MY GAP

******1. I have sketching pencils which have the same skin making it cumbersome for me to check everytime the grade of the pencil before using it.

When one is sketching and espcially if one is doing a fast sketch there isn't time to check each pencil to land at the correct grade of pencil. Most pencils loose their grade markings as it is, hence there needs to be a system that helps me to intuitively recognize the grade of pencil I need from the lot. Also if the pencils are always placed at the same place in the pencil box it might help. 

Week 1

Q1.1

A Pilot V7 Hi-techpoint

I love this artifact because the pen is very smooth and precise, the ink glides like butter on paper. I enjoy drawing and for fast drawing or sketches this is an indispensable tool for not only is it smooth, but it can be used to add volume and thicker lines. A pen does not allow the use of an eraser hence one gets more confidence in sketching by gaining freedom.

Q1.2 

Ten Everyday Gaps or Problems

******1. I have sketching pencils which have the same skin making it cumbersome for me to check everytime the grade of the pencil before using it.

2. My desk is very badly organised. I bought a long desk (about 6 feet) in order to spread out my work, even as that was an intelligent decision the desk still looks unorganized

3. Filling water in bottles from the Filter is cumbersome hence a way to reduce the strain on a person. 

4 In order to increase privacy I want a simple bell or ring that warns me when someone is about a feet from my room door. 

5. The wires of my laptop, television, speakers and usb cords keep on entangling with each other. 

6. Pigeons sit on my window sills and are a big bother, they make nests etc

7.I am a student and hence keep limited amount of money with me, at times I end up spending all the money and don't have the small change required to travel, hence a system that allows me to keep a safety money in my bag at all times. 

8. My chair is very comfortable but it has arm rests which I don't require at all times, when i need more arm or  hand movement it acts as an obstacle. the arms should be adjustable and could fold outwords to increase sitting space (as in I could sit cross legged). 

9. I have clothes which cannot be washed with the rest of the clothes in the washing machine, at the same time I don't want to waste money on Dry cleaning, hence a system of tagging or storage that helps sort these things out. 

10. Indian pyjamas don't have pockets for some unfathomable reason, pockets are however essential even as they are mere comfort or night wear. Same pocketless concept applies to Salwar Suits wore by Indian Women, which don't have pockets.

Q1.3

Sketch of Chair

Q1.4 the gap I am addressing is of making it easier for the user to recognize the grade of shading pencils. The approach I have used here is to color code them. I am thinking of color coding them in the VIBGYOR order plus black and white. I have also thought of attaching small magnets to each pencil and storing them in a metallic box so that they retain their place. The visual sketches and a prototype are as follows 

PROTOTYPE

Kim - The Sun.

A very happy birthday to Kim, a little dedication to this beautiful soul

There is a bright shining light up in the sky
Guiding you, offering you comfort on this journey
It's beautiful, its omnipresent,
What can you give her?
Besides love, for she takes love with her arms open wide
She drinks your tears and compares them to the sweetness of honey
She is timeless, a cheerleader, in one of those costumes,
A grandmother, and a person your own age, whatever age you may be,
If words were diamonds and poems, necklaces, there aren't enough diamonds in this world to make this necklace
I can offer you a warm embrace, to make you feel my love Kimmy
that twinkle in your eye is priceless,
lots of love
Karan

Diadem

Diadem
There is this and there is that
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Artsi

Unaccustomed Serenity

Unaccustomed Serenity
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Artsi

"?"

At the banks of insanity

To the insane, the sane are inane - me

Karan Leo Arts copyright

Dream

The imaginary world should be taken seriously, it tells you that which is hidden, lost or forgotten.I dreamed a dream last night which I happened to remember when I woke up, instinctively I recorded what I remembered in a voice memo. I found myself in a building which looked as ghastly in the inside as it was beautiful on the outside, fancy- ugly things in beautiful wrappings. I knew that I was at an event dedicated to celebrating super heroes, I knew this just as you know things in dreams. I saw people standing in clusters, in heated discussion albeit the topic of their discussion had nothing to do with super heroes. Someone from amongst these people pointed out to me a girl who used to be in my school but had left mid session. Again, I knew these people were once my school mates even as their faces were all blurry and hazy looking. Suddenly I felt a rage, an anger burning my very insides. I shrieked "You imbeciles, Stop!". All of these fellows were giving a test in order to give another test. These tests were strongly related to approval. After the shriek, I stormed out of the building only to notice two fat youngsters putting up batman and green lantern posters on this building. Moreover with every poster they put the surroundings seemed to change for the better. There was an innocence about these figures that was disarming and yet non-threatening.  

