PROJECT 1: Surface Design
Milestone Project 1: Surface Design / Laser Cutting
Due: October 4, 11:59 pm:
Week 1 // Due January 21, 11:59 pm: Notice & Draw
Tune in. Search for / notice in your surroundings, surface patterns or ornamentation that you are drawn to, photograph the items (be careful to photograph as straight-on as possible). If possible, bring physical objects to class. These can be floor or wall tiles, quilts, couch or textile patterns, as well as references from artists you love or places you have been. Consider the compilation of these patterns in unison.
Create a blog post with 3 examples of surface patterns. Tell us what you find interesting about each of them, why you were drawn to them.
Import one of the reference photographs taken, or online images you have collected, into Rhino 8, using the ‘picture’ command.
Use 2D shapes, curves, trim, split, mirror, hatches, and other drawing tools in Rhino to trace the pattern.
Use layers to separate colours and shapes to ease the workflow.
You may adapt or design your own interpretation of these patterns, doodle or add your own interstitial line work within the pattern as a base inspiration.
Consider how these designs could be compiled. How can you display multiples of them? Arrange them, overlap them, or stage them to create a mosaic? Consider the negative space created between the patterns, and how imagery can begin to emerge when reinterpreting the patterns.
Create a blog post of your precedent images, screenshots of process, learnings, and challenges before Sunday Jan 21, 11:59 pm. Email me your blog post link.
- Think, Plan, Sketch: Create a 'mood board' or presentation of the project you wish to develop. Use Google Slides, Pinterest, Miro, or a physical sketchbook collage to present your ideas. Use whatever workflow is most comfortable for you to convey your concept development. Consider the themes pointed out from your pattern selections (tonality, style, materiality, what you found interesting about the patterns you collected).
- Project Planning: Your mood board will include:
- Precedent work / references you are inspired by (this can be from last week's exercise).
- Physical sketch of your idea. You may begin to draw layers of how your project may be portrayed on trace paper. Consider if your entire project will be laser cut, or if it will be a hybrid of hand craft and digital fabrication. Consider how many various cuts your item may require to develop into a 3 dimensional art piece. Or how you might convey a 3D object from the 2 dimensional workflow of laser cutting (origami, sculpting onto a laser cut item etc.). Your work can also be a 2 dimensional drawing with depth of field using etching.
- Select the materiality/colour/gradients you think would best represent the project. These can be images of materials you have at home or wish to acquire or have worked with in the past. Consider texture, colour, the overlap and harmony of materials). Your project can be a hybrid of materiality, please consider a portion must be laser cut, and the material should be laser tolerable. Available materials to laser cut may include various birch wood sheets, clear acrylic, black acrylic, fabric, cardstock, or even paper. It is up to you to select the most appropriate material for the development of your work.
- Digital:
- If you have not already done so, begin multiplying, layering, and adapting your patterns to develop your laser cut designs either using hatches or layered material.
- In Rhino develop the materiality you have chosen from your mood boards and begin to model the 3D representation of some of your project.
- Draw: Create a sample laser cut file with at least two layers (cut and engrave) of how you might begin the development of your project.
- Create a blog post of the above explaining your project.
- Review the laser cut machine protocols and guidelines Peter has provided on Studio A-Z
- Develop: Draw your working files and model your project using the 2D and 3D tools at your disposal. Model/visualize your projects in 3D as well as their 2D cut lines.
- Digital: Create a proper laser cut file ready for review. Include a screen shot of the final cut file in your presentations.
- Meet: If you have not done so yet, make a meeting with myself to discuss your project plan, materials, 3D file and sample of your laser cut file. I can also help to develop any of the above should you seek assistance!
- Make an appointment with the Thing Tank lab. Suggestion to make 2 appointments: the first for introduction, sampling material and prototyping things like joineries or bending modalities. Edit your model if need be, then a second appointment to cut the full project. Tip: Create your booking as soon as possible in case you need more time than anticipated!
- Materials: Purchase selected materials, and create a laser cut file to fit your material bed. Don't forget to nest the cut lines to make maximum use of the material.
- Fabricate! Laser cut your prototypes / projects. Feel free to explore and play with a variety of materials when laser cutting.
- Render: Export 2 renders from different angles of your project. Include these images in your presentation.
- Blog Post: Create a blog post of your project fabrication stage and this week's process. Show all your work! Include written reflections: What did you learn? What was difficult? What would you do differently next time?
- Presentation: Take clear (high quality) photographs of your progress in good lighting conditions. Put together a slide presentation that includes your initial inspiration, some of the research, a few of the highlights from the three week process, and the resulting project. Include any tests, prototyping or samples cut, as well as your final work.
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