August 27, 2019
As the 61D bus rolls into the intersection of Forbes and Murray, the Hebrew clock at the Jewish Community Center reads 4:51pm. About a third of the bus gets off at this stop, many are the ones who boarded at the Carnegie Mellon bus station. The street is calm, and yet it’s busy, with people grocery shopping, getting tutored, or grabbing a bite to eat.
The food choices this intersection offers are remarkably diverse, such as French macarons, Japanese crêpes, Thai food, and Belgian waffles; this wide selection gives everyone a chance to feel at home.
Across the street from the bus stop is the Sixth Presbyterian Church. This church stands out among the sea of modern boxy buildings, one of the marks of Pittsburgh’s history in the intersection. This makes one reflect on the change that has occurred in the city.
The church not only provides a place of worship but a social spot as well. Colorful foliage surround the church, and the calm greenery provides a relaxing place to hang out. Students sat on the steps around the church eating and socializing after school.
“A Squirrel Hill Treasure”
This intersection had many surprising elements, from the beautiful library and the grand church, to the little details like the squirrel-shaped bike racks and the little restaurants scattered along the intersection.
Forbes ╳ Murray [Part 2]
August 31, 2019
During my first exploration of the intersection, I mainly took pictures of inanimate objects. In class, I learned that although it showed the unique details of the intersection, there wasn’t as much personality, instead it was like facts. When I visited the intersection for the second time, I decided to focus on what made the intersection different — the people.
I visited Forbes and Murray on a Saturday afternoon. During the weekend, people from all walks of life wandered the streets. Students navigated the streets for food, Steelers fans stopped by shops after the game, tourists explored the surroundings, all while saxophone tunes resonated throughout the air.
In addition to taking pictures of people, I took more photos of the actual intersection, so that the viewer can clearly imagine the setting the people were placed in. The people of this intersection add more layers to the photos, for each person came to the intersection with a different purpose, be it shopping, dining, or just passing by. These factors aided me in telling a more compelling and complete story of the intersection Forbes and Murray.
White on White Project Draft
September 4, 2019
I decided to choose this photo for my project, because this building is one of the more prominent structures in this intersection. Also, the people crossing the street diagonally, not on the crosswalk. This is a unique feature of the intersection, for unlike others, all four sides of the intersection stop for the pedestrians to cross.
To minimize distracting pencil lines on the work, I reversed the image on my computer and sketched it out. This proved to be a problem in the future, because my proportions and rendering became off. In the future I will print out a picture that is to scale to the work I am creating.
I then created the pieces in parts, layering it together to create depth. This required trial and error, and would have been easier if I had instead used a lightbox.
To emphasize the corner of the building, I embossed it with a bone folder and a crevice that I found in my paper trimmer.
Afterwards, I sketched and cut out the people on the streets. This proved to be very difficult, especially when it came to cutting out the limbs of the people. Many times I just severed the arm because the paper would rip or the person would look like a zombie.
This was the finished result. It could definitely use some improvements, in regards to capturing the feel of the intersection. To me, it looks a little cold, so in my next draft I plan on adding a little more activity to the work, with more people and a traffic light.
White on White Draft #2
September 10, 2019
To make my second draft more accurate, I decided to reverse the image, and trace it over the light box.
I traced out all the pieces I needed on two sheets of paper and cut them out. I also added additional detail by embossing places where the building has indentations and places where it protrudes, like the corners.
In the end, I believe that this was a much more accurate representation of the intersection compared to the previous attempt. The space looks less empty, because the people are larger, and the extra detail makes the space look less cold. The rendering of the “L” on the library is also much better compared to the the last draft.
Grayscale Draft
By using the picture of my White on White piece and the picture of the shades of gray, I used Photoshop to experiment with the different shades given to gauge what combination would look best. I decided to make the foreground dark to keep the work grounded, and I also made the buildings in the back lighter in color, to create a sense of depth.
Getting to Work
I decided to trace the shapes out on a white sheet of printer paper right side up, instead of on the reverse of the paper. I wouldn’t have been able to trace the shapes onto the dark gray paper on the light box, like in my White-on-White piece, because the paper is too dark and thick to effectively trace them out. By using white printer paper instead, I could tape the white paper on the darker paper to able to see the lines that I needed to cut.
I followed the same process as the White on White draft attempts, by cutting out and embossing the shapes.
The result resembled the Photoshop rendering quite well. If I were to improve this work, I would probably tone down the cross walk to a darker color, because the light grey stands out against the dark grey.
This Grayscale project was definitely a new and different experience from the previous White-on-White project. Instead of layering pieces and focusing on the relief of the overall work, it was instead the contrast between the color. I found that when compared to eachother, it was the color that strongly revealed the depth of space instead of the layering of paper.
Color Draft
September 19, 2019
To find a suitable color to use for the colored work, I once again opened Photoshop and pulled up the grayscale rendering I did. I started by experimenting with the 8 colors, and decided to settle on the orange, because it most closely resembled the orange shapes on the L. I also made the crosswalk orange as an additional accent to the work. The orange also contributed to the calm and warm environment I had experienced on the intersection of Forbes and Murray.
The Process
The technique I utilized last time with the light box worked out well, so I decided to stick with that the second time around. The sketches on the light box were rough, so I further defined them with a pen and a ruler, as seen in the picture below.
Cutting out the people and the tree proved to be a tedious and careful challenge over the last few drafts, so I was sure to change my X-acto knife blade right before cutting them, and the people and tree came out a lot cleaner.
I also changed the shade of the furthest building to a darker gray, because my peers noted that making it the same shade as the background didn’t contribute to the sense of depth, and it was best to make it more visible.
Though the process of making this piece and experimenting on Photoshop, I found that color, when used correctly, really adds a new feeling to the space. The previous projects felt a little cold, with the cold white and melencholy gray. However, when used incorrectly, the color can really distract from the work and be too overwhelming. This particular project made me wrestle with the balance between too much color and too little color.
Conclusion
Though I was wary at first when told to place white paper on top of more white paper, through the act of visualizing the layers I had to cut out, it helped me understand how to create depth and tell a story with simple shapes. I also learned that properly rendering objects is very important when trying to convey a realistic and readable space for the viewer. This also includes editing out elements of the photo that aren’t as important to the story one is trying to tell.
Not only did my view on how a space worked change, my technical skills and familiarity with the art supplies improved as well. Before this project, I had never used a light box before. In the first draft of my White-on-White piece, I had actually sketched everything out by eye. I had a thought that tracing was a form of cheating, until I realized that I was just making my life harder. My cutting technique also improved, and I changed the blade of the X-acto knife for the first time due to this project.
This project put me through so much trial and error, it taught me so much about refining and thinking of new solutions, and taught me how to properly use the supplies in the studio. I believe that this was a successful first introduction to the world of design.
