Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Voices [week five : the opus project]

Duality. "In love all the contradiction of existence merge themselves and are lost. Only in love and are unity and duality not at variance. Love must be one and two at the same time. Only love is motion and rest in one. Our heart ever changes it's place till it fits" (Rabindranath Tagore). The word duality means "of, or pertaining to, or noting two. composed or consisting of two people, items, parts, etc." ( When given this word, I was not exactly sure what it really meant. When I read the above quote, however, I realized that duality does not mean being just two different things. It means consisting of two things or qualities at the same time. Instead of being black and white, duality is the shades gray, containing both black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. Above is a picture of the EUC that I drew for Suzanne's class. It serves the purpose of being a dual piece, because I drew it for her class but it also serves a purpose in my studio class. The drawing also uses light and dark to create dimension.

Precedent. The idea of precedent is to take inspiration from another designer and artist and use similar ideas and characteristics in our own works (of course we always cite where we get our ideas from). One can take precedent from another designer, and architect, or the natural environment that surrounds. In Suzanne's class we looked at a building on campus and used that space to create our own drawings. In my latest project for studio, I was assigned a group and then we were assigned a door in the studio building. We were told that we had to make a portal for that door and we were then given a building to look to for inspiration. My building was the Pylos Palace. The palace contained a lot of columns with patterned designs on the ceiling. From that I created a sketch model of my door with two columns on each side. The columns form trees made out of a patterned technique. "The glory of each generation is to create its own precedents" (Belva Lockwood).  Above are some images.

Presence. "The state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place," also "the ability to project a sense of ease, poise, or self-assurance" ( Prime examples of presence are Gothic Cathedrals. Though unique and different, in their own way, each cathedral expresses a presence of religion, the purpose of these grand buildings were to celebrate the presence of God. "Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbey, and parish churches of Europe... it is also the architecture of castles... town halls... and private dwellings" (the wiki pedia). This quote expresses the presence a gothic cathedral had on everyone. People all around began using the style as a precedent to form their own everyday buildings and homes. Above is a drawing of a Gothic Cathedral.

Metric. The word metric is often immediately associated with rulers, drafting boards, and scales. In fact the above picture is a scaled drawing I created in my drafting class. However, the word metric can mean something different as well. The Baths of Diocletian are also considered a metric system. It is separated into ten different sections through a thirty-two acre span.

Moment. Moments are created everywhere you go. With every drawing you sketch, every picture you take, every painting you brush, a moment is formed. When i think of the word moment, I think of capturing a scene forever, grasping onto a picture and holding it through time, taking hold of something that will never change. "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment" (Henry David Thoreau). Above is a moment that I captured and drew of a girl studying in the book store in the EUC.

Reflections. In design, one must look to his surroundings. He must take qualities and ideas from his entourage and form that into a precedent. From his precedent he must then fall to the metric system to create something well crafted and designed. He must use duality to create a feeling of rhythm and interest, that may be done through color or light or shapes. He will have then created something that holds a presence. It will be seen and known, it will create a moment.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Redrawing the EUC

For my latest project in Suzanne's drawing class, I was assigned to a group and given a building on campus to draw. My group was assigned to the Elliot University Center. Above are five drawings of that space. (Below are three very rough first drafts.) 

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Drawing the EUC

For our latest project in Suzanne's  class we assigned to groups and then given a building on campus to draw. My group had to draw the EUC. Above are three ROUGH sketches the outside view of the building, standing outside of the coffee shop, and standing inside the book store.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

12 Thumbnails of the EUC

Our latest assignment in Suzanne's drawing class was to draw 12 thumbnails of an assigned building. And ........ here they are =D

Monday, February 16, 2009

Parts : Whole [week four : the opus project]

In architecture, one always starts at the beginning, where most things should. An archetype is the beginning steps of a process, it is a general example of something. A prototype is then derived from the original archetype. It branches out from the original and begins to form the final product. To emphasize one point of something we create hierarchy and order. Order allows us to make sense of something. Hierarchy draws your eye to specific point with an entourage that surrounds and enhances it. Finally, with help from other sources, one creates the hybrid, a mix of everything. All these parts work to finalize a whole, without one piece we loose everything.

