hannahjohnsonproject3

[hannahjohnsonproject3]

Introduction

For this project we will be researching, developing our own ideas into the concept and creating our own 3D sculptures based off our own photographs. Throughout this project we will be encouraged to use new materials and critically analyse our work throughout. We are developing and creating our own ideas, opinions and skills towards turning our photographs into a 3D sculpture. We will be researching many different photographers and different techniques to help inspire our final sculpture. By the end of the project we will have needed to create a 3D sculpture to be used in a specific location. I’m nervous to get started because I have no idea what’s going on and I think I’m going to find this Unit harder than the rest because I have to create something physical from a photograph or multiple photograph, which I guess is why it is us tackling the problem.

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Evaluation

Camera Settings:

ISO: 100 Shutterspeed: 1/125 sec Aperture: F10

Briefly explain what your final piece is and how you came up with the idea.

I chose to take photographs of a tree and make a sort of joiner but using cubes. Pasting the image on a cube net and creating multiple cubes and sticking them together to make and 360 degree view. I’ve based my idea off a photograph by Noel Myles, where he has created a 2D joiner of a tree that has photos of the tree that were taken a few years ago and a photo taken by him today. I have also been inspired by Jordi’s lesson where we created 3D nets (i created a cone) using our own photographs.This is based off the work of a photographer, his name is Szymon Roginski.

Why did you decide to use the method of creating your 3D sculpture?

I enjoy the process and detail you have to consider when making the cubes in Photoshop and when creating the physical objects. I also like the idea of trying to recreate nature as perfectly as possible but undoubtedly failing because we as humans cannot recreate nature as it is so complex in its creations.

What materials did you decide to use and why? What materials did you try? Discuss thickness, how you assembled it, what method of sticking/fastening and why? Do the materials relate to the space the sculpture is placed in?

Materials:

A4 Paper

Glue

Scissors

Double sided tape

Pin board

I printed my cubes out on A4 paper and cut each out and folded them along the dotted lines. I then used bostik glue to stick the sides together to complete the cubes, I then planned them on the board where each piece had to go, it was like a puzzle. Lastly I took double sided tape and put them on the bottom of the cubes and stuck the cubes to the board. Initially I only put one strip on tape bu it didn’t seem to want to stay, I quickly figured out that it caves in the middle so I needed to put it on the edges. I went back and fixed up the ones I hadn’t done this to and carried on with the rest. I used double sided tape to stick it to the pin board because I didn’t want the cubes to be stuck on the board permanently as I use the board at home. Using double sided tape meant I could just pull them off the board with ease as it is cork. I used paper for my cubes because the idea behind my concept is that we use trees to our own benefit and most often never think about our affect on the tree population.

Ideally what materials would have been best to use?

I think thicker card would’ve been a better option, but since it would technically be outside something that is also waterproof to help it battle against the elements. I just used bostik glue to stick the cubes together but that wouldn’t hold for a long period of time so maybe super glue would’ve been ideal. Also I used double sided tape to stick the cubes onto the board as I wanted to be able to pull them off at the end of this project but this did mean it didn’t stay on the board for very long and soon after taking my photos they slowly started falling off one by one. If it were a permanent piece this wouldn’t be the best so I would have to have used a more sturdy back board and super glue the cubes onto the backboard.

 What location is your sculpture meant to be placed in?

My sculpture is supposed to be somewhere where there is a lack of trees as it is supposed to represent the loss of trees that some people refuse to acknowledge. It is supposed to make people question why that it is there and what to come and look and find out more about it and why it is there.

Why did you choose that location and how does your piece effectively fit within it?

I chose to put it in a field that were separated by sections of trees as seen in the background. These fields were once just one big forest but sections were cut out to use as houses. Later these plans became abandoned, today it is a nature park and is used by the locals to walk their dogs and go for leisurely strolls. Even though now the land is protected and will be unable to be built on we lost what once was a multitude of trees helping give us life. However we needed to make space for living, thinking about ourselves instead of the planet. I chose to put my single tree to show the loss of many.

How well do you feel you did in this assignment?

