Scale Figures

These scale figures were drawn in-class for about 2 minutes each. Both are contour figures.

1/2 inch scale

The gesture of the body in this figure is good, but the lines are a little sketchy.

1 inch scale

The lines in this scale figure are more defined, but some of the body could use work.  I feel like I captured the silhouette of the head well.

Light Precedents & Analysis

The diffused light from Lumicor's recycled glass resin panels reminded me of my fountain light effect because of their reflective quality as well as how the intensity of light varies vertically on the panels which is one of the effects I am trying to achieve. Glass bits could be a possible material.

lumicor.com

I researched ways to use corrugated plastic since that was one of the materials I purchased for this project. This example reminds me of the luminaire we were shown in class. I like that the area between the corrugation lines can vary based on how the plastic is cut, as seen below. The intensity of light is also seen to vary in this picture which is necessary for my project, so corrugated plastic as a material is still in the running.

grassrootsmodern.com

I considered using pleats as a way to translate the light effect of a fountain. These fixtures from Artemide diffuse light very beautifully and achieve a water ripple effect. I could use a technique similar to this with thicker vellum.

www.artemide.us

This wall light by Alesina Design was very similar to what I wanted to achieve with my luminaire. The ripple effect of the cut paper is very much like my light phenomenon, but perhaps I could find a more successful light effect for my project by projecting the light effect onto a wall in the opposite way that these fixtures.

Alesina Design also makes luminaires out of plastic drinking straws, which I thought to use to create my lighting effect. I thought these were interesting:

www.alesinadesign.com

Drinking straw lights from another company, Padlab.

www.padlab.com

Sketches

Our assignment is to choose a sketch from two people in our studio and describe which techniques they used that we want to adopt into our own process of sketching.

A sketch from Paige Hohlt:

I really like this sketch Paige did of her wood system project.  I think what makes this sketch very successful is her skillful use of shading and perspective.  She drew her straight lines very carefully which makes this sketch look very realistic.

A sketch from Pam Vidal:

What I like about Pam's light sketch is the way she captured the water beads on the water bottle. She also paid good attention to the contour of the water bottle itself. The shading under the curves in the bottle make her drawing look more three-dimensional.

My sketches:

This was my shaded twig sketch, I think my shading shows the twig dimension well.

The contour of this twig turned out well and I paid attention to a lot of the detail in the twig.

I think the shadow of this twig that had lichen turned out very interestingly.

Wood System

Our assignment was to cut a 2" x 4" x 18" section of wood at least five times, assembling the pieces into a connected system of parts and using every cut piece. The system was to maintain its form through joints that were created, using no wood glue or nails. My idea was inspired by a pyramid, where I cut notches into each 18" horizontal piece and attached ascending vertical pieces as the pyramid goes up. 

top view

view from inside

close up of joints

early stages of assembling

Dan Flavin

Light is defined as "something that makes things visible or affords illumination".  Light can go beyond the practical definition of making things visible by being the thing to be viewed itself.  Light artists such as Dan Flavin explore the aesthetic properties of light, exploring color, form, and artistic ordering.  Flavin's style is minimalist, using florescent rods of light to make interesting light effects. This style is very different from other artists such as Paul Friedlander, who captures morphous shapes in light sculptures such as "Timeless Universe" and "The Wave Factory". Flavin's linear style creates striking statements, as seen in the images below. I find the light display made for the Luis Vuitton window most interesting, the colors he used are very eye-catching and pleasing to look at, the use of glass and other reflective surfaces causes the eye to travel beyond the light rods themselves, and this particular work is multi-dimensional unlike some of Flavin's other works.

This particular work was designed for a Luis Vuitton display in New York City.

http://www.lipsticktracez.com/jaymie/2008/05/louis-vuitton-does-dan-flavin.php

Dan Flavin's "Untitled (To You, Heiner, With Admiration and Affection)" in the atrium of the National Gallery in Washington.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/01/arts/design/01KIMM.html?_r=1

untitled (in honor of Harold Joachim) 3, 1977, by Dan Flavin

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/01/arts/design/01KIMM.html?_r=1

Monument for V. Tatlin, 1966

http://www.ressleart.com/past.htm

Other sources:
http://dictionary.reference.com
http://www.paulfriedlander.com/

Light Through Water

I used a picture I took of a close-up shot of the fountain outside the dining hall around 1 p.m. I did a value drawing to show where the sunlight hit the water most directly as well as the darker areas caused by the area of shade underneath the cascade of water.  In my model, canary trash paper shows how the concrete underneath the fountain is revealed subtly by the light through the waterfall. Black paper shows the darkest shadows directly above the reflecting line (cellophane), while vellum on top of white parchment illustrates how the water beneath the reflection of the sun is illuminated as the shadows become more and more concealed. The curve of the paper mimics the curve of the water in the fountain. 

Snapshots of Light

These were a few of the shots I took in looking for natural light phenomena outside.