Research
10 Reference Photos
I had three possible ideas for my project during this time, fruits, a submarine window and a ramen bowl, and included around 3-4 photos for each one.
Exercise
For this exercise, I began brainstorming on Sketchbook by jotting down different theme ideas and how I could use them within the letters of my initials. After experimenting a little, I decided to use the “L” initial for my last name and combining it with a tube of lipstick to signify my hobby of using make-up.
I found a variety of fonts to experiment with, ranging from skinny fonts to very bold fonts. I tried out making the “L” with the lipstick tube standing and having the cap complete the letter at the bottom, but I didn’t really like how the cap was turning out and that there was no longer any font being used within it. I came up with a couple of iterations of the lipstick tube and the bottom part of the letter, so I just tried matching them to each other to see what would look best.
I decided on using the lipstick tube with the implied reflections on the side and having the bottom part of the “L” just the outline with the corners curved so they matched with the tube a little more. I also made a small diagram for the laser cutter portion of the exercise.
Iterations
Jotting Down Ideas
Idea #1- Fruits
My initial idea for my project was for my design to construct layers of paper to look like various fruits. I did really like this concept at first, but I soon realized that it would be difficult for the fruit to translate well if they were greyscale. For example, my orange slice could easily be mistaken for a lime or lemon slice when I use the greyscale colors.
Idea #2- Ramen Bowl
The idea I experimented with was a bowl of ramen. I researched and sketched out some ingredients that I could include. Also, I play around with the layout and how I should orientate the view of the bowl. I eventually decided on this concept, because it interested me the most and was a fun idea to experiment with. I was most excited to try weaving all of the noodles together to make it a realistic looking bowl of noodles.
Concept Statement
For this project, we have to create a composition using paper layering techniques in order to create a sense of space and depth within it. We are required to use a minimum of five flat layers and the color scheme must be greyscale in the physical form of the project. The digital rendition of the composition will have a color scheme along with it. I aim to create a composition that uses multiple different techniques and layers, and that includes lots of detail to help give the piece more points of interest. Considering my project will be using the concept of a bowl of ramen noodles, the design principles of variety and proportion will be present. The many accompanying ingredients, like the egg or green onions, will add more variety and allow me to play with the sizes of the elements throughout the composition. Also, the elements of texture, line, and value will be in play. The noodles will effectively convey the line element and all of the food will have different textures portrayed within them. The main materials and equipment that I plan to use are card stock, circuit machine and the laser cutter. The amount of detail that I plan to include will require the laser cutter. As for the materials, I believe card stock would be the easiest and most effective to work with when considering the types of layering I want to do in the composition.
Production
Drawing Out Each Ingredient and Tableware
After going through my list of ingredients, I settled on the pork belly, fishcakes, egg and green onion. I liked how each varied in size and that I’d be able to use a good amount of the greyscale colors on all of them. I drew out everything in Adobe Illustrator, including the bowl and some extra noodles that I could use to weave through the rest.
Putting All the Components Together
Once I finished drawing all of the ingredients I wanted to include in my paper ramen bowl, I tried layering everything with each other to see how the final product would turn out. I was originally drawing with a black stroke around each item, so I made sure to test out what it would look like without the stroke to get an image that was closer to what the final would be. I also made sure to resize my design onto an 8×8 art board since I had initially drawn them much smaller.
Adjusting the Layers
Black Layer
Dark Grey Layer
Mid-Grey Layers
Light Grey Layer
White Layer
Chipboard Cuts
Using the Cricut Machine and Laser Cutter
On the left, you can see that the top part of the bowl cut off during the first pass. After adjusting where I placed my design in the Cricut app, I successfully printed out the noodles layer and got the hang of using the machine.
The chipboard that I planned on using for the utensils was too thick for the Cricut, so I did have to use the laser cutter for this part. Typically, I would try to rub off all the ash and burn marks from the laser cutter, but I left some of it near the bottoms of the utensils since it looked like a subtle shadow in a way.
Assembling and Gluing All the Paper Pieces Together
Once all of my pieces were all cut out of the Cricut machine, I realized that they all had this line of paper around them that I believe was a result of the stroke in my file. I went in with a blade to clean up all the edges. Also, I went ahead and assembled some of the small pieces together so I wouldn’t have so many pieces to keep track of.
Looking back at my file for this layer, it is not a surprise that there were noodles pieces that were fully cut out. However, I did find a way to use this to my advantage later on, despite the extra assembling needed.
I started off with the solid black bowl layer and then glued on the grey noodles layer. However, I only glued the outer part of the of noodles piece where the rim of the bowl is. I kept the actual noodle pieces loose so I would be able to weave the extra noodle pieces through.The rest of the parts were fully glued.
To glue the remaining pieces, I pulled out my iPad and used it as a guide to assemble the puzzle. I glued on the pieces with just two dots of glue on each side so I would have some room to slide the dark grey noodles under them.
I weaved the extra noodles over and under the glued noodles. Then, I started tucking the ingredients under some noodles and overlapping the edges of the noodles on top of them.
The last ingredient I have to include was the green onions. I just scattered them around and didn’t really have any sort of system or pattern to it.
Figuring Out the Backing
I thought of two options for the backing, either brown chipboard or white foam board. After assembling all the pieces onto both, I was contemplating whether or not I should even include the chopsticks and spoon at all. I had got the foam board because I wanted something a little bigger in size and thought it would keep in theme with the greyscale colors of the papers. However, my original intent was to use the brown chipboard and cut out the silverware with the same materials since it resembles wood more. I didn’t like how much the chopsticks and spoon stood out with the white backing, so I stuck with the chipboard.
Critiques and Feedback
Overall, my critiques were pretty positive, but there were some comments that brought up concerns I also had with my project. I did take a bit of a risk make the utensils in the chipboard since the project was supposed to be in grayscale colors, but I think it has paid off.
Final Product
Link to Portfolio Piece: Layers