3D Design

Throughout this semester of 3D design, we have faced a major challenge because of Covid-19, but at the beginning of the class when we were in school, I started the class with no real idea of what I was getting myself into. The first class we had, Mrs. Medsker gave us a piece of paper and told us to make something out of only that piece of paper. As I looked at it I became frustrated and thought to myself, "how does she expect us to only use paper for this". We were given no other instruction and for a reason. Mrs. Medsker wanted us to see how any material can be used to make art, an idea which as of recently has come in really handy. She wanted to teach us that it was up to our creativity to make something out of nothing. This was technically our first project, and I decided to make sort of a Russian doll concept out of paper boxes. It is not my greatest work of art, the boxes are uneven in some places, they are crooked, and the pencil lines are still visible because I glued and then erased, but it was only my first piece of the semester and my skills were a work in progress.

The second project was more of a way of getting to know a 3D computer program where you create your design on the app and have a laser cutter cut pieces out. I did not make my project 3D enough as I did not make many layers, but it was fun to learn how to use the program. I was not used to making 3D projects out of something other than clay because I had taken a ceramics class the year before, so I was still learning how to move from 2D-3D. I believe that the most challenging part of this class was using my creativity to come up with an idea for a project. I am a very black or white kind of person who does better with guidelines and exact instructions, and although Mrs. Medsker was clear about the task of our projects, it was a very generalized class that gave us the option to come up with our own ideas. So because of this class, I had to learn how to use my creativity more than ever.

Another challenge was that because of Covid-19, we were forced to work online for the rest of the school year. This meant that we were responsible for keeping ourselves on track with our work. As the weather got nicer and warmer, I found myself outside for most of the day, without even realizing how much time had gone by. I needed to come up with a schedule for maintaining my work and not procrastinating. Because we are all at home, surrounded by distractions, I found myself without motivation to do my work and get it done. I always ended up finishing my work, but there were a few times when I found it really hard to meet a deadline.

Out of all of my projects, I am most proud of my clay sculpture because I love the colors and the way the clay formed. This was the only project we used clay for, and I have a history with using clay because I have taken a ceramics class in the past. I was used to using it and felt like out of all of the projects I knew what I was doing the most with it. I enjoy using clay as a material because it is so versatile and can be molded very easily. You can make almost anything out of it. I also like how I can use this project for something in the future. I liked this project enough to actually use it as a decoration in my bedroom. I think that I was able to express my sense of fun and happiness in this piece because it is upbeat and light.

Reflecting on all of my work in this class, I can see that one of my strengths as a learner was sticking to a theme, as seen in the sustained investigation series, but that one of my weaknesses was getting my work in on time. I am not making an excuse, but it is hard for me to sit down and work on something when I see that it is a beautiful day outside. I would like to say that this class has helped me become a better thinker and has pushed me to come up with new ways of being creative with what I have. I am thankful to have taken 3D with Mrs. Medsker because it has allowed me to experience making art in a new form and has given me experience for any future I may have in the art field.