Sketchbook Walkthrough: https://vimeo.com/298910983?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=28749
For the first part of our ‘Ways of Seeing’ module, we looked at creating visual personality profiles of our classmates. We started with a blind drawing task, this involved us looking away from the paper we were drawing on and focusing solely on the faces of those we were drawing. As you may be able to see from examples this didn’t go entirely well, and all of the drawings I ended up producing looked more alien than human. Though I still think there are some likenesses in what I drew. The activity was great at demonstrating our reliance on visual feedback, and how wrong everything can go when that’s taken away.
We then had to set up and carry out interviews with a partner in our groups, asking them various questions about themselves and their experiences. Whilst we questioned our partners, we had to draw a portrait of them using a continuous line. This was great at allowing us to get to know our partners both visually and emotionally, as we found out more about each other the longer we drew. We continued this idea of interviewing and sketching our classmates further with layered portraits of our partners. This allowed me to incorporate some of the facts and stories my partner had told me into a separate portrait. I found that this made the portraits much more personal and reflective of the person we were drawing. Overall, I found this task really helped with the idea of drawing in a sketchbook, as it shows that even drawings which many would consider scribbles are still valuable. It’s best that we aren’t focused on quality and instead look at being able to process our ideas and draw exactly what we are thinking.
Reading Week Sketches and Maps
Over our reading week, we were tasked with daily drawings of what we experienced on our days off, as well as reflecting on where we’d been in the form of visual maps. However, seeing as part of my week was rather boring some of these were left to the imagination. Every day I would draw some key places/objects before later evolving them into a visual map of my day. I used red arrows and markers to show the progression of my journey from start to finish, I felt this helped to tie the images together and to form a more substantial visual map.
This task was great at getting me to pay more attention to my environment as I was frequently looking for interesting buildings/items to add to my daily sketch. I was also paying more attention to key landmarks I was visiting which helped with developing a narrative for my visual map. Although at home there aren’t that many landmarks outside of the fridge and toilet. Looking back, I think I appreciated the nature this task as it allowed me to focus on the aspects of my day which I was most interested in, which in my case tended to be the buildings I was in. It also gave me the ability to review my week and to keep track of where I had been.
Visual CV
The next brief we received asked us to develop visual CV’s as part of our sketchbooks, this CV was to contain a visual representation of the journey and experiences which lead us to DJCAD, as well as where we see ourselves in the future. We could also include information about our current skills as well as ones we had gained since starting the course. For my CV I had two ideas which I liked; one was to do it in the style of a detective’s evidence board, having the conclusion being my ideal future self. I started developing this idea using pieces of red yarn and thumbtacks to draw connections between different bits of information about myself. Although I eventually didn’t pick this idea after I realised how difficult it was to fit it into my sketchbook.
The other idea and the one I ended up picking was to do with evolution. Much like the drawings representing the evolution of man I was showing my personal evolution through life, showing how I ended up where I am now. I added notes and dates to the timeline to create a narrative showing where my aspirations stem from and why I chose to study Interaction Design. I found this part of the module very interesting as it was cool seeing my progression to the present day laid out on paper.
ARDUINO Character and Storyboard
The last part of the module was creating an ARDUINO character and to storyboard a narrative involving that character in our sketchbook. The ARDUINO character had to have an ARDUINO board and a LED light incorporated somehow, to show off what we had learned in the workshop. For my character and storyboard, I knew I wanted the use the idea of exploration, as I felt this tied in well to the nature of previous tasks. I wanted the narrative to follow a character as they explored an unknown environment, using a light to guide them.
I had a couple of ideas based on this idea which I had started to develop; at first, I wanted to make a sort of pop up cityscape and incorporate the light as part of one of the buildings. The narrative I had surrounding this was going to be someone exploring the rooftops of a city, journeying towards the light in the distance and using it to guide them. The other concept involved two characters journeying through a dark cave and using the light to find their way through.
I wanted the characters to be making their way towards something at the end of the cave and that’s where I started developing the idea of the tree. In the storyboard I had them making their way through the cave using a candle (LED light) to see, before eventually making their way out of the cave and coming to rest at the foot of the tree. I liked the idea of using the tree so I opted for this concept.
I began looking at ways to make my tree pop up from my sketchbook. I tried using the basic principles of pop up on a more organic form and after much trial and error eventually created a presentable enough tree which can pop up out of the sketchbook… with a little help. After finishing the tree, I found that I liked the effect it gave off when held up against the light. I lacked the hands to hold it towards the light and take a proper photo but I’m sure the image below will suffice. I liked working on this task far more than I first expected, I really enjoyed coming up with a narrative and storyboard to go along with my ARDUINO character and felt it added some much-needed depth to the pop up character. Although I found the incorporation of the ARDUINO board interesting in theory, it ended up quite difficult to add to my pop-up. Actually, as I’m writing this, I realise I haven’t actually got a photo of the light incorporated into my pop up so you’ll have to imagine that its there.
In reflection, I found that this module was great in helping me realise the many ways we can communicate our ideas with others. I felt particularly out of my comfort zone as I am not in the habit of keeping a sketchbook, nor am I used to putting my ideas and thought processes down on paper. However, I can now see the benefits this can bring to developing a brief. I also found it interesting being able to reflect on where I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had which have led me to this point.