Holiday card I created for YoungArts. Wheeee, New Years in short sleeves.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
What would it be like to be inside a lemon?
(A prompt I had to answer in 8th grade art class.)
To be inside of a lemon would smell good, be hard to move, and dark.
First, it would probably smell good to be inside a lemon. Normally, air fresheners are made to smell like fruits, sometimes lemons, so it would smell good, until, of course, the lemon gets rotten.
Second, it would be hard to move around. How would you get inside it? And if you did, you'd have to make a hollow area for yourself. Then, when you start moving around you'll squeeze juice into your eye, and that would hurt.
Finally, it would be dark. If you were inside a lemon, you'd be closed in without any light.
So, if you somehow managed to get yourself inside a lemon, it would smell good, be hard to move around, and it would be dark.
To be inside of a lemon would smell good, be hard to move, and dark.
First, it would probably smell good to be inside a lemon. Normally, air fresheners are made to smell like fruits, sometimes lemons, so it would smell good, until, of course, the lemon gets rotten.
Second, it would be hard to move around. How would you get inside it? And if you did, you'd have to make a hollow area for yourself. Then, when you start moving around you'll squeeze juice into your eye, and that would hurt.
Finally, it would be dark. If you were inside a lemon, you'd be closed in without any light.
So, if you somehow managed to get yourself inside a lemon, it would smell good, be hard to move around, and it would be dark.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Look, It's 2014
I'm finally settled in at CalArts after a fun but crazy winter break doing a lot of fun stuff with YoungArts. And thanks to my being nerdy in high school and taking a lot of AP classes, this is actually my sixth and final semester of college. Yay, graduation in 4 months!
Last semester ended on a pretty cool project for a creative writing course here called Literary Citizenship: Tiny Press Practices. It made me feel good about the possibilities in being an artist for my own sake, and I got a chance to self-publish my first book.
It's a small, hand-sewn 2.5" x 2" book with a balsa wood cover. The story is entitled "There's a monster behind the shower curtain." and it's a sort of metaphysical tale about a girl who befriends the monster that haunts her bathroom at night, and learns how to deal with the inexpressible things in life.
I made a run of about 40 books, but I want to alter the layout and design a little bit and do another run of 50, and possibly sell them via Etsy or the likes. (But I also like giving them as gifts.)
Friday, November 22, 2013
Things!
As usual, I am insanely off-schedule with my blogging. Being Social Media Girl for the National YoungArts Foundation kinda does that to me. Like, oh, I have things to say about myself? And I'm supposed to spend MORE time on social media??
But also, I'm very happy to be able to share me-things with the world. Yay, things!
To go in chronological order, (and yes, this is how outdated I've gotten) the Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival finally premiered my first year film "i" back in September. I did an interview with them, and then watched my film look nice on Vimeo, and sighed in thankfulness. Here's the article: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/brewtv/i-88868.html
i from Cartoon Brew on Vimeo.
More excitingly, in my opinion, I made public for the first time live footage of my first staging of "i" back at CalArts in October 2012. This is real:
"i" performance footage from Isabela Dos Santos on Vimeo.
Then, it was YoungArts' birthday, and I made this for them. You can click on it! Oooh, programming: http://www.youngarts.org/birthday/index.html And then I produced the second episode of YoungArts TakeOne:
Also, Camille A. Brown's "Mr. TOL E. RAncE" continues to show around the country, and you should go watch it! I made animations for it, but also, it's a really important show. It seems like fun and entertainment, but it hits you very deeply at the end and I think it's doing a lot to update the conversation about race and stereotypes, and in a bigger lens, just about identity and compassion in general. I'm writing a blog post for YoungArts reviewing 12 Years a Slave (which was beautiful and made me cry for weeks) and I'll talk about working with Camille on this. For now, check out upcoming performances and go see it!
And, finally, today I received my very first Vimeo Staff Pick! For "I met a robot at a ballet once." It's so nice. Jason Sondhi must have known it's my birthday tomorrow (WOAH, cake day tomorrow). My favorite part of is his comment: "this is heavy." It makes me think of suitcase tags.
If only I received a Vimeo Staff Pick every time I checked in overweight luggage for a flight. I'd have a lot of Vimeo Staff Picks.
Currently working on making a ton of handmade little (like 2.5" x 2") children's books, end-of-semester things, animating on Aron Bothman's upcoming film, and my upcoming thesis project. Stay tuned for updates (maybe).
But also, I'm very happy to be able to share me-things with the world. Yay, things!
To go in chronological order, (and yes, this is how outdated I've gotten) the Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival finally premiered my first year film "i" back in September. I did an interview with them, and then watched my film look nice on Vimeo, and sighed in thankfulness. Here's the article: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/brewtv/i-88868.html
i from Cartoon Brew on Vimeo.
More excitingly, in my opinion, I made public for the first time live footage of my first staging of "i" back at CalArts in October 2012. This is real:
"i" performance footage from Isabela Dos Santos on Vimeo.
Then, it was YoungArts' birthday, and I made this for them. You can click on it! Oooh, programming: http://www.youngarts.org/birthday/index.html And then I produced the second episode of YoungArts TakeOne:
Also, Camille A. Brown's "Mr. TOL E. RAncE" continues to show around the country, and you should go watch it! I made animations for it, but also, it's a really important show. It seems like fun and entertainment, but it hits you very deeply at the end and I think it's doing a lot to update the conversation about race and stereotypes, and in a bigger lens, just about identity and compassion in general. I'm writing a blog post for YoungArts reviewing 12 Years a Slave (which was beautiful and made me cry for weeks) and I'll talk about working with Camille on this. For now, check out upcoming performances and go see it!
