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. 

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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! =) 

BATIK & History

Batik is a beautiful timeless piece of creation that is visually pleasant to the eye as it involves plenty of vivid colours and imagery. On the 27th November, our FID students went for an excursion to the heart of Kuala Lumpur, to a part factory;part merchandise shop called, 'Jadi Batek'. For one of our 2-Dimensional Design assignments, we were required to create our very own batik. All materials were supplied for and it was an amazing experience. Before I describe more about what we have done, let's take a walk through history...

HISTORY OF MALAYSIAN BATIK

2000 years ago in the Middle East, India and Central Asia, batik has been independently developed by these nations. Batik has reached its greatest achievement in Indonesia, (The Island of Java). Although the origins are not easy to trace, it is apparent that batik has reached Malaysia through trade exchanges as the earlier batik of Malaysia were heavily inspired by Javanese designs. The earliest stage of batik was done by using wooden blocks carved with motifs. This technique is known as 'batik chop'. 'Batik tulis' came about later in Malaysia and it was quite new back then, encouraging the artists to draw with their free hand. At that time, commerical production of batik began. Malaysian batik has plenty of visuals  

influenced by Islamic values such as having flora and fauna motifs as well as certain Islamic quotes. If comparing Malaysian and Indonesian batik, our motifs are bigger and less refined. Apart from the previous techniques, there is also 'Batik Canting' and 'Batik Celup'. Here are a few examples of batik that uses different techniques:

BATIK CHOP

http://blog.batiks.com/?page_id=1042

http://fairweatherprints.com/product/standing-raven-quilt-block-on-blue-chop-batik/

BATIK TULIS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Batik_Tulis.jpg

http://mirahbiru4batikmadura.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/batik-madura-motif-bunga/sb6001/

BATIK CANTING

http://java.eyelid.co.uk/batik.html

                                

                                  http://wawamagic.blogspot.com/


                  BATIK CELUP                                          

http://zuraidashafiei.blogspot.com/2009/11/batik-pelangi-teknik-ikat-dan-celup.html


The Batik technique that we have applied for our batik design that day was 'Batik Canting'. The staff at Jadi Batek had prepared a big piece of cloth in which they had sectioned off for everyone. Firstly, we have to use the canting, a tool that we constantly refill with very HOT wax to outline our design, either using an example or from your own mind. Before painting, the outline must be complete in the sense that it should not have a broken line.
 (** to prevent the ink from spreading later)

After that, you are free to colour the design anyhow you wish, but, to ensure that your design is nice, don't be shy to experiment with the different colours and various tones! Also, rememeber to add the shadows, as it will make your design stand out more! =) Here is my batik design :


This design is based upon a red-eyed tree frog. This particular frog is aplenty in South and North America and often are they used as an icon to promote the good cause of saving the world's rainforest. Although they are not endangered species, their habitat is fast dwindling.



In my opinion, they are beautiful amphibians. The amazing fact about this frog is their red eyes. In order to protect themselves from enemies, they utilize their big red eyes to startle their enemies, giving them that momentary pause to leap to safety. This technique is known as ' startle coloration'. Apart from their eyes, their vivid green bodies give them the advantage to shock their enemies (similar to a situation whereby in the dark, we see nothing but, once a bright light is switched on, it will give us a momentary pause to allow our eyes to adapt) because of the bright colours. Most of their enemies are nocturnal ,that is why their green bodies are handy defenses.

The reason I chose this design is because I like frogs myself and apparently since Malaysia is abundant with rainforest (coming from one of the biggest rainforest state myself) itself. I believe that the colours i have used blend well together and it makes me feel very calm and peaceful. All in all, batik was a fun and enjoying experience. However, it is a form of traditional art that only gets better after time & practice!practice!practice! The more intricate, the more expensive and amazing it is. But, if you are a beginner and you literally Suck at painting or art, then batik is just the right art for you as it is easy and direct. 

