my drawing device

The phrase 'drawing drawing' really stuck with me from Stephen Farthing's original lecture a few weeks back. So, thinking about this idea of 'drawing' a drawing, for this weeks 'drawing machine' task, I decided to try and make a device that records the act of a person drawing! Here are my results in video form. I tested several different media with my device, which ended up being a simple structure that strapped on around the wrist using a length of elastic and a clothes peg to hold the drawing media in place. I think it's an interesting way to capture the movements that a person makes while sketching, and it is almost like a translation of the drawing that is intentionally being made-- all the marks created  by the 'device' are essentially a by-product to the drawing that the wearer is actually choosing to make with their hand. The outcome is a record of the wearer's own individual style of drawing. It captures the physical movements that were made by the hand/wrist while the wearer was focusing on drawing their intended image above. 

I hope you enjoy the little video! It contains stills/pans over the outcome drawings (but I'll post images below, too). This is one of my first times at piecing together a video, so that was a fun little extra learning challenge in itself! Here we go:

It would be interesting to develop this idea further by asking different people to test out the device, to see how each persons individual drawing style is recorded by the device. I would imagine that each trait that is natural and instinctive to our individual method of sketching- eg- the angle a person holds their pen at, the speed and force of their marks, the amount of detail/tone, ect, that they choose to include, would all affect the outcome of the device's corresponding drawing.

Perhaps a device like this could help someone analyse their own individual drawing style, through looking at the drawing the device makes of their drawing. I found that even as I used it in these simple experiments, I became more aware and conscious of my own drawing style. I noticed that I tend to pause briefly, and then make a series of marks/shapes in quick succession, before pausing and repeating the process again. The device leads to self-awareness in sketching!

drawing machine research

So the task for our next session is to make a 'drawing machine/device'! It's got to be something that produces a drawing aside from the conventional method of putting pen to paper by hand.

It seems that we, the students of this sketch innovation module, are not the only ones attempting to create devices that create drawings for us. I found this drawing machine on Dezeen magazine's website, which is a simple wind up toy produced by the company, 'All Lovely Stuff' (see http://www.dezeen.com/2012/12/22/drawing-machine-wind-up-toy-by-all-lovely-stuff//). It uses easy to find objects- a clothes peg, cotton reel, felt tip, and rubber band- which are assembled together and then make drawings when the cotton reel is wound up, and let go.

As I continued my research, I got very excited by stumbling across the work of Echo Yang.
You can find her website here. (it's worth a look!)
Yang is fascinated with digital technologies that now allow designers to be driven by computer processes to produce outcomes that aren't completely planned or expected. Rather than having in mind exactly how the end design will look, many users of digital technologies play around with machines, algorithms and software to generate automated responses. However, Yang wanted to apply this 'automated' approach to old analogue technologies. She undertook a series of experiments with various analogue objects that are now considered as 'old technology', using them as implements to draw with. Rather than creating her own algorithms with state of the art technologies, her work exposes and depicts the inner rhythms, functions and workings of old technologies.

Alarm clock and pen drawing 

Handmixer filled with watercolour 

nodding bird drawing (with the help of a cotton bud and paint)

Hoover and ink drawing

I really like how Yang has almost hijacked objects to expose how they work, by using them to create drawings of the functions that they normally would perform. The results are really beautiful, and I think they serve as a great reminder of the wonder of all the objects and world that we take for granted and overlook around us....when really, even the most mundane, day to day objects can produce fabulous things, if we can only see them differently!

I am feeling very inspired. I like this idea of 'drawing' processes that usually go unnoticed, or unrecorded. It would be interesting to experiment with this within my practice in Textiles, perhaps creating some way to record my sewing/ironing/creative process as it happens....

For next session, I already have an idea for my drawing device that I'll present- but this is definitely an area with plenty of potential to explore and delve deeper into!

sketching together

Here's the other 2 drawings that follow on from my previous post!

The first is a 2 minute portrait of my very self, drawn by the student sitting next to me in class. I like the energy they captured in their pencil marks, and the addition of a bit of felt-tipped colour to highlight my flower headband and earrings. She apologised that she didn't get to finish my face, but I like the result....perhaps 'unfinishedness' is an aspect of innovation? - Knowing when to leave a piece incomplete, with the possibility of being worked into at a later date, or simply to place emphasis on what is present, through the absence of the missing details... I also think this drawing makes me look a bit like some kind of tribal princess, it's slightly Pocahontus-esqe. I have never been drawn in this way before, and I quite like it!

