Mid-Term Learning Portfolio

Architectural Design Studio 101 Krista Woolhiser

Although inspiration can come from any and everywhere, I believe that the most dependable source comes from within. To me, the word

inspiration insinuates to be full of one’s own spirit, or “in-spirit”. My greatest internal source of inspiration comes from my own sense of purpose,

some hard-earned optimism, and a desire to create. Everything comes into creation by some means and I am no exception. Similar to the way the

universe finds joy in creating worlds, humans find joy in creating in everything that they do, from preparing food to creating life situations, as do I.

The vast majority of notably inspiring events that have occurred in my life have been centered around connecting to nature and Earth:

Feeling the earth in my hands while growing food or otherwise interacting with plants, connecting with animals, feeling the rhythm of the ocean

while surfing, backpacking in remote and deeply beautiful areas, using my hands to create with earthen materials.

Traveling has also been enormously inspirational to me, in particular a trip that I took to the Ecuadorian Amazon. After witnessing the

biodiversity of the jungle, as well as the intense contrast of events taking place to either harm or heal that biodiversity, I became very aware of what is

really important to me. The trip was vital in my path to assimilate, on an deeper level, the knowledge of the kind of person I wanted to be, and what I

am and am not willing to put my energy into. I am motivated and inspired by my own personal vision of the person I am becoming, of the Earth

becoming a healthier and more abundant place, and by other people who share my values and who have made progress.

There are many people who inspire me on a daily basis. Specifically, a couple of people who have really inspired me in recent years are

Architect, Michael Reynolds, and Permaculture Designer and Teacher, Larry Santoyo.

  

Michael Reynolds is the architect behind Earthship Biotecture. He has been building houses out of recycled materials since 1972, a year after publishing his thesis.   Earthship Design Principles: •  Electricity from sun and wind. •  Water harvested from rain and snow. •  Sanitary treatment of sewage onsite. •  Heating and cooling from the sun and the earth. •  Food grown inside and out. •  Building with natural and recycled materials.

Larry Santoyo was my personal permaculture design teacher. He is founder of Earthflow Design Works which specializes in “Eco-Urban design and sustainable land use planning.” Permaculture is a system of design that utilizes a set of design principals that were modeled after relationships found in nature in order to design whole, sustainable systems.   Permaculture Design Princopals: •  Relative location. •  Each element performs many functions. •  Each important function is supported by many elements. •  Efficient energy planning: zone, sector and slope. •  Using biological resources. •  Cycling of energy, nutrients, resources. •  Small-scale intensive systems; including plant stacking and time stacking. •  Accelerating succession and evolution. •  Diversity; including guilds.

A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty  

“The Flying Machine”

“A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty” #1

  

OBJECTIVE

I knew right away that I wanted to include wings or wing-like characteristics in my project. The significance of the wings is in their ability to

take flight, literally, or in this case, metaphorically. The wings represent the lofty ideals I hold, which are a primary source of inspiration for me.

I chose basswood and string as my materiality for their organic qualities. In fact I love working with wood as it is one of many natural

materials that I enjoy working with. By working with natural materials I feel a connection to the Earth and the natural world. Which, as I’ve stated,

is also a primary inspiration for me.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I began by sketching out a design on paper to represent what I wanted the piece to look like. I transferred the marks to my pieces of wood

and began cutting away. Perhaps there is an easier method, but I chose to cut and score away at the basswood with an exacto knife. Surprisingly,

each cut only took between three and five passes.

After cutting out all of the pieces, I used rubber bands, pins, and tiny shims to hold the pieces in place while I glued the body and allowed it

to dry overnight. In the morning I carefully wrapped the body in the green string I had chosen.

The whole process took longer than I had hoped and the project was not completely done before my next class. Nevertheless, I managed to

finish it up later by shaping and sanding the edges.

“The Awkward Phoenix”

“A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty” #2

  

OBJECTIVE

Having almost completed the first iteration I was jazzed to start the next. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to work well with the

basswood because it was my first time, but now I was feeling more confident in my abilities.

With this iteration, I wanted to create three dimensional wings and long, flowing lines coming off the tips of the wings and tail

feathers. I wanted to add paper with a soft, fibrous texture to the construction for even more of an organic feel.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I did some Internet research to help me design the shape of the new wings. To my dismay I was cutting well into the night.

Even more to my dismay, I was somehow cutting well into the next night as well. I had to move ahead with some of the pieces

without finishing others so that I had something to be critiqued in the next class.

I constructed the wings much like I had constructed my skin-on-frame kayak years ago. Right down to gluing the skin of the

paper on the frame (although the kayak wasn’t glued, it was stitched). I worked long and hard, yet was unable to complete the project

on time for class. I believe I ended up finishing it around the time I finished my fourth or fifth iteration.

“Leaf Tower”

“A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty” #3

OBJECTIVE

Although my second iteration was not complete, it received an overwhelmingly positive critique. Even so I had grown tired of the sleepless

nights and had resolved to construct something a little less demanding of my time.

