Lighting/HDRI tests!!!!

Now for something new.  I've been learning the program cinema 4d for a while now and i've finally decided to work on my lighting skills and environment design skills.  Below are a group of practice renders using environments either photographed by me or in the case of the first image, drawn by me.  I bring them into the program as a texture for the sky in the luminance channel and warp them to cover the inside of the sky sphere.  Sadly, I think the drawn image ended up looking the most realistic.

Cleaning House 2.0

I also finally got a chance to get some pictures of a sign I made for a small local shop called cockadoodledoo.  I really like how they turned out and here they are in their native habitat.

Cleaning House

So I just found photographs of my senior show at MCAD.  It consisted of two works; one being the CS1 chair that I covered extensively in this blog, and the other was chair with a hand carved seat that I used to print patterns onto peoples skin.  

PROGRESS :)

I made a mock-up of the hanging bulb light and here are some pics of it.  I think it turned out quite well minus a few small problems such as the bulbs not going back to the right place when you jostle them.  I think there may need to be a structure underneath or the bulbs might be suspended from something stiff instead of thin cable.  Its very hard to see in these cell phone pictures but the light is coming from a central compact fluorescent bulb surrounded by unlit frosted bulbs serving as a diffuser.  As you move around the light the luminance transfers around the outer bulbs and creates a very interesting dynamic.  Any comments or suggestions would be great.  Thanks. 

3-d renders!!!!1

I've been learning a new 3-d modeling program called Cinema 4-d and here are a few of my first renders.  I've been working on a dinner table set using plyboo (plywood made from bamboo), a veneer chair and a house which is my first architectural endeavor.  Check it out!

Deconstruction

These are a few works that I designed a while back and will hopefully be building for a show coming up in January.  The chandelier will be a cluster of frosted incandescent bulbs that will not be powered.  They simply form a diffuser for the energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs in the center.  It is my way to preserve the simplistic beauty of classic bulbs while jumping on the green lighting bandwagon.  The table is an acrylic form with the wireframe of a cabrio legged table printed on the inside surface.  It contains the simplicity of a contemporary minimalist table with the flowing curves of a classic icon.   I imagine the lines as being bright pink in color to further disassociate the visual form from its origins.  The third piece is still in the early stages of design but it will be some sort of form that cradles a single incandescent bulb to create a desk light.  Any critique on the designs would be very helpful. 

done

Here are some studio shots of the fully completed chair!!!

Room and Board

I was recently part of a design competition for Room and Board in Minneapolis.  Five finalists were selected and put on display in their Edina showroom where customers can vote.  The customer vote counts as one of seven votes for the ultimate winner.  Here are a few shots that I took when I went to vote.  The theme of the competition was small space solutions.  I designed a small sofa with integrated storage compartments that can also function as side tables or be removed to become a cocktail table.  You can see some of Chris Rhulands awsome renders on the board as well.  I'm really happy with how the model turned out.

CS1 MEGA POST!!!

Chris and I spent last night and today creating the webbing surfaces.  I must say that it looks amazing and these pictures don't even come close to doing it justice.  Here are a ton of pictures from today.

I almost forgot

This past weekend I was part of a workshop entitled A Large collection of very small things with sculptor Steven Siegel that dealt with organic process and serendipitous occasions.  We spent 3 days creating a sculpture base completely on process.  It was frustrating at times but mostly fun.  Here was what I ended up with in the end.

a busy week

Here are some pictures of what I've been doing the past week.  The trussed chair has been primed and is looking good in white.  I'm so happy with how it looks that I think the final paint will be a gloss white.  Also, I have been working on a sling chair that will be part of my show.  In the picture you can see the almost completed base which will support a slung seat of either industrial felt or some sort of macrome rope surface.  I've also thrown in a picture of a sign that I was hired to make for a local shop on Penn Ave. because I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Brushed aluminum and orange is HOT.  On top of that, I've been diligently working on some colographs for a print class and will post pictures of them when they are finished.

Models are fun

Here is a model I made of one of my designs.  I may be building this for my senior show.  It would be really fast and easy.  This model will be my buisiness card holder :)

The Frame is Done!!!!

So I finally finished welding the frame.  I think it looks great.  Tonight I will be priming it for an in progress critique tomorrow with Dan Kramer.  Now I have to make 20 stainless triangle rings and sew all of the webbing.  It won't be long now before I can assemble everything and see how it looks.  My schedule is getting tight but I think everything is under control at the moment.  I will also be photoshoping color onto the frame soon and might post some renders.

LC1

Here is a Photo of the connection points on the LC1 for those who aren't familiar with it's construction.  The connections of each piece of webbing will be resolved in a similar manner.

Cut, Weld, Cut, Weld, Cut, Weld, Cut, Weld...........

The form of the chair is finally beginning to take shape.  Here are some photos of what the trussing is going to look like.  The welds look pretty good so I think I have decided to leave them visible on the final chair rather than try to smooth them out.  This part of the process has been taking far more time than expected so I won't be done with it for a week or two. Once it's done I will post a picture of the finished frame and then start doing tests for the webbing which will be held on with grommets and springs much like the seat surface of the LC1.

outline almost done

Here is an image of the 1/4" rod outline almost completed.  I just have to add a few small supports, finish the mounting plates for the webbing, and smooth out some of the welds.  When this is done I can start tigging the 3/16" trussing into place.

the other half

Here is Chris' website, blog, and a wonderful shot of his mug ........

www.cleerdesign.blogspot.com

www.chrisruhland.com

Getting Started

I began my senior project ideation with four different project ideas, but in the end I decided to continue with a collaboration between Chris Ruhland and myself.  We have been taking traditional furniture forms and re-designing them with trussed steel rod frames and woven webbing surfaces.  The first piece that I am fabricating is a chair inspired by mission style spindle back chairs.  This image is a sketch of the overall form of the chair.  Construction has already begun and an image of the progress will be posted soon.  To start, we purchased about 100' of 1/4" mild steel rod and a roll of 1 1/2" webbing.  This all cost us around 50 bucks.  We still need to buy finishing products and enough 1/8" or 3/16" rod to do the trussing, but the final cost of materials should be less than $100 (relatively cheap).  Hopefully this will make up for the extensive fabrication time which is my responsibility.  I will post sketches for the other pieces when the chair is nearing completion.

coming soon