March 22 2021

Research

(Stewart, 2021)

The above image depicts a set of wooden serve-ware with silver handles and accents. This set is titles “Park Birds”. These products are inspirational to my own product ideas as these products are based around wildlife. One aspect of these products that I find intriguing is that the designer chose to combine materials that aren’t commonly used together. Despite this I think that the silver handles and accents of these product compliment the varnished oak wood.

 

(Nambe, 2021)

This set of serving dishes include bowls, cake stands and cups that are made from copper. The inside of these vessels are polished, whereas the outside is brushed to give off a darker look. I think that the brushed copper gives the products a  _ look. The material used is interesting as copper is not commonly used for serving dishes,  but rather silver is. I think that copper would be an interesting material to use in my own work, as my designs are based around textures draw from nature; It would be interesting to see how the textures found in tree bark translate into copper.

 

(unknown, 1, 2021)

The above product is a teacup, spoon and saucer carved from wood. This particular set of items uses a stain to emphasis the wood grain. The cup has a definitive ring design, with the cup having a coil-like shape and circular handle. The way the stain has been used to emphasis the wood grain is interesting as it gives it an almost leopard-print like design. Wood is not something that is often used for product that hold liquid, however, the use of wood in this product is something that makes both the texture and design unique. In my own work I would like to explore the use of wood for crockery and other food serving products as my primary inspiration is nature.

(GIBSON, 2021)

This product is “2-Tier Mango Wood Enamelled Cake Stand” (GIBSON, 2021) that is 13.5 inches tall. Most of my designs and research into cake stands are primarily one-tier, however it is interesting to look at designs that incorporate multiple layers. This particular product is designed to look like a tree, with the second layer representing the branches reaching out. This product concept opens up new ideas for how I can create serving products that combine design and function.

 

(Court,1 , 2021)(Court, 2, 2021)

The first product by Arthur Court is a domed cake stand. The cake stand is made from an aluminium alloy and has a “footed base with a butterfly motif surrounding the perimeter and a solid 14-inch round plate with embossed matching butterflies” (Court,1 , 2021) This cake stand also has a clear glass dome lid which not only keeps its contents fresh but allows for visual display of the items whilst storing and serving. The second product by Arthur Court is a clear acrylic bowl that has a ruffled design with aluminium alloy base. Like the previous product, the base has a footed base with a butterfly/garden motif. “The removable bowl boasts a full 14 inches in diameter” (Court, 2, 2021). I like that these designs look as though the cake stand is being held up by the butterflies, this is a concept (animals hold serving dishes) which was included in my initial design ideas.

 

(PENDEJUELAS, 2021)

The products above are a ceramic tea set that looks like a mother hedgehog (the teapot) and babies (the cups). Although most of my design ideas are inspired by nature and animals helping with mundane tasks, the minimalist design of this teapot and cup set is intriguing as it depicts the products as animals rather than having an animal involved design. Furthermore, despite the simplicity of the products design it, it is still easy to see which animal it is inspired by its design also gives direction to its functionality. Simplifying a design to add to its functionality is something I will look further into in my own research.

 

(unknown, 2, 2021)

Much like the previous teapot that I researched, this products design depicts the product as an animal instead of having an animal involved design. In this case the product is a teapot that look like a rabbit holding a bunch of flowers. This links to my own work as rabbits are one of my inspirations for product designs as I have pet rabbits. This product is made of ceramic and has a simple, one colour glaze: white. I think that the lack of colour draws attention to the shape and physical details of the teapot, this aspect could be useful for my more detailed designs.

 

(Belt, 2021)

This teapot is a ceramic sculpture called ‘plum blossom teapot’ by an artist called Bonnie Belt. The teapot itself has a peach-to-pink-to-cream gradient with branches and flower blossoms forming the handle and spout. Like my own product designs, this teapot is inspired by nature; primarily trees. The product is made from white stoneware clay, with the base teapot shape being formed on the potters wheel with the rest of the sculpture being hand built. the artist says she likes “combining the symmetry of a vessel with the flowing movement” of her sculptures hoping to “make the viewer feel the tranquillity and harmony of the subject, but also experience the tenacity of the natural world.” (Belt, 2021). The measurements for this product are approximately 11 inches wide, 10 inches high and 8 inches deep. I really like how the artist combined perfect form with a natural and organic sculpture, this inspires me to combine different aspects of work to create something new, whether that be combine materials like wood and silver or combining styles.

(Jill, 2021)

The above images are of a French-style ivory ceramic tea set with an aged effect, embossed emblem, scrolled handle and bead detailing. This set consists of one teapot, four cups, one sugar bowl with lid and spoon, and a milk jug. A tea set is an optimal sharing form as it connects the participants in one act, giving them something to commonly do whilst conversing: a key part of ‘social eating’. Previously i have looked at very sculptural products, but this tea set has simple form with and embossed emblem that connects each part of the set, in my own designs i will look at creating simple forms of sharing that have an illustrated or embossed aspect that connects each piece within a theme.

