FODR Portfolio Tony Cheung (913682)

Foundations of Design : Representation, Sem 1, 2017 PORTFOLIO Tony Cheung

913682 Studio 10 - Anneke Prins

MEASURED DRAWING OF A CROISSANT

How to measure a Croissant?

The croissant drawing was a great introduction to technical drawing and using drawing tools to aid in this field. While I’ve previously learnt the technical skills from high school, the concept and importance of line weights was new to me.

Now I’ve learnt how to be comfortable using an array of different pencil shades, fineliner thicknesses and set squares, and to go further than just basic croissants.

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NEW MARIO WORLD

The making of a new Mario world.

The Mario world was a jump from hand drawing techniques and into the digital realm. Mario has always been a part of my childhood, and I’ve always loved the characters and creatures that bring the world to life. So, in my recreation of the Mario world, I’ve composed a neat and tidy domain with a focal point on all the characters scattered around the place. I’ve made use of gradients so that the spaces, hidden and exposed, still stand out.

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Pencil Progress 1. Mario templates were set at 45 degrees, then projected onto the tracing paper with pencil.

Pencil Progress 2. First draft of pencil lines finished, projected from both sides of Mario templates.

Fineliner Progress 1. Beginning to trace over pencil lines using a 0.2 mm fineliner. Here the lines start to stand out.

Basic line weights for the Mario world, following the axonometric 45-degree conventions.

Characters are created and refined later, with Adobe Illustrator. Lines are traced over

Fineliner Progress 2. Finished fineliner drawing. Later will be retraced digitally. Characters will be added later.

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PAPER LANDSCAPE

The making of new landscape My paper model was constructed by several threedimensional patterns, which are inspired by the mesmerizing coral plants found in the Great Barrier Reef. To make distinctions between surface and pattern, I’ve created a ‘double pyramid’ pattern juxtaposed with flat triangles in the same square, so that the three-dimensional and twodimensional aspects differ. I feel that it is quite successful, and it also blends areas across the landscape so that there aren’t as many ‘hard-cuts’ or divisions between dimensions.

The blending between the three-dimensional and the two-dimensional

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Horizontal view across the landscape, with a coral reef-like appearance

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Basic Building Blocks. Creating four distinct square patterns to be used in the model, made from cutting projected pyramids at the top.

10x10 Grid of Plane. Grid plan laid out on top of provided plane. Second grid projected upwards to create height.

3D Panel. Following the curvature of the plane, patterns flow to mimick the topography of the plane.

Along with many others, my model was hung up for the FoD:R exhibition at the end of the semester.

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Completed Landscape. Individual squares were removed and replaced with a flat surface. Roughly half the surface area is flat and the other as three dimensional.

INVISIBLE CITY

CITIES & EYES 3: BAUCIS Cities & Eyes 3: Baucis My city was based on two divisions: the sky and the ground.

I separated my two perspectives to represent each one with their own distinct relation to the Baucis extract. I wanted to champion the ground, which is barren in nature and foliage, and contrast it with the airy, obscured city in the clouds.

My interpretation swings towards a city hanging in the sky, which is reflected by the imagery scattered among the perspectives. Essentially, I tried to map out Marco Polo’s first impressions, and represent his feelings more symbolically and abstract rather than in literal objects.

Key 1st View 2nd View Steps Darkness Light Long wait Gaze 0

1m

2.5m

5m

Elevation

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This scene references the initial sighting of the ground. The top arches are covered in clouds, hinting that the obscured city is stilll present wherever you go.

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This scene explores the atmospheric expanse of the cloud city. The angle is projected to be more open, spacious and free, just like a cloud, with more vertical components.

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REFLECTION

I felt that throughout the semester, the lectures were more about teaching the principles and applying these ideas to the four projects. The core concepts (Flatness vs Projection, Pattern vs Surface, Frame vs Field) including the supplementary readings, questioned what I previously thought about representation. For example, comparing flatness (perspective) with projection, I originally thought that perspective was the ideal medium for representing the real world, when in fact, there are limitations to its static, singleeyed nature. From an architectural design standpoint, I’ve learnt that it is important to always question and consider the principles behind why and how we make decisions with our work, and whether there are alternatives to tackle the problems with a different approach.

While each module was stimulating with distinct methods between each (hand drawing, vector-based digital, physical & digital 3D models, and pixel-based digital), I’ve learnt to be comfortable with any method and to identify when each are the most suitable for the given task. Of course, I’ve only scratched the surface of what these methods can achieve, and I will continue to refine what I’ve learnt this semester, and to experiment in my own time as well.

I felt that my second module (Mario World) was not up to par with the standard I was capable of producing. Some areas of the drawing felt quite flat or sparse, and the colours that I selected weren’t matching as well as I originally thought.

I’ve made several amendments to improve, such as adding in gradients to the block surfaces and altering the contrasts and saturation of the colour schemes. I feel that the overall composition holds together much more easily now and resolves most of the aforementioned issues.

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