it - everything I got to know - later and that's how you know something is right.
   The last weekend of my visit was one of the best weekends of my life. I shall remember it. We, three friends and I, went to the Holi Festival in Frankfurt. It was amazing, everything I had expected and more. Every hour there was a countdown and when we hit zero, there was colour everywhere. It was some kind of powder and it got easily stuck on people's clothes, faces, hair or on any surface nearby. The ground was overlayed with sand and it took me three hours to realize that it was sand, because it was all green! Almost everyone were dressed up in white clothing so that the colours could create nice ,and unique for sure, desings on them.
   There was music, food and drinks too. The atmosphere was very enthusiastic, relaxed, emancipated and just great. Several DJs were playing music, which was amazing to dance to and we danced straight up seven hours. It didn't have any lyrics just beats and rhythm, mostly house. I remember one moment when I took a moment to look around me as I was dancing and I could see thousands of people covered in colour, hanging out, having a great time together. It really felt like a let's all fall in love and never have wars again moment. If I could have captured that feeling in a bottle, I would have done it. Then afterwards I could have been able to open it and feel like I was back there, surrounded by the feeling. We stayed untill the DJ said goodnight.
   We traveled to the festival by train and metro. The way there was really not that smooth, in the beginning it was fun and we were positive, but as we got a little bit confused by where we should be it wasn't that fun, but still we were positive! I had the privilege to be a stupid tourist who doesn't know German, so I just followed my friends. Although I could have read the English signs.. Most of the time I had no idea where we were. The way back was nice, we didn't have to change trains so we got to sit in a train for about two hours. As we were walking to the train station of Frankfurt, there were "our people" everywhere and people who weren't part of the festival crew looked at us in different expressions and the same thing took place in the metro and train. The train was full of us too and the colour powder was all over the place. If we made any movement with our heads there was a powder cloud on top of us. It was cool. When we got out of the train, I threw my hair back and forward and so much colour came out of my hair! There were people walking behind us and they were like wow and pointing at the cloud on top of me. Having a shower felt really nice as we got back home and it took a week for the colour to entirely vanish from my skin.

Having friends in foreign countries is great, because - Finland isn't the only country to have amazing people to have the honour to meet - when you have a place to stay at you can save money - the experience you get out of the trip can be a lot different from staying in a hotel - and because I love it. On the contrary it is difficult, because they are so far away. We do have the internet and telephones and all that and we can travel more than mankind should even be able to desire, but I want to actually be with the person I'm talking with, see their face and hear their voice. It is frustrating to say goodbye to people, when you don't know if you'll ever see them again. Anyhow, if I would have to choose between not being able to meet any people and having to say goodbyes, I' choose saying goodbye. World is worth seeing.

My sister is now spending her exchange year in Ireland. She left Finland last Saturday and she was so stoked to go and I don't wonder why. :) I'm sure she'll have a great time there and what I have heard from her, which is not much, agrees with me. She said she would start a blog about the year, but knowing her I'll be very surprised if she actually does it. The day after she left I painted in our room. She doesn't know about it yet and I think the white walls in our room are shouting for even more colour...by the time she gets back she won't be able to recognize the room. No, I'll control my need to make a mess.

Found this from the Internet - so good!

-Ainur

Some days last longer than the others

Photos of my sketches which I drew while my visit to Germany for two weeks in June. I visited a friend I met in the U.S. last year. Got to meet great people and had such a great time. Thankfull for the experience and the people. This summer is almost over and I've made many good memories to remember! 

-Ainur

Elämä ottaa elämä antaa

Kiitos hiekkakakkuprinsessa haasteesta. :) Ohjeet kävi näin; vastataan 11 kysymykseen, keksitään 11 kysymystä ja sitten haastetaan 11 bloggaajaa. Jes!

1. Mitä paikkaa rakastat ja miksi?

Hui. Rakastan monia paikkoja monista eri syistä. Auton etupenkki, koska siinä kuulee hyviä ja huonoja juttuja, musiikki soi ja siitä ei yleensä joudu minnekkään ennenkuin ollaan perillä. Kyläkauppa, koska se on vaan niin kyläkauppa. Tämä kotisohva maistuu nyt kieltämättä tosi mukavalta. Kotia minä varmasti rakastan.

