In this blog I aim to explore and examine many objects that I believe have been inspired by, or contain a large element of natural form. I intend to look at natural forms themselves and at products and images which have been created with natural form specifically in mind. I will consider how these forms are conveyed and the degree to which they are 'inspired'. I will observe these forms around me and consider some very famous designs that have had natural form elements. I will experiment based on my observations using a range of media. This will culminate in a final outcome which will bring together the ideas I have acquired through my previous work.
I will post when encountering a specific event important to the development of the project, for example, mentioning artists and important sketches. The lower part of the blog will be filled with images and there will be slideshows with running reels of my work. There will be useful information down the side of the page including relevant links.
Honeycomb
The design of this ceramic tile has clearly been influenced by honeycombs.
parasol
A sunshade device seems to have taken its design for a folding mechanism from the humble tree; spokes branching from a central trunk.
cardboard
Natural wave patterns can be found even in the mundane and often designs influenced by natural form are on the small scale.
About Me
the crystal palace I
A 3D model of The Crystal Palace as it would have been shortly after opening.
the crystal palace II
The Crystal Palace again, but heavily distorted like a scrunched up piece of paper. The intention is to add an organic element to the building to bring out new and interesting forms.
the crstal palace crop I
Interesting folds on the edge of the building
the crystal palace crop II
Square polygons in my model are forced to trianglate causing interesting interactions of light.
the crystal palace crop III
New (negative) space are created as the building curves back onto itself.
the crystal palace crop IV
New areas of darkness arrive in the form and wrinkles appear on the surface of the building.
lens
An experimental drawing of a camera lens. I have drawn extension lines to show the path of the light. There is block cover over the glass end of the lens in a distorted perspective rectangle. The pentagons at the top of the image represent the lens bokeh.
gorillapod
My tripod appears to take some inspiration from natural forms such as insect legs or animal tails etc.
washballs
Washballs look like little alien planets with saturn rings. This is a paper and plastic collage.
shell
An important starting point is the observation of natural forms on their own. This will provide the groundwork for later studies.
shell II
lLooking at the shell end-on we can see its distinctive spiral pattern. A radial gradient helps to create a focal point.
carbon
Chacoal sticks are manmade but are inherently organic due to their natural origin in willow plants.
basket
I have looked closely at the woven forms in this basket, detail is added with fineline pen.
screw
A man-made screw from a swingball set.
peter randall page I
A computer based copy of a drawing to get a feel (in three dimensions) of the forms he is drawing.
peter randall page II
An experiment of my own based on the above image.
peter randall-page III
Randell Page has created indulgent forms that appear to emerge from an abyss.
gaudi's chimnies
These chimnies were designed by Gaudi. I like the way the surface curves reseble some kind of skin or membrane with a bone structure underneath.
gaudi's chimnies - line
A drawing showing some of the linear qualities found in Gaudi's chimnies.
gaudiesque I
A small 3D model sketch experimenting with forms similar to those found in his chimnies.
gaudiesque II
Similar to the above images but with greater likeness to the original forms.
the crystal palace
Designed by Joseph Paxton for the great exhibition, the Crystal Palace's design took inspiration from nature.
the crystal palace lines
Here I have highlighted some of th linear qualities in the palace's design.
the crystal palace - detail
More detailed drawings of various parts of the crystal palace.
cocoa split
a cocoa bean split in half showing five segments inside.
cocoa comparison
A drawing comparing the form of the cocoa bean and that of the coca-cola bottle. Note the ridges and bulbous centre.
banana
A line drawing of a bunch of bananas. If the banana is considered as a continuous surface, then the lines rougly represent turning points.
banana wire
A wireframe estimation of the surface of some bananas.
banana composite
The wire mesh is overlayed onto the final rendered image.
simcity 2000 arcology
An Arcology is a safe sealed environment, the design of which is often inspired by nature. This particular one is copied from the game SimCity 2000.
gaudi's arcology
An arcology-like design by Gaudi, comparable to a modern day super-scraper.
parabolae
These lines are similar to those drawn in Gaudi's skyscraper drawing, they seem to represent inverted x^n curves.
arcologies
The top four images are arcologies from SimCity 2000, the rest are designs based on the original game artifacts.