Texture Me, Baby!

WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT TEXTURE? 
Texture is the most amazing counterpart in design as it can be applied to any surface of objects, buildings, materials etc....Did you realize that everything we own has its own unique texture? When it comes to texture, I have the urge to try out with various materials, leaning more towards the organic elements, such as leaves, pasta, wood, candy, rice, paper etc...And it is one that i enjoy working with because when it comes to texture, there are some many ways to work around it such as, MATERIALS, FUNCTION, AESTHETICS, CHOOSING A DESIGN etc. Basically I like the experimentation & this is when you can just allow your creativity to flow. For texture projects, I believe, the crazier it is, the more unique. 

********************************
Here are some textures that we often see around us and we should be sensitive about, as textures play an important role in invoking emotions within us...Let's start with HARD TEXTURE. 

METAL TEXTURE

(A)

(B)

Metal may be a useful material for industries and irreplaceable most of the time but, when it comes to texture, what does it make you feel? (A) is rougher in terms of texture compared to (B), however the feelings that it invokes within you are similar. For me, when I see metal, it feels cold, dull and somewhat mechanic. Metal reminds me of the Industrial Revolution era and the machinery that we often see in war movies. In other words, it doesn't invoke any optimism within me when it comes to metal, although it is a sturdy, solid element of the Earth. 

STONE/GRANITE TEXTURE

Rocky textures are beautiful to look at, but without even touching it, it can invoke a response so strong such as you wouldn't want to touch it in fear of scraping your skin or hurting your palm due to its roughness and sharp corners. It is rough and sometimes can make people uncomfortable, at the same time it can make people feel surrounded by nature as granite/rocks/stones are part of mother nature. 

Hard/Sharp texture can be considered 'dangerous' and often invoke a more negative response within us. 

SOFT TEXTURE

SMOOTH TEXTURE

For both Soft & Smooth Texture, it often brings out optimistic, happy & positive emotions withing a person. Soft like a towel, makes you feel comfortable and safe. Velvety like petals may make one feel romantic. Smooth glass gives an air of sophistication, elegance and perhaps confidence. Where as, smooth cheese tells a person that it is SAFE to eat. =D 

Now, you can see that texture plays quite a fat emotional role to us and it surrounds us everyday. For this last 2D Design assignment, we were required to create a functional textured object, mainly focusing on the texture. Our group has decided to base it upon natural elements and materials to give it an air of rawness & of course natural. We have decided to create a series of lamp shades for various mood settings & the materials utilized are tissue paper (different thickness & softness), natural yarn, paper clay, hot glue gun, potpourri, withered roses, bubble wrap, bamboo sticks & processed wood paper. There are four kinds of lampshades, starting from dim to brightest. 

Japanese Lantern Lampshade 

Potpourri Silhouette Lampshade

RedWood Roses Lampshade

The last installment of the series is called, 'Crystal Diamond Lampshade' but, currently the image is unavailable. (COMING SOON!)

For the base, the lamp stand, we have reused a wine bottle and wrapped it with paper clay. The exterior of the lamp stand is textured with only fingernails & thumbprints of each group member. The upper part looks similar to the scales of a dragon's torso. Our lamp shades are based upon hand-made paper concept and it the textures made were repetitive, had similar elements and the overall shapes moved from inorganic to organic. The four lampshades are transitioning from hard edge square box ---> organic cylinder ---> curvy organic ---> chaotic aesthetic element. In other words, the design changes from rigid to disorder. The concept behind the lampshades is, apart from the 'natural' it also shows that you don't need a fancy, high-end, factory made lamp to decorate your home or etc. In fact, just using materials in your home is enough to create your own lamp, without even denting your pocket. =) 

For this assignment, it is crucial to note that light plays an important role in bringing out the texture as well. Although i don't have a picture of it but, when switched on, the textures cast a rather amazing glow on the walls, such as making the cabinet look woody, while in fact it does not when you switch off the lights. Also, it casts a biological image such as :

So, this is all from me for year 2012-2013! Thanks for reading! =)