Alex P.

In class, our last day of design visualization, we had to draw groups of people within a 15 minute time frame. Out of the two drawings, I pick this one below because it was the better of the two. It was voted minimalist by some because I suppose it only had one or two line quality difference out of the whole drawing. The model in this photo is Alex P.

Reflection

In the beginning of this semester, everything was so new to me. I had to learn about everything involving drafting and using certain tools to aid in my drawings. It seemed overwhelming, but as the semester progress it seem a bit easier, but yet still time consuming. I still had problems with little details here and there but the main focus of the objective was becoming more clear and easier to understand as well. It was interesting to do all of these drawings but it was also stressful at times when I couldn’t get it right. In the end, everything was finally coming to a close and I actually learned quite a bit. I’m sure there is plenty more to learn and I’m actually looking forward to it and does much better next semester with prior knowledge and what to expect.

I believe my most successful drawing from this semester was the final project drawing we had to do because it consisted of more than one drawing assignment. It also looked the best, composition wise and texture. I actually spent almost the same amount of time working on this drawing as I did with other drawings, but had a better feel for it. Probably due to getting used to the drawings by now and things were easier to understand and figure out. All-in-all, I had a good semester.

Chavis Library

4th year student’s critique in room 401, the Vance Chavis Life Long Learning Library.

Student set up their work all around the room, models, photos, rough drafts, everything along the way while working on the project. The final product consisted of an Atrium, which had information & circulation desk. A Stack room, where computers and printer was place in, along with the E-Cloud coming farther down from the ceiling to bring more comfort to the surrounding of the room for it’s inhabitants. The next room discussed was the children’s room, where it was a small area with two tables. It was a room filled with fun and engaging, hands on task. Having 3-4 computers in the room for kids/adults to work on. The Administration section was on the other side of the children’s room, a room with a comfortable environmental space for workers.

They discussed the problematic situation of the parking area. To solve this issue, ideas about using buses where workers would be drop off at a specific location near the library. They also spoke about the color arrangements within the library. 3 main colors were used: blue, green, & orange. The orange was mainly used in every chair in some form, either by the cushions or the seating, etc. etc. They also used gray as a neutral color in every room as well.

I thought that the information was well presented in a clear manner descriptive details and transition of plan was very good. I also learn that even after doing this for such a long time, it is still possible to be nervous while presenting. I thought they answered every questions that were asked was very thought out and gave the public a satisfying answer.

Luminaire Project Part II

The concept behind my inspired theme is lights through the clouds – seen from a window. So, to replicate this slightly, I made these two joining pieces of wood, cut at certain sizes and arrangements, which is more view as functionality purposes. Originally, I had the top part also made out of wood, but after a few trial and errors, I decided that the top would match better with the sides if it were done in the same fashion. It wouldn’t disrupt the flow of the object and overall projection was therefore enhanced in the end. I also decided to spray paint it black, instead of keeping the same colors from my other model, blue inside and white on the outside, because it wouldn’t distract the audience and allow them to just view the light source itself because blackness of the wood would merged with the surrounding and the image casted upon the plexie glass would seem as if it was hovering in the air, just like an actual sky.

How I got the image the way it did:

Through many, many experimentations with different ways to cast shadows onto these plexie glass that I was able to create the image it showed. It was also a serendipity moment as well. When I decided to paint one whole side a dark gray, and then applying a sheet of vellum onto it, hoping the paint would stick to the paper, (my trial and error method.) After applying pressure and letting it sit for a minute, it started to form figures, and my imagination took over.

This redo of the final project made it much better and I appreciated the work involved for the final product more as it was in better quality and had better effects. Redoing things over and over again really do make it better each time.

Below is the images from my final project for the semester.

Luminaire Project Part I

Our final project of the semester, probably the most complicated as well, since it involves all the knowledge that we have gained throughout the semester, as well as the experience of doing projects up to now along with working in the wood shop. We had to design a luminaire using wood and any materials that we have used in previous projects to articulates the surface upon which my phenomenological analysis cast on. Using a fluorescent bulb as the light source to power the lighting effects.

As I needed an inspiration to how to do my luminaire, I recreated a similar project I had in my previous project. Using Styrofoam, and instead of cutting it up, I bought a cube piece and digged a hole out on one of the side to insert the light bulb into it. I painted the cube to resemble clouds and the sky. When the light source was lit up, the effect was pretty strong, and my brain starts bubbling with ideas.



