Statement of Intent
For this project, the concept of slow looking will be practiced to help actively observe and record/ map an excursion starting from Hayes Hall to a specific (accessible) location on campus and must include a representation of a non-visual sense ( smell, taste, touch, or hearing) that is part of the journey. This map will initially be comprised of 10 steps that will be documented in 3 different methods: sketches, written words, and digital images. The goal of this assignment is to make a composition that possesses intention, and creativity through interpretation and representation. In the final composition, the map has at least 5 “steps” and must include a title, legend, and multiple points of interest or landmarks.
Through this assignment, many craft materials will be explored and different drawing techniques will be showcased such as contour, layering, perspective value, shape manipulation, and line weight.
The materials that will be used in this project a 14” X17” Bristol paper, pencils, tech pens, drawing paper, trace paper, a precision knife, and tacky glue.
The final deliverables are comprised of a single pdf with a single image of the entire drawing, 1-2 details images, and a concise assignment statement/ summary.
Ideation
For our first-in-class activity, we were asked to draw a map from our house to Hayes Hall. For my path, I drew a road and also some footsteps. I drew a car because that is my main mode of transportation. After that, I included points of interest such as notable buildings I pass on my way to school. I made my map read from left to right; having my starting location at the top left and my destination ending in the bottom right corner.
The journey from my house to Hayes Hall
Then we had to draw the map again, but this time highlighting a sense we experience on our journey. The sense I picked was sound. Instead of focusing on drawing the notable buildings, I mostly tried to portray the main sounds I usually hear on my way to Hayes Hall. I again drew my map reading from left to right, having my starting location at the top left and my destination ending in the bottom right corner. Instead of drawing a road for my path, I drew a music staff with notes to represent the music I listen to while I drive. I used squiggles around my car to represent the shaking/ engine sound. The target-looking circles are the ambulance sound I sometimes hear. I included leaves, footprints, and little swirls to describe the leaves crunching beneath my feet, the light footsteps, and the wind blowing. I also scribbled some words to portray the conversations and light background chatter I hear when I walk through campus.
The journey from my house to Hayes Hall sounds
For our next exercise, we were given the challenge to draw any object of choice. We then wrote very detailed directions on how to draw this object. We give the directions to another classmate and they have to replicate the object without knowing what the object is.
The object I chose to do was a guitar
Guitar drawing.
I then wrote the directions on how to draw this guitar. I tried to be as thorough/ clear as possible so that the person drawing my object can understand. I included rough measurements of each component of the guitar, relative to one another. I split the guitar into
Guitar Drawing Directions
I got another student’s directions and attempted to draw their object.
Another student’s directions of their object
My Drawing of the Student’s Object
The student’s object was supposed to be a witches hat with a little buckle in the middle. The only thing I was missing was the curve of the hat.
The student that had to draw my guitar also did not successfully get the right object. This exercise helped me learn how important explicit directions are when trying to describe something. I kept this in mind as I continued with this project making maps.
Shading/ Texture Practice
We then practice shading techniques. First I made a value scale going from dark to light. Then made 3 more value scales using lines, cross-hatching, and little squiggles.
Various Value Scales
Then we learned how to use value to show where the light source is. First, we practiced blending from light to dark. Then we drew 3D shapes and blended in the shadows and added the highlights considering the light source.
Blending from light to dark
Blending 3D Shapes
Then we practiced drawing textures using our micron pens. I went to the internet to find different types of textures. The first picture is rock-like pebbles stacked on top of one another. The second picture is a rope pattern the last picture is eroded and layered rocks.
Circular Stacked Rocks Rope Texture Layered Rock Texture
In the first column, I drew the texture of each picture. In the second column, I described the qualities I observed. For the last column drew the texture of the rocks/ropes going from light to dark using thin micron pens to increasingly thicker sized micron pens to create a value scale. Using this method can help translate where the light source is coming from and in this case, I drew it coming from the left side.
Texture Drawings
Exercise #1: Instructions
The location I picked as the destination for my map was Mirror Lake. I started from Hayes Hall and walked through the oval towards Mirror Lake. On my walk, I practiced slow looking and paid attention to my surroundings. I noticed the crunchy leaves beneath my feet, leaves in various shades of green, brown, and red as they fall off the tree branches. I heard the footsteps of students hurrying to get to their classes, bikes and scooters zoom past me, and squirrels rustling in leaves as they make their way across the lawn. I heard the whistling of the wind and as I approached the lake, I listened to the sounds of a waterfall coming from the fountain. The more looked and listened the more I became aware of my surroundings.
I took note of all my observations and wrote the instructions for my journey to Mirror Lake.
Step 1: At the bottom of the steps of Hayes Hall, my body facing forward, I walk about 20 steps to the middle of the oval
- Sight: I see the beautiful trees and students walking to class. The leaves come in a variety of colors such as Red, Green, Orange, and Brown. Birds flying swiftly into a tree and squirrels running around the oval. There are dried-up leaves near my feet. There is a bright blue sky with light clouds.
