Conversations with Strangers

I was stuck on Warhol's "Isn't life just a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?" so I asked strangers on http://www.omegle.com/ with some interesting results:

You: isn't life just a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?

Stranger: i think thats contradictory
Stranger: because how can something change as it repeats itself
Stranger: it either repeats or changes, not both

Stranger: i don't agree with that statement
Stranger: well its wrong basically...human experience is a series of images yes. but it doesnt make sense to say they change as they repeat themselves, does it?
Stranger: repitition and change are virtual opposites
Stranger: and the way in which ur average person takes in life is through images and responses to those images
Stranger: assuming they arent blind

Stranger: no
Stranger: you feel stuff too
Stranger: and smell
Stranger: and hear

Stranger: that's right but it should be a nice imagez

Stranger: well
Stranger: if ur refering to evolution then yeah
Stranger: definitely

Stranger: because life is to continue the next generation
Stranger: it technically has no real purpose

Stranger: what do you think the significance of life brings to the universe?

Stranger: nothing

Stranger: do u know the resolution of the human retina?
Stranger: lets say you're looking at purple light
Stranger: its about 7000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Stranger: i dont think an image has ever repeated itself
Stranger: ever
Stranger: anywhere

Stranger: which means its not so much repitition as familiarity maybe?

Stranger: or association

Stranger: it's pretty straightforward, but i don't agree with it
Stranger: from Warhols perspective, you know, the scene he was into, yeah, that was pretty damn repetetive

Stranger: but, that's what sort of art he was into, you know
Stranger: he made pieces that were indistinguishable from reality
connection imploded

Versatile Family Album

I collect other people's family photos. I like seeing the way people grow, act and change through a photo album. I like the saturated tones and the rounded yellowed corners. I find, especially in older eras, generic patterns forming in the staging of photos. There's always someone holding the baby, at a wedding, the family at christmas, arranged on the couch; and then there's the holiday snaps; posed in front of a monument, on the beach, in the snow. I find it quite heartwarming that you can observe similarities between your family and a complete strangers, and yet quite ridiculous that these generic set ups can apply to any family. Until fairly recently, cameras were considered a luxury and only brought out to capture the special moments, like weddings, family holidays and so on, thus the family album becomes somewhat of a constructed reality, representing specific events, only half of the story.

I guess this is the first concept that sprung to mind with Andy Warhol's quote: Isn't life just a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?
and although, "life" is much more than just a family photo album, I think an album tries to record and depict family life. And the images in any album certainly change, and tend to repeat themselves through the life cycle of each generation.

Ex 3: Pop Art Postcard

DIS1103
digital processes for art and design

EXERCISE 3: POP ART POSTCARD (15%)

Brief “Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?” ANDY WARHOL

Using Photoshop, illustrate the above quote in a Pop Art/photo-collage inspired postcard.

Consider the works of early dada photo-collage artists John Heartfield, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Hannah Hoch; and pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Richard Hamilton and Robert Raushenberg.

Method:
1. Research the history and techniques of Pop Art and photomontage.
2. Scan and/or copy images for import into Photoshop (in the spirit of Pop Art feel free to use images from a variety of sources)
3. Design the dada postcard at the standard DL envelope size (220mm x 110mm, 300dpi – use the preset in Photoshop) in either portrait or landscape format

Objectives:
• basic use of Photoshop type and selection tools
• exploration of photomontage

Criteria:
1. technical proficiency (5)
2. design elements and principles (5)
3. content [appropriate response to the brief] (5)

Deadline: Week 9 (4-8 May)

折り紙チェス

I'm pretty happy with this and I can see a lots of my influences coming through in the final design. Although it's nothing like the white bone china sculpted pieces I'd first imagined, I'd say I've achieved my objectives: the pieces are unique and yet they clearly belong to a set, with an apparent hierarchy, are invertible vector outlines which are reminiscent of origami forms. The use of solid and dotted line creates the illusion of raised and recessed folds of paper. I think it's important to recognise that the pieces, although physically implausible, are heavily rooted in the suggestion of form and dimension through geometry. The Origami Chess set is an ideational structure, realised in shape and line.

Playing with the chess set

Although I haven't formally looked at the colour palette I have found that a scheme has naturally developed through my design process. Here are my observations of colour:
*toxic green - recurring colour that followed from initial idea development when i was ori-tracing
*light blue - even before toxic green i was using blue lines to trace and create geometric forms
*warm grey/green - came as an alternative to black which was too stark against other hues, but knowing i had to keep it black and white, selected a nearest black replacement.