References:

- National Geographic. (2013). Red Eyed Tree Frog. Retrieved from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/red-eyed-tree-frog/

- ArticleBiz. (2013). History of Batik Malaysia. Retrieved from http://www.articlebiz.com/article/68776-1-history-of-batik-malaysia/

- The Batik Guild. (2013). History of Batik. Retrieved from http://www.batikguild.org.uk/history.asp

SILHOUETTE

A Continuation from my previous movie review, here's the final outcome of my Silhouette project! =D 

THEME : (Loosely based upon Silent Hill series) Encountering unseen enemies while in a ghost town.

I had this setting picked out to depict the drab scenery that I have watched in Silent Hill 1 & 2. Revelation which was the movie I reviewed about in the previous post has the strongest influence on my grayscale silhouette as the movie consisted mostly settings shot during the night, especially towards the ending. Even daytime in Silent Hill is dreary. I chose the nurse and pyramid head as my inspiration as they appear to be instinctively the antagonist, as they kill without remorse. The footprints that you see suggests an apparition who follows the wandering man in the background. Based upon Silent Hill, this is what I interpreted from the story, that once a person enters this ghost town, you are going to encounter enemies that you didn't even know exist, or the fact that you didn't know that THEY KNEW you were there, even before YOU KNEW they were there. 

MORAL OF THE STORY : Always be cautious, watch your back & it's better to know some self-defence/be smart in your actions. 

Now, here's how I did this Silhouette piece. I wished I had pictures for you to see but, getting so caught up in creating this artwork made me forget my camera. But, let me at least explain through a rough squiggle sketch. =) 

 STEP 1 :  Sketching out my idea by finding the perspective point and filling in the empty spaces.

 STEP 2 : Coloring the white spaces with black permanent ink. 

STEP 3 : Coloring the sky with monochromatic poster colors.

That's All For Now Folks! This Assignment Will End the First Half of the 2nd Semester...Look Forward for more after the 19th! =D HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Tes-sel-la-tion

the big HOO-HA about??

http://www.tessellations.org/tess-symmetry6.shtml

I am a big fan of patterns and abstract designs as I believe that these patterns are what catches the viewers eyes easily. Patterns are often around us to the point where many people take it for granted (their existence)   that they don't appreciate its value anymore but, did you know that patterns are more than just that?? A simple pattern can be fit perfectly together like 'doin the math' that it doesn't make it JUST a pattern anymore, in fact this takes patterns and math to a whole new level, that is = TESSELLATION  Before I disclose more about this new project, I just want to stress how I really love patterns because I believe that for everyone, there is a special pattern FOR each person and in a way it will be theirs alone or rather the patterns they select represent/portray their characteristics through the images, colors & alignment of patterns. There is a wide variety of patterns that its never ending and it will never get boring once the designer knows how to manipulate them to catch the audience's eye. In other words, for a pattern that one viewer doesn't like, there will be another viewer out there who will appreciate that particular pattern.

Let’s Help You To Know More...

PEGASUS TESSELLATION

                             

     http://margaretbearden.com/euharlee/blog/2011/11/05/math-e-magical-tessellations-by-m-c-escher/

8 HEADS TESSELLATION
http://www.tessellations.org/tess-escher4.htm

ESCHER TESSELATION
http://m-c-escher-style.deviantart.com/art/Escher-Tessellation-117065286

HOW BOUT SOME SUGAR, LOV€??

For this project, we are required to incorporate GESTALT PRINCIPLES into our tessellation, and to be honest, it can prove to be challenging at some point. You see Tessellation techniques have a few characteristics that make it unique. If you noticed, tessellations do not have GAPS, OVERLAPS and are SYMMETRICAL. Some have the sense of DYNAMIC/STATIC principles. Although, after doing this project, I realized that even though we were required to individualise the Gestalt Principles into our tessellations, I realize that we can’t do that all the way, because a good tessellation would require a combination of the GP in order to make it look more creative and interesting.  

So, Here's My Version of Tessellations Based Upon Gestalt Principles....

A) Figure & Ground
Object : Insects

B) CLOSURE

Object : Lemon Slices

C) ALIGNMENT
Object: People

D) PROXIMITY

Object : Shoes

E) SIMILARITY

Object : ROUGH (based on senses)

- Diamonds

F) CONTINUITY 

Object : Elevator

Gestalt In A New Light (Group Project)

A Man Who Doesn't Know What Gestalt Is/Are, Is A Failure As A Designer...