I decided to try experimenting with a different shape that was a little more leaf or conical shaped than wing-like. I would continue the theme

of a frame partially enclosed in skin, and attempt to maintain the feeling of lightness. To do this, the piece would be made to reach for the sky as

opposed to emulating a flying critter. In an attempt to save time I opted to cut down on the precision engineering (even though that was what I

received the most positive feedback on), and allow a more natural, loose composition to occur.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

Although this iteration had far fewer pieces to carefully cut out, it still took a surprisingly long time to make. I think it was because I tied all

the pieces together, which necessitated predrilled holes and razor sharp thread (a rarity).

As before, I attached the skin with glue by tying and rubber banding the paper in place until it was dry. This time I ripped the edges instead

of the surgical procedure I had performed on my second iteration. I left the strings and the paper edges to fly loose and unfinished.

“Utter Failure”

“A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty” #4

 

OBJECTIVE

After three iterations made of wood I decided to begin experimenting with other materials. I wanted something that I could work

with faster so that I could try more things in less time. I had planned to come back to wood when I settled on a design.

The material I chose next was foam core. Another student was creating epic pieces with it and making it look easy. I had never

worked with foam core before.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I will never work with foam core again! This is an exaggeration, but it is true that I was less than pleased. Although it cuts in less

time, it is far less forgiving, and there is little room for error. I prefer materials that can be fixed in some way if you make a mistake. I tried

many different things, mostly unsuccessfully, before calling it quits on something that I wasn’t very excited about.

In retrospect, it wasn’t just the argumentativeness of the foam core, but its synthetic materiality that was a turn off for me as well as a

distraction from my previous intentions. Since the foam was already exuding artificiality, I decided to cloak it in equally artificial garb, some

kind of leftover packing foam sheet. It wasn’t pretty.

Butternut”

“A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty” #5

  

OBJECTIVE

I buried the foam core in the dark recesses of my garage and went on a hunt for butter board. When I found it in the store, I knew it

was the right board for me with it’s earthy tint and forgiving surface.

My main objective with this iteration was to have a successful experimentation session with the butter board. Of course, I had hoped

that the end result would be beauty. The main goal however, was to see what I could do with this new material that I could later recreate with

wood.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

After spending some time experimenting and figuring how to work with it (how it attaches to itself best, how it responds to bending,

etc.), I drew up a plan and began. It turns out that the butter board cuts like, well, butter. And, if you make a mistake, you merely sand it off.

I was in heaven. Things were going great for me with the butter board late into the night until I was nearly complete… I forgot to make it

asymmetrical! I knew exactly what I was going to hear the next day in class. All I could do was cut a few random parts off and hope they’d

take it easy on me because it wasn’t COMPLETELY symmetrical.  

“Ribs”

“A Well Considered and Well Crafted Thing of Beauty” #6 

 

OBJECTIVE

After the last iteration I had been the recipient of a stern talking to regarding my issues with symmetry and I could not fail again.

Besides the stern discussion about the flavorlessness of symmetry, we also watched a presentation Jerry had put together for us on tectonics. There was a

photo of a ceiling that really intrigued me. The combination of my disappointment with the previous iteration and the inspiration from the photo was all I

needed to go straight home and start again.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I had drawn a few diagrams of what I wanted to create while I was still in class. As soon as I got home I went for it and didn’t stop until I was done.

The sheer determination to overcome my failings and a bit of dumb luck seemed to work well for me.

I was really pleased with what came out. Although this iteration had a base and it could be said that it was firmly planted to the ground, it seemed to

have more of a sense of openness and lightness than the other iterations had. The translucency of the skin made it seem almost delicate, but the complex

almost grid-like framework, although eloquent, gave the feeling of strength. It reminded me of a healthy spine, flexible and strong, supporting repetitions of

ribs, which were in turn supporting strands of ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Finally, I could hold my head high again.  

“Chaos”

Collage Study #1

 

OBJECTIVE

When it came time to make my first collage I articulated two primary goals for myself: To focus on the aspects of my work that I was most fond of and may

like to repeat, and to break my symmetry paradigm. I made a conscious decision not to completely fill the background space of my paper or to go overboard

overlapping images that didn’t intentionally connect. That would make it easier for me to interpret later. Besides that, my only goal was to enjoy playing and altering

my previous iterations with all the ease and freedom that an exacto knife and paper could allot me, mainly in regards to time.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I made my sixth iteration the main focus of the collage and took what I liked most from the first and second iterations (the materials and craft of the leaf/wing

like pieces), to add to it. I experimented with attaching the extremities to different places on the fifth and sixth iterations, which I had printed at a larger scale. I

attempted to do so in a way that created more repetition as well as more asymmetry. I included a few photos that were interesting to me, patterns and textures in nature,

as well as a geometric crop circle that I was attracted to.

The funny thing was that after placing the crop circle next to the work and connecting a few of the pieces, I realized how alien and space-insect-like my work

appeared to me. I really got a kick out of this and it reminded me of my interest in space, other dimensions, and all of the things my tiny human mind struggles to wrap

itself around. It seemed to me that, unbeknownst to my conscious mind, my work had been serendipitously reflecting this aspect of interest and inspiration that I had

forgotten to include.

