A1 Historical Layer

Decided to get this finished tonight so I can load it onto the S drive tomorrow. It is part of a series of layers for an exhibition at Knole in the Spring. I was looking at the 19th century.

Wood Wharf

According to the schedule the decisions on Wood Wharf should have been made today so I guess it's ok to update the blog. So, my final design was Reflection, and I've certainly reflected a lot since it was submitted. A mix of photoshop, sketch up, vectorworks and hand rendering made the final composition. From where I was, to what I submitted was a huge transformation, and I know there are lots more techniques to learn but this was a great project for getting going.

Reflection - final submission for Wood Wharf competition

I'm looking forward to the pin-up to see all the different designs and graphic styles.

Interesting day...

We have been working on a group project in preparation for Masterplanning. Some people looking at Eastbourne's Sovereign Park area and some looking at Bexhill on Sea. Today was the presentation from each group on their survey findings; I'm part of the Eastbourne team and we had five people presenting the survey and three people presenting precedent studies, the group has a total of 16.

Once delivered we received feedback from Jamie, Paula and Julia. If I were a betting woman, I'd say we didn't get the job! There was a lot of criticism about the presentation and the content, and I think this must be taken as constructive. I say that on the basis that everything else we do in class, the lecturers want us to do well, comments are intended as a platform on which we can improve and develop - otherwise what is the point?

There are positives, we got a presentation together even though some detail in certain areas was lacking; the presentation team worked well together and were strong as a group.

We'll get our mark soon, and I'm sure everyone will step up to the plate to address any shortfalls and make the written document good.

I normally get home very upbeat about the day, but not tonight, I guess I'm disappointed that collectively we disappointed, because I know how much time, effort and complete commitment was given by the presentation team (I'm not naming, people know what they did) to make today happen.

A lot learnt, a lot to learn...

Another Knole sketch

Not really a sketch, but a map to show positioning of proposed art installations in the garden. This is a 21st century layer. Jamie asked about design ambition a few weeks ago, and working on this project for Knole has made me think, and so for me, I'd like to be involved in a design project that has longevity, that makes a mark in some way. I'm learning just how subjective taste can be so I can't imagine everyone will like it, but if it makes a difference to someone, somewhere, then that would be good - and hey, I'll never know!

Garden and Wilderness at Knole, map showing where installation trail will be, also showing restored 1709 feature

Sketches

A really busy week this week, extra trips into Uni for preparation and rehearsals for the Group work stuff.

Just a few sketches, practising!

A sketch design for Bruce Forsyth, following a brief, Master planning exercise

The master planning workshops are good, really getting me to think about the design process, the brief, how to respond to the brief in the best way. Have a strategy for every thing included in the design. Why - keep asking yourself this question, question all stages and aspects, don't just settle on one idea, think it through, sketch it out... it's the next stage of the journey. Need to keep practising.

Tree practise

People practise (guidance on technique from Olly) - thanks

Rough sketch of idea for restoration of part of garden at Knole

Sketch on trace

Scanned sketch then added a little colour

Knole

The CMP is really coming together now, I've got my strategies worked out and now writing them up and trying to get them as visual as possible. Class was good today, sketching out ideas for some of the strategies. I've included a page below showing the layers, 1709, existing and proposed with a design idea from 1709, then a mock up in Photo Shop - I know you need sunglasses to view this but after a Masterclass with Dom this will be improved! and to finish, a walk thru sketch. I'm going to add in some photos of proposed plants for the borders and then this strategy is done. I'll work through the rest in much the same way. 

Looking at it here, I can see the top layer was scanned in colour not b&w, so I'll do it again as it doesn't look as crisp as the middle one.

Specific strategy page for the CMP

Next week we're making a model, really looking forward to that. 

Wood Wharf Overview

Good to reflect on a project, spent 10mins today looking at where I started on Wood Wharf and where I ended up - graphically. Huge difference in the final piece of work, and whilst I can still see ways of improving it, overall I'm happy.

My initial design concept didn't change, is that good or bad? Its execution did, thanks to comments from Paula about structures and winds, but once that was sorted it was a question of how to display it. Lots of time spent on photoshop and sketch up, but initially the results were not that good, I felt it was a lot of input for a poor level of output. I wanted something to pin up even though I knew it wasn't right, comments on the crit were honest and straightforward. I knew I could do better!

Fridays tutorial was a turning point, lots of books to look through, and Jamie's comment on the Monday that it doesn't have to be all about photoshop and sketch up. I got the pencils out and used a combination of techniques including sketching over sketch up. It was when I went back to it that I realised the previous weeks input was now paying off. All the time spent, mistakes made, were all part of learning the programmes.