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

Wearable Art Project
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Artsi
The Chelsea Shoes Vs Manchester United Shoes
Whose side are you on?

Chelsea Shoes

Wearable Art Project

© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Artsi
The Chelsea Shoes are here ... I have a feeling they are here to stay 
Keep the blue flag flying high!

Even dogs love our shoes :D

THe Alpha Nerd Shoes

Wearable Art Project
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Artsi
The Alpha Nerd Shoes for the Alcoholic Bibliophilic Nerd in you

The Bob Marley Shoes

Wearable Art Project
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Arts
The much awaited Bob Marley Shoes are here, I have a feeling that they are here to stay! 

The Manchester United Shoes

earable Art Project
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Arts
The Manchester United Shoes - Sir Alex Ferguson retired as Manchester United manager at the end of the season in the 27th year of a tenure that made him the most successful in British football. Joining him in retirement are two more football greats - David Beckham and Paul Scholes.
This is an end of an era and surely a beginning of a new one in football.
The Manchester United Shoes take inspiration from the Football Club that has gotten up better and stronger from every fall and obstacle thrown it's way.
On the front is the famous Manchester United Crest. On one side is their famous slogan/song "Glory, Glory, Manchester United" flanked by two Red devils. On the other side is Rooney with his famous move, the overhead kick. On the heel is the number 20.
These shoes are now part of the collection of an ardent Manchester United fan whose passion surged when Sir Alex and Paul Scholes retired following another one of Manchester United's victory(English Premiere League).
 Enjoy

Press Coverage in MANDATE magazine

Hey!
I am a little late in posting this but better late than never right?
I am really humbled to be covered by a magazine such as MANDATE. MANDATE needs no introduction and the best part is that it is circulate abroad as well, so readers in the US you can probably get  your copy too. This 2 page feature came iu the February issue Pg 110 and 111. Do comment, like, tweet or google+1.

William Shakespeare Shoes :)

Wearable Art Project
© Karan Vohra - Karan Leo Arts
Post your favorite line written by the bard in the comments below:)
"And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of."
These lines by the Bard are much loved by Rohan Chawla

Everyone who loves the Bard has some line written by him that they associate with or simply love for no apparent reason.


My favorite lines are "How like a winter hath my absence been through thee, for summer and his presence wait on thee, and thou away the very birds are mute".

Enjoy the William Shakespeare Shoes

 

Fair is fair?

On the 8^th of May around 11am in the morning under the burning glare of the sun in a weather with a mere 9% humidity I decided to walk to a photocopy shop located at a distance of about 500m from my college. After waiting for about 20min at the shop I was all set to go home. The rickshaw-wallah’s however demanded no less than 30Rs for taking me to the metro station. The rate from my college to the metro station is 20Rs and paying 10Rs extra for a mere 500m seemed unfair. It didn’t pinch my pocket but math told me that he was quoting a price higher than what he deserved. I tried haggling with the first by telling him that I was a regular and he can’t cheat me – This didn’t go very well. So I approached the next one, on and on until one of them ventured to say that I won’t find anyone who’d take me to the station for a mere 20Rs. Imagine my surprise when after walking 5 steps he stops before me and asks me to sit. As I crossed the distance in my comfortable sawari the 500m somehow seemed more than just that. I started to think that even as I had successfully brought down the price, 20 did seem a little less. Conscience prevailed and I paid him 30Rs with a cheeky and dramatic dialogue to go with it “Next time, take a chance on a man burning under the blazing heat of the sun, and you might just be surprised”.

Was it fair, what I did? And if it was, who was it fair to?

