World: 18-11 Lloyd Hsieh, 996484
ORTFOLIO FODR
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STUDIO 18 - JUN HAN FOONG LLOYD HSIEH
CONTENTS Module 1 - How to Draw a Croissant ................................................
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Module 2 - Flatness vs. Projection .....................................................
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Module 3 - Pattern vs. Surface ..........................................................
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Module 4 - Frame vs. Field .................................................................
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Reflection .............................................................................................
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MODULE 1
MEASURED DR AWING OF A CROISSANT Throughout the process of photo taking, I ensured that the camera was exactly levelled with the centre of the croissant for the purpose of orthographic projection. I also had a second observer from the side, especially when taking the top plan view to avoid any parallax error. My aim was to achieve flat, two dimension projections with accurate dimensions. For instance, for the side/view of elevation, I had to retake the photo as the dimensions/ratio did not match with the dimensions from the other views. Eventually, I was able to make the dimensions of all the views correspond to one another. The drawing was divided into three separate components, outlining, shading, and hatching. The three layers were then stacked to create a greater sense of depth. Following drawing conventions, I incorporated various line weights. For example, the outlines of the cut sections were drawn to be the thicker and darker with a B pencil. For the shading, I sometimes could not see all the details because I was using 70gsm tracing papers, instead of 50gsm. As a result, I had to occasionally shade it freehand, which possibly made the drawing less accurate. Fortunately, the drawings were generally accurate enough that they layered almost seamlessly. Next time I would use a lightbox to assist with the drawing process. My main focus with shading was to imitate the texture of the croissant as closely as possible. I ensured that my drawing had a good balance between highlights, mid-tone, and shadows. Through the different sharpness of the pencils and angles of pencil holding, I was able to create various textures. I also used a tortillon to create softer blending in some areas. For the hatching, I generally tried to maintain the direction of the line consistent at a certain angle to achieve a cleaner look. Nonetheless, I think next time I should make the hatching pattern even more intricate. After layering, the areas where I did cross hatching still had quite visible square patterns, which does not complement with the natural texture of the croissant. Lining up the edges of the bottom view was challenging because of how a croissant wraps within itself. The edges are not defined but instead curves up. Therefore, when photocopying the base, the edges were blurry. I was not fully satisfied with the scan of my axonometric drawing. I kept a light hand when drawing the grid and the outline, hence the scan could not capture it fully. I tried my best to edit it in Photoshop, which made it slightly better. Next time I think it is best to outline it with a fine line pen instead. Foreshortening was difficult to visualise when connecting the points due to my lack of experience with axonometric drawing. Nevertheless, I think the drawing still turned out well technically.
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Outlining
Hatching
Shading
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MODULE 2
NEW MARIO WORLD Given that the Mario elevations are based underground, my intention was to portray a cave that is gradually being developed into a livable space with artificial elements integrated into the natural landscape. Cave typically are confined space with complex networks of pathways. Likewise, in Mario, there is the notion of following a complex, continuous track. Consequently, I wanted to emphasise on the spatial perception and the movements through space when designing my world. I attempted to construct clear, uninterrupted paths that run across the landscape in all directions. The water also flows from one space to another. In addition, I decided not to include a background because I wanted to demonstrate the contrast between closed and open space. Density and openness are quality that I wanted to illustrate through the contrasting spatial experience of the top and bottom layer. In that sense, adding a background would be a distraction and create the illusion of a closed off corner. Since caves have the connotations of coldness and mystery, I limited my colour palette to primarily cool and desaturated tones. The monochromic style is pleasing to the eyes in my opinion. Most of the colours were directly extracted from the given Mario elevations. Nonetheless, I also incorporated complementary colours (blue vs. orange) to create a contrast of the warm and cold. In addition, I made the individual bricks a variety of colours so the pattern is more distinguishable. I made two of the mountains translucent so that it is easier to distinguish the form and the details of the mountain underneath would not be hidden. Furthermore, the translucent mountain at the top compared with the solid, heavy mountain on the ground reinforce the difference in space between top and bottom.
