Week 15: Final Week Lamp Completed

This week, being our final week, we draw this semester to a close. We had done a lot this semester and it has finally come to fruition. After over a month of work, we have completed our lamps. The semester is over and with it, new found knowledge in the workings of 3-D art and t tools used in it.With it finally done, I feel exhausted but refreshed, too. Below are some pictures of it.

Composition: The materials I used construct the lamp were sheets of cardboard, a Zing Laser Printer, ruler, computer, boxcutters, cutting mat, pencil, light source (existing table lamp), wood glue, and a brush. With these materials I was able to construct this lamp.

Craft: After creating the illustrator files the previous week, I proceeded to the Zing Laser Printer with pre-cut sheets of cardboard, 10x10 and 18x5. With these, I then cut our the shapes and the sides. Once they were cut, I then glued the corresponding pieces together for the base with a brush and wood glue and taped the lamp sides with masking tape. Occasionally, I would have to trim the pieces to fit. Once that was complete, I inserted the lamp and It was done. This is the results.

Concept: The concept of this lamp was to show the life cycle of a chicken because  I wanted to portray the cycle of life in an endless loop. The shapes are also lit to indicate that they are of life, brightness and light as synonyms of it. I also wanted to show a lighthearted side to it which is why I chose to use a chicken which, to me, is a funny animal.

Week 14: Final Lamp Files

This week we finalized our illustrator files to laser print our lamps pieces to assemble them. However, unlike last week, we utilized Adobe Illustrator. This following week, we will be cutting and assembling them. These were my results of Illustrator drafting.

Composition: The materials I used to design these shapes were Adobe Illustrator and a Mac Desktop computer. From these materials, I was able to with some challenge, create the animal shapes by using silhouette images from the internet as a base for this pentagon lamp.

Craft: First, I created a 5x18 inch  file in illustrator. Once I had the rulers and grid on, I  proceeded to search the internet for suitable silhouettes for my lamp. After creating line art with the line tool for each of the five sizes on separate levels, I then changed the default stroke settings of the lines from points to inches, 0.001 inches. With the illustrator file complete, now all we have to do is send it to the laser printer to cut.

Concept: The concept of these pieces was completing our lamp designs for cutting. The reason why I chose to do the life cycle of a chicken is because  I wanted to portray the cycle of life in an endless loop. But I also wanted to show a lighthearted side to it which is why I chose to use a chicken which, to me, is a funny animal.

Week 13: Wood Block Laser Cut

This week was very exciting for me. This week we worked on wood cuttings and new tool at the University, a laser cutter. Since it was the first time most of us have been in a wood shop, the professor had us work there to get us acquainted with tools of the 3D trade, chop saw, bandsaw and drills. I was nervous at first but once we got familiar with the tools, we were able to construct a basic frame. Once the frame was made, we worked in illustrator to create basic shapes to cut out with the laser cutter. These are our results.

Craft: For this assignment, we used a mixture of both digital and traditional medium. For the first half in which we made the wood frame, we used drills and nails, a chop saw (stationary circular blade), Bandsaw and rulers. The second half was for the cardboard section. We used Adobe Illustrator to draft our designs. I happened to use a series of different shaped squares, a laser cutter and a computer.
Composition: The process for this piece took several days of work. We first learned how to use the aforementioned tools in the wood shop area. Once then, we used rulers to measure our squares. Mine were 7x7. Once then, we cut them using the chop saw and and bandsaw before we used clamps to hold the sides together as we drilled and nailed the pieces together. With our frames done, we then went to work on our cardboard designs. First, we created an illustrator file the same size as the frame's outer edge and cut cardboard to that size as well. Once we did that, we created our designs and transferred them over to the PC that was connected with the laser cutter. We then followed the detailed instructions to cut with the laser cutter and there we go.
Concept: The concept of this project was to understand and familiarize ourselves with the tools of the wood shop and with the laser cutter, tools that we'd use for our final project. The design of the cardboard was that of a pixelation effect.

Week 12: Constructing Lamp Shapes

So this week, we discussed and worked on our final project, a lamp. For this week, we were charged with documenting and brainstorming possible shapes for our lamp design. These are our results.