 

Bibliography

Belt, B., 2021. Plum Blossom Teapot. [online] The Highlight Gallery. Available at: <https://www.thehighlightgallery.com/products/plum-blossom-teapot> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (Belt, 2021)

Court, A., 2021. Arthur Court Butterfly 14-Inch Cake Stand with Glass Dome. [online] Amazon.com. Available at: <https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Court-Butterfly-14-Inch-Stand/dp/B003QKYLQK> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (Court, 1, 2021)

Court, A., 2021. Arthur Court Designs Aluminum Butterfly Stand with Acrylic Serving Bowl 14 Diameter x 12.5 inch Tall. [online] Amazon.com. Available at: <https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Court-Butterfly-14-Inch-Acrylic/dp/B00303FHT8?ref_=ast_sto_dp> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (Court, 2, 2021)

GIBSON, 2021. [online] homedepot.com. Available at: <https://www.homedepot.com/p/GIBSON-elite-Philomena-2-Tier-Mango-Wood-Enameled-Cake-Stand-985112500M/312966802> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (GIBSON, 2021)

Jill, V., 2021. Ivory Ceramic Tea Set With Embossed Emblem. [online] notonthehighstreet.com. Available at: <https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/victoriajill/product/ivory-ceramic-tea-set-with-embossed-emblem?referredBy=search> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (Jill, 2021)

Nambe, 2021. [online] Pinterest.ie. Available at: <https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/549157748302221155/> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (Nambe, 2021)

Stewart, M., 2021. MARTHA STEWART #serveware #bowl #plate BUY NOW! | Quirky kitchen decor, Serveware, Kitchen jars. [online] Pinterest. Available at: <https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/377106168769643173/> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (Stewart, 2021)

PENDEJUELAS, 2021. Mommy Hedgehog teapot and its baby cups.. [online] Wanelo. Available at: <https://wanelo.co/p/9060777/mommy-hedgehog-teapot-and-its-baby-cups> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (PENDEJUELAS, 2021)

unknown, 1., 2021. [online] Pinterest.ie. Available at: <https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/360850988891001023/> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (unknown, 1, 2021)

unknown, 2., 2021. Bunny Rabbit Shaped Teapot – Roses And Teacups. [online] Roses And Teacups. Available at: <https://rosesandteacups.com/collections/easter-tea-gifts/products/bunny-rabbit-shaped-teapot?utm_campaign=Pinterest+Buy+Button&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Pinterest&utm_content=pinterest-buy-button-17bb17c1e-2e74-4ee3-863a-00d6d5b10dea> [Accessed 22 March 2021]. – (unknown, 2, 2021)

 

Category: AAD012, Main Workshop | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 13 2021

Prototyping

Air Drying Clay sugar bowl – scaled down

 

For my first prototype I use air drying clay to make a small-scale sugar/jam bowl and lid. I began by creating a pinch pot and then continued to use a coiling technique to build up the sides. Once I got the shape I wanted and smoothed out the sides, I added a base and texture to the bowl, and created a small bird and attached it to the lid to be used as a handle.

My second prototype, was initially designed as a plate but if made large could easily be used as a serving tray. This prototype is made from air-drying clay and has textures drawn from trees. To create this dish I first rolled some clay and cut it into a circle, I then added a wall of clay to the edge of the circle and added the same texture to this plate/serving tray.

My third prototype is of a serving tray shaped as a rabbit with oversized ears. I think this prototype turned out very well as the sculptural aspect fits in very well with my theme and the oversized ears function well to hold small treats such as cupcakes.

My fourth prototype is a serving tray made from cardboard and hot glue. To create this tray i cut out a piece of carboard into a hexagon and used hot glue to add a honeycomb decoration to the surface as well as stands that look like dripping honey.

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March 2 2021

Research

Nature inspired Mugs/Crockery

Above is a photo a a ceramic slab pot I created in 2019. The design is based around nature, depicting a bark like texture as well as a series of small bushes and a bunny’s head sticking out of one of the bushes in relief. When decorating the pot I used a matt oxide so that I could get more accurate colours on the ‘bark’ texture, as the thicker the oxide was applied the darker the colour became; I feel the colours used pays and important role in realism as well as adding to the pieces nature aesthetic. I loved creating this pot both because of working with the used material and working within the theme of nature. Looking at previous projects I produced  is inspiring as it encourages me to develop my work and style as an artist/maker. If able to work with ceramics I would like to develop this style of pottery and create a series of mugs/crockery inspired by nature and using similar textures/techniques as used on this slab pot.

