Monthly Archives: May 2018

ePortfolio: Pattern Design Selfie Drawing

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Pattern Design
Brian LIn

In this summative assessment, we were instructed to start with a self portrait, then design patterns with both geometric shapes and organic shapes. For each shape or pattern I created, it includes many lines, rhythm, form, space, and harmony. I started this with a selfie, then covering up the outline of my faces and bodies, and printed the pencil print on another blank piece of paper, I did this by scrubbing and pushing it hard. After I have my outline, I traced it with a black pen, we couldn’t change the pen type throughout the process of drawing and creating patterns because it affects the work by the different ink value (darkness or lightness). I started my patterns in a random blank spot, because I know I will have to fill in all the other blank spaces afterwards, and after it’s completed, the whole self portrait pattern design will be a jungle of patterns.

Patterns are repeated decorative designs that goes in an artwork. I demonstrated form of my patterns in my artwork by expanding it and make it goes in a certain area, mass that is valuable to see in my drawing. One pattern I designed also showed perspectives: many lines in different angles about in the same place, then both endpoints of the line connects to one single point, and the lines that overlaps goes behind and doesn’t show, which is cool for me. I usually fill up the blank spaces with a bunch of small circles because it is very simple and demonstrates the determination to fill in all the spaces.

There has to be a variety of patterns in my drawing, so I brainstormed many simple ones, but comparing to those I researched on the internet about 1 or 2 days through my process of drawing, it is way too simple, so I started finishing up my pattern design with patterns on books and internet. Some patterns from the book is too difficult to draw because it has many lines and details to focus on, every angle and perspective, you’ll have to think a lot, and to finish my artwork in time with all spaces filled, I have to use a variety of patterns to quickly and effectively fill my artwork.

The pattern in the top left corner emphasised itself really well, it has lines that are widely cross hatching and in the middle there is a pattern that feels like about the same of the cross hatching, but it is different in direction, shape, size, and rhythm. And it really stands out! Some parts of my pattern design I filled and colored it with my pen, with hatching. I did not use cross hatching because it mostly colors outside of the box and doesn’t look good as it goes in different directions, it might be better if I could use a pencil.

Overall in this pattern design assessment, I demonstrated unity as I gathered a variety of patterns and shoved it in my artwork, movement is somehow detected as some of my patterns are made illusions. I performed texture with the quality and preciseness of every single pattern. The proportion of pattern are somehow unequal because I made the better ones with more form for emphasis. There are no color in this artwork contrast to other works because we were only allowed to use pen. The artwork here helped me discover what pattern designs can do when they add up together in one.

Poetry: 15 Mins Of Fame

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In this unit’s summative assessment, we were instructed to chose famous inspirational poems from the internet and annotate from KAMI how and what they did to make their poem inspire. Then we wrote TIEAs for each poem, then finally compared and contrasted it. After that, we had to create, design, and write our own inspirational poem and a dream poem. We had to include poetic devices that matter to the readers. We recorded our voice and face reading the Dream poem we wrote ourselfs and presented our Inspirational Poem in front of the class with a self-made background presentation that goes together with my lines in my poem. Overall, I had a fun time doing this unit because poetry can be soft and hard at the same time and not limited to ideas.

Annotation: Invictus

Annotation: Have You Earned Your Tomorrow

Invictus TIEA
In the poem “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley uses descriptive language and extravagant metaphors to seek will and courage in the face of a severe test. As Henley uses his own experiences enduring the pain and disease that eventually killed him, he reflects this courage to inspire more people.
“In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.” (Stanza 2)
Henley did not lose hope no matter the circumstance, he inspires people to control own fates and decide futures. Henley made lines 1 and 3 Rhyme, alongside with lines 2 and 4 in the stanza, and an alliteration in line 1 by “clutch” and “circumstance.” He was proud of not giving in, proud of what one has achieved despite having suffered great difficulties or losses.

Have You Earned Your Tomorrow TIEA
In the poem “ Have You Earned Your Tomorrow,” Edgar Guest suggest rhyme to a list of questions for people to decide their actions worth each day. The title of the poem isn’t a judgment or warning but a question, just the way it reads.
“Did you waste the day, or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say,
You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?” (Stanza 4)
Guest focused on asking questions, and rhyming two lines at a time, lines 1 and 2, lines 3 and 4. He points out small actions in everyday real life, did you do anything while others appreciated? Making others people’s day would make themselves’ too.

