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Project 2: Form Distortion

I have always wanted to use a laser cutter to create something, and this was finally my opportunity to do so. I have used Illustrator for a long time, but never to create a pattern for a laser cutter to follow and trace. I would have thought it would have required a program more like google sketch-up or Auto-CAD to create something like that. This is probably due to the fact that what we created was more of a 2 Dimensional object.

We were told to trace a picture of our first project from this class as the foundation to start this project. It was more of a way to save some time but also was an exercise to show the change a form takes when transformed into a 2 Dimensional object.

I had a little trouble with the dimensions at first but once those were in order I was able to create the organic shape that we were told to include. For this I wanted to use a laser cutting technique I have seen a lot on some instructables from www.instructables.com where you create relief cuts in wood to make it flexible. I chose a pattern that claimed to make the material flex in more than one direction unlike the others that would only bend one way. This ended up working out, but only after a little coaxing by wetting the material with water and then clamping it into the form I wanted until it dried.

This project was fun for me, especially since I was able to try a laser cutting technique that i have wanted to try for a long time.

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Project 4: Line as Form

This idea for this project was already in my head before I had even started it or even known what it was all about. For awhile I have been drawing simple line patterns when I have nothing else to do(I included part of one of those “doodles” that inspired the direction of this project). This usually is to kill time but also a way for me to play with negative and positive space and experiment what patterns work best together. When I was told what this assignment was all about I immediately thought of these drawings and wanted to find a way to adapt part of my drawing into a 3D version.

Since I was kind of improvising and planning at the same time I decided to just use all hand tools rather than the band saw to perform all of my cuts. This helped for some of the more extreme angles that I was trying to create, most of which I pretty much had to play with until I got them to work. Using mostly mortises and tenon joints for the ended up making my object very sturdy despite the fact that it has no clear load bearing structure to it. It gave me ideas of different ways to join wood for future projects as well, like a loft bed frame that I have been designing to fit over my current bed for my brother. For that I would like to make it with the minimal amount of metal fasteners like this project.

I wanted like in my drawing to not have any closed shapes so the entire structure is one continuous piece/line. This did not mean that I wanted it to be completely separate though, instead I wanted the lines to overlap and take on different shapes depending on the angle at which you look at it. If you were to take it and flip it over or tilt it it would also take on a whole other look, this is due to the fact that I did not want any kind of symmetry to it. I also tried to make every angle not be anywhere close to a right angle(only 3-4 are close) to give it a more dynamic eye catching look like the ones in my drawing.

One other student in the class thought it looked almost like part of a shipwreck, which I guess is good considering I was trying to make it seem somewhat chaotic. I didn’t want it to be closed off or geometrical in anyway which I feel I was able to accomplish.

There is a little over half of the material left over still that I would like to use to continue experimenting with this form. Who knows what type of shape it could take on, especially with more time to add more compact angles.

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Project 3: Soft Sculpture

This project was a little out of my normal skill set, although I have sewn before I don’t do it that often. Looking at the different artists that have created soft sculptures I really liked the idea of using transparent materials to create an object like Do So Huh. While thinking of ways to make the wood lathe form from the last project into a soft sculpture I immediately had the idea to make a semi rigid rectangle out of a transparent material and something softer, abstract, and out of non-transparent fabric to contrast against the rigid form. I also had the idea to make it almost look as if the abstract form was coming out of the rectangle as its waste. 

I chose to use tulle or fabric mesh like Do So Huh for the rectangle. It worked well but was a challenge to sew, It constantly would bunch up when using the sewing machine on pretty much every setting. I finally was told that you can sew tissue paper in with the fabric and then tear it off to keep the tulle from bunching. Using bailing wire I was able to support the fabric, which I just ended up bending into place.

The softer more abstract form was a little different, more of a free formed experiment in different ways to connect fabrics. Using ugly upholstery fabric that was up in my garage, I tried all sorts of things like alternating the seams in and out, cutting the pieces of fabric with all sorts of weird curves to sew to a straight edge, and even pinching the seams in certain areas to change the form. 

To create contrast and create a sense of movement I used a few different colored pieces of tulle inside of the gray tulle rectangle and added extra material to have a way to connect it to the other form. I had this done for the first day but was given an extra day to turn it in. I took advantage of this and decided to add something that incorporated s material that I have wanted to try with fabrics, conductive thread and LED’s. To do that I created a simple circuit that used a zipper as a switch, so when the zipper is closed the LED’s light up.

I think that this was more of a learning experience for me personally than the other projects. This was because I am so used to using more rigid materials like wood, metal, or even plastic that require other methods of joinery besides stitching. It helped me to learn the different limits of fabrics and the methods of securing each piece together that actually work. I also learned how to make two things that are so different in shape and material somehow work together, and I was even able to show that a small change can completely alter how something is seen in the right setting(when my project was lit up it looked different than when not because of the way that the tulle diffused the light coming from the LED’s).