I decided to start out with a board, measuring 10" x 10", (2) 12" x 12", to make it stable while holding the items within it. Next step was to decide on how to create the illusion of light filtering through it, and that's why my item of choice was plexie glass. Cutting lines running up along the side of the board, and lines across it to slide the plexie glass into them.



The plexie glass was very clear, so I needed to dim the view a bit. Placing yellow transparent color paper over two of the plexie glass inside, made the the color dim down a bit. I farther added 3 more vellum paper to the outside of the plexie glass layers to shadow the effect onto it. I then painted two of the middle plexie glass layers with a dark gray, but only partially to create the shadow effect of clouds and diferent color lighting onto the outer layer of vellum. And another on one of the side. I also painted the inside sky blue to represent the sky, while the outside white to make it more visually appealing.

2 by 4/wood exploration

In this project, we had to cut the provided 2" x 4" x 18" section of wood at least five times, and then assembling the pieces into a connected system of parts. No glue or binding agents were allowed in connecting the parts together, but instead through the joints that we created. This was primary to get us used to and familiarized ourselves in the wood shop with all the machines and tools.


I, at first, had the thoughts of maybe just cutting it into simple chunks of blocks and stacking it on top of each other, but of course this wasn't allowed. Darn. So I set out to do something else. Many ideas floated in and out, one being maybe making it into a spiral effect of pieces or fan-like object. So, cutting the pieces in to 6-7 long way, photo below, I moved along with the project from here. But, complications arise as I tried to figure out how to continue on with it. I had planned to make 4 long cuts along all of the pieces to place the other wood pieces to connect them together. But the measurements were off, and the connecting parts were also confused as to which piece were suppose to be next to each other. Playing around with it, I decided to do something different once again. I decided to cut all of the long pieces in half, doubling the amount of woods to use. Cutting depths into the pieces on the other side, but without cutting all the way, all different sizes, I made the formation of a puzzle - looking object. I also numbered each pieces so it wouldn't be confusing to as which piece goes next to what.

Some pieces from the original first cut and some after the second process.

After this process was done, I played around as to what kind of assembly figure I wanted to create. Spacing it out, or keeping it close together. All lined up, or some higher and some shorter than the others. All of these factors ran through my mind and I decided on a conclusion and test it out. The final product of the project came out to be the following:

To connect the pieces together, I used 5 sectional areas on the back of it with a certain depth and inserting the remaining pieces of wood into the space to hold it together. I used pretty much all of the machines in the wood shop but some more than others to achieve the final product. I'm much more happier with how the shapes and overall view of the project turned out from my original simple idea. This was still simple to do but it looks quite complex with all the cuts and shapes of the wood and being seen as one object, gives the illusion that the project was much more difficult than it really was. I gained much experience in the wood shop thanks to this project and helping me lead into the next project for the semester.

Phenomenological Analysis

During this project we had to observe a natural solar light phenomenon. By creating a record of the phenomenon in 3 different media ways: photography/video, drawing, and diagrammatic model, we could document our observations and presented it to the class.

I chose the light phenomenon of lights through the clouds - seen through a window. My observation occurred in 3 different days/time. After capturing the photo of the lights through the clouds for 3 days, I wanted to do something as to merge them together, to make them appear as one cloud scene. I decided to also merge the drawings of the scene into one as well. The next step was deciding on how to do my model.

Using Styrofoam, I cut up (2) 1/2" blocks, (2) 1" blocks, (2) 2" blocks, and (2) 3" blocks, all with a 1/2" thickness. Using the idea of branching it up and connecting it together to form the layers of clouds and sky view. I painted the Styrofoam according to the layers of the clouds and its surrounding. The final product is what follows below.















































I believe the final presentation went well and the layout was used appropriately. Although I had a title drawn onto it, we all agree that a title wasn't necessary, so it was taken off. A few suggestions of how I could play with the layout was also given but other than that everything else was in good standing.

Sketches: In Class

During class last time, we were doing a few sketches of our fellow classmates, standing in different poses. The time span of 5 minutes seem long at first but it was actually faster than expected. I was just getting into the motion of figuring out how to draw it faster when it was suddenly over. Below are two images of some examples of what we drew.

If I remember correctly, this image was of Jack. This animated self as usual. I pick this one because of it's size relative to the scale, which was near the right scale of the drawing.

I pick this one not because it was great or anything, but it gave me clues to how to draw the figures easier, and faster. With these type of sketches you don't need precise accuracy to details but a general outline of the figure instead. This exercise really helped in my experience of drawing human figures better. Still working on it, but nonetheless better.

