Final Design

I went on to look at the history of tea, doing a lot of research on the Japanese Tea Ceremony.  This is how the project progressed from here.  Working to a brief to produce a packaging design, I decided to design a tea box.  After researching other packaging designs, I wanted the shape to also be important, so I experimented with origami shapes to create the box.

Here is the final prototype I made:

 

This is a pattern for the outside of another design, that I didn’t get to make into a physical box.  It was quite complicated trying to work out where to place each part and how it would correspond when folded.  Both the inside and outside  pattern are printed back-to-back to work when folded into the box design.  I was experimenting with different colour schemes, each one representing a different type of tea.

Tea Project

This project was based on the theme ‘domestic chores’.  I was given the chore of making tea, which I had to do and document for an hour.  I then went on to work with tea stains to form the basis of the project.

I started by looking for images in the stains.  I decided to outline shapes I could see within the stains to build up an image, which enabled me to add order to the spontaneity and chaos.  Here are the results:

I thought they resembled Ancient Greek Mythology pictures.  Here, I experimented with changing the colours:

Initial observational drawings based on the tea set I used:

Life Drawing objects

Here are some no looking continual line drawings of a whisk:

On my Lunch Break

I’m on my lunch break, having had critical studies this morning. It was rather painful (for me), not particularly enjoying the subject, but this morning seemed even more tedious than last week. Perhaps it was because I was cold, hungry and had a headache – never a good combination.

I’m going to be drawing Granville in about 15 minutes. I think the next couple of hours are going to be quite – ahem – interesting. I also need to decide whether to go on the Venice trip. I have the cheque for the deposit at the ready, but having never been abroad, and having no passport, suitcase, and general sense of independence, this decision is difficult even for me, who can’t made a decision to save my life.

Well, I must go and prepare myself for this afternoon’s life drawing.

Chloe

A Day in the Life of an Art Student

I’m blogging on my iPod at the bus stop, waiting for my first of two buses.  The time is 8.28. I hate catching one bus, never mind two. If my first one is late then I miss my second (very infrequent) bus.  Luckily that hasn’t happened just yet, but I feel sure it is likely to occur.  Ah, I can just see the bus approaching – I’ll be back shortly!

So I’m on the bus. It’s packed and I’m sitting next to a woman doing her make-up.  I have a feeling someone is watching me type this over my shoulder.  Hi!  Some woman on the phone just shouted “it’s Friday!” (…Friday…gotta get down on Friday…OK, I’ll stop now!).  Oh dear, now people are having to stand.  As I have found out from experience,  that is not fun when you are encumbered by a bag of art materials. EDIT: someone from my old school is on the bus. I think she’s pregnant now.

The weather is grey and dull. I’m just approaching town now (and some poor woman nearly fell over when the bus stopped).  It’s all systems go on this miserable Friday morning!

I’m now waiting at my second stop and I’m early for a change. It’s due in 7 minutes. I picked up the Metro on the way to read because I’m so educated with all the current affairs (and my brain needs stimulating).  And the bus has arrived!  Now I’m sat listening to a bit of Paramore and reading the Metro.  Let the journey begin!

9.14 – I’m nearly at college. The weather is foul – very heavy rain.

10.59 – I’ve been outside all morning making compositions out of objects that make a visual contrast.  I found a manky old shoe half buried in some soil.  I thought I was uncovering a dead body!

We were put into pairs (eek) and had to work together.  I’m terribly bad at socialising, and I’ve never even spoken to my partner.  I generally can’t speak to people my age; I get on much better with adults.  So it was very awkward this morning because neither of us spoke a lot. I’m glad it’s over. I’m incredibly tired already!

17.09 – just got on my bus home.  It’s been a long day.  This afternoon I was making a ‘sculpture’ (I say sculpture for lack of a better word – it was more of a…construction). We had to recreate the continual line drawings we had drawn using 3D objects.  I used wire, fabric, wood, plastic etc. (basically a load of crap) and was working outside.

Quite frankly mine was a tangled mess, but so was the drawing I was basing it on, because we couldn’t look at the paper whilst we were drawing it!

But I could still claim it was ‘art’.  I’m quite looking forward to next week though; we’re being inducted into the plaster and 3D rooms and the sewing machines.  Monday, however, I am a little apprehensive about. Aside from critical studies in the morning, we are starting life drawing, and the model is male.  Now, I’ve done life drawing before, but with a woman. The man’s name is frightening enough: Granville or something of the sort.  Sounds like a cross between Gremlin and Gandalf.  He is most definitely old.  I’m sure I’ll have something to say about that whenthe time comes!

Well my bus is almost home, so I think I’ll finish here.  Rather abruptly.

Chloe

Week 2: Colour and Composition

Colour wheel collage.

Composition experiments.

Colour mixing.

A1 painted paper.

‘Tools’ made from objects.

Continuous line drawing (without looking at the page).

Colour continuous line drawing.

Completed continuous line drawing.

Colour and composition piece.

Week 1 in Pictures

Here’s some photographs from my first week of my foundation course.

Me modelling the paper garment we made!

Composition of white objects.

Working small scale.

Working large scale.