Object Interaction
My initial design for this project was for a bunch of dinosaur bones sticking out of a mold. It would be a fossil that an archeologist uncovered in a sense. After thinking about it I decided to mold an egg out of plaster and place the dinosaur skeleton on the back or front with part of a non skeletal dinosaur coming out of the other end. On the egg I was going to put clock hands. The idea behind this was that the clock on the egg was to show a passing of time for the dinosaur. Either a reversal of time with the non skeletal dinosaur coming out of the front or a fast forward of time with the skeleton coming out of the front. Since dinosaurs come out of eggs I was going to make the egg.
After talking about it I was convinced to try a different form. I instead went with a pointy portal type of shape and was going to have the skeleton coming out of both ends. I mapped out a pointy shape on the foam and started to cut out the individual pieces.
The skeletons that I have were in multiple pieces and after playing with them I discovered that the head and an upper body with legs were actually attached at one time. I glued them back together and now I can make it look like an entire dinosaur is walking through the plaster instead of a head and a tail. The idea reminds me of A Night At The Museum, were the T-rex comes to life, just the dinosaur is also bones and walking through time.
Design From Line
I obtained my idea for this project when I was playing my viola. It has a beautiful form with how the grain runs in the wood and the direction of the strings. From there I took my viola and wrapped wire around the base to make it scale with the real instrument. I then bent a duplicate frame for the top piece.
After I created the basic forms of the top and bottom faces, along with the f holes I then measured for the height of the viola. I then laid both faces on the sides, which I then glued together.
Working with the head, neck, and mountings for the strings proved to be tricky. The head involved a lot of tweaking and bending, where the neck had to be sturdy enough to hold the head, without distracting from the work as a whole. Unfortunately the strings I had attached would not hold to the frame. This was a tough project, but it showed me how to keep things simple, but also make them strong.
After I created the basic forms of the top and bottom faces, along with the f holes I then measured for the height of the viola. I then laid both faces on the sides, which I then glued together.
Working with the head, neck, and mountings for the strings proved to be tricky. The head involved a lot of tweaking and bending, where the neck had to be sturdy enough to hold the head, without distracting from the work as a whole. Unfortunately the strings I had attached would not hold to the frame. This was a tough project, but it showed me how to keep things simple, but also make them strong.
Foamcore Sculpture Design
My project is a water clock. The idea behind it is that the bucket fills up over a set period of time and dumps out every hour. It has a teeter tauter design. The bucket for water starts off counter balanced by the weight on the other side. As the bucket fills up, it pulls the lever down and offsets the weight in the bucket. It then dumps the water out symbolizing an hour has passed.
This clock is supposed to symbolize the passing of time for students. As the bucket fills up it shows the buildup of school work and stress of a student's life. When the bucket tips over it shows that the stress levels go down. It is the idea of an average students life in college.
I would like to create it out of a marine steel. Something that is water resistant, because it deals with water constantly. I would like it to be about 12 feet tall and the location for it would be by the lagoon. It would sit on dry ground on its own platform. On the platform there will be a reservoir that the bucket will dump into. There will be two pipes that run out of the ground, drawing water from that reservoir so as to reuse the water in the system.
An added feature I would like to add to follow with symbolizing a student's stress level is to have the water shut off at certain point by a sensor and have those viewing the clock guess when it will tip. It will tip every hour, but it represents the unpredictability of stress and relieving it.
This clock is supposed to symbolize the passing of time for students. As the bucket fills up it shows the buildup of school work and stress of a student's life. When the bucket tips over it shows that the stress levels go down. It is the idea of an average students life in college.
I would like to create it out of a marine steel. Something that is water resistant, because it deals with water constantly. I would like it to be about 12 feet tall and the location for it would be by the lagoon. It would sit on dry ground on its own platform. On the platform there will be a reservoir that the bucket will dump into. There will be two pipes that run out of the ground, drawing water from that reservoir so as to reuse the water in the system.
An added feature I would like to add to follow with symbolizing a student's stress level is to have the water shut off at certain point by a sensor and have those viewing the clock guess when it will tip. It will tip every hour, but it represents the unpredictability of stress and relieving it.
Techno Bling
For this project I had to create five objects that would adorn another object to increase its image. For my five objects I created a Taurus zodiac ring which consists of horns over a circle. The second object is a shield pendent. The pendent has a flat face, allowing for images and designs to be painted, engraved, or placed by whatever means onto the surface. I would cast it out of a cheaper metal, and give it a finish that can hold paint or be engraved. The third object is a flower. The flower has a flat backside to it, so different mounting options can be placed. The main idea for it would be a button or a buckle. It would be cast out of a more durable metal so it can handle the stress of being a buckle. My fourth object is a simple bracelet. The bracelet would be made out of a metal that has some flex in it so as the wearer can slip it on or off. My last object is a music note. Music has had an effect on my life and I thought making a pin out of a note would fit perfectly for this project. This would be made out of a cheaper metal.
