Midterm Learning Portfolio

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MIDTERMLEARNINGPORTFOLIO

  Things that inspire me are figures, ballet dancers, and their motions. Ballet, which symbolizes swan brings me to admire the beauty of swan and quality of its wing. In general, consisting of extremely delicate layers of feathers, a bird’s wings have their natural complexity as well as predictable repetitious pattern that seems as though man-made. A wing in motion is even more of a beauty. Its rigorous repetitious yet dynamic swings in a flexible and graceful moves inspire me.

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The next assignment after the Icebreaker exercise was to construct an abstract peace of structure that reflects qualities and characteristics of our already identified inspirational source. I started to sketch some thoughts, but what I ended up with was not what was drawn on my pad. I began to cut a foam board in shapes from larger to smaller that may look as wings or could even be feathers. The smaller ones were to stacked up on top of ones that are larger to create a wing shape. After cutting several of them, I started to place the peaces differently changing my initial plan, thinking that the peace shouldn’t literal. So my iteration #1 was not constructed on specific plan. However, it was a good starting point of my model making experience. EnkhtuvshinGanboldArch101

For I noticed that my first iteration lacked visual and emotional qualities and characteristics of a wing in motion, I considered to apply below thoughts to my second iteration:

•  creating more sense of motion that could be added with use of different material. Paper was to be used for this time since it can give me a flexibility which foam board does not have.

•  making the construction to stand itself without a base

•  having more negative spaces and visual complexity

•  building vertical upward structure to create more energetic composition



Although I liked the flexibility of the paper in my second iteration, which satisfied my intention to depict the quality of wing in action, it did not satisfy the quality of my model to be stable. I needed to explore other materials besides having required to design my design visually dynamic yet orderly. Then I was inclined to use wire for my third iteration.

Using wire was definitely a big step. Various thicknesses of wires gave me hierarchy of line weights, which was an issue in the previous iteration. I had more control and intention of creating complexity as I manipulated the wire.



In my iterations 4 and 5, my intention was to incorporate frame and skin. However, as I simply placed peaces of paper in my frame, what the iteration 3 has, a space or void within the frame work, was eliminated so that there is nothing evocative for a viewer’s eye to explore. During my construction process of iteration 5, I had suspected whether my design was becoming a little ornamental, which was confirmed in the class critique.



Based on reflections made on my previous iterations, I stepped back to my iteration 3 to use it as a preference for my next iteration. I kept trying integrating skin and frame but failed to present it efficiently. I realized that I need to sketch and put my ideas down and start to build my design with a specific plan, otherwise I would end up with a random peace that is not controlled by my hand and intention.


As I sketched, I developed more ideas and I figured how I could use my fabric with the frame. I would still have the similar form and shapes that I had in the iteration 3 and place smaller wing and circular shapes inside, and the fabric would be stretched between the bigger and smaller frames of thicker wires. The opening spaces of the smaller circles inside would allow me look through.


It helped me greatly when we discussed in class what materials and methods are used efficiently in others’ work. So I picked up materials and tools that would enhance my design and its craft. Also, since my process was made along my outline, my work came out to be more organized and intentional.


Since we were not expected to bring a perfect form of our “well considered thing of a beauty” and that it could even be a mess, I thought it would be fun doing a collage. However, It has been a challenging process to improvise what’s there to create something totally new but related. I got stuck as I thought of my literal ideas of a wing and transforming it into an abstract representation. I cut my images pointlessly and placed them in various ways, but nothing seemed to be working.

Then, two peaces together formed a shape that visually identical to my inspirational source, a wing. So I continued developing my collage by adding and subtracting peaces as I considered the suggestions made for my last iterative model, which was to add more layers and make it look more in thrusting upward motion.


At this point, I was fixated and not being able to deconstruct my images. The problem was that I was trying to create a model in two dimension while the idea of this collage exercise was to go beyond the model and explore the tectonic language using perspective and organizational strategies.


I used Photoshop for a better communication of my collage. Overlapping is used to represent sense of depth. However, things get clustered and confusing as some of the line weights in the back are as bold and dark as lines in front.

For more next iteration, I needed more compositional strategies such as, regulating lines, center point and discernable rhythm, which can be shown on tracing paper.


I was happy with my result in iteration 4 because peaces where put together in order and thoughts. Creating a grid in the background created visual organization as well as becoming a part of the design.


I started off laying a 11x 17 sheet horizontally. I drew a bold line across it creating a horizontal axis as though to mimic a golden section (when it is viewed horizontally), which I though was interesting from the last lecture. I drew a vertical line, which is lighter than the horizontal axis, in a similar way and subdivided the two sides of the line equally. I added another horizontal line above the horizontal axis, which now gives my background a grid and a small square. In the square, a small circle is placed, being tangent to the all four sides of the square. Making it as my focal point, I added layers of images that are copies of a same image. The second smallest circle’s left side is placed tangent to the initial circle. Next bigger circle’s bottom right side is then located tangent to the bottom right side of the one that is smaller. The forth layer of circle is sized not bigger but equal to the third circle, and its bottom right side is situated tangent to the bottom right side of the initial circle. Finally, the circle of the top layer’s top right side is placed tangent to the circle that is 3rd from the top layer. My intention was to create a depth that is achieved by circles that are decreased both by their sizes and transparencies. The largest circle is to be felt closest as it is the most dominant and shape in that has the boldest line in the composition. Then the smallest circle is to be viewed as furthest because it is the least dominant shape with lightest and thinnest lines that define it.


Introducing text and creating more complexity was my next aim, but this iteration was not improved from its previous version instead worsened by spacing and arrangement of the shapes within. It became harder to understand the relationship between the grid and figures.


The most valuable lessons that I will keep in mind for the next half of the semester are:

•  each and every steps count as a valuable learning process, and there is not a complete perfect “thing of a beauty” that is made at its first outcome. Successes and failures of my each iteration have helped me to improve my next iterations.

•  with an effort and practices, explorations and new ideas become available. Sketching and planning has been one of the best methods for my design process

• Trying to achieve what was expected has been frustrating, but not giving up nor rejecting my ability is important because developing and improving what I have is better than coming to point from zero.

• everything is connected. A simple assignment, such as the icebreaker, was the basic guide line to understand the meaning and purpose of the next assignment.


Critical lessons that I share with my fellow students are:

• Notes, drawing, constructions well organized are valuable inspirations to move my learning& work forward.

• I am not afraid of using unfamiliar materials ,methods I even find it challengingly fun.

• My literal ideas are expressed in abstract

• Putting my feet in to others’ shoes to and think and experience in their ways, enhances my own work and work.

• Language and design thinking promote each other and make my work/learning meaningful.

• Understanding what inspires my work and learning.

• Critiques by others and myself enhance my work and my critical thinking.

• Trying to present my work, I actually find what I haven’t discovered, realized intended myself. and it promotes encouragement.

• I am now able to use the subconscious ideas behind my work and promote them to meaningful consciousness.

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Midterm Learning Portfolio