Documentation for Prototypes vs Models – Clare Chang

Prototype Creation Process Creative Practice 

Pottery/Ceramics

Tools Used

  1. Wooden Modelling Tool
  2. Trimming Tool
  3. Loop Tool
  4. Sponge 
  5. Ribs and Scrapers
  6. Potter’s Needles 
  7. Shape Tool
  8. Cut-Off Wires 
  9. An organiser

Ideation for Prototype 

The idea for this prototype derived from the potter’s difficulty in using an organiser to store their tools and also use during their practice. This is because the organiser would get dirtied easily with bits of clay. Additionally, there is also a hassle in pulling out the tools when all of them are jumbled up in a pile on the work table. Therefore, for this prototype, it aims to help ease these two difficulties.
Firstly, the arm band that I sewed together is using an elastic strap, this is to ensure that people of different arm sizes will be able to use it with less discomfort. The placement of having it on the upper arm instead of other places such as the lower arm, leg, or even waist is because the upper arm is the least obstructive area. The lower arm would get in the way of the potter’s work, the waist would also be an obstruction and safety hazard if the potter decides to sit or bend down. Lastly, the leg would be the furthest and most inconvenient for the potter to access.
Also, the prototype is also created with water resistant pockets that are not sewn shut at the end so the potter is able to easily wash the tools and let the water drain out. For this first prototype, there are only 3 tools available. In future iterations, I hope to redesign this to be able to fit more.

Prototype 

Prototype Design Idea
Prototype Creation

Model Creation Process

Creative Practice 

For the model, I challenged myself with another creative practice which was Yoga. This was a challenge because yoga is a practice that requires a lot less tools. 

Tools Used

  1. Yoga Mat
  2. Yoga Blocks

These are the two basic tools used during a yoga practice.

Ideation for Model

My inspiration, and uses of the model grew throughout the creative process. The starting point was to be able to make the yoga mat and yoga blocks into a miniature size so I did not have to carry them around. It then evolved into creating a Handy Imagine box which would be your one stop box that you could carry around with you that provided you with everything you need. 
The strap of the box would be slinked on your shoulder and this contact with the users’ body would send signals of what the body desires (e.g. food) or what the user needs at the point in time. The box would then create a miniature version of what it predicts the user wants and alerts him/her. The user would see the item in the box, and if it is what he/she wants, then they would press one of the coloured buttons on the cover (each representing a different item category). Upon pressing, the user would then open the box, where the item would become full size and fully usable.

Model

Model Design Idea
Overview of Model
Inside of Handy Imagine and items made from mouldable clay

Documentation for Prototypes & Models – Cassandra Lim

Creative Practice: Fashion Design

Creative Practice: Fashion Design
5 tools
1) dress form
2) dressmaker pins
3) drawing pencils & erasers
4) scissors
5) tape measure
Wearable version
1. Tape measure ring 
2. Eraser artificial nails
Enhanced manipulation allows erasing of the slightest of errors. Also, now you do not need to worry forgetting that eraser or even the pencil with that eraser tip!
Prototype of tape measure ring


Documentation for Prototypes and Models – Karin Lew

Creative Practice: Following a youtube tutorial on How to make and Avocado Milkshake

Tools needed:

  • knife
  • blender
  • ipad for watching cooking tutorial
  • hands
  • cutting board 

2 Possible Inventions:

  1. The finger knife; Hands play a crucial role in cooking and my idea for these 2 products was what if we had something that could be attached to our hand so that we could do our tasks even more easily and conveniently. The concept of this finger knife was meant for smaller, softer items, making it ideal as a bread knife- cum- spreader.
  2. The handy blendy; Again, the use of hands in all that we do, and replacing it with something else–in this case the knifes.

The finger knife Model

This portable and wearable knife makes it easy and light to carry it around. The idea of using fingers make the entire cutting process easier and more fun. It also works as a finger spreader, a perfect companion for bread. 

