Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Spring 2011.Week 1.Updates

The spring semester is upon us, and I couldn't be more excited. I have a wonderful class line-up this semester and I think I can make big things happen.

Casting-
Last class we went over the introductory stuff really, I can't wait to get my hands into this! Next class we will be working on cuttlefish bone molds. I did some research on them and they seem to be pretty interesting. Apparently they originated in the Mediteranian somewhere in the 1st or 2nd century and was perfected in the 6th and 7th century. From there, it appears that this technigue was found all over Europe going as far as Germany where some 4th century belt buckles were found that showed distinct signs of cuttlebone mold markings. The cuttlebone itself is the hard bone found in the head area of the Cuttlefish which is a type of squid and apparently a delicacy in Italy (especially their ink which is used as a type of sauce for pasta!). The cuttlebone technique is one of the simpliest casting techniques out there and I am excited to try it out next class.


We also got a project, that was posted on the blackboard site, we haven't gone over it yet but, I have read it over and I am doing some preliminary thinking. It is to created a series of wax models, one symmetrical one asymmetrical, that go from the skeleton to the skin of the model. I instantly thought of buildings, animals, plants, organs, and finally settled on some of Da Vinci's really cool "grotesques" and anatomical facial studies. I figured those are very symmetrical (the face) and easy to research from the skeleton (literally) to the skin. For the skin I was thinking it didnt have to stop with the actual skin but it could go as far as clothing ect. I started just to make some really simple clay models and I made this little guy. He has a face only a Momma could love, but I adore him.

Rapid Prototyping-
I did some small prototypes to test sample work and sent them off to CloudRP on monday and I should get them back pretty soon so I can decide which sample I like best to order all of the materials in. I also have been working on my Research Grant Proposal all week. There are a lot of books on rapid prototyping, but most of them are very scientific. There are not many "design" related books on rapid prototyping, so it is hard to show that I'm "knowledgable" on the research that is out there. Don't get me wrong, I have spent all winter looking at books, but everything I have found is just limited.  I will keep working on it throughout the week and hopefully something comes to me. I would really like to get the funding for the test samples for the studio. I think that would really benefit everyone.