During the Christmas Holiday
Vessel Project
About the vessel project, I changed my main idea and redo the research.
I investigated my roommates Chloe and I got knew about she was worried the pencils would dirty her pencil bag. So I made a research about what kinds of materials and colors won’t be dirtied by pencils.
Then I noticed that when the pencil beats the ceramic vessel. There was a terrible voice on the surface. So I also research the materials to reduce that voice.
Finally I chose chipboard and plank to cover the vessels.
Child Project
In this project, I made more researches about how to attract children’s eyes.
For example, children like bright colors, caricature pictures and funny styles.
Then I made some simple drawing to act the pictures in cartoon. I thought it would catch children’s eyes.
Children like play. So my idea is to let children learn something through playing. Also let parents or friend to join in. To train their sociability.That’s what I thought on children Project
03/12
Today I made a research in V&A Toys Museum. I sew some toys which has a long history such as the toy house in 1800s. I saw some delicate toy kitchen, toy tea sets, model houses and other toys that didn’t fit my research on food and drink. Although those toys are old fashion that no one would play them. But I can feel the designers working hard on them from the every details. The tiny pots, the chairs or the dishes, even though they are tiny but the toy maker express so amazing detail such as we can see the screws in the 5-centimeter wide pot. I through that was amazing visit and I learnt a lot about the history of the toys, in the different culture and different country.
From this visit, I learnt a lot. For example. here are some toys of model kitchens and cookers. Some of the cooker are tiny but delicacy. Some of the toys has a long history and were collected in different culture circles. But they are highly similar. Maybe that means wherever they are, always some of the children like house playing. So that in different history and in different culture, there always have the requirements on model houses, kitchen and cooker. Because children like through playing them, to feeling of playing host to friends. As we can see, it’s a traditional games for children no matter when and no matter where they are.
The second part of the host playing, I highly chose the children tea time on the secondary research for Food and Drink. Just I wrote on my primary research, children like host playing no matter where and when they are. My secondary research was further prove my opinion. We can see there are five different styles of tea pot from the earliest 1889 to the latest 1988. Some are made of ceramic or silver and some are plastic. Some are in Europe or English Country and some are collected in East Asia.
16/11
Today we made a research on all of the given items. I chose pencil to my vessel project. Pencils have a long history in the world. And have several types and different features. I thought pencils are one of the most creative tools to draw. It is easy to write and easy to change the size of the thickness by sharpener. It is also easy to redo by eraser. Even through now we have electric devices, I still think pencils are the most efficient tools.
After we chosen the project. We made a distinguish of several pictures, we divide them into Every Day (Low Value), Luxury(High Value), Contemporary and Traditional. Then we had a debate on where to place some pictures. Such as talking about sushi, Our Japanese classmate think it’s Everyday, but we thought it was Luxury because we don’t eat sushi everyday but he do. So that’s the difference between in every culture. And even through different people in same country, their habits are different too. So we can not have the only one answer for so many picture, but we can express our opinions. I thought that’s the meaning of the process, not finding the key.
Afternoon we have a tutorial on ceramic knowledge. We learnt about how to make the models and the process to make a fine ceramic. That’s interesting and meaningful process.
Utility Project 3D Outcome
For the utility project, I made a microphone set for my client Zijin Ling. She loves singing, and she once bought a professional microphone. But the cannot using it properly because her room is so tiny that there was no microphone set for her. So I designed a microphone set for her which is fit for her room by setting on the table easily.
04/01 Vessel Project 3D Outcome
Today is our vessel project’s deadline. I designed two vessels. They’re for artists, students or designers. One is functional and the other one is more like decorative.I researched the voice about beating the vessel by pencils. And I chose chipboard and plank to reduce the voice.
The decorative one has a hexagonal shapes. The pencils would be stand in the six corners, consumers could directly choose which corner should the pencil set. It’s to simplify the way to select the pencils and recognize them. And after stick with chipboard. The terrible voice would be reduced. I used chipboard because this kind of material is stretchy and has a tint color to fit the ceramic color. And its soft feature is fit for the round edge.
The functional one I use two ceramic containers to stick with. Both of the containers are in the same diameter but one is longer than the other. The longer one is main to contain the pencils and the other one is to contain such as eraser, pins or other stationeries. Also, to reduce the terrible voice, I chose plank because plank is a thick materials to give consumers the massive feeling.
And if I make the vessels again, maybe I would choose other color, try to make a colorful series. Otherwise I would consider about the different shapes of the model.
More function such as make a simple drawer to make the pencils and the container completely clearer.
04/12
Today we have a secondary research. I was required to research Tummy Ache. A card toy for 3-10 years old kids. It’s an educational toys because it can teach children through playing the game. It’s for minimum two people to maximum four people. It’s card games actually. It has dish cards, drink cards and dessert cards inside. Children need to choose card for meal in the game. Also there are some wrong card choices because some of the cards drawn bugs on it. When children choose them, parents can teach them that would cause tummy ache so that let children know what can eat and what can not eat.
From the material, the cards are made of paper card, the edges are round to prevent children from cutting by themselves. The pictures are drown funny and has bright color to attract them. The cards has several choices to teach kids keep balance on eating.
Above of all, it a interesting toy for teaching children to judge what can eat, or let the children play together for social.
I know to make a product, we should think about carefully who to use? How to use? Also to think about more details such as the useful functions, the materials. That’s necessary for a designer.
30/11
To combine with another material, I referenced John McQueen, I love his weaving way and these crazy works. I chose metal wires, weaving like that way, to decorate it. And screw four wires into a rope, to make the handle of the long container. Also I use wires rope on the tiny container to make a spiral to hold the pencil.
Actually I made several things but others are broken or disappointing to my thought. One of the vessel, I made a a handle but that’s so similar to a tea cup. After being fired, the vessel didn’t keep a smooth surface. Also one of the other vessel, it was slide down and had a funny crack after being fired. So they’re unluckily failed, last five of vessels. In addition, The other three of container are so tiny that cannot hold the pencil, failed too. Finally last two vessels. Those the pictures are. I clearly realized the hardness of making ceramic, because there are so many unknown situation that we can not notice. On pouring, on shaping, on firing, on decorating. If they are broken, or has a seriously crack, we can’t go back it just failed. The only way is to make several vessels to make sure others not all of the vessels are failed. Maybe my experience was not enough to reduce the mistakes, that’s why we need to have study. Even though I had studied Chinese Yixing Tea pot for about one month, that’s still not enough because not only I think they’re quiet different but also I think had one month experience is not a really something. I know some of the ceramic maker, they have more than five years experience on making ceramic. They’re really master on it and love his work from their heart. Still, we have lot of things to learn, That’s not enough I think.
21/11-23/11
We have a three-days experience on making ceramic. To further my pencil vessel project, I made several pencil containers. Although we have had the tutorial before, we still met some problems in the process on making. Too wet into mud, too dry to shape. Sometime it had crack, sometimes it cannot joint the parts. How to save them? Through these days I have learnt a lot on making ceramic.
I made a long container and several tiny container. The biggest one I prepared to decorate a basket on it. Others container was tiny so that they could contain only one pencil for one container. It can make the pencil stand so that make it easy to pick it again.
The long container I made is to hold more than one pencil, and I prepare to make a handle to carry out. The idea is to fit the painter, or designer, to carry their pencils easier in their work place.
The tiny container is for one or three pencils. It’s for the designer to stand their pencil for a while to change pencil when they are working.