design and production update

This whole project for me has been a nightmare. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. I can't seem to get ahead of the game and i'm not looking forward to finishing it which is bad for me! If my heart isn't in it then i know it won't be the best it can be. I'm hoping that once i get everything straightened out, i will be much happier. When we first got the assignment i was so excited to to start sketching. it was a chance to do a production line with simpler pieces than my other classes. I went with my korean heritage inspiration again but kept it simple and streamlined. It's completely different from my locket project which is nice. So, i started sketching designs in different formats, thought about the materials and colors. I thought my sketches were good but i had to eventually outsource my designs with computer renderings. That was the longest process yet for me because i am HORRIBLE at computer stuff. It took me forever to figure out how to scan in my drawings and trace over them. People helped me in the studio and it took many nights at mcdaniel's computer labs. I thought once i had them as files, it would be easy to send them out to ponoko and a steel laser cutting company... WRONG! I tried a million times to send it to ponoko and a kept getting a weird message back. Everyone tried to help me, Megan and Jan even double checked that i had done everything right. I've been emailing back and forth with someone from ponoko's customer service and they even fixed it but it still wouldn't work from my computer. They said the file they fixed worked from their end but for some odd reason i still couldn't do it. SO, last night they finally agreed to do it for me and i picked the material, color, and paid. I bought the smaller size but it was still $100. They were super nice and tried to work with me as much as they could. it was once i started freaking out about my dead line was when they submitted it for me. I thought i wasn't going to be able to use ponoko at all. As of right now, i sent the money and hopefully it's getting cut right now. *fingers crossed nothing else will go wrong with it!*

I also wanted to get steel laser cut with my designs. I made up a different file in illustrator for that process. [the file had to be exported to an autocad DWG file] I did some research and emailed some companies but one in particular got back to me super fast and was really nice. That company was superiorcutting.com. The man i have been emailing with is Jack and he's been helping me through this process. I didn't know about a lot of things that he helped me with like having to be a DWG file, etc. I haven't sent the money in quite yet because i've had to do adjustments on the designs, pick the gauge steel, what kind, etc. He gave me an estimate about $100 too. I like this company so far because he gets back to me so quickly and hasn't gotten impatient with me. I will keep you updated once i get them in the mail.

This entire project has been a constant battle with the computer but i hope it will all be worth the headaches and money. We have to put money out there to make it, right? i keep telling myself that. 

some NYC pictures

Tord boontje @ MOMA design store
Dillon and i with balloon sculpture in front of MAD

@ MOMA design store

@ MOSS

KIdrobot store

LOVE sculpture <3

Looks even cooler in real life.

everyone walking around kind of looking lost

we were all admiring the paper store's window display

Bobby's first time in N.Y.C

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

Each morning I wake up and leave my house when it's still dark or just at sunrise. It makes for some really beautiful drives, until the frsutration of a busy highway. This particular morning I thought the sky was so cool that I had to take some pictures... probably not the safest thing to do but it kept me awake. It's such a weird feeling to leave my house when it's still dark out and get home after dark or a little before. I hardly ever see daylight. At least i get to see a sky like this one when most people are still asleep.

good influence

Jan's advice to do blogs has reached people from the outside of our major... my boyfriend, Bobby and my mom have started blogs. My mom didn't really do much to hers but Bobby is using his as a virtual sketchbook like we do. He's seen me blog about my inspirations and assignments so he thought it would be cool to the same. I think blogging is a really useful tool to keep track of artists, styles, etc you like.

Here's Bobby's blog if anyone is interested: www.andbobbysaid.blogspot.com

Last day of our internship :(

[my vases! i love them and i loved making them. The one on the right actually is my favorite in person but it doesn't look as nice as the left in the photograph. Something to know for the next time is to try placing them at different angles. This image has been edited.]

Two weeks ago (9.26)was our photography lesson at our internship and Sherri finished her clocks. The Girardinis have their own photography room set up in the office of the studio. They've made a lot of it themselves and it works just as good as the professional stuff. We first set up our wall clocks and took pictures of them. Ken told us all about lighting, shutter speed, etc. It was all pretty new to me but it was a good general lesson of photography, i think anything more detailed would have gone way over my head. Ken took a bunch while we learned how to set up, place the lights, and angle white poster board. Then Sherri and I got the chance to use Ken's camera and figure out all the buttons. I brought my Nikon D40 but it didn't have a plug for the lights but Ken said it would work just fine for outdoor pictures. I think that's what i'm going to have to do without having all the gadgets. We also got to take pictures of Sherri's table clocks, my vases, and some of Julie's new sculptures. Those ended up looking really nice. I even got to get my blood diamonds necklace, and my steel sculptures photographed!
[my 6 leaf clock that i started to edit but haven't finished yet]

10.10: Today was our last day! Last week would have been it but Sherri hurt her foot and I really wanted our last day to be together. I was so sad for today!! While Sherri finished some last touches on her clocks, I finished some dragon clocks. I was actually sad to grind them because i knew i was going to miss it. I only got few done before it was time to learn how to edit our photographs. Ken is a superstar to me when it comes to technical stuff like photography and computers. He taught us how to use photoshop and edit things like dirt or nail holes in the wall, make the image sharper, etc. I had to write everything down in detail but i know i'll still forget some of it. Ken showed us how to do everything then we each got edit an image. We got a few done then Ken gave us all the files he took so we could edit them on our own. The only way to really learn something is to do it yourself!

[2nd pendulum clock that i redesigned after the 1st. This image has been edited.]

Ponoko problem

Every time I try to upload my ilustrater design onto ponoko it says this:

There is one or more elements in your .eps file that has a color. Rastering must be a solid fill that is a shade of grey. Check that your document is set up to use RGB colors and not CMYK. Please check and try again.

I don't know what to do. I even tried uploading it to photomake. I need help!