2. Lempikappaleesi tällä hetkellä?

 Tällä hetkellä

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

3. Mikä saa sinut tuntemaan olosi onnelliseksi?

Ilmapiiri, turhan stressin puuttuminen, onnistuminen, se kun vaan on, nauru ja hymy silloin kun ne on totta ja varsinkin toisilla ihmisillä on melkoisia maagisia voimia saada toinen tai toiset onnelliseksi.

4. Rakkain muistosi?

Istuttiin kavereiden kanssa kaakaohetkellä. 

Hassut asiat nauratti. Kaakaot räjähti pöydälle naurun voimasta.

5. Millä esineellä on sinulle eniten tunnearvoa?

Semmoinen pieni sammakko, jolla on herneitä massussa. Haha en pysty sanomaan, on monia koruja, kuvia, leffalippuja ja paperilappuviestejä sisältäviä mustekyniä, jotka on varmassa tallessa.

6. Kuka olet?

Olen 18-vuotias, tykkään viettää kavereiden ja perheen kanssa aikaa ja myönnetään elektroniikka on aika mahtava juttu. Rakastan piirtämistä, enkä tiiä mitä tekisin jos sitä ei olisi keksitty. Puhelin soittaa yleensä musiikkia, jonkin hienon sovelluksen avulla. Lempiväri on sininen tai turkoosi ja haluaisin juosta heinäpellolla pitkässä heinässä ja kadota sinne päiväksi. Odotan mielenkiinnolla mitä tuleman pitää ja katson menneisyyteen kiitollisena, vaihtelevin ajatuksin. Kuka olet on tosi vaikea kysymys, enkä osaa vastata siihen oikein.

7. Mistä unelmoit?
Elämästä.

8. Milloin itkit viimeksi ja miksi?

Eilen, koska elokuva Wuthering Heights itkettää aina ja oli niin myöhä, että oli aikainen!!

9. Oletko järki- vai tunneihminen?
 Hmm tunneihminen varmaankin, mutta haluaisin uskoa että jotain järkeäkin löytyy. Tunneihmisiä ovat kaikki perheessämme eli tunteita riittää saippuasarjan tasolle.

10. Kirja, jota rakastat?
Päivä maailmassa on hieno teos.

11. Mitä odotat?

Kesää, uimarantoja, pitkiä kesäöitä, varpaisillaan hyppelyä, teatterin esityksiä, pitkästä aikaa kaverien näkemistä ja sen suomaa riemua.

Haastan 

 walkoutofslumbers

niinaenchile 

ilonatakespicturesofyou

liveforthemoment

yhdenonnellisentarina

maailmamaalaten

 tuhatpaperikurkea

mylifeandmyways

musicmakesmehigh

carryonjatta

aranciata-bu
(^en tiiä onko sallittua? :D)

Kysymykset teille:
1. Mitä sinulle tulee ensimmäisenä mieleen sanoista karamelli, kaara ja keskikesä?

2. Mitä näet unissasi?

 3. Milloin viimeksi nauroit niin että mahaan sattui?

4. Jos saisit lipun minne tahansa, minne menisit?

5. Mikä oli ensimmäinen omistamasi CD-levy ja mikä uusin?

6. Mitkä kolme kappaletta haluaisit ihmisten kuulevan ja miksi?

7. Kuvittele mielessäsi hyvältä tuoksuva huone. Miltä se näyttää?

8. Voiko aikaa mielestäsi hukata? Miksi?

9. Aamu tai ilta viiden vuoden päästä. Millaisena nyt näet sen tulevan olemaan?

10. Mitä et halua unohtaa?
11. Jos ulkona sataisi vettä mitä haluaisit tehdä?

 sisko, veli, baba ja minä

-Ainur

musicmusicmusic

Ram Jam - Black Betty

Sly and the Family Stone - Everyday People

Neil Young - Old Man

Wings/Paul McCartney

Sia - Breathe Me

-Ainur



Movement Called Dance

2013
HB pencil/black coloured pencil

2010

pastels
 

 

 

-Ainur

They Say They're Your Best Friends

Two weeks ago I took two of my drawings to the Pekkala artshop in Oulu, and I got them framed! Last week I picked them up and I am so happy with the frames. It's my first time framing my pencil work plus it's the first time with money that I actually earned! Pretty exciting and it makes me smiiile. What makes this even more exciting is that I'll probably sell The Giant, See and a new project that I'm working on. It will be the first time selling my pencil stuff with a good prize, just because of the value of the frames! We'll see what will happen.

