Watercolor Vignettes

These are the vignettes I did while "drinking and drawing." First I went to Panera Bread where I saw this couple. They were very quiet and didn't seem very happy. They were sitting in a booth and had a light right above them which create a soft ambiance. I loved all the colors in the fabrics/walls and tried to show that with colored pencil and watercolor.


The next people I drew were a younger girl and an older woman. They were there before and after I left. They talked constantly and seemed to be working on their laptops. Whatever they were working on must have been pretty important.


Last I went to Caribou coffee and got a nice white chocolate mocha. I drew a couple sitting by the window. They were around my age and were on their laptops. The guy had really poofy hair. The atmosphere at Caribou is very warm and comfortable, probably because of all the wood tones.

Opus 3: Consistency

I chose to title this opus "Consistency" because I felt all of these words have to do with that idea. Design needs to be consistent and make sense in it's context.

Scale

When drawing, its important to make your image accurate. If you're drawing a building, you want to make sure the size of the doors make sense in relation to the people in the drawing. In Suzanne's class we have been working on drawing scale figures. Another thing we practiced was conveying depth when drawing someone and making sure that sizes are correct. For example, in this drawing the feet are closer to me so therefore they are twice the size of the head. This technique can be used when drawing a building ("this wall is 3x the length of the window").



Scale was also important when constructing our wall for studio. I made sure that my scaled artifact was accurate to it's actual size. That helped me figure out what size to make the frame for it and where to place it on the wall.

We have learned in history how the Egyptians would use scale to show status and power. The pyramids at Giza are a perfect example of this mentality.

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"When Napoleon sat at the foot of the pyramids, he reportedly calculated that there was enough material in the three to build a wall 3 meters high and 1 meter thick around the whole of France" (Roth pg. 197). The monumental pyramids rise far above the surrounding city and give a sense of power.

Unity

I found that drawing vignettes was a good lesson in creating unity. We had to include part of the surroundings of our subjects, the "entourage." Putting in these extra elements really makes the drawing feel more real and cohesive.

The ancient Greeks also knew how to create unity in their buildings. They were the first to incorporate the porch, court and hearth in all buildings. "Aside from this specialized room, the house consisted of a small cobblestone court open to the sky, with a series of rooms opening to it" (Roth pg. 226). Having these three elements in a home or public building makes the structure feel more harmonious and unified. Almost all homes built today include those three areas, which shows how influential the Greeks were.

Section

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We use section cuts in drafting in order to show information you can't tell in other views. I chose this section cut of a pyramid at Giza to illustrate this. We can't tell what's going on inside the pyramid by just looking at it. "The cross section reveals the changes in the design, with the first proposed burial chamber deep below the pyramid, the second shifted to a position above the initial layers of the stone blocks, and the final burial chamber shifted to a point nearly at the center of the mass" (Roth pg. 199).

We do the same thing with our section cuts of Pat's chair. It allows us to understand exact measurements and how the structure works.

Boundary

In History we have read about how early civilizations were influenced by eachother through trade. These influences are shown in their furniture and buildings. The Egyptians were influenced by places in the Middle East. Across from Egypt over the Mediterranean were the Greeks who got ideas from Egypt. According to Plato, "Whatever the Greeks acquire from foreigners is finally turned by them into something nobler" (Roth pg. 215). Even though there are geograpical borders, no boundaries really exists when it comes to translating designs into other cultures. The Greeks believed that they were basically the center of the world and had extra protection because they were surrounded by water. I've drawn a map based on an ancient map from Greece:

Vignette


Vignettes are all about showcasing a scene and making it special. If you're drawing a vignette, you kind create an imaginary frame around the sketch. The Temple of Karnak's design reminds me of this. The two sides of the building make you focus on the center and wonder what is going on there. In history we discussed how this temple represents religious and social hierarchy and how only certain people were aloud inside. Like a vignette, this building combines those ideas in a striking composition.
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Here are some of the vignettes I drew in Suzanne's class. These show the mood of each of the situations. The first couple were very quite and reserved, even the colors of their clothes were drabby. The second one shows more communication and emotion between the people.

