Christopher Chen FOD:R Portfolio

HOW TO DRAW A CROISSANT?

The aim of this module was to represent a croissant accurately and creatively through orthographic techniques.

The photographs were taken in a manner to ensure their accuracy of view: the sightline was almost perfectly perpendicular to the croissant, which ensured an accurate representation.

The croissant was drawn and rendered using multiple methods, which were regular shading, stippling, hatching and cross hatching. This exploration of drawing techniques helped to show which technique was good for certain types of drawing/areas, and how to use them correctly. It became very evident that to achieve the best effect out of hatching and cross hatching, the key was to reduce the amount of space between hatches, and to keep the line weight very light and uniform. For stippling, it was found that consistency was very important, as was the gradation in concentration of stipples. As for shading, a soft gradual change in level was imperative for a smooth shading.

This module allowed me to further my understanding of the importance of using two dimensional expression to represent something which exists in three planes.

The main things I personally took away from this module was the importance of layout, arrangement, and the correct usage of spacing to enhance the quality of the work. In future projects, collation and presentation of works will be a more prominent issue with regards to latter projects.

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MARIO WORLD: WORLD 17-5

World: 17-5 Christopher Chen, 1003927

The aim of this module was to design the space between the flat, pictorial, superficial plane of representation, with the projected, virtual, incorporeal plane. That is, the implementation of creativity, into a space unknown. This axonometric view allows the myself, the artist, to present my idea of what could be hidden from view, in the imaginary plane.

The inclusion of the ravine is perhaps the most interesting part of the design. The lack of stroke for the facets enclosed in the rock structure goes well with the relatively light line weights present in surrounding structures. Colouring was also light, with the simple combinations of earthen tones taken from the given sections. The change in lightness when moving to the underground floor emphasises the change in depth, and shows that there is not only a hidden space between sections, but also below, in a 3D manner.

Overall the design is interesting, and makes a good argument as to what is hidden from view. However, the rendering could have been improved

The two mario world sections originally given.

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Projection of sections: Overlaying the two given sections to start constructing the space between.

Beginning linework: Initial linework of the design.

Linework progress. After completing the drawing, it was imported into Google Sketchup for a fast 3D render

The imported drawing was quite fast and simplistic, but it visually conveys the general idea of the space on a two dimensional plane effectively.

Sketchup CAD model

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I recreated my drawings in Sketchup, to get a better view of the design in a three dimensional space. The nature of the CAD software allowed me to freely manipulate it and still have a good sense of the spatial relationships between the objects and their boundaries.

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MODULE 3: PATTERN VS SURFACE

The purpose of module three was to relate the grid, the uniform structured square, to the flowing topography of the landscape. The most difficult aspect of the module was deciding how to go about connecting the two very different aspects of the land together in a way that made sense. The model aimed to highlight the flow of the land by having a gradual shift in the units from a more closed off pyramidal structure, highlighting the complex side of nature, from the highest point of the topography to the open, square units which represent the basic tones and openess of the earth.

The overall model is assymmetrical, with the point attractors located at the middle of the contour going down the shape.

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The quad pointed units were very difficult to glue together properly, so I scored them deeper than normal. However, they were still very hard to join as some of the edges had around three folds to fit inside one another. The other units, such as the pyramids, and truncated pyramids were a lot easier to fit together due to their simplistic nature.

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Basic 2D panelling: I used networksrf in Rhino to create a simple triangular panelled surface to see what it looked like.

3D panelling testing: Testing the appearance of 3D panelling.

Units: I decided to go with a set of units which merge into the end units: from the truncated pyramids to the quad pointed design.

Using point attactors: I placed point attractors perpendicular to the slope of the terrain to achieve the ‘fade’ effect.

Closeup shot of the paper model

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MODULE 4: FRAME VS FIELD

Chloe: A trading city This module aimed to present the potential relationships and fleeting interactions between the characters in the story. A emphasis on scarcity of figures, ephemeral atmosphere and dusty surrounds was key to the presentation of the project.

Notations on the isometric drawing help to show the movement of Marco Polo as he moves through the area. In order to highlight two opposing viewpoints and contrast imagery, I used two perspectives on opposite sides of the quad, one upstairs and one downstairs.

The line hierachy used in the isometric aims at emphasising the notational symbols, and by making the lines of the vault dashed and thin, it takes attention away from them, and places more weight on the symbols themselves.

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2.5m

5m 10m

Plan view of the top and bottom floors, left and right respectively.

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A fleeting glimpse of the discord and interactions occurring below ground as the young woman sees a bazaar trader taking his goods downstairs. Highlights ideas of ephemeral connections and sightlines between characters. The dusty texture over the pillars and vault connects the earth with the construct; the quad.

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View from inside a bazaar stall: the observer seeks refuge from the giant standing guard in the midground.

Reflects the idea of fleeting interactions and creates an atmosphere of fear and obscurity. The sand texture helps augment this by making the bazaar less distinct and articulates the relationship between the markets and the earth.

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Reflection

Throughout the four modules, I learnt about orthographic and axonometric projection, three and two dimensional objects and the relationship between them, perspectival representation, and more. I was encouraged to explore these techniques and use my creativity alongside them to create works which tested myself and the observer as well.

I gained the ability to use CAD software such as Rhino, and the Adobe suite, and the most important skill I learnt as a student studying the course was the finesse and thinking required to properly layout a portfolio. Correct implementation and design of a portfolio can greatly augment one’s work. I believe that in my skillset, my layout and arrangement skills have improved the most, and it is definetly shown through the progression of my modules.

I believe that looking back, every one of my modules could have been better. There are so many things, so many elements to consider that it feels like one could spend an entire lifetime on a single one of these modules and still not be finished. But that is the greatness of design, the infinite possibilities brought about by the human perception and mind. Based on tutor feedback, I made changes to images from every module for the portfolio; I cleaned up the croissant images, recoloured and made the mario world more realistic in terms of lighting and line weight, cleaned up the paper model images, and reconstructed the isometric view of my module four.

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