I think I did really well. I put alot of though behind my idea, I also played around with a different idea that I decided I didn’t like. I explored different alleys in the workshops and got a good feel for everything. I tried my hardest when creating my cubes because I did want them to look their best, I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to small details. If I had managed my time I do think I could’ve created something more elaborate and interesting, something that might’ve had more of an impact and went with the brief better. However I am still proud of my final piece.

How do you feel about your work and the process you went through?

Although my final piece wasn’t what I originally wanted I am actually happy with the outcome and am proud of what I created. I think it portrays my views and ideas very well and it does look cool. I think the process was VERY frustrating. When I started editing I created over 80 cubes. Quickly after Photoshopping/creating those cubes I realised that would be way too many to use and actually physically create, so I wasted a whole day there. In the end I had to spend another day editing new cubes but by the end of this I had just over 20 which was would be easier to make and use. It was almost therapeutic to cut and stick together all of those cubes. But then came putting it together, it was like making a puzzle. I had the original picture sitting next to me while I tried to figure out what goes where and which way, it was kind of fun. 

How would you change the outcome if you had more time?

I would have actually made it a sculpture that was 360 degrees, I just didn’t have enough time to complete something so large. I also would’ve taken a photo of a tree better than the one I did. The one I found was too round for my original idea I wanted something that was more top heavy, something similar to an acacia tree.

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Children’s Nursery Floorplan

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Editing/Creating the cubes

Step 1:I started off by importing a net of a cube and rotated it 180 degrees so that it would be easier when I build the cubes. 

Step 2: I then added the photograph of the tree I had chosen and zoomed in and placed it where I could start with each section of the tree.

Step 3: I used the rectangular marquee tool to cut out, copy and the paste each square on a new layer. Later I did find a new method of selecting the whole set of three blocks going across, copying that, pasting it on a new layer and then doing the same with the vertical. I used the same process we taught in Jordi’s lesson with the 3D nets.

Step 4: I repeated this process for each section of the tree, it took me the whole day as it was a tedious process. I did enjoy the process though of editing and then building and seeing the final piece. It was a very rewarding feeling.

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Contact Sheets

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Kristina Bragg

About: 

Kristina is a photographer and mixed media artist who lives and works in Southend. Each piece is made from carefully photographed flowers that have then been edited in such a way that when it is folded all the elements fit into place to make 3D paper flower sculptures. She photographs the flowers close up capturing the different textures on the petals, leaves and stem. She has presented her sculpture in a pot with rocks as if the flower is growing out of the pot, like a real flowers would.  She folds the photographs, origami style, to emphasise the intricate forms and shapes of the flowers.

https://www.kristinabragg.com/#/new-page-2/

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Hannah Whitaker

About:

This photograph is from Hannah’s project titled ‘Verbs’ she has photographed models portraits and them doing things in a silhouette style. Later she has used pieces of cardboard, metal grates, newspaper and other materials to cut out different shapes, patterns, blocks of colour and layered them to create her version of a 3D sculpture. She uses different shapes, lines and colour to create a varied piece that looks almost looks as if it’s in motion. She presented her work at her own exhibition at a gallery.

http://hwhitaker.com/x7dmujdilj7n2rif1hsgmuz8ovje0h

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Paper Vision - Part 2

For this task we had to photograph our 3D paper pieces using the studio. We had to place the lighting in different positions to create shadows that would show off the 3D element the most. I think it worked really well with the second one. The camera was already set up on the tripod for us, it was mainly about playing around with lighting. We also had to use our own camera to get a photograph from a lower angle to show off the 3D element of the piece. It was a cool project to see what we’re about to create with very little materials, as in a minimalist way.

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Paper vision - Part 2 (Cont...)

Our camera setting were the same throughout.

ISO:100 Shutterspeed:125 Aperture: F11

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Minimalism

What are the characteristics of minimalism?

The basic definition of minimalism is uncomplicated, clean and simple. Minimalism, mainly an American movement in the visual arts and music originated in New York City in the late 1960s and is characterized by extreme simplicity of form and has a literal, objective approach. It’s a simplicity of form, space materials, detail and colour. 

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Paper Visions Research

What artists did you look at?