Sketches

I chose the following 3 images from my sketch book because it had different qualities about them. The first one, the bottle drawing, it was the closest shape that I was able to resemble to the actual one. Maybe the sunlight area could have been a bit better but overall it was the better bottle drawing in my sketch book.

The second one was my wood project drawing. the line and angles were carefully drawn, something I usually don't do often, as I'm mostly just doing a gesture drawings of things instead. It was unfinished, an in-class assignment so the time was cut short.

The last one I chose was a gesture drawing of leafs around my cubicle. I pick this one instead of the other leaf drawings because the lines and shading was much better than the other ones. It looks more like a gesture drawing.

Alex's Self-Portrait:
I chose this image because it was her most recent work. I could tell she was getting better with her image drawing as the figure was becoming more resemblance to her own figure. Keep up the good work, Alex!

Adrienna's Shadow Scissor Drawing:
This one stand out the most to me because of the shadow shading that actually formed up the scissor outline. The lighting details attached to this image was very well created. I just enjoy looking at it. Awesome work, Adrienna!

Light Artist: Tadao Ando

Light, from the definition found on http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/light, states that it is something that makes things visible or affords illumination: all colors depend on light; the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of sight, etc. etc.



Tadao Ando, a Japanese architecture, is known for his creative use of natural light and how he uses the natural shape of landscapes to build his architectural designs instead of conforming the area to build the building itself. His work seems to embodied a sense of traditional Japanese culture, and creates space of enclosure, instead of openness. Walls are put up to established human zones, 'deflecting surrounding urban chaos,' while the interior of the area is encloses a more private setting.




I really enjoyed looking at this Azuma House creation. It was his early which showed elements of his characteristic style. The total size of the house was a mere 700 square ft of living space. To be able to create a living space this nice with such little space is quite impressive to me. The living room is actually connected to the public street while a central courtyard is at the heart of this house.




If we were to compare Tadao Ando's work to one of the other artist on the list, I would have to pick Dan Flavin because of his lighting manipulations. Although Tadao used natural light, he still manipulated the area where the natural lighting would take place and bring out the best settings for that area of space. Dan Flavin's work would be similar due to the fact that he could also manipulated the lighting setting to create an impression of the space of a building or room. It's also his rectangular lighting that resembles Tadao's rectangular architectural building design, i.e., Azuma House.


Citations:

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Tadao_Ando.html
http://www.minimalismic.com/blog/2010/03/tadao-ando/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadao_Ando
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Flavin

Semester Work in Drafting Class

The following drawings are some examples of the kind of work we've been working on during this semester. Looks easy, but rather difficult and time consuming, to say the least.

Plan Oblique Drawing: One of the better drawings between this and the elevation oblique and isometric. Strong point would be angles were right on this one. Could be composition a bit better.

Object Drawing: Definitely could be better. The curves were pretty hard to draw.

SB Seating: I actually think the drawing on this one was pretty good. All line quality is about the same. Maybe the architectural letterings could be better.



The appearance looks nice, although the angels are all terribly misplaced. Definitely a redo.

IAR 101 Container Project

This container project involved 12 wood sticks of our choosing, including a binding agent and some papers. Since there were many varieties of sticks to choose from the possibilities were limitless for this project. We were suppose to combine the 3 materials together and form what would seems to be fitting for all materials involved. After some considerations and pick and choose, I decided to go with bamboo, since it was stable and would give good balance to whatever I might do in my process. But that wasn't the hard part it seems, as finding a place with bamboo seems to be more of a difficult task. After a while of searching, I finally found a spot filled with bamboos on a corner of a street. It had to be some kind of funny joke as an Asian guy was just walking up to the field of bamboo and chopping it down like they do in Vietnam (that was a joke.. I have no idea what they do in Vietnam). But finally, I got my sticks to work with, more than I needed at the time. But as time went on my project started to take a turn for the better.

It was the poor construction of the bamboo building that I knew I had to go back and make things better again, not just for me but for the bamboo's sake as well. I felt that if I was going to cut down so many bamboos for work with, I had better make it into something worth the destruction of them. The initial progress was so horrible, I don't even want to put up an image of it, but I'm pretty sure the image is still clear to a few in their own mind (the professors). Anyways, I decided on a new approach and was inspired by a wavy bench design (it was actual design as a ceiling but I suggested it to be a bench to them so I ended up using the idea instead). I knew what I wanted to do and so the process wasn't that difficult.

The first one I made actually turned out pretty well, as I took my time and did all the planning step by step. This was how it ended up looking like.