 

MitraCeramica (MitraCeramica, 2021)

       

MitraCeramica is a Russian ceramics company run by a woman called Darya in St. Petersburg. Many of Darya’s creative designs are based around natural textures and African patterns. The above set of ceramics are designed around the textures found on a walnut tree, although each piece is different, Darya has utilised multiple aspects of a single source of inspiration to create a number of highly different pieces of crockery. I like Darya’s work as she has created a set of items which belong together despite sharing no similarities. I think this is a useful idea when applying to my own work as it can be used to ensure that not too much focus is placed on any individual components, but instead a much wider picture. Darya combines natural textures with functional ceramics to create interesting, partially stylised crockery, thus is inspirational to my own work as I want to create ceramics based around textures found in nature as well as forest animals.

 

Big Mouth Inc (BigMouth, 2021)

Big Mouth Inc is a novelty gift company based in Omaha, Nebraska. Although the company create many ceramic novelty gifts such as the mugs seen above, they also produce a wide range of gifts for every season and occasion. The first image is of a mug that doubles as a snack/doughnut holder, this is an intriguing concept and a design that I may consider exploring/developing within my own work as it would be interesting to see how I can combine multi-functional designs such as this with my nature inspired ideas. The second image is of a novelty mug in the shape of an oversized doughnut; enlarging the size of different aspect of my designs is something that I also may consider when developing my ideas as it both allows for a bigger sharing platform as well as gives a new perspective of art and functional ceramics.

 

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 (unknown, 2020)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a 2013 3D-animated film based around a scientist/inventor who accidentally  creates an array of mutated food monsters/creatures. This is an interesting style of art as it focusses on personifying normally inanimate objects. Character can be added in interesting ways, primarily by focussing on adding recognisable animal features such as teeth and eyes using non-conventional means – an example of this is using sesame seeds as eyes. This is inspirational to my work as one of my initial design ideas was a series of sculptures that depict monsters made out of food. Some of the designs are purely one food, for example a strawberry with stem legs and arms, whilst others are a mix such as a burger spider with french-fry legs: both can be seen above. If I explore this ‘food monster’ direction of work, I will explore the different forms I can create with both natural and man-made foods and how I can make both sculptures and food vessels from these forms.

 

Fruit Shaped Crockery (AliExpress, 2020)

The above pieces of crockery were designed and produced by a Korean ceramic company. Despite having conventional shapes, they are noticeably vibrant with eye-catching colours based around a number of fruit. Their simple forms ease the process of mass-production, while at the same time mimicking the rounded shapes of the fruit they are inspired by. While they can be manufactured easily for high precision and replicability, they can also be prototyped quickly using pottery techniques such as throwing. This is a process I have an interest in exploring, and something that I hope to develop in the future to expand my current skills in ceramics; It would be interesting to see how I could develop basic thrown forms as seen above into sharing platters with interesting styles/designs.

 

Animal Inspired Utensils (MaviGadget, 2021)

The creator of these rabbit inspired food trays above is unknown. Even so, I believe it to be an interesting piece of work from which I can draw inspiration. The colours used in the above pieces are a simple white. This highlights the figurative aspect of the each piece, while providing contrast that does not draw attention away from the aesthetics of the food being presented. It also simplifies the process of colouring the item during production. This is an interesting point, as it demonstrates that simple colours can be used advantageously when applied correctly. The rabbit design links to my own design concepts, focussing on both my nature theme and general interest in animals.  Prototyping a piece such as this would be challenging, as replicating the complex shape of the each rabbit would be difficult, this process would also be more time consuming compared to more basic tray forms. The need to ensure the item is balanced is also noteworthy, as well as being structurally sound enough to support the weight of the food that will eventually be placed upon it. These are all aspects that I will need to consider in my own designs if I choose to create something of a similar nature. The use of animals to hold up various sharing platforms is a concept that is very interesting and makes me think of the Tim Burton film ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

 

Bibliography

AliExpress, 2020. 30.8US $ |Korean creative ceramic tableware suit hand painted lovely fruit bowl + spoon+ plate 3pcs/lot|ceramic tableware|plate bowlbowl spoon – AliExpress. [online] aliexpress.com. Available at: <https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32229305638.html?src=ibdm_d03p0558e02r02> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (AliExpress, 2020)

BigMouth, 2021. BigMouth Inc | Pool Floats, Giant Inflatables, Great Gift Ideas. [online] BigMouth Inc. Available at: <https://bigmouthinc.com/> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (BigMouth, 2021)

Etsy. 2021. Dinner set Ceramic plate Ceramic bowl by MitraCeramica on Etsy. [online] Available at: <https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MitraCeramica?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=865017422> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (MitraCeramica, 2021)

MaviGadget, 2021. Rabbit Ceramic Dessert Server Tray. [online] MaviGadget. Available at: <https://mavigadget.com/products/rabbit-ceramic-dessert-server-tray> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (MaviGadget, 2021)

unknown, 2020. Foodimals. [online] Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Wiki. Available at: <https://cloudywithachanceofmeatballs.fandom.com/wiki/Foodimals> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (unknown, 2020)

 

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