One-a-Week Three: refining design

One-a-Week Three: refining design, originally uploaded by kaitschott.

Working on adjusting the design to the practical limitations of materials on hand.

Head to Flickr to see notes on the photo.

I know that one is slowed down by watching other designers work, but I’m just too curious! For a quick peek at what Annie is up to this week, head over here.

For more on the challenge, see individual photos in this weeks photoset
or all the One-a-Week Three posts here.

One-a-Week Three: sketch 2

One-a-Week Three: sketch 2, originally uploaded by kaitschott.

See notes at Flickr here and here.

The simple story is that once I’d worked the series of circles into the paisley shape, the idea of Victorian mourning jewelry sort of popped back into my head. I think it was there from thinking about how to convey ‘decay.’ I found some lovely examples on the web here, here, and here.

If I had a lot more time, I’d like to work the paisley shapes with contours and details like this:

and this:

(both images from here)

But given the time, skills, and materials available, I’m going to go with: two pins made of pierced copper shapes, using liver of sulphur and colored pencils for coloration, possibly with some chain as an element.

Stay tuned….

For more on the challenge, see this weeks photoset
or all the One-a-Week Three posts here

One-a-Week Three: sketch 1

One-a-Week Three: sketch 1, originally uploaded by kaitschott.

Because I felt that my piece for last week bordered on the TOO literal, I decided to try to work abstractly this week.

Credit for seeing the yin-yang nature of the shapes must be given to my partner, who remarked on it when I started describing the opposed paisley shapes to him.

See Flickr for notes on the sketch.

One-a-Week Three: Brainstorming

So here’s a compendium of ideas that flitted through my head following the last post’s questions:

–If I want to work figuratively what are some images or themes that I can reference?

• grow: seed, seedling, embryo, moss, chick, crystals
• decay: mushroom, fungus, lichen, vulture, raven, atoms,

–If I want to work abstractly, what elements can I use to convey the idea? In the abstract, the two words are sort of mirror images of each other; i.e., the same change over time but in a different direction.

• things changing in size: a shape, say a circle, arranged from small to large, either sequentially or concentrically, read one direction, they grow, the other, the shape decays.
• things changing in form: again, a series of forms, one evolving from the next either read in a line or laid on top of one another in layers.
• arrows as conveying direction to read the change

As I write those out, I don’t think they make much sense, but my next post will include some sketches which might illuminate my thinking better.

–The idea of using a series to convey change over time could also apply to any of the more figurative ideas; i.e., a series of images from embryo to chick to hen, seed to seedling to plant, etc.

–Somehow using moving parts to show change would be wonderful: perhaps hinged book pages or some sort of shape which telescopes out and collapses back, or some sort of pop-up book mechanism. Wonderful, but complicated, beyond my capabilities in a single week.

–What materials might convey the words?

• grow: glass, enamel, plastic, resin: in different colors each of these could evoke either plants or an embryo; animal skin or fur, actual moss, actual seeds
• decay: rust, any patina, deteriorating wood, actual lichen or fungus

–How might color be used to convey the words?

• grow: green, a translucent sort of flesh tone; any gradation of color from a pale to a more intense, vibrant hue
• decay: black, gray, brown/rust; any gradation of color from a vibrant hue to black, gray or brown

–What sort of surface or finish might be appropriate for each word?

• grow: either smooth/wet, like a succulent plant, or soft/fuzzy like a small animal
• decay: any sort of oxidized patina/rust, something dry/flaky/powdery like spores

–If the bonus challenge is being undertaken; two pieces, using both words, how might those pieces be made to work together as a set?

• using one organism, show each process in the two pieces; i.e., from seed to seedling in one piece, the plant undergoing decay in the other
• a pair of earrings, one depicting ‘grow’, the other ‘decay’
• a set of pins, which could be worn together or separately
• a single pendant, ‘grow’ on one side, ‘decay’ on the other (strictly speaking, the bonus challenge was worded as ‘create two pieces’ but I know there were instances on PR of a designer fudging on the details of the challenge, but wowing the judges with their work and thus, getting away with a little rebellion! )
• some sort of packaging or display might be created to hold the pieces together; a customized boxed set

Despite the sprawling nature of this post, I have made most of the decisions and thus, am ready to work out the details of execution. Sketches to follow….

For more on the challenge, see this weeks photoset
or all the One-a-Week Three posts here