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
Character Descriptions: Tim and Tam, husband and wife
Maps, imagery, sketches, relationship maps:
Important Technology: Food cards that turn into real food through a; Food machine Payment by hand-chip
Antecedent technology: Cashless payment society Vending machines and convenient food
Genre: Slice of Life
Story: It’s dinner time. After work, Tim and Tam head off to restaurants behind their apartment. They walk past a series of shops with different cuisines and decide on Western food. They select the ‘Steak set’ from the menu. They lift their hands to order and in no time, their “food” is served.
Multi Screwdriver, Electronic digital calipers, and a crimperMultimeter and a wire stripper
Prototype
For the prototype, I thought of the problems that my friend always runs into in his work. He told me that one problem he always has is that he doesn’t know where he left his tools, especially the screw tips since they’re so small! So I thought I would design my prototype around this problem and try to solve it, making a glove that would complement his usage of the multi screwdriver. What I did was I took a right hand glove and installed mini fasteners on the back of it. I made sure to have it close to the wrist, where there minimal movement considering how we always have to make a fist when we use the screwdriver. I also added velcro to fingertips of my middle and ring finger, so that my friend can have a better grip of the multi screwdriver (pardon the image, I used a scissors in substitute of the T-shaped screwdriver to illustrate the idea).
Fasteners to hold the screw tips Velcro on palmVelcro fastened
Model
For the model, I just aimed to make it as weird as possible to use the multi screwdriver. So why not have a multi screwdriver pre-installed into the glove, with each fingertip installed with a different screw tip. These tips are retractable, and will only activate if you form a hand gun/ gun sign. I can already imagine it to be super weird and counter productive to use.
Each finger has a different screw tipOnly when you form a gun sign, then the tip will activate
Creative Practice: Foley – the reproduction of everyday sound effects for film and videos from small creaky step sounds to explosions in Hollywood. All kinds of tools are used to recreate the desired sound effects. All kinds.
Tools Used: Since a foley artist can use ANYTHING as a tool, I took common tools used in everyday life and sketched them out.
Hand Drill
Hairdryer
Stapler
Spraycan
Chopsticks
Drawing of tools:
My prototype: The idea is to make the foley artist’s job more fun when producing sounds for recording which led to whacky designs you saw in class.
The chopstick glove is useless in grabbing stuff due to the design but still can be used to make chopstick sounds when struck against another object.
Holding a spray can be tiring. Why not use the retraction of your knee to create the sound so that you have free hands to make other sounds?
Ideas fortools: 1) Acrylic nail with extendable hot wire attached 2) Hairband that acts as a calliper/ruler
1) The acrylic nail is meant to be solar powered and will extend only when in use. When it isn’t in use, the wire part will simply look like it’s a part of the nail art. This can be useful as it makes the hot wire cutter very much more portable, as well as allows the user more flexibility and control over the cuts.
Models of the acrylic nail. The one in the middle is how the hot wire cutter will look like slightly extended, while the one on the right is how it will look like when not in use.
2) The calliper headband is a piece of fabric that has a wire in it that allows it to be malleable and can be used to tie up hair/ keep hair out of the face. It is an existing accessory. However, instead of just being plain or having prints for aesthetic purposes, it will have measurements printed out on it, allowing users to use it as a calliper/ ruler as well. The malleability of the headband means that users can use to measure objects with irregular shapes as well.
Prototype of the calliper headband alongside the actual existing accessory.
Brushes (main tools to deposit pigments onto the face
Sponges: For blending and pressing
Disposable applicators: For hygiene,
Caboodle: For storage and travelling
Spatula: for scooping products and hygiene
Mixing palette: for mixing products
Problems faced: During a busy shoot, an artist on job needs to be quick and fast— without compromising on hygiene, thus there is less room for mistakes and corrections. Usually, correction is done by using a makeup remover— often big and clunky and not as precise. Having an mistake correcting “eraser” that is close to you help save time as you don’t need to keep going back to your stash to find your remover.
A makeup apron
Another thing of issue would be the organisation of brushes. Usually they are splayed out on the desk in a brush roll, and are stuffed full of brushes. When things get hectic, it is difficult to find things in general. Hence, having a wearable mobile brush holder would give the artist more speed when she needs to switch up her packing brush to her blending brushes.