Front view
Back view
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MODULE 3
PA P E R L A N D S C A P E The making of new landscape I was mainly inspired by the cave formation of Te Ananui in New Zealand. The sharp, pointed limestones on the ceiling and limestones on the ground point towards each other, almost as if they are interacting. Collectively, the hundreds of rocks form a remarkable pattern. For my design, I made the two corners (highest and lowest points of the terrain) the ones that have the tallest and sharpest pyramids. Changing the angles and heights of the of the triangular pyramids, I incorporated 15 modules with small variations. I wanted to achieve a smooth transition from the steep to the flat. The two high corners have the sharp edges pointing towards each other to create a sense of balance. The flatter part runs across between the two high points to create a sense of fluidity in the rigid landscape texture.
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For more photos visit https://llhsieh.wixsite.com/portfolio
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The given terrain
Setting grid points & point attractors
Model in Rhino
15 variations overlay to create the landscape
Unrolling the panels (group by colours)
Building a base for the model
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MODULE 4
Cities & signs 1: tamara
INVISIBLE CITIES
Lloyd Hsieh, 996484
Marco Polo moved in varying speeds and step weights throughout his journey. Initially, he was walking quickly and taking quick glances in all directions (from scene 1 as Marco Polo entered the city). On the other hand, his movement while he was exiting the city was relatively slower (scene 2). He had two long pauses/stare (one before walking to exit the city and the other one on the edge of the city looking into the openness of the sky). The characters and objects consisted of both real and imaginary (explained in scene 2). Hourglass was mentioned in the text, which I included in the second scene. Hence, I decided to make the start of the scene (where I positioned the hourglass) a point of transition of space, time, and mood.
Key Stare Glance Movement Light Mood Heavy Mood Crowds Imaginary Subjects Transition of Space 0
1m
2.5m
Light / Dark
5m
Time Perspective 1 Perspective 2
New Notation Map
Perspective 1
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As the original notation map has too many scattered symbols and is difficult to read, I have decided to remake it. I have chosen a new isometric view from a different direction, which I think is easier for following Marco Polo’s path and understanding the spatial structure with thresholds. I have also excluded some of the symbols, the ones that are less important to convey the overall story. The line weights of the cross sections are thicker and the symbols no longer have outlines around them so they can be distinguished Perspective 2 easily from the architectural structure.
I chose this first perspective to depict the beginning of Marco Polo’s journey as I wanted to showcase a wide overview of the city. The symmetry of the columns in frame enables a clear perspective with two distinctive vanishing points. One column is hidden completely by the column that is closest to the eyes. The idea is that there are other things going on in the cities that Marc Polo, as a visitor, cannot see or experience completely. The contrast of between the busyness of the city on the left and the openness of the landscape on the left reinforces the fact that Macro Polo was overwhelmed walking in. The excessive number of signboards intensifies the chaotic atmosphere. The first scene captures the moment where Marco Polo first entered the city of Tamara. The people in the space felt Macro Polo’s presence immediately as he stepped in. Some characters had quick glances at Polo but shortly got back to do their own activities. I aimed to create a setting that appears to be welcoming yet, at the same time, a feeling that Polo did not quite belong or felt comfortable/connected with the place and people. Keeping the characters in the same style was important to ensure the entire scene looks cohesive (the people in the scene as one community), thus I sourced most images from paintings in the Renaissance and the 13th century. Furthermore, I explored the different techniques in Photoshop to enhance the depth of the image. For instance, I incorporated shadows and shadings to the characters, corresponding to the direction of the light source. A sandstone texture is also added to the columns and vaults. Furthermore, I also wanted to create a sense that Marco Polo didn’t know which way to go, thus the short glances in multiple directions at the start (shown in the notation diagram). The perspective of the scene is somewhat symmetrical and the distribution of people is also quite balanced, therefore it becomes less obvious where Marco Polo would/should go (left or right). Many characters were hidden behind columns and so, to see more of what is in the city, Marco Polo walked the end/back of the city, talking more glances in different directions (this is where he walked in a loop before scene 2).