I have also been doing some special requests lately, and I must admit I like it! At times it's frusfrating and really scary, because the result is "more" important when you're doing the work for someone else, then again, it depents..stuff that's just random sketching can be very important to me. I feel honoured when someone asks me to draw something for them and I do my best. Here are two of the special request I was asked to draw. The first one is my first "animal portrait" and I almost lost my mind trying to figure out how to deal with it, but I managed to get it done. I enjoyed drawing both of these lovely fellows very much!

 2012

pencil

 

-Ainur

Running In Circles Wasting Time

Ohoi! So much has happened in three weeks, it is crazy. A lot of dancing, laughing, eating, different languages, crying, singing, talking, sledding (one time I went down this enormous hill and somehow accidentally a ramp got on my way, so I basically flew in the air for a couple of minutes, later when I had to land, it didn't really feel very lovely), thinking, confusion, thankfulness...

Our school participates in a project called Youth Europe and Theatre and I was honoured and happy to be a part of it once again. 25 talented students from the Netherlands came to Finland to spend two weeks with us Finns. There were 25 students from our school as well plus the teachers from both countries. We all worked together to put up two performances in only two weeks, which we performed at the end of  the project. The play was open to family and friends here in Finland, but also in the Netherlands. Thanks to the magical Internet, the play was shown live and available on the website! (link to the Yet website) Although Yet is about making theatre, that is only one part of the deal. After practises we had freetime and activities and we visited places.

In a project like this, when you're with the same group for 14 days, you almost forget that there's something else in the world. When it's all over the "real" life hits pretty severely. It makes me want to cry and scream to know that there are so many amazing people in the world, that I'll never meet. Some of them I'll meet and some of them I've already met, which puts a sad smile on my face.
   It's a sad one because I know that some of them I won't probably ever see again. Strange. Some of these amazing people don't even know they're amazing, at least the way others might know it. It isn't only the "amazingness" of people, but also the cruelty. People are so weak and so ingenious. You could be beautiful, ugly, smart, stupid, deceptive, trustworthy, loveable..and that is a powerfull weapon to have.

Oh well, it's a week since the Dutch left and today we met up with the Finns to ease the yetlosspain - good food and good people.

Before going home I stopped at my mother's dance group's rehearsal to take some photos of the group and to take a look at what kind of performance they are putting together. It looks great, as did the last years show. I'm sure it'll be a great performance once again. Actually my sister and I will be joining a Turkish group dance with our cousins, we'll see what happens! My mother asked me to create a poster for their upcoming show, and I better start working on it soon! Now I'm going to finish a special request of a lovely dog and I'll be ready to start on this poster. This photograph below I took last year in the US.

running in circles wasting time

Special

 

 



2013

pencils

 

A special request from a special friend.

:)

 

-Ainur

Leonardo DiCaprio

Hello! Last few days have been pretty heavily hectic and I have a feeling that the next two weeks are going to be the same. It's kind of stressing at times, but still definitely fun and goood. Couple of days ago I got stuck with all the things I should have been doing. When that happens, I usually don't (can't) do anything. This time I basically drew for two days straight, which didn't help me get anything done, but it sure relaxed me. See it like this...when you have a headache, painkillers can help; when you have too much to do, drawing will do.

This is a drawing of Leonardo DiCaprio. I used a reference picture, HB pencil for sketching and then I used a black pencil to draw the final piece. This took me two days, as I was escaping from real life (not good). It was fun to draw with the black pencil, because I had not done it before. It allowed me to create deeper black, which works well with this piece. Erasing was almost impossible, because of the tool I used, and it saved time. It was harder to create softer greys and color the lighter areas, but very instructive! I very much enjoyed drawing this drawing, I love the intensive look in the photograph.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a great movie and now I've got a painting of Johnny Depp and a drawing of Leonardo DiCaprio. ;)

A fun (timewasting) thing to do is to click on the first stage drawing and go 123456 654321 with these work in progress pictures. 