Scale figures

All of these drawings are examples of scale figures. These artists were found on urbansketchers.com

Greg Betza


Wil Freeborn

Ira Robbins


Laura Frankstone

Helena Monteiro

Artifact Vignettes

These are the artifacts created by my classmates, who are modeling them.

Tracey:

Katie:

Linsey:

Watercolor & Vignettes

My first attempts at drawing vignettes and painting in watercolor. So far, I like!

A Drop in the Bucket (Opus #2)

Illuminate

This week in our classes, we have learned how important "illumination" is in design. Sometimes there are certain aspects of a space you want to bring attention to. "A strongly focused pool of light against a background of general darkness is a highly effective device for focusing attention" (Roth pg. 86). The more literal definition of the word uses light, but it doesn't necessarily have to.

In Perception and Communication, we learned a new drawing technique using vignettes. This kind of drawing really brings attention to everyday objects and otherwise mundane scenes. Here is an example from my sketchbook:

These are just normal scenes you would find on a desk in studio, but drawn like this makes them seem more special. Watercolor is especially useful when trying to illuminate something.

Idiom

Typically, idiom refers to a phrase or saying that has a double meaning. Here is a drawing I did of a well known idiom:



This concept can be applied to when we were working on our artifact for studio. We had to figure out how to translate the morals we learned from our fairy tales into an object. It couldn't be something that was literally taken from the story. The essence of our fairytale had to show through in our object. "The mind does not interpret incoming data as signifying nothing" (Roth pg.67). This quote points out that everything you include in a design is going to be seen and you need to make sure it sends the correct message. As with idioms, you need to pull out the true meanings of an object or phrase besides the obvious clues.

Material

Choice of material is extremely important. In History and Theory we learned about some of the first civilizations and their buildings. In Teotihuacan, Mexico the Mayans built their temples out of stone. This provides a large contrast to the green environment surrounding it. Whereas in Mesopotamia, the Ziggurat is similarly colored to the desert around it.

Early in civilizations, the materials used were the only choice that society had. An example of this is in the Sumer region. The most readily material to build with was clay. People had to develop techniques to build successful dwellings. The need to be resourceful and innovative in design was used thousands of years ago and still is important today.

Commodity, Firmness and Delight

Commodity, Firmness and Delight are the three parts of the definition of architecture according to Vitruvius. The need for commodity requires that the design works for that building's function. An example of this could be a hotel. For a hotel to be a successful design it needs to be hospitable and helpful to it's guests.

In my psychology of dress class, we learned about the function of dress. Dress isn't necessarily about the need for clothing. Its role is to communicate our identity. An example from class is Barack and Michelle Obama's outfits for the inaugural balls. Their dress needed to communicate their roles in our society as the first family:

I think they successfully did this but with a modern twist. Their clothing choices give off a classic look but also very distinguished. They are our American royalty and this comes through in the richness of the fabric and colors.

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Firmness calls into question the structure of the design. Does the building hold up over time? This was important when designing our chairs for Pat in drafting. I had to make sure that there was support for the pieces that were lying horizontal. To do this I put a vertical piece at a 90 degree angle. You can see that underneath the desktop surfaces in this picture:

The last important aspect of design is delight. Sometimes the appeal to the visual senses is given more importance than the functionality of the design. Mid-century architects responded to this by asserting that "delight in architecture had no independent existence, that beauty resulted automatically through maximizing functionality and the expression of structure" (Roth Pg. 67). However, these days designers believe it is important to strive for the most visually pleasing design as well as durability and functionality.

The Girl Without Hands Artifact

My fairy tale was called The Girl Without Hands. In short, a girl goes through many hardships only to become a queen in the end. Throughout her life, she always prays to God to help her and get her through. I felt this was the main lesson this story had. Another minor theme was that things aren't always as they appear.