The possible danger of this is that it might end up cutting my fingers seeing as to how close the serrated edges are to them. The knife can also be used only for soft materials for if it is too unyielding, my finger would not be able to take the hardness. 

Documentation for Prototypes vs Models – Joey

Creative Practice
Developing Film

Tools Used
Can/Bottle Opener
Scissors
Spool + Tank
Trays & Tongs
Measuring Cylinders & Containers
Stirrer
Enlarger
Safety Light

These are the tools used to develop film.
1: wearable workspace to develop film
2: mobile darkroom studio

Prototype/Model

What I made was both a prototype and a model.
(cause it didn’t really work very well hurhur)
I made the mobile darkroom out of dark, black cloth stitched onto an umbrella.
The black cloth wasn’t opaque enough and light could still seep in but it was too thick, it would be too heavy and drag on the umbrella.
Also, it would be really hot inside. 
So I thought that instead, I could stick those reflective materials (like on car windows) on to the light cloth.
In addition, a safety light would need to be installed so we could see just like in normal dark rooms.
I think that would pose quite a problem to make it to not obstruct the umbrella from closing (pic below).

There were also other suggestions from classmates during the class exhibition that I could hang some ropes/lines to dry the photos on.
I think that’ll be quite feasible and makes the dark room interesting too.

The biggest problem I think would be printing of the photos (not just developing the films) as it involves the enlarger which is a large (pun intended) object. It would be a challenge to try to fit it in.

How the mobile darkroom studio looks like when closed.

Documentation for Prototypes and Models + Practice Storyworld – Boo Shangyou

Creative Practice: Making Board Games

Tools needed to make board game prototypes:

  1. Paper
  2. Coloured Pencils
  3. Eraser
  4. Scissors
  5. Ruler

Dice play a core role in many board games, and I realised that cutting out paper dice without the aid of a printer can be quite the hassle, so I created a model and a prototype of what I call a portable dice maker.

Left: Prototype, Middle: Model, Right: A paper dice made using the Prototype

The portable dice maker is the same size and thickness as a regular ID card, making it easy to store in your wallet or put in your pocket. The final version of the product would likely be made from lightweight aluminium so that it would be both sturdy and light. To use the portable dice maker, simply place it over any cuttable surface (doesn’t have to be paper, it can even be leaves), trace the outline of the dice onto it, and cut it out. It is extremely convenient and simple to use, and it will allow you to embrace your board game/gambling habits wherever you go!

Practice Storyworld: (Sorry for the outlandish story, I’m a filmmaker)

Documentation for Prototypes and Models – Low Jia Yi

Creative Practice:
Zentangle + Coloring (Meditative Art Practices)

Example of Colored Zentangle (Credits to Terry Dryden)

Tools Needed:
– Pencil
– Tortillon
– Eraser
– Marker
– Color Pencil(s)
– Paper

Sketch of 5 tools needed

Idea 1: Finger Straps

Sketch of Finger Straps
Model of Finger Straps

My first idea was simply to strap one of each of the 5 tools to each finger, so that the tools will be easily available. However, this is not an idea that will actually work because the user will not actually be able to use the tools properly in a way that can allow him or her to control and execute the creative practice.

Idea 2: Robotic Strap-On Arm

Sketch of Robotic Strap-On Arm
Prototype of Robotic Strap-On Arm

The second idea builds on the first idea in terms of making all the tools readily accessible. However, to improve control, I thought of having a device strapped on to the user’s wrist, and said device is actually a robotic arm, with each of it’s ‘fingers’ holding the tools. The user can then press the corresponding buttons on his or her inner wrist to activate the robotic arm and have the tool delivered to in between his or her thumb and index finger, available for use.

