I have finally finished building! The roof was much more difficult than I had anticipated it would be. I ended up using the cool styrofoam-like material because it had these grooves in it that reminded me of a tin roof. The hot glue gun definitely saved my life when it came to securing all of the pieces. This step also took longer than I had thought because the glue sticks I have for the hot glue gun are too big, so I had to cut them into eighths to actually fit into the glue gun. I also had to recut a few pieces because I would inevitably crinkle up a piece of paper or make a miscalculation when I measured before cutting. The dimensions of the actual frame of the house are skewed, so I had to cute the flat top part at a weird angle so that it would poke out from the main frame by equal lengths on both sides. I figured this would help with minimizing the noticeably of dimensional imperfections. It took me an incredibly long time to build the mailbox flag, too. I started with the idea that I could make it using a similar technique as I remember from elementary school with folding paper boxes: we would get a template with bold lines for folding and dotted lines for cutting. After you cut along the dotted lines, you could then fold along the bold lines and tape the edges together to make a cube. I figured I could do something similar for the mailbox flag so that i didn't have to cut any cardboard. The reason I was putting so much effort into making it three-dimensional is because I plan on keeping the actual details of the house (like windows) very minimal, so I want the structural features to look well done. Ultimately, this idea failed. I had to resort to cutting the shape from a piece of cardboard and then cutting strips of paper to cover all of the surfaces so I would have a smooth surface to paint on.
I will be getting the projector from Coach soon to work on the face part. I am not sure how that aspect will turn out, but I am trying to keep my mind open. I do think, though, that projecting a video of a (maybe my?) face will provide me with a nice opportunity to include audio that can help make my content more clear.
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Since my last post, I added a lot color to the piece. It felt very empty with all of the white space, not at all like the reference photo. I had wanted to use only the pen nibs for the colors, but I soon realized it would be much better to use some paint brushes. The brushes really helped with covering more space at one time and gave me better control over line quality. My process mostly involved switching back and forth between colors to build up layers. The silver ink was definitely helpful in a few areas that I felt were too dark. Using a paintbrush to go over the shadows around the eye made it a lot easier, and also a better texture than just using the pen nib,. Though, I do like the almost scratchy look of the copper part of the eye for which I used the pen nib; I feel like it reads like it has actual form.
Overall, I am very pleased with how this piece turned out. It's wild because this is not at ALL like the lizard oil pastel drawing I had started a few weeks ago, but I am happy nevertheless. I enjoyed the entire process of sketching the form and then bringing it to life with color. It also helped that the colors were glittery, too. My in-class projects have been going down a very different path than this piece; I have been drawn to more conceptual pieces, placing less emphasis on technical skill than content. However, creating this work has really reminded me of my immense respect for technique and formal skill. I would like to work in a similar medium and style for my next in-class project. I will likely try to combine my appreciate for meaningful content and this type of medium to create a piece that is equal parts formal skill and significant. After my progress this past week, I really only have to add the roof before I can start on details. I prolly could have built the structure faster using tape or something, but I have learned that quicker does not always equal better. In fact, it usually doesn't mean better. I worked on pasting the paper to the cardboard. I also secured the top part that the roof will attach to. As soon as I get the roof attached, I will begin adding the windows and mailbox flag. I will also work on the door design for the opening of the mailbox. There are a few places where the paper doesn't fully cover the cardboard or the glue is peeking through, especially at the vertices. I have yet to decide how I am going to address these imperfections, but I know that I absolutely will address them. I want to make sure that even though the quality of my materials isn't exception, the quality of my craftsmanship is as good as I can make it. I think I will probably paint the inside black, but I may not paint it at all. I definitely need to cover the back wall with a piece of paper because you can see the design from the cardboard box on it. I hope to finish the roof in the next few days and then spend Thanksgiving break and the following week of class to add the details and really bring it all together.
This is my initial design. My goal for this project is to make a sculpture of the same sort of mailbox shape as my last artwork. Coach wants me to focus on making my content more accessible, since I think it really wasn't clear what I was trying to convey by just looking at my last piece. Considering these two distinct goals made it difficult for me to know where to begin, and especially when it came to exactly what I was going to use to build the mailbox. Coach suggested actually buying one and just modifying it, but something about that bothered me; it felt like cheating. We have a lot of cardboard boxes around the house, so I decided to construct my structure from one of those. I decided I would use this thick drawing paper to paste onto the sides of the cardboard and do the details on that surface, as that would give me a bit more control over the quality of my work. But, I was so eager to just start, I rushed through the boring parts -- measuring and cutting. My structure was lopsided and unstable. It did not lool like the start of a project I would be proud of. So, I decided to simply use this as a prototype, and start again. I found some extremely rigid and durable cardboard. I carefully took the measurements from my prototype and made clear lines on the cardboard to follow as I cut. I used a box-cutter for more precision and a cleaner cut than scissors. I made sure that the measurements for both the cardboard pieces and paper pieces matched up well. After I cut the cardboard shapes for the front, back, top, bottom, and roof, I will secure them using hot glue. I have paste to attach the paper pieces, though I likely won't attach them until after they're decorated like the sides of house. This piece is a sort of synthesis of my mailbox piece and my house piece from Art IV. I know I will want to include words in the piece, though I am not yet sure exactly how much writing I want or where I want it to go. I will figure those things out after I actually make the piece. |
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