Thursday 31 March 2011

Chiaroscuro

































Chiaroscuro is a method in creating a 3d from a 2D using lighting. The highlight will mark the point where light is being reflected most directly. As we look away from the highlight the light hits the object less directly so the colour is darker. The shadows closer tot he object will be darker and get lighter as it gets further away from the object. You can control and manipulate the light to create different moods. A high key drawing will have mostly light values with no more than 60% dark and a low key drawing will have mostly dark values. In both high and low key pieces this system of chiaroscuro can be used to create the illusion of 3D space.

I think this will give us some ideas on the lighting for the rooms. Both these rooms are very dark and only have light coming in trough the windows. It gives these empty rooms a kind of spooky feel to it like something is not quite right.

Image references

http://www.rhythmvision.com/Page020-USDA_Chiaroscuro.jpg

http://flipsideflorida.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/chiaroscuro-photo.jpg

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Measurments

We have worked out the final measurements for the lounge, bedroom and furniture that go in it.

Living room: w = 10ft L =12ft
Bedroom: WD = 10ft WB=7ft L=12ft
Windows W=2.16ft (27") L=4ft (48")
Doors: W=2.416 (29")
Fire place: W=3 ft D=12"
arm Chairs: W=3.4ft D=2.9ft (35")
Coffee Table W= 1ft H= 1ft
Dining Table: W=3.5ft(42") L=4.5ft (54")
Chairs: W=1.75ft(21") D=1.75ft(21")
Sofa: W=46ft(56") D=2.6ft(32")
Writing Desk: W=5.5ft(44") D=2.416(29")
Bed = L=6.ft W=3 ft

Bed





I will be designing Gregors bed, in the story it mentions a four poster bed, I have done some research in to it and most four poster beds are double beds, but its just gregor in his room so he wouldn't need a double bed and there isn't enough space in his room for a double bed so we have decided that he will have a single bed.




I have looked into an art nouveau style bed and found these images, They all have quite a lot of detail on the head and foot boards with curvature floral designs. All these art nouveau style beds seem to be quite low to the floor and have a head board which is bigger than the foot board.

Image references
http://www.riversidefurniture.co.uk/shoppingcart/product_images/p/floral_4_poster_side_front_2__99645.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E1mUeFkJzws_kXhR7w78hDHBzAz-cVI1ODx2rNnt-NpJZEoy0TKWrohNPA-J-Ns4P5DjHszSHd42TE8ZcRpMlihD7QqALZTzVW_X17IMoYS6hcZOgCDFbBX5fqIhrzauhrzwgiXXtRr3/s1600/bed.jpg
http://archive.liveauctioneers.com/archive4/mortonkuehnert/23518/0194_1_lg.jpg
http://cookit.e2bn.org/library/1245440164/mahogany_bed_art_nouveau.original.jpg

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Art Nouveau

We are thinking of doing the rooms and furniture in a Art Nouveau style. Art Nouveau developed between 1890 and 1914 which is the time period the story is set in. The movement was strongly influenced by an artist called Alphonse Mucha who was from Czech republic which is where our story is set. It is an organic style with florial and plant influence with curvilinear forms.

Monday 21 March 2011

Dung beetles





Gregor is a dung beetle so I have done some research on them just to see how they live and how we can reflect this in his room

Three different types of nest building

rollers - Collect the dung by rolling in to a ball and moving it to a suitable location, female dung beetles lay there eggs in the dung.

tunnellers - consume the dung pat and burrow into the soil beneath the pat

dwellers - Live in dung

A typical dung beetle has a grooved shell which is in two parts, It had big strong front limbs for digging and fighting, there back legs are long to help them hold onto the dung balls whilst rolling, they also have wings which are folded under hard wing covers.

Image reference

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/images/ic/credit/640x395/d/du/dung_beetle/dung_beetle_1.jpg
The Country it will be set in is = Czech Republic (or as it was Czechoslovakia) and the city is Prague

In the living room we are having:
Arm Chairs
Dinner Table (with chairs)
Fire Place
The windows Karen designed
Wallpaper
Carpet, but around the fire place tilling
Picture of Gregor in the Army

In Gregor's room we are having:
Flowered wallpaper (maybe we could design some ourselves)
Carpet (ripped in sections to show old wooden floor boards)
Sofa
Bed
Dust/Hair Balls
Junk Piles
writing desk
Portrait (of the Lady)
Plain Chair (by the window)
Window
Tattered curtains

The dimensions for the living room are 10ft wide 12ft long
for the bedroom 10ft at the doors side, 7ft at the bed end and 12ft long

Wednesday 16 March 2011

The rooms

I have read trough the story and picked out words which describe the rooms

Bedroom -

blanket, table, unpacked collection of sample cloth goods was spread out, hung picture from magazine in a pretty glit frame the picture is of a woman with a fur hat and fur bag, window, metal window ledge, bed posts, alarm clock, chest of draws, wooden door, locked doors, carpet, chair, key in door, sticky stuff, brown fluid from his mouth dripped over key and flowed onto the floor, double doors, white doors, blood from door to middle of room, high ceiling,light shinning on ceiling and to of furniture from street lamp, dark, bowl of milk with bits of bread in it by door, crack in bedroom door, couch, door leading to lounge and door leading to hallway, milk spilled on floor, couch is leather, scratch marks on couch, marks on ceiling and walls from him crawling on them,

The room started to change as they started to neglect the cleaning of it -

removed some furniture so he could crawl on the walls, flower wall paper, streaks of dirt on walls, dust, rubbish, the put unwanted items in his room such as furniture, box of ashes and rubbish. remains of food, hair and lots more dust.

Lounge -
table, breakfast dishes pilled on table, newspapers, photo hung of gregar from military service, coffee poring out onto carpet, chairs, hat coat and cane on chair, window, curtains, newspaper sheets on floor, notebook, documents, letters, sewing work, music stand, violin, music sheets, cigars.




The items in the rooms changed trough out the story. We are thinking of designing the rooms to as they are near the end of the story, where the bedroom is in a worser state as it was to begin with.

I listed these items just to give me an idea on the look on the room.

The story is based in the 1910's - 1920's. We are thinking maybe a Victorian or european style house

Gregor describes the house as "Beautiful apartment" and the family have a servant but the family are also in debt and as gregor can not work they started selling some of there stuff and renting rooms out to loggers. So this will give us some ideas on how the house may look.