Documentation for Prototypes and Models – Jhnn Ymn

Creative practice studied: Experimental filmmaking

In looking at a creative practice, I was recently able to meet artist an who creates darkly beautiful experimental films through the rather laborious processes of scratching into, manipulating, and creating physical materials and artefacts, from film strips to tiles. A trailer of his screened works may be seen in the video above. He would animate these objects through stop motion techniques to create sensuous, ethereal images (which are sometimes unnerving), as seen from the excerpts in the video above.

As each work depends highly on the manipulation of the material that the artist has decided to focus upon for that specific video, the tools used tended to vary quite a bit.

Some tools used:

  1. Film strips, scratched
  2. with various sharp objects, later illuminated
  3. by candle, documented with
  4. a camera;
  5. also by scanner.

As you may note of the other tools not listed here but included in my illustration, these objects are eclectic and depend on the video work, whether it was a ‘film-scratching’ type of work, as he called it, or one of his newer works which animated other materials that are not included in the above trailer. Perhaps the most consistent were tools for visual documentation: scanners and cameras.

I illustrated some of these tools, and more, below…

Thinking of how I could create wearable tools for an experimental filmmaker made me think of how various tools (both useless and useful) could be embedded into various areas of the body, based on the sturdiness of the body part as a working surface and the mobility. Also, how cool (or uncool) a certain tool may look at a certain area of the body when worn. As such, I came up with two ideas of varying usefulness.

Ideas for wearable tools:

  1. Knee Scanner
  2. Stop Motion Wristguard

Knee Scanner

The knee scanner does exactly as it is titled — a scanbed that may be fitted  to the lower thigh area, right above the knee. This way, when the user is knelt down, the raised knee allows the lower thigh area to serve as a sturdy surface for scanning materials. Rather useful for on-the-go finding of textures or interesting objects to use within video works.

As such, textures and objects may be digitised into an image file, sent via wifi or bluetooth to a pre-connected computer. This would be perfect for the capturing of textures and surfaces for stop motion-animated images that could coalesce into another video work for the artist.

Also, since the artist conducts extensive research into Singapore’s film history, perhaps the knee scanner may help during research, when an interesting few pages of material have been found and a high-quality scan of these images are needed.

I created a model of the knee scanner to demonstrate how it looks and fits over the knee — I used some shiny plastic to stand-in for the glass of the scanbed. While I wasn’t able to replicate successfully the look of the actual materials that it should have been made of, it visually demonstrates the fit and the general placement of the wearable tool, hopefully serving as a useful visual for understanding the device.

Stop Motion Wristguard

Now, for a less-than-useful device that rests at the intersection of (questionably) cool and impractical. Inspired by 90s’ anime, the Stop Motion Wristguard is wearable which allows one to lay out all of one’s stop motion frames/objects in a sequential order — a mobile working surface that keeps your animation frames organised and within reach.

My prototype demonstrates the laying out of these frames over the surface, attached to the wrist for ease of access and the ability to grab one’s tools with dramatic flourish. The prototype demonstrates how the wearable works, with objects laid out, as well as one of its functions (more accurately, one of its embellishments).

Meant to dramatically swoop open, the Stop Motion Wristguard may expand its surface for more items to be laid out. While the mechanism isn’t quite perfected in the prototype, the hinging of these two wings were demonstrated to show their presence in a final iteration of a Wristguard, were it to be made.

Documentation for Prototype and Model & Exploring Practitioners 1: Seamstress – Rachel Teo

Worksite documentation:

I visited a seamstress to observe her at work, as well as the various tools that she needed for her creative profession. She has her own workspace that is the size of two sewing machine-tables. Two different types of sewing machines are needed because there is two main type of sewing stitches needed to create an article of clothing. At her workspace, we also has an entire wall-shelf decorated with threads of different colours and sizes. This is to ensure that she can colour match the thread to the various coloured clothing that customers bring in. 

Pain Points: 

She requires many different types of tools, which are kept all over her workplace. In the profession of sewing, there are also many tools that are small in size. So she has to be very careful where she keeps her tools, so that she does not misplace and cannot find anything.