Compare TIEA
In both poems “Invictus” written by William Ernest Henley and “Have You Earned Your Tomorrow” by Edward Guest, both authors present poetic devices especially rhyme to inspire people in life to replace missing characteristics in one’s life or thought. The text of both poems conveys the fact that people are in charge of their own fates and decide whether to build the courage to be proud of the tomorrow one’s earned for such actions.
“Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.” (Invictus, Stanza 3)
“Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?”(Have You Earned Your Tomorrow, Stanza 1)
Stanza 3 of “Invictus” states that the world is full of anger and pain that cannot be comprehended, the horror of death that is all the looms afterlife. Henley’s own experiences contracted and sacrificed one and almost two of his legs, but he didn’t give in to the disease, which inspires people with being brave with courage. Henley rhymes lines 1 with 3, and 2 with 4 in the stanza, metaphors in lines 2, 3, 4 of the stanza, which gives complete inspiration to people. Guest completes a list of actions people can ask themselves with a simple goal: “do my actions today deserve me a tomorrow?” this is not a judgment, but a guideline of how people arrange their own actions during one day with the same amount of time everyone’s given. This also inspires people to build the courage to act in life.

Contrast TIEA
In the poem “Invictus,” William Ernest Henley uses mostly descriptive language and extravagant metaphors while “Have You Earned Your Tomorrow,” written by Edgar Guest suggests somehow a rhyme checklist that fits everyone by asking mostly closed questions. While Henley uses his personal life experience, Guest inspires people by asking for valuable matters of people’s actions.
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.” (Invictus, Stanza 1)
“Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you? (Have You Earned Your Tomorrow, Stanza 1)
Henley’s first lines describe metaphor for the hardships and problems of a worldly existence, then rhymes it with a skipped line, to line 3, in fact, lines 2 and 4 too. Guest simply ask people for their own view of their actions of the day worth it, and rhymes line 1 directly with line 2. Both lines of Guest’s poem is asking questions, it inspires people differently than Henley’s personal experiences while Guest completes a checklist.

Inspirational Poem:
Few years back,
You texted me.
“How you doing?”
Your heart called.

It was a maze,
With no results.
You left for awhile,
Like a bird you flew.

The wind blew against our backs,
The music sound a playback.
You told me again,
Six years past.

I hold you hand,
You hold mine.
Hard work pays,
Six years wait.

Dream Imagery Poem Flipgrid

Password: ms.marcuml&l

Dream Imagery Poem:
My dream feels like marshmallows, fluffy, and sweet.
My dream tasted like sweets and love, wraps around my body.
My dream looks like clouds and sunny days, like in heaven.
My dream smells like tulips, a scent to take you home.
My dream sounds like a rooster, to bring me another day.
My dream is a moment where everything is perfect, and nothing will worry me.

Ceramic Garden Reflection

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Brian Lin
Ceramic Garden

To start processing my ceramic garden, I start of with cutting clay from a big piece with the wire cutter to get the amount of clay I need to balance form in Harmony. I prepared a canvas, tool box with various tools, and a bowl of slip that I might need for my table. After having the amount of clay, I did wedging to the clay with my hand to bend the clay to make it softer for me to design afterwards, in fact, to push the air out of the clay to make sure it doesn’t blow up in the kiln. In the kiln, it is like an oven for clay, where clay gets heated up, if you don’t know, objects expand when they are heated up, same thing to air. When air gets trapped inside the clay, they have nowhere to expand, eventually, they will crack the clay from the inside, and find their way out, which creates an explosive-like scene.

