Wire Tree Reflection

I enjoyed working with wire. It was a really fun experience.

Main difficulties:

• Kept poking/scratching myself with the wires
• Thicker pieces of wire (twisted together) were difficult to cut with the wire cutters

Vocabulary/terms in this project: (there really wan't a lot of vocab)

• Adhesive - glue; sticks pieces of wood together, important to use different adhesives for different materials
• Metal wire - slender, string-like piece of metal that can be manipulated through bending or cutting
• Wire cutters - tool used to cut wire

I've never worked with wire before. Mr. Swinehart suggested that I could make a wire tree. I found some pictures, and thought it looked cool. I like the overall composition of my wire sculpture. I used a rock as a base. In a way, the rock can represent Jesus, the foundation. The tree can represent my faith. Through Jesus, my faith can grow like a tree. Anyways, I think I could have done a better job with the roots. I tried to make the roots more "natural" and had some roots longer and more twisted than others. I like the branches. It's nicely spread out. However, it would be even better if I had a wider variety of branches. Overall, the wire sculpture looks decent. I like the silver color of the tree.

Wire Tree Process (December 16)

From the last time I left off, I combined three smaller trees together to form a larger single tree. In an attempt to make the tree more "full", I combined one more smaller tree to the larger tree. I ended up with a lot of roots, so I trimmed some away with the wire cutters. I twisted some of the roots together to make them thicker and others thinner, like a real tree. The ends of the roots were frayed. I spread out the branches and the roots. I brought a few rocks from home and chose one that I thought would make a good base. I ended using the biggest one that was slightly uneven. I wrapped the roots around the stone. If the roots were too long, I cut it with wire cutters. Finally, I used Scotch spray glue to spray the stone, attaching the roots on firmly.

  

Wire Tree Process (December 11)

Three smaller trees combined into one tree

To make a wire tree, first you have to cut pieces of wire that are of equal length. The number of wires you cut out varies. It depends on how big or thick you want your tree to be. The more wires you put together, the more branches you can make. Twist the wires in the area where you want the trunk until you have a solid stick. Spread the roots out for stability. Then, twist the top wires together to make branches. At any point, you can separate the wires to form smaller branches sticking out from the thicker ones. Make a few more trees and if you want, combine them together to make a bigger tree. That was what I did. I created two trees, one bigger and the other one smaller, and combined them. It looked kind of lopsided, so I created a third one and wrapped that one too. After putting them together, I had too many roots. I think I'll just cut a few.

Wire Tree Inspiration/Artists

Two artists captured my attention with their wire tree sculptures.

Minskis (from Deviant Art)

The wire sculptures look very realistic and show the imperfections of trees in nature. Trees in nature do not stand completely upright. He also creatively put the trees in a setting with rocks. I'm not sure if it represents anything, but it sculpture itself seems to hold the artist's emotions. The overall presentation is very nice.

Sal Villano

Sal Villano was born into a large extended family of artists. From a young age, he payed close attention to art and was attracted to different kinds of visual expressions. He worked as a a part time sulptor while he was attending college. His uncle inspired him to become a sculptor. Sal saw his uncle creating figures of animals using wire and tissue paper. 

I like the expressive shape of the trees. The wire sculptures he make show the different seasons of trees. I especially like the wintery ones, the ones without leaves. The form of the tree was clearly thought out and not randomly put together. Again, the trees are really realistic. I hope that I would be able to use this inspiration and create something just as creative.

Wire Tree Planning

Objectives:

• To experiment with wire
• To think creatively when creating a sculpture

Materials:

• Wire
• Wire cutter

Procedure:

1. Form the wire into a shape you want
2. Use the wire cutter to cut of any excess wire
3. Combine the wires together to form a sculpture

Initial Ideas:

Mr. Swinehart suggested that I could make a tree, so I made one.

Felt Needle Reflection

Working with felt needle was fun. I didn't really encounter many difficulties in this project.