Secondly, this was my collaborative 'mapping' drawing of Chelsea, made with Katie in the medium of fine liners and coloured pencils. Looking at both of the maps we'd drawn individually (you can see mine at the end of the post below this), we realised that we had mapped in a similar way, both choosing to depict a birds eye view looking down over the college campus. So, with this shared perspective, we decided just to make our collaborative drawing simultaneously, both drawing on the paper at once, to see how it would turn out. We discussed the direction/orientation and scale very quickly, and then set to work. As Katie had previously been drawing in fine liner, she began marking out various buildings on our paper, and I naturally started adding details and colour with my coloured pencils. I was actually quite amazed at how smoothly and easily our collaboration worked- despite the fact that the paper was only A4 sized, our hands worked around each other as we drew rather than getting in each others way, and each time one of us rotated the paper, the other responded by simply working on a different section of the map. I enjoyed the pace of this collaborative drawing exercise, and I think it can be quite refreshing to co-draw/co-design with another.

A collaborative drawing of Chelsea with Katie.

It reminded me of a print workshop we had in our Textiles Practice at the start of term, where I was learning about flocking and foiling techniques with another 2 students in my group. To test out the techniques, we made a few samples together, with one person picking a screen, another person selecting fabric, and I layed the flock and foil papers out for us to print with. Our final print was a fun combination of each of the different elements we'd selected and brought together. I'd cut some squares of flocking paper up and placed them ontop of certain sections of the final layer of print, and the other 2 students laughed and said that they never would have thought to try that if they'd been designing individually. I think this example, alongside my collaborative sketch experiment with katie today, just shows how designing with other people can lead to 'innovation'- both in your approach of how you adapt your way of working to logistically accommodate another person in the process, and also result wise, as you have collective input that comes together to form something you couldn't or perhaps wouldn't produce alone.

sketching session!

So this week: down to some sketching!

We undertook a series of timed drawing experiments, where our tutor, Peter, directed us to a quick task, and then once we'd all done it, there was a chance to look around at other's work to see how we'd all responded differently...or quite similarly, in some cases! Thinking in terms of 'innovation' in sketch, it was great to see how we approached the different aspects of drawing, and what people's instinctive responses were. Also, the fact that each task had a brief time frame (eg- between 2 and 5 minutes), I found that it prevented my thoughts from getting in the way too much, and made me simply just react and DO. And sometimes, this is the best route to innovation- simply getting on and doing!

First up, we were handed a sheet of circles. I'd already started doodling flowers and faces onto it, so when we were told that the task was to turn the circles into circular things, at least that worked out ok! From left to right from the bottom row, I drew: a dreamcatcher, a drawing pin, a pizza (thanks for the idea Peter!), a bike wheel, a smiley face, a tennis ball, the sun, an apple, flowers! and a mug of tea. Then the minute was up. I found this interesting, as shape seems to literally 'shape' our understanding of many objects- for example, many people drew apples, wheels, the sun...it's as if we are all connected in our immediate collective association of these things due to their round shape.

Next, we were asked to draw a plan of our family home where we grew up. This idea of drawing from memory leads to 'innovation', as you have to try and create a visual record which is inextricably coloured by your own unique memory of that place- it is framed by emotion and experience. It's an 'innovation' based on personal feeling, rather than an exact record of the place. 

I didn't get time to finish the whole of the house because I got a bit carried away thinking about the garden, and trying to get the layout of our bedrooms upstairs right. When I was drawing the washing line, I found myself happily reminiscing about the way my brother and I used to drape sheets and blankets over it and turn it into our 'den'. I consider this sketch to be a personal reminder of resurfacing childhood memories. It made me realise- what is important about the house, is the memories each room holds. In this way, sketching seems to have the ability to help us recall and give meaning and value to memories. It can be a tool for exploring thoughts. 

Then we had a minute to draw the person next to us. Peter noted that this is often an 'awkward and embarrassing' exercise, as you don't generally get things quite right, and are afraid of offending your subject! Here is my drawing of Katie, who was sitting to my right. I found it was actually quite good to be under pressure to simply draw a person in this way. It reminds me of when I used to sketch people covertly on the bus...although sometimes they'd realise and get a bit creeped out! It's a good way to forget about the 'technicalities' of drawing, and rather draw to simply try and capture the essence or spirit of a person/thing. So although this isn't an amazing portrait, I hope I captured some of Katie's stillness and concentration- as she was also busy trying to draw the person next to her!

