Why do i feel ‘Miffed’

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Well crit over/marking. Not really sure what to make of it all. yeah, yeah, fancy rendering, but i agree with Paula (Romania) the previous one has more life as did the the very first sketch. This one is to dull, to refined. I prefer something with some more soul.

Its about being expressive for me and although there is a place for straight informative drawings, it just doesn’t get the feeling across. And thus the feeling of disappointment.

Perspective Ahhh need to do sketch up model for depth of field, over all a bit miffed. I think on the marking front i got away with it and it was generous. As the seduction of rendering helped the lack of skill on the perspectives, another day another attempt.

I think earlier in the Degree i felt more confidant about taking risks, as i get nearer the finally i find myself getting more conservative, its a case of letting go of the reins and then thinking too much about the consequences. Really quite annoyed.

What to do?

Well its a case of not trying to ‘please the panel’, but to concentrate on the design.
The difference of designing for a client, either they get it and love it or they don’t the story ends, whereas this situation its the added chasing marks regime which we all do as they are there as a standard, and there has to be bench mark. So i am going to try and stop thinking will they or won’t they and go for what feels right as that is the point otherwise we would all be Jamie/Julia/Paula clones and bad ones at that.

The presented drawing had cross section annotation, forgot to put the update on my stick and thus lost is when shutting down Uni computer.
Like this one, but the extension to repetive. trees have not been thought through, rather what i could find. Though there is some atmosphere.
Again trees’s 

Tree’s etc

etc

Just don’t and have never liked these, just can’t get excited.
So the remedy, bring back the excitement/noise of experimenting and taking risks. Lesson over, now the document.

Tree’s blobs and lollypop’s

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Well like just about everybody spent a lot of time trying to create tree impressions for the plan as well as the perspectives.

Plan


As usual stumbled on this idea and developed it I think the result is quite effective and can be played around with further
1) Pro marker on Trace, shade to create depth, (the ink stays wet so mixing is possible). Let it dry. The ink one side with .3-.5 pen.

Then put in photoshop, Filter gallery>watercolour>ok and then again but this time poster edges. Adjust to suit. Cut out, play with colours etc  
                  
Cut out and duplicate loads of times for tree’s.When done, each tree will be on a single layer. Select all, duplicate. Then all the duplicates merge into one file. Turn to black via images>Hue andBalance>lightness bar to the left, so black.
And now the ta da bit, that layer put underneath all the tree layers, then  shift to one side and by magic you have perfect shadows in the shape of the trees all moving at the same angle.
Perspective.

Well spent ages with pencils, pro markers and to be honest still have not got it, but a start, pro markers on trace

Generally work needs to be done on perspectives.

Watercolour pencil + sharpie
Watercolour Pencil +.3 pen
Watercolour pencil+Bad Temper

Back from the edge.

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So much work, so little time sums up my (and i suspect the rest of the class of 10/11) Christmas.

Pin up on Monday was a strange affair as everybody looked so pale and bloodshot, alas not from a night on the town. I think the ‘Blitz Spirit’ is alive and well in our group as we all can empathise with others long dark nights of the soul, when that blank sheet of paper mocks your every stroke of the pen.

So what i pinned up for the first crit, of the year. We have a week to update and final marked crit on the 24th of January. As usual the crit normally states what is at the back of your mind or what you were trying ‘wing’. Plus some surprises.

(click on pics to enlarge)

                                                     Park Life


The Masterplan



My Aim: I was trying to convey the topography of the site with shades of green. Tried loads of new ideas and techniques. Overall pleased with the strong but tonally dark colour scheme. Not so happy about the water, general cramped feel, paving colour, outside buildings. The name feels right as it conveys (in my opinion) that people are the park, as in the Blur song ,park life. Simple, catchy and with an element of humour, which adds up to a memorable title, i hope.
Crit : Too much writing, smaller more descriptive to the point annotation  and thus more of them. Trees too small, line weights generally to heavy, little or no hierarchy in the line weight, Loads more definative shadow, Outside buildings greyed out, buildings defined, generally more obvious and less suble communication.
Cross Sections

1:100
Aim: Trying to get atmosphere in the area. The calm feel of the grasses along with the enclosure of the planters. Depth of field.
Crit: Line weight of the ground level too thick. Shorter and more concise annotation, more of it. Use the whole with of the page, otherwise wasted opportunity.

