Playing Cards Project

My next project was to construct a design object with playing cards as the dominant raw material. However instead of planning first i was required to get straight into making; playing around with the cards and exploring what they could do and how they could be transformed into a 3D object.

At the end of the manufacturing process i was then required to make several A1/A2 drawings to document my final piece.

 I began experimenting with my playing cards, creating mini models and exploring fastening mechanisms, folds, cuts, rolls etc. I then discovered the artist Bryan Berg, who is famous for creating large pieces of 3 dimensional work entirely from free standing playing cards. I found that he uses a '4 card cell structure' in all of his sculptures, as this structure can hold up to 660lbs per square foot. This inspired me to experiment with his technique, and while doing this i developed the structure i was creating into a life size guitar. The idea partly came from a miniature model of a guitar i had already created in my experiments, however i also felt that a guitar was an appropriate model to make as it retained the basic purpose of the playing cards: they could still be played by a varied range of people (just in a different way now). This is also a personal object to me as playing the acoustic guitar is a hobby of mine alongside art, and so i felt this would put a slightly personal spin on the outcome whilst still allowing it to appeal to a diverse spectrum of people.

The photos above show the development of  the guitar. For joining i used sellotape, a hot glue gun, staples, and sewing as these methods were all found strong and successful in my experiments.

Here are the photos of my finished guitar.

I took into consideration the aesthetic of the guitar during the making process, focusing on a dynamic design that would bridge the gap between art and music.

I ensured the back of the guitar could be opened up to reveal the structure found inside, as this is a significant component of the model.





















 
This is my most successful drawing that documents my final piece. I used charcoal, conte, and chalk as i wanted to create a powerful piece that portrayed the guitar as a strong looking sculpture, as underneath its delicate exterior is a strong rigid structure.
 I used a diverse range of tones and single point perspective to add depth and highlight the guitar as the clear focal point.

 I am very pleased with my final outcome and how i dealt with the project brief. The project forced me to work backwards from how i would usually work, throwing my efforts straight into making rather than carefully planning out my ideas.

However i found that by experimenting first this led to new ideas constantly developing in my head, and i learnt straight away what worked and didn't work, and so knew the characteristics of my materials well before i came to making my final outcome.

 If i were to do this project again i would have considered using stronger joining techniques for my final outcome, such as super glue, and would have explored how i could make the exterior of the guitar stronger, for example doubling up cards.

If i had had more time to work on the project, i would have researched other artists for more inspiration, and would have experimented more in the first stages of the project.