3D Models
For these projects, we had to learn how to build a 3D model from a base shape or plane in Meshmixer. I’ve never done 3D computer-generated modeling, so this was exciting to troubleshoot and figure out even though it was challenging.
I made a few tests while messing around and exploring the program. I tried to make toast with a spread on it, a landscape thingy, and a goose before settling on the two designs that I used for this unit.
For the wood project, I made a cute chubby bear that I thought my sister would love as a Christmas present. I figured that I could use the access to the woodshop to my advantage and create something for school that I could also give to someone as a gift. The bear was pretty straightforward and really helped me to understand the process of what it was exactly that we were doing. I didn’t want to make anything too complicated for my first try, so I started with a sphere in MeshMixer and made changes from there to limit structural issues.
It was really fun to be in the woodshop and cutting things out with the bandsaw- I forgot how much I love doing that! I’m not sure what it is about it, but cutting shapes into and out of wood is such a relaxing and fun experience for me and I think I’ll have to integrate that into my own personal art as well.
After I had cut out all my pieces, putting them together was fairly simple, and I used a wood glue paste from home which helped it to dry faster and also allow for easier deconstruction if I messed up anything along the way.
I took photos of my little bear, and then later painted him white before giving him to my sister as an early Christmas gift. She really likes him! His name is Bernard. (more like BEARnard haha)
The second project was Persimmon the Chicken! Another more whimsical and cutesy design thought slightly more complicated. Persimmon has a bit more detail in her shape than Bernard, so the shapes I got back from the laser cutter were very interesting and each one was unique. This also made it easier to put together because I forgot to film the guide from Slicer and just brought the pieces home and went for it. Going off of my memory from the 3D MeshMixer model actually turned out pretty fine, and I didn’t have many problems with finding the right pieces for assembly.
However.
The assembly itself was super difficult because as most students experienced, something went a little wonky in the calculations of the cardboard’s thickness. This meant that with every piece that I interlocked into place, the base piece became increasingly stressed and bent until eventually, I couldn’t put any more pieces in. An easy way to (sort of) fix this problem, was to just use a box cutter or mat knife and cut the slots wider on each piece.
I didn’t have much time to finish doing all of this extra cutting carefully and for each piece, so I ended up just pulling a few of the interlocking pieces straight out to make more room. Everything fit together well and Persimmon is a robust chicken, despite her few missing or altered bits. We also decided during critiques that she eats butterflies and books and lays persimmons instead of eggs.
Research
I’ve always loved the idea of functional art and being able to build something or otherwise create something that you can wear/use/consume in an artistic way. These little superhero light power sources are a perfect example of putting creativity and technology together in an exciting way. And the best part is that these companies have made this tech accessible to the public! And once you have the pieces and guide to build, you can add as much flair and pizzazz to these as you want.
These pieces immediately interested me because they reminded me of my clay pieces from the last* unit. The sharp contrast against beige-coloured material was something I was drawn to as well. I really love how it folds over upon itself and is less like a sculpture and more like a carving in a way. It’s like this was carved from a giant round tree with little cuts taken out of it. I find that carving makes a piece feel more whole since you’re only taking away little by little from something that was whole at one point, whereas sculpting is like you’re adding things to make it whole. I think by “whole” I mean “complete”.
This last artist I found was not on the provided list, but I found him through personal research for these projects anyways.
I love papercraft, and my dad and I used to make origami all the time when I was little, so I’ve gotten pretty decent at it over the years. I’ve always thought that making my own origami or papercraft designs would be pretty cool, especially since I discovered that you can do it using programs like Slicer and MeshMixer.
Kiechle’s torso was built with removable organs so that he could teach human biology to kids in the Fiji Islands. The patterns take over 700 steps, but the pdfs and instructions are available for free to download from Kiechle’s website. I printed off the heart a while ago but have yet to try it.
Clay Habitats
I really enjoyed this project- I love working in clay so much! And I also love the design I chose to do for my piece. Carving the varying depths of curves and line is such a therapeutic and meditative process for me (though it is ridiculously messy!).
I made this piece in three sections; each one was constructed from a cylinder that I cut randomly down one side and pulled apart to reconstruct. My favourite section was the first one I made, pictured below farthest to the right. It just came together really intuitively and easily, and I found myself trying to emulate the same process in the other two even though it was unrepeatable.
I do think that they turned out kind of resembling tree bark, which is part of the reason I painted them in blue tones. I was aiming for a cast taken from the inside of a termite’s burrows in a tree, or of those little sea worms and tide impressions on sand.
A total of three forms. I spent hours carving these as carefully as I could. It was actually very meditative and reminded me of how much I love explorative clayworks! I used a clay carving tool and an X-acto knife and tried to make it seem like a woody texture but maybe underwater? More akin to sand when it’s been washed into those patterns by the waves. I also wanted to emulate some kind of calcification effect on some parts where the clay cuts in and out of itself like shelves. I think the sort of creature that might live here would be one capable of making these carvings in any type of material. Probably have a strong pair of front appendages and maybe a beak or strong mouth of some kind to chew through whatever material it is presented with to make its home out of. Almost like a termite or woodpecker.