When creating my artifact I wanted to incorporate both of these morals.

I decided to make a necklace because that was the only piece of jewelry this girl could wear (Her hands were cut off). Also, the main character was a girl and I wanted to make something feminine. Even though we weren't necessarily suppose to make an object for a character in our story, this pointed me in the direction of what kind of wearable artifact to make.

I imagined dark colors and red when reading the story. I assume this was because of the "dark" storyline and the association red has with the devil and blood. Therefore, I decided to use those colors in my piece.


The back of the black pendant has a silver inside. This represents the faith that is always carried around by whoever wears the necklace. You can't tell from looking at the front, it's only something the wearer knows. This is how I integrated both themes.

Create: Design :: Tell: Story

Stories

Cultures pass down stories from generation to generation to stay connected to the past. Traditions are passed down, as well as morals or rules. In the fable I read for studio, The Girl Without Hands, I arrived at a few different lessons. These include having faith, perseverance, and to be weary of appearances.

In IAR 112, we have picked five objects that are important to us. It was interesting to see how each of these objects hold memories and tell their own story. Here are my illuminated objects:


Artifacts

Each of my classes this semester have shown the relationship between artifacts and humans. We are a material culture, which results in our objects telling more information about us than our written records. Buildings and architecture are considered artifacts and function the same way. "Architecture is a nonverbal form of communication, a mute record of the culture that produced it" (Roth, pg. 5).
There are a lot of meanings in everyday objects. An example of this can be seen in my Psychology of Dress class. We looked at the summer of 2007 when the 6 1/2 inch Yves Saint Laurent heels came out. Even though wearing shoes like these are extremely dangerous, women still were on waiting lists to get them. It shows that people think its important to convey status and attitude through what they wear. Thats what people would learn about our society if they studied the artifacts in our time period.

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Multiview

The word multiview indicates that there is more than one way to look at one situation. We do this in drafting by showing a top view, side view, front view and many others. This way we can understand all the information about an object or building.

We also have different views depending on our own perspective. This is evident through the views of black students in the 1960's. They viewed the lunch counter at a restaurant as a way to keep them excluded from the white customers. Whereas the white people only viewed it as a lunch counter without negative connotations.


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Translation

In studio we watched the film "A Midsummer Nights Dream." In the story, a fairy enchants people so that they will fall in love with each other. However, he misunderstood his orders and enchants the wrong people. This shows how language is important when communicating with others because messages can get lost.

Translation is important in design too. We learned in history class about how our U.S. capital buildings style was translated over time. The Greek classical style influenced the Romans, who then built in Europe, and then the Europeans came to America and carried over that classical style. Thomas Jefferson designed his home partly in the classic style:

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Cycle

There are many kinds of cycles, both in history and design. Over time, some styles phase out but other repeat. Something has to cause the change that occurs when a new style begins and an old one fades away. It's also possible for styles to occur at the same time.
Cycle also reminds me of the design process. You go through a series of steps when designing something, and it's usually a unique process to each person. Here is an example from my sketchbook showing a step in designing my piece of furniture:



I appreciate keeping this opus because it really helps me reflect on all the information I'm learning in my classes. It's important to reflect on what I've read, taken notes on, or practiced drawing. For this first week, I think the main theme would be stories. The words artifact, translation, multiview, and cycle are important in how you tell a story. It's important for us to understand this concept because we have to satisfy different needs when designing something. We are basically designing for someone else, so we have to figure out what they need.