There were a few things I realized from some of the other students projects as well. When everyone else was presenting their soft sculptures there were a few that caught my eye and even one that gave me the feeling of being trapped in plain sight. The piece was just simply some pink insulation and grass stuffed into a simple clear vinyl form with what looked like bat wings attached to it. It would not have given me that sense if it weren’t for the flashlight pressing outwards against the clear vinyl. For some reason it conveyed to me this feeling of being trapped unable to get a breath in where everyone can see you but no one chooses to help you. I’m not sure if that was what the artist intended but it could represent the many people that people see in trouble in the world but choose not to lift a finger to help(the homeless, Syrian refugees, or even someone struggling with a mental Illness). I may be looking too deeply into it but it helped me to realize the power a completely abstract piece can sometimes have on a viewer.

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Project 1:Form Translation

The first official project for the class was taking a woodworking machine and creating it completely out of rosin paper and painters tape. The machine chosen by my group was a wood lathe which had many different forms to it. The project was a challenge just in the way to construct objects. Some groups used a frame to start and wrapped a skin around it, While others used tape as a main support system, my group wanted to go in a different direction though. The design we decided on was to create the entire machine out of separate self supporting boxes/shapes that can be stacked in order to create the wood lathe. Instead of using tubes inside of our boxes for support we created flat cutouts of every shape that could be folded into the specific shapes needed. This proved to be a strong way to build our machine, but to ensure that it wouldn’t collapse we added a few I-beam like supports inside of each corner. An added bonus to the way our object was created was the ability to hide most of the tape on the inside which gave the whole project a very clean rigid look.

When it came down to the critique it was a little longer than expected on each groups work, but it was nice to be able to discuss the different projects the way we did. My groups project was pointed out as being too clean, which was slightly true in my opinion but it did have a nice balance to it. I would have liked to add some sort of tape accents somewhere after discussing about some of the other groups works. Kind of like the heavy tape lines on the scroll saw one group did. The way the tape was placed it gave it the sense that it was wayyyy heavier than it actually looked, and although it was leaning a little I liked it because the object felt like it would fall over at any moment. This was kind of cool even if it was unintentional because it looked firm and grounded while still fragile and temporary.

That was kind of a theme that I personally wanted to convey with our project. That it is temporary and that things can be changed at any moment but still stay the same. Whether it is through innovation or just the fact that someone just wants to make it look differently an object or device can take on many different appearances as time goes on. If the model we had created was actually used as a representation of the wood lathe by designers for example, they could go and take out a piece they don’t like and simply replace it with the shape they would rather see. They could even just take the entire form apart and rearrange all of the individual boxes into another machine or object, almost like giant paper building blocks.

All in all I really enjoyed this project even if I used more math in it than any other art project I have worked on. It helped me to visualize what basic shapes are involved in creating different everyday things.

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In my Space Studio class I was given several different forms to create out of paper, or something similar. While creating them I remembered that the teacher had told us to try other materials(other types of paper like newspaper or even thin cardboard) and to play with and test different ways to create these simple shapes. Immediately the idea for the cube in the second image popped in my head. Although it isn't made of paper I was able to test how to make my idea a reality with some trial and error.

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Had my featured in the printed copy of the observer and online for Schoolcraft's basketball teams!

Mens: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/sports/college/schoolcraft/2015/01/22/schoolcraft-men-cagers-grind-victory-mott/22147605/

Womens: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/sports/college/schoolcraft/2015/01/22/lady-ocelots-heat-offense-time-beat-mott/22148159/

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Was Featured on the Plymouth Whalers website again! http://www.plymouthwhalers.com/article/whalers-snatch-victory-from-jaws-of-defeat-upend-saginaw-3-2

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One of my images from a Schoolcraft Women's Soccer game was featured on Lourdes University's athletic website! http://www.lourdesathletics.com/news/2015/2/26/WSO_0226155632.aspx

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I was featured on the front page of the Plymouth Whalers website! http://www.plymouthwhalers.com/article/whalers-battle-but-lose-3-1-to-london

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This is a short clip I put together to get students to help with a fitness competition between different schools.        https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153049560468888&l=5566512516367366805

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I like shooting with film every once in awhile.

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3D object made in Adobe After Effects put into a fake shopping channel clip.

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Flipbook created for my history of animation class.

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Photo manipulation series I did with photoshop(printed on newsprint then pasted to wood)

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Multiplane animation done in after effects

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Different ways to introduce the same objects using After Effects