Task 2

I'm really pleased with how my poster turned out. I feel it portrays a vintage feel, suitable for marking 100 years as well as having a modern twist, letting the viewer know it's a current poster.

The 100 years is shown through the 100 rings in the tree stumps in the hand drawn typography. I wanted to use trees as a theme as that's ultimately where paper comes from. I was inspired by Rob Ryan's paper cut outs, and as I'm a long time fan of stencil art decided to try my hand at the intricate cutting involved. I'll be honest. I absolutely love the technique and it's definitely something I will be doing again. It was important for me to hand cut the paper, rather than using a laser cutter as I was hoping to show the natural side of the product. So it only seemed right to cut the paper by hand, not machine.

Task 1, signed and sealed

Well, we're all up to date on task 1 now. Everything I've mentioned on here has been expanded on in my sketchbook. 


Now then, let's take a look at task 2.

Task 1 Final Piece

I wanted to photograph this piece as though underwater. I therefore shot it against a black background  with numerous lights at various angles creating a scattered light effect. 

I'm genuinely pleased with this this outcome as I feel my research shines through and helped me develop a unique and interesting structure.

The Prototype

As a result of my research I set about developing a deep sea inspired paper structure. The result was the following piece:



Pleased with this I decided to move this forward to produce my final piece for task 1.

Hold your breath, We're going under

Repetitive and interesting buildings

The next step was researching buildings that I felt had forms or lines that could be well represented in paper and architecture showcased repeat.

The Getty Centre

Really nice strong and clean lines. The curves are so strong yet smooth, and almost look as if they are made out of paper already. I can't help but imagine a paper structure made by repeating strong curves made by scoring the paper.

Greene House

Designed by Herb Greene (1961) It's hard not to imagine this as a paper sculpture. (or maybe I've just been thinking about paper too much..) To my eye it's an exciting structure that could be recreated using repeating pleats and layering of strips of paper.

Sydney Opera House

Really smooth and clean lines. One of the most recognizable buildings in the world. I can just imagine this the exoskeleton of a crustacean. The underwater theme seems to continue with the rest of the buildings I've picked out in this blog.

Neue Staatsgalerie

The glass front on this building reminds me of a pleated wave. (such as those featured in Richard Sweeney's work.

Rooftop Office

Again, this building has a crustacean feel to it. I know it's a crude similarity, but it reminds me of a lobster draped over a house.

I think it's obvious that my next avenue for research should be crustaceans and other sea creatures.

Let me bring you up to speed.

OK, I'll be honest. I've not updated my blog for a while. So in the next few posts I'll bring you up to speed.

So where to start? Research of course! Well my starting point was simply to scour Sheffield City Center with my camera, searching for anything with a repeat in it. It quickly became apparent that architecture was not only flowing over with repeat forms and patterns, but that it linked incredibly well to the structural aspect of the paper forms we've been learning about in the work shops.

Below are some of the photographs from this day:

The rest of the photos from this day can be seen in my sketchbook.

I've realised that repeat shapes, forms and patterns are all around us. It's just about discovering new ways to look at things. With my focusnow on architecture I set out to find some influential buildings to use as inspiration...

A light bulb went off in my head - Part Two

Inspired by the light shade in my post from yesterday I decided to experiment with more flowing and natural forms. The result of this is a very loose repetitive piece based around loops of paper, opposed to the clean lines and angles of my other work. 
 

I'm particularly interested in the way the curves are effected by the light. Gradients fading smoothly between pure white and gentle shadows. This is heightened by the clean and crisp edges to the paper itself, working nicely as a contrast between subtle and sharp.

A light bulb went off in my head

In Sheffield today I had one of those moments familiar to all designers. A light bulb went off in my head. Or at least, a light shade did anyway. Let me explain... 

I saw the light shade (below) through a shop window, and couldn't resist popping in to take a few cheeky pictures. It provides such a great visual, especially with the light pouring through it, and is unbelievably in-tune with this module.

Until this point I've been focusing mostly on very rigid and tight, almost architectural structures, but I can see now that I'm going to have to experiment with more natural, flowing forms.

The light shade itself is made from felt, which lends itself to the ripples and flowing lines of this style. I look forward to seeing how it works with paper.

There's paper in my paper

So I'm thoroughly bored, sitting on the train, heading into university for the day. I decided I'd have a look through todays Metro and happily stumbled across the beautiful (if not ever so slightly obscure) work of Anastassia Elias.



Toilet rolls are an odd choice for an artistic medium, but you can't deny that the results are striking when viewed in the right way. This goes to show how important lighting and photography are in creating an aesthetic, as well as the importance of trying new concepts and taking risks.

Anastassias work is really worth having a look at.

Paper Craft on Etsy

Etsy is a brilliant place to find inspiration and research. Everything is handmade, and everyone on there is either an artist or designer. As we are currently looking at ways to manipulate paper I thought I'd share some of my favourite paper based designs from the site.

These designs are both made by Elsa Mora, and are so striking due to their sharp clean cuts and delicate lines. The intricate fringing on the bees head and legs adds a sense of realism to the piece. Almost as if it were a real bee suddenly transformed into paper.

I've included this Origami Lotus Flower by Fish & Lotus due to its simple elegance and its use of repetition. I find the idea of the same shape repeating over and over again, closing in on itself very interesting.

This paper sculpture made by RutisRoots again makes excellent use of repetition to produce an interesting organic shape. Interestingly, this piece is made from over 500 pieces of recycled paper individually folded and glued together.

Paper Folding Workshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adsetts Repeat Repeat

Replication of the lines and 'creases' of the Adsetts Centre at Sheffield Hallam