Communicative Shapes

Studio Design I Project I

My First Reactions [8.27.19]:

As I walked to the intersection of Walnut St and Maryland Ave, I noticed a shift in the atmosphere of my surroundings. Just a few blocks away, the shopping center with an Apple Store, Patagonia, and Banana Republic gave off a higher class feel, but when I arrived at the four corners that were home to three houses and a chiropractic center, I felt like I was in the middle of a neighborhood. While sitting here and observing my surroundings, I got a sense of what the people who lived here were like, and how they used their location for everyday use.

A school bus stopped by to drop off kids, many people were out running or walking with their dogs, and lots of families were returning home after work and school. In addition to this, the nature around the buildings was allowed to grow freely but with restrictions. My intersection in no way resembled a jungle, however, the various tree and bushes that grew around homes added to the environment’s ability to house families. In experiencing Walnut St and Maryland Ave, I have a new understanding of how different locations (even as specific as one intersection) can be designed to serve a particular function for a group of people.

Revisiting Walnut and Maryland [9.3.19]:

From our discussions in class, I gathered that when representing my location I should consider not only what is in my intersection, but why and how those first observations tell a story. In addition to this, I made sure to take photos that represented my surroundings and the feel of the intersection, not my physical place in the intersection. I also used the cropping squares to narrow my focus on various photos, allowing them to provoke new thought and emotion compared to the originals. When sketching what I saw, I made sure to include a home because the Shadyside area I was in was purely residential.

White on White v1:

I began the process by placing my photo in photoshop and using the pen tool to block out sections of my image. This helped me see my image in an abstract way so I could choose the order of layers. By blocking out the shapes, and figuring out how my final piece would be structured, I had an easy time constructing it.

I first traced the shapes I wanted to keep according to my photoshop model. I then would flip over my tracing paper, drawing over my lines, however, this would now transfer my original markings onto my card stock, making my cutting process as easy as it can be.

Once all of my layers were cut out, all I had to do was place the layers, one by one, onto the backing using a glue stick. By making this layered paper model, I find it easier to understand the location as a whole, due to the limited information telling you only what you need to know.

White on White v2:

For the second iteration of my white on white low relief, I took into consideration what we had discussed on Thursday. The main points I felt I could work on were relief layers, more detail, and choosing a different type of paper. My main issue with relief layers was that the jeep in the front of my image was not placed on a single layer. To solve this I added layers of paper to account for the building and sidewalk that are under the upper left side of the jeep. When adding more detail, I felt that the building and stopsign were too bland, and did not read well. By cutting out more of each shape (adding windows and borders of the signs) I was able to understand the shapes better.

Beigescale v1:

To begin the process of the next iteration of the project, I created four different mockups of my image on photoshop. By using the colors of the paper we were given, I was able to visualize different arrangments. I created various compositions based on what I wanted to emphasize and what story they told about Walnut St and Maryland Ave. Some emphasized the buildings, while others emphasized the road and the surrounding objects.

I chose this arrangement because it had the best balance of colors, and best represented the various objects in my image. With the addition of colors, and colors not all being on the same layer, I had to add more relief layers than before to be sure that I had the correct colors underneath and on top of each other.

I felt that my first attempt at the beige-scale piece was, for the most part, successful. However, in the process of transferring and cutting, I cut where I had not intended to, taking away from the piece. In addition to this, there was an intentional alteration to my composition and that was the color of the windows. In my photoshop model, the house was somewhat hidden in the background, and as one of the most memorable aspects of the intersection, I felt that it needed to be brought into the foreground.

I began the final iteration of my low relief piece by experimenting with color. By creating color swatches, I was able to test the look of various looks I had thought of. The aspect of my intersection that I wanted to emphasize was how warm and residential it felt. The quiet streets and occasional family stroll give a cordial feeling and the orange paper that we were given connected me to this feeling the most. By changing the sky’s color to this shade of orange, the whole scene is placed in this idyllic landscape. In addition to adding color, I decided to add shading to all aspects of my piece to further communicate the intersection.

My final piece reflected my process as a whole and I feel that it shows how my skills built up to allow me to communicate an image through a low relief. If I had more time, I would like to spend more time cutting each piece to ensure my final arrangement was constructed to the best of my ability. With limited time, this is my best work, however, I could improve by ensuring every aspect reads the way I believe it should.

Final Pieces: