Papercraft First Phase Prototype

I decided to prototype my "potted plant" design I drew in my last post into a paper model. I thought it would be a cute object that stayed in the theme of my bedroom - butterflies! A paper model of a butterfly would've been too easy, so that is where the pot and plant come in.

Unfortunately, I ended up doing the bottom of the pot twice but I still couldn't conjoin the bottom and top properly, so instead I just used the top of it to form the pot.

I think it is still a good concept, it just needs a little refinement to be able to merge the pot together.

Papercraft Objects: Digital Samples

After learning the ropes of Rhino and creating paper templates within the program, our class was assigned to create 10 unique forms that would form the basis of the concept phase of the upcoming paper project. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to model all 10, so instead I sketched out all of my ideas that I did not get to create in Rhino. I feel I have a fairly good understanding of the program and it's commands, however, so I feel I will be able to recreate or at least test out the concepts outlined in my drawings.

Tablet Pen

This is my attempt at a recreated of a tablet pen. Specifically a Wacom Bamboo tablet pen, like the one I own, though, I admit, it could use some more details. I chose this object because I love to draw digitally and have since I was 10.

Tap Heel

I'm not sure if this one gets across well and there is definitely some issues with the template, though those can be easily fixed, but this is the heel of a tap shoe with the tap attached. If I go with this concept to a finished piece, I may try to recreate the entire shoe instead. I've been tapping since I was 9 and hope to one day to be at a professional level.

Nintendo Gamecube

This is a recreation of a Gamecube, which, although not my first console, still represents my love of gaming.

Cougar Skull

This one was inspired by my Grandpa's taxidermy that I grew up with, and more specifically the cougar rug we had in a cabin we used to own.

Paurasaurolopus

When I was a kid I wanted to be a paleontologist and my favourite dinosaur was the Parasaurolophus. For this drawing I tried to roughly imagine what it would look like in paper.

Dragon Eye

I took the paper ball model as inspiration with this one, but instead focused on the illustration that would be printed on it. It's a dragon's eye to represent me and my mom's collection of dragon figures and items.

Frog Humidifier

This humidifier is directly from my childhood! I have to sleep with a humidifier because of my chronic nosebleeds, so I chose this item because of it's importance to me as a kid and it's cute design.

iPhone

I feel like my phone defines me whether I like it or not, so why not make a paper model out of it? Complete with a removable casing!

Swing Chair

I remember this swing seat very vividly from when I was the hospital for 2 weeks with pneumonia when I was younger. I think I only went on it once or twice because I couldn't walk at the time, but I saw it out of my room's window everyday.

Potted Plant

My bedroom is completely covered in butterfly wallpaper and decorations and it's something that definitely defines me among my family. Just a butterfly papercraft would be too simple, in my opinion, so I decided to make a scene out of it by adding a potted plant.

By far my biggest challenge for this project was my time management. I'm writing this at 1:30 am, that's how bad it was this time around. Technical challenges were the overlapping of my paper templates, but overall I feel I have a solid grasp on how to proceed with this project.

Papercraft Research

The concept of papercraft is fairly easy to understand. Papercraft is a form of art where paper is the main, or only, medium. It's a fun and interesting artform because it is so inexpensive and simple, yet people have been able to create stunning works using papercraft. I believe a good example of what can be achieved with this medium is the works of Zim & Zou, two French artists based in Nancy, France, and, more specifically, their Forest Folks installation in Hermès.

I love these works for their vibrant colours and charming character and environment design. It reminds me of something you might see in a Legend of Zelda game or a Mario Bros. level. The use of nature in this exhibit also inspires me because of the childlike wonder it instills, with such fun uses of stumps, mushrooms, and various other vegetation. It is a familiar concept but done so well it feels new, which is something I strive to do in my own designs and artworks.

Forest Folks explores the dominant force of nature in the world. Nature is ever changing but still ultimately defines us and our environments, as it is linked to all life. We see in these pieces a glimpse into the life of these beings who live deeply linked with nature, living in it and beside it, and we see how it determines their daily lives and the structure of their society. It is a believable society because life is everywhere, even when we cannot see it, so you can easily be pulled into this colourful world and believe that these creatures actually exist somewhere. I believe Forest Folks does an excellent and compelling job at telling a story of co-existence between nature and the beings that live among it.

Mesh MIxer: the Sequel

For my finalised "mesh mixer" concept, I decided to go with my combination of a telephone and brass knuckles. In the group discussion, we all agreed the juxtaposition in this concept was very strong and the design was easily visually readable because of the simplistic design. We discussed the clashing ideals in the concept: communication vs. violence and friendship vs. bullying. I felt that the immediate response I got from my group towards the concept was an indication of it's good, readable design, which is why I decided to finalise it. The simplicity also helped that decision!

I feel my "Teleknuckles" design connects to Remix Culture through it's mashup of unusual of items, that, when brought together, form a very clear message. The juxtaposition of this piece represents digital media and technologies, which were originally created to bring the world together, but are now loaded with toxicity. I chose an older-style telephone because it clearly represents communicated, while it's shape could be interpreted as a blunt weapon when combined with the brass knuckles.

Bonus shot of the grip without lighting because I'm really proud on how smooth I got the transition to be! It was a lot of fun smoothing and editing the phone model to look as high quality as the brass knuckles, and I feel I did a fairly good job!




Here are the original models I used from Thingiverse:



 
Brass Knuckles: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:420443

 
 
Telephone: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:35563