3D Design

3D design is a class I was hesitant to take because it is outside my comfort zone, but at the same time, I knew I had to take on this challenge and explore new art forms. With each new assignment came a small sense of dread with a voice inside saying “what on Earth am I going to create for that?” Instead of imagining a picture on paper, I now had to think about: what materials I wanted to use, how big the sculpture would be, will it be free-standing? Or hung on a wall? Etc. Having to think outside the box and make art in a way I never had before caused me to develop a major appreciation for sculptors and the art pieces they create and the time that goes into each piece regardless of its size. My understanding of the range of materials I can make art with, and how certain things work together and others don’t, and how different adhesives are better for different things is much greater now after this taking this class.

My work in this portfolio shows I have improved through the advancement of detail in each piece and the development of my use of space. My first paper sculpture explored the idea of playing with the space around the paper and ways you can transform a 2D material into something sculptural by simply changing its shape. With each Sustained Investigation piece, my work improved as my knowledge of my materials enhanced. Finishing with the Covid-19 Visual Response project, there is an apparent improvement because of this structure that is full of detail and dimension.

The most challenging project from this class was my relief project, “FlowChild”, because I created it entirely out of roses and to make the portrait I had to use a range of different shades of petals. The roses were dried so they were brittle and difficult to work with and could easily tear. Nevertheless, they layered well and each side of the petal was a different shade which was great for capturing the shadows and highlights of the face. Along with being the most challenging, this is also the project I am most proud of because I overcame the obstacles of working with dry flowers and captured the face of my sister through this relief.

My 3D artwork illustrates my strengths and weaknesses as a learner through detail and planning. A learning strength for me is attention to detail and ensuring that everything makes sense when put together. This is strongly reflected in my Covid-19 Visual Response. There is a great amount of detail, and I took the time to connect certain aspects of the scene together, such as the fact that the room is cluttered, which represents struggle and mental illness, which connects to the supportive messages placed around the room. A learning weakness of mine is planning. I tend to jump into things without thinking them through or doing any brainstorming, which is reflected in my Sustained Investigation #2. I built the structure, then jumped right into painting and adding detail to the scene. When I had finished, I realized that this is the type of sculpture that could be viewed all the way around, but there is no backside of the rock wall and no detail.

All in all, this class is definitely one that I encourage others to take whose comforts lie with paints and pens because it pushes your mind to think about materials and everyday items around you in a new, inventive way. After taking this class, I feel inspired to incorporate 3D aspects into my artwork moving forward because of the interest it adds to the piece. Walking away from this semester, I hope to remember all that I’ve learned and continue to recognize the effort put into and the beauty of the artwork in my community.