We looked at 3 different artists. Carl Kleiner, Thomas Demand, Nick Meeuws

What are the artists known for?

What disciplines do the artists practice?

Carl Kleiner, a photographer based in Stockholm, is most well known for his minimalist photographs he created for google. Where he used 2 colours of paper to create a visual illusion of a 3D sculpture. Thomas Demand, a German sculptor and photographer, recreated scaled down versions of historic moments using paper, cardboard and plastic. After photographing his work he’d destroy the pieces, just like a memory. Nick Meeuws is an artist and photographer who creates 3D paper landscapes his most well known piece being ‘the Savannah Project’. He uses coloured cardboard which he has cutout in different shapes and adds many layers to make these 3D landscapes. When photographing the Savannah project he used a desk lamp as the setting sun.

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Pop-Up Pictures

Questions:

1. What did you have to do, Discuss the process and techniques used?     

 For this task we had to make our own pop up photographs, like pop up books. We had to select and image or multiple images that represent Nottingham. I worked with Piper and we decided to a photograph of the exchange in town. Then we had to print multiples of our image so we could cut out parts of the image that we wanted to make 3D. Once we decided what would stand out we cut them out with scalpels, it was harder than I thought it would be because of the way you had to hold it and trying to cut around corners. It was just a tedious process that I didn’t enjoy. After cutting out the sections we had to find a way for them to “stand up”. We chose to tear our paper into strip and then fold those strips, put double sided tape on either side and then stick that onto the pieces we cut out and the background image. 

2. Was the process difficult?                 

I wouldn't say that it was difficult just tedious and I cut myself, by accident, which was not fun. 

3. Was the technique enjoyable? Why do you think it was? If not, why not?

I personally didn’t enjoy it because it was too tedious for my concentration. I also found it frustrating when I tried to cut with the scalpel and it wouldn’t cut correctly. I cut the same thing out multiple times over and over again just because I didn’t like how it cut. 

4. Are you happy with it, Or are you developing your work further?

I am happy with what I created, as in the final piece and it was interesting to see what artists go through to create these but I don’t think I will be developing this concept any further. I like the idea of making an image that is purely 2D, 3D but I wouldn’t go this route to creating something 3D.

5. Do you think you showed Nottingham across in your final piece? 

I think we show cased Nottingham’s shopping district. It looks like it could be part of the promotional material for the exchange more than anything else. 6. Will you try this technique again? What would you change?

I wouldn’t do this again. I like my final piece but I think I could’ve used more of Nottingham in the image. However I think I didn’t fully understand the task when I went into it. 

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Final Proposal

Explain your current ideas for a final piece? (include drawings or pictures if relevant)

I want to take photos of a tree and make a sort of joiner but using cubes. Pasting the image on a cube net and creating multiple cubes and sticking them together to make and 360 degree view. I have chosen to do this because I would like to show the life cycle of paper and trees themselves. How we take, use and discard such a beautiful thing created by nature all for our own benefit and how we are destroying ourselves by destroying trees. The geometric effect I create with the cubes is an example of us as humans trying and failing to recreate nature. We can only mimic trees and what they do but we will never be able to create the intricate designs and individuality that nature makes when creating trees.  I feel strongly about protecting this planet and how we are destroying it faster than people will care to admit.

Inspiration

I’ve based my idea off a photograph by Noel Myles, where he has created a 2D joiner of a tree that has photos of the tree that were taken a few years ago and a photo taken by him today. He’s stuck them together to make one big tree, this shows the ageing of the tree and how time can help you grow and become a bigger better version of your old self. I have also been inspired by Jordi’s lesson where we created 3D nets (i created a cone) using our own photographs. This is based off the work of a photographer, his name is Szymon Roginski. He worked with kasia korzeniecka  who creates beautiful fashion photographs and then he creates 3D photo sculptures from the photographs. 

