Jabberwocky Design

This post is Part 2 of this Imposing Model Project. Feel free to start at the beginning, or see the next part here.

Once I had selected the adjective “imposing,” I had to start exploring the word with both 2D and 3D sketches. I went about this with three different techniques: hand sketches, CAD sketches, and physical paper and blue foam models.

Hand and CAD Sketches

One of the reasons I started taking ID classes was to improve my skill with hand drawing. Early on, though, I found it easier to focus on SpaceClaim models to flesh out the basic “feel” of Imposing. The advantage of the CAD model is its speed; I could very quickly move through a large number of forms, tweaking details effortlessly. I didn’t have to worry about my hand sketching technique, and I could just work right through a bunch of ideas. Here are a few example sketches.

Physical Models

Here you see one of the SpaceClaim models, created in paper. Blake wrote an add-in that unfolds the model into a flat pattern, that I printed out and put together to see what it looks like in real-life. It wasn’t the easiest to assemble, as I printed it to fit entirely on one sheet of 8.5″ x 11″, but it came out rather nice.

I had an assortment of blue foam mock-ups, many of which I did not take pictures of. Some were based off of the CAD models, so were completely independent explorations. I probably spent more time on the CAD models, but there is something very valuable about crafting the physical prototype and being able to turn it over in your hands.

I feel that you understand the shape to a much greater depth if you have constructed it. Working with foam is also largely a subtractive process, taking material away from the blank block you start with. Working in CAD can both add and subtract, which adds a lot of flexibility, but you still begin with an empty workspace and build up. It is surprisingly different to build via addition rather than by subtraction, and I think each can lead you to quite different results, even with the same goal.

At this point, we were finally given our noun. I’ll cover that next time.