Natural Form: Shell
Sketches:
I started off by sketching out the main views of the shell and tried to understand how the shell twisted.
Making the Clay Model
Materials:
I went around the house and found some possible materials I could use for the clay. I found some wood carving tools, an ear pick, a comb, and a plastic knife. The wood carving tools had interesting edges to them that I thought could be useful, and I thought the ear pick could help with creating details.
I also started with polymer clay, since I liked the idea of being able to have a solid model at the end of the project, but it was too soft and kept melting in my hands. In the end, I went with plasticine.
Iteration 1:
In my first iteration, I struggled a lot with trying to get the volume of the shell right. I felt like the model constantly looked deflated (it still did in the end). I also couldn’t get the model smooth.
I also attempted to create ridges with one of the wood carving tools, but due to the bumpiness of the model, the ridge lines came out uneven too.
Critique 3/24
- During the critique, I found that my model didn’t really exhibit the twisted form of the shell
- Also, the ridges were too horizontal on my model, which wasn’t how it actually was
- The tapering of the shell (on the other side) was to be from large to small, and in the current model it’s too uniform
Iteration 2:
Additional Materials:
The previous materials didn’t help much, and I found these tools to help more with smoothing things out and creating details.
There are still things to be improved on, like in the third picture, the line from the tip to the bottom doesn’t line up with the actual shell’s. Also, the shell model is not as round as the actual model, something that I continue to find difficult to do.
For the next step, I plan on addressing the issues above and create ridges to give more information about the twisting motion of the shell.
Making the Foam Model
The shell I had was much bigger than the piece of foam that I had, so I had to scale it down a lot. I took pictures from all the sides, taped it to the block of foam, and traced it out onto the block. The tracing didn’t really help with the details, but it did help as a guide for getting the proportions right on each side.
Unlike clay, foam made me think twice before cutting. As a result, I think I ended up paying a lot more attention to the form of the shell. I think the basic form I created with the foam is more accurate than the clay one. Despite this, there are still improvements to be made, like the missing volume in the bottom right picture.
This new way of thinking was very helpful, and I will definitely apply what I learned to improve my next clay iteration and other projects.
Critique 3/26
- The twisting planes of the shell
- There were also inconsistencies with the spiral
- There were many questionable volumes, certain places in the shell need more volume, and other places need less volume
Video:
Natural Form: Final Iterations
Clay:
As suggested in the critique, I used metal tools to help smooth and shape the model. I also used the rolled clay technique to create the ridges on the model. This method was a lot more useful than drawing the ridges out for there wasn’t a second chance. With this technique, if I didn’t lay it down correctly, I could take it off and try again. I think the ridges really helped with showing the twisting planes of the shell.
Final Pictures:
Foam Model:
For the final foam model, I glued two blocks of foam together, for the previous one that used one block required a lot of scaling down which made it difficult to carve. I also found that it was a bad idea to glue the two black sides together for it can be seen in the model. I didn’t think that through. I thought that the black would show on the outside of the model if I did it the other way around, but I forgot that one could just lightly shave it off.
I also made sure to leave excess foam around the shell cut-outs, that way if I made a mistake I would have extra wiggle room.
I also found that when taking out large chunks of foam it was easier to divide the foam up into segments and take each chunk out separately, as seen in the last photo.
Final Pictures
Reflection
The natural form was a fun process to recreate. It was cool seeing where each spiral led to on the shell and how the form changed so much at each part of the shell. It wasn’t easy to carve or sculpt, but it was fun to observe.
I also learned many useful techniques for both clay and foam that will be very useful in the future.
Manmade Form: Computer Mouse
Making the Paper Model
Iteration #1
Sketches:
I started off by sketching the computer mouse out from different angles to understand the form. Some interesting things I found about the mouse were were that:
- it’s symmetrical
- it tapers inwards towards the ground
- the top of the mouse is nearly flat, which contrasts from the round bottom
In the next sketch, I planned out the paper model. I wanted to show the curves of the mouse, but in past experiences, I’ve found paper to work better geometrically. As a result, I decided to create a grid to convey the volume.
Because my mouse was symmetrical, I had to create a symmetrical base. This was difficult to get consistent, as seen in the left picture, but I managed to get it by cutting it in half and tracing it.
As I was cutting out the pieces, it was difficult for me to visualize it, so I created a stand to temporarily display them.
