Savina

My Application Portfolio Part 1

Finally I will upload photos of my application portfolio as it was often requested ^^”

Here is a short description: The topic “motion” (Bewegung) was given by one of the universities and I settled for the subtopic “emotions”. I had 6 weeks time to finish it and wasn’t allowed to include more than 20 works of art. In this post I will give you the original explanations in German (!) I included in the portfolio’s index. If enough people show interest I’ll translate it for you in English (sorry, not enough time right now).

Because of some technical problems I will give you the first half this week and leave the second one for next week. Sorry!

So here we go!

acceptance_tolerance

Akzeptanz und Toleranz: Akzeptanz ist eine Grundemotion. Sie hat Ähnlichkeit mit der Toleranz, jedoch sind beide Begriffe keine Synonyme. Toleranz ist im allgemeinen Sinne die Fähigkeit, etwas zu akzeptieren, ohne damit einverstanden zu sein. Etwas wird geduldet, wobei die eigenen Standpunkte und Werte bewahrt werden. Diesen feinen Unterschied habe ich durch zwei Hände, die geschüttelt werden dargestellt, wobei (oben) die eine einen Handschuh trägt, um nicht von der anderen „beschmutzt“ zu werden. Zudem übt sie einen dominanteren Griff aus (Toleranz). Unten geben sich beide Hände gleichwertig und ohne Vorbehalte einen kräftigen Händedruck (Akzeptanz). Der sattere gelbe Streifen unterstreicht die stärkere Beziehung der Akzeptanz und wird der abgeschwächten Bindung und gelben Farbe im Falle der Toleranz gegenübergestellt.

compassion

Mitleid: Um Mitleid empfinden zu können, muss Folgendes gelten: Irgendjemandem geht es schlecht und man muss fähig sein sich hineinversetzen zu können. Ich habe diese Voraussetzungen in einem Spiegel vereint. Der Spiegel ist voll von mitleidserregenden Bildern und in der Mitte ist eine Silhouette, die spiegelt (quasi die eigene Spiegelung). Wenn man den Spiegel betrachtet, kann man sich selbst unter all den schrecklichen Bildern wiedererkennen. Man hat sich hineinversetzt, im wahrsten Sinne. Farblich ist alles in dem Spiegel dunkel gehalten, außer in der Nähe des Kopfes der Silhouette. Dort ist alles rötlich. Das (Mit-)Leid besetzt den Geist des Betrachters.

confusion

Verwirrung: Verwirrung in der Strichführung, Verwirrung durch die optische Illusion der auftauchenden schwarzen Punkte, die Augen des Betrachters machen schnelle, kurze Bewegungen (typisch in einem verwirrten Zustand). Man sucht nach einem Anhaltspunkt im Bild und das mittlere graue Viereck bietet sich an (bedingt durch Eindellung und Position). Diese kann aber nicht zu lange betrachtet werden, weil ein unangenehmes Gefühl durch die optische Illusion entsteht. Also hat man im Endeffekt keine Anhaltspunkte.

curiousity

Neugier und Enttäuschung: Drei verschiedene Kisten, in jeder kann etwas anderes sein. Die Deckel werden geöffnet, aber in keiner der Kisten ist irgendetwas! Die angeregte Neugier bringt leider jedes Mal nichts als Enttäuschung. Die äußeren Farben der Kisten sind hell (positive Neugierde), wogegen die inneren dunkel sind (negative Enttäuschung).

disappointment

siehe oben

depression

Depression: Bei diesem Bild habe ich die psychologische und die geomorphologische Bedeutung (Senkung in der Oberfläche)des Wortes Depression vereint. Die mittlere von drei Sprossen befindet sich in einer Depression (psychologisch durch die schwarze Farbe bekräftigt), die sich nach dem Regen mit Wasser gefüllt hat. Leider ist die Sprosse daran zugrunde gegangen. Die anderen (nicht depressiven) Sprossen haben den Regen dagegen gut verkraftet und wachsen munter weiter.

disgust

Ekel: Ekel basiert allein auf Vorstellung! Um dies zu verdeutlichen, habe ich lauter eklige Objekte gezeichnet, die gemeinsam die Umrisse des menschlichen Gehirns (die Vorstellung) darstellen.

hatred

Hass: „Zerfressen von Hass“, das ist das Stichwort meiner Interpretation. Das menschliche Herz steht im Mittelpunkt. Es ist aus Holz, die Arterien aus Metall. Ein hartes, gefühlloses Herz ist die optimale Voraussetzung für Hass, der in meinem Bild durch die Holzwürmer dargestellt wird. Sie zerfressen langsam, aber sicher das Herz, bis irgendwann nichts mehr übrig bleibt.

hope

Hoffnung: Hoffnung ist eine Quelle der Kraft in dunklen Zeiten…Wenn man kurz davor ist aufzugeben, kann Hoffnung einen Schub geben weiter zu machen! Ich habe diese Eigenschaft hervorgehoben, indem ich sie als ein Energydrink namens „Last Hope“ dargestellt habe. Die dominante Farbe ist grün (Farbe der Hoffnung), das Symbol eine Sprosse. Die gelben Elemente machen nicht nur das Bild interessanter, sie repräsentiert zusätzlich die Energie, die von dem Drink ausgeht.

