Early Storytelling - Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Egyptian Hieroglyphs were one of the first ways of story telling and communicating, many thousands of years ago.

These were made of a variety of components, which together, functioned exactly like an alphabet.

The hieroglyphs are very visual and are like a series of miniature drawings.

The materials that these were usually represented on were papyrus or some kind of stone.

I think that they are very visually interesting.

Photography Darkroom Workshop 1 - Rayograms

On Tuesday afternoon, I had a Photography Darkroom workshop which was focused on the creation of Rayograms. 

After explanation on how to use the equipment in the darkroom, we were each given some light sensitive paper, and could then begin our Rayograms.

I used a clear glass jar and feathers as the focus object for my Rayogram.

This is a test strip which is used to decide on the correct amount of exposure time that is required for a particular object/piece. The darkest strip has had a 30 second exposure, whilst the lightest strip has had only a 5 second exposure.

I decided that the darker strip looked the most interesting as it had a much larger contrast.

I therefore decided to create a larger, full size Rayogram. As I had previously liked the large contrast, I chose a 40 second exposure for the whole of this piece. 

However, on reflection, I think that a 30, or 35 second exposure would have been better, as this Rayogram looks a little dark, and the edges of the feathers are not as sharp as I would have liked them to be.

Overall, I really enjoyed this workshop and will definitely think about using these type of images in my work in the future.

Stop Motion Workshop 1

On Tuesday, I had my first ever Stop Motion workshop. I found it to be extremely interesting and eye opening.

We were given children's toys to use to be the focus of our animation, and by moving them tiny amounts and taking photographs in-between each movement, we were able to run the frames one after another, therefore creating an animation.

The software 'I Stopmotion' was very easy to use and helped me to understand how an animation actually works.

The workshop also helped me to appreciate how much time and effort goes into even the shortest of animations. This is due to the amount of frames needed per second of an animation.

I will definitely use this method and this software again in my work, as I would like to experiment more with the different types of animations and effects that can be created.

The Chosen 3 Words

After looking at the initial words and visuals from the previous posts, I chose my specific 3 words relating to the piece of music.

These are:

Spirited

Social

Energetic

I have chosen these because I feel that they really express how the music comes across to me.

I have visually expressed these words in a typographic manner to help me with the strong visual aspect of this project.

My favourite is the 'Energetic' wording, it really stands out on the page.

Initial Words/Thoughts - Visual

After my initial thoughts about the piece of music, I began to express some of these words in a visual manner, in order to help me to transform the sound into a visual form. These images are scanned in from a sketchbook.

I particularly like the 'Community' wording, as it reminds me of little characters, each one individual. I think that the 'Drums' wording is also quite expressive of its meaning.

 The 'Divided' wording is one of my favourites, literally representing its own meaning.

Print to Pixel - Introduction

After the initial introduction of the module, I listened to the audio track several times and noted down a variety of words that came to mind whilst listening to the track.

These were:

Tribal, Celebration, Rainforest, Community, Coming Together,
Family, Groups, Party, Drums, Singing, Ritual, Happiness, Africa,
Chants, Sacred, South America, Social Group, Tradition, Routine, Tattoo, Symbol, Gang, Colourful, Themes, Collaboration, Symbolic, Worship, Markings, Lively, Spiritual, Vivacious, Structured, Bright, Interesting, Inviting, Friendly, Involving, Praise, Tuneful, Dancing, Organised, Synchronized, Civilised, Social, Fast Paced, Active, Colony, Local, Neighbourhood, Territory, Native, Divided, Territorial, Network, Ceremony, Festival, Performance, Entertaining, Energetic, Animated, Bustling, Buzzing, Entertainment, Quick, Spirited, Stimulating, Engaging.

I will continue to listen to the track, and pick out 3 words which I feel best describe the audio.

GF Smith Poster - Layout

I have chosen the composition for the poster, by combining the 3 elements that make up '100'.

I really like the design of this poster. The tall structure frames the edge of the piece, whilst the circular disk at the bottom draws the eyes into the centre of the piece.

I have chosen a relatively plain text, as I want the image to be the main focus of the poster.

I have also chosen the colour red because it is part of GF Smith's colour scheme, and also it fits in very well with the warm hue of the poster itself.

I have tried to use the text to frame each structure, so that the text is interacting with the image.

I have made the text bigger and bold, this helps it to stand out more, and to be seen easier.

This is my final poster design which I am very happy with. The poster itself is framed, and the structures are framed by the text.

GF Smith Poster

The 3 sculptures that I created can represent 100 years.

This sculpture represents the number '1'

This sculpture represents the number '0'

This sculpture also represents the number '0'

I will use these in the design of my poster, by creating a composition involving all 3.

Paper Experiments - Making

From another book, I created this spherical structure by a collection of pyramid shapes, all the same size.

These all slotted together and then created the spherical shape.