Idea 1: mistake correcting bracer
A wristguard that functions as a portable makeup remover + q-tip holder. The waterproof pouch attached holds enough liquid for an entire shoot and can be easily refilled.
Idea 2: A brush roll belt
Initially I wanted to make a brush belt and roll (see drawing) that enables you to wear it during a job and easily wraps up into a bundle for storage. But an artist can easily have over 20-50 brushes and it isn’t surprising to see them with multiple brush so. So why not a customisable belt instead?
The belt enables you to attach any brush roll on it so you could wear them on your waist. Basically a fanny pack for brushes. It could be adjusted so that the size of the belt fits your waist. While it may sound quite useless, I think the quick DIY could save artists money on buying multiple brush belts if they already have many brush rolls due to the customisability.
Blending stumps (tightly rolled-up felt paper with 2 pointed ends)
Soft tissue (blend/smudge bigger areas)
Regular eraser (erase bigger areas)
Kneaded eraser (erase fine lines or pick up graphite where you want it lighter)
Brush (brush away eraser crumbs)
Eraser pencil (for detailed highlights)
Problem faced:
The problem faced by graphite pencil drawing artists are that there are way too many tools that they need while they are drawing. For instance, for a blending stump, they have at least 5 different thickness of the tips. There are also eraser pencils, kneaded eraser, regular eraser, blending tissue, and a brush to brush away the crumbs. There are also graphite pencils of different hardness, black pencils and white markers. Hence, the tabletop may turn into a mess with the number of tools involved. It may also be difficult to find what they need amidst the mess.
Idea 1: Finger Glove It
Creating a graphite pencil drawing but can’t find the necessary tools on hand? Eraser crumbs all over the place, blending tissues flying everywhere? Blending stumps, eraser pencil, erasers obstructing your artwork and cluttering the space? Don’t worry, you can now have it all on one hand with the new finger gloves!
Now, while the artist is drawing with one hand, the other hand will have finger gloves on each finger. On the pinky finger, the finger glove will be made of thin fibre brush material, and will act as a substitute for the brush, which is used to brush away eraser crumbs. On the ring finger, the finger glove have a ‘container’ that will contain soft tissues (up to 5), which is used to blend or smudge bigger areas. The tip of the middle finger’s finger glove will store blending stumps of different thickness, and functions like a multi-coloured clickable pen. The tip of the index finger’s finger glove will hold the kneaded eraser and eraser pencil. Lastly, the thumb’s finger glove will have a regular eraser at its tip.
The finger gloves will be made of breathable material such as cotton or linen. Garments made of linen or cotton are valued for their exceptional coolness and freshness in hot and humid weather.
A useless version of Finger Glove It would be if the erasers are stuck to the bottom flat side of the fingers instead of the tip of the fingers. If so, there would be accidental erases while the other hand with finger gloves is holding onto the drawing. Moreover, it is hard to control the erasers when drawing fine lines with them. Having them on the tip of the fingers would provide more precision as though holding a pen.
Idea 2: Tools Vending Machine
A relatively useless idea (unless improved): A tools vending machine that dispenses the tool needed when the relevant button is pressed. For instance, if 1 is pressed, a 4b graphite pencil would be dispensed and the user will collect it at the mouth of the machine. After using, the user can place it back into its belonging box.
However, this solution involves more steps than the Finger Glove It. Firstly, the user would have to press the button, wait for a few seconds for the tool to drop for their use. After using it, they would also have to deposit it back to its source. Hence, it is a hassle, and the user could simply take the tool from their respective boxes without the machine’s function.
I believe it could be modified to perhaps a hanging magnetic board which can store all the tools and save space at the same time, where the artist can reach out for it easily each time. However, this is still not as convenient as the Finger Glove It since the artist would not need to reach out or search for the tool; it is already on hand. Alternatively, the vending machine could be improved to have voice detection properties just like Siri, where the artist could just narrate what he wants and the tool will drop down. As the artist narrates, he could still draw on. After using the tool, he could place it into the collection area and the tool would be sent up to its original place.
Toolsused 1. Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet 2. Stylus pen 3. Computer 4. USB cable (to connect the tablet to the computer)
Problems faced by the practitioner 1. Inconvenience: The tablet needs to be connected to a computer for it to work. Since the computer and tablet can be quite bulky and heavy, the practitioner can only do digital painting at home and not anywhere outside. 2. Stylus pen may get lost: Since the pen is quite small and there is no cord connecting it to the tablet, the practitioner may sometimes lose it if she’s not careful enough.