I know the images aren’t that good but as often mentioned by one of our professors “You don’t need to be a skilled drawing artist if you want to study design!” You can also work with photos, 3D computer graphic, sculpture etc. I just didn’t know enough about other art fields…It’s also important to state that some universities of applied science care for creativity and original ideas more than for skills (which can be acquired along the way).

So give it a shot!

Ways to Learn Anatomy

This week I will share with you a small summary on the different ways you can learn human anatomy.

So let me explain you what advantages and disadvantages the different approaches have:

  • Reference/anatomy books: This is a good and often cheap way to start. You can either buy a book or you can simply go to a nearby library/friend and borrow one (I recommend Gottfried Bammes, Bridgeman and Andrew Loomis). You can even get some good books for free (and legally) on the internet. Learn some theory on the human body and then you will start understanding and using reference better.
  • Videos: You can learn a lot from videos too but don’t expect them to be as thorough as books. On the other hand you are given a nice explanation with real models!
  • 3D images: It’s always nice to have a video of a body part but it’s even better to have a 3D model you can turn and scale whenever you like! In order to use this option you’ll either need a CG (Computer Graphic) program and a model or you can use some video games with 3D character gallery, but make sure the humans are realistically proportioned (that’s why it’s a good idea to learn some theory first!)
  • Nude life drawings: Honestly, I can only recommend you this after learning at least the basic bone and muscle structure of the human body. Most of the times your model’s muscles aren’t going to be that prominent so you’ll be forced to sketch something you don’t really understand. You should use nude drawings to consolidate your knowledge and get a better feeling of proportions and motion.
  • Figures: And finally one really good reference in my point of view. Although you can’t use figures for motion studies you can see and feel the bone/muscle structure. It’s really a different experience than with CG models. Additionally figures can have more pronounced muscle areas than real humans in nude drawing courses.

Unfortunately real good figures are expensive and hard to find but here’s a little trick: You can buy an action figure and use that for reference! But you have to be really careful to pick a realistic one. Here are some examples:

Raiden (MGS4) All rights reserved by Konami.

Raiden (MGS4) All rights reserved by Konami.

A rather bad example with unclear muscle flow

Please don’t forget that it’s always best to try as many different approaches as possible! Learning the human anatomy takes a lot of time and experience and you can use any help you can get 😉

Analyzing Chairs…

…doesn’t sound like art? Probably not, but it sure sounds like (product) design 🙂

Last week in Fine Arts we got a little surprise when we entered the auditorium:

lined up chairs

a bunch of chairs lined up in the lecture hall

The professor enjoyed our puzzled faces for a moment and handed out evaluation-sheets. We were supposed to form small groups and pick a chair to analyze within 20 minutes. My group decided to go for the most inconspicuous model:

SE 68

SE 68

The SE 68 was designed by Egon Eiermann (D) in the 1950’s and is distributed by “Wilde + Spieth” (D) for 270 Euros apiece. I was surprised to find out it’s a designer chair since you can see it in many educational institutes and big halls. It’s nothing fancy!

But let’s sum up the evaluation-sheets:

  • Basic data: Name-SE 68; Object category-furniture/chairs; Function-sitting; Materials-light wood/metal/rubber (bottom of legs); Manufacturer-Wilde+Spieth; Designer-Egon Eiermann; Price-270EUR etc.
  • Form analysis: Main Parts-back rest/seating surface/legs; Color-black/metallic; Surface Character-flexible back rest separated from seating surface/ergonomic design
  • Function: Practical Function (ergonomics, handling)-parts are rounded/tilted (ergonomics); Symbolical Meaning-nope; Overall Effect-harmonious etc.
  • Context: Target Audience-big groups of people (events, educational institutes); Comparison with Competition-relatively unflashy, simple; Communication (marketing strategy)-“This chair is meant for everyone (short/tall, overweight/thin, young/old), who needs to stay seated for a longer period of time, but nevertheless he/she is not able to fully relax (no bolstering) so attention is kept on a high level.” etc.

Most of the information could be gathered by simply observing the chair. For the function-part we just slipped into the role of a random student looking for a place to rest his/her exhausted body (and mind) 😀

After a few groups presented their findings the professor too analyzed some prominent chairs. Now I know chair≠chair!

Modules – A better Understanding of Dimension

Right now everyone is working on modules in the Design Foundation Course. After creating more or less flat 2D reliefs this was the next step in understanding dimension. It’s really quite different from simply drawing something on paper.

