Gel Ink Illustrations

We Are Forests Series (Gel Ink on Paper/PostProcessed, 2011, Liza Macalandag)

I was furiously pushing gel pens through paper starting the previous weekend, trying to create some sort of illustrated advocacy material carrying youth-targeted sustainable forest management principles. This, after about a month past due, my tutor-marked assignment (TMA) for my ENRM 222 course (Socio-Cultural Perspective on the Environment) for my Master of Development Communication program at the UP Open University. (Too much explanation, that.) Anyhow, after barely making it to the Final Exams in UP Cebu last month and with all that's gone down since then (the Baji Exhibit, that bungled up Interior Renovation Project Management work), ELA stuff, and life, in general), and seeing that I had breathing space (actually, none, since I got other abandoned works waiting to be reincarnated) for about a week, I jumped into working on this long overdue project, even at the risk of it not being admissible any longer.

What I thought to be an overnighter job, took about 4 days to finish. And that's not even finished finish. If I had my way, I wouldn't submit this work at this stage because it's not coherent as yet and needs more panels/pages (even a redo) but that would entail 2 more days and there's just no time. And so I polished a truly (shallow) series of illustrated banners that could have been a compact graphic novella of sorts and submitted them in the TMA dropbox (online). The online classrooms are practically empty and just a few seconds after I submitted my work for marking, it struck me that this was probably for naught, this work that I did. It's just too late already, I think. But I push away that thought. And then shamelessly relish the idea that I did that - for zero points, zero points at all.

I need coffee and gel ink, lots of gel ink.

The young couldn't bring down the house just yet.

One Flew Over the Bird's Nest (Graphic Art, 2008, Liza Macalandag)


It could get really embarrassing, and frustrating - to be young, hopeful, foolish.

At the United Architects of the Philippines - Bohol Chapter GMM today, elections was the priority agenda. We've been wanting too much to be involved in the organization as we've found management real crappy or at least direction-less and purposeless, quite frankly. But then election time, we learn that there's some screwed up rule that prevents newer architects from getting elected into certain positions. So there goes our chance of affecting change.

So we proceed to Plan B, then.

Sketch: International Women's Day Centenary

What We've Been Doing the Past 2 Weeks: Baji Exhibit

It is done. But it ain't over.

There's so many reflections/learnings/lessons to be had on this endeavor. Like serious, serious stuff. But 2 things I'd like to explore on is the role of social media and the power of the "process" in advocacy building, with Baji Arts Exhibit specifically.

[I'll definitely find time to write further on this. Something like: The Baji Experience. Why not?]