Critique:
- Right now, there are too many cuts in the paper, which is why the paper is warping how it is
- It’s kind of hollow, so more horizontal planes would help
- The back is too rounded
- The planes don’t line up well
Additional Thoughts:
- Instead of using the grid, some have conveyed form through the exterior of the mouse. That might be hard with my mouse because it consists of so many curves, but it is an interesting concept that I might look into
- I think another way I could make the paper not warp is by cutting larger notches into the paper so that they just easily slip into each other
Making the Clay Model
Some techniques that I found useful were how rolling the clay against a surface made it really smooth. Also, a bone folder was useful in creating sharp lines in the clay.
First Iteration:
Critique:
- The bottom tapers inwards (It helps the mouse not look as clunky)
- The slope of the mouse starts more at the back third of the mouse. Right now it’s towards the middle.
- The cut line is too dramatic
- Try taking pictures from farther away, it warps the objects less
Hybrid Form Video
- Also another reason that I will use foam is that it shows the form better than paper
Manmade Form: Final Iterations
Paper Model
For the next iteration, I wanted to show more space in my model. I didn’t really like the hollow grid look. When I was on Pinterest, I found a curved paper folding tutorial that was really interesting. It seemed promising, but it didn’t produce as much volume as I had hoped, as seen in the photo on the left. Instead of starting over (I was considering it) I decided to merge both of my paper mouse approaches and use a grid to convey the volume of the mouse. There’s still form issues in the paper mouse, especially in the back area, but I find that it conveys the form of the mouse better than the previous iteration.
Final Pictures:
Clay Model:
Final Pictures:
For the clay model I worked with what I had and addressed the issues from the critique. I shifted the mass of the mouse towards the back third and created a more drastic slope downwards. Also, I cut the corners of the bottom edges to help make the mouse look like it has less mass.
Reflection
Though the manmade form is visually simpler than the natural form, it has its own challenges, in this case, the subtlety of ergonomics. The curves and cuts are so subtle that it’s difficult to pinpoint where it starts, how it curves, and where it ends.
Hybrid Form
Ideas
I came up with the keywords and started to create sketches off of them. However, I struggled a lot with coming up with ways to merge them.
Something I did find interesting, however, is that the natural spiral of the shell created a comfortable thumb rest, a function on a mouse.
Sketch Models
I ran out of time, and I didn’t like the ideas that I created, but I quickly created some models based off of my sketches to get a feel for what was going on
During the critique, some things that were mentioned were that the ridges didn’t have to be as prominent and that I could probably use more abstraction. Also, the words I chose were not ideal. “Soft” and “round” were very similar words. Opposing words could perhaps create a more interesting form. Also “hidden” was an obscure word that is hard to create.
Back to the Drawing Board
Because I didn’t really like anything from the previous iteration, I decided to restart and pick some new keywords. I created a longer list for each object to get a better feel of the form. I felt like 5 words weren’t enough. When I was happy with the words I chose I jumped to the ones I wanted to use for my hybrid form.
During the critique, I noticed that some students made Pinterest boards for their hybrid form. It seemed really helpful so I tried it out (it was helpful). While keeping in mind the words that I chose, pinned all the interesting forms I saw on Pinterest. I think Pinterest also helped me disassociate the keywords form the actual forms.
I also created quick sketches on scrap pieces of paper, but I’ve misplaced them.
Also, previously in a video I considered foam as the material for this model, but I found that foam was hard to work with when you didn’t have a concrete idea. Clay allowed your ideas to manifest as you think which I found helpful, for I could brainstorm with the material before I created the actual model.
Final Hybrid Form
For the final hybrid form, I created a dynamic spiral as the main focus (in the direction of the shell). Within it, I used the soft curves of the mouse to create a twisting design within the spiral. I liked the idea that every angle would be different and something new, sort of dynamically changing as well.
Reflection
Overall this has been a great learning process. I created complex forms out of materials that I have never or barely used before. There were a lot of techniques shown that I would have never thought of, like using string to cut clay or the fact the metal tools were better when sculpting clay. Foam was a very interesting process for I had never done anything subtractive before.It made me observe the form more for once I cut something in the foam I couldn’t get it back. I had to spatially think in a different way, but it was enjoyable. It was annoying how the foam stuck to everything though. Creating the paper model was just difficult. Not only did you have to understand the limits of the paper, but you also had to think about how to abstract it so that it didn’t go too far and communicated the form of the object.