2013

-Ainur

The Expression On My Face

 

 2013
ink on canvas

"I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion
 just because of the expression it leaves on my face."
 - Johnny Depp

-Ainur

!Rock On Freaky Bro!

 

The Beatles - Come Together

 

The Who - I Can See For Miles

 

REO Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling

 

Mötley Crüe - Home Sweet Home

 

The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane

 

The Animals - See See Rider

 

The Police - So Lonely

 

The Grass Roots - Let's Live For Today

 

 (One thing I want to say. I looked through this blog and I realized that some random words have been linked to some sites by a mystical power called Internet. I don't like that, so please ignore them. If you can't see them, then it's all gooood, but if you can I'm sorry.)

 

Two days ago my sister bought gum.
Yesterday I begged her to let me have one.
Today I saw the gum bag on the floor, she wasn't around, I just borrowed two gums.
One hour ago she noticed I was chewing a gum and she got maaad. She put the gum bag into her drawer, locked it and hid the key.

I'll need to come up with a new strategy to get the key and then the gum.

The things a person does for a gum.

 

-Ainur



"Running, you should know, is a kind of stillness."

Tools I used are two pens and five coloured pencils. Two pens because I believe the first pen disappeared at a coffee place. A sketchlike drawing I did this week. It wasn't probably the smartest idea to draw it on a notebook sheet, poor notebook..

-Ainur

Ryan & Marissa

2010

pencils

 

 



 

 

-Ainur



MusicMusicMusicMusic

City & Colour - Sleeping Sickness

Band of Horses - Marry song

alt-J - Fitzpleasure

Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved

Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry

Adele - Best For Last

Mumford and Sons - Ghosts That We Know

Damien Rice - Childish

The Head And The Heart - Down In The Valley

BOY - skin

- Ainur

Istanbul

2012

pencils

I used pencils, a brush for blending and a couple of erasers plus the original picture that was taken by my cousin's friend.

This piece took me about three months, because I just couldn't find the time to sit down and actually draw, and to be honest I was kind of frightened to start with the jacket which seemed really complicated! First I was very excited and I finished up with the face and the hair and then I didn't do anything with this piece for about two months. I realized it wasn't going to get done by itself and I decided to do my best to get it done. Once I start drawing I could just sit there for ten hours drawing. Time flies incredibly fast like that! It's so much fun and I really enjoy it.

This drawing was a gift for my cousin, and it was ment to be a surprise, but..I had told my brother, who knew I was drawing this, not to tell the cousin about this. Well, he didn't, but the cousin saw the sketch in my room and made my brother promise him not to tell me that he had seen this. Well, my brother told me because he had promised me first not to tell him. haha! Then when I finally gave the final work to him, he was pretending to be very surprised and I was like I didn't know that he knew. It was really funny, because almost everyone knew about it, but still we pretended like no one knew about it. He still doesn't know that I know that he had seen this before it was done! At least yet.. :D 

-Ainur

Sketching Is Like Running Free

 

2011

 

When I captured this moment on my phone I felt so glad and happy. I looked at the photograph and I smiled, I showed the photo to the girls and they smiled and giggled. We were at our theatre rehearsal, practising for the upcoming show. So much caring, so much friendship.

 

 



2012

 

 

2012

 

About these two sketches..both of them I made of photos of my friends. It's almost ironic because the first one I drew when I was in the US and she was in Finland and the other one I drew after my year in the US when I was back in Finland and he was in the US. I believe they have no idea about these sketches so if you two happen to see your face here, well..yep it is your face hahaha. I love it how I have all these weird funny faces on my phone of people who have wanted to "fatify" or "oldify" their faces. Thank the earth for cameras and such little big joys!

 

Oh and that man on the background is some man sitting at a coffee shop and his back of the neck looked awesome soo I awkwardly imperceptibly tried to understand its greatness.

 

 

2012

 

2011

 

2011

 





2011

 

-Ainur