A Touch Screen Artist from Jakarta by Bridgette S.

Bridgette’s Introduction

Before writing this intro, Ebes and I were chatting about life and work in general.   He expressed his passion for what he does and how everything in life just ties into his artistry and craft.  To which I replied, “it’s who you are and what you do.”  He lives it, breathes it and takes every opportunity that comes his way.

I’ve been a big fan of his on Instagram and I’ve seen how he has broken the barriers of mobile design using his iPhone.  If you aren’t following him or have seen his gallery, then I highly suggest clicking here – rest assured you won’t be disappointed.

His images speak for themselves and his creativity is astounding.  He’s a master at collabs and brilliant at it too.  If you don’t believe me, just keep reading 😉

Listen to his music while you read through this article.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/12412569″ iframe=”true” /]B: Give us a glimpse into your everyday life.  What’s family life like?  What are your hobbies and how do they factor in with your creative side?  What do you do for work?

E:  I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia in the 80’s.  I have two brothers, I am the eldest of the two.  I act out the things I want to do.  I’m the action person.  I’ve been living on my own since I was 21.  I basically moved out because I was getting married (been divorced for 2 yrs, and I have a son named Kale, he’s 6 yrs old) and needed to get ourself a place.  My parents helped me the first year but I’ve been on my own ever since.

I work as a freelance designer plus I’m a full time student (Art student) at that time; graduated in 2008 for Visual Design communication.  I won’t lie, it’s a struggle everyday.  But the best part about it is having your own space and not to worry about your parents always constantly on your butt about everything; and with each glimpse I get into the life of a Graphic Designer who likes to diversify in all aspects of art and design.  This is my life, the people I’ve ran into and those that have helped shape, mood my life into what I’ve become.

B: I am always blown away by your imagination and diversity. What helps you stay motivated and where do you find your inspiration? 

E:  My son is a huge source of inspiration and joy also. He inspires me to be more imaginative, more expressive, and more excited about everything in the most honest way. These are the things that keep my perspective on life and creativity. Also the most important intention in my life.

Okay, another confession — when I’ve inspiration I don’t need motivation; I need to sit next to my cigarettes and iced tea (I’m a tea person) wherever that is.  It’s easy to work inspired, worse when you got to find some, and motivation to do so is the key.

B:  This image is one of my favorites. Tell me what prompted you into adding the spilled paint and what is the story behind it?

E:  Well, Thanks so much B!  The idea comes when I see the old image (flickr) of that two people dripping a large tin of water.  Then I decided to adding the spilled paint on it.  I looked for a background that looks like it was a continuously under construction.  So… That’s the story behind this picture.

“Under Construction” – collab with @ladylavina

Her original pic (a lady walks in garden) taken with iPhone 4s

Image of the people working from Google

Edited with Artstudio, PicFx & Snapseed

B: Aside from Artstudio, is there another app you like to use to incorporate design? Do you now prefer iPad over iPhone for design? 

E: Yes of course. I use plenty of apps, but the one that are always there are: Snapseed, VSCOCAM, Blender, Phonto, MagicHour and PicFx.

I also experimenting with Pxl, an app that I think is very interesting to blend with.

I’d prefer my iPhone4 than iPad or iPad mini.  I love that I can create wherever I go.  I can snap everything that moves me.

“Flight Training” –  collab with @sigithartanto

His original pic (old plane) taken with iPhone 4

The other images I took from Google (lady on top of the plane, people on the tail, old planes)

Edited with Artstudio, Blender with (Mextures) & Snapseed

B: Have you met other mobile photographers in your area and are you on any other photosharing platforms? 

E: I have some accounts on other platforms: EyeEm, Flickr (it’s under the same name @abcdebes).

Yes, I have met a lot of talented mobile photographers in my area (Jakarta). We have a community called “iPhonesia” stands for iPhoneographers Indonesia. After a few months I joined Instagram, I started to get in touch with these people.  And it’s changed (again) the way I look at the world.

B: What is the message behind your recent collab with @tomlovesyou? And how did the series come about?

