HSC Bensonhurst Senior Center
VISUAL DIARY Project
Blog 1 4/29/2021
Our return was eagerly anticipated by our students, the center and us. We have kept in touch via WeChat since our last class and shared the wonderful, animated video Spica created from the protest artwork created by some of our seniors in which they spoke out against anti-Asian hate crimes and attacks.
After greetings and catch-ups we warmed up by miming everyday activities we did that morning. We saw sweeping the floor, drinking tea, massaging the face and head, wiping down the kitchen table, making the oatmeal and pouring hot water for tea among others. Next, we shared the magical video Spica created to showcase The Taste of Memory books our seniors created in the last program. What a joy to revisit their beautiful, creative artwork and stories! Thank you, Spica.
The current project builds on what we have done before, focusing on daily life, and its quotidian details. We can find beauty in the everyday. The seniors received a material kit including a sketchbook, a Sakura Pigma Brush Marker, Italic manuscript pen and a Pigma Micron 0.3 pen. Together we will explore some fun ways of drawing figures and designing fonts, which can be used to keep a visual diary of everyday life.
The seniors are encouraged to use the back of their sketch book for practicing and then put their Visual Diary in the front. Starting with drawing stick figures using a pencil, they gained confidence as they drew them in a variety of different poses. It’s important to abandon judgement and just draw so we played some music to help create a relaxing mood. Next, they used the Sakura Pigma Brush Marker and drew small figures filling the page. The final practice activity, still using the Brush Marker was to draw figures that stretch their bodies, arms and legs as much as possible.
An activity list of things they had done today such as brushing their teeth, answering emails, talking on the cell phone, making breakfast was compiled. Spica and I shared our Visual Diaries; patting the cat, sitting on the fire-escape watching a bird make its nest, brushing your hair and looking out the window at trash caught in a tree. Students chose one activity and using the Brush Marker, drew a figure in that pose. Next, they added a simple graphic which helped describe the action and or the way they were feeling.
Lao Yu’s figure was cleaning the floor on which she drew flowers, because a clean floor makes her happy. JuLisa drew a figure holding a cell phone with the words, don’t give up, a heartfelt message to her brother. Jing Wei’s figure was listening to music on the iPhone, so she included musical notes, while Pun’s figure was bent in an exercise pose and RuPing’s figure was opening the curtains.
Our students are always keen to use the skills they have learnt so we expect to see more unique and creative Daily Activity drawings during the week.
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