Craft: For this assignment, we returned to photography to create these compositions of possible theorized lamp shapes. We used a DSLR camera, a dark room, assorted lighting, and a wide variety of props such as food containers and jars.
Composition: The composition for this week was fairly simple. We continued on the previous weeks assignment with lamp designs. We had to construct ten different lamp shapes for the coming weeks, each incorporating aspects of silhouettes, lighting and shadows in a way that will convey a story or meaningful message. I did mine with mostly geometric shapes because I enjoy the simplisticness.
Concept: The concept of this project was fairly straightforward, create basic shapes of possible lamps I would use for our final project in our 3D class. I incorporated what we learned in previous weeks and understand their use for when you're drafting the lamps.

Week 11: Drafting Lamp Designs

This week we discussed our next,possibly last, project for this class, designing and manufacturing a lamp out of either cardboard or ply wood. Working from what we did last week, we took into account the shapes and builds of the cardboard structures we made last week, we worked on designing possible lamp designs for later weeks. These are my results.

Craft: For this assignment, we continued on from the previous week in constructing with cardboard with the cardboard structures. This time, we returned to good old drafting. Our craft supplies was paper and a pencil.
Composition: The composition for this week was fairly simple. We had to come up with ten different lamp designs, each incorporating aspects of silhouettes, lighting and shadows in a way that will convey a story or meaningful message. Once we came up with the designs, we drafted them out. I did mine roughly with estimated sizes. Once I did so, with the help of the teacher, I then thought of a concept and way to convey that message. That led me to this rough draft of my lamp.
Concept: The concept of this project was fairly straightforward, create basic drafts of what we learned in previous weeks and understand their use for when you're drafting the lamps. We then had to think of a way to meaningfully use shadow and silhouettes to form a story or message. Mine is the life cycle of a chicken from egg to chicken or vice versa.

Week 10: Cardboard Shape Construction

This week we discussed our next,possibly last, project for this class, designing and manufacturing a lamp out of either cardboard or ply wood. But before we can draft our lamp designs, our professor has made it a point for us to design ways to create basic shapes out of Cardboard. This way, we can better anticipate what the challenges will be when we do draft our lamps out. These are my results.

Craft: For this assignment, we continued on from the previous week in constructing with cardboard. Unlike the previous few weeks, we have returned to using physical tools to draft and manufacture modules and materials for easier use. This week, we used the same materials as we did last time constructing the abstract cardboard structures. We used a cutting mat, a utility knife or box cutter, ruler, adhesives, cardboard, pencil.
Composition: Much like the previous week, we had precut cardboard strips and panels, which we cut ourselves. We then worked with our knoves and rulers to cut out the desired shapes such as circles for cylinders and triangles for cones and pyramids. For the circuits, what I did was use a roll of tape to form the outline with a pencil and then I cut it out slowly to form the bases. In general, the process was cut the shapes and slots out, tape them or insert them into one another and presto! We're done. The hardest part was imagining and drafting out the way the pieces would fit together. Once that was accomplished, the rest was easy.
Concept: The concept of this project was fairly straightforward, create basic shapes and understand their use for when you're drafting the lamps.

Week 9: Cardboard Structures

So this week we began to work on a new project and materials, cardboard. We were charged with creating plant-like structures made of modules of cardboard Here are my results of my work.

Craft: For this assignment, we returned to physical work. We worked with sheets of cardboard and cutting knives. Ww used cutting mats and rulers as well to manage the cuts to be straight and clean.
Composition: This week, we worked on cutting paper into strips 1x0.5 inches. Once we did, we scored them using the cutting knife in a percise way to just cut the top layer of the corregated cardboard. After doing that in one inch intervals, we then folded them into shapes. Some of us did triangles. I did pentagons because of their larger size and ability to attach multiple shapes to them. Using tape, I formed the shapes which would now be used as modules, uniform units to construct my stucture. Once the modules were done, we then proceeded to link the modules together to form a structure with tape and other adhesives. Another part of this project that was there to throw us off were wildcards, modules and variants that were different than the uniform modules we needed to utlize. I used a larger version of the modules, triangles and skored strips.
Concept: We were told to have no concept besides having it take up space and make space.

