UNIT 8 Structure Workshop

For the first steps of the project whilst everyone is mulling over their ideas and deciding on what type of structure will be the focal point for their theme we all partook in a few activities our tutors had arranged to get us to explore 'Structure'.

The first task was to create viewfinders in which we used to aid us in drawing a small section of a photograph proportionally. The photographs provided were of microscopic images of various types of cells; the photos were chosen specifically to allow us to discover an unusual yet quite obvious type of structure as cells are the very foundation of existence essentially. Everything is made of cells when you look close enough. This exercise not only provided me with an insight to a type of structure but also reminded me of an important principle of design - proportion. Without proportion observational drawings would be rather unsuccessful therefore no matter how basic of a skill it may seem it takes a long time to master and is essential within design. 

To create a viewfinder you have to cut out a rectangle in the centre of a piece of paper - using a right angled ruler - making sure all angles are 90 degrees and opposite edges are equal and parallel. Then draw lines every 1 cm (or whichever scale you find most appropriate) both horizontally and vertically; this will then produce a grid in which all the squares are equal. The next step is to draw out this grid on a larger scale onto the paper you will use to replicate the photograph. The idea is the larger squares represent each of the smaller squares therefore what you see in the first square you will replicate onto the bigger square. 

By working in sections its easier to figure out the proportions of the image when drawing it on a larger scale. As you can see in the image below by using a viewfinder I have drawn out the main shapes from the photograph on a larger scale more accurately and in proportion. I even managed to begin colouring the circular shapes and copy the smaller more irregular shapes with more ease than I would without the guidance of the viewfinder. 

Original image

The second task was still exploring microscopic images of cells however I had to work within a group of four. For this task we were given an image and had to divide it into four sections which each of us then continued to produce a scaled up version of our individual sections that once finished we would put back together to hopefully produce an accurate scaled up version of the original photograph. From this task we had to develop our problem solving skills as we wanted to work together to make sure our final outcome would be accurate therefore as well as using viewfinders we sketched out the basic shapes first whilst our individual pieces of paper were all connected so we could align our sketches with one another. 

Original quarter I had to replicate

My quarter of the image (ink and pen)

Our final outcome was really interesting as it was a collaboration of a variety of skill, style and media and in my opinion was rather successful except for a misunderstanding of lines between two of the images. We proved to have rather good teamwork as we communicated our ideas well to produce a solution and create a successful outcome. 

Our final collaboration 



Pinterest image

Moving onto another area of structure the third task for us to complete was more 3D or architectural based. Using images from Pinterest as inspiration we had to make a sculpture working within groups. My group had chosen an image of a dragonfly wing as we found the shapes created a beautiful and natural structure. When translating this image into a sculpture we decided to use a hexagon repetitively as the regular shape and equal amount sides allow them to tessellate producing a stronger structure than that of irregular shapes. We planned on producing three sections which would overlap creating two tiers to the sculpture in an attempt to replicate the image of the dragonfly wing. For my main contribution to the task I calculated all the dimensions of each of the pieces allowing other members to start producing said elements. Once all the pieces were cut out I began to assemble the pieces whilst the other members planned out a mini presentation to show to the rest of the class. Due to the complexity of our design we only managed to produce the largest section however I believe it still captures the structure of the dragonfly wing and most                                                                      definitely showcases practical and mathematical skill.



Technical drawings 



Rough planning/sketches

final Outcome