Aim: To show the vallies and different shrub/tree planting on bank. to get depth to the other side of the park.
Crit: As Above
1:50
Aim: Depth and water and sitting possiabiltys on the granite cubes. Not so pleased with this as it lacks fun and atmoshere, which is the point
Crit: As above
Aim: To show a small crowd enjoying an event. Stones being used. Depth of field. Really hard to get people sitting on the ground looking at you of the net.
Crit : As above.
Sequential Sketches on the main circular route.



Aim: Really rushed, all 6 in 6 hours. Some of the perspective are way out as they were all out of my head. The tree’s in the for ground are naff, though in the distance are ok. Though the drawings are average at best there is some atmosphere.
Crit: Line weight! way to heavy, lolly pop tree’s and people. no variation or possible id of different tree species. Colour, shadows the list goes on!! 
Conclusion, Need to sharpen self crit skills to see what is actually in front of me.More sketching less photoshop filters. I think i need to just nail some issues such as grass and mass area’s for colour and feel. Atomsphere rather than to much technique.
                                        Think Atmoshere

Quick Sequence Sketches, first attemp

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Played around with Pro Makers on Trace. Constructive crit on images, darker outline on the foreground (cheers Alick) and fade on the distance.

So played a bit in  Photoshop, with layers of low opacity white, various filters and image enhancements.

Enclosure

Revelation

Noise of waterfall, glass viewing platform reflecting the water. 
Two different speeds of water, thus channeled in different ways

The Choice

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Well after an intense crit ,’the panel’ decided on Alternative. I wanted to do Connection.  The issues with connection are the shadow the ‘flyover’ creates. Also maybe too much dominance of the axis on the space.
The attraction of alternative was due to the valley idea, as well as maybe the general setting out. Though the large circular area’s of grass where not appreciated, which on reflection i can see that there is not enough difference in the sizes as well as maybe a bit strong on the basic geometric shape.

Thanks to all who made comments, 5 for Connective, 1 for Education and 1 for Alternative.

Sketch Designs

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What a diverse bunch we are, from extreme wow ,noisy, party, to calm considered and conservative. I noticed that nearly all of us had a phrase  that our favoured design seem to spring from, even if we did not know it before presenting. You have to go with your own personality and how you see the world to get passion, otherwise its just ‘another job’. There was plenty of passion yesterday.

I will not tell you which one was chosen to develop yet, so that if any viewers would like to comment then there is no bias. An initial idea sketch followed by a more detailed sketch. The three words they are inspired by are Connective, Educational and Alternative.

Click on image to enlarge.

The big idea is to re-connect Tunbridge wells with the Park (known as the grounds really needs to changed as it congers up the wrong picture as one thinks of sport, not leisure). So when some one says Tunbridge Wells they would think Calverley Park. Connect with people and their every day life, whether using its direct routes as a more pleasant walk from one end of town to another or stopping for a cup of coffee and a rest whilst admiring the views, promising to come back another day to explore further. Connect Business so that they have a vested interest in the park staying well maintained (through Business rates). Concert venue, water and ice, fantastic planting scheme, restaurants, circular walk/run, all designed to pull visitors and regulars into the park. It should be part of the day when in Tunbridge Wells. 
Education about food. Local schools, colleges and higher education, to use the facilities and be hand on. Local markets to sell produce on the site. All the cafe’s and restaurants to have a theme of fresh produce, cooked on site (no boil in the bag) and reasonable pricing to show good food does not have to be expensive. Large play area with bespoke designed equipment for the process of education through play. Circular walks of woodland and amazing planting.
Simular themes of connection and leisure incorporated in the design. User groups to have a say in the running of the park, so to attain adoption from the start.