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The second scene illustrates a psychological representation of Marco Polo’s own perception of Tamara. Through the use of perspective, the emphasis is on the pathway Polo took to exit the city. My intention was to fabricate a sense of ambiguity and confusion with the subjects in frame being a mixture of Polo’s own mental imagery and the physical forms in place. His movement here was slow as he was observing his surroundings while simultaneously pursuing an internal self-reflection. The core concept was to encapsulate the notion of “the eye does not see things but images of things that mean other things” and that “valuable not in themselves but as signs of other things”. In other words, Marco Polo merely “seeing” the city was not enough to comprehend the essence embodied within Tamara. He failed to appreciate the meanings associated with the things in the city and the values of things that transcended their physical forms. To embody this in a visual representation I made all the signs on the ground translucent such that the objects behind the signs still have silhouettes showing through. Symbolically, this denotes the intangible barriers that prevented Marco Polo to truly understand certain aspects of Tamara. He was only able to understand partial of what he saw and that meant not recognizing the “texture” of some things.
Despite leaving Tamara “without having discovered it”, Macro Polo left with self-introspection. I deliberately wanted his entrance to the city to be around the same area where he left the place. This enabled me to demonstrate the contrast in the approach Marco Polo saw things before and after his visit to Tamara. Marco Polo’s perception of the “openness” changed after his experience of Tamara’s chaotic condition. Once described as “rarely does the eye light on a thing”, he interpreted the sky differently - “the sky opens… you are already intent on recognizing figures: a sailing ship…”. Eventually, he began to see things as the sign of other things.
The signs have foreign symbols and language that Macro Polo failed to recognize, but more importantly, he also didn’t realise that meanings are given or imposed upon objects which result in sentimental connections. The transparency of the sign on the ground implies that they are slowly being forgotten by the people. The meanings of objects fade with people’s memories. For instance, gravestones are physical objects that people have strong sentimental associations with, yet, as the memories fade, their values and meanings also fade with time.
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REFLECTION
Through making these modules, I have learnt an array of technical skills, and more importantly, developed the ability to think critically as
a design student. Being introduced to the different approaches of representation has allowed me to think analytically about their uses, effectiveness, and strengths & weakness in relations to the ideas that they can convey to an audience. Ultimately, my understanding of representation has progressed from merely seeing the illustration to now recognising it as what bridges the gap between ideas in mind and the visual form. Furthermore, there have been times where much of the work you do are experimental and it may not end up being in your final work. Nonetheless, I have realised that those instances are valuable experience that contributes to my personal development. The main challenge for me was to familiarise with all the software programmes as I have never used any of them prior to doing the subject. Nevertheless, learning the basic digital skills has also been the most rewarding part of the course in my opinion. From Module 1, I have learnt some of the conventions in technical drawings, which includes line weights, layout, and orthographic projection. Specifically, I have understood the importance of line weights in architectural drawings as they also help to communicate the design. During Module 2, I felt that the rule of keeping the two elevations limited me to do more creative working in combining the two worlds and adding additional elements. However, I have realised eventually that often “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations”. Having restrictions actually allowed me to start working more creatively. Making Module 3, I have learnt to transform the digital representation into a physical model while maintaining a consistency in the work design. I have further understood the limitations in translating digital form into reality. The time for this module was a huge pressure and I was proud to have completed the work on time. Module 4 was more thinking than doing. I tried many best to create a cohesive story and demonstrate it across three different representations. From this module, I have learnt that sometimes just because you understand the design, what you have made may not be perceived the same way and it does not necessary mean your design is communicating effectively. Overall, I believe the experience I have gained from this subjects are extremely valuable and I am very exciting to continue learning about design and architecture. - Lloyd Hsieh
NOTE: Modifications made to the modules M1 •
Changed the titles (Orthographic view, orthographic drawings, and axonometric drawing)
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Made slight adjustments to the layout (Make the spacing between the cross sections consistent)
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Included additional dimensions (For the cross sections and the elevation)
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Changed the scanned cross sections into black & white and adjusted the level
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Darkened the outlines of the cross sections drawings
M2 •
Added volume/depth to the water and made it translucent
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Adjusted some of the shapes (the bottom of the island)
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Created more dimension/depth on some of the flat areas (the orange steps between the ponds, the edges of the ponds)
M3 •
Took additional photos
M4 •
Remade the notation diagram
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Made the directions of the arrows more uniform
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Took out notations that are less important in the story
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Focused on the line weights of the new diagram (thicker lines for the cross-sections, no outline for the notations to distinguish them from the structure of the quad)
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Made the two scenes slightly brighter
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Added textures and language & symbols on the signboards in scene 1
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Added smoke and lights to the top of the capitals to create atmosphere (scene 1)
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