Final Vis Project

Ah, lets see if I can write a little more coherently now that I'm three cups in me. My team mate and I are in the thick of writing up our papers. He is trying to make data, and I'm making what pictures I can of it. Interestingly, I think the best pictures I've come up with in the process of designing the visualization are accidental.

I won't get into what we're trying to accomplish; I just wanted to share some of my favorite mistakes:

Not much art

Not exactly any art per se going on lately. I'm taking a couple classes at UNC this spring: history of mathematics class and a scientific visualization. There is some graphing going on, but not *exactly* art. More computer art than anything else. Let me explain...

History of Mathematics

Who knew that back in the day, math had a lot more to do with geometry and hence pictures than it does today, I would say. The Pythagorean Theorum is particularly popular when it comes to 'visual proofs'. I've been reading this book How Round is Your Circle?, in which you are encouraged to make physical representations out of wood and hinges of famous geometric shapes (if only I had a woodworking shop!).

Visualizing algebra equations of first through third order (1 - 3 dimensions) has been kind of interesting as well, although mind bending. Back in the day, math was a hands on kind of thing. You could very well intuit the mathematical properties of an equation with the tools of the math trade: the compass and straight edge. If you could draw it, it was possible.

Scientific Visualization

Now this is a fun and hard class. I'm struggling basically to learn software that lets you make pictures of scientific data. There are several programs, and they don't all do what you want to do and so the trouble is: how do you take three half-scissors and make a fork? My last homework is, so far, the best I've yet been able to do.

We were supposed to improve the following diagram of vector fields (think river currents):

I made a rough draft of colors I thought I might want to use, and then uh...well, lets just say thats not what I ended up with:

My final design ended up something like this (slightly different colors that, make it easier to read the map, but aren't as pretty. This is the prettiest one I didn't get to use):

In summary: not doing much drawing art lately - well, kind of doing art.

Christmas cards

AL and I teamed up to make some block print cards for the holidays. I've scanned a few of my favorites and posted them here. Tisco Tansi is the little scrawny cat, which I cut. Cardigan is the hulkier cat; Anna Lena cut him out. I added extra embelishments: line drawing, pencil, birds, etc.

My favorite is #5, which I did most of. Except the bird, which is an old cut that Anna Lena made - a whimsical style that I cannot duplicate.

Each one is unique unto itself, which is something I love about home made block cuts anyway - even though they're the same shape, little artifacts creep into them. Industrial, yet, crafted.

Of course we're still making them (I think we're up to 50), and of course have only mailed out a few. Somehow it is easier to make cards than it is to write notes/letters and mail them. But we're nearing the end, so...hopefully no more procrastination.

Illustration class homework finished!

Late by a few months, but I took my free morning to finish the last of three drawings I did for an illustration class I took at the Durham Arts Council.

This particular assignment had been something of a brainstorming excersize: given a couple photocopies of a famous portrait (and an accompanying one for context), put the girl in the portrait into different stories/storylines. But first, just try and draw her. Here's mine:

Between session I came up with about 6 concepts, and after trying to compose a final drawing from my concepts, I gave up and went with the easiest. That turned out well, so I eventually tackled two more...which in a way make a mini story arc of sorts:

Two: getting ready for the day.




One: freed from the confines of courtly life, as much as possible. This was the first one I did.




Three: hideout.