Main difficulties:

• Kept poking myself
• Sometimes, the felt would get stuck in the sponge (minor problem)
• A bit difficult to make the penguin's body parts equal

Vocabulary/terms in this project:

• Blending - mixing fibers of different colors or types together
• Carding - using carders to spread wool out and separate it into fibers
• Felt - fabric where wool fibers are entangled
• Felting needles - usually 3-sided needle with barbs on the side for meshing the felt/wool together

This project was more an arts-and-crafts project. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. Sometimes, it was difficult for me to get the proportions straight. In my opinion, the best part of my felt needle project was the penguin's head and body. Well, that's pretty much the whole thing. Anyways, I liked the head of the penguin because it was well-proportioned and round. For the body, I originally created it using white. But then, i added on grey felt. So, the body is kind of like a mixture of white and grey. The effect is pretty cool. Unfortunately, because I poked too much, there are some small holes, where the needles were, on the body. Next time, I should challenge myself more and try to create something more detailed and creative. Penguins are cute and all, but there really wasn't a lot of creativity in it. The creativity in this project would include the colors chosen, the overall shape, and the style.

Architecture Reflection

This was my first time working with wood. I learnt a lot from it.

Main difficulties:

• Some measurements were inaccurate --> differences in structure
• Hard to cut the thick boards in a straight line
• Cutting the windows were time consuming
• Some gaps in structure - wood pieces did not line up perfectly

Vocabulary/terms used in this project:

• Adhesive - glue; sticks pieces of wood together, important to use different adhesives for different materials
• Adjustable clamps - (I called them "long clamps"); consists of a screw and bar with moveable shoe to allow a wide clamping range
• Carving tool - in my case, I used it to smoothen out the sides
• C-clamps - clamp shaped like a c; used to secure wood to an object (ex: table)
• Cutter - tool used for cutting objects (ex: wood)
• Drill - power tool that makes holes in objects
• Sandpaper - strong paper coated with a layer of sand for the purposes of smoothing or polishing
• Saw - tool used for cutting thicker objects; has a thin blade with sharp metal teeth

This architecture project was unlike anything I have done before. The structure of the architecture was carefully thought out because we wanted it to look as realistic and as "cathedral-like" as possible. I liked the pillars and the front part of the cathedral the most. It made the project more realistic. However, the sides was not elaborately decorated. This was because we didn't have a lot of time and our skills (carving) wasn't good. Any attempts to carve a design on the side may ruin what we have done. But, next time, we should decorate it more, just like a real cathedral. Perhaps, we can cut arches into the wood. Also, in the future, we should make sure that we have precise and accurate measurements to avoid having pieces of wood not lining up. Overall, it was fun working with wood. By thinking of a design for the project, it got my creativity flowing.

3D Mosaic Dove Reflection

This sculpture was part of a learning process. I made mistakes, but in the end, I still completed it.

In my other posts, I have already stated the difficulties I faced. But here they are anyways.

• When I was using the clay, it was difficult to attach the wings onto the body
• After firing it, there was a crack on the body because I didn't connect the two hollowed-out halves together well
• It was difficult to break the mosaic pieces
• After putting the grout in, for some reason, mosaic pieces started to fall off. This could have been because of the glue's strength.

Vocabulary/terms used in this project:

• Adhesive - used to bond an tessera to a base
• Bone dry - leaving the sculpture out to dry; to let the moisture get out of the sculpture; before firing the sculpture in the kiln
• Cutting/hammering - method used to break materials into various sizes of tessera
• Grout - a type of cement that fills in the gaps between the tessera
• Interstice/joint - space/gaps between the tessera (mosaic pieces)
• Keying - in my case, scoring up two parts of clay to help it adhere together better
• Mosaic - decoration of a surface with small tesserae (glass, stone, ceramic, etc.)
• Tessera - small pieces that make a mosaic

I think that this project shows the effort I put into it. Originally, I had wanted the composition to be more interesting, so I wanted to make a mother and baby dove. However, things didn't turn out as planned, and I ended up making them separate. In my opinion, the best part of this structure was the form of the bird. The wings were spread out and the head was upright. My least favorite part was the head. The eyes were a bit beady and the beak was too big. But, as I said before, it is all a learning process. Overall, working with mosaic pieces was a fun experience. To improve, next time, I can pay closer attention to detail to prevent myself from making as many mistakes.

Felt Needle Process (December 6)

Experimenting with felt needle was really fun. I decided to make a penguin. But, before I started on it, I played around and created a bear head out of spheres to familiarize myself with this material.

