Dear blog reader

In this blog you will learn about facial expressions as well as different art forms and how both topics are connected. Throughout this blog I have grown as a writer and as a person. When I first began this blog, I was not excited about having to write about one topic all year long, but as I researched more about facial expressions I learned that there is a lot more to it than sad or happy faces. I learned to connect my posts to art and even jokes. Our blog assignments made it fun and easier to learn about my topic. By far this has been my favorite assignment in the year because as a class, we got the chance to learn more about each other throughout our blogs. Our classmates would give us feedback on what they liked or what they felt needed to be changed. I believe that this made me a stronger writer because I was getting multiple comments on how to improve my writing.

My weakness as a writer is not being able to write poetry or a short story. Although these were some of the assignments that I had to post on my blog I would always struggle and have a hard time with putting something together. Passion post and short stories are examples of our assignments. As the year went on, I became more skilled at writing about things that I was passionate about. I learned to not over think an assignment and to just write how I felt about it. I pulled out the little piece of creativity inside of me and let it take over my key board. The blog assignments were a good learning experience. As I learned more about facial expressions, my blog would help me spread my knowledge to other viewers who shared the same interest.

I have defiantly gained more confidence as a writer since the beginning of the year. I am now able to write about different topics and feel good about my writing as well as being able to share what I know with others. I have bettered my writing by incorporating a little piece of me in everything I write. I discovered that we all have different styles in writing. Things that make paragraphs and words come to life. Style in writing is like writing down your personality. It is as if your writing had a unique rhythm that made everything flow just the way you want it.

The human body has many important features, one of them are facial expressions and our interpretation of them. I have shown my interest in learning more about facial expressions through my blog and the universality of them. As you look through my blog, you will find short stories, poems, art and even jokes that all tie up with facial expressions. Not only that but a unique style of writing.  

Guest Post on Book Reviews

I chose to do my guest post on Kinsley's Blog about book reviews because she told me about this super creepy comic and suggested I should read it. After reading the comic, I was creped out and decided to write about what I thought about the comic. The comic I read is a Japanese comic called Enigma of Amigara Fault by Juni Ito. Enigma of Amigara Fault is a horror comic about a earthquake that leaves people like shapes on mountains. There is only one of a kind so not just any random person can go into a hole. The holes leave people striking with fear and curiosity and somewhat hypnotizes them and forces them to find their hole. Once you find your hole you become attached to it and without knowing end up going in it. The weird thing is that there is no way out. Or at least that is what the people think. It is not until towards the end of the comic that they find a way out of the holes. This is where it gets weird. The people that came out of the holes were all deformed! According to a legend, the holes were made to get people to pay for their sins! They were paying by becoming nasty looking monsters that society would reject. After reading this comic I decided that I would not go hiking alone. EVER. Any ways, even though this comic was creepy and weird and somewhat nasty, I actually enjoyed reading it and recommend others to read it as well. Also the pictures shown on the comic are really weird because it shows how monster looking the people look when they come out of their holes. Before Kinsley told me about Enigma of Amigara Fault, I could not see myself reading any comics. Especially scary ones.      

Strokes

As we all know, strokes affect multiple parts of the human body. One that many people don't usually consider is the person’s facial expression after having a stroke. A minor stroke usually does not cause harm, but a much stronger stroke can affect the Cerebellum, right, and left sides of the brain. If these areas are affected, the person can lose their memory and loss of muscle movement and speech. When you have a stroke and the right side of the cerebellum is affected, it could pretty much leave your face deformed. Why? Well, since your muscles aren't responding well, you lose movement. This could be a losing the movement of your lip or eyes. 

 Apart from losing movement, a stroke can also cause memory loss or face and leg pain. A person should not ignore the sighs of a stroke; this could save your life. In my family only one of my members has suffered from a stroke. I believe it was one of my aunts from my mom’s side of the family. I think that this could run in your family and can happen to other members in your family of other generations. Fingers crossed this won't happen to me. Eventually we will all dye of something but I hope that I do not dye from a stroke that would be super scary! 

