Doodle

My art history class was excessively boring one day and so I took out my sketch book and just started to doodle my name. It was dark in the room, but I think I did a pretty good job considering the lack of proper lighting.

Studio Theory Hour Lecture 09-17-08

The lecture today was based around the concept of sustainability. The speaker was saying that the human race is a storm, determined on destroying the earth. Global warming is being caused by “the human storm”. The impact of sustainability: Agent of Transformation, Constructive/destructive, Dynamic Event, A thing not a place, and is a process. The twenty-thirty challenge was created to measure the carbon footprint being left each year by the human race and what we can do to slow it down. It suggests that we have to consider the use of a building being used.

            One organization set up for this is the AIA. It is designed to find alternate energy sources to replace the used carbon. LEED also is a part of this: Leadership Environmental Energy Design. They set measurable target goals, a benchmarked timeline, and building design leaders. A concept used by them is the “long life, loose fit” concept. It basically says that a building should not be locked in by its energy source uses. A building should “live” a long time, but be able to change with society as we do. It should be open to be able to change the energy sources as needed. The target change in carbon usage is 50% immediately, extending 10% additional every year. 

Textured Logs

Some logs that Stoel set up for us to draw as an opening exercise to class. They helped me see the textures of the different sections of the wood. The smooth inside surface with small imperfections to the highly textured outer side of the log with the knots and many imperfections. 

Ambidextrous Hands

This was a homework exercise for my design visualization class where we had to draw our hands with the opposite hand. It was an ambidextrous drawing and proved difficult when I commenced to drawing my right hand with my left. I did find that it helped strengthen my weaker hand and gave me more perspective in how to see objects in a new light. 

A bike - negative space

This is a work in progress. It is a bike being drawn only drawing the negative space around the bike. I found this very difficult when it came to drawing the space between the spokes. 

Twig concept

Some notes I was making for my original twig design. Includes notes on my precedent.

Blind Touch Drawing

This is a drawing exercise we had to do where we had to feel the object and draw it without seeing it. We were being forced to rely on our other senses than just sight.

Critique 09-17-2008

Today’s critique was a very productive session for me. The small groups helped me gain a better, more personal connection to my project and understand everyone’s views on how to make my project better. I was given a few suggestions to accentuate the spiral aspect of my project: the outer spiral as well as the inner. One option would be to lift the cylinder in a way to where the inside complexity of the structure can be seen as well as the outer spiral. The main suggestion Tommy and my fellow students offered me was to not add to my project. I agreed with their suggestions because adding to the project in terms of my binding agent would detract from my design.

The main topic our small groups discussed today was Focus. We talked about variety reduction, and not putting too much emphasis on several different aspects of your design. It is better to reduce it to one central thing that you are trying to emphasize. In my project, it would be the inner and outer spirals – particularly the inner. Contrast was another important topic we discussed. Contrast can be a good thing if its incorporated into the project in a good quality way. As long as it isn’t a distracting thing, contrast can be a very good aspect of the design. 

Precedent for Twigs

The precedent for my project is a man made invention known as a "cell phone tree". There are six tiers of horizontal branches, some that are made with realistic needle leaves and branches. The trees resemble "douglas firs of the pacific and are unlike unsightly telephone poles that are spanned by wires. Cell phone trees are solitary structures like my twig design.

A Place for a Leaf

The final leaf project for Studio

Mess #2

This mess was inspired when I was perking a pot of coffee last night. I thought about how clumsy I usually am and imagined myself spilling my cup and all its contents on the table. I tried to capture the smooth texture of the liquid spilling out without making it appear to be too flat and 2 dimensional.

Mess #1D

The idea of the mess is found in the disarray of the paper inside the basket and the balled up paper balls around the basket. This particular mess I located in my friend's dorm room.

A Chair

The concept was to draw the negative space around the object in hopes of ending with the final product - in this case, a chair. 

The Upside Down Man

The Upside Down Man

This man was to be drawn upside down. A tip my professors gave me that was very helpful was to not think of his parts as body parts - Think of which way the lines move and draw them as such.