Presentations

The projects that i listened to this semester all made me extremely excited for the upcoming four years. There are so many different details to focus on. I imagine it would get very tedious but i know i will enjoy it. 

On of my favorite projects that i got to see and hear about was the space entitled "sprouts." I really liked how the presenter spoke of her design and she was very thoughtful with every detail of her design. She presented very clearly and got straight to the point. You knew, just by listening to the way that she spoke of her work that everything she included had a very specific purpose.

I cannot wait to design like this.

The Final Product

For our final presentation the group designated to create the final display of our plans and models set everything up in the lobby of the studio art center. They displayed photos of students working on their cement pieces and also included the plans and section views we created, and some of the thought process or "throw up" sheets. The background of brown paper created a perfect datum line that really pulled all of the pieces together. 

After explaining our designs to some of onlookers outside in our designated spaces we came inside to our display and one person from each group explained what their group designed, and how they came up with it. 

The audience seemed to like what we said, but, since we are first years, we definitely had a lot to fix, so they had many helpful criticisms as well.

This whole process was a great learning experience. I learned how to speak more clearly about and make my thought process more understandable. 

In class perspectives

In class we practiced drawing in one and two point perspectives. These are some examples of the in-class activities we did in our sketchbooks. We practiced drawing a corner of a room, with the walls protruding in different directions.

Mirage Brainstorm

For our latest project we were asked to come up with a design for the different island spaces located in the parking lot outside of the studio art center. Our final products had to be made out of cement. These are pages from my sketchbook of brainstorming ideas for our concepts and actual designs.

Drafting

In our drafting class we had several new projects in which we developed more detailed skills in the layout of our designs, or activities. We are starting to take things a step more professional. These pictures depicted above and bellow are activities we were assigned out of our textbooks that we had to measure in 1/8" scale, double the number, and then recreate it in 1/4" scale. 

This was initially a challenge but as we progressed, it came more easily. 

Perspectives

One of my favorite projects we did this semester was to take what we learned in class about perspectives and put it to work. We were set out to take pictures of first, a birds eye view (below), an interior, an object, and an exterior. This activity made me much more confident in my skills as a drawer. It was very time consuming but i was satisfied with my final product. 

Site plan

For the picture below we were asked to find out houses on google earth and draw a site plan of the houses themselves, and the topography of the land. I decided to put more emphasis on my house, rather than the land and i did this by using a thicker pen for the outline, and filling the buildings in with smaller lines. 

In the picture directly below, taken from our textbook, we were asked to put more emphasis on the topographical lines, rather than the building. I did this by using a darker, thicker inked marker for the the topographical lines. I also included more, smaller lines between the large topographical lines to express more the topography of the land. 
The image below was an image taken from our textbook. For this activity we were asked to put more emphasis on the building rather than the topographical lines, and include something to show direction of the suns rays and north. In order to put more emphasis on the buildings i used a thicker pen for the outlines of the buildings and filled them in with smaller lines, in closer proximity to each-other. 

(MID-TERM)

How is dialog created?

In order to create dialogue there must be something in common between the two objects, something that reflects the same attitude or physical appearance of the other object.

How is a sense of space/place defined?

To define a sense of place or space the space must be the same size as a certain aspect of the project. For instance, with this particular project, depending on the way the person manipulated their bristol board, the space could be the same size as the bristol board. The space could also be the same size as the spaces between the skewers, or any other apparent aspect of the project.

How is the idea of system generated?

For these projects involving the twelve skewers and twelve pieces of bristol board there are many systems involved. There is a system collaboration between the skewers and he bristol board, between the pieces of bristol board themselves, and between the skewers themselves. Whatever form or function these objects are creating is a system working together.

How does the joinery support the project concept/strategies?

Joinery is a very important part of this project. All the pieces have to work together in order to create a functioning system. The skewers hold the bristol board up, while the bristol board supports and steadies the skewers. There are many different ways in which people could manipulate their resources to create a new joint that functions in a different way.

How is scale utilized in the project?

The main function of scale in this project is that it helps to define the two specific spaces. It can make what seems to be three spaces, into two. In some projects the scale is in relation to the skewers, while in others the scale is in relation to the bristol board. Others are in relation to the spaces created.

How do two-dimensional images add to the understanding of the project?

The two dimensional portrayals of the project help you, even as the creator, to see the project in a different way. You may realize that the project you created is not actually what you envisioned and that there are some things you need to change to make your creation the way you want it to look. Seeing things from a new fresh perspective sometimes allows you to see more.

How did the initial project idea evolve?

For my project specifically I stuck with my first creation, with some small manipulations. I bent the bristol board in certain spots to emphasize the form that I created.

Dialogue Project

For this project involving twelve 12" skewers and twelve 4" by 6" pieces of bristol board i decided to create a dialogue to represent the relationship between a parent and his or her child. I made one piece of my project taller, and ascending in one direction with fewer skewers and pieces of bristol board, while the other piece of the project was shorter, ascending in the opposite direction and include more skewers and bristol board pieces.

Architectural Hardware

For one of our projects in my Interior Architecture 110 class we were assigned to draw 3 drawings, in different media, of three different pieces of architectural hardware. I chose for my drawings some light fixtures and door handles. From this set of nine drawings we were told to choose one and expand with more detail on another piece of sketch paper.

Compare and Contrast

For the project involving twelve skewers and twelve pieces of bristol board, also known as the "Unity" project, i decided to create a form that greatly resembled a spiral staircase. My project coincided well with one of my classmates'. Gregory Hickman's project had the same spiral form, but in a vertical direction. So i decided to analyze a bit more deeply what he did similarly, along with what we did differently.

We, as a class, were bound to the twelve, twelve inch skewers, and the twelve 4" by 6" pieces of bristol board. Greg and I used our skewers in very similar ways. We had two skewers connected to each piece of bristol board. My final creation, however, was much larger than his because he folded his bristol board in half along each skewer to create a more structurally sound form. I kept my bristol board flat and flimsy. This also resulted in his project being much shorter than mine, even though his pieces of bristol board went vertically. 

Another difference between our projects was that he included three layers of cardboard to act as a baseboard for his presentation. This baseboard was very successful in emphasizing the many different heights of the skewers and the gradation of the bristol board pieces.  

One of the main differences between our projects was that my skewers all remained the same height whereas his started out shorter and grew in height as the bristol board rose to different levels. 

A common theme in our projects that are most obvious were the repetition of the pattern. The spirals that we created had a very distinct sense of unity, working together to stay up, and the repetition was a big part of that.

Black and White repetitions

These drawings are some of many drawings that were based off of my cell phone and a twig from one of our previous projects. We were asked to create several thumbnail drawings of these objects. From these thumbnail drawing we then had to take aspects and create newer and somewhat larger drawings of the same sort. These are some of the drawings i did. Again this project was really helpful in drawing your eye to things you wouldn't normally see.

Bristol Board and Skewers

These photos are representational of my project created by glueing 4"by 6" peices of bristol board and 12" long skewers. We were not allowed to "cut" the bristol board but we were able to stab the skewers through the bristol board to create the shape we wanted. My precedent was a spiral staircase. Immediately after being assigned this project and playing with the materials i thought of a spiral form. Actually creating this form in a well structured way was extremely difficult. It took a few attempts and some experience with rubber cement for me to find a way to make my design stand on it's own. 

The pictures below are drawings from different perspectives of my design. 

On My Own

My favorite technique that we have used during class for drawing is blind contour. I decided to do this on my own and here are some examples.