From the various tools that she shared me, I wanted to create a device that incorporated as many of them as possible, and I came up with the assistant glove.

The tools incorporated included: a pin cushion, drawing chalk, scissors, a retractable straight ruler, a measuring tape, and a needle threading tool.

Initially, I thought that maybe it could work. After I created the model of the device, I realised that it was just a creative concept, but not functional. I put on the glove and tried to use them as if I were a seamstress, and thought that they were impractical, and would not work well when put into use. 

This assignment made me realise how important making models and prototypes were. It is not enough to think of an idea, but building the actual idea will help you see if the idea is actually functional. 

A better device would actually be a vest that gives them organization and easy access to their many tools! Sometimes thinking of a fancy idea may not be the best thing, but just a simple object that assists them in their daily activities is the sufficient enough.

Documentation for Prototypes and Models (Practitioner 1) – Stephanie

Creative practice: Leather crafting

Tools:
– Stitching chisel
– Swivel knife and angled blade
– Leather craft roller
– Sewing Horse
– Strap end punch
– Threads and needles (not featured in the picture below)

Here’s some pictures from the leather crafting workshop! You can see how cluttered the workspace can be due to the number of tools that is needed. 

Idea 1 – Prototype

For the prototype, I wanted to create a tool belt that the leather crafter can wear that consists of all the tools and supplies needed. Velcro to secure the tool belt is ideal as it can be adjusted easily to suit all shapes and sizes. 

On the left side of the tool belt, you can insert tools into the slits and take them out very easily as well. For tools like the knife blade, I wanted a protective flap that is lined with silicon which can prevent the user from being injured. Initially, I wanted the spools of thread to be on display but moving forward, it might not be ideal or necessary as the space can be used to hold other tools. Furthermore, on a watch strap usually only one colour of thread will be used. 

On the right side, the leather samples are clipped to the belt so that the crafter will know what are the types of leather or materials that he has. This way, he or she can show it to their clients easily as well. 

The rod like tool will be compatible with attachments such as the leather craft roller, strap end punches in order to minimise the number of tools needed. 

The detachable tool pouch consists of the sewing horse, leather craft roller, various strap end punches and the cutting board for the crafter to be able to create his art on the go. 

Idea 2 – Customising the strap (Drawing)

Ipad app

After speaking to the leather craftsman, he mentioned that it was often for customers to decide what kind of material they wanted for their straps and the type of end, the colour of the thread etc. Hence, I thought that it would be pretty cool if there was an app for customers to use in order to pick the perfect strap for their watch.  

Documentation for Prototypes vs Model – Ang Xin Yee

Creative Practice
Photography

Tools Used 
Lens pens
Air blower
Peak Design neck strap
Collapsible reflector sheet 
Memory card holder (box) 

Model and Prototype
To begin with, I sketched out two ideas. The first idea is the one that doesn’t work while the second idea is feasible.

Idea 1
The first idea involves creating a mechanism that is attached to a reflector sheet and connected to the camera being used. According to the light sensors on the camera, the mechanism is supposed to react accordingly by changing the angle which is it at. 

Idea 2
My second idea was to make a utility belt for photographers who do outdoor photography. Since tools they used are usually thrown into a bag, and can be quite messy or inconvenient to find things, creating an all-in-one utility belt will make their lives easier.

It includes memory card slots and elastic slots, which are both made using elastic bands to ensure that memory cards or equipment don’t slip and fall out while on the move. 

Since many photographers nowadays use Peak Design straps, they are able to switch between different types of neck and hand camera straps. The hooks on this utility belt allows them to conveniently hang their unused straps and interchange them easily. 

The buckle will also be on the back since photographers go into uncomfortable positions, most of which require them to bend forward. Thus, having the buckle at the back would not hinder their movement as much.

Photographer’s utility belt with one of each feature