Studio Blog | Stéphan Angoulvant

Archived

2011-04-05T06:28:07-08:00

In the interest of making this archive more useful and better organized, here’s a quick reference to the foundation courses I took at Art Center. Here you will find links to the full term wrap-ups and each of the individual course summaries. Tags are also a smart way to navigate the site. You may, for instance, want to view all the posts related to Viscom or posts related to Product Design. You can find these tags at the bottom of each post.

Of course you can still view these posts as they have appeared in the past, by going through them in reverse chronological order.

Term 1 — Fall 2008

Design Process 1: Form – Using shapes, lines and value graphics to describe intended qualities.
Viscom 1 – Creating accurate and complex perspective line drawings from imagination.
3D Fundamentals 1 – Learning the tools and techniques needed for the creation of industrial products.
Design Process 1: Space – Exploring the basics of environmental design.
The Way Things Work – Learning to deconstruct and explain the functioning of objects around us.
Study Models – Methods to create rapid 3-dimensional representations of a concept.
Design Fundamentals 1 – Essential lessons in typography and color theory.
The Way Things Look – A short history of 20th century design and why things look the way they do.

Term 2 — Spring 2009

3D Fundamentals 2: Part 1 – Further hands-on lessons in the techniques of industrial production.
3D Fundamentals 2: Part 2 – Learning to model industrial surfaces using automotive clay.
Viscom 2: Part 1 & Part 2 – Using light and shadow to sculpt and define forms in perspective.
Design Process 2 – Developing a product from research to final model using furniture as an example.

Term 3 — Summer 2009

Product Design 1 – Developing a functional product based on user research.
Viscom 3 – Rendering different materials using a wide variety of media and techniques.
Development of Form – Understanding and drawing 3-dimensional form.
Rapid Prototyping – Learning how to model parts in SolidWorks for rapid prototyping.

Term 4 — Fall 2009

Product Design 2 – Bringing a product from conceptual development through branding.
Viscom 4 – Rapid visualization of nature & man-made things. Taught by the legendary Norm Schureman.
ID Graphics – Learning graphic design principles for product designers.
Solid Modelling – Advanced techniques for creating complex objects and assemblies in SolidWorks.

The End

2011-04-03T18:20:37-08:00

All good things come to an end. I will no longer be updating the Studio Blog. Keep an eye on angoulvant.net and my journal for the latest. I will keep this site up as long as I can, but will remain only a reference.

I couldn’t leave you without fun work from Art Center. First, a video demonstration of Dexter, and second a link to Brand New Classroom, where my graphic design project for the Langham Hotel was posted (and rather well received, if I can say so myself!)

Dexter on Vimeo.

The Langham Hotel at Brand New Classroom.

Portfolio Update

2010-10-04T21:33:00-08:00

It’s been quiet, I know… Things are right on track and you’ll hear from me soon, I promise. In the meantime, I’ve updated my portfolio with beautiful photographs for you to enjoy. Let me know what you think!

Product Design 2

2010-02-10T17:41:16-09:00

Product Design 2 was the logical continuation of Product Design 1, in which we designed barbecue grills. The theme we were given this time was “products on wheels”. This was obviously a very broad theme, which hints at the aim of the course: concept development. Our goal during this class was to design an innovative product that uses wheels.

I chose to redesign the creeper, or as I prefer to call it, work sled. This is the tool auto mechanics use to slide under cars and make repairs. The final result was designed to be comfortable, nimble and easy to use.

I decided to call my work sled Dexter (from dexterity) feeling it needed a strong personality and a name that communicated stability and precision in motion. The logo was developed in our course ID Graphics.

The first few weeks were dedicated to research. I found that most creeper users are home users because auto shops generally have car lifts.

I soon found out that most readily available creepers are very cheaply made, and often used just a few times before they are discarded.

I isolated three markets for creepers, from low to high end. My creeper was to situate itself at the medium-high end mark, aimed at car enthusiasts who are in need of a well-designed creeper and casual users who could be inspired by such a product to perