Exercises

3rd April 2019 (week 1)
Daryl Pung Xi Ern (0333743)
Design Principles Exercises

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Exercise 7: Rhythm, harmony and movement 

For this exercise, I focused on working with the topic of nature and I related it to harmony.

Here are the sample pictures I used for my collage:


 
 
 

For feedback, Ms Sherry said that the newspaper makes the piece a lot more interesting, along with the white lines which creates a nice rhythm.

Exercise 6: Dots, line, size, scale 
Dots
Placement- depending on where the dots are placed, it could change the original meaning of a shape.

Lines
A point is extended to become a line. A line has length but no width or depth, however, we can use different density of lines to create width/depth. Another new thing I learned is that it’s called a line because its length exceeds its width. Lines are used to create visual flow and to direct the viewer’s gaze to a focal point.

There are 5 types of lines: zigzag lines, vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, curved lines

Scales
It refers to the size of an object in relation to other objects in a design. The differences between scale and proportion: scale is relative size of one object to another, proportion is relative size of parts of a whole. It is able to show dominance and balance.

There are 2 types of drawings that often include scales: drawing large objects (furniture) and drawing dimensions (length breadth height)

For the assignment I decided to work primarily with lines. I wanted to create an expressive piece using continuous line and small dashes to accentuate the emotion I want to convey. I chose this man's expression as a reference:

I also referred to this style of drawing:

I used a micron pen to draw the lines:

I thought it was a little empty so I added ripped black paper around the border to make it seem as if he is trapped in his own emotions.

Final piece:

For feedback, Ms Sherry said that my drawing was quite expressive and the ripped black paper emphasizes on the fact that he is trapped.

Exercise 5: Perspective, hierarchy, alignment, direction 
For this assignment we had to create a piece that relates to perspective, hierarchy, alignment and direction using our own pictures. I decided to take pictures of buildings from campus since I wanted my topic to be about education.

After looking at the pictures I took, I felt that they gave a somewhat eerie and gloomy feeling due to the lighting and angle. So, I decided to further emphasize this by compiling the two buildings together to make it seem as though they are towering over the viewer.

Since there was a little red in the "boosts" banners, I thought it would be a cool idea to make the theme predominantly red as it is a color that could be associated with anger (negativity). I then used a watercolor paper texture for the sky and a news article called "neglect of education". To highlight on the direction, I drew two thick lines on the lower buildings to direct the viewer's gaze towards the tallest building. Overall, I'm quite happy with how this piece turned out as I felt that it was able to convey the feeling I wanted.

For feedback, Ms Sherry liked my work and said that it gave her a sense of doom from the perspective and colors.

Exercise 4: Pattern, Repetition, Texture and Surface

For this exercise, we had to make a pattern using a stamp that we make on our own. Since I had experience with printmaking back in foundation, I decided to carve on lino to create a stamp. I made a fish as I thought the scales would create an interesting pattern.

Using white acrylic paint, I stamped the fish on black paper. I really like the contrast it makes.

 I wanted to show a somewhat ying and yang theme, so I stamped another fish in bright pink.

Finally, using a small sponge, I created a few patterns on the side to make the piece look less empty.

Feedback this time around was a little different as we were all tasked to critique other's works by writing down our feedback, Most people told me that my design of the fish was really nice, however, it could've looked more like a pattern.

Exercise 3: Symmetry, Asymmetry and Balance

For this lesson, my group which consisted of Angelina, Wen Yi, Joe and I were in charge of talking about this topic. Throughout my research process I've come to realize that there are 3 types of symmetry: radial, bilateral and translational. I've also learned about the importance of balance and how to be more are of how it is being applied in different types of artworks.

I wasn't particularly satisfied with any of these, but I found the idea of working with hands to be an interesting prospect since it's considered as one of the hardest body parts to draw, I decided to set myself a challenge. Basing of the top right image, I made another full sketch of hands about to hold on to a lotus flower.

The reference for the hand and lotus flower:

The reason why I chose a lotus flower is because of its meaning. A lotus flower usually symbolizes purity or growth. I wanted to show the hands trying to reach and grab hold of it.

This time around, I decided to use unusual colors. For that hands I used a mixture of red and blue to create a faint purple tone for the base and slowly layered.

For the flower I used a faint red to give it a pink base and hints of purple for the shadows. 

Using a thin watercolor brush I did the details of the petals to make it stand out more, I felt that it really helped to make the image pop out. The topic I focused on is asymmetrical, as it is not completely balanced yet there are the same elements.

