Sketch Design 4 - liberate me, please?

Having finished the sketch design I thought I would post a couple of images, in support of my doings.
I created a model to try and help with the perspectives.
The design has a spiralling walkway over a large water sculpture. This view is from the top. Unfortunately the background is not as picturesque as this.

I don't have this perspective of the courtyard, due to inferior roofing and vertigo!

Within the coutyard there is minimum planting - low maintenance and it appears rather shady. There is however a sizeable lawn of Thymus species, which when walked on will omit a lovely scent and any passing visitor can pinch a bit to enhance the flavour of their meal (tasty!)

There is a central pool which is reflective and still, and floaty grasses infront, all encompassed within a smooth, polished granite wall.

All in all lots of CONTRASTS!

Do you think the vortex has sucked in the other members of the Village People?

D-Day!

Well today is the day it all gets put on an A1.
My chosen word is CONTRAST, which is quite appropriate for such a dull, lifeless rectangle. Anything you put in its place has got to be an improvement.
I did think of just filling the area up with plastic balls, and creating a ball pool for the students - the perfect contrast -balls are round, students are alive? and it would be full of bright colours!!
However, following on from the Vortex idea, I came up with a far reaching design!


Looks better at night! Perhaps with the lights off?




What kind of reaction should I expect?

Sketch Design 4 - the last chance!

Well I have spent the last two days thinking about this project and have literally been going round in circles. (first CONTRAST to the rectangular courtyard!) . I feel I am heading in a downward spiral!

This vortex has sucked in any artistic brain cell

that was left in my head, and by year four
there weren't many left (if ever any to begin with?)


I have looked at some other blogs and they seem to be cracking along quite nicely - all full of inspiration, and happiness. Which just makes me feel more fed up (I am keeping the language clean as children may be watching and it's before the 9 o'clock watershed!)

Oh well - LAST day for inspiration. Tomorrow its down on paper and then into the lions' den!

Doin' my side-bar!

The way I look at other blogs is via EDESIGNSTUDIO, because that is where the list is! Anyway, after reading David's comments about the smarty people who have adapted their side-bars, I thought 'I used to be a senior analyst/programmer....surely I could do that?' So last night I found the code, and started laboriously typing in everyone's blog-id. (There probably was a quicker way, but hey-ho). I literally type the LAST one, caught a wrong key, and LOST the lot!
Anyway, as you may see, I am a TRIER (and in this case, a DOER!!) and evenually, good prevailed!
Today I have visited other blogs from my own, and am feeling rather smug. So I thought I would add this very 'wordy' post to my blog to spread my happy news.

Autumn colours of Sheffield Park

Tried to view some other blogs this evening, but either the my computer is EXTREMELY slow or something is up with the blog server thingy??

So I thought I would try a post instead! The addition of photographs gave me extra time to prepare a meal and pour a glass of wine. Then top it up. Then top it up. Tehn otp it up.!?!







Went for a walk at Sheffield Park last weekend, to catch some of the Autumn colours. Depsite a fair amount of leaf-fall, it still looked spectacular. It seems particularly poignant after having listened to a presentation on Capability Brown in Tom Turner's group.

Managed to grab a shot of this weird trunk before two sprogs climbed all over it. Mind you, my own sprog wants to go back next week to do that!



Do you think the green woodpecker has got lost? All of those lovely trees to peck and it chooses my lawn!

Its starting to make sense! I think?

Had a really good tutorial session yesterday, where some of the failings from the previous sketch designs were addressed and I now have an inkling as to what may be required...We will see on the 28th! Why didn't they spell it out in the first place?

Further refelections:

• models have to be big enough to get the camera in!
• is it a good design? (Y - move on to next point, N - get someone with talent to do it, then move on to next point)
• is everything on the sheet relevant, coherent and gorgeous?
• annotation
• does the concept run through?
• is the process documented in my sketch book?
• will I ever get a decent mark?

We went to Hastings coast the other week, to look at the fish huts and for the first time, since moving down here, seven years ago, went up the East Hill. Quite amazing views, and a huge open area - certainly a good way of walking off Sunday lunch.













Look what got washed up on the beach!

Duality project - further thoughts

One comment on my critique sheet was 'interesting fractured approach, look at Barcelona's Botanic Gardens'. I visited them nearly two years ago. Here are some of the photos.

















Thought I would try a couple more perspectives of my model, to try and practice my sketching skills and drawing of people. And no, the second person wasn't mugged by the first!














He's definitely sunbathing!

BONFIRE NIGHT
Every year in Battle there is a huge bonfire parade, organised by the Battle Bonfire Boyes. They come from far and wide, shut the High Street, dress up, having flaming torches and beating drums. It's all very pagan. This year was no exception.

Then after twice up and down the High Street, its off to the battlefield (where Harold got it in the eye - Battle of Hastings (actually Senlac) 1066) for an extremely LOUD firework display.

WAKE up and smell the coffee!
We had another pin-up yesterday at Uni, of our sketch designs made from paper models
(see previous posting).
I actually liked what I had done, and at the time of doing it, it all made sense.
However, I had put too much information onto one A1 board and the result was a cluttered mess with no coherency. The presentation was worse!.....

Anyway today is another day.

I woke up at 5.00am (a lie in, of late) and realized exactly what I should have done - less!

(I must edit, I must edit, I must edit).

Work out what is important, follow through with the concept, restrict what is presented and back up the rest in my sketch book.

I can only try!

Duality exercise
This is the model I made on Monday, 31st Oct, based on interlocking, space and perspective. (Looks a bit witchy to me - how apt!) Anyway it's not quite the same as when it left the uninspiring studio - a little bit of tweaking following a drop of dutch-courage in the form of red wine.

The final result!

After looking at it in all kinds of light, and especially on my new patio (travertine limestone) I came up with three key qualities: undulating, jagged and enclosure.

From this came the rest:





Wonderful, eh? But an absolute pig to get any form of perspectives. My 10 year old could have done better, or even Claire's dog!! (private joke!)

Anyway after spending 6 days (yes DAYS not hours) I finally produced an A1 board which, like me, am not sure will withstand the procedings of tomorrow. (Now is the time to properly take up religion!)