For this I traced around 8 objects in my flat.
Clearly tracing around on 2D can’t capture 3D so I decided to trace in a way that I let the pen stay connected to the object I was tracing and put the object down on the paper where most of it was touching the surface. I wanted to try to stop myself from drawing what was there but really stick to the pen touching the object and see what came out:
Fruit basked: So this one has a familiar shape to the fruit basket but in 2d and how I outlined it, it comes off more like a big ladle or a bent spoon or a hook for something
Ladle: Speaking of ladles, this looks like an upside down mushroom, or a spade or warped hammer! Perhaps a golf club or a pendulum and I certainly don’t think it looks like a ladle!
Spray bottle: This looks pretty similar to the original – since it’s quite flat against the paper you get the full outline. However playing around with the drawing you could think snake jaw or cone!
Pepper mill: This one also looks relatively aligned to the original but if you saw only the drawing I am not sure what I would think. A chess piece? Outline of a cartoon character with a fun hat?
Watering can: since this is already a fairly abstract shape for a watering can, I think the tracing makes it even more abstract! It doesnt really remind me of anything else either. Perhaps someone putting on and getting into the sleeve of a jumper!
Jar with lid: Had I drawn this with more precision this might have come out a proper set of circles! You would never be able to guess the origin of the outline – and now it looks like a blow fish or a balloon or a cartoon bomb or a Christmas bauble!!
Defuzzer: This one looks like the shape but I don’t think you would guess what it is. And upside down it would look more like a bottle. It could be a cartoon hand pointing, or an ice lolly, or a tool of some kind, a hand held grater? A door handle? A cooking spatula…
Above: Traditional Ecuadorian lady: This one could be anything!! Though I guess it fits a kind of bushy haired cartoon character perhaps. This comes of quite abstract and upside down it could be a dress, it could be a hole in a cave as you look through, two leaves on top of each other,
Now brainstorming how to re use these and putting them all together to see them all:
I found it hard to imagine what to do with them so I cut them out and played around with them together to try to come with some new ways to use the shapes:
I tried to come up with some interesting arrangements, even an almost set of bagpipes! But then I came across this combination which turned into a big old fashioned flouncy gown.
I decided to play with this and get some different textured coloured sugar papers to recreate the shapes and a nice background colour to go and tried again playing around with them to get a nice combination:
I then settled on a final composition with a background paper and overlayed with pastels to get more layer and movement and a bit of fancifulness!
Reflections:
- This was a great exercise to come up with something so totally unexpected – from strange shapes to strange combinations and being inspired by shapes to come up with a known object. It was actually a lot of fun!
- I think I was quite surprised by how abstract it got and as I think I was expecting shapes that really just reflected the item – but when I also transferred the line forms into cut out forms this got even more abstract even for the obvious forms
- I am not great at coming up with abstract forms so this was really useful but I do enjoy creating things out of abstract forms and this again is a good way for me to free my creativity up and get experimental.
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