Monochrome – Mark making and pattern animation / boring or ugly experiment

For our first day in class, we were instructed to make markings from an interestingly shaped plastic block with a charcoal stick. I had fun learning more about the shape by completing this task, gaining more information surrounding the textures and small sections of writing, and experimenting with how to manipulate my tool to get a different response on the same section of plastic. There was no right or wrong, so I led with my creativity and what I believed I would enjoy the most.

Then, we were told to make a small pattern animation from the markings, finding similarities that flowed visually. Again, there was no right or wrong answer, but sometimes shapes did not fit and did not work together visually. I found it very challenging, taking something that once was filled with a lack of commitment—no drawing had to be the same or fit a certain brief—and suddenly twisted into a puzzle that had to be calculated.

I then began my research, looking at my surroundings differently and making small animations where the patterns continued or looked visually pleasing.

Our next two tasks were to complete a pattern animation in the LCC building and another animation that fit under the confines of an ugly or boring subject. With the LCC building, it was very challenging, as the art and posters on the walls are so vastly different, and thus, I opted to create an animation from the signs on toilet doors and the LCC maps. I then went home and tried to find a subjectively ugly or boring subject. I found that my plants had uncomfortable markings, they looked strange and misplaced to me and tracing their core made an engaging pattern animation. Whilst I can not say I enjoyed either of these tasks, I did learn more about my natural surroundings and how unique and different everything looks in hindsight, but can fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.