First 3D piece finished

Well it is done, above is just one view, scroll down for more views. Because E-board, which we used to construct this planar object, is white on one side and cardboard colored on the other I took quite a few pictures.

First here is a picture of my workspace before I started gluing.

Sorry about the high contrast, the sun was coming in the window onto the table that I work on, I didn't want to wait to get started so the picture had to be taken under less then optimal conditions. On the left and toward the middle are the 2 stacks of E-board pieces, on the right is the stack of cardboard rounds that I used as separators. I cut the rounds in half and glued one half to each E-board section, then glued those sections together. I ended up not using the smallest units as the finished object would have been a bit larger then it was supposed to be, and I just didn't like the look, take your pick as to which was the actual deciding factor.  

Side view, showing white Side E-Board

Top down view from the Cardboard Colored side.

I have four images for you this week from my Illustration class. First two are from last week's class assignment of the berry basket, first my drawing of the basket.

Next my pen and ink version. Note these are all being done with quill pen points and bottled India Ink. Usually I prefer working with Technical type pens, not the real ones (too hard to take care of) but the disposable Micron's, the same as I use for my quilt labels, though of different tip sizes.

Over the weekend we were assigned two projects, one to reproduce a bottle that was part of a class hand out on various ways to use pen and ink, and the other was to finalize the drawing of a tool. My tool drawing is done, but inking the result is my homework for Wednesday's class so I will post the pictures next week. I did finish the bottle so I have the drawing and the pen and ink version images to show.

Pencil Sketch

Final Drawing Inked

I am not totally pleased with how this came out, I am finding myself getting impatient with the process and rushing it a bit, which isn't good. Still it isn't too bad an effort.

I was telling the instructor this morning, how I am finding myself a bit surprised at how I don't really like doing this type of drawing. I do and have always done what some might consider finicky detailed work, take the mandala, lots of detailed areas, and I had to do repeats, which does get a bit old. Still I don't have to use as much control to do those as I do when I do the illustrations. With illustration things need to be exact and tight, I am finding I don't enjoy working that way. Detail can be fun sometimes, maybe when I don't have to be quite so exact, I guess, have to think about this a bit more. I suppose it might just be the subject, but somehow I don't think so.

That is it for this post. I almost have my first Graphic Design I project done. I will have those printed this week so should have pictures for you next week at the latest. I also have a Fast Friday group challenge that I should be working on. That I am thinking about but not sure if/when I will finalize the design and actually sew. I am also making progress on another mandala, it might be far enough along to have an in-progress photo taken.  So there are several things in the works as it were, stay tuned for my next update, and as always comments are welcome.

Sea Mandala Finished and Some 3D process photo's

Sea Mandala

It is finished, well, I may do a little bit of touch up here and there but all the rings are done. I trimmed it a bit and signed my name. It is a little over 10 inches in diameter, so while it isn't small it isn't huge. This photo is OK but I need to take another a bit clearer and without the shadow on the right side. In the meantime this is good enough for the blog. I had fun doing this and may do another. Just have to decide on a theme, though I am thinking leaves and trees right now, or maybe veggies.  Opinions are always welcome so if you have one let me know.

My other projects for the weekend were to work on my Graphic Design I posters, I am making progress there, but they are computer graphics so no images for you on those yet.  In Illustration we are drawing boxes, a berry box to be exact, but that is still being inked so no images there so far this week, it will be done by my next class on Wed. so when I update the blog again there will be a photo of that.

I do have some in progress photo's for you from my 3D design project. First the clay model:

Slightly smashed from being put into a plastic bag when I brought it home from class.

Ready to start assembling

A view of my workspace before I started gluing. In the upper left corner are the templates I made for the design. I used Corel Draw, drew a Circle then took a bite out of it, then I combined the 2 elements and proceeded to enlarge the basic shape, from about 1 inch in Diameter to about 5 inches, with a change of about a half inch between each circle. I used Corel Draw instead of Illustrator because I can have multiple pages in one file in Corel and I needed to be able to spread all my templates out on sheets to print. Illustrator only allows for a single page per file. The brown circles are the cut outs used for the actual construction. The little half circles are spacers for between the layers.

One view of my finished sample object.

Slightly different view

Frontal View

Now I need to make some large charcoal sketches and take it to class Tuesday morning for a critique. Then I get to make the final size which should be more like 8 inches in size. Hopefully the instructor will like what I have done so I don't have to make many changes. So far I am pleased with it. 