Next up, I sketched my journey to college. This immediately turned into a diagrammatic form, and I found I was pretty much just drawing my thinking process of each step of the way 'Oooh, it's time to go, out the door, down the corridor, press for the lift, out the main door, walk down the road to the tube station, onto the tube, off at pimlico, up those long escalators, walk the rest to college'. 

I enjoyed this sketch, because it was all about process, moving from one thing to another, as a way of explaining the whole. 

 After this, we had to draw a series of sounds that Pete played to us. I loved how instinctive this was. I'd brought along coloured pencils, and found myself being drawn to different colours as a way to 'record' each sound. 

-traffic - I used brown, on reflection, perhaps to convey a sense of pollution/fumes? The lines squiggled like the car engines revving.

 purple- a cat meowing. the noise seemed to come in cycles, which led me to drawing swirls

brown- a dog barking. It sounded violent and punchy, so I translated the bark as jagged lines.

red-a car skidding. There was a sense of loss of control with the screeching and skidding sounds, so red for danger seemed appropriate, and I let the pencil marks curve around to follow the sound of the wheels trying to get grip.

 black- footsteps. I made a dot for each step. The smaller dots represent half steps, and the spacing of the dots shows the speed between them.

grey- a whispy line to represent a haunting wind sound

blue- this was the sound of glass smashing. I made a mark with each tinkling noise, trying to evoke the sharpness and shattering.  

finally-

plum- a spooky musical tuned sound- each time the note went up/down, I moved the pencil accordingly

bronze- a bell chiming. I made a mark with each chime, which became squiggly at the end when it reverberated. 

So mostly, 'sketching' sounds was an exercise in mark-making. Our tutor then said it would be interesting to hand these marks to a musician and ask them to 'play' them back. I think this is a great start point for 'innovation' - using sketches to interpret a physical experience, which can then be explored in a huge variety of ways across many areas of practise...these marks could also make a good start point for a dance piece, or perhaps on an emotional level, as a way to connect with feelings.

Finally, we were tasked with sketching the college itself. This was another memory challenge! And you had to try and be aware of space and scale in order to fit everything on the page. Although my sketch just gives quite a basic overview from above, I think I managed to indicate most of the main buildings/features of the college!

 What a fun and varied week! From portraits to diagrams, and from plans to squiggles. I enjoyed playing around and experimenting with sketching with these different intentions. There is just one more drawing I need to upload from this session- but it's on the way!

All booked up - Part 2

So, in the first part of this post, I was reflecting on my own working style and sketchbook practise.
But now- onto what I saw and learned from others and THEIR books!

It felt like each person's book reflected their thinking processes- which figures, as in the first week we discussed about how a 'sketch' is a visual record of a thought/event/idea...so a sketchbook is basically just a whole flow of these recorded ideas! I loved seeing how some people worked in a very structured, ridged way, while others whacked anything and everything into their books, using them almost like a journal of their day.

After talking about my own work, I then had the pleasure of seeing Abi's.
Her book felt very personal, with lists and notes to herself scribbled on pages every so often. I particularly liked that this one was upside-down!

Then moving on to her project work, she seemed very comfortable developing ideas in her book, allowing collaged images and scribbles of colour to speak for themselves as visual triggers for other research, which she said is outside of her book on loose sheets.

 Her sampling definitely felt like it was being recorded for herself- with little annotations to act as a reminder of what she did/how many needles to use/specifics about techniques of the knitting. 

 There was definitely a sequential feel, as she then remade and developed certain samples, and then used drawing and photocopy collage to demonstrate how they could work as a full garment. The development of her ideas felt quite natural and organic- it seemed she recorded things in the moment, and it helped each new development to flow together well. 

 Next I looked at Lisa's book! I loved the energy to her work- things were clipped in, with little sketches added ontop in layers at places, which added to the sense of her ideas all tumbling out.

 There was really a feel of 'personal language' in her sketchbook journey- she seems to enjoy doodling and writing words that capture her emotion to express how she feels her work is going, alongside the actual work itself (as evidenced below in pink and orange highlighter!)