Overall, I feel a bit of regret as I didn't think the contrast was enough. Maybe if I had changed the hand color to blue or changed the type of flower, it would've made the artwork more engaging. Regardless, I've found that I have a better understanding on how to control watercolor now.

For feedback, Ms Sherry said that although it was good I could've showed more contrast between the flower and the hands.

Future Imaginings (Talk) 

                 

Ms Sherry asked us to attend a talk that involves 3 professionals in the design industry, each of them specializes in different aspects.

The first speaker was Keith Song, he is the only one among the 3 of them who does does design on a traditional medium, more specifically, he uses wires to make jewelry. I found it to be very unusual as his designs weren't your common type of jewelry that you could find in a store. Although it was different, I still appreciated the amount of effort and dedication he put into making his project known.

Next up was Chong Yan Chuah, whose work focuses on creating 3d environments. He showed us a planet he created, which was very calming to watch. I really admired his design, it was very creative and I felt that it successfully conveyed the aura he wanted. However, he didn't speak much about his experience in the industry.

The third and final speaker was Paul Koh, he specializes in advertising for different companies such as Sephora or Prudential. Not only that, but his works often revolve around VR simulations, interactive technology etc. I thought it was pretty inspiring to see his different projects and how they're testing the boundaries of modern technology.

Lastly, when all three speakers were done with their presentations the Q&A session began. They addressed things related to technology and the industry.

Exercise 2: Gestalt 

During this lesson. we learned about a new topic called "gestalt", this is when our mind creates order and completeness in the things we see. Some artists may use the negative space of a drawing to create another object. Here are a few examples of gestalt:

We were then assigned to create our own gestalt pieces using black ink. I began brainstorming a few ideas but I still wasn't quite sure about what I wanted.

Although I was still unsure, I decided to focus on the nature aspect of my first sketch since I found it to be a really interesting way to use branches or leaves to create a face. I was inspired by this artwork:

From there, I decided that instead of flowers or leaves, I would use tree branches to create a face. I wanted to make a somewhat dramatic or sad expression, and I felt that the details of the branches could really accentuate on that aspect. 

Using this expression as a reference, I began sketching my final idea.

I put a bat for the nose in the mean time since I still didn't know how I should draw the nose with branches. After sketching it with a pencil I began outlining it with pigment ink size 08.

For the details of the tree I used pigment ink size 02 to have more precise lines.

For feedback, Ms Sherry said that this was a really good example of gestalt and I did a good job to show this. 

Exercise 1: Contrast 
During our first lesson we were introduced to the concept of 'contrast' in images and how to effectively present it. The word 'contrast' by definition means two (or more) things appearing to be strikingly different, juxtaposing one another. If we apply this to images and colors that means when a color looks different than the other, which could accentuate an image.

With different colors to suggests various parts, we could incorporate shapes into this as well and that can help make a design much more exciting. I found this to be incredibly helpful for me as I'm now more aware of the importance of contrast, especially when it comes to composing an artwork. Based on the topic, we were assigned an exercise to create a contrasting piece using white and black paper. There was no specific theme but our goal was to show difference in color.

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As you can see from above, I got inspired by people and mainly shadows to imply their hidden features. I found that quite fascinating and I thought that would be an interesting aspect to work with.

I made a couple rough ideas but I still wasn't fully satisfied with any of the designs. So I started to focus on drawing animals instead, specifically birds.

After careful thinking, I decided to mix the first design and the third one. It felt that it had much more character than the other ones and so it was easier to work with to create a meaningful theme.

Through brainstorming, I tried to come up with several ideas as to how I could make the composition more full. My initial thought was to add vines hanging from above, however that didn't resonate with me and it wouldn't be fitting. Then, I looked back at my original design where it there were leaves hanging off branches, so I decided to cut out leaves in different sizes with various patterns.
Using an xacto knife, I began cutting out the individual parts.

There are 4 main parts of the composition: The bird, 2 branches and the "ground".

I then decided to put the piece together without gluing it first to have an idea of what the end result would look like. I experimented with putting the parts in different heights and positions. Eventually, I settled with the composition above.

I felt that it was a bit empty, so using the extra shapes cut from the details of the bird, I stuck it on the background to make it seem like there are leaves falling.

There was something that was still missing. I asked a few people of their thoughts and they suggested I could add a shape or two to the bird to make it not as empty. I thought that was a good idea so I added long thin lines to the tail and the head.

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Here's the end result!

The theme of this is "peace". To highlight on this, I gave the bird a serene look accompanied with the falling leaves to create a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. Overall, although I could've done better I am quite happy with the results!

For feedback, Ms Sherry said that my cutting skills seemed very precise and the falling leaves were a nice touch.