- Sound: The crunch of the leaves beneath my feet. The low whistle of the wind blowing. The light chatter of conversation between 2 people and louder are come closer fading away as they pass. The ruffling noises of branches and leaves as an unknown creature scurry around inside a nearby bush. Scooter noises and light footsteps. I listen to The Perfect Girl by Mareux on the left side of my ear
- Touch: I feel the leaves crunch beneath my feet. Wind through my hair. The warmth of the sun
- Smell: Grass
Step 2: I keep walking until I get to the middle path of the oval
- Sight: Autumn Trees, Hopkins hall flower bed students walking trees
- Sound: Birds chirping, footsteps
Step 3: I turn right and begin to walk straight down the red path
- Sight: a Student is on the phone waking in the opposite direction. Someone zooms past on their scooter. A squirrel running onto a tree. Leaves falling from branches like snow
- Sound: zipping of the scooter, talking, footsteps
- Touch: I begin to feel the heaviness of my backpack and the weight of my art supplies pulling my arm closer to the ground
Step 4: I continue to walk straight toward Thompson Library
- Sight: A large copper statue stands in front of me. I see students sitting and studying on small tables in front of the library students entering in and out the library doors
Step 5: I take a slight left turn
- Sight: I see a cute dog being walked, students laying on the grass/studying underneath a large tree, a hammock between 2 trees
- Sounds: talking, wind, dog barks tree ruffle, and wind whistles
Step 6: I cross a small parking lot
- Sight: There is a street. A black car slows down. Thick white lines beneath my feet.
- Sound: The car engine, the wheels running and slowly coming to a stop on the pavement.
Step 7: I walk straight toward a small balcony overlooking the lake
- Sight: There are several large bushes to my left and a row of bikes to my right. There was a blue, black, and red bike. One of them had a basket attached near the handles. The bushes were very large for my height. There are many thick clumps of spider webbing in these bushes. A couple of people are sitting on the black bench nearby
- Clicking sounds of a cicada and crickets chirping, footsteps
Step 8: I walk down the long concrete staircase
- Sight: many trees and bushes around me
- Sounds: light chatter, footsteps, sounds of water fountain of the water fountain
Step 9: I reach the bottom of the staircase and turn right
- Sight: I see more bushes, people sitting in large chairs
- Sound: sounds of the fountain becomes louder
Step 10: I arrive at my destination: Mirror Lake
Then we went to the Map Room located at Thompson Library to explore different types of maps and to get inspiration for our maps. I saw many visually detailed maps, colored maps, and maps with graphic representations.
Pictures of Maps
Then we walked to our selected location, photo documenting our journey. I documented the explicit path as well as the nature aspects such as the leaves, plants, trees, squirrels, etc.
After documenting my journey, I gathered all the pictures and made a photo collage of my excursion. I wanted to experiment with how I wanted my map to be read either from left to right/ top to bottom
Map Layout
Then I made a physical collage of my excursion using construction paper. The main sense I wanted to highlight was sounded. I made a list of sounds I heard on my way to Mirror Lake:
Sounds: Wind blowing, scratching, and little footsteps of squirrels running across the oval, birds chirping, trees swaying with leaves rustling, the music through my headphones, the leaves crunching beneath my feet, the cars, scooters, bikes, skateboards.
With this in mind, I began crafting my collage. I used construction paper and recreated the oval and its path. I made various wheel shapes to present the cars, scooters, and bikes I heard about on my journey. For the path to Mirror lake, I made a trail of leaves and music notes to represent the leaves crunching beneath my feet and the songs I listen to through my headphones. I printed out the photos I took of each location and made them 3D so they pop out of the page.
Wheels
Pictures of Collage
Then I begin finding inspiration for my map. I wanted to make a tree map with the branches being the path. The main points of interest on my map are Hayes Hall, Thompson Library, Orton Hall, and Mirror Lake.
Thompson Statue Thompson Statue Tree #1
I brainstormed some ideas and sketched out some potential elements for my map
I sketched the layout of my map. I wanted the map to be read from bottom to top.
I practiced sketching the buildings in 3D perspective and decided to make the light source come from the top left of the page.
Buildings 3D perspective
I put all my ideas together and did a final draft of all the things I would potentially include in my map. Starting from Hayes, footprints lead up the tree to mirror lake. There are leaves with a song lyric on them, water droplets representing the sounds of the lake, bikes/ scooters, and a squirrel stretched across the tree. The swirling lines represent the sounds of wind blowing.
Iteration and Production
I start working toward my final composition of the map. I started testing different methods I could potentially use to shade and add texture to my buildings. I experimented with lines, cross-hatching, and multiple pen thicknesses. I decided to put my light source at the left top of the page.
Sketching
I drew the base of my map which is the tree trunk.
Tree Trunk Sketch
I wanted to make the title of the map on a scroll/paper design.