 Her style has quite a rapid feel to it, with research and experimentation taped in over various pages. I thought that this aligned quite nicely to the outcome of the particular project this book was documenting- she made some big wooden monsters to inhabit a land of her imagination- the bold, patched together presentation of her work mirrored this.

 In terms of a sketchbook being a 'place to play', I found this quite true of Lisa's work. 

On these pages, she drew Koalas...because, in her words, 'why not?!'

I think this is quite a delightful little interlude in the middle of her work. And why shouldn't sketchbooks have seemingly random parts to them- because it's often the random little things in day to day life that spark off inspiration for ideas, so it's great to see this so openly embraced within the sketchbook itself. (Although Lisa wasn't so sure when it actually came to letting us take a photo of them. But I love it!)

 It was wonderful seeing work from other disciplines, too. As a textiles student, I don't think I've ever really had a proper insight into the way graphics and ISD students work.

Here's 2 images from Nisha's book, who is studying interior spatial design. She said her book was mainly a way to think about process for her larger separate sheets of work. Her drawings were linear, and weren't worked into in any particular way, she tended to focus more on using her book as a notebook to write in.

 I asked her about the colour-coding of her notes, as there seemed to be some kind of system. She said she used the colours to show different levels of importance, and to categorise her thinking. Personally, I found this is quite a good idea. Although in textiles, it would probably be a good idea to select colours that won't interfere with the colour palette of the sample work itself!

Then I saw Sayaka's book from graphics. Thinking about sketchbooks being a tool to 'make sense' of things, I really got that feel from Sayaka's work, as when she showed it to us she said things like 'I don't know why I drew this at the time', or 'I was travelling and just felt like doodling this', and 'I started drawing this, and then it turned into this'...

 She was also a list writer!

 In relation to her area of study of graphics, you could sense that even the little doodles were all starting points for a graphic design that could be developed further. 

I was really fascinated by Winne's book from ISD, probably because she largely works in such a different way to myself! Rather than being bursting with samples and fabrics, Winnie's work had a calmness to it- things were measured and calculated, and had an air of precision. Obviously precision is important in textiles too, but even her experimentation felt architectural and structural- as this is the context that she is working to all the time. She seemed to be drawing to develop her understanding of space, which I suppose when you are designing for spaces, is quite a vital thing! I liked the way she drew in human figures also at points, as if the drawings are a way to imagine things to a full-size scale.

 In a separate book, Winnie also sketched simply to 'practise drawing', and I thought this was lovely. It let her personality shine through in a more individual way than her more technical book, and allowed her to develop ideas simply for fun, that could then feed into projects when relevant. It seems that whatever your field of art is, it's good to have a non-specific book simply for the purpose of play and enjoyment- for discovery, that could come in handy sometime in the future!

So, there's my round up of things observed and learnt through others. Mostly what I'll take away from today is a renewed enthusiasm for sketchbooks. I felt a slight sense of pride in presenting my book from my last project- looking back at it was a nice reminder of the journey I went on from the research to outcome. Our tutor, Peter, used the word 'cathartic'. And I think that looking back at your own work very much is. You realise that you didn't really know where your ideas would lead you...and following your own journey through the book, you follow how things developed and got released in a way that you never could have fully expected at the very start. It was great to hear other people talk about their work. And it was funny that things we each thought uninteresting/not worth showing, such as lists of things to do and materials to buy, or scribbly little sketches, were actually all very much appreciated by everyone whose work it wasn't, even though the owner thought it wasn't worth spending time over. To the outside eye, all process is interesting. We all like to see and understand. It motivates me to want to try and record my own processes and experimentation better, otherwise it can easily get lost in the flow of ideas, and people don't get to see everything you played around with on the journey!

What a long double post. Now I am officially all 'booked up'. So over and out for now!

All booked up

Today was a session filled with insight -- by the means of looking at each others books!

It was really nice to see the varying selection of books we'd all had a go at making- from Abi's wood-covered small flip books, to Hannah Straw's A4 size fluff-covered pad!

First up though: my books!
Here is a sneak peak of the pamphlet-style book I made after last week's introduction to book making techniques. I used my newly acquired bone-fold to crisply fold my pages into 'signatures' (ooh yeah, I was listening to the technical terms!), and then laid them precisely and carefully together inside the cover, which I cut slightly bigger, with the aim of neatly containing the pages. As I didn't have access to a long-handled stapler to join my book together, I attached a heavy duty needle to my sewing machine, and sewed down the middle instead! I'm quite pleased with the results. And on a side-note to myself: I think I might make a few for family Christmas presents!

the front- with a little decoration (as usual!) to jazz things up

 I managed to get quite a neat, even line of stitching on this I reckon -- result!