Creating a felt penguin was not very difficult. I started off by making a white sphere for its head. Then, I attached black felt onto it to make the "skin" and the eyes. I added a beak. It was difficult to make the beak because it was really small. Then, I made the body using white felt. I covered it with a thin layer of grey felt. I made wings for it. It was difficult to make the wings even sized. So, I used scissors to make them even. Lastly, I made the feet. I attached all the pieces together, and made a penguin.

When I first used the needle, I kept poking my fingers. As I was able to control the needle better, I didn't poke my fingers as much.

Overall, this felt needle project was a fun and interesting experience.

(sorry for the bad quality photos)

Felt Needle Inspiration/Artist(s)

I have never heard of using felt needle before. Well, last year, I saw a student working on it, but I had no idea what it was. When I saw last year's syllabus/schdeule at the beginning of the year, felt needle sounded interesting, so I searched it up on youtube. Youtube showed me may different examples of felt needling. You can insert felt onto 2d surfaces. You can also make 3d objects with felt too. I saw Youtubers making animals, flowers, and even mushrooms out of felt! I found it very interesting and wanted to make it one of my projects.

So yes, I got most my inspiration for this project from Youtube.

Mr. X Stitch

There is a group of people that makes up "Mr. X Stitch". That group of people come from many different parts of the world. They work with needles and produce high quality hand stitched, machine stitched, and needle felting works. Regarding their needle felting, they make a lot of fantasy pieces. For example, they created a hybrid of a pig and a unicorn. I have never seen anything like that. They also created a number of adorable dragons. Other fantasy pieces they created would include human mushrooms and tree elves. Those fantasy works are really interesting and unlike any I have seen. Their hybrid animals partly inspired me to want to make felt animals.

Felt Needle Planning

Objectives:

• To learn how to use needles and felt to create an object
• To experiment with arts and crafts materials

Materials:

• Needles (and spare ones)
• Different colors of felt
• Sponge
• Scissors

Procedure:

1. Pick the felt of your choice
2. Poke it with a needle
3. Keep poking it
4. Continue to poke it until you form your desired shape
1. For round parts, roll it into a ball-like shape and poke it
2. For longer parts, roll it into a long shape and poke it
5. When you have all your parts, attach it together by poking it some more, in the area where the two pieces meet
1. If you have difficulty, get a little bit of felt and put it between the two parts you want to attach together. That little bit of felt acts like "glue"
6. To make your piece of felt harder, keep poking it until it feels somewhat hard

Initial Ideas:

I had a few things in mind that I wanted to create.

• Dog
• Alpaca
• Penguin

In the end, I settled to make a penguin.

Architecture Process (December 6)

We had everything cut out. In the end, we chose to cut windows. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. First, we had to drill a hole in the area where we wanted our window. Then, we had to unscrew the saw and insert the blade through the hole. We attached the saw back together and cut according to our lines. We repeated that process for every window.

We stuck the front part of the cathedral onto a piece of wood. It didn't line up very accurately because some pieces of wood were slightly longer. Anyways, we used a white glue to stick it on. We made a simple design for the big window in front.

When everything was cut out, we started assembling all the little pieces together. We glued 3/5 pillars on each side. We didn't stick the other 4 because we were afraid that it would affect the long clamp's clamping.

Secondly, we glued the 2 sides to the front. We used large clamps to hold it in place.

(you might not see it, but the two spaces are uneven) 

Thirdly, we separately attached the back pieces together. Then, as a whole, we attached the back section to the rest of the structure. The long clamps were not long enough, so we clamped the long clamp in the hole of a window. (not pictured, sorry)

Finally, we attached the roof onto the structure.

There were a few gaps in the structure. So, we ended up using skewer sticks to cover the gaps and holes up.

This project is pretty much complete. We only need to decorate it up a bit and stick the final points on the back. Well, we stuck them on. The points looked kind of short and stocky, but it was better than having a flat top.

Finally finished!!!

Architecture Process (November 20)

We made the pillars, and front using the thinner balsa wood. We used the thicker, bigger pieces of wood for the main building structure. We traced the paper model onto the pieces. The outlines weren't 100% accurate due to some inaccuracies with measurement, so we had to redraw a few lines. Cutting the wood was more difficult. Because the wood was pretty thick, it would be really difficult to use a regular cutter to cut it. So, we used c-clamps and a thin saw to cut the wood. We would use the c-clamps to keep the board steady on the table by screwing it tightly. Then, we would use the saw and move in an up and down motion to cut the wood. It was a interesting experience. I've never used a saw before. As beginners, we started off cutting lines that weren't very straight. But by the time we got to the third or fourth piece, we were better at controlling the saw. A problem we encountered was that the saw "broke". It didn't really break, but the pieces came apart. So, it took us some time to put it back together.

