Learning PortfolioDanielle Jessop

Reflection #1I chose a rubix cube as my artifact. I like that it fits inyour hand easily, has nice colour scheme and it was agift to my husband so it has an emotional connectionfor me. I also chose this because of the rectilinearform of it. I considered choosing more a morecomplex artifact but this had more design possibilitiesfor me.

I spent awhile figuring out which category of studentdescribed in the Week 1 Reflection posted and the 1stand 2nd categories are where I think I am at. While Ionly constructed the rough frame of the rubix cube,my construction was fairly clean and precise. I usedsmall measured toothpicks and took care gluing eachpiece together carefully. I bought E6000 as suggestedand I do not like it. It is virtually impossible to gluetwo toothpicks together with it. I think it is designedfor larger pieces of wood. Glue guns amaze me athow they come handy, I’m very glad I own one rightNow.

I chose an artifact that is simple and maybe looksboring now but with the introduction of the iterativeprocess, I am glad I chose this. I have many directions Ican go in further designs. I did construct the externalframe of the rubix frame and not the internalstructure as one of my classmates did. I didn’t do anyresearch of what the internal shape was, it turned outwell in the end so that two of us didn’t have virtuallythe same design.

Reflection #2

My initial critique on my 1st iteration was not goodnor bad. There is nothing to visually appealing aboutit. It’s a cube made of smaller squares all gluedtogether. No one really had an opinion on it which isneither good or bad. It doesn’t stand our as well assome of the other but it has some qualities inconstruction as I mentioned in my last reflection.

I want to accentuate the movement of my artifact byrotating each layer of the rubix cube. Making theartifact taller will help that accentuation. I stuck withtoothpicks and glue gun because I don't want toswitch up my materials at this point.

Gesture DrawingsDoing gesture drawings was informative, when Isaw one of the classmates doing hers completelyblind (drawing with the cover of her pad over herhand) I wish I would have done that. I clearly hadan idea where my stick was on the pagegenerally.. I liked mine and gave me a new insightto how to work on my next iteration. Getting myideas on paper before I start construction will giveme a better idea of what I am doing.

Reflection #3I liked he use of straightened paper clips, I got the idea to use them from Alex. As much as I am liking the glue and toothpick combination, using different materials for connections and frame will be a good experiment. E6000 is still proving to be impossible and the glue gun can be very messy and I burnt my thumb using it.

I like how my rubix cube is evolving. The movement and interchangeability of my object is very appealing to me. You can pick it up and make your own design based on how you twist and place it down. It looks like a child's toy....minus the bits of sharp wire that protrude from each intersection of eye hooks. It lacks a defined structure, when you playing with the shapes it can make it is very fun. But once you put it down it just sits there like a wood blob.

Doing 2 iteration in one week was interesting. First havingonly one day between classes really tightens the amount oftime to make the next iteration. I miscalculated that greatlyand was up very late the night before class screwing in eyehooks, colouring pieces of cut dowel and using sections ofwire to connect everything together. Secondly it is verydifferent coming from only having mine and my husbandsopinion to a whole class. I can see the design flaws in bothmy iterations much more after class then before.

Reflection #5

Making my design more structured andorganized was the priority for my firstiteration of the week. I liked the colours andmaterials I used last week. The eye hookshave a great look to them. I originally wasgoing to making 6 separate cubes and fitthem all together, then I came up with theidea of having 6 separate sides all connectedtogether. I think this was my best iterationyet, it has many different aspects and ahierarchical organization that revolvesaround a center cube. I want to incorporatea cube into all my iterations so that there isa common theme repeating throughouteach iteration.

The feedback I had in class about trying to showthe deconstruction or reconstruction of therubix cube was what inspired my iteration thisweek. Richard can't ever decide if his favouritecolour is red or blue. This inspired the colours Ichose for it, and it also shows how he juggleswhich colour is his favourite and usually picksblue. This was a good transition piece for me. Iwent from toothpicks and glue, to dowel, eyehooks and dowel to just dowel and glue. Myfavourite materials are starting to be apparent. Iwas satisfied with how it turned out and haveso many ideas for what I can do next week

Reflection #6

I used trace successfully for the first time with thisiteration. I traced all the individual shapes I identified inlast week's iteration. After I did that, I gathered then intoa pile, and saw an interesting form emerge. I decided tomake a evolving shape. Starting from the solid base ofthe cube and extending out from each side.

This iteration feels more like I've designed something thatis really interesting. It is small and would have a greaterpresence if it were bigger. All of my models to this pointhave never exceeded 6 inches tall and that would be agood challenge to explore

Trace

Reflection #7

I am getting comfortable with the iterativeprocess and moving away from the literalis giving me a sense of freedom in mydesign. I have stopped focusing on therubix cube itself and more on conceptstaken from it. I set high expectations formyself going into this class and I worrythat I am to inwardly focused on gettingan A in this class and not outwardlyfocused on my success design wise. Thefurther I get away from the literal and gaincomplexity, the more my piece remindsme of my husband Rick. I don’t know whatexactly what it is.

Wood is still the material that I amfavouring and I like it. The rectilinearaspect of the wood is a common themethat is seen in all my iterations.

Increasing complexity will hopefully inspireeach classmate to see something differentin my design. My designs have multiplefocal pointsI do not want to have a designin this process to ever be viewed from oneside. I want to try to incorporate curvilinearaspects to next weeks iterations as I thinkthat is an aspect of design I haven’tinvestigated.

Reflection #8This week was not a good week for me. I have hita wall inspiration wise. I have tried trace, playingaround with materials and even looking online. Ican’t think of anything. With not using glue I wentback to the cube made with eye hooks andsurrounded it with circles connected by opposingcorners. It is a neat looking piece but from how farI came last week, I have taken a step back in termsin complexity. I didn’t get to making a seconditeration this week because my mental block is stillhere. I repeated the same steps that I did earlier inthe week and I ended up with nothing. Absolutelynothing. Coming to class empty handed wasembarrassing, all my classmates had the exact sameamount of time and were able to come up withgreat designs. I do strive to go above and beyondwith each iteration. I worry that next week I willface the same challenges and I do not want mywork to peak with last weeks iterations and slowlyfizzle out. I want to have a steady diagonalprogress and not a bell curve. I have consideredswitching up my materials, but I am comfortablewith using wood and it is easy for me now. Movingto metal would a rough transition and will requireme to spend time playing with it and figuring outhow it responds. I don’t have time right now to dothis. I do like how my craft is visibly improving eachweek, which I have mentioned before. My cubesurrounded by circles was plain and not verycomplex at all but it is well constructed. I am proudof that.