Still lots more to learn:

• I'm going to look at transparency in more detail to make pictures look more realistic,  trying out some ideas for the CMP for Knole. 
• Hue, saturation and other things I've seen, but was frightened to use them in case the whole thing went wrong. 
• Increase my people picture portfolio.
• Create some interesting graphics, been checking out Grant's trees - they are really good (gutted I won't be able to make his workshop tomorrow)

Jamie showed us how to use extrude in VectorWorks, so am going to practise that, it makes sense if the plan is done in that programme, I could put the heights in at the same time as the other dimensions, that would save time.

Must work smarter not harder!

It's a mystery

I had one annotation left to do on Wood Wharf so after dinner decided I'd get it done, save it all to CD and then post it in the morning. A few tips today from classmates on how to save a smaller PDF, so as the size was 22MB I thought I'd try. First attempt at trying to reduce the size took my Mac a long time, and I always get a little nervous when the spinning coloured wheel spins for too long. Eventually it saved, I checked the size, 286MB, nearly fell off the chair! Tried again, ticking different boxes, spinning wheel, 88MB, not sure how much a CD can take. Another attempt, this time, clicked as a copy, unclicked layers, smallest file size and hey presto - 3MB. Opened it, looks ok on the screen, so I'm happy to say that Wood Wharf is now sent via e mail. What a great feeling!

The mystery is: How can it range from so big to so small?

Julia suggested writing up what I've learnt from the Wood Wharf project; a bit more than a paragraph in my case so I'll do it in the morning when I'm less tired.

History of Garden Design

When we started the course this week seemed a long time away, and suddenly it's here, 2nd history presentation done! I was pleased with how it went, more importantly Tom was pleased. I'm enjoying everyone's presentations, helped because I'm very interested in the subject. Trying to imagine how life was is not easy to do when we're surrounded by so much that we take for granted. I wonder in a 100 years which garden designers from this generation will be the subject of the Garden History lectures, maybe one of us - for good work or design disasters? We'll never know....

A Victorian Plant Hunter giving the Garden History presentation

A lot more gizmo's than in my day...

Wood Wharf Sketches, A1 etc.

Spent the weekend in Sketchup and Photoshop, with limited success. I put the sketchup into layers which was a big help, but cannot get the base plan layer to colour in, worse still, I don't know why! I have the start of a sketch and it needs a lot more work to make it look acceptable. I have taken 2 views and put them on the A1. I did try to put the sketch into photoshop and realised when I got it in there I didn't know how to enhance it. I am so frustrated.

I've assembled an A1 to pin up tomorrow, the layout can be improved, I know it needs so much more but hopefully by the end of tomorrow Jamie will have given some top tips, I could do with half an hour in the digi studio with someone explaining the sequence step by step, in Sketch up and Photoshop.

I'm excited by the programmes and the potential of what they can do, so I'll keep chipping away.

1st draft for the A1 pin up

Rendering

This task was rendering by hand the picture Jamie gave us and then again using photoshop. First task was fine but the second task just highlights my lack of knowledge and skill with photoshop. I need to extend the range of bucket fill options using my own fills, thinking about what they might be used for - trees, water, planting etc. I also need to learn about the brushes and using colour from the palette, I must try and do at least half an hour a day on photoshop to learn techniques.

Hand rendered

You'd be excused for thinking I was on acid for this one

Chiswick House and Gardens

A really good visit to Chiswick House and Garden today, an opportunity to walk around the park and then a meeting with Fiona Crumley, head gardener, who was completely enthusiastic about the park and garden and how they (Chiswick House and Gardens Trust) have taken it from an undesirable public park full of dog poo and graffitti to an area that can be enjoyed by everyone - still a lot of dogs but they have very expensive poo bins for the 220,000 dog poo bags a year to go in!

They have spent £12.1m on restoring and repairing the park and garden, £6.7m was from Heritage Lottery Funding and the remaining was matched funding. Because of the good work a local lady gave a considerable amount for planting the Italian garden.

There is a mix of 18th and 19th century design, but these have been brought together well - a good example of how different historical layers can work together.

As the environment has improved so has the behaviour, vandalism is virtually non existent now (full time warden helps this).

Fiona has one full time gardener who started 3 days ago, she makes the whole project work with volunteers, 30 of them for the garden.

We also went into the house and saw the Rybrack paintings of how the garden was and how helpful they have been as a historical resource.

Fiona is a fantastic example of how the right attitude can make a project a success and not be put off by the many obstacles that present themselves, but work through, around or with them. A very inspiring visit.

Front of the house

The £2m refurbished glasshouse

Some of the garden statuary

It looks like a river but is in fact a lake, beautiful even in the rain

The underneath of a chandelier in the house looking up to the ceiling