rEading cOmprehension 1...

[1] -- I feel that a ceiling fan meets Wotton’s definition of commodity, firmness and delight. It fulfills commodity because its purpose is to cool off a person or provide a breeze for someone indoors or who’s just plain hot. With its slanted blades moving in a circular motion it forms a refreshing gentle wind for those without air conditioning or something light for those warm summer nights. The unit fulfills firmness because the structure is well thought out and sturdy. The fan is able to spin at slow and faster speeds without flying away or falling apart. It fulfills delight because on hot summer days and even warm summer nights the draft provides and enjoyable alternative to having to sit and hear the loud air conditioning to cool down.



[2] --

[3] --I agree that the U.S. generally does feel the need for more space so when it comes to our very own classroom some problems arise. The largest issue is of the seats being so close together or us having to sit so close together. At times there’s competition over the arm rest, someone with both arms on the rests to either side of them causes an inconvenience or an issue when personal space comes into play. Bumping elbows and legs is not comfortable. Our attitude towards space is the more the merrier. If the room was more crowded there would be the issue of walking up and down the aisles or having to pass someone to get from the middle of the row. People tend to go above and beyond to avoid simply brushing up against someone else.

[4]--I’m not sure if I completely understood the reading but I do believe there can be architecture of happiness. In the reading de Botton write; “Architecture may well possess moral messages; it simply has no power to enforce them. It offers suggestions instead of making laws. It invites, rather than orders, us to emulate its spirit and cannot prevent its own abuse.” I think architecture of happiness is in the eyes of the beholder. A home can be an extremely happy place for the person who lives there but may not have the same effect on someone visiting the same home. Here’s an image of my bedroom which to me is a very happy place. It’s where I go to relax and take in the events of the day. Being in someone else’s room does not have the same effect because it’s not your personal space. It’s laid out to where I can see the television as I lay in my bed. My work area is set aside so that there are not many distractions. The pictures on the walls provide a visually pleasing element to ease the mind. It’s where I feel comfortable and safe.

rEflection... (what I learned from others)

As much as I’ve learned about myself during this project, I’ve also learned from others. It’s always exciting to see how other people interpret the same space and information you had, where they get their inspirations and ideas. Most people who had the loading dock space chose to do a loft type area mostly for the living or sleeping space. This made a lot of sense because the space was very tall and this helped save floor space. If I would have had the same space I would have chosen to do the same. With that being said, it was more interesting to me to see the ideas for the administration space. Like Kacie’s proposal with the sliding glass doors. Where the bathroom was the central area and the glass doors slid to either close off other spaces or open them up, but with the glass that open feeling remained. I really enjoyed that and that was something I wouldn’t have thought of. It was tough to make the space adequate for your own artist/client as well as keeping it neutral enough where if someone else came to stay it could be easily changed or suited for that person. I think I’ve learned a little bit of everything from everyone else who presented. I’m not sure if I can name all those things right now, but I know they’ll start to show in my work from now on.

rEflection... (what I learned about myself)

The time has come to reflect on this final project I just finished. I’ve definitely learned some of my strengths and weaknesses. When first assigned the work, I was already nervous. We had to take measurements and draw a plan from them. Might not sound that hard, but it was crazy. One wrong measurement and your whole plan would be off. As the process progressed however it got a bit easier. I learned that perspectives are really a strength for me. I’ve always enjoyed drawing them and seeing how closely the finish product resembles the space. In this case it was seeing if the finished product was what I saw in my head because this was my personal design. A weakness I’d have to say would be laying out my board. I don’t think I put as much thought into it as I should have and it caused problems for me in the end. I’ve never had to do a project quite like this where everything was up to me. The color scheme, furniture placement, wall placements and deciding the size of things was all my ideas and visions. I’ve learned a few things about what can work in a space and what can’t. Like bathrooms don’t need to be huge in a small space, you only spend a small fraction of the day in it. Add necessities and be done. I also learned a lot you can do with concrete. Stain it and paint it, it doesn’t have to remain in its normal state. Overall, I really enjoyed this project. I absolutely feel that I’ve grown from this experience as a designer and as an artist. I’d be more confident going into another project similar to this one.

Redesigned space for Stoel...

For our final we were assigned a space within our building and was asked to redesign it for a visiting artist. The time frame was from about a few days to a semester, so not a lot was necessary, or so I thought. Although this space was for a specific person, it still had to be able to accommodate all types of artists and people, be versatile. I was assigned the administration building. The hardest part was taking the measurements in the space in a short amount of time because these are the admin offices, you can't just wonder in because you forgot something. So pictures were helpful..







After that we had to draw our technical drawings; floor plan and section elevations. After we planned out our ideas and plans, we had to build the model in sketch-up. That was the longest process because it was first time using it and I had to restart like 3 times, but overall I think it turned out great. It feels good to know that these are my ideas that other people can see visually. I can walk them through it with sketch-up and my hand drawn perspectives. I chose the furniture placement, room separations and color scheme. That feels GREAT to say. Overall I'm very proud of myself and the work I've done. Of course there were things that could have been changed or improved on, but there will always be changes to be made, I think.

Finished products:












A few things I might have done better would have definitely been the layout of the board. I feel like it could have flowed a lot better to make it more understandable to someone who's not apart of the major. A super graphic would have also been more creative. And also to record more of my progress. I always remember that I should have taken pictures and stuff after the fact. I don't take care of my first attempts at things, and that's if I keep up with them. I'm trying to get to the point where taking pictures and blogging because a part of the process as a whole, not an after-the-fact type of thing.

As the end of the semester approaches I can now reflect on my work and the progress I've made throughout my first year. I'm eager to see what next year brings and to put forth the improvements I've made.

sCavenger hUnt cLues 5-7.. Pick a car, redesign and add more style

SOoOoo.. this is my car.. resemble anyone?? haha.. I wanted to have fun with this assignment, so instead of just doing a simple "pimp my ride" type of car, i decided to turn it into one of my professors. The colors didn't come out the way i planned for them to but overall i'm happy with it. I hope he doesn't take this the wrong way, it's all in fun :-) This concludes my first year of Iarc..

tHe nExt cLue in tHe sCavenger hUnt..

OMG.. it was like a flashback of the sticks and cell phones nightmare from last semester!! haha.. but less.. We used the exercise to get inspiration. Out of a minimum of 25 thumbnails we chose 3 to be included into a perspective of a comfortable reading nook. I included mine as a painting on the wall and on some storage boxes. After drawing the perspective we had to copy it 3 time, choose ONLY 4 marker colors and render them using different proportions of each in each drawing ( i hope that makes sense :-o) but i enjoyed this assignment very much. I'm still trying to get the hang of this using color thing, it's not as easy as it looks to me. But in time, i'll be a pro..











ooOoh nOOooo!! you know what i just realized.. no scale figure :-/ CRAP

sCavenger hUnt..

The first part of the hunt was to draw two spaces that tell a story..

My first story is from back when i first started here at UNCG. Most of my time was spent in the Atrium and in the EUC (student center). I drew the upstairs in the EUC because that table to the far left was the table i spent most of my lunch times at with my friends. It's a significant place to me because a lot of stories, gossip and information was shared in that spot and it's hard to forget that.



Now, it's more about where i've ended up. I stay in Spring Garden Apartments (no stalkers please) right on the edge of campus. This is the outdoor space that's provided for us. I spend quite a bit of time out here just to clear my head and search for inspiration. It's pretty open even though it's in the center of the "U" shaped building.