And, finally, today I received my very first Vimeo Staff Pick! For "I met a robot at a ballet once." It's so nice. Jason Sondhi must have known it's my birthday tomorrow (WOAH, cake day tomorrow). My favorite part of is his comment: "this is heavy." It makes me think of suitcase tags.
 |
| "Some emotions in life should come with this sticker." |
If only I received a Vimeo Staff Pick every time I checked in overweight luggage for a flight. I'd have a lot of Vimeo Staff Picks.
Currently working on making a ton of handmade little (like 2.5" x 2") children's books, end-of-semester things, animating on Aron Bothman's upcoming film, and my upcoming thesis project. Stay tuned for updates (maybe).
Monday, September 16, 2013
YoungArts TakeOne
I did something crazy while working with YoungArts this summer. I decided to get my friends and make art for ourselves. It evolved a lot from my original pitch to the collaborative result, but we ended up starting a web series of cover songs. The catch is that the performers do not talk to each other ahead of time--and we only give them one take. As we kept calling it, "it's like a high-stakes jam session." It's great.
Happy to say now: ...here's the performance video!
Plus Tyler edited an awesome Behind the Scenes feature:
Of course, I also am responsible for that little intro animation, which features the yet-to-be-released (but I guess now they're partially leaked) t-shirt design characters for YoungArts Week 2014.
YATO has been a really cool project. I mean, that's an understatement because I'm extremely sleepy right now and can't begin to properly express my feelings towards this group of kids and the feeling I get from making art with them, even if I couldn't be there in person. It's just so...right. You don't get that often in life and there shouldn't be any hesitation to hold on to it when you do. This was my attempt to get a couple of artists to do what they love with the people they love, at a time when we all kind of forgot that was available for us (or, for them. I'm still stuck on a hippie-infested ant hill in suburban Los Angeles). It meant a lot to me, and I was jealous not to be there with them, but satisfied that they were more-than-pleased with the experience. Plus, like, WHATTHE--how did they do that! And here I sit with my key frames...
Anyway. I hope you enjoy what we created, and that you stay tuned for more! Off to bed.
Happy to say now: ...here's the performance video!
Plus Tyler edited an awesome Behind the Scenes feature:
Of course, I also am responsible for that little intro animation, which features the yet-to-be-released (but I guess now they're partially leaked) t-shirt design characters for YoungArts Week 2014.
YATO has been a really cool project. I mean, that's an understatement because I'm extremely sleepy right now and can't begin to properly express my feelings towards this group of kids and the feeling I get from making art with them, even if I couldn't be there in person. It's just so...right. You don't get that often in life and there shouldn't be any hesitation to hold on to it when you do. This was my attempt to get a couple of artists to do what they love with the people they love, at a time when we all kind of forgot that was available for us (or, for them. I'm still stuck on a hippie-infested ant hill in suburban Los Angeles). It meant a lot to me, and I was jealous not to be there with them, but satisfied that they were more-than-pleased with the experience. Plus, like, WHATTHE--how did they do that! And here I sit with my key frames...
Anyway. I hope you enjoy what we created, and that you stay tuned for more! Off to bed.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
For more premiere-related news:
I made my most recent animated film-of-sorts public yesterday. Enjoy this quirky existential crisis, "I met a robot at a ballet once.":
I met a robot at a ballet once. from Isabela Dos Santos on Vimeo.
And for the record, I did go to a ballet this summer in NYC after making this film (American Ballet Theater of course, with Daniil Simkin performing that day BECAUSE WHAT A GORGEOUS DANCER HE IS). While I did not have a robot sit to my right, there was a middle-aged woman there who after the first intermission magically transformed into an old lady, and at the second intermission that old lady started up conversation with me about how much of a gem Daniil Simkin is and about what it takes to be a truly captivating artist, that intelligence and being truly human to your audience will take you further in life than talent alone. Close enough, I suppose. She did not eat her playbill, however.
But, anyway, it was a good day in my life. The weather was nice and I ate Goldfish snacks by the Lincoln Center fountain.
EDIT September 2013: I got word that "I met a robot..." is off to Amsterdam to cause life crises internationally at the KLIK! Animation Festival. Yay!
I met a robot at a ballet once. from Isabela Dos Santos on Vimeo.
And for the record, I did go to a ballet this summer in NYC after making this film (American Ballet Theater of course, with Daniil Simkin performing that day BECAUSE WHAT A GORGEOUS DANCER HE IS). While I did not have a robot sit to my right, there was a middle-aged woman there who after the first intermission magically transformed into an old lady, and at the second intermission that old lady started up conversation with me about how much of a gem Daniil Simkin is and about what it takes to be a truly captivating artist, that intelligence and being truly human to your audience will take you further in life than talent alone. Close enough, I suppose. She did not eat her playbill, however.
But, anyway, it was a good day in my life. The weather was nice and I ate Goldfish snacks by the Lincoln Center fountain.
EDIT September 2013: I got word that "I met a robot..." is off to Amsterdam to cause life crises internationally at the KLIK! Animation Festival. Yay!
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