Description of the sculpture

 I want to create a 360 degree tree that people would be able to walk around. I want to make it out of paper cubes. I’m thinking A3 would be a suitable size but I will settle for A4. I would like it to stand on its own but it will need to sit on something for easy transportation. I will be using a pin board that I have at home so I can pin the base cubes to the board to make a more sturdy base. The cork base is brown which will act as the ground or dirt that the tree is rooted into. I want my sculpture to be placed in the place it was taken away from, near a forest or other trees. To show off where this tree would’ve been but we’ve now used it to our advantage and not for the tree’s. When I am finished I will be recycling the paper I have using for this project to show the end of this paper’s life.

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Idea #1-Proposal

I want to do something around the environment and my idea is to take photos of large trees and put that in plastic bottles then take photos of the photos in the bottles in front of their original trees. I want to show how growth is stunted due to the over take of one use plastics.

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Placing my Pyramid in the World

I had to Photoshop my pyramid that I created last week into an area that it would suit. Like a gallery viewing. I had to take a photo of the area and then a photo of my pyramid in those lighting conditions. I then placed both images into Photoshop. I cut out the pyramid using the quick selection tool and copied it and pasted it onto a new layer in the background photograph. I then played around with the placement and sizing and what would look best and came up with this.

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Paper Vision-Scott Webb

For this task we had to recreate this image using different materials supplied to us by Kayne. It had to minimalist and 3D in some way.

Evaluation:

How did you research help your approach to this task?

It helped me understand spacial awareness and keeping things simple.

What problems did you encounter when applying these techniques, and how did you overcome them?

We had a limited amount of materials to use which made it difficult to decide what to use to make our recreation as realistic as possible while keeping it 3D. We had many ambitious ideas but had to bring it back down and go back to the idea of minimalism and keep it simple. We also struggled to get an accurate colour of the jellyfish and background, we tried our hardest and I think we got it pretty close in the end. I found it hard to come up with ways to make it 3D in some way but once we got the ball rolling we got some good ideas.

How did you ensure that you worked effectively as a team?

We delegated tasks evenly between the two of us and constantly communicated as to whether or not what we were doing we were doing in agreement and that we were happy with what was happening as it was happening. 

Analyse your final work. What are the strengths? What could be improved? How could you develop these techniques further in the future?

I think we created texture very well and I think we imitated the image pretty accurately. 

Step 1:We used the to and bottom of a plastic cup as a base to the ‘body’ of the jelly fish. We did this to make the body stand out and come off the page.

Step 2: We chose to use string as the tentacles because it is easily movable and is a close representation of tentacles.

Step 3: We then placed and planned where the jellyfish’s tentacles would go. We didn’t just want to stick down randomly because we wanted to to look as close to the original photograph.

Step 4: We then had to paint the jellyfish’s body, it was quite difficult to get a colour similar to the image, I think it could’ve been darker but it did look better when it was wet. After it had dried we stuck the paper onto the two plastic cups.

Step 5: We stuck the string in the same paint we used to paint the body except we mixed the paint with PVA glue to make it easier for sticking onto the page. We used little pieces of paper to create bridges of sorts to hold the tentacles up to make a more 3D effect so that once they dried they would stand up.

Step 6: Lastly we took some more paint and a sponge brush to create a water like texture on the body. We also took tissue paper and placed it under its body for the see through bits connected to the tentacles and body. Again we used the sponge and blue paint and  put some on the tissue paper.

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Joiners 360°

 For this task we had to take photographs (min. 24) of an area. We had to stand on the spot and get a 360 degree view of an area. We then had to stick it together to make a circle so it looked like a continuous image.  I struggled with joining them in a straight line. Because I moved a bit while taking the photos, in order for them to line up the images had to go up and down a bit which made it difficult when trying to close off the circle. I landed up having to stick the whole thing onto pieces of paper that were taped together and then connect it to make a circle. I think if I could have tried harder keeping my hand steady so that I wouldn't have a jagged circle. It made it difficult for it to stand by itself. I think the accuracy of the connections of each image has been done really well. I could’ve made sure all the photos were the same colour as the one all of a sudden goes really dark which is my bad because I didn’t take in the sun factor at first and when I realized I forgot to retake the photo of the goals. I like this technique and I am considering using it for my final piece but I think it would look cool with a 3D net, connecting them and re-building something like a house or a maybe a landscape. It would make the final piece sort of distorted.