We originally wanted to have windows on the side of the main structure. That means that we would have to cut a hole inside the wood. With the wood being this thick, it would be very difficult to use a cutter. So, Mr. Swinehart proposed that we can drill a hole and use the saw to cut a bigger hole. We're still trying to figure out what to do.

3D Mosaic Dove Process (November 20)

I completely covered the dove (except for the beak area) with mosaic pieces.

Then, I covered the entire body with grout. I tried a little on its tail to see if it worked. I ended up using a white grout instead of the grey one I had originally intended to use.

After letting it dry for awhile, I removed the excess grout with a damp towel and a sponge. It was difficult, because by the time I got to it after school, the grout was kind of hard. Also, as I was removing the grout, pieces would fall off and I would have to glue them back on.

I still have to polish it up a bit and put on the pieces for the beak. I hope that it will turn out fine.

I glazed the smaller dove using a glaze called "mirror black" and it turned out pretty well done.

You might not be able to see it, but it had a few brown streaks on it. Overall, it was a nice finish.

3D Mosaic Dove Process (November 7)

For the past few classes and some time after school, I continued to stick mosaic pieces on. Recently, I stuck the eyes on. It looked funny. Perhaps after I put the grout in, it will turn out better. The eyes were difficult to position. I had to do my best to make sure that they were in the same location on both sides of the head. Also, putting mosaic pieces on the head was difficult. The head is round, so the mosaic pieces kind of jutted out. After all, those pieces are flat. I'm almost done with gluing on the mosaic pieces. I need more thin, narrow pieces for the sides of the wings. I hope that it will turn out okay.

Architecture Process (November 5)

We still don't have the wood pieces for the main building. So, Rachel and I began to draw and cut out the pillars on the side. When we first cut them out, they turned out uneven and weren't straight. Through trial and error, we were able to cut them out decently and glue them together. We have to make a total of 12 tall pillars and 4 normal pillars. We're almost there.

Architecture Process (October 16)

At first, I was pretty hesitant to work on this project. But, I decided to work with Rachel on this project. We decided to create a cathedral-like model. We had to do a bit of research beforehand to have an idea of the different kinds of cathedrals and the history behind cathedrals. Turns out, the pointy pillars on cathedrals are pointy because they point towards heaven and God. Rachel and I sketched out our own designs at home. The next class, we got back together and collaborated. We ended up using (mostly) my main complex and her pillars. I hope that they match. We had to sketch out our ideas on paper first to create a paper model. We had to measure with rules and protractors. That part, I didn’t like. But, it was important that we had good measurements for the final wooden model. When everything was drawn out, we cut it out and put it together. That was when I noticed that the cathedral was ginormous. I think it was too late to make any adjustments. We used tape to put it together. The front was pretty confusing. I had an idea drawn out in my sketchbook, but the different layers were difficult for me to illustrate. In the end, we figured it out, and completed the front part. The back of the cathedral was Rachel’s idea. At first, she proposed that we have a big window at the back. She changed her mind and wanted to have a curve-like back. We ended up using her curve-like back idea and flipped it, creating two rectangle pillars with points on the top. We’re going to start on the wooden model soon. I hope that it turns out alright.

Drawing pillars

Constructing main building

Architecture Inspiration / Artists

I like Harry Potter. Hogwart’s structure fascinates me. That caused me to want to create a cathedearl. Hogwarts sits on top of a hill and has many mini complexes. Hogwarts is similar to olden day churches/cathedrals. I thought it would be interesting to create our own cathedral. I’m also interested in the history behind cathedrals. A cathedral’s form and shape has always intrigued me, especially the domes and points. Cathedrals have an interesting geometric shape and structure. Now, when presented with an opportunity to create my own architectural structure, I should use it to create something that interests and inspires me.