Sketches of tools used (Tablet and pen) Sketches of tools used (Computer and USB cable)
Idea 1 Backpack Pen Tablet
My first idea is to embed automatic charging ports for both the tablet and pen into a fully functional backpack, and this aims to combat the problem of inconvenience. The tablet is connected to the backpack with a retractable extension cord and the user can simply place it back into the charging port once the battery indicator states that its battery is running low.
Although the user can now bring the tablet out on the go, this idea still has a few problems. Firstly, this backpack is still rather bulky. Also, the tablet screen may be scratched when it touches rough surfaces. The pen may also drop out of its designated compartment if it is not securely fastened.
Idea 2 (with model) Wearable Convertible Pen Bracelet
For my second idea, I aim to combat the problem of losing the stylus pen by creating a convertible pen bracelet that the user can wear on the go. The stylus pen can be transformed into a high quality bracelet, couple with a magnetic tip to facilitate the transformation process.
My model (shown below), made out of beads, elastic string and black tape, shows the pen bracelet at its second stage.
Model of Idea 2
Idea 3 (with prototype) Wearable Bluetooth Pen
Prototype of Idea 3
Last but not least, I created a wearable bluetooth pen with an in-built illustrator software that allows the user to engage in digital painting on the go, as long as there is a flat surface that the user can work with. Each finger represents a different illustrator tool (e.g. the index finger represents the pen tool) and the in-built sensor on each ring senses the user’s finger movements and converts them into the specific tools. The bluetooth function also allows the user to save his or her artworks and sync them to the computer app afterwards. Since the bluetooth pen is battery operated, there will also be a charging case to recharge the device.
However, this idea has its disadvantages as well. Firstly, the user might forget the tools represented by each finger. Also, the usage of fingers might not be precise enough to draw fine lines. Lastly, this device only works on flat surfaces.
At work, I observed some of my colleagues struggling with latte art mainly because: 1. the milk frothing process (unable to accurately determine the righ temperature for the steamed milk; 2. difficulty in controlling the flow of milk while doing the latte art.
Solution The Baristometer. The idea was to create something that would try to reduce the difficulty in controlling the milk flow while drawing the latte art and getting the right temperature for the milk as accurately as possible. With this in mind, the Baristometer was conceptualised.
First, the end with the thermometer tip will be plunged into the milk pitcher while it is being frothed. As the milk is frothed, the thermometer measures the temperature of the milk and when the optimal temperature is reached, the ring will light up to indicate to the barista that the milk is ready. The button allows the barista to control the flow of the milk: whenever she/he needs milk, the button is pushed and milk is sucked and released through the straw conduit. The conduit allows for better control over the milk flow by allowing the barista to control the amount of milk poured out while drawing the art, with increased precision of where the milk will be poured into.
Study of a Creative Practice: Lash Lift Beautician
Earlier this year, I went to have my lash lifted by my friend who is a lash lift beautician. So I approached her for this assignment and she told me about the tools she used and some problems she faced (listed on the image below). Hence, I decided to create a arm band that can hold the required equipment.
Tools Used: – Lash Glue – Lash Separator – Y – Tool (to separate huge chunks of lash) – Silicon Pads (key tool placed on the eyelid where the lash will be lifted on) – Cling Wrap (to prevent residue from falling into the eye) – Lash Tint
(Tools used and some problem faced.)
Drawing of Prototype 1:
The Arm Lash is made from waterproof material with a cushion sewn inside for extra comfort. I combined the Y- Tool and the lash separator together to reduce space and to increase efficiency. The individual tool such as the lash glue are attached to the band through an elastic band. There will be two pockets, one to hold the silicon pads. The highlight would be the automatic cling wrap dispenser that works on a push button sensor. The cling wrap can be easily cut with the blades attached to it and its size can be customized by adjusting the settings.
Model of Arm Lash
Idea 2: Lash Glove (doesn’t solve any problem)
The initial idea I had does not solve the problem as it is a wearable glove design. It would not work because the process of lash lifting requires the hands and fingers to be nimble and free from restrictions. By having tools attached to the back of the hand and sticking out (although retractable), it will restrict the finger movements and reduce the accuracy.