All of these objects were created on 123D Design. The idea behind most of these objects was to be simple, but still hold some beauty to the viewer.
All of these objects were created on 123D Design. The idea behind most of these objects was to be simple, but still hold some beauty to the viewer.
Thinking Outside of the Toolbox
The purpose behind my toolbox is that I wanted to have a creative way to store art supplies and paper or a note book and some folders. My idea behind my toolbox was to have a place to store art supplies and paper. One could also bring it around with them and have a traveling art box. I wanted to have two separate parts to hold items. The first part, which is the bottom side is for paper, notebooks, and folders.
The second part is the top face. It is comprised of five separate compartments. Each compartment is fashioned in the shape of a flower petal, with a purple petal covering it. The idea behind the flower design is that art is about creating something of beauty. Beautiful things are around us constantly. they come in varying shapes and sizes. One thing that I have always found beautiful is nature. I love after sitting inside all day, to take a break and step outside and look at the outside world with all of its colors. Flowers are a constant reminder of beauty and I find them unique to create in art.
With my flower I wanted the petals to stand out so I used purple heart wood for the lids. Flowers can come in purples and purple heart is strikingly bright when you use it. With the flower I wanted each petal to open up to reveal tools for creating beauty. So in a sense beauty holding beauty. And with the petals opening it give the box a sense of a flower is blooming out of the top.
The second part is the top face. It is comprised of five separate compartments. Each compartment is fashioned in the shape of a flower petal, with a purple petal covering it. The idea behind the flower design is that art is about creating something of beauty. Beautiful things are around us constantly. they come in varying shapes and sizes. One thing that I have always found beautiful is nature. I love after sitting inside all day, to take a break and step outside and look at the outside world with all of its colors. Flowers are a constant reminder of beauty and I find them unique to create in art.
With my flower I wanted the petals to stand out so I used purple heart wood for the lids. Flowers can come in purples and purple heart is strikingly bright when you use it. With the flower I wanted each petal to open up to reveal tools for creating beauty. So in a sense beauty holding beauty. And with the petals opening it give the box a sense of a flower is blooming out of the top.
Put A Bird On It
Art is a topic that varies from person to person. For some it is more conceptual and for others it is more about appearance. As for the video that was shown during class can be taken in different ways depending on how you look at it. It can be seen as how corporations put a logo on an object and that makes it art or fashionable. One can also look at it as art can be placing an object or image on something to enhance its appearance. For example taking a white cloth and splattering paint across it in random patterns. It serves as a way to excite the viewers interpretation of said object. Or it could just as easily be the artist is trying to show some deeper meaning or that they just like how it looks, without any further meaning.
For my interpretation of art I have my old phone case for example with a tribal wolf that I stuck on it. Wolves are one of my favorite animals and I made it to express part of who I am. I find art as I way to express myself. I may not have reasons for why I make things or think about what a potential piece could mean.
Going with another view about art. It can be seen as a way to advertise. In a sense I'm trying advertise my name, just like my fraternity wants to advertise their name too. Just like designers they place an image or logo on an object to make it their own and stand out. Another thing is with my shirts. I designed my own shirt. Just like the people in the video and how they put a bird on various objects. I wanted my name on something that I owned. The idea always appealed to me. It's a part of who I am and I want to show off who I am. The same thing applies with art. An artist wants to show who they are through their art. It doesn't necessarily have to be a deep meaning. That's at least how I interpret art.
It all depends on who the artist is. Some are more conceptual and others are more visual.
For my interpretation of art I have my old phone case for example with a tribal wolf that I stuck on it. Wolves are one of my favorite animals and I made it to express part of who I am. I find art as I way to express myself. I may not have reasons for why I make things or think about what a potential piece could mean.
Going with another view about art. It can be seen as a way to advertise. In a sense I'm trying advertise my name, just like my fraternity wants to advertise their name too. Just like designers they place an image or logo on an object to make it their own and stand out. Another thing is with my shirts. I designed my own shirt. Just like the people in the video and how they put a bird on various objects. I wanted my name on something that I owned. The idea always appealed to me. It's a part of who I am and I want to show off who I am. The same thing applies with art. An artist wants to show who they are through their art. It doesn't necessarily have to be a deep meaning. That's at least how I interpret art.
It all depends on who the artist is. Some are more conceptual and others are more visual.
Classmate Interview
I had the pleasure of interviewing my fellow classmate Jaesnia Perez. She is a freshman visual communications major here at NIU. She has two interests as far as what she wants to do. She either wants to be a firefighter or an artist and is currently pursuing the latter of the two. She chose visual communications as her major, because she wanted to go into design and found that designing websites intriguing and what one can do with them.
Jaesnia was inspired to pursue a major in art from her art teacher and was encouraged through her schools outstanding art program. Her teacher was able to challenge Jaesnia to get the best out of her. She even went on to win some awards in a couple art shows. Some of these shows were NIU 2012 and RVC 2012.