In the session, we each had 10 minutes to present our personal sketchbooks from current/previous project work in our course-specific areas. I took in my sketchbook from the last project of the summer term in 1st year. Funnily enough, I realised that in effect, I 'made' my own books for all my projects last year, even though I didn't really think of it that way at the time. I also realised that I tend to work in staggered way, using my sketchbooks for more certain, concrete ideas that I want to show to others/my tutor as my work progresses. I don't tend to work in a very rough way in my sketchbooks, just incase others get confused/misunderstand when they are looking at my work to try and understand my concepts. For research and planning stages, I tend to work on loose sheets that then get put in a file, or get chopped up and put into my sketchbook in a more organised way. This is the first time I've been properly aware that I don't just do my sketchbooks with myself in mind- I am normally always considering how what I do will help others understand my ideas, too, to some extent. 

The cover of my last project sketchbook- a print out of one of my print designs, stuck onto the outside of the inner pages.

 A 'perfect bind'- I didn't know that's what it was called at the time when I did it...but I do now!

 I included photos at the very start to contextulise the work that followed work- this project was an installation, and I was aiming to make it for the local bus stop

 initial drawings/doodles, that I constructed into 3d paper flower models

 I never realised before how interactive my books can end up! Here everyone in my group that I was showing the book to thought it was fun/funny to have parts that pulled out/extended- like a book within a book. I think my work can be quite narrative- I like to show the different processes as little stories to follow that slot in place within the bigger narrative of the progression of the project.

 rougher pages that showed how my pint designs developed- included more in terms of assessment, for my tutor to see how I arrived at my print collection outcome. 

 my pages towards the end of my sketchbook work seem to get less busy/neater in line with my ideas being finalised and realised. This is also an interesting observation about using sketchbooks- there seems to be a natural ebb and flow within the energy of it's structure, with any parts that show development being quite full and varied, yet the initial outline and final ending are much more paired down. 

So I found this week very interesting in terms of a deeper, conscious self-realisation of the way I myself work. In part two of this post, I'll upload my pictures/realisations that came from looking at others work this week! 

a simple book

So, without further ado, in today's session we discovered how to make our first little book!
I say 'discovered', because although the very paper we were given to make the book had the instructions of how to put it all together printed on it (pretty nifty concept in my opinion), some slightly skewed photocopying/enlarging meant that a little trial, error and adjustment was needed to come up with the final result. But hey, that's all part of the fun, isn't it!

The instruction sheet/book pages:

my pile of neatly folded pages. thorough folding= crisp results!

'taping' the joins of my book pages together with cut up strips of stickers, as cellotape had been missed off the list of materials needed! But perhaps this was purposeful...? After all, it forced us all to 'innovate' new ways to get round this step....hm! Innovation comes out of needing alternative, new solutions sometimes, it seems!

This is a concertina/french fold book. Here you can see the structure of the folds, just before I attached the cover to the pages. We discussed how the expanding shape of the book almost makes it object-like - it isn't simply a flat surface, it can be manipulated and played around with, and has interest and significance in it's own right, even if the pages were blank...

 My first finished book of the module! (plus additional sticker reminding people to smile!)

 I think it was a good point that Pete, our tutor, raised about the books becoming objects themselves. I think that investing the time in actually making a book for yourself allows the journey/thought processes of a project begin before you even begin to physically work into the pages. In my current project in textiles, I'm exploring the bonding and joining of plastics with a view to creating jewellery pieces. If I was re-creating my sketchbook for that project, I'd give it plastic cover...that way I'd always have a plastic surface that I could quickly test/scribble/try fusing things onto- the outside of the book itself could be a site for experimentation.

It feels like an exciting world to be diving into. We watched a few videos about book binding in this session, too, and suddenly even techniques such as hard-backing and coptic stitching seem accessible. It's actually quite odd to think of how detached many people are from the process of how books are made, in light of the fact that we are mostly just used to purchasing a ready-to-use version from a shop. It's nice to feel connected into the art of making these containers for art, ourselves! And also...if making my own books saves a bit of money in the long run- nothing to complain about there, either!

ps- now I know what a bone fold is, and how to use it! I feel like I have attained a special realm of new knowledge :)