Abstract balloons

Tech Cafe

I experienced problems with this workshop because of the technical things and the fact that I hadn’t used the software before. Towards the end of the workshop, I got the hang of it although I kept having problems. One of them being when we were creating out 3D images, I didn’t realise that we had to take about 40 images so I only took 11 pictures of the balloons and therefore the image came back all distorted and abstract. However I could see this image in print or printed on fabrics.

Burnt Plastic

Lazer Images

Problems

I couldn’t use some of the materials I had originally chosen because the aluminium wouldn’t cut and the tin foil would rip. So in the end, I had to use the foam and plastic but even then I was facing difficulties because as I was cutting the plastic, it started to burn and the foam didn’t cut all the way through. However, the foam did end up looking pretty good as the laser gave it an engraved look. Another problem I came across was when I was taking out the finished pieces, I noticed that the plastic had burnt as all of the edges were brown but this did create a different effect. Also I didn’t realise that I added an extra line on illustrator which cut all the way through my plastic; I thought that my shapes were destroyed but it made the plastic more unique as when I hung them in the air, it created more unusual shapes.

Materials

Lazer Cutting

With the laser cutting, I was more anxious about the materials I was going to use because there are health and safety rules. Some materials cannot be used because some can’t be cut through and others may catch fire. Therefore I had health and safety to think about. I decided that I would take all the materials I would like to use, to the laser cutting room, to see what Adan thought about them. The materials I took down were: foam, tin foil, plastic and aluminium trays.

Forms

Finding forms

Using the same 25 words I was given in the 3D shape making, we did a task called ‘finding forms’. This was the most invoking task because it entailed going to the pound shop and collecting any materials I liked. I had to create forms out of these materials. I bought: balloons, plastic sheets, tights and hair bobbles. This task made me think about how I could manipulate the materials together because some of the 25 words we were given were to suspend, to knot and to disarrange. These words were engaging to work with because I wanted to try them all out to see how they could help me to develop the materials, to make them better.

Drawings

Task 1

This task was to create 100 simple shaped drawings in our sketch books of the sculpture we made in the shape-making workshop. When this task was set, I was finding it really hard to create simple shapes as it is such an open area and therefore easy to create patterns with the shapes and repeat them in a diverse way. I soon became bored of using pens and markers so I started using unusual materials to draw with, e.g. sellotape, masking tape, electrical tape, bright yellow string, sewing pins, wood sticks and coloured wire. I found that this was much more exciting and interesting because I was manipulating the materials to create different drawings. I also found that my drawing improved by using the manipulated materials.

Shape Making

3D Shape Making

Starting mixed media was exciting because straight away we started to manipulate paper in the 3D shape-making workshop. I enjoyed this workshop because we were given set rules and instruction on what to create which seemed like a challenge. However, I found it interesting that we were given set rules because each person has a different idea of what the rules meant. The rules were to create a 100cm, 10cm and 1cm sculpture and we were given 25 words on how we could manipulate the paper. This has given me idea of using set rules in my work in the future because it gave me a different outlook on ways of exploring materials and processes.

Photographs of the traffic

Photographs of the shopping center

Map Of The City

We were given a task which involved us travelling around Manchester, taking photographs and sketches of the aspects which we found interesting. For me, it was the patterns and use of repetition within the shopping centre and shop windows which appealed to me the most. After taking these photographs, I thought that they needed more colour. That was when I used the shutter speed setting on my digital camera to create abstract lines with the lights of the cars in the traffic.