  

SSR: Nikos Gyftakis

Nikos Gyftakis is a Greek artist who created a several swirl self-portraits made out of oil pastels during 2004 and 2005. Nikos studied fine arts at Aristotle University and was well prepared to begin a career of his own. Not only does he paint really cool self-portraits, but he was also involved in fashion and design. He made many works for movies and fashion shows.

This self-portrait of Nikos Gyftakis is my favorite. I really like the colors that he uses. It represents the emotions that the image has to offer. In this particular piece, he is expressing sadness and sorrow. It seems like he is asking for forgiveness to like Jesus or something.  I like that it has a lot of texture because it makes the painting pop out.

I wish that I could do something like this. It kind of reminds me of the portrait that I did of my dad a while back. Only I did mine in pencil instead of color. Oil pastels are very hard to work with. If you mess up, you can’t erase it or paint over it. It is also very messy and when you try to blend, you could end up peeling the pastel off.  Because this is a challenging thing to do and takes a lot of time, not many people are up for it. I would rather draw flowers in pastels because they do not have as many details as a face.

Book Review

Mendi Designs by Marty Noble, published in 2004, is a book of traditional Henna body art. This book is for any person interested at looking at many types of Henna art work.

Mendi is a traditional Indian type of Henna body art. Mendi and Henna can also be found in the Middle East. These designs are applied only on special occasions such as weddings. In a wedding, both the bride and the groom are decorated. Sometimes some oft eh guests have it as well.

Mendi art is like a temporary tattoo. They only tend to last for a couple of weeks. Mendi is made from Henna leafs and tea, coffee, wine, sugar, syrup, egg, yogurt, tamarind, fenugreek seeds, cloves or titanium powder.

In this book, you will find many pages filled with very creative Henna. Although it is not a how to book, it is still grate because it simply is just fun to look at. If you are willing to give Henna a try, I would highly recommend this book.  

Passion Post: Creepy Smiles

We all have met that one person who has the most creepiest smiles. They look down on us as they open their eyes super wide and only show their top set of teeth when they smile. Although all of these pictures are of little kids eating food, they are still super creepy!! The little girl on the top left corner is looking at her sandwich like she’s about to eat it in one bite! What the quack! How desperate is she to eat that darn jelly sandwich? And the little boy on the bottom right, his smile is like threatening! I just want to say, little boy no one is going to steal your darn can of Pork Beans! Another type of creepy smiles are the ones when people second chin it and kind of tilt their heads down and smile. That's super creepy.  I remember when I was in Kindergarten; I had this teacher who had a creepy smile. I was really young back in the day and I can still remember her nasty smile! I was already a timid child since I had just moved to America in Kindergarten and I didn’t know English and this teacher here made it worse trying to scare me with her nasty yellow teeth. This one time she had lip stick on the teeth. I notice because she had a creepy smile so when she smiled at me I saw it and I laughed. She didn’t know why I was laughing she probably thought she was being funny or something. I would have told her but I didn’t know how to. Anyways, the point is that there are those people who have the creepiest smiles that you just never forget about them, like my Kindergarten teacher. They scar you for life. Who knew that smiles 

Creative Post about coffee

Coffee is my favorite thing to drink in the mornings
 It helps me stay awake for at least a couple of hours
Whenever I don't drink coffee
I feel like poop.
My eyes burn because they are so swollen
and I am forced to squint because the light irritates my eyes
and I can slowly feel them dry out.