Archetype/ Prototype/ Hybrid. An archetype is a very broad general example of something. I has no specifics and is usually just a basic object. In Roman Architecture, a basic Doric Column would be an archetype. A prototype, "is a model on which something is based or formed" ( An example of a prototype would be the Tuscan Column. It branches out from the original Doric column, but begins to lead to the newest model. A hybrid is formed or composed from two, or more, different objects. The Composite column would be an example of a hybrid. "The composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order" ( Above are a few sketches of the mentioned columns.

Source. A source is where you derive ideas from. It is something that guides you along the way and is, "any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin" ( A source can also provide information about things that you may of may not know. Above is a picture of an athenian coin with the owl of wisdom pressed into it, the drawing next to it is my class notes for the day. I used the picture of the owl as a source to help me draw and remember the coins significance.

Entourage. An entourage is the surroundings of an object. Every object or thing has some sort of entourage. An object may stand alone, but it still has it's surroundings, the room its in, the shelf its on, the case it's displayed it. An entourage is anything around a particular thing. Above is a series of vignettes that I completed for Suzanne's class. The focus can be placed on one picture and everything else surrounding it is an entourage.

Hierarchy. "A hierarchy is an arrangement of items, objects, names, values, categories, etc." ( One example of hierarchy is found in the greek and roman columns. "The Greek orders consisted of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. To these the Romans added the Composite (a combination of the Ionic and Corinthian) and the simpler and heavier Tuscan Doric" (Roth 31). Hierarchy is also found in line and line weights. The darker the line the important it is, the bigger a letter the more import as well. It has a great deal to do with visual aesthetics. Above is an example of line weight.

Order. Order also has a lot to do with visual aesthetics. It is "the disposition of things following one after another, as in space or time; succession or sequence" ( Order is greatly related to the Greek and Roman columns. They are set in a sequential order: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan Doric, and Composite (Roth 31, Image 2.9). Order is a way of making sense out of things. Above is a series of thumbnails I completed for my studio class, they are all of the same object and placed (or ordered) into a specific pattern.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Week Three : The Opus Project

This week we were given another set of five words. They were Scale, Unity, Section, Boundaries, and Vignettes. All of these words were very important in the week. Scale drawings were given in my drafting class, were I had to create scale drawings of a chair that I created. Unity is always apart of the projects that I make. Every small part or piece of material works to create a unified whole. Section drawings were also done this week as well as throughout this past year. Finally, vignettes are something I just learned how to do, and I find that it is a great way of demonstrating and highlighting the focal point of a place and space.

Scale. Drawing things to scale gives the viewer a better understanding of the space you are presenting or the creation you are demonstrating. It allows the picture to seem more realistic. In architecture, one must always consider scale in the spaces they create. "the complete harmonization of proportioned parts in the finished building is especially remarkable, for the architects were using elements originally proportioned for a building of different design" (Roth, 236). When you pay close attention to the scale of your designs, the finished product will, more then likely, be something pretty darn spectacular. (Above is an example of a scaled drawing).

Unity. "A whole or totality as combining all its parts into one" ( Unity, to me, is creating a cohesive project. A project where every form of material (last week's word) relates to each other to form one whole, one strong sturdy piece. A perfect example of unity, is found in the nautilus shell. The shell contains many different small compartments that add onto and layer to form one beautiful piece of nature. The picture above was my Unity Project from last semester, the twelve white planes create the shape of the nautilus shell and the skewers are meant to be and abstract grid of that shell.

Section. When dealing with drafting and architecture, section views are really important. They are the only way you can see the inside of building without looking directly from the top. A great example of a section drawing is in Blakemore's History of Interior Design and Furniture, Figure 1-1, p 4. Above is a section drawing that I completed in my drafting class last semester, that I feel really demonstrates a proper section drawing.

