Category: Surface Design

Final Project | Part 3

Inspiration and moodboard
Duri explores the textures of durian which is the “King of fruits” by introducing its growth process. The name ‘Duri” means “thorn” in Malay because they are native to South-eastern Asia.

Duri is distinctive for its large size, unique and odour smell and lastly the formidable thorn-covered husk. Durian is a very ancient and primitive fruit. It has been known in South-eastern Asia since prehistoric times and has only been known to the Western world for about 600 years. Thus, we can see how valuable durian it is as it known as the world legend.

They are three steps that can conclude durian grows from a flower to the fruit. At first, there will have the durian flowers and blooming in this initiation stage, it is called flowering stage. After that, the durian in the fruit growth stage will have the small and numerous thorns. Lastly, the features for the thorns in mature and harvesting stage will be hard and wider.

Materials board
The surface that showed different stage of durian growth.

Light on!

What I was playing was the shadow of the texture itself. The shadows look  like a mature durian when I reflected the light.

Application board
Because of durian looks very ugly but it is tasty for some people they really like it. My idea is to make the ugly thing looks beautiful and encouraging the people to touch the surface they won’t feel it normally. I decided to make a lamp to bring out the idea of durian are actually attractive. This is a hanging lamp which like the durian is hanging on the trees. 

For other application I think that can be an umbrella and phone case because the idea of durian shell is to protect them from danger. I wanted to make the applications are more close to life so can encourage people to touch it and bring the idea durian is not so hard to accept.

Presentation

Final Project | Part 2

For my theme I chose something personal and because my father was planting durian in Malaysia so I think this is easier to get the samples to touch and feel the surface. I don’t really like durian because I was bored to the taste as I always eat while I was a kid. To me, durian is a meaningful object in my memory especially I was grown up in the kampung with durian farm.

I tried whatever techniques I can do. Not only use the tecnique that I had learnt in class but also I manage to create the new techniques. I eventually was about to give up and many times to think that changing my theme because I couldn’t get the outcome I want.

I tried to work plastic fusing but it looks like very soft and messy, even though the gold thorn is so awkward on the green plastic surface. 

This is completely a failed pieces but I learnt the trials and errors and the choose of correct medium to work with durian surface. I was trying to poke the hole and make the thorn come out from bottom.

While color pencils also can look like a durian thorn. I pasted the color pencil on a vacuum foaming sheet because I think that it looks like a durian shell.

More process!

 

 

Week 13: Resin and Latex

Resin casting
Resin casting is a method of plastic casting where a mold is filled with a liquid synthetic resin, which then hardens. It is primarily used for small-scale production like industrial prototypes and dentistry.

Resin casting is an exciting and fun craft that allows you to embed or encase almost any object in crystal clear plastic. Coins, shells, rocks, dried flowers, butterflies and insects are just a few of the examples of embedment possibilities.

Materials:
1) Resin
2) Mold
3) Hardener
4) Things to cast
5) The release agent spray to make the resin cast easily take out





 


Latex
Liquid latex rubber is a very versatile art material that can be used for a range of purposes. Derived from rubber trees, liquid latex is inexpensive, tough, tear-resistant and long lasting. In fact, it emerges as the most economical mold making and casting product in the market.

Materials
1) Liquid latex
2) Mold
3) Hardener
4) Color(optional)



Week 12: Vacuum Foaming

Vacuum foaming
The process involves heating a plastic sheet until soft and then draping it over a mould. A vacuum is applied sucking the sheet into the mould. The sheet is then ejected from the mould. In its advanced form, the vacuum forming process utilizes sophisticated pneumatic, hydraulic and heat controls thus enabling higher production speeds and more detailed vacuum formed applications.

Materials:
1) PVC sheet
2) Mould that can resist heat
3) Vacuum forming machine

In-class demo

Done in the class!
Vacuum foaming doesn’t work with some materials as it will hard to take out after forming the shape. The object that you have chosen must be have a bigger base than the body.

Vacuum foaming process

Week 12: Thermoplastics

Materials:
1) 100% polyester
2) Marbles/ Anything can form the shape and will not melt after heat
3) Aluminum Foil
4) Rubber band

In class demo

Galina showed me how to make the durian thorns.