Timeline: 1225

1225 BCE

Institutions - The Exodus (Hebrews migrate from Egypt to Palestine)

-Birth of Helen (Helen of Troy) to King Tyndareus of Sparta

Technology - The Great Temple of Ramses II built photo:

-Temple of Seti I built in Egypt

Governance - Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II dies
-Trojan War and the fall of Troy
-Reign of Suppiluliumas II in the United Kingdom of the Hitties

-Hyllus, first known king of the Illyrians died

-Battle of Nihriya between the Hittites and Assyrians

-Pharaoh Mernepah fights off a Libyan invasion

Commerce - The Illyrians traded with their neighbors (Macedonians, Grecians and Thracians)

-According to the bible, the Sidonians carried out extensive commerce

1225 CE

Institutions - Pope Honorious III threatens to excommunicate Holy Roman Emperor Friederich II if he doesn't begin his crusade
-The poet Guillaume de Lorris writes Roman de la Rose
-The song "Sumer is icumen in" is sung in rounds in England

-Death of Japanese poet and historian, Jien

Technology - Cotton textiles begin to be manufactured in Spain
-Cathedral of Saint Pierre begins construction in Beauvais, France photo:

-Fibonacci uses his Diophantine equations to determine that more irrational numbers exist besides what the Greek geometers discovered

Governance - The Teutonic Knights were expelled from Transylvania
-Third amended version of the Magna Carta issued
-England regains territory previously taken by the French
-The Sultan of Delhi repels a Mongol attack
-An-Nasir, the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad dies

Commerce - Indians start using camels while traveling, increasing trade

Pathways, Edges, & Boundaries

This project was all about creating an artifact that would connect the Maude Gatewood Studio Arts building with the parking lot next to it. It was also our first project that included a lot of research. In the end, each of us would need to cast an object out of concrete and place it somewhere in the parking lot or next to the building.

For the research portion, I was in the Environmental group. We had to focus on the environmental elements that affect the parking lot. I was in the subgroup that monitored traffic patterns and what impacts them. We noticed that people weave through the parking lot instead of walking down walkways and sidewalks. We could also tell that the islands get filled with puddles in the rain, preventing people from walking on them. People also tend to walk on the edges of the islands. Drivers tend to speed while driving through the parking lot. These are all elements that we new could affect our design.

After we presented our findings, we got put into new groups. These 5 groups (Gateway, Oasis, Mirage, Desert, and Building Edge) were the groups that we would cast our concrete in. Here are some of my first sketches and ideas:

I thought it was important to make sure the edges were covered in concrete since people walk on them. Besides that the Mirage island didn't really have a clear walking pattern already created. We also had to deal with the emergency poll, which could possibly limit what we could put there.
Throw Up sheet:
Originally we came up with an idea that consisted of a series of pillars that would show progression to or away from the emergency poll. Also, the class as a whole decided we wanted to incorporate circles and squares into all of the designs. We decided to cover our ground plane in circle and square stepping stones. However, due to the limits concrete has, we had to simplify this design. Here is a link to our process.

We were struggling with our design and had a meeting with Tommy to get some more insight. Then we came up with our final idea. We were going to simplify the ground plane in a way the placed more importance on the emergency pole. We would make a pattern of circle and square pavers around the emergency pole as a place to stand when it's in use. On the curved edges, we would make a half circle shape out of seven rectangle pavers.


With this plan, we moved onto building our molds and casting our objects. This photo shows the first time the group experimented with concrete and texture. Kitty Litter was used as the aggregate, so we decided to use pea gravel the next time to make it stronger. You can also see we tried out a wire brush texture. We liked this look somewhat but needed to work on it.


We worked on casting for a few days and then were the first group to finish them. My plan and section drawing of one of our pieces: Finally the project was done and all that was left was the exhibit. Here is a photo of the cut-outs that we worked on and put on the window.


Bray and I printed and cut out the title letters, which is more challenging then you think.

For the exhibit we tried to stay with neutral colors. A lot of brown was used because so many of us used cardboard in this project.

Our final concrete pavers out on site. Next semester we will dig out the islands to set them permanently.

Although it wasn't our original design, we saw what happened when we placed four circles together. We decided we liked this so we'll make two more circles next semester to complete the design.