As usual comments are welcome.

School Week 2

 Illustration I Pen & Ink Study

I am a bit more then half way through my 2nd week of the fall 09 term. So far I don't have a lot of images to show for my efforts. Actually classes this term aren't going to be generating the number of images that my classes last year did. Without a specific drawing class there just won't be the output. I do have an image of my first finished project for my Illustration I class. Not a pretty picture I know, actually it isn't supposed to be. This is a study for us to learn how to use a crow quill pen and ink to create images that look 3 dimensional on the flat paper using different types of line. So the purpose of the exercise was to draw object, a cylinder, a cube, and a sphere with shadows using just pen and ink. Takes forever, but it was a good exercise. I am not totally happy with the cubes, and the photo isn't the best but its not bad either.

Our next assignment is to draw with pen and ink a small wooden basket, the kind they used to sell things like berries in.

It looks like the one pictured above, though the one I am using isn't brand new and looks a bit worse for wear. I am supposed to picture it as a perfect basket, though to be honest I think it would be more interesting done as it really looks. Still if an artist is doing an illustration for a book, magazine, paper or for advertising the image needs to be perfect. Believe it or not I am having trouble drawing the basket. A bit frustrating, I guess I have been spending too much time on people and animals and need to get back to drawing some objects to get my skills back up.

In 3D design we are working on our first project. I was using plasticine clay to model an object that I will then have to reproduce with white board, but first we do a small model. I started with a triangle/pyramid that had a curved side that went from convex to concave but while it was ok it wasn't exciting. Then I played with a cube, that didn't do anything for me either. The last object I played with was a sphere and what that did was very interesting so that is what I am going to try and model. I have created some templates in Corel Draw, and sometime this weekend I will be building this Object. May have pictures for you next week of at least the small model. Discovered the hard way something I didn't know before I started playing with the clay, I think it has sulfur in it, my poor silver rings turned black. Next time I play with the clay I need to remember to take my rings off. I did some clean up on a couple of the rings using baking soda and a toothbrush. Worked fairly well except I didn't really do all of the ring surfaces so need to go back and do it a bit more.

In Graphic Design we are working on our first project, two posters to represent Reality vs Perception. We had to have sketches yesterday, and I think I have a concept that I can work with. More images are due tomorrow so I have browsing the internet looking for photos that I can use as reference images for my drawings. I don't think I will be using any real photo's for this design, at least that is not my current plan, we will see. I may get frustrated with my abilities with the software and change my mind. The sketches are done on tracing paper so don't photograph well which is why there are no images yes for that class.

I have also been able to make some progress with the mandala. It isn't done but it is getting there. It needs a title, any suggestions are welcome. Colors are a bit better in this photo so you can get a better idea of what it looks like in real life.

That's it for this update. Per usual comments are always welcome.

Mandala in progress

 

Just a short entry tonight to give everyone a sneak peak as to what my in-progress Mandala is looking like.  Heaven only knows when it will actually be finished but right now I do want to keep working on it. Sorry about the glare, I needed to use the flash on the camera to have enough light to not blur the picture. I did try to scan it but it is too large to fit on the bed of my scanner. As you can see the center is done and I have the squared corners done. I need to finish the outline drawings for the 3rd large ring, and I need to come up with a motif for the outer ring. I started sketching an outer motif for squaring the circle but not sure I will actually use it, I want to finish all the rings before I decide. The theme for this Mandala is the Sea. Have a couple of more motifs that I intend to add in the next outer ring. This has been fun to do, and keep coming up with ideas for others. That is for the future if I have the motivation after I finish this one.

I hope when it is done to post it to the  Mandala Project web site. But that is for the future, in the meantime comments are welcome.

Comments welcome.

Beads ahoy

I have been beading this past couple of days. I decided that I really, really didn't like the way one of my FFFC challenge quilts looked. It was challenge #29 and because of school work I just didn't have time then to finish it the way I had planned when I was designing it. I suppose it looked ok with the bare branches for trees and bushes but to me it didn't fit the colors of the quilt, which were greens and blues. To me those colors mean spring/summer, so branches should have leaves. Took me several hours and an extensive search through the bead stash, but I found my green leaf beads (assorted sizes, shapes and yes, colors) but now the branches/stems have leaves, or something approximating leaves on them.

Before:

After:

Let me know what you think, I know I prefer the 2nd version. I have a lot of yellow/orange and red leaves, maybe I should do a fall version, if not of this design then another. Hmm have to think about that.