Founded by the Germans, (Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka.) Gestalt Principles a.k.a "Law of Simplicity" helps the human eye to perceive complex visual which consists of many groups of elements in the background as a whole. The word Gestalt itself means 'shape' or 'form' in German. It's psychological term means 'unified whole'.

For this latest project, my group members and I were required to portray our understanding of Gestalt Principles in a video format. But, before we show you the video, let us give you a hindsight about what we've learnt and incorporated into our video...

From : http://yusylvia.wordpress.com/

The main principle that is easy to understand is none other than FIGURE & GROUND.  Interesting as it is, the human eye naturally perceives the silhouette or form as figure, while ground is the area surrounding it. To make things easier, here's what it means: 

Look at the picture above. Can you tell which is the figure/ground? Well, the two ladies & the grass is the figure while the blue sky behind is the ground.

From : http://kevinlai2208.blogspot.com/2011/10/assignment-6-visual-analysis.html

From : http://jour273.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/harden-post-3-gestalt-principles/

These posters applies the Figure/Ground concept as well. As you can see, this principle is widely used in a majority of designs and it's almost commonplace but, at the same time it will never be boring to look at. Next time, look around you and you will find that this principle is applied in your everyday life. EX : posters, signs, book covers, parking areas etc...

Next Stop, CLOSURE. This principle is particularly interesting too because it reveals how our mind perceives images that are incomplete. At the same time, just by seeing a section/part of the image and your mind is able to complete it. This is what I mean.

From : http://www.ehow.com/info_8638378_gestalt-laws-invariance.html

Even without seeing the full-picture, you know what it is right? It's a dog, or rather a puppy. That's what it means by Closure. Your mind is completing the image for you because it's something that you have encountered before.

From: http://megaskywalker.blogspot.com/2011/02/gestalts-theory.html

Now this image below, combine both Figure & Ground and Closure Principle. 

The White 'MSSNG' Word is the Figure while the Dark Turquoise Background is the Ground. On the other hand, 'MSSNG' itself is using Closure Principle. Why? Because your mind automatically interprets it as 'Missing', with the I's intact, when obviously it isn't. 

Then, we have Proximity. This principle happens when several (similar) elements are placed close together and at one glance, your eyes perceive it as a group. 

From : http://brendoissavvy.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/gestalt-principles/

Realize how the artist has used proximity to create the form of a woman by using  the shapes of birds? They are placed close together but not exactly touching in other to create that sense of proximity. 

From : http://bcmontgomerydesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/2-gestalt-principles.html

This painting also has a sense of proximity by using only dots of paint to create the image you see. 

Another Gestalt Principle is...Similarity. Well, what can we say about this? It's just as it means with the elements being repeated in the same fashion that people perceive them as a group/pattern.

 From : http://itsjadecarmenliang.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/gestalts-principles-similarity/

See the Similarity? 

This Similarity Principle Would Be Easier To Understand. You can see the repetition of circles and squares easily...

NOW,  DID YOU KNOW THAT CONTINUITY IS MADE UP OF BOTH PROXIMITY AND SIMILARITY? 

Here's an example: 

Notice how there is a similarity of the shapes? And how they have elements that you can perceive as a group? Well, this is a perfect combination of similarity and proximity to create continuity. Basically, continuity exists when your eye is forced to move through one object to another, as if there is a force pulling it to move/go wherever it takes the eye...

From : http://www.rachelcresswell.com/portfolio/surrey.htm

From : http://knayman.tumblr.com

Can you guess where' s the continuity in this poster above? 

To summarize it all, this is just a recap of what we have learnt for Gestalt and it's safe to say that all designs would have at least a  Gestalt Principle applied into it, especially for mass media advertisements, such as cinematography posters and book covers. Even illustrations and certain drawings/paintings acquire this principle and other design principles as well. 

To Know Additional Info About Cool Graphic Designers and etc, check out this tumblr page. I think that what this author talks about is really amazing, in the sense that she researches about graphic designers that have designed many famous & interesting things that I have not known until after reading her posts. 

http://knayman.tumblr.com/

HERE'S OUR VERSION IN VIDEO FORMAT! ENJOY!