SSR: Caricature

    

   A caricature is a cartoon drawing that exaggerates on the person’s features. This picture is a caricature of Will Smith. Since he has big ears and a big smile, the caricature will exaggerate those features. No one truly knows who the first person to invent this type of art. Some critics say that it might have been Picasso since he did do a lot of weird art work.  You can find this type of art work being done at festivals and carnivals. Many people will just sit and wait for people to come by so they can draw them. I have never done this but I think that it would be a fun thing to do. Also I could get paid for selling my work. The average price for a caricature drawing is about $40. Caricatures are not always drawings or paintings; they can also be done through photo shop.  There are some events where you can compete in for the best drawing and stuff. A lot of people like to get caricature drawings of their babies or young kids. My cousin has one of his son but I don’t really think it looks like him. Many artists have done caricature art work of famous people. Like this one of Will Smith. This is probably my favorite because he looks funny. I guess the point is to make people laugh instead of having some super deep meaning like other art.  That is another reason for why I like caricature because you don’t even have to try and guess what the artist’s message is, you just laugh and that is that.  Also you don’t have to explain anything you just let it speak for its self. I hope to someday do a caricature drawing of someone I feel that it would be something fun to do.

SSR: Hypnotic Mosaic

This mural is a Hypnotic Mosaic by Lewis Lavoie. A Hypnotic Mosaic is tightly placing different pieces of patterns together to create another image. This particular piece is made up of multiple different portraits and creates a bigger portrait of what appears to be a woman. This is related to my topic because the portraits are all of different facial expressions. This piece expresses anger, happiness, hope and relief. I believe that the artist did an amazing job on this mural because the audience can somehow feel all the different emotions that are shown.

This type of art works are challenging and take a lot of patience and time. The good thing about doing this type of art work is that the artist can edit the pictures and create the image on a computer before painting or drawing it.  Although I have never done a project like this before, it is something that I am looking forward to doing. I think that this project would give me a lot of points for the end of the year AP test because it meets the many of the requirements such as texture, shape, line and value. This is also a type of abstract piece because the art work does not have to be realistic or makes any sense. Mosaics are very popular in churches. In this case, small pieces of glass are glued together to create religious images. Although I am not a religious person, I would like to some day visit one of those really big churches and see the artwork there. I remember my mom taking me to church when I was younger and seeing the light go through the Mosaic windows. The colors of the glass were so nice that I would space out looking at the colors instead of paying attention.  

Poem

Some people smile to hide deeper feelings
We laugh to prevent us from crying
Our emotions are always deeper than we think

Humor

A six month pregnant woman falls into a coma, three months later she wakes up in a hospital. She excitingly calls the doctor over and asks for her kids. The doctor says " You had twins, a girl and a boy, your brother came in to name them." The girl suddenly becomes frighten and her face turns pale and says, " No! My brother is an idiot! What did he name them?" The doctor says "well he named the girl Danise." The girl feels relieved and says, " And what about the boy?" The doctor laughs and says, " Danephew".    

Interviewing Janeth an expert on facial expressions

For this assignment I decided to interview my sister Janeth Cabrera. She is currently enrolling at College of the Redwoods.  Through this interview, we will be learning why Janeth is an expert at reading facial expressions.

Q: Why are you an expert in reading facial expressions?

A: I am an expert because I have studied the human body in college and that includes facial expressions.

Q: What courses did you take that made you an expert?

A: Well I took psychology, and sociology.

 Q:  Was it difficult to learn about reading faces?

A: Well I wouldn’t say difficult it was mostly interesting.

Q: How has this changed your life?

A: This changed my life because I can tell when people are lying to me.

Q: Do you think you know enough about reading facial expressions to teach others? Why or why not?

A: Well I think I could but I don’t think I would do it because I’m not good at teaching.   

Q: Thank you for your time.

As you just read, Janeth Cabrera is clearly an expert at reading facial expressions. 

Guest Post from Bernice!

There are many kinds of masks around the world. Some masks are funny looking, horrible or scary masks. They are used in plays, at Halloween, at parties, and in rituals. Masks represent a monster, a famous person, a particular age, and also there is random ones. Masks are used to make people laugh, to scare them, and also to cover an identity. They are used by almost any kind of people from children to elderly people.

The masks around the world are used differently. In Africa they are used in shamanic rituals and as cultural props for initiation into puberty and an adult role in village society. In North America there is a mask that the Inuit of Alaska made masks to honor their dead, as well as ceremonial masks for shamans. In Latin America the masks express themselves with color and a wide variety of materials such as fur, papier mache, leather and molded metal. In Oceania aboriginal masks are present in initiation ceremonies.

