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3D Design

Courage

Prompt

Design a non-objective sculptural form that serves as a monument to something related to the city where it would be exhibited. The design has to possess a linear quality and express three principles of design.

Concept

The concept of this monument was inspired by the values of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, which are honor, courage, and commitment. Quoted from the academy’s website about the value of courage, “We honor our rich naval heritage by our courageous pursuit of excellence in all our endeavors.” Courage drives us to move forward in life and chase our dreams. If we live in fear, little will be accomplished towards the greater good. But if we are brave enough to step into the water and leave the shore, we have the opportunity to cross the sea. Hopefully when people see and walk through this monument, they will be encouraged and take that first step to progress.

Design

I decided to go with a design that expresses the journey from fear to courage through flowing movement and interaction. This monument allows for one to walk through it, as if it is a tunnel. The dramatic change in scale and movement in the piece from one end to the other represents the leap of hope and faith one must take to move on from fear to courage. The sculpture is made out of wire and painted a gradient of blue and white, so one will feel relaxed when walking through the monument and at peace in their present journey. 

Graceful Giant

Prompt

Create a dynamic, abstract sculpture of a realistic subject, working with only paper, for an exhibition requested by a local museum/park client of our choice. I chose the Atlanta Zoo as my client and explored the various animals there that I could study the form of and abstract in an engaging way. 

Concept

I decided to go with the giraffe as my subject, because of its unique, beautiful features that express much elegance. Also, it has always been one of my favorite animals to see at the zoo. 

Design

When abstracting the giraffe, I tried to identify the main implied line in the animal’s stance and emphasize it. For variety, I included a bit of the geometric style in the sculpture in addition to the organic style to portray the pattern of the giraffe and maintain stability. My goal was that with the variety there would also be unity overall with a consistent flowing line of movement dominating the piece. 

Rolling Pin Pastry

Prompt

Resurface an object so that it holds a different purpose but is still recognizable as the original object, requested by a retiring business owner. 

Concept

I chose to create a retirement gift for the owner of a kitchenware business. As a twist, the kitchen utensil, a rolling pin, is now made to look like food, an eclair. So instead of being used to prepare food, the tool is food itself and ready to be eaten!

Design

Instead of resurfacing an actual rolling pin, I decided to create one from scratch out of a variety of materials to achieve the delicate, fluffy look of an eclair. The pastry was sculpted of out papier-mâché, the inside of the pastry out of sponge, and the cream out of clay. After the form dried, I painted it with acrylic paint and added a glossy heavy gel on top to mimic the chocolate glaze. Hopefully, to the viewer this form will have the appearance of a delicious lightweight pastry and will contrast the purpose and heaviness of a rolling pin. 

Ellie

Prompt

Sculpt an anthropomorphic hero with a specific goal or purpose.

Concept

An animation studio is requesting a model of a character design for one of their upcoming children's television series. The character is an anthropomorphic hero named Ellie. Ellie has the body of a dog with the wings and tail of a bird. Her human characteristics include talking and wearing superhero attire, such as an eye mask, cape, and boots. Ellie's core mission is to rescue children when they are lost, by flying them back to their parents/guardians. As part dog, she has a keen sense of hearing and smell. These abilities allow her to hear a child's cry from far away and smell the relationship between the child and their parents/guardians. As part bird, Ellie can fly and has an amazing sense of direction. Like both animals, she comforts the children with her love, loyalty, and protection, helping them feel at ease until they return to their families.

Design

I decided to pose Ellie leaping upward about to take off in flight. Her head is turned to the side, showing that she has heard the child and knows which direction to head in. With her in the midst of an action, I hope that the sculpture will appear dynamic and feel engaging to the viewer. For the palette, I chose pastel colors to express the light Ellie brings to situations and to represent the primary colors, which children are usually introduced to first. Overall, I replaced pointy edges with rounded curves in the character's shape design, because I wanted this hero to appear gentle, friendly, and comforting. 

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