Design Principles ✦Project 2: Sense of Place✦
WEEK 7 - WEEK 10
✦Ariel Chin Bei Yi 0343651✦
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✦INSTRUCTIONS✦
✦1.0 INTRODUCTION✦
The third assignment of the Design Principles module is titled ‘Sense of Place’.
This particular assignment is to aid us in understanding visual imagery through observation, which is described as being attentive to the surroundings as to pay attention and analyze the details of the object observed. The act of observing is to acquire information through the senses, of a subject matter in its natural setting. Our senses are important for us to know, feel, understand, analyze and even plan what we want to do. Observation is an important tool in designing as it allows designer to see certain ‘problems’, as well as getting ideas for solutions to those problems.
During
the pre-recorded lecture, there are multiple ways to improve one’s observation
skills which is summarized as:
1.
Know
your subject
2.
Slow
down and look outward
3.
Try
something new
4.
Improve
your concentration by cutting out distractions
5.
Challenge
yourself to a mental workout
6.
Test
your observation by playing a memory game
7.
Record
and consider your observations
8.
Stay
inquisitive
The
design for Sense of Place can be based on three options, a place you wish to
be, a place you wish to go back or a place you are currently at. The place
selected could be a place you had spent some times at previously or one that
created a lasting memory. Documentation of observations through photography,
diary entries or relevant people could aid in the expression and interpretation
of the selected place.
A mind map is encouraged to aid in the
exploration of a Sense of Place. The mind map I have created is a collection of
places that first came to mind when I was brainstorming ideas for this
assignment.
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| Figure 2: Mind Map of Places that I like. |
Hence, I chose a place I wish to be in which is a cozy room that gives me a sense of comfort.
╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.*═╗
‘My Dream Room’
✦2.0 DESIGN PROCESS✦
2.1 Visual References
My most favourite
background artist is Senbon Umishima. They have a good background in
perspective art and is able to convey comfort and coziness through their drawings.
Their art is cluttered yet harmonious due to the use of colours. Hence, I find
inspiration in my Sense of Place through their art pieces.
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| Figure 2: Plants by Senbon Umishima @Kaisen_Tobiuo on Twitter |
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| Figure 3: A Wide Variety by Senbon Umishima @Kaisen_Tobiuo on Twitter |
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| Figure 4: Jellyfish Slumber by Senbon Umishima @Kaisen_Tobiuo on Twitter |
I have also researched
on room designs which made use of plants as the main decorative element. This
gives a sense of harmony and balance.
 |
| Figure 5: Cozy Bedrooms by RoomClip on Pinterest |
2.2 Idea Exploration
The theme for this assignment is chosen to be
a room I wish to be in, in which would be a cozy room filled with plants. I hope that this setting gives me a sense of comfort and peacefulness. I
tested out various perspective as it is the most important aspect in background
drawings.
 |
| Figure 6: Thumbnailing and perspective study along with colour test. |
Then, I went to sketch out the idea on a blank
canvas. During the draftings, I have used multiple design principles in the
sketch. I used balance to make sure the overall artwork appeared visually
pleasing by manipulating the placement of the cluttered items and plants. I
plan to also use harmony by choosing a common colour palette for this artwork.
Moreover, I am thinking of adding an emphasis by emphasizing the view outside
of the room.
 |
| Figure 7: Initial sketch of the skeleton of a Sense of Place using perspective 1. |
I also tried out
both landscape and portrait drawings. However, I went with landscape as it gave
a more comfortable feeling on being in your own space. In my opinion, the tall
ceiling in the portrait drawing may give a sense of emptiness and anxiety.
 |
| Figure 8: Portrait sketch of the initial draft. |
I added multiple elements of things that I
love such as fishes appearing to swim around in the sky and my pet cat that is
away from me. This gives me a sense of being surrounded by what gives me
comfort.
 |
| Figure 9: Landscape version of the initial draft with addition of details while manipulating the placements of the objects to give a sense of balance. |
After the
skeleton of the drawing was completed, I moved on to colour exploration. Based
on an advice by Miss Yip, I have explored the lightings based on a day or night
setting. I look for the setting which gives the coziest feeling.
 |
| Figure 10: Colours exploration using a night time setting which emphasizes blue and darker tones. |
Hence, I chose
to proceed with in between the beginning of a day. The
dim lighting yet a sense of refresh comes through the window which is exactly
what I was looking for.
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| Figure 11: Colour experiment with a day time setting which emphasizes pastel palettes. |
2.3 Final Outcome with Rationale
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| Figure 12: Sense of Place, 'Dream Bedroom'. |
This artwork is
based on the sense of comfort and coziness in a bedroom that I wish to have. A
window-side bed surrounded with soft pillows and plants that gives a sense of
privacy that I yearn for in my own personal bedroom. The cluttered items, such
as the plushies on the bed, the books and clock on the shelf and the mug on the
drawer, show that the room is being lived in, allowing the feeling of comfort
of a familiar room. My character is shown as someone who had just woken up from
slumber by her pet cat. This represents the most comfortable feeling of laying
around in bed right after you wake up. Other than that, the fishes swimming in
the sky outside of the giant window of the bedroom give a sense of surrealism.