Week 8: Final Tea Box Photos

So this week is our final time to work on our tea boxes. We have spent the better part of two months working up to this moment and now it's time to work on new things. Here are my results of our final photos. 

Craft: For this assignment, like last week, did not use Adobe Illustrator or software, but instead, we used DSLR camera, portable lighting system and props to create these images. We used the light system which consisted of a halogen bulb affixed to a mobile with an umbrella attachment  as well as props that we gathered.
Composition: What we did was utilize a DSLR camera, a Canon Rebel-series to capture our objects and mobile lighting fixtures to control the lighting. This assignment, we gathered props such as my South Vietnamese Flag, our tea boxes and equipment to construct visually interesting and effective archival evidence. We first placed our tea boxes, one in a series of photos and all three in another. We then added props to another group of photos. Placing our cameras on tripods and adjusting our lighting, we then took the photos to have our best depth of field. Afterward, we transferred the camera raw files onto our flash drives and converted them to png to upload.
Concept: The concept of this was to capture evidence of the tea boxes in an interesting and professional manner. Like other projects we needed evidence of our works and this was our cause. We used cameras to capture what we did and try, with moderate success, to capture interesting compositions.

Week 7: Tea Box Photography

So this week, we were charged with photographing our final tea boxes. After a month of working on tea boxes, drafting them by hand then in Illustrator, designing their appearance, followed by cutting them either by hand or an automatic paper cutter. Now that the project is completed, we began the process of cataloging them and preserving them in photography in a professional and logical way. Here are our results.

Craft: For this assignment, unlike the previous weeks, did not use Adobe Illustrator or software. We didn't even use  any cutting or measuring tools. What we used instead was a DSLR camera, portable lighting system and props to create these images.
Composition: What we did was utilize a DSLR camera to capture our objects and mobile lighting fixtures. This assignment, we gathered props such as my South Vietnamese Flag, our tea boxes and equipment to construct visually interesting and effective archival evidence. We first placed our tea boxes, one in a series of photos and all three in another. We then added props to another group of photos. Placing our cameras on tripods and adjusting our lighting, we then took the photos. Afterward, we transferred the camera raw files onto our flash drives.
Concept: The concept of this was to capture evidence of the tea boxes. Like other projects we needed evidence of our works and this was our cause. We used cameras to capture what we did and try, with moderate success, to capture interesting compositions.

Special Blog Post - Saint Xavier Gallery Guest Leslie Baum

A few days ago, we had an open reception to a remarkable artist here at the Art. Leslie Baum is an artist as well as an educator in the fine arts bringing with her years of experience both teaching and creating art. Her unique style includes incorporating other works of art from classical artists as inspiration as she creates a unique construct. The unique aspect of the gallery that drew my attention was where the art was situated. During her artist talk, she discussed how she wanted to move away from the tradition and conventional wisdom of placing art on the walls and instead had it on the floor as a huge tapestry of canvas that covered the floor of the gallery. This was her results. 

Craft: Leslie utilized flat canvas sheets around 3x5 in dimensions. This canvas, she would have washed and dried prior to use. The paints she used were a type of acrylic paint that I do not seem to remember but it was a first time for her with that particular media. Brushes of, I assume, large size were utilized in the making of this massive piece.

Composition: The piece that so captured my attention was first constructed from flat sheets of canvas that Leslie washed and dried, most likely to remove any particles that may affect the painting process. Following that, she would then paint each individual canvas, using several other works of art by other artists as inspiration. She used a type of acrylic paint that I cannot remember. After that, she would then combine the pieces into a quilt-like structure on the floor.

Concept: Conceptually, it is something I have not seen before, at least not something I remember. The concept behind this piece was combining pieces of nature that she enjoyed and making something of spring or warmth. For us, it was more than just a painting or series of them. It was a three-deminisional object. It was something we could interact with, sit on, step on, walk on. It went beyond the 2-D matrix of a framed painting and became part of the gallery itself. Design and function I often hear in class. This piece had both. It was designed to be a 3-D object for the viewer to interact with. That is why I believe was the reason we were suggested to go to this particular gallery opening.