Solei
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Classic Collection by Austin Collier
Table of Contents
Background 1 Inspirations 2 Theme 3 Sketches 4-5 Rapid Visualizations
6-8
SolidWorks 9-10 Foam Models 12 Prototype 12-16 Final Design 18-20 Concluding Remarks
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Background Solei is traditional drinking vessel with a clean modern form full and robust. This set is similar to the form of a milk jug which gives the vessel a rustic feel. Ideally this would be made out of porcelain or ceramic with a glaze on top to give it a clean and modern feel. The cup is designed to be elegantly round with a smooth curvatious lip. I made the final taller than my original models. The jar is an accessory, which can hold tea leaves, sugar, or jams and the list goes on. The jar is a salvaged Ikea lid Dremeled down to fit the diameter of the rim of the jar. The tea spoon was bought from Daiso and worked much better than the metal baby spoon I was contemplating using. Even though I didn’t make those two pieces from scratch they definitely bring Solei together giving it earth tones and a rustic feel.
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Inspirations
For this project I wanted to have a clean rustic feel. I looked at farms animals, plants and organic ways of living. Through these observations I drew many things. One is that I wanted it to have a clean and simple look. Minimal look a water pale and similar to the look of an old glass milk jug.
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Theme
Solei’s theme builds around is sense of purity. The kind of purity that you would find in the woods of Colorado’s back country as the snow slowly floats down and covers everything with a soft white shimmer. My piece is supposed to feel warm and comforting, traditional while also coinciding with a modern cleanliness. Similar to the times when the milkman came around and life was simple. My design is a revived piece that mimics the traditional life from the past while at the same time fashionable today.
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Brainstorming
In this phase of the design process I’m just trying to work out a general form and shape that represents a modern rustic look.
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Focused Form
When I got to this point I was focused mainly on two different forms one is heavier and more rustic while the lower left sketch is more of a martini glass with a long stem and a wide lip to smell the aromas of the beverage as you bring it to your lips.
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Rapid Visualizations
These drawings range from very rustic and almost unsightly like the one on the top left to more abstract designs like the two right pictures. The top one was intriguing to me at first because of it classy sharp look with vivid bright colors. I used the colors because I was trying to think of farm colors that are bright so i used red for a barn and blue for the lake.
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Rapid Visualizations Here I was trying to bring out a modern feel with smooth rounded edges and shiny surfaces. None of them really struct me.
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Rapid Visualizations Here we are looking at some more rapid vis drawings. The tall glass evolved from the smaller glass on the previous page, which has red and blue. This one has a wide glass top similar to a martini glass, but it has a concave shape which can be detached from the wood base.
On the right side we have a version of a traditional mug made from cast iron. This mug is wrapped with a leather band around the neck and wood at the base. This is the traditional form I was looking for at the time and proceeded to make SolidWorks Renderings.
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SolidWorks
This is my beginning orthographic and rendering. The mug is made from cast iron with white on the inside and black on the out. A leather band wraps around the bulge and coaster attached to the bottom is made out of wood.
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Variations
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More...
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Foam Models
This is the progression of Solei. The first two models on the bottom of the stairs were done by band saw and hand. The top piece was done on the lathe. I’ve never used the lathe before, but I found it very calming. I first rounded my foam out before putting on the lathe , then formed a cylinder. From the cylinder I used a tool with a smaller radius to get the lip to really curve.
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After lathe...
When finishing my foam on the lathe I used a 220, 320, 400 and 800 grit sandpaper just so it would have the smoothest possible surface because in the end I want it to look like porcelain or ceramic glazed white.
To get the hole in the foam I saved the excess of my old models to use as a collar so the clamp didn’t damage my piece. After using a 1/2� drill bit as a pilot hole I used a 11/4� bit to enlarge the hole to a size where I could get in there with my Dremel.
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Foam Models
After drilling I first Dremeled the hole out till I got close to the sides and then i smothed it out by using 100 grit, 220, 320, 400, and 800.
The jar was made exactly the same as the jug, except I got it much smoother and this time round I was familar with using the lathe.
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Priming
Solei was primed using a Duplicolor automotive spray paint. Priming with a white color gave me a nice white base to put my white coat of paint on.
First I primed with a white Duplicolor primer and waited an hour in between each coat. While sanding in between each coat with 800 grit sandpaper.
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Finishing
While putting on the white spray paint I sanded in between to try and smooth out any bumps.
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Display
To bring out the true character of Solei I made a display area so I could present my design in a way which enhanced my branding and marketability.
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Final Design
Here you can see my final prototype. The Clear coat really brings out the shine making it look like porcelain or ceramic.
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Concluding Remarks Foam has always been one of my favorite material to work with and hopefully someday I can use this to my advantage in making future designs that may one day go out in the world to be touch and looked upon.