To make an ideal ceramic garden, I brainstormed ideas with unity so it demonstrates my creativity and show emphasis to differ the work between myself and others, or even show emphasis to my work compared to my very own work. I thought of making a scary garden scene in the very moment so I decided to make jack o’ lanterns to represent the theme. To conduct my process to make the jack o’ lantern, I started with a sphere, then put force from the top so both bases are kind of flat and it is like a thick cylinder with the sides like a sphere. Having the 3D pumpkin shape, I added texture to it which are lines I carved around the sides of the pumpkin in a pattern, which felt bumpy. Then I carved the facial features of the jack o’ lantern, I made them all have triangular eyes, I carved in so it is steeper than 0.5 cm, with the pointing tool first, then realized it wasn’t precise enough because the dot was too big, so I changed and used the needle tool where it is thinner and easier for me to work with. I made 3 jack o’ lanterns with different proportions, In contrast, I stacked them up from bottom to the top, biggest to smallest in order. I rotated their faces to different directions so it creates movement because of their direction they are facing, guiding the viewer’s eye. To make all 3 jack o’ lantern stand still, of course we had to do the score and slip, I spent a long time to score and made sure I had created the roughness and steepness to the surface of the clay with the scratching tool, then added some slip which made them sloppy. At this time, I have to push them together with some force, to make sure they’ve become one piece, but I had to control my force so I wouldn’t destroy their form. After having the 3 jack o’ lanterns stacked together, it looks like a snowman, but with a piece of root at the very top of the 3 jack o’ lanterns, which in this case is the smallest one. What I did to the root was the same process of score and slip, but in smaller area I scored and smaller area I slipped, my 3 stacked up jack o’ lantern was completed in unity, but I continued to spray water on them consistently to make sure it doesn’t dry so fast in order to avoid further changes afterwards.

I wanted to make a treehouse with a door at its trunk, and some windows in the upper part of the trunk, so the basic knowledge of my idea was not to make a house on top of the tree, but making the whole tree as a house, where there is a room inside, by the entrance to the tree trunk. However, my thoughts changed as I tried making the tree trunk by cutting another chunk of clay with the wire cutter. This time, same process in the beginning, I did wedging and created a slab into a rectangular shape, wanting it to be more like a cylinder shape, I continued doing my slabbing, which did not turn out good. So, I started to coil my clay on the canvas, required rhythm in doing this skill or the shape will look weird, which made a strong cylinder shape. I started to add texture on the sides of the cylinder, to make it more like a natural trunk, some fingerprints which made them look like bumps. I do not want to make branches and leaves at this point, I wanted to make a simple rooftop to cover its top. I started with another piece of clay. I started to slab again, until it turns out into a pizza shape, already with texture on it, with curiosity, I placed the flat circular clab on top of my trunk, this is where my idea started to change, it looks perfectly like a mushroom… a giant one! I took the “mushroom” top down, it’s not a rooftop anymore, it is a “cap”, scientific word for mushroom’s upper part. So, I took it down and starting to add more textures onto it, to make it smoother, but bumpy by texture, so it’s basically smooth on the bumpy. After that, I slabbed the base of the stem of the mushroom to make a flat surface so it could stand on its own. I scored and slipped the stem to the cap, which was a real success, then made another long thin coil and sticked it around the edges of the place where I scored and slipped, I guess it made it more stabilized. With the same process, I made another mushroom, with a bigger cap! After all three of my works turned out well, I grooved the stem of both mushrooms with rhythm so it looks like a steep hole with patterns of digging lines from the side. From the bottom, but doesn’t affect the appearance of the mushroom when placed on a flat surface. The purpose of doing this action is to make it dry faster, and have a less risk of experiencing the clay to crack or explode.

The final object I made was a R.I.P. grave with my name carved on it. I had a small piece of clay, made it into a rectangular slab, then smoothen the top to make it curve like an arc. Then carved my name and the R.I.P symbol with the needle tool.

I enjoyed most of this unit when smoothening up the surface of clay with water, and creating texture, which I demonstrated both skills most in creating the mushroom. The mushroom made it easy for me because it was big, and not small which will make it somehow hard and confusing like the jack o’ lantern when carving their facial features. I demonstrated a lot of knowledge in score and slip, I understand how the skill works and tried my best to conduct and make it work out, eventually, it did. The space I created in placing my objects: mushrooms, jack o’ lantern, R.I.P grave could be random, because I didn’t create a base for them to stick on, which is not required also. Overall, I liked working on clay, I think I developed a lot from 6th grade onto now, where I have more understanding and knowledge.

Musical Instrument Reflection – Unit 5 Waves

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What was the hardest part of this task? Easiest?

One of the Approaches to Learning (ATL) suggested for Science in the MYP is stated below:

Social skills–Practise giving feedback on the design of experimental methods

Discuss the statement above as you reflect on your planning and building of your instrument.

How successful was your instrument in the 5 tests? Which test(s), if any, did your instrument fail? Be honest! Discuss your ideas on how to improve your instrument.

Discuss why you built the instrument you did? Do you play a similar instrument? Was it an instrument you thought would be easy to be successful building, intrigued or challenged you?