using sticks and different inks to practise our observational skills
Working with a new technique and material, the next challenge was to use sticks and different inks and practise in our sketchbooks on a double spread the marks we could make, holding the stick at an arms length. I also layered some more unused plasterers tape to leave a mesh effect when removed, which I feel worked successfully. These are some marks I have produced:
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using masking tape and plasterer's mesh tape to create observational drawings of our objects in front of us
Once we had this laid out, we started rubbing over it with a cloth and shoe polish to work as a resist against the ink used in the next step. Then, the ink wash was applied all over using a paintbrush and large strokes. To finish it off, we spray with water to make the ink spread out a bit more and to leave splodges and shapes of different tones of ink then removed the tape to reveal the tape underneath.
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drawing objects that were being described to us by the person behind us
RULES
- Person drawing is not allowed to see the object
- The describer cannot say the materials its made from or what the object is.
We then had 5 minutes each to describe the object to the person drawing and this is what we both ended up with;
One of the hardest parts of this task was describing the texture of the object because you couldn't say what it was made of. Also, describing how the shape would join and whether it would go more narrow or wide was difficult.
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Nike
Savvas
The complexity of the
string work in this design looks both aesthetically pleasing and works well as
a strong structure that could be used to hold something up on something on it.
Much like our chicken run experiment, we were
limited or had a minimal amount of materials to use: string was one of the main
materials that immediately caught my eye and I believe it will work as one of
the strongest tools to use, along with gaffa tape.
This artwork above by the artist Nike Savvas.
She is known for amazing installations and use of materials we wouldn’t usually
reach for, and this one design itself is very impressive. The use of string is
carefully thought about to create deeper tones and dimension.
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Kenneth Martin
Kenneth Martin below includes a lot of movement in his work and abstract elements. He combines use of shape and direction to add linear qualities to his sculptures and compositions. His abstraction and use of layering and careful line positions help to make the shapes look 3-dimensional and as if they were popping out of the page at the reader/viewer.
Much like our Chicken Run experiment, the design appears to be rapping around something; either space of a wire. This creates a helter-skelter affect and the appearance of a never-ending structure.
[Kinetic = depending on movement for its effect]
Sources:
https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/nike-savvas/
https://denadadesign.com/nike-savvas-geometric-installation-art/
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kenneth-martin-1585
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SaveSave
a set task given to us to build a structure that would be able to hold a travelling egg
- allowing it to get from point A to point B, we were placed into teams and began creating our egg structures:
Using these materials:
- cardboard
- polystyrene
- 3D materials
- gaffa tape/any tape
- string
- stanley knives/scissors
- newspaper - for planning and sketching
- graphite
And for every group the things we would be judged on were:
- inventiveness
- distance travelled
- height
- aesthetic quality
- function (keeping the egg intact + getting from point A to B)
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To create a structure that would have all of these qualities was a challenging task, but as a team we pulled together and each did our bit to meet the criteria. Evaluating the situation and picking each task that best suited our skills and the way we would work.
What I learnt:
- The task given needs to be broken down in order to tackle it and make our project successful
- Practical elements and the safety of the egg was to be made priority, with the aesthetic qualities being left till last
- Not every task has to be approached the same way...or the most obvious way. With a wide range of different more basic materials being available, we were able to break the design down and have a simple structure design: using string and tape to support the structure, allowing the egg structure to be air born and the majority of the self-supporting.
- Think outside the box: does this need to be a slope? can it have more than one level? can it wrap around something outside? could outdoor elements be incorporated?
Was it a success?
During our testing with our egg, our structure was very successful at carrying the egg from point A to B, but when the egg was put to the test during judging, the egg did not meet all the way to point B and was therefore deducted points during judging on function.
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How did other groups approach the task at hand?
Here are some examples of the other groups structures:
The different groups all took to different ways of thinking..with one of the groups even having their egg land in a boat in a bowl of water. This just shows that there's always more than one answer to solving a problem and we all think differently.
-G
