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Firstly, I had to draw 12 cuboids in 2 point perspective, 12 cuboids in 3 point perspective and 3 cuboids in perspective on a ground line. The most interesting of these activities was working with 3 point perspective, as though it is a rather realistic technique, there is a certain distortion to the cuboids which is in a sense counterintuitive.
I then learned to to draw using the rotating plan method, which uses orthographic projections to create a proportional perspective drawing of an object. Though quite a lengthy process, it was a really interesting way to see how these different drawings interact, and also a new way of seeing perspective. Additionally, I know if I had just tried to draw the house and composition without this method, they would not have looked the same, so I would have gotten the proportions wrong.
Though I still want to come back and rework some of my cardboard compositions, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try and apply the feedback I got. The main thing is that I did not create enough contrast between the shapes. Whether it was in size or or in the shapes put together, they were too similar, and it was sometimes hard to see which shape was dominant, subdominant and subordinate.
So the main I thing I did was thing I did was play with school, as through conversation with some other students I realised that was really important. I also made sure the dominant one had an important role, that the other shapes couldn’t stay as they were if it wasn’t there, as I felt that’s what makes it dominant.
Overall, I think I did a better job this time, and I feel the compositions are a lot more dynamic and interesting.
Zita: “When we talk about cardboard as a material for designing it’s essential to mention recycling. These animal toys are a great example of renewing the function of packaging which we would never be used again in its old form.”
Zita: “Cardboard won its worthy place in product design when this cat house won a Red Dot Design Award in 2016. The material works perfectly well as a house for cats, proving that there is compromise between good design and recycling.”
These tents are fully made of cardboard and are a perfect example of how design can break our expectations as they can hold 400% of their weight in water and are therefore waterproof and fully functional.
This stool uses the original idea of corrugated cardboard for solidity, whilst also taking advantage of this idea to make it modular and more transportable, which is advantaged by the low weight of the material.
These modular separation panels apply the same idea as the stool but on a bigger, more architectural scale. This design is advantaged once again by the materials light weight and flexibility.
This is a very early example of cardboard being used in design, created in 1972, at a time where manufacturers were starting to look for alternatives to plastic.
What’s interesting in this case is cardboard is used as any other material, not put forward as a main feature. This could be foreshadowing cardboard becoming more of a mainstream material in this kind of design.
Zita: “Not only in product design but in fashion design cardboard appears. In this area it’s obviously works as a piece of art where the dress embraces the unique features of the material.”
Zita: “In contrast with all the others previously cardboard is just as able to express gentle forms as being a constructive, robust building material. This ability makes it possible to stand its place in lifelike sculpturing as well.”
Zita: “Lastly, interestingly recycling appears in fine arts as well. In this wave-like huge installation we can see the rough unfinished side of cardboard and paper. The versatility of cardboard as a material is truly amazing.”
For this task, I made 18 cardboard cuboids of unique dimensions, and made them into 6 compositions, in order to explore the relationship of dominant, subdominant and subordinate shapes.
As designers we put shapes together all the time, without really thinking of how they impact each other, so this activity was really eye opening in that sense.
It’s fascinating to see in how many different ways a shape can affect another. It can enhance it, by following the same direction, or by framing it. It can make it appear taller, or smaller. It can literally stop it from falling, which can be seen with the left subdominant block in the third composition. This is also an interesting example of how the dominant shape sometimes cannot work independently from the others.
Ultimately, this task is something I feel I want to try and apply in my future work, as seeing how many things can be achieved by simply moving shapes around, it seems like a great way to make the most effective designs.
I then picked the first volume as it was one I found very dynamic and interesting, and drew an orthographic representation of it, which was really interesting as it got me to see how the blocks interacted from different angles, which I hadn’t payed as much attention to before.
EDIT : I got comments on the fact there wasn’t enough contrast in the size of the blocks in each composition. I also wasn’t too happy about the last two. So I decided to remake some, and improve others. I’m a lot happier with how they are, and I definitely feel some small changes made a big difference.
Additionally, this was an opportunity to take better pictures, using the skills I learned in class and throughout the semester, and it also makes a big difference.
For this exercise, I was talking to a friend from the class for about half an hour, and I was doodling as we talked. The image below is the result of this activity.
What’s really interesting and actually surprised me is how many links there were between the conversation and drawing. Firstly, at times when the conversation turned to small talk I did more intricate doodles, but during more interesting conversation I reverted to very simple forms. It’s also interesting to see for example how when the conversation got to a topic that annoyed me, I switched to more messy, somewhat aggressive scribbles.
It was a very new experience actually being aware of my surroundings, and how it was made. And it’s insightful to see all the uses a single shape can have, and how it can be used for different purposes.
But it was also very interesting to see how where some shapes like circles, rectangles, or cubes came up a lot, some were really hard to come across. And at first I thought this was maybe due to the complexity of some of these shapes (pyramid, torus, etc.) that made them more difficult to use.
But maybe what would be interesting is going somewhere else in the world, and seeing if this balance is the same. Because though the complexity of shapes likely has an impact, is there maybe a cultural influence in the shapes that we tend to use?
For this challenge, I had to find small objects in my bag and pockets, and draw them. They have to represent me in some way or another.
The Earphone : I love music, and basically am listening to it anytime I’m not talking to someone.
The Key Chain : I chose this to represent my passion for Harry Potter and some other fantasy type stories.
The Ring : I have owned this for several years, I love it and wear it everyday. Plus the middle section can be replaced with others of different colors, which shows my love for color matching and coordination.
The Swiss Army Knife : This is a way to show both my love for crafts and DIYs, but also my connection to Switzerland, which is where I spent most of my life and where I feel most at home.
The Fidget Cube : I am very fidgety and kind of a bit hyperactive, so I am constantly, moving doing stuff, and I cannot be sitting still and doing absolutely nothing.
(Note to self, work on drawing ellipses because it’s definitely not supposed to be that hard.)