E: I love collaborating with other creative people; it makes the process of creativity so much enjoyable.  And when I asked Tom (@tomlovesyou) for a collaboration, then we started to brainstorm about what kind of photos and the edits.  I’ve noticed that Tom’s had a best shot of the top of the mountains; so he sent me some of his best shot (mountains).  Then I came up with this edit, glad to know that Tom is agree about this vintage collage (colors, collage, stripes) edits.

“Nostalgia” – collab with @tomlovesyou

Original pic of mountain taken with iPhone 4

The lady and the birds taken from Google

Edited with Artstudio along with the stripes, blended with Mextures, PicFx & Snapseed

“Busy Tone” – collab with @tomlovesyou

Original pic of mountain taken with iPhone 4

The lady and the birds taken from Google

Edited with ArtStudio along with the stripes, blended with Mextures, Pxlromatic+ & Snapseed

B: Love what you did with my photo! Give us a quick rundown on how you edited the image.

E: Artstudio: I’m going to explain a little bit more about the specifics for this app. It’s a bit tricky because it limits the number of layers one can use (maximum 5 layers only) so you must know what to do the first time. First thing first.

1st step:  load your pic (from camera roll). Add a new layer (from the layer menu) then switch the new layer to the bottom. This works for the background so you can start erasing (Eraser tools) the layers above in transparency instead of white.  And you can start masking out. You can adjust the brush size and opacity. By zooming the pic you can get more details. (Same step for every pic) You can make them black and white or you can colorize.

2nd step:  Import image for background (from the layer menu). You can start to colorize the background, adjust the hue and saturation. You can also transform the image (choose layer and tap the image twice) and the menu will pop up.

3rd step:  (Import from cameral roll again) The next step is adding the pin-up ladies and some small details. When using Google or Flickr, using the right keyword is important if you want to get a perfect pic for a collage (minimim size should be 150kb so you won’t get pixelated). As said, this step is always the same for any object (plane, tree, chair…) so you can colorized them later and merge them together.

4th step:  Adding the retro shape, line, circle or triangle you can use the empty layer from the first one or make a new one. Fill it with your colors (Paint Bucket or you can choose “fill” on the selection tool button on the top — tap once). You can always pick another color later. Then you can duplicate (tap twice on the layer). If you want a specific color, pick a layer, choose pen tool and hold it for a second to filled with the same colors.

Final image:

“Cupid” – collab with @bridgettesxo

Original pic of Gas Works park taken with iPhone 4

Apps used:  SquareReady, ArtStudio, Blender, Snapseed, Picfx

Square Ready: Crop into Square then save to (JPEG 2048 x 2048)

B: And finally, what type of music do you listen to? Do you have a favorite band? 

E:  Music is everything to me. Listening to music is my hobby. It’s also my dream to become a musician..haha. I can sing and plays guitar and ukulele; my favorite band is The Beatles, The Cure, and Radiohead (I grew up in the 90’s after all). I like music from many eras. I listen to mostly from 90’s alternative, psychedelic chillwave, a bit retro pop or disco, ambience, deep house, techno, acid, to jungly indie band.

You can check my soundcloud (The Akbar) there are some of my songs and mixes there while I started DJ’ing a couple of years ago. At the moment I am listening to Got Somebody – Moon Boots. So stay lit, and Enjoy!

——

Bio: Ebes Rasyid. 30 years old visual artist, designers whose work with digital platforms provided by touch screen technology and traditional media. then mingle the two, based in Jakarta.

Contact:
amatabaynana@gmail.com
Facebook & Pinterest: Ebes Rasyid
Don’t tweet me!

About Author

Bridgette

Latest stories

• 1000 WordsOctober 6, 20141,000 Words: Emotions
• Bridgette ShimaSeptember 29, 2014The Reinvention of Chloe: Chapter 12
• Bridgette ShimaSeptember 26, 2014Beep Ahhh Fresh Crew
• StoriesSeptember 18, 2014What do you LOVE about #SocialPhotography?