How cool of this technique and this is really surprised me the most as I like this technique very much! I never thought that fabric can be boiled and the combination of marbles and fabric made the cool texture. Even my father was curious about what module I am taking!

Process (Part 1)

Process (Part 2)

 

 

 

Week 10: Etching

Etching
Fiber etch is a liquid gel which comes ready to use for devore’. You may etch designs into fabric and paper to produce elaborate devore’ techniques on cotton, linen, or rayon fabric blends. Fiber Etch also removes fabric within embroidered or painted areas for ‘cutwork’ effects. Apply or silk screen Fiber Etch gel and allow to dry after that use the heat to activate and lastly rinse the fibers away.

Fiber etch is also formulated to work on paper and wood! It actually etches into the surface of paper and wood.

Material
Silk Viscase Velvet
Fibre etch remover gel
Screen Print Stencil
Squeegee
Paintbrush to paint with remover gel
Iron
Baking paper

Examples that have been shown in class.

The fiber remover which allows us to make the etching effect.

This is the example of how etching was failed.

The gel remover works on color paper also!

Fiber etching starts!

I use the tissue paper to apply the remover onto the fabric to create irregular shape.

The magical technique made the amazing outcome that I had never expected. Love this technique so much!

It was a failed piece when I think that I didn’t iron enough and I increase the heat of the iron which burnt the fabric. Besides, I found that the area I applied the remover with tissue will have the hole after I scratched lightly. For this problem, I still haven’t solved out the reason whether is I applied too much remover to the fabric or is the iron issue.

Week 11: Touch & Print Field Trip

The trip to Touch and Print was really impressed me with the introduction of different printing techniques. At first, the printing in my knowledge is something very vapid and flat which I thought it will be very stiff if I printed the images on a object or fabric. However, I gained the new knowledge about transfer printing.

The person in-charge not only gave us the technical knowledge about transfer printing but also showed us the process to let us know the steps how to make a successful printing.

He showed us this master pieces done by his friend which can be the inspiration of our final project for those using cardboard for final.

This trip was focus on the transfer printing. Transfer printing can do full color prints, it has no set up time or minimum quantity and lastly the repeat prints are the same. This technique is distinguish with the screen printing which is the technique needs long setup time. It has the minimum quantity but the repeated prints are very cheap and fast. They are also different types of transfer printing which are laser/toner, inkjet, cutting and also sublimation. For example, the laser transfer can do fabric and non-fabric printing and it is the only kind that can do non-fabric printing.

The examples he showed us the printing on different medium for example, fabric, cardboard and leather.

Moreover, we also known that how a design transfer to the t-shirt by using the heat transfer with special paper and laser printer. We are introduced by the difficulty for transfer printing is actually getting rid of the unwanted area.

Another learning point for this trip is the white toner technology. The special transfer paper which allows to transfer which color from the images.

Lastly, I am interested in this technique which is printing on wood actually can done by the matte gel or acrylic paint. The big tube can buy from Artfriend while the small one can get from Daiso.

This field trip is completely worthy while getting out of the pulau NTU. It is impressive when we visit a printing shop that introducing different techniques and the person in-charged shared his own experiences with us!

Week 10: Restering and bleaching

Raster engravings
Raster engravings can be created with a high level of detail and customization with a relatively low programming cost.

A raster image is made up of many pixels, or dots that make up the design. The laser creates the design by scanning over the material and fires a laser pulse for each black dot in the image. The process works with the same concept as a printer does, meaning designs than can be printed in black and white can also be laser engraved with the same clarity and detail.

The examples that have been shown in class:

 

I was very lucky to meet Eugene such a coincidence in the product design workshop and he is so kind to help us through the process.

The failed piece when the outline need to be cut doesn’t align correctly to the border of the image.

Bleaching
Bleaching is a technique that you can get the unexpected effect which the process is quite easy to work on. The part you bleach will be lighter in color and create the amazing texture. How does the bleaching works on fabric is at first you never cover the part you want it to be in original color. After that, you need to spray the beach on the fabric and leave it dry under the sun.

 

The bleaching doesn’t work with wrong fabric selection. I have a successful pieces of fabric but I forgot to take a picture!