Iris Bench Poster

The Iris Bench design was inspired by a long metal piece that consisted of many elements and principles, which led to my concept model design. Everything that was built had to relate back to the elements and principles, so it took me many explorations of benches to get to my final design.

During the whole process, I realized how challenging it was to design any type of bench or chair. I never knew how important ADA requirements are until building my own bench. I think that I've grown so much from this project because I had to find the solutions and answers to my own questions and issues. I believe that I now have a better understanding of how the elements and principles work, and how they are applied.

Designing the layout of this poster was also a challenge for me. I've learned the importance of alignment because it is what makes a poster professional. Although posters look like they're pretty easy to design, it's actually not. It uses a lot of thinking and processing, which I now feel that I understand it more. Not only that, but the writing descriptions is also were very challenging because you can't use "me, I, or myself." Overall, this whole Bench project has definitely changed my way of thinking and perspective on design.

Sketch Book - Front & Back Cover & Reflection

I started with my Reflection, which led me to the theme of spring and flowers for my front and back cover. The colors are beautiful and they remind me of the blooming flower season. I like the looks of cursive writing, which fits perfectly with the girly look. Not only that, but I also drew these sketches during my Spring 2011 semester.

Writing the reflection really made me realize how far I've come. My drawing skills have definitely improved, and I feel that I am not the same anymore when it comes to art. My critical thinking about concepts and details are stronger now, and I want to continue to further my understanding.

Front Cover

Back Cover

My Reflection

Sketch - Outside Macro Sketch

The purpose of this sketch was to draw 4 vignettes of different objects close-up and turn each object into a work of art. I chose to sketch a pinecone, a plant, mushrooms, and a rock. I feel that this sketch was successful, and there would be nothing that I would change. I focused more on the layout of my 3x3 boxes because I believe that it is what makes this drawing stand out.

Sketch - Building Construction

This sketch was something of your choice that must be real. I chose my drawer in the studio. I used a lot of contrast to show the shape and form of the object, but by using only one color was quite challenging. I think that this sketch is successful because I was able to show the form through the light and dark areas.

Sketch - Kitchen Still-Life

The purpose of this sketch was to create a still-life on a table using kitchen/eating items and an unexpected item, considering the different textures, value changes, and volume of each. Sketching a still-life have always been a challenge for me because it is difficult to make sure everything is in perspective. I started building the still-life with a cupcake, then I added the wine glass and chopsticks. For the unexpected item, I chose a pair of pearl earrings to represent a girl. Since the chopsticks is very Asian and the wine glass is very American, I decided to capture the mood of the drawing as "Cute Asian American Girl." What I found quite interesting were the textures because I had to figure out how to color and shade each object to make it look like it's the right texture. I feel that this sketch was a success, but what I would do to make it better would be to try to draw it from one perspective.

Sketch - Value Study in Line

The purpose of this sketch was to draw two sketches of the same place on the same sheet of paper, but different ways of showing line weights and contrast. The place of the building needs to show a window wall, back wall, floor, and ceiling. I chose to draw our studio room. The top sketch shows the value of the space by using line weights, and the bottom sketch shows the value by using high contrast as the shadow. I think that I wouldn't change anything because it has fulfilled the purpose.

Sketch - Erased Negative Space

The purpose of this sketch was to use only shading and erasing of any object that has interesting voids. I shaded the background and then erased the graphite to show the frame of the flowers. This sketch was pretty difficult because it was not easy to erase the graphite off. Therefore, it doesn't have a clean look to the drawing. What I would do to fix this is to erase the graphite more to show the figure clearly.