Laser Cutter Development

Last week I developed a range of samples stemming from samples from the previous week. I experimented with the same materials but with different functions on the laser cutter; engraving, cutting, embossing.

The above shapes are a development from the original strip of ovals I created in the first few weeks. I rearranged the shapes to create a more interesting composition and used the engraving facility on the laser cutter to generate different shades of the denim and linen that I used. I have also pin-tucked random edges of the ovals in order to create a relief surface and add texture to the samples which I think has worked well on these.

I developed the moon idea and created a more 3D sample by laser cutting round half of the oval shapes, using a double needle to secure them, then using the cornely machine to add texture to the edges. I like the subtlety of the raised shapes and though they aren't sculpturally '3D' they create an interesting relief on the surface.

Using the laser to etch away surfaces
Using denim, I set the laser to engrave which made the denim lose its colour. By then pin-tucking the lines made, a spikey, raised surface was created which was unusual to touch.

 I intend to develop some of these motifs further into more laser cut samples and use my experience with embroidery to enhance them afterwards and pull out their best features.



Mechanical Drawing - 31st January 2014

For this drawing day I brought in some wooden clothes pegs, hair rollers, ink, paint brushes and cocktail sticks in order to experiment with different ways of mark making.

Wooden clothes peg dipped in ink and opened and closed onto the paper. I like the simplicity of the marks and the abstract texture that it portrays.

Cocktail stick dipped in ink. I simply drew spirals on the page in different sizes to alude to the idea of knots in trees. I would have liked to overlap them more in order to make the drawing more abstract.

Hair roller and ink. I rolled a velcro hair roller in ink and rolled it across the page to make small scratchy marks on the paper. I then dabbed the end of the roller onto the page and it made semi-circles which I liked the illusion of a 3D textured surface that it gave.



The two drawings above were created by dabbing ink onto the page and using a drinking straw to blow the ink and create a line. I moved the straw from side to side in order to create a distorted line. The outcome reminds me of tree branches that are twisted and contorted which I feel links in with the theme of my current project 'Nature'.

When I poured the left over ink into the sink after the drawing day it made this pattern which reminded me of my work from the day. I could develop this into another drawing in the future.





Daksha Patel Drawing Workshop

Daksha Patel is an artist that works in unusual ways and is inspired by the human body - one of her pieces 'Fat Drawing' depicts a brain which has been drawn using fat in order to make the drawing translucent. 

She arranged a collection in the centre of a table which incorporated lots of different objects. She wanted the group to find links between objects that interested us and draw them, with linking words alongside them. 

I used mark making techniques to draw moss, a bird's wing, a ram's skull, a barnacle and a pinecone. The link I found between the items was that they are all natural objects. They all degrade over time and decay also.

From the workshop I learned that an archive collection can look random and thrown together, however if you look closely you can create links between the items in order to find deeper meaning.

Laser Cut Sampling

This week I experimented with different materials on the laser cutter to see how they reacted and what effects they created. 

I used plywood to create a sculptural piece to replicate the bark of a tree, however I feel that the pieces I cut out are too sharp and spikey to present this effectively.

With the edge of the plywood burning it makes the sample look more like the bark of a tree and enhances the effect.

Other samples I created were in denim, holand linen and organza which I engraved into and simply cut through. The better samples were in the stiffer materials such as the denim because it held its shape and didn't fray as opposed to the flimsy organza. 

I collaborated the two textiles worlds I have been a part of and used the cornely and bernina machines to work into the laser cut samples to add texture to them. The ones that worked best were the ones that increased the surface of the sample such as the pin-tuck foot on the Bernina machine. The cornely was effective for creating a new texture on the samples and reflected the natural landscape such as moss.

Although I like the way the thread shows on the pin-tuck sample, I feel the sample would be enhanced further if I used a thread that was the same colour as the fabric in order to create a raised surface that looked seamless. The cornely stitch also reminded me of the rings of a tree although the sample replicated the moon shape through its cycle.

Doodling as Distraction Lecture - Kate Egan 20th January 2014

Before Kate started the lecture about getting unstuck, she explained to the group that she wanted to try something out. This involved the group either cutting, folding, doodling or stitching onto a piece of paper throughout the lecture. She wanted to test a theory which outlined that more information was taken in by students when they were physically doing something whilst the lecture was being delivered.

I personally found that I could listen to the information that Kate was giving me whilst doodling, but I could not remember all of the information afterwards thoroughly. I found that I had to write essential information down on a seperate piece of paper, but other bits of information such as examples of artists' work I could glance at and draw images that related to them slightly in order to try to remember a bit about what Kate was saying.

I would say that the theory works differently for different people as I am sure that some other people found the task useful when taking in the information and found it easier to process what Kate was saying. 

'Distort and Warp' Drawing Day (17th January 2014)

From the 'Distort and Warp' brief that was given to me, I was instantly inspired to create something different from what I would usually do

Initially, I sketched the outline of the half orange I brought in as a starting point. I simplified it down so that it would be easier to distort later on. After sketching the outline, I filled the 3 shapes in with gouache with reference to the natural colours I have used so far in my Mixed Media project, 'Earth as Data'.

This sample reminded me of the roots of a tree.

Once dry, I dragged the paintings across the photocopier to manipulate the images and to stretch them out. I had a happy accident doing this and discovered that one of the copies looked like the tree rings that I had focused on previously in my project. In order to distort the copies further, I created 3D structures from them which further related to my Mixed Media project. Some of the samples were simply cut, whereas others were stuck together to create the structures.

Cut out photocopy which looked like tree rings into a knot in the wood.

I like the linear qualities of the copies and the way that through distorting the original painting I could create a more abstract image which related more to my project.

Laser Cutter Creations

Before I began to think about ideas for laser cut designs, I came across the work of Sivan Roys who is a mixed media artist. His work 'Blooming Structures' particularly interested me due to0 the simple yet complex structures which he creates. His way of working influenced one of my designs due to the way he connected the individual shapes together to create a structure using a material as simple as string.

http://sivanroyz.com

My original drawings of natural forms of data included seaweed which I translated into Coral Draw and Laser Cut duplicate shapes which I then connected together with string through small holes. I believe my sample would have been better if there were more of the seaweed shapes as it would have been thicker and more effective.

However, I like the way that the shapes make the final sample 3 dimentional and textured and I prefer this effect to the generic ways of using the laster cutter such as engraving, for example because it makes my work different.

Another sample I have created is based around the idea of the Moon as data. I found an image of 'Phases of the Moon' by Irwin Glusker which demonstrated the moon going through the cycle of changing shape as it orbits the Earth.

I attempted to recreate this into a design and used the engraving tool on the laser cutter to try and make the shapes look 3 dimentional by using deeper engraving at the edges. Although the denim I used was effective with use on the laser cutter for deleting the colour from it, I don't think that the material was the best choice for deep engraving and I feel a lightweight wood would have been better for the effect I wanted to create.