In the first few days that this project was completed, the colors on the bamboo were gorgeous. But as days passed by, it was drying up and dying. The colors lost its natural texture.

I also made a smaller model to test color strips of paper I wanted to add on to it as well but the professor said it didn't needed the extra attention, but here are the photos:






I tested out a couple of different shades of green paper to match up with the texture of the bamboo colors and wanted to see which colors would do best. But turns out plain white was the best choice :)

I also made a simple construction of another thing for fun. It took me literally 2 minutes but a lot of people who walks by my cubicle actually noticed it and liked it.





The major things that were pointed out to me about my project was how the paper should grace all of the bamboos more, instead of having some tips pointing out if you look closely enough. Portions of the bamboo wasn't being attached fully to the paper so the look might change if I had done it over again but this time cut the bamboo to where it would touch every surface of it. Also, an idea bout making the bamboos having an organized look to it, for example, smaller width bamboos gradually increasing in diameters as it reaches the other end. With these ideas and thoughts, I went back and reconstructed another one. The final look came out to look something like this.



But, pretty much that is my project this time around. I really enjoyed making it because I had a clear purpose after awhile and I knew it was something I could be proud of doing. Hopefully the next project will be something as interesting and fun as this one!

Image

Date: Sept. 14, 2010.
Time Length: 10-15 mins
Location: IAR Studio
Why: I chose this not because it was the best drawing or anything in my sketch book, but rather it was about the texture of the drawing. The shading and different strokes I believed in this drawing succeeded at the given task to draw my sticks. The line curves and even the little bumps were included in the drawing, unlike most of the other drawings where it was roughly a gesture drawing to me. This demonstrated drawings based on different styles that I found pleasing to the eye.

LEAF PROJECT IARC 101

There were many steps that was involved in the creation of the final product for this project. But it began with a blank expression as to what I would do since the guidelines were pretty much opened to almost all possibilities as long as it only involved the one sheet of paper, 12.5" by 12.5" and a leaf of my choice. I had probably experimented with 4-5 different leafs and a couple of different types of paper before deciding on the final material to use, but even then, the final thought wasn't what I had predicted to be the final product. I believed I struggled with the thinking process of this project as I was trying to be too complex with my creations instead of just going with the flow and creating something simple but effective. Which sometimes is the best method for anything. I listened to the different ideas and examples my professors were providing and it became easier, little by little, it was forming into something worth noting. As I was experimenting with trash papers and the final leaf that I wanted to work with, which afterward I would make the same design, only better quality, and a different style of paper, I found that the trash paper didn't hold up to what I wanted to do so well. The strength it provided was weak, and therefore, the walls caved outward. But, it's OK, I thought. This was only an example of the final product. Before I had decided on the final one, or what I thought would be, I had initial planned to have 2 sides folded up, forming what seems to be a window with vertical line openings in the box. The leaf would be wrapped inside and outside to hold together the paper. But then another problem presented itself. I couldn't think of a way to get the strands of paper, the vertical part, to hold each other, or even to be attached to the other side of the paper. I had to come to a conclusion that I either needed to cut those off, or keep it intact wholly, without stripping any pieces off. And that was when this came about:



I weaved the leaf into the four top sides, and it came out what looks like to be an H shape. This final product with the trash paper wasn't bad, but the wall needed to be tuned up better to make it stand completely up as if it was a box. That's when I was about to use the final paper product of the Vellum paper to make the box, but saw a piece of paper rolled up perfectly, from all the pieces I have been cutting out from. I picked it up and examine it with interest, and decided to play around with it a bit. I placed cuts into several areas of the rolled up piece of trash paper and then began to slip the leaf into it and out. It was so simple, and effective, hardly any troubles, as if this was what was suppose to be in the first place. The way the trash paper illuminated the leaf from within because it was transparent, to how the leaf itself looked like as it wrapped around the cylinder trash paper, everything fitted together so wonderfully. This image of the product stirred something inside of me as every time I look at it, it just felt right, like this was a part of me, something that must be kept the way it is. That's why I didn't decide to use any other different type of paper for this one, and also because the wrapping would differ from one piece to the next. I did, however, decided to cut the tip of it, making it seem like the leaf had a certain direction to follow in. Here is what it looked like, the product that I chose to stick with in the end:



And this, was my final project for the leaf & the paper. Two piece of items that relates to each other not only in materials but how it also interacted with each other. The perfect place for a leaf to be.

What inspires you?

For me, it's "Notes from the forefront of Starship Life."