Boundaries. Albert Camus said, Whereas the Greeks gave to will the boundaries of reason, we have come to put the will's impulse in the very center of reason, which has, as a result, become deadly. This quote is a great illustration of the boundary. It describes that the Greeks gave boundaries to their will by basing it off of reason, and not completely judging everything to reason. It goes into saying that now, people place their will in reason and base all their actions to reason without thinking outside of that and from this the results can be deadly. Below is a picture of a boundries created through trees. Trees create a shelter, a save haven, a place to hide.

Vignettes. "an engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the edges so as to leave no definite line at the border" ( In my drawing and studio classes, we have been assigned to do a series of vignettes, all about different things. I personally enjoy doing vignettes, I find that they do a better job emphasizing what is important, unlike drawings that fill the whole page. Above is an example of a vignette that I created for another assignment (the picture is also posted below).

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Drinking and Drawing

In my drawing class we were given an assignment to go out somewhere ... drink ... and draw.
Here's what I came up with ...

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Gesture of a Person

In my studio drawing class we are learning how to do gesture drawing of people. We were assigned to look up different pictures of architectural spaces that demonstrate people living in that environment.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Week Two : The Opus Project

It is said that for a building to be considered a true piece of architecture, it must process three qualities: Commodity, Firmness, and Delight. A building must be commodious, in that, it must serve a function. The building must also be firm, meaning it must withstand the elements and stay sturdy and strong. Finally a true piece of architecture must be delightful to the eye, it needs to be welcoming and inviting. ""The tension we may feel when looking at a modern structure so delicate, it seems to break, is the difference between physical and perceptual structure" (Roth 25). "[Delight] is the most complex and diverse of all components of engages all of our senses" (Roth 67).

Above is a picture of the Weatherspoon Art Museum. I find that it represents all qualities of commodity, firmness, and delight. Though it is a solid white wall, it is apparent that space is firm. It houses the work of many artists and the circular window in the space engages your eyes to want more.

Illuminate is a word which here means to lighten or bring light. This past week in drawing, we were assigned a series of vignettes. A vignette is a picture that does not reach the edges of a piece of paper. We were then told to illuminate our drawings with water color. Suzanne also mentioned that the best way to show light in a picture is to let the white of the paper shine through. Above is an example. "Perhaps the most powerful element in our perception of architecture is light. Louis I. Kahn insisted that there was no true architecture without natural light" (Roth 85).

An idiom is “an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head.” Idioms, I find, were a major part of our fairy tale week. In my story, The Owl, I thought that the owl was more of a representation of unknown knowledge. An owl is a symbol for knowledge, which the townspeople feared.

Materials are found everywhere. Materials are the pieces that make up the whole. They are the pieces of bristol board that make up a chair for Pat, the colors of water paint that fill our books, the feathers that create hats. Materials are the pieces that make up everything.

In our second week of studio we were given four new words that relate to our classes. They were: Commodity, Firmness, and Delight [One phrase], Idiom, Illuminate, and Materials. I found that all of these words are woven together to describe architecture. An idiom means known by a majority, what is beautiful, what is right. To illuminate is to bring beauty, style and delight. Materials work to produce firm structures, commodious spaces, and create additive pieces that engage our senses.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Cat in the Hat

In studio, we had to create a wearable artifact that represented the underline meanings of our assigned fairy tale. My story was called the owl (if you look further down there is a description of that story). The essence of my story was, Don't base everything on your first judgement, take a closer look. I created a hat because an owl is a symbol of knowledge, and a hat goes over your brain. I created it out of newspaper because from far away a newspaper looks like a scary mess and you cant make out what's important, but when you take a closer look that picture becomes clearer. I made the hat come over one eye, because in my story the towns people were half- blind to what the owl was really like. The feathers are more of a literal meaning, representing the owl of course. I put really long feathers in the hat with small ones rising on it to represent the towns people trying to rise over the owl.