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.

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 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.

“Tag is a virtual graffiti app which encourages users to explore and create in their city.”

In a pairs, we began by brainstorming ideas for apps/devices which we believed could make navigating an area more fun. We believed that having both an app and a device that worked in combination with one another would be the best option as it would allow for more versatility in our idea and more creative possibilities.

We eventually settled on the idea of an app which would focus on people who wanted to produce accessible art in their local area. Taking inspiration from the mural underneath the Tay Road Bridge, we decided to go with an app which would allow people to create digital graffiti in their local area. After the recent success of apps like ‘Pokémon GO’ we liked the idea of using ‘augmented reality’ to accomplish this.

We initially wanted people to draw their graffiti into the virtual spaces using their phones as the spray can, but we quickly realised how difficult that would be in practice. So instead we have a part of our app which allows user to draw their graffiti on their phone/tablet and then paste in into the virtual space with the help of a phone attachment. We had the idea of using an attachment which would resemble the head of a spray paint can. This device is what would allow users to paste their graffiti into the virtual space, like a real graffiti artist. The can would even rattle and shake like a real spray can when activated.

One of the main features in the app is the ‘Hub map’. This is where you can view all of the nearby ‘Graffiti hubs’ / ‘Virtual spaces’ that you can travel to. The app also allows for Waypoint to be placed on these hubs to help with navigation and travelling to them. Users can also see the location of their previous graffiti, and keep track of things such as likes/upvotes.

The part of the app is where users create their own graffiti works and paste them into the virtual spaces for others to view. Each virtual space is refreshed every 24 hours, meaning there is new graffiti uploaded daily. Graffiti can also be made collaborative, which allows others who travel to the virtual space to add to your artwork.

Graffiti can also be ‘liked’ and ‘upvoted’. A large quantity of ‘likes/upvotes’ means that your creation could be featured on the ‘explore page’, encouraging more people to come and view your graffiti. The more ‘upvotes’ the graffiti receives, the longer it stays in the virtual space. By viewing other graffiti in the ‘Graffiti Hub’ you are able to view the artists profile and see where they have been previously.

Reflection

In reflection, I believe we managed to capture the essence of what the design brief had asked of us. Our app provided a fun new way of exploring a city, as well as getting to know some of the people who live there. It also provided users a more ‘creative’ incentive to go out and visit an area they weren’t previously familiar with. If I could re-visit our idea I think we could have also provided users with a different and more interesting means of reaching locations instead of just relying on a basic map and Waypoint.

For this week’s design brief we were asked to come up with an idea for an Urban Public Space. These spaces were to be based around the idea of a connected society, and meant to encourage people to interact and become more involved with their city.

THE PROJECT – ENERGY GENERATING PLAYGROUND

My idea was to use fun and play to encourage people to interact with space. I targeted my use of public space towards children and their parents. I thought this was an interesting idea as it would allow the children to get immediate positive feedback and see how their fun was benefitting those around them (or annoying). I came up with the idea of a playground which would collect and store various types of energy and use this to power a device.

WHAT TO POWER?

I had various ideas of what device the children’s playground could power. My first idea and the one I ended up choosing, was for it to be a giant lightbulb. The more the children were to play and interact the brighter the light would become. This would also act as an incentive for people to go to the park just to see the giant light.

The light would store energy, and depending on the amount of activity on the rides during the day the light would become lighter or dimmer during the night. Allowing people to see how their interactivity has affected it once the day is over.

I thought it was a good idea to have this revolving around children as it relates to the idea of having fun, how we can generate green energy, and the fact that unused space can have a purpose. The light bulb also represents the children’s ideas and creativity.

THE FINAL MODEL