I used my creative intuition to place the chess pieces in a roughly symmetrical composition, balancing it with light and dark coloured pieces, and still in a scattered-on-the-chess-board arrangement. I repeated some of the smaller pieces (pawn, knight, rook) and featured the King and Queen once each, featuring them strongly on the forefont, while the other pieces are at the hands of the players.

Text

So i'm going to trust google translate and tell you that 折り紙チェス means "origami chess" in Japanese, and is the natural choice of title for my chess set poster. And instead of selecting an appropriate font I've chosen to take this contrast all the way and create a 'hand-drawn' title in order to eliminate any super-hard edges which might detract attention from the intended focus; the origami chess set.
Some arranging + sizing =

Pretty Girls Playing Chess

I combined Sabrina Smalls silhouettes and 50's storybook style illustrations to create two heads.

You can see I have drawn on Sabrina's surrealist, melty shapes to give the silhouettes a twist. I originally had the girls face to face, as chess is played, but i flipped them back to back because it will allow for better display of the chess pieces, fanning out from the silhouettes. Plus it kind of works and looks better having the girls being closer together so they can melt.

I added very dainty hands which i think are part Sabrina Small part Dr Seuss. I felt it was important to make the hands consistent and realistic. I used images of 50's ladies glove patterns because they are stylised with pointy fingers for a delicate feminine feel. One difficulty was how to evoke a recognisable hand using only shape. On some of the hands I solved this using minimal line to indicate fingers. I chopped and changed some fingers to suggest the deciding, picking and moving hand actions of chess. Although at first just hands, I added a scalloped edge to the wrist and turned them into gloves, which is more fitting with the retro girls.

Here it is after I composed the twin heads and glove elements with the background.

I wish I could say this all came from the random chess poster's 60's style, or that origami = Japan = cute = lolita girls; but i admit i also spent a lot of today watching I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched.

Background Chess board

boring

boring

borin. can't differentiate square shapes

boring. lines not all connecting
yes!
the chess board has transformed into a waffle!
I like how the thickness of the stroke shifts the neg/pos shapes so much so the white space squares becomes a focus, as well as creates an interesting outer shape. looks kinda retro and will fit well with other graphics.

Random Chess Poster

Aren't i lucky this turned up on a google image scour:

an actual chess poster? I think i'm going to use the background chess board, because i'm not feeling the whole digital 3d rendering feel just yet, plus I think a more graphic/illustrative style is more suited to my chess set. I also like the inclusion of the dude actually playing chess, which kind of gives it a diagram feel, as if demonstrating the use of the set. and its also got a really cute 50's/60's graphic design feel with its continuous curvilinear representation of shape and form. apart from that it makes me feel kind of sick. i think its the colours?
sorry I can't reference it, I have no idea where/who it came from.

Sabrina Small

I came across Sabrina Small's work while i was searching for ideas for the composition and design of the chess poster. Now that the actual pieces are pretty much complete I'm looking to compliment them with accompanying imagery as well as evoke a chess theme. I'm thinking I can draw on Sabrina Small's sinewy and surreal linework and shapes as a stark contrast from the hard edged, geometrics of the origami pieces, hopefully highlighting and amplifying both.
you can check out more of her beautifully inky illustrations here http://www.sabrinasmall.com/

Here they are in black and white:

the eventuated chess pieces in origami pattern style. But there's no queen!
I just can't do it! I'm definitely overthinking it, but all the other designs seemed to perfectly personify their respective piece.
I want the queen to be:
*same height (and roughly width) as King
*somewhat less ornate than King (as the Queen is typically worth 'less', also reference to nature - the male species being the more decorated in order to attract)
*feminine (so she can be differentiated from the King)
*but tough (because she is so active in protecting the King)

This page reflects the endless variations and process of refinement I went through in trying to create the perfect concoction for the Queen piece (adding, subtracting, rotating and revolving a million different lines and triangles is getting tiring considering the fact that although the pieces reflect a three dimensional paper form, they are nothing but lines on the screen, and could probably never be coherently translated into physical forms, but i'm willing to get over that for the sake of the concept). I liked the fan shape because it felt very feminine and delicate but the sharp points were a must in armouring her. She needed to have a similar structure to the King so they could be very closely tied. But what about a sharply cinched, wasp-waist no-nonsense femininity? After giving up and sending the production of all my thoughts to Matt, he simply replied: Perfect! Someone else can do the thinking for me!