An alternative experience of the landscape. Using the topography to our advantage, rather than being frightened of the challenges it throws up. Cutting into the landscape creating a valley with high sides, making and enclosure. The navigation is not obvious and is rewarded with surprise views of the park plus some enclosed viewing points over the lake. A contrast is the large grassed area’s, very formal for play and relaxation. A concert stage cut into the hill looking over the lake (facing S/E). On the south facing side superb planting schemes to draw people in for a more meandering walk, exploring scent, colour and texture.
Upper area restaurant with fountains and ice rink in the winter. Water fall working its way down to the lake. Circular walk for the dog walkers and runners. Adoption as above encouraged.
So there we  have it, three big idea’s, one choice. Your thoughts would be gratefully received. Still more development needed but its a start.

Quick post

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Its late and probably like everyone else been at it solid for two days.

What i have learnt.

Pressure is both a good and bad thing. On the plus side it gets stuff down on paper, on the negative side , the improvement of the design is so great between the three designs that you want to start the first one again!!!

At least these are still at sketch stage. I can see sooooooo many  faults, a case of more speed less haste.

Rendering on trace with pro markers is like using paint, you can mix on the paper which is really handy to getaway from the formal look.

I can see so much detail justification that has to be sorted out. Plus lighting so much new stuff out there really want to make sure i don’t miss anything as a lit space is a whole different world, just listen to Adele.

Bed and then face the music tomorrow!

Mind map when thinking about ‘alternative.’
Materials; got as far as dismantling the ‘Ark Royal’, old communication satellites, Concorde and submarines.
Uses; ended up with time travel, the theory of space folding so that one could leap from one side to the other in an instant, or is that ‘Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy’, not sure, but some of these idea’s were used , which is frightening for any visitor.

Light is Everything

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Going stir crazy, so went out for a run, snow, clear sky and sunset with frosty mist rising from the snow. Soooooo pleased i took my camera. Best click on them to actually see. No alterations in colour, merged in PS for panoramas
Panasonic LX3

Galleries

Cropped,

http://gallery.me.com/hixondesign#100665&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Panoramas

http://gallery.me.com/hixondesign#100689&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Wigglesworth looks at Robin Hood rescue | News | Building Design

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Following suggested links via Christine, toms regular contributor on his not insubstantial ( or is that a double negative, i am trying Joey) web site. I eneded reading about the proposed demolition of Robin Hood Gardens, and as usual got all hot under the collar (saves on heating bills) and ‘shared’ my thoughts on the subject. Not that anyone will ever take any notice, but its one step better than talking to yourself. Yes that’s right, shhhhhh somebody may hear.

Wigglesworth looks at Robin Hood rescue | News | Building Design

Where on earth do they get their prices from? £70-100k pet unit, Coming form the construction industry that really is a load of tosh. This argument is put forward all the time and nobody ever challenges it.

As for what is replacing it, spot the difference? nope neither can I. The lessons from the 60’s about not listening to communities and bulldozing on are alive and well by the sounds of it. Its so reassuring having our betters to do the thinking for us, m’Lord.

The core of the subject is people, place people with opportunities to better themselves in a community, you get the Barbican. Take away those opportunities and tell them they will lucky to get a job and if they do they should be satisfied with minimum wage, dump them on an estate, bingo! sink estate! A building is never going to solve how people see the world, opportunity and hope are the way out. As people take pride in themselves, then pride in their surroundings follows. This is were the modernists got it wrong (i love modernist buildings, and i am not an architect) people are not machines. Can we learn from this? Yes but foundations first, and recently the raising of student fee’s (and its not only the young who go to University) has in one swoop put us back 40 years, degree’s will now be privilege of the wealthy. Politicians hang your heads in shame.

I think the real issue is being brushed under the carpet. So whether Robin Hood stays or goes the issues in that area will remain. What a bloody waste.