concept composition

For this Visual Communication assignment, we were to take our concept from our Design Studio "Celebrity Kitchen" Project and create a composition without titling it with our concept. We were to include two hand-produced images, two pictures taken from the internet or other resources, and provide 4 descriptive words about the project or concept. My concept was a cherry tree, with which I created a silhouette of a cherry tree branch, a set of pendant lighting that I originally was going to use in my space that I designed, graphic images of a cherry and a painting of a cherry tree. The words I used to describe my ideas were reuse, nature, diversity, and light. These words were used very much in my original design. Everyone was able to guess my concept from looking at my composition!

celebrity kitchen [floor plan]

This is my floor plan for my celebrity kitchen design for client, William McDonough. The organization of space is very diverse and allows the kitchen to function in a very practical manor. The main traffic flow enters from the living room (on the bottom) and travels past my custom designed shelving unit to the right into the dining room. Or from the living room to the laundry/mudroom straight across, past the breakfast bar to the top of the drawing. None of these main paths will cross and bother the cook, which works around the inside of the "L"-shaped counter-space and the island. Originally, the plan included very narrow, standard door sizes to all of the surrounding rooms, however, I chose to expand the dining room and living room entrances to allow more of a connection between the spaces and allow for more natural light to flow from the large span of windows to the surrounding spaces. The overall layout I have created is very dynamic, diverse and functional -- the way a kitchen should be.

celebrity kitchen [elevations]

These cabinet wall elevations are of my celebrity kitchen design for client, William McDonough. The cabinets are all pull-out or drawers to make the kitchen more efficient than standard cabinets that you have to basically climb inside to get something. In addition to these easy storage options, I also designed a custom shelving unit with sliding doors for more storage. The shelves are only a foot deep, making it easier to grab items from it. This is a more dynamic style that I can see McDonough using. To further enhance a unique kitchen design, I chose the bold color red to create an even larger impact when someone was to walk into this space. Very bold. Very new. Very efficient.

rendered material board

The materials I decided to render were bamboo ring ecoresin, reclaimed wood, glass from a light fixture, and fabric. I rendered each material three times: one pen, one pencil, and one markers and colored pencil. According to scale: one full scale, one 1/4'' scale, and one 1/8'' scale.

SYTYCD : celebrity kitchen detail

For this week's "So You Think You Can('t) Draw", we were to create a detail of something that is in our Studio celebrity kitchen project. This could be either a furniture, fixture or electrical element. I chose to draw my custom shelving system that has two sliding doors on a track. The doors are made of a somewhat see-through resin material, which I captured in my rendering. I used markers and colored pencils.

kitchen detail.

I pulled this quick drawing out of my sketchbook as a detail of my celebrity kitchen project in process. When I designed this pendant light fixture, I had in mind the concept of a cherry tree. Using the vibrant color of red in my space is being used in details spread through out the room. I used pen, colored pencil and marker.

SYTYCD : kitchen logo

I tried to create a very active, vibrant, dynamic logo that represents my client for our celebrity kitchen project, William McDonough, completely. I designed it with three circular rings representing cyclical movement that captures the symbols of the three concepts McDonough lives by : solar income, diversity, and waste = food. Each of these three concepts are activities that are meant to be continuous, which will improve the quality of our Earth and ourselves. The colors I chose are eye-catching and work well together, which represent the reaction McDonough gives creates and the benefits of his ideas. McDonough says that "design is intention". Every part of this logo has intention and represents my kitchen design and McDonough very well.

SYTYCD : recreate a week

This was a unique "So You Think You Can('t) Draw" contest week because we were to recreate one of the previous weeks' contests. I chose to draw another joint composition. For this drawing, I reminisced to summer memories and drew a man fishing in a lake, hoping to catch that one fish! I focused on line and form the most in this joint composition with minimal shading. Adding an element of depth with the bobber being close and the fisher in the boat being further away creates visual interest. I think this drawing is fun and I'm pleased with how it turned out!

SYTYCD : haunted house

For this "So You Think You Can('t) Draw" contest submission, we were to create a well-composed rendered elevation of the front of a spooky haunted house that we design. To go along with the drawing, we were to form a story that went along with our spooky place. I envisioned my haunted house to be a place where little trick-or-treaters found themselves going to far down the street...to where they did not want to end up. My narrative describes the adventure the three children on the bottom of the page had on their Halloween trick-or-treating night. I provided grand, dark gates with gargoyles perching on top as my super-graphic. By drawing the three children at the base of the page, it provided distance to my drawing and also moves the viewers eyes from the children through the gates to the story to the house (the climax of the drawing). I decided to render this image using graphite instead of more complex, bold colors that markers create because I wanted to create a dramatic black and white composition and I simply wanted to experiment with pencil rendering for a change. I had a lot of fun being able to be completely creative and not have many guidelines with this project. I love how my drawing came out!

case study : case study [composition]

To wrap-up the case study : case study project, we were to take a piece from various steps of the process and create a complete composition of our hard work. I chose to represent my creations in a simple but well-read grid format. In the composition, I was to include a floor plan, axonometric view, elevation, section, and perspective. Although each of the pieces are equally important and well-drawn, I decided to create my floor plan as a super-graphic because it shows a complete view of everything in the entire case study : case study house. The way I arranged all of my items highlights consistency, care and quality. The title is located on the datum line that adds interest and contrast, leading the reader across and down the page. I feel the composition is creative, easily read and visually appealing while still focusing on the actual work.

case study : case study [perspective]

After weeks of collecting bits and pieces of the "case study : case study" house, I was able to put all the elements together and create a composed perspective of the space. The perspective is a combination of pen, marker and pencil. There were two ways to approach this perspective : either create the space on a basic level on Sketchup and then draw in all details or create the space from a handmade grid for perspective. I chose to take the Sketchup approach to improve both drawing and computer-based skills. After creating the basic forms on the computer, I payed close attention to detail and created a more life-like atmosphere with furnishings, decorations and home features, like the fire and wood in the fireplace. To create depth with light and shadow, I used shadowing techniques with my markers, really transforming the image. To enforce texture, I incorporated dotting techniques for my rug and used colored pencil to create a wood style for the floors. I am very pleased with the colors and techniques that I used to create my perspective of the sleek and modern space.

DIRT! the movie.

Tonight, I went to view "dirt! the movie" in the Witherspoon Art Museum. It is a very inspiring and informing film that tells about the wonders of the material right under our feet -- dirt! It tells a story of the Earth's most vital and unappreciated source that allows life, from its beginning to its degradation.

"Dirt is alive. It is not dead." This is the point that is mentioned the most during the film. Dirt is made from the same elements as plants, animals, and humans. It feeds us and gives us shelter. It holds and cleans our water. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth. Our human connection to and respect for soil has been disrupted. "Drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt." If we do not nurture our dirt, it will not provide us with what we need to survive. Whether it is planting a tree, composting or buying vegetables from a farm cooperative, there are things that we can do everyday to help our planet and provide proper care towards our dirt.