I questioned her on how she was enjoying her experience in 3D foundations. She stated that she enjoyed learning how to use different mediums through the various projects and techniques taught to us over the length of the course. A large part in her enjoyment in 3D foundations was having the ability to work with her hands. Her personal favorite mediums to work with are plaster and pastels, while her least favorite so far is the woods project due to the machinery.
She is considering changing her major after finding 3D foundations both challenging and fun. She is uncertain on what she might transfer her major to at this time or if she will change it. She is presently waiting to see if she will be accepted into the visual communications program here at NIU before she approaches that subject. Perhaps she may even become a "fire fighting artist" as she put it.
Jaesnia defines art as a way to express herself through the different varieties of mediums to work with and the creativity required for each assignment. When asked if she was able to fully express her ideas and concepts through each assignment she responded with that it was difficult to come up with ideas that correlated to the project details. However she was able to come up with solid ideas and concepts for each of her pieces that she crafted for each assignment. Although Jaesnia found that forming a project write-up for each assignment made it easier to talk and explain her ideas when asked to explain her work.
If you would like to know more about Jaesnia Perez and her works, or just drop a comment, you can visit her page at http://jeseniathesquirrel.weebly.com/
Jaesnia was inspired to pursue a major in art from her art teacher and was encouraged through her schools outstanding art program. Her teacher was able to challenge Jaesnia to get the best out of her. She even went on to win some awards in a couple art shows. Some of these shows were NIU 2012 and RVC 2012.
I questioned her on how she was enjoying her experience in 3D foundations. She stated that she enjoyed learning how to use different mediums through the various projects and techniques taught to us over the length of the course. A large part in her enjoyment in 3D foundations was having the ability to work with her hands. Her personal favorite mediums to work with are plaster and pastels, while her least favorite so far is the woods project due to the machinery.
She is considering changing her major after finding 3D foundations both challenging and fun. She is uncertain on what she might transfer her major to at this time or if she will change it. She is presently waiting to see if she will be accepted into the visual communications program here at NIU before she approaches that subject. Perhaps she may even become a "fire fighting artist" as she put it.
Jaesnia defines art as a way to express herself through the different varieties of mediums to work with and the creativity required for each assignment. When asked if she was able to fully express her ideas and concepts through each assignment she responded with that it was difficult to come up with ideas that correlated to the project details. However she was able to come up with solid ideas and concepts for each of her pieces that she crafted for each assignment. Although Jaesnia found that forming a project write-up for each assignment made it easier to talk and explain her ideas when asked to explain her work.
If you would like to know more about Jaesnia Perez and her works, or just drop a comment, you can visit her page at http://jeseniathesquirrel.weebly.com/
Stained Glass Final
Birth of a Dragon
+Coming soon
For my final project I used a medium that is completely new to me. At first I was looking for wood and metal combinations. I wanted to go with the birth and demise of an object and with that idea it was the birth of industrialization and use of metal from wood. After doing some looking around I noticed some pictures of stained glass. The idea of making a colorful creation stuck with me.
I created a dragon sitting atop a charred piece of wood. This is to symbolize the birth of a dragon essentially and the destruction that occurs in its wake. Why did I chose a dragon? Dragons have been part of a fascination to me for a number of years and I thought it would be fun to create my own glass friend.
Glass is a tricky medium to work with, especially to a beginner such as myself. It required lots of long hours cutting and chipping away my forms, then hitting them to the grindstone to refine the shapes into the individual pieces to form the final product.
I chose the types of glass so as the dragon would have more textures and they fit the body parts I used them in. I had the green scales for the main body, because a dragon is covered in scales. The marbled pink that I used for the underside provided a great accenting color to the green scales. On the wings/front legs I used a transparent green for the outline of the wing, while the blue marble gave it a nice cool tone, while the marble striping gives a subtle effect of a folded wing. The eye is blue to match the cool tones of the dragon and the horns are a marbled grey for a more natural look.
I created a dragon sitting atop a charred piece of wood. This is to symbolize the birth of a dragon essentially and the destruction that occurs in its wake. Why did I chose a dragon? Dragons have been part of a fascination to me for a number of years and I thought it would be fun to create my own glass friend.
Glass is a tricky medium to work with, especially to a beginner such as myself. It required lots of long hours cutting and chipping away my forms, then hitting them to the grindstone to refine the shapes into the individual pieces to form the final product.
I chose the types of glass so as the dragon would have more textures and they fit the body parts I used them in. I had the green scales for the main body, because a dragon is covered in scales. The marbled pink that I used for the underside provided a great accenting color to the green scales. On the wings/front legs I used a transparent green for the outline of the wing, while the blue marble gave it a nice cool tone, while the marble striping gives a subtle effect of a folded wing. The eye is blue to match the cool tones of the dragon and the horns are a marbled grey for a more natural look.