Creating A3 sign
- Feb 7, 2018
- 2 min read
When thinking of the sign I struggled to find a Shinto shrine that stated plainly what detail portrayed each location. Most were subtle, hinting at the luck given but relying on audience to assess whether they need to make prayer. It was interesting to discover that it was a custom to write notes or wishes on the faces of lanterns, sometimes sending them away in air or water, or having these lanters decorate the Shrine indicating Shrine's current luck. I thought this was interesting and after research and conversation with Kerry decided a five sided meta lantern would be interesting to expand my skills different materials.
This concept was harder than expected, there were many problems foreseen that would forced me from my comfort zone, such as use; of metal material and the need for a laser printer.
To bring myself slowly into the creation and build my confidence in design I thought it would be best to start somewhere I was use to...clay. I started with a circle of 11.8cm, outlined it on a wooden panel with nails (to secure the clay) and sculpted the roof of the lantern.
Using my notes from the previous lecture this was a simple process and one I had past experience in. However I felt like I had dug myself into a hole as working with such a shape was very tricky and I struggled knowing where to turn next. This is where I felt my design changing as I worked. I did not know whether I wanted longer faces to show greater detail or shorter to hold its shape. I also found I struggle immensely with measurements and keeping them consistent which is where a lot of the lantern began to fail.
Creating the detail for laser cutting was a lot simpler than expected which was a relief. Outlining the Gods and Goddess took a while but when done cut through wood easily. I'm glad I chose the size I did after they finished because too small and the detail broke away. Any bigger and the detail would look too disjointed.
I painted everything in the same dulled and distressed silver and added a boarder around the figures. I wished I had more time to work on these faces to add greater detail. I enjoyed working with the laser printer and liked the outcome. However with this experience I feel like I can create something better next time and finally get to fully explore with the equipment that Wimbledon has available.
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