Masks have been used for a long time now. They are used for many reasons as some of them were mentioned before. Every place has its own reason. Many people don't realize that masks are an important part of culture.

The types of masks that are common are the theater masks, masquerade masks, and half-face mask. The theater masks focus an audience's attention on the actor's movements and speech, and the design can amplify sound waves and reach more people during a performance. The masquerade masks also known as Venetian masks are standard in balls. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and formats for men and women. They add elements of mystery and glamour to parties. The half-face mask is the most common type which covers only the eye area. I would like to go to a party that uses a half-face masks, but I haven’t to one.

Berenice S

Relating Art to English

I chose to base my blog off of my AP Art concentration to help build my portfolio. My blog has helped both in Art and in English because I am able to use what I learn in both classes. I can write about what facial expressions mean in society and in the art world. I can also connect the meanings of colors that are represented in paintings. Not only because a color wheel says that purple and orange are complementary colors, but also because of the meaning of understanding that red represent anger, passion, and love. Colors are based off of feelings. Feelings that are shown through facial expressions. Also, discovering the human brain and its connections to emotions has helped me improve on my drawings skills. Learning of the importance of someone's glare or how our eyebrows make a V shape when we are angry, has helped me concentrate more on the little details in the human face when drawing a portrait.  

Facial expressions in Geishas and Nohs

The majority of my posts have been mainly focused on how emotions can be read through facial expressions.  Although, there are other ways to unfold and demonstrate our emotions, for example, masks and face paintings. In the Japanese and Chinese cultures geishas are a very unique and traditional way of expressing who we are and what we feel. Geishas are entertainers that are trained to portrait great art, excellent dancing, and music. The Geisha came to life when long ago Japanese men traveled to Europe and came back speaking about “white beauties”. This was interoperated as having an actual white face. Many women who are Geishas serviced many American soldiers during times of war. A Geisha consists of having an extremely white face to represent kindness, loyalty and purification.  They must also have a lick layer of eye liner to show their elegance and formality. Lastly, they must wear deep red lipstick. Their red lip stick represents their power, passion, desire, and love.  Although Geishas are entertainers, they can sometimes be seen as prostitutes or call girls.   

A very traditional type of mask in the Japanese culture is a Noh. These very special masks are used in theaters and when performing a cultural dance. This mask gives the actor a certain power to every performer. They are mainly used in religious conditions and are highly valuable. Most of the masks have been in a family for many generations. There are six types of masks: Okina (old man’s mask), Jo (elders mask), Onna-men (woman masks), Kishin(demons), Onryo(gosts and spirits). When a person wears a Noh, they transform into a different spirit and spiritually leave the human world. They are sucked in to a new world where they are communicating with their ancestors. Each mask represents feelings and emotions without showing a single part of their faces.

Facial expressions might be much easier to understand and interoperate, but masks and face painting are much more meaning full than any smile or frown.            

                                    

Kinsly's facial expressions in just seconds!

Happiness

Happiness is a universal facial expression and are easily recognized. They are interpreted as messages of feeling excitement, enjoyment, pleasure or simply just feeling content with yourself. Although, not all smiles are what they appear. There are times when a smile can be used to hide other emotions that the person wants to hide. For example, celebrities and political figures can use a happy and satisfied faces to manipulate their public into thinking they are they are feeling fine only to maintain a professional look.    

How do babies learn facial expressions?

Before babies learn how to talk, they learn how to absorb emotions and understand what you are trying to say because of your tone of voice. Babies learn from what they see others do. They love to see their parents facial expressions and will use them as their role models. They go from only absorbing the different vibes around them to actually interpenetrating what they feel through facial expressions. Apart from learning from their parents, babies are born with a natural instinct that tells them to smile when they are happy and frown when they are sad. For the most part, humans are born with common sense to let our emotions be read through our facial expressions.