Ori-trace

These abstract origami forms were inspired by the origami pattern I posted last Friday. With differences in scale and form I can see a distinctive monarchy forming...

Confusigami

I sourced all these abstract origami instructions to try and create some interesting forms to inspire the chess pieces, and couldn't understand any of them. Here is one that confused me so much I folded it into different shapes.

Origami Play

Apparently this is an image created using an origami pattern making program, and I love it! As well as being a beautiful image in itself, it reminds me of the intricate structure of crystal formations.

I'm finding more and more similarities between the multi-faceted crystal form and the type of abstract origami pieces I am envisioning for the chess pieces. Just a bit of Photoshop collage play where I am fulfilling my eternal love of diagrams and emphasising the confusing complexity of origami instructions.

These are just some Illustrator doodles in which I have traced the geometric contours of origami pieces and crystals.

Oh no, I'm starting to sound like my boyfriend... http://architecturalism.blogspot.com/

Petra Storrs - Optical Opulence

I somehow stumbled across Petra Storrs' sculptural work with paper and knew it was too good to not to share! Her ability to metamorphosize paper into elaborate props and editorial ready attire is truly nuts. The garments entitled Optical Opulence were featured in Sublime magazine. The multitude of patterned paper types and theatrical volume reminds me of the characters in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass which draws on the imagery of chess, how very fitting.

origami objects

So I was thinking origami...

only, not with paper:
Fat stocks Have You Met Miss Jones' bone china origami cranes and scrunched paper bags, both which have been the apple of my eye for some months. I like the idea of a temporary and delicate artform being immortalised in a lasting material like bone china.
http://www.haveyoumetmissjones.com.au/

I was thinking origami for the chess set but permanent pieces would be much more preferable.

Chess Poster lecture

* Modern chess invented in 15th century - India, Persia

* standardised chess set = Modern Staunton chess set

* 12 piece set (6+6)

My chess pieces should be:

* differentiated from each other

* a set of symbols of a recognisable hierarchy/monarchy

* belonging to the same set - have a similarity which ties them together, a repeat eg. stroke weight, angle

* black and white (and invertible)

* 2D (silhouettes/outlines) or 3D rendered

* vector objects in Illustrator

EX 2: Chess Poster

FACULTY OF ART AND DESIGN
DIS1103
digital processes for art and design

EXERCISE 2: CHESS POSTER
Brief:
Design and produce a black and white poster (artboard = A4) that displays your design for an original chess set. i.e. King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn.
Your design solution for the individual pieces must be translated into positive and reversal versions (black/white pieces). Creatively, you may wish to approach the design problem from a more formal or conceptual angle.
The week 5 lecture will describe the structure and symbolism of the chess pieces.

Method:
1. Research the history and design of the chess set.
2. Create the various chess pieces in Illustrator
3. Design the chess poster incorporating the chess pieces you have designed

Objectives:
• intermediate use of Illustrator drawing tools
• exploration of the design and art of chess
• design objects suitable for reversal (black/white)
• basic layout using Illustrator

Criteria:
1. technical proficiency (5)
2. design of chess pieces (5)
3. layout (5)

Deadline: Week 7 (20-24 April)

Final

I added the bird prints walking over the face of the tree stump to break up the circular shapes a little. I also felt these needed to be darker and a bit more obvious than the twigs.
The fig 1. 2, 3 and 4 refer the scientific names of the deer, owl, bear and fox, and is a text book reference, adding a kind of diagram dimension to the woodland mandala. After all how could I leave out the library book images which taught me so much in the beginning of this project?

Adding depth

Cam warned us about the mandala appearing too flat, and taught us some tricks like using different transparencies and shadow effects. So I put these to use in my own mandala:

Firstly I filled two of the nest twigs with the cell pattern. As well as linking nicely to the outer layer, I hoped it would help to give the effect of the one twig laying over another by the viewer being able to differentiate between them.

And lastly I copied and skewed the shape of each animal, filling it with a lighter colour and applying a transparency effect.

But it needs something more

There's just not enough stuff on the mandala!
Which is why I came up with this twig, and by rotating and reflecting it I came up with some different ideas:

Those ones kind of look like antlers don't they? and the circle shape reminds me of a nest.

And every nest needs birdies!

Here is the nest formation applied to the mandala, plus some strategically placed birds. I think the twigs are effective in joining up the four animals and filling out the mandala. But the animals are still looking a bit lost and lonely against the neutral background.