     

“Order Out of Chaos”

Collage Study #2 

OBJECTIVE

I set about creating my second collage study with a few new goals: Actualize a pleasing composition, include perspective, and bring

into being the image of a completely new object, while incorporating my favorite aspects from the “Well-Considered & Well-Crafted Thing

of Beauty” project. I decided to use Photoshop rather than cutting and pasting physical images in order to achieve a more unified delineation,

and for the ease of affecting scale and perspective. 

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I choose to expand upon the alien-insect-like theme I had discovered in my previous collage. I began with a side view of my sixth

iteration, which became a sort of nose shape. From there I used a frontal image of my third iteration to form a body and tail. The wings from

my first iteration became upper wings and a small rudder for the rear. The wings from my second iteration were attached as on the bottom.

I then adjusted all the layers of images in attempt to achieve a compatible brightness, contrast and tone. After this, I attempted to add

a sense of perspective using the transform tool. I was going for a subtle two-point perspective. I didn't want the perspective to be so

dramatic that detail from the far ends of the image would be lost. When I got all the layers to approximately where I wanted them to be I

merged them. I applied a cutout filter and altered the coloring in attempt to make the figure seem more like an abstract diagram.

“Beauty and Character”

Collage Study #3 

OBJECTIVE

I received a lot of valuable feedback from the critique of my second collage. My objective was to increase the sense of flow and

organization through the repetition of lines, as well as to increase a sense of direction. Specifically, it was my desire to create invisible lines

by grouping objects to create an overall harmonious composition. I aimed to include the skeletal detail and of the previous iteration.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

As before, I used Photoshop to create this collage iteration. I began by importing the photos I wanted to use and eliminating the

backgrounds. To do this I selected the background, select similar, and then select inverse to get the whole image selected. If anything

important was left out, I switched to the include selection tool to select those parts as well. I then used the refine edges option to expand,

smooth, and feather the edges. This smoothed out the edges of the images and the transitions between them.

I proceeded to use the free transform tool to rotate, resize, and alter the shapes of the layers until I had achieved the desired size and

location. I used the layers window to change the depth of images when necessary. I then adjusted the color of each layer to give the different

images similar contrast and saturation. Objects that were meant to appear farther away were merged and darkened. I then merged all the

layers, changed the hue to blue, and used the cut-out filter to increase uniformity and to make the image as a whole appear more abstract.

 

“The Explosion”

Collage Study #4

 

OBJECTIVE

Somehow it seemed that the only appropriate direction to go in after the third collage was out, and with force. My space-insect had

looks, personality and direction, but it had no space to travel in. It appeared to be “all dressed up, with nowhere to go.” And so the objective

of the fourth collage iteration would be, in short, to give the object a place to travel in, warp speed (the only way to travel through space).

TOOLS AND PROCESS

I began by tracing the previous iteration as directed. Since I had sketched up the idea for the fourth collage in class, during the

critique of the third iteration, I merely had to outline the shape of the space that I wanted to create. The lines of the character were already

leading to a focal point. I used this focal point again to create the space around it with repetitious, radiating lines.

In Photoshop I started from scratch as I did with my second and third iterations, isolating parts and connecting them together, re-

creating the space-insect once again. Once this was complete I made two copies of the character and pasted them onto different layers. I

went into each layer and used the rectangular marquee and polygonal lasso tool to dissect the images. I used the move tool to disperse the

pieces across the background in a semi-even arrangement. I then used free transform on the pieces, shaping them to give them the effect of

vanishing at the common point and exploding out from it.

“The Growing Shadow”

Collage Study #5

 

OBJECTIVE

Feeling relatively pleased with my third and fourth iterations, I sought to create an image coalescing my favorite aspects of both. From the

third iteration it was my intention to carry over the hue and the clean layout while at the same time propagating more complex aspects from the

fourth iteration. I found the exploding effect of the fourth iteration to be a pleasing aspect, but I wanted to explore a different method of expressing

it. I resolved to develop this effect as well as to shape it in a more intentional and, hopefully, refined manner, highlighting the organic and curvilinear

lines as in the third iteration, and toning down the harsher rectilinear lines of the fourth.

TOOLS AND PROCESS

After tracing the outline of my third iteration on trace paper, I altered the placement of the object in the composition to create more room

behind it. I then chose an axis point and drew radiating guidelines out from it. I aligned the base image with the guidelines and traced the outline

many times to create a kind of splayed out effect. Similar to what a shadow cast from the original object might resemble. I filled in the original

image and the shadow-like outline with different colors to make sure that I found the overall effect to be desirable. I liked what I saw and set forth to

make it a virtual reality.

Using the virtual tools of Photoshop I set out to recreate the sketch I had made on the trace paper. I selected the main image, removed it from

its dark background, transformed it to add a sense of perspective and copied it. I pasted the copy onto three new layers and then transformed them to

create the desired sizes and shapes. I altered their saturation, hue, and density, making them each progressively darker. I added a stronger cutout

filter to decrease detail and then decreased the opacity of the copies so that they would appear to meld together. Finally, I merged the layers and

cropped out the rays that I had used as guidelines on the trace paper.