It wasn’t fair to me for in the entire process of haggling I did end up walking 100m, a 100m that the first rickshaw wallah would have covered for me willingly had I accepted to pay him 30Rs. I did pay extra after all that haggling. I did myself a disservice in monetary terms by paying more than the deal (the haggling) had been finalized on. The principle of profit, loss and work invested holds true irrespective of how nominal the sum.

Was it fair to the rickshaw-wallah?

The rickshaw-wallah swallowed his pride, lost his confidence and betrayed his union by agreeing to take me for 10Rs less. His statement “No one will take you for 20Rs” fell flat on his face and in return he received a dialogue from the sahib – “Next time, take a chance on a man burning under the blazing heat of the sun, and you might just be surprised”. Pride, self-esteem, loyalty – lost as opposed to a monetary gain of 10Rs.

Other perspectives

1)     He wouldn’t have gotten any sawari in that time and the 30Rs might just help feed his little daughters – What if he is a drunkard and that money gets him all drunk, beat up his wife and scare the living lights out of children?

2)     Unfair to all of the other rickshaw wallahs who offered the same service – Well, they were rigid and so paid the price

3)     The sum is too meagre – Is it? Is it meagre when the Chief Minister says that 600Rs is enough to feed a family of 5 for a month. Let’s calculate 600/5=120, 120/30=4, 30Rs can hence feed one person for 7 days (4*7=28).

This experience has helped me come to a conclusion but I shall not write it down here. I’d like to know the opinions of those who read it, can you consider any one perspective as absolutely right or wrong? Do you see something else? What do you conclude. Hoping to hear from you J

Life has a penchant for dark humor

A couple of days ago a friend of mind posted a status on facebook: he wished that were there to be a time machine; he would go back and change his past.

How many of us think about important or at times not-so important decisions that we wished we could change? Almost everyone.

I pondered over this, I consciously thought of the things I would have done differently had I been in possession of a time machine. It dawned on me that doing one thing differently would in turn bring about a different set of problems, a new set of mistakes and henceforth a different set of reasons to be dissatisfied with life. No matter how many times we use this time machine, we would be tempted to go back to our past. Take for instance travelling. A wrong turn not only helps prevents us from repeating the same mistake but also helps us in finding an alternate way to reach our destination or better still find a way no one has yet discovered. Life teaches us things in queer ways. In all honesty I too get troubled by the dark humour that “Life” has a penchant for. At the end of the day though, there is no light without dark. The lessons that we learn are taught to us in outlandish ways, we are made to go round a circle only to realise that the first step was a mistake. Something similar happened to me today, something that triggered this post.

One of my speakers wasn’t working - not a big deal - but when the time came to watch the season finale of Glee, I had to do something about it. It just so happens that I have an NSX-0757 Aiwa music system, a powerful system about 15(or more) years old with 5 speakers(one central 8ohm, two surround sound 16ohm and two 6ohm rectangular speakers). This system has been out of use for the media it uses is obsolete (CD’s, Cassets and FM) the speakers however, give out awesome sound quality (made in Japan). I took out the wiring, scrapped the plastic to get rust free wires, tried them, tested the pins – the works. All the speakers worked perfectly when tested individually and I could replace the ruined speaker with any one of them, which I did – initially. 6 great sounding speakers however makes one greedy. I did everything in my power to work the Aiwa amplifier to take the input from my computer – to no avail. Finally when all was done, I literally sat down on the floor only to notice that the spoiled speaker had a simple break in its wiring. A 5 minute fix as opposed to an hours worth of tinkering with the Aiwa music system, googling impedence, connections, NSX systems etc.

Lesson learnt – First address the root of the problem rather than uprooting a beautiful tree, pruning it and trying to plant it in your backyard.

   

Upcoming Bob Marley Shoes!

The wait for the Bob Marley shoes is testing the patience of Karan Leo Arts's followers, here's a depiction of what you've been thinking. 
Enjoy and be patient ;)

Graphic Art Exploration

Karan Leo Arts - copyright 
Graphic Art Exploration

I am experimenting a little with graphic art and I find myself looking for some feedback and suggestions here. The image posted below has these three women that I have created through a mix of digital and analog art. I know they are talking to each other but I can't find the real words :). Please suggest three dialogues, one for each woman in the comic below