This represents my love for fishes, which also can be seen in the multiple fish
bowls and aquariums that appear around the bedroom.
I have applied various design principles in the final artwork, which includes balance and harmony. I have obeyed the rule of thirds by placing the main element, my character, at the side of the canvas. Furthermore, there are many cluttered elements in the artwork which are placed in a way using the balance principles to create a visually pleasing composition. Harmony was used to aid in the selection of colour palette for the entire piece. Pastel and light colors were mainly used throughout the room, the different shades of green selected for the plants also corresponds well with the soft colours, hence, a sense of harmony was created. The only darker colours found in the artwork is on the hair on my character and the black cat. Emphasis was utilized in which the main characters are not too blended into the background and can be seen clearly.
Based on the
evaluation, unity and hierarchy can also be seen in the illustration. There are
many repeated elements in the artwork, such as the fishes and plants. The elements
are brought together following the theory of unity and gave a sense of oneness
to the overall picture. Hierarchy is also used by the clear representation of the
greater and lesser elements through using different brightness of colours as
well as the difference in sizes.
2.4 Lecturer’s Feedback
The first
evaluation of this assignment was conducted after we have produced several
sketches. Our lecturer, Miss Yip have gone through my blog and gave some advice
for improvements. The first advice was that my blog can be rearranged in which
my idea is clearly stated before the design process. Hence, I stated the place
I have chosen at the start of the blog to give the blog a better flow. Other
than that, Miss Yip encourage me to explore with a landscape drawing. This
aided me in having a different perspective about the overall composition. After
some thought, I changed my project to a landscape illustration as it is closer
to the sense of comfort that I was aiming for. Another advice was to explore
with more colours and lightings. I agree as colours are very important in
conveying a certain feeling to the audience. Hence, I tried out both day and
night time which aided me in choosing the perfect timing which this place is
set in.
On week 10, I
have completed my final artwork and added the work into my blog for evaluation
by Miss Yip during the live lecture classes. There were no major issues with my
artwork in which the lecturer has commended on it. Other than the design principles
that I have stated, Miss Yip have pointed out other design principles that can
be found in the artwork. One of it is unity in which I have allowed each
element to complement each other well and brought together to give a feeling of
wholeness. She also pointed out that hierarchy was seen in the final piece where
the bigger elements and lesser elements are clear using the selection of
colours and size manipulation. Overall, a satisfying final product was created.
2.5 Weekly Reflection
Week 7
During week 7,
Miss Yip have given a short briefing about the third assignment of the Design
Principles module, which is titled ‘Sense of Place’. However, this week was
also the deadline for the second assignment, Self-Portrait. I was not
completely done with my self-portrait, so I spent the remainder of the week to
complete the artwork. After I have submitted a satisfying product, I started
constructing the structure of my new blog as well as brainstorm little ideas in
my free time. This assignment sounded slightly intimidating to me as I am not
that strong in background art. Nonetheless, this assignment is testing us more
on how we capture and express the main aspects of the place chosen which serves
as quite a challenge itself. After some thorough planning, I have chosen to use
a place that I wish to be in which I want to live in a cozy room surrounded by
the things I like.
This assignment
also requires us to utilized the design principles learnt during the start of
the semester. Hence, I have selected balance, harmony and emphasis.
Week
8
Week 8 is the
independent learning week of the semester in which the students have one week
of break with no classes. The timetable requires us to produce several sketches
based on the place chosen, hence, I started my usual thumbnailing process to
obtain the overall composition of how I want my design to look like.
It was quite
challenging to express of how the place chosen would look like as I have never
seen it in real life. I went onto multiple websites to research more visual
references that may aid me in portraying the place I wish to be. As I was
creating the sketches, I also reminded myself to apply any design principles to
improve the overall visual image. At the end of the week, I have created
several sketches and selected the one I think was the best to proceed with the
assignment.
Week 9
Classes are back
in session during week 9 after one week of break. Hence, students are starting
to return to their busy schedules, including me. There is only one week left
until the deadline for Project 2 of Design Principles, but there is still so much
to do as a background art are very complex in which every element must blend and
interact with each other well to create a cohesive drawing. However, I managed
my time properly in which I have sufficient amount of time to explore various
ideas towards my final product. I have explored in both the perspective and the
colours to achieve an artwork that gives me a sense of what I look for in my final
product, which is a sense of coziness and comfort. This assignment is
challenging in a way that it is exciting from the exploration process as I get
to play with various elements to complete the artwork.
Week 10
This week is the
deadline for the submission of Project 2, titled as a Sense of Place. This
assignment was rather challenging as I have very less experience in creating
background art as well as giving meaning to the landscape illustration.
However, it was also exciting in the exploration of ideas. A sense of place is
based on the representation of our perceptive on the selected background. A
background art is able to include many elements as instead of focusing on one
character, all the elements must come together to create a harmonious picture.
Hence, I have spent a lot of time in planning on how to bring out my sense on
the selected background using various elements as well as how to balance all
the cluttered items.
In conclusion, I
have learnt a lot in the exploration of our sense on a certain object through
this assignment. I have also gained more experience by practicing the utilization
of various design principles in my designs. Thus, I have completed project 2 smoothly
with no major problems and I look forward to the final project of this semester.
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