There are a lot of new things one has to consider when going 3D! First of all you have to design your object with modular attributes. In this phase I made many quick sketches and made some modules out of paper on the fly to test their functionality. That’s were most mistakes can be found (and should be since it’s really time consuming to do everything all over again because you overlooked something). The second step is creating the construction draft. It’s best to use the computer for this part. It’s much more precise. Step three is choosing the right material (I used 250 g/m² copy paper and regular glue). In order to test the full range of combinations you’ll need at least 20 modules.

In my point of view the most important part is the designing phase. If you make mistakes here everything you produce later on is meaningless in the end. That’s why you shouldn’t miss out on the testing phase! Although you can’t find every possible flaw you sure can avoid making major mistakes making all your efforts worthless. When I created my modules initially they did look sturdy but after constructing a few bigger units I realized the connections were too unstable. Therefore I had to redesign everything and start all over again 🙁

But now everything works out just fine 🙂

module1module2

Simulatneously Construct Images

A few days ago I’ve read an interesting interview with a professional concept artist and at the very end he advised all beginners to always keep the whole picture in mind and to work on all its parts simultaneously. This reminded me of my nude study classes 😀 The reason is that a lot of the other students there tend to start drawing a line and then keep following it without making the effort to construct the humans. This approach could work for some but generally is a risky endeavor! In most cases you end up with wrong proportions or, if you’re coloring, with mismatching color combinations and/or values. Additionally you miss to train your image construction skills which can be very useful when drawing without reference (you cannot follow a visible line there!).

From my own experience I can support this thesis but I have to admit that after a lot of training one does get better and better in drawing a reasonable amount of outlines without construction. But whenever more than one object is involved it’s really best to rough everything out and see how the composition and proportions work out. Giving this phase enough space can save you a lot of trouble later on. It’s a lot easier to change proportions in an early stage than when you’re almost done (if it’s possible at all).

So to sum up my tip of the week in one sentence: Constructing your drawing’s objects simultaneously gives you greater control over the outcome and spares you a lot of headache later on!

From Flat to Relief

There is one step between the 3D emphasizing patterns and creating actual 3D objects: Reliefs! In class we were given the following limitations:

  • use thick paper
  • nothing is to be cut out and excluded from the relief
  • format 18×18 cm
  • no coloring

I used some of my patterns for the reliefs without creating new ones especially for this task. This way I really had to find ways to cut pieces without cutting the whole thing apart. I advise you to print out your patterns and draw the cuts with pencil before actually cutting! This way you can prevent mistakes later on, which happened to me a few times and it was really awful having to start all over again 🙁

This is how two of my reliefs look like:

relief 1relief 2

And here are the corresponding patterns:

pattern 1pattern 2

Typography – Back to the Basics

Over the past centuries thousands of new fonts have been designed. Some emerged out of new means of production others had the purpose to please certain aesthetical or cultural needs. All fonts are organized under the DIN standard 16518 although it has to be mentioned that this classification isn’t very accurate (example: Group Nr. 6 refers to the sans serif fonts which form about 80% of all fonts, hence this group is very imprecise and ought to have more subdivisions) . Unfortunately currently there is no official replacement.

Every font has its own distinctive features, sometimes very obvious ones and sometimes on a rather subtle scale. The best way to memorize some of the basic differences is to actually write some of the key-letters down (with a pen, not digitally). In typography class we were given four pages, each with a different font example, which we had to copy. The fonts were:

  • Garamond (key-letters a, P)
  • Times New Roman (key-letters a,b,g,A,G)
  • Bodoni BE (key-letters e,g,o,R,k)
  • Clarendon (key-letters a,g,t,R,G)

Additionally a short historical background was included to every font (which really helps you memorize the features better). If you want to try it out too you can open any program that can process words in different fonts like Word/OpenOffice/InDesign etc. and type the key-letters. Then you just get your pen and a piece of paper and start copying. Nevertheless it’s a good idea to print out the letters really big and organized in line-grids like this:

line-grid

example font Clarendon

Aquarelle – The first Step

Tip of the week time 🙂

Here is a quick but handy tip on your very first step when starting to paint with aquarelle (water-colors):

  1. find a rather thick piece of paper, like a post card for example, and get your fine artist’s water-color-set (make sure the paper is not yellowish or beige but really white)
  2. each water-color has an unique number you can find in/on the packaging; write all the numbers in the exact same order as the one your pans have on the paper and make sure to leave enough space between every number – this is going to be your color chart
  3. now you have to apply the corresponding colors in a way you get a nice color gradient; either make long lines giving you a natural gradient or you can fill out one side of a single color chart segment with a plenteous amount of water-color and apply some pure water on the other side, step-by-step connect in the center of the chart segment the water with the still wet water-color to get a nice flow

Now every time you paint you can look up how a certain color will look on paper (assuming you’re using similar paper) once it has dried before applying it. If the paper you’re painting on is really nothing like the one you used for the chart I would advise you to always try the color out on a piece of the same paper before applying it.

By the way, some water-color manufacturers include a color chart draft in their products. Here is how mine looks like:

color chart for water-colors

color chart by “Schminke & Co. GmbH & Co. KG”