Paper Experiments - Making

As part of the research, I came across a book which taught paper crafting techniques. This technique was to create a circular dome like structure.

It also has a pattern within this, by pushing the paper inwards and outwards.

I tried this technique on a larger scale, and used more of the circular patterns within the shape itself. I think that this is much more effective than the smaller one.

Paper Experiments - Making

From the research on paper crafting books, I followed a technique that uses square cubes, and stacks them in a diagonal manner. The way that this is done, is by scoring and pushing in one of the corners of each cube, allowing them to be stacked on top of one another.

This photograph is looking down on the small sculpture

I like this photograph as it is looking up at the sculpture, making it appear to be much bigger than it actually is.

GF Smith Paper - Research

GF Smith Paper are celebrating 100 years anniversary. We were asked to design a poster for this celebration, which is an exhibition. I will experiment with paper and try to represent the meaning of this anniversary.

Paper Sculpture - Making

For this sculpture, I have used a sheet of A1 paper, so that the piece will be quite large when it is finished. I think that on a larger scale, this piece has much more impact.

I started to line out the paper, and draw lines where I needed to cut with the scalpel. I also began to add tabs to the end of each strip, so that these could be slotted together seamlessly.

I used the scalpel to cut out each strip.

I began to fold over each strip into the centre, to create2 curved structures.

I continued to curl over each strip until they were all finished, which ends with a double curved structure that it long and thin.

Then, I curled the whole object into a circular shape, and stapled both ends together.

The curling of this shape, allows each strip to separate from the ones at either side of it, making for a repeated structure that is interesting to view and can hang, or can be placed onto a surface and will sit on its own.

This photograph reminds me of a flower, with petals being the strips on the outside.

Paper Sculpture

After experimenting with the techniques that Richard taught us, I have decided to make a large scale model of one of the first designs that I originally created.

It was one that originally excited me and I think that it looks very eye catching and different.

Paper Crafting - Research

When looking at paper crafting books, I came across this image of a selection of 'lampshade' looking type of objects, which were made from paper. They reminded me of the previous lampshade that I had found.

I like that they are rounded and have a symmetrical shape. I think that I will use symmetry in my sculpture, as I think it gives the piece a fuller, more rounded look.

Paper Models - Research

These 2 scans are from a book about mathematical structures. However, the book also explains how to make these structures from paper.

I think that these shapes would look much more interesting on a larger scale.

Repeat - Research

This photograph is of my wallpaper. It has a repeated pattern that consists of 2D floral elements.

Although the flowers are not actually symmetrical, I really like that they are circular and of the same colour etc..

Repeat - Research

I came across this book cover, which has a repeated pattern on the back. I like that it uses only 2 simple colours, and how well they contrast against each other. The book is about paper crafting, and so I think that the pattern on the cover was actually created by using paper.

Quilling - Research

Quilling is a technique which involves several strips of paper. The paper is rolled up into coils, and then it can be used to make decorative images or pictures. For example the book cover that I found earlier on.

This is a scan from a book about quilling. The image clearly shows how each tiny piece of paper is curled up, and how a large number of these can collectively make another more interesting image, picture or shape.

Lamp - Research

Whilst eating out, I spotted this lampshade which interested me. I think that it has a direct theme of a repeated pattern, which is evident from the darker lines on the lampshade. It also appears to be made from a thin canvas or similar material, and this wraps around the frame to give a curved look.

I like this aspect of the theme, 'repeat', where a pattern or particular shape is constructed over and over in one final piece.

Richard Sweeney - Research

Throughout the workshops with Richard Sweeney, it is clear to me that he is very passionate about using paper and he always made every sculpture look effortless to create. I think that he is extremely talented and the works which he creates are absolutely stunning.

I have started to research his works further and located his website, where there is a huge selection of his creations.

This piece below is definitely one of my favourites, as again, it looks totally natural and effortless, even though the paper has clearly been greatly manipulated. The form that this piece has taken, reminds me of some sort of flower perhaps, or some kind of biological structure.



Another one of the amazing skills that Richard has, is his ability to create structures that give the impression of a sudden moment in time, often this involves capturing a movement.

The sculpture, photographed below, is extremely eye catching and striking. It reminds me of a wave in the sea, that is curling and curving in different directions. It is hard to believe that something of this standard can be created from a few sheets of simple, plain old paper.

Paper Workshop 2 - Richard Sweeney - Continued

By using the previous method of the curved scoring, I began to cover the whole are of the paper with curves, cut out curves and scoring.

After I had gone around the whole sheet, I began to pull each two bottom corners of the curves, in order to create a visually stronger curve and therefore a better shape.

I like how this technique starts to create small craters and holes within the surface of the paper sculpture.

These photographs are of the finished piece. I have used staples to secure each curve effectively. I think that this method is very interesting and could possibly be very striking as a large scale sculpture.