John Loughborough Pearson (1817 - 1897)

John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect and is known for his architectural work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson largely focused on the art of vaulting, which is a term for an arched form used to provide space for a ceiling. However, he also focused on the structure. John's buildings are geometrical in manner and have a lot of detail. His works are truly phenomenal. He started off with English medieval prototypes. Later, he worked more with Gothic styles. For example, he looked after and helped repair many historical buildings and cathederals, such as Bristol and Exeter Cathedrals, St. George's Chape, Westminister Hall, Lincoln, and Peterborough. John's practices was not confined to building churches. He also worked with houses and estates. This showed his aptitude for domestic architecture. He aimed at form, paying close attention to proportion and contour. I especially liked the Exeter Cathedral. I received a lot of my inspiration from that cathedral.

Architecture Planning

Objective

• To learn how to use wood, plastic, and other materials to make a model
• To experiment with architecture and design
• To creatively integrate different components/concepts of art into one final piece

Materials

• Wood (square slabs, long planks, skewer sticks, popsicle sticks, thick bars, etc.)
• Plastic wrapping (for windows, if needed)
• Paper (“drafting” of design)
• Rulers (measuring proportions)
• Cutting tools (cut wood)
• Tape (to stick paper model together)

Procedure

1. Find inspiration from the internet, books, magazines, photographs, etc.
2. Map out structure on a piece of paper/sketchbook - with proportions
3. Create a paper model of structure
4. Remove some tape to create a flat net structure for reference
5. Accurately draw parts of structure onto wood, then cut it out and put glue on accordingly

3D Mosaic Dove Process (November 5)

I began to stick mosaic pieces onto my dove a few classes ago. I experimented with a few different kinds of mosaic tiles. Bathroom tiles were too thick and were difficult to manipulate, so I didn't use it. I ended up using wall mosaic tiles. Those tiles were thinner and were a lot easier to use. I used a strong glue to stick the pieces on. At first, I wanted things to match up perfectly. But, as I stuck more pieces on, I decided to give that mindset up and to just stick it on. It didn't have to be too perfect. Sticking the mosaic pieces on were sometimes frustrating because it was time consuming and sometimes difficult to find the "right" piece, but I am beginning to enjoy that process.

Beginning to stick mosaic pieces on

Side view

Pictures on a more current progress will be up soon

3D Mosaic Dove Process (October 16)

October 16 Process -

Making this dove‘s body took a good few weeks. First, I made the body and the head separately. For the head, I started off with a ball of clay then I “pulled” a part of the clay to make a beak. For the body, I squished an ovalish piece of clay into a bird’s shape. My goal was that it would look like some sort of bird. It turned out ok. After, I had to cut the body open because it was too thick. I hollowed the body by removing parts of the clay inside. Then,  I attached the two halves together by “scoring” and using water. I didn’t do a very good job, which caused the crack after it was fired. When the head and body was ready, I attached the head to the body and smoothed it out. When I was done with that step, constructed some wings and attached it onto the dove. That part was the most difficult, in my opinion. I had to make a few different wings before I settled with one I thought was ok. It was difficult to make the wings even in size and thickness. The real difficulty was attaching the wings. I think I could have attached them at a lower angle, but it was too late. It didn’t turn out very horribly. Attaching the wings required more “scoring” and water. I had to smooth out the edges to have it blend in with the body. After smoothing it out, the bird looked as if it had two huge, strong muscles on its back. Anyways, it was difficult to completely stick the wings on. Under the wings, the clay kept cracking and did not connect well with the body. I had to repair it several times until it was somewhat detailed. As I said before, the angle of the wings was not very good. Originally, I wanted the mother dove to have one of her wings draped over the younger dove’s body. However, the space under the wings was not sufficient enough for me to actually put the smaller dove there. The work was already done, so I’ll have to settle with putting I next to the side or having only half of the small dove under the mother’s wing. The dove went into the kiln after it was bone-dry. That is when it was most fragile. I’m glad it passed the bone-dry stage, meaning that the head/wings were attached well. The doves were fired in the kiln. They turned out okay, I supposed, but there was a crack. Luckily, the crack was a small one. I think I didn’t pay too much attention to the front of the bird when mending the two parts back together. I still need to attach mosaic pieces onto it, which I will be doing soon. 

Doves before firing in kiln - 

Front view

Side view

Top/bird's eye view

Front view

Side view

Crack

Small dove

Doves after firing in kiln -