Title of Map
I used tracing paper and as I come up with more ideas, I continue to layering more tracing paper. I wanted to integrate the tree into the map/ the buildings so I drew the roots growing on top of Hayes Hall. I also drew a giant squirrel stretched across the tree to represent all the squirrels I see every day on the Oval. I made a stoned pathway that leads up to mirror lake.
Hayes Hall
OSU Symbol Carved on the Tree
I place Orton Hall on the left of my map. I wanted the branches to surround the building as if it were in a cage. I added birds to represent the chirping sounds I hear on my journey.
Orton Hall
To the right, I have Thompson Library with the statue in front.
I placed Mirror Lake at the very top of the map, slightly to the right. I wanted to put the pond on the tree, but I needed to figure out a way to make it look more realistic. I drew it as a slightly tilted forwards hole in the tree filled with water with the fountain coming out of the hole. I liked the font used on the real-life Hayes Hall building, so I decided to label all of my locations on my map using that font.
I wanted to make the map interactive so I made it so that the OSU sign opened up to a nest of acorns,
I glued on leaves and made them pop out of the page as if they have just fallen off of the tree. I wanted to represent the autumn, crunchy leaves I step on my excursion.
Leaves
To make my path clear I added bridges and ladders
Ladders and Bridges
Using another piece of tracing paper, I scaled down the Library and made a little pop-up book
Thompson Library
Map
For the Instructions, I decided to make make it inside an envelope, which you can open up and read the inside. I wanted to turn the map into a game/ quest. The final destination Mirror Lake is a magical lake that can grant the player 3 wishes. The player must retrieve different objects and complete a task at each location to activate the lake.
Map Instructions Envelope Draft
Then I made the key for my map
Map Key
Using Bristol paper I made the final map instructions.
Map instructions :
Mirror Lake: Located at the top of the Oval tree lies a magic lake that can grant you 3 wishes.
Mission: Retrieve a gold feather, a squirrel’s acorn, and Thompson’s scholarly scroll which contains the spell to activate the Lake. Say the spell then place all the objects into the lake. Magic stepping stones will appear to guide you to your destination.
Tasks:
1.) Enter Hayes Hall-> Get to the roof and climb up the tree. Retrieve one acorn hidden in the Oval Tree. [Be careful, The Giant Squirrels of Oval guard their acorns with their life.
2.) Continue your journey to Thompson Library where you will be greeted by Mr. Thompson. Solve his riddle with the help of the books in his library and he will gift you his scholarly scroll.
3.) Cross the bridge to Orton Tower and climb to the top. This is where the golden dove lives. A flute will be found in the middle of the room. Play the right tune and the dove will give you one of its feathers. [Caution watch for strong winds]
4.) Finally, climb up the ladder to Mirror Lake. [Watch out for a swarm of blackbirds that guard Mirror Lake on your way up.]
I used a lightbox to trace all the things I’ve drawn and transferred it to the Bristol paper.
I wanted to draw a bird flying on top of Orton Hall
Golden Bird/ Dove
Bird Feather Hidden Behind Orton Tower
For the Key, I decided to also make it an envelope/ card that can open up.
Map Key
Map Instructions
I added arrows to make the path clear and also made the scroll on Thompson’s statue out of rolled-up construction paper.
Thompson Library
I begin shading the tree and the buildings. I placed the light source at the top left of the map so the right side of my tree is slightly darker than the left side of the tree.
The carved oval sign opens up to a pile of acorns inside.
Acorns/ OSU sign
Key/ Orton Tower The Grand Thompson Library/ Map Instructions
Reflection
Through this assignment, I have learned how to create a map using multiple elements such as sketching, written words, and digital images. I was able to explore many different craft materials and new drawing techniques such as contour, layering, perspective value, shape manipulation, and line weight. I have strengthened my observation skills and was to portray a non-visual element in my map. There was a lot to tackle in this project and the main problem I struggled with was time management. As the deadline was coming closer, I kept coming up with more ideas to add/ enhance my map, which took additional time to complete/ longer than expected. I think what I can do next time to fix this problem is to finish all the elements I am certain to include in the final composition and leave time for any additional ideas that would come up later on. Another challenge was trying to integrate the buildings/ lake into the tree as naturally and realistically as possible.
Final Work
Summary:
For this assignment, I created a map that resembles a tree. The branches represent the Oval pathways and there are stepping stones that lead up to Mirror Lake. The sense I wanted to highlight on my journey is sound: the crunchy leaves, the wind blowing, the squirrels, the fountain in the lake, and the birds.
The map starts at Hayes Hall, climbing up the tree to The Grand Thompson Library, crossing the bridge to Orton Tower, then up the ladder to reach the final destination, Mirror Lake.
I wanted to make the map a magical game/ quest. The player must do tasks and retrieve a specific object from each location. Successfully completing all the tasks and the lake will activate and grant the player 3 wishes. I wanted to make the map interactive and three-dimensional, so the tree has a flap and can open up, the feather is hidden behind the castle, the map instructions/key are in an “envelope” and can open, Thompson’s scroll can unroll, and the leaves are glued on to add texture.