For March, I decided to work on a Monthly project just to take a break from the Car Drawings.

When I am deciding what should I do, I realized maybe drawing something different would help me since I still want to improve my drawing skills in the end. This separate project is base on the Sci-fi theme and instead of cars, I’ve decided to draw Space Ships. I think my Drawings are more like my visions towards the future because during the process I kept referring to the technology that can be completed within the near future of 50 years. Of course, I also consider SpaceX’s design but I still decided to add more of my elements in there. Not much reflection has been done as I create my designs, but I think good models, guidance, shortens a lot of work. If some were provided, I should always hang to it.

For the Mid _ Feb Creativity Activity, I decided to complete my incomplete drawing of an SUV that I’ve begun ages ago. Back then. the tail light design became a trend when major car brands decide to enter the war at a different period to show their technologies with in the tail light. For this car, most of the designs were used from my previous SUV designs but I still change the tail light for the touch of modern taste.

While I was thinking about what type of tail light I should draw for my Car, I came across a piece of interesting information. It talks about the importance of the “Tail Light”, its purpose, and what it should represent. And connecting back to my life in Taiwan where Tail Light was used to describe something terrible like the ghost pressuring a person with debt or the student who has the lowest grade within the class. The tail light was supposed to be different, it’s supposed to remind others that there are objects here and shouldn’t be touch, thats why most of the time they are red. Therefore different regions have a different understanding of an object, and they might not always have a similar meaning. Sometimes it connects with the culture itself.

At the end of January, I’ve done another update of my Drawings from ages ago on a Digital platform. Before working on this Creativity Activity, I questioned myself what is the principle of my drawings and how to I make myself unique compare to others. From the last Blog, I understand the reason behind why “coupe” designs aren’t selling as well as before and this is certainly a concern with Safety.

Before.  

After. 

I begin to wonder, if people only concerns with the Looks of the car and exclude any sort of safety conciseness, will the good looking car sell boost?? If all the law policy doesn’t go against the required procedures of Car safety, would people still buy them?

Therefore, added the chassis design for the vehicles that were redesigned and labeled all details in different colors. After researching the strength of chassis, I manage to focus on a design by Volvo which happens to win multiple safety awards with their products. I simply apply their concept to my design with a few revolutionized ideas being the additional layer of material that would not only add weight but cost towards the final product.

This time contracting the design base on the perspective of engineers. When putting safety into a series of considerations, safe design strategies are used to deal with hazards and eventualities that cannot be assigned meaningful probabilities, as well as to lower the anticipated likelihood of casualties. All criteria must meet basic ethical requirements for safety since is something that can also be controlled by the public. Ex: When hit by another car on the highway when staying in your lanes and following the rules, why, because that driver was drunk. Since we can’t expect others to not take good care of themselves, we might as well protect ourselves first.

For me, I think the world is balance. What that means is the fact no good-looking car is safe, maybe with more power, it’s easy to lose control of them…etc. But I think, it won’t be successful since people purchase beautiful things to enjoy, and relax. By that means that safety is everything when having fun. Therefore, I still choose to update another of my SUV’s random draw, with a larger body, it should take less impact during an accident. Again, practicing my techniques on Digital Drawings.

Around the first week of January 2021, I updated the concept drawings that I’ve complete sometimes ago. The biggest changes this time is definitely the presentation form, currently with digital drawing technique, I can make more changes in more ways.

Since the last car sketch I’ve drawn, I seek advice from my art teacher to improve my basic drawing techniques especially in proportions. One suggestion that he told me was to draw basic lines over and over again until I can draw a straight line without using a ruler which would guide me to understand the relationship between spaces formed by the lines. In addition, I add multiple details on the body panel to create detail and try to find correct proportions between the spaces with lines.

As the Creativity in CAS, I’ve learned a lot since my first experience with digital drawings back in 8th grade. This allows me to produce better art in the future and I can understand the background of digital drawings. The most efficient thing I think for digital drawings is the overcome the fear of reversing. If I drew digitally, I won’t have to worry too much about painting with the wrong brush at the wrong time. Before the Creativity Activity, I still work on the research of perspective to make sure I am on track with what I want to draw. Indeed, perspective and trends shifts within a period, and with Designs, I am really glad my ideas remain in the modern Era. But I know, it’s just a matter of time to get replaced as the concept of Coupe is dying down due to its expensive, unsafe chassis design just for looks.

As we enter Level 3 Lock down in Kaohsiung, most of my Activities or Service Events has been canceled. On the 19th of May I played Table Tennises Mainly to practice my own basic drills but most importantly is to have a balance schedule over this boring lock down period. At the same time taking breaks from all the digital learning and releases some stress. During my light practice section, I set a goal of having 150 hits without stopping to warm up my wrest which is rather important after sitting at my desk studying for a period of time.

I took me around 30 minutes to complete that goal with multiple failures during drills, and after this practice; it would not only help me improve my ball controlling technique but also take a break from all of the assignments going on. With loads of pressure from all the subjects and the unhealthy studying environment (My room), I really need a break like this to avoid diving back to my bed.

One afternoon in the middle of May, I’ve made Green Bean Cakes at JZN Bakery as an activity. After some researches into the history of Green Bean Cake, I understand its purpose and its traditional values as a Han Bing Dessert. But when I start to make them, everything is different. The Green Bean Cake is unique in the way that its got different layers, but during the process of making them, all I do is mix two dolls which supposing should only give me two-layer of cake crust maximum. So I ask my advisor what is going on and learn some cool cooking concepts relating to sciences.

Due to the use of an ingredient of non-powdered butter, the structure would change (separate) once enter the oven because, without powder, the dolls get separated due to similar charges just like magnets that repel when the same charge is ner each other. Luckily for me, in my IB Physics SL Year 1 course, charges are something I am currently learning and after this experience, it gives me more image for me to understand the work force behind physics (forces). Also, it makes me think of the relationships between a chef and a scientist.