Dinosaur Dolan Designs

 The peer critique was helpful to select which concept to move forwards with. It was hard to decide which remix could be expanded upon in an attainable but challenging manner. Ultimately, we agreed that Apex Predator had the most visual impact balanced as well as being timely to current concerns about the economy and environment. It was also helpful to hear suggestions on pushing the gas pump portion of my object. We talked about colours, scale and textures that could differentiate the metallic nature of the object from it's organic history.  With that in mind, I took the below objects and began work.  The leg to torso transition was tricky, but I eventually solved it with segmentation.  And the result - a much expanded concept, which stronger definition of the constituent objects and additional tableau elements.       Although this creation is made from objects sourced on Thingiverse, it's much more than the sum of it's parts. It couldn't have be...

 What is the point of the remix? Why not just create something new? Well, what's new? To be honest, at first thought, it seems like not much. We live in a culture of constantly rebooted IP's intended to draw nostalgia bucks from our wallets. We consume content created by mega-huge sources with the expectation that we don't participate, we buy. We can't fix our own phones, we sometimes can't legally even participate in modifying them, instead we buy new phones when they become damaged or obsolete. That's read-only culture - passive consumption of media created by relatively small creative centres and a strong delineation between content providers and content consumers. What's read-write? Active participation in the media, which we create AND consume. It's a culture which encourages innovation upon the existing. It doesn't penalise those who take apart the things they have to use the building bricks to create new things. Editing the existing to service...

 It's no secret that creating art can be painful. It can be awkward and ungainly, crooked and cramped. Even with the luxury of a studio space in my home, I find myself shuffling between computer, drafting table, kitchen table and the lazy boy. Why? Because I suffer from chronic back pain - and art school isn't helping!  In the documentary, Objectified , Dan Formosa tells us that by designing for the extremes, we also service the middle. If I could improve the space I use to make art, in a way that is accessible to active people with healthy backs, this would allow me to design something that was functional for a large range of people.  The problems: Space. Mobility - the less I walk, the longer I can work. Multi-functionality - I need to be able to paint, make comics and work digitally. I also need something that can be put on a coffee table, a computer desk, or even in my lap.  I took to heart Marc Newsom's advise to disregard current references - I didn't want...