Research
To begin this project, we got to know our partner through a micro board activity, then completed research about the history of chess and the rules of the game.
Iterations
Form Iterations
The iteration process began with testing how sliceforms may be created so the pieces fit together.
Beginning to iterate my own forms, I created boxes that were the intended dimensions of each piece to provide boundaries for the sketches of the forms.
My partner, Nik, and I then worked together to decide on a specific color for each type of piece. We assigned the colors by matching the energies of the colors to what we believed to be the personalities of the pieces. We also divided our separate sets into warm versus cool colors; my set was to be made in the cool color scheme.
Next, I began iterating forms for each piece.
For the king, I intended to make it feel royal and like a prized-possession by creating many curves and a crown-like form on the top.
For the queen, I used sharp curves moving in all directions to represent the aggressive nature of the queen piece and the way in which the queen is able to move in all directions.
For the bishop, my iterations included diagonal curves and indents to represent the diagonal movement of the bishop pieces.
The form of the knight was the one I struggled with the most. I experimented with two pieces crossing over each other and eventually moved to idea of a more simple L-shape to represent the movement of the knights.
For the rook, I drew two curves at the top of the flat 2D form so that when two of the forms are put together into a sliceform, the top of the form will consist of four curves representing the vertical and horizontal movement of the rook pieces.
Since pawns are easily expendable and the smallest piece in traditional chess, I decided to make them a very simple form. I began with the design of a simple oval, but ended up adding a curve in the middle so the pieces fit better with the rest of my set.
Cutting Iterations
King
Viewing this sliceform after it was assembled, it is visible that the form has gaps at the bottom and showed me that the lines through the middle are too thin causing the paper to be manipulated instead of being able to slide together.
Queen
I created the first cut file for the queen with the inclusion of two extra forms to slide onto the curves of the main form. However, these did not end up working and this version of the queen revealed to me that the line in the middle was once again too thin and the sides near the end of the middle lines were too thin as well, causing the paper to warp and tear when the sliceform was assembled.
Rook
The first rook design I tested included slits and four small pieces to slide into them. These pieces ended up being too small and I didn’t think the form communicated the personality of the piece correctly, so I ultimately changed the design entirely.
Concept Statement
Elements and principles are the foundation of every design, but the concept behind the designs of
our chess pieces were inspired and developed by them. Our designs specifically activated a variety
of shapes and colors that best match the personalities and actions of traditional chess pieces. One
set of pieces is made in a warm color scheme and the other is made in a cool color scheme in order
to develop separate sides of the board that challenge one another. We assigned each piece’s color
on the basis of the energy they give off, and the personalities that we believe they represent. The
different shapes of the pieces resemble the ways in which the chess pieces move and we specifically
utilized vertical and horizontal lines, as well as wavy and curved lines to aid in the depiction of those
possible movements. We also aimed to convey the aggressiveness of some pieces, such as the
queen, using sharper and curvier lines. With the less complex designs, we aimed to convey the
minimalist nature, such as the pawn.
Production
The first step in the production process of creating my final sliceforms was to finalize the adobe illustrator cut files for each piece that would then be sent to the Cricut to cut out on card stock. The most significant change I made between my iterations and my final forms was making the cuts in the middle out of squares instead of just a line in order to create more space for the two forms to slide together without being manipulated.
To assemble each form I used tacky glue to adhere two pieces of card stock together, making them thicker and sturdier. Then, after sliding the two flat forms together to create a sliceform, I put the very edge of the bottom through the circular base with the cross in the middle. Lastly, to secure the base to the sliceform I glued a second solid circular base underneath.
Final Deliverables
King
The final form of the king is done in a purple card stock because purple represents royalty and is a different color than the rest of the pieces because it is the piece that is sought after to capture. The form is also made of soft curves to present it as a less aggressive piece and an inviting form that players would want to obtain.
Queen
The final form of the queen is done in a bright lime green, being the brightest piece on my side of the board. The curves that make up the form are also much sharper and project out in all directions to represent the aggressiveness of the queen and its ability to move in all directions on the board.
Bishop
The bishop is done in a light blue because blue is a common color and is in the center of the cool color spectrum and the bishop is a simple piece, being able to only move across the board diagonally. The top of the form also has two curves cut on a diagonal representing such movement.
Knight
The final form of the knight is done in a turquoise, green-blue color because it is a vibrant color that jumps out at the viewer, resembling the movement of the knight which includes “jumping over” other pieces. Although the turquoise color is vibrant, the lime green color of the queen remains the brightest out of all the pieces because the queen is still more aggressive than the knight. Also, the form of the knight is an L-shape with miniature L-shapes coming off the sides to emphasize the L-shape movement of the knight in chess in which the piece can move in the direction of what looks like a capital L.
Rook
The final form of the rook is done in a royal blue card stock to represent the prestigious and protective nature of the rook. The form also includes curves projecting straight out from each side of the piece to mirror the way in which it can move forward, backward, left, or right.
Pawn
The final form of the pawn is done in a dark navy card stock because it is not a very pretty or eye-catching color. This color matches the nature of the pawn because there are more pawns on the board than any other piece and they are the most expendable. These characteristics also influenced the form of the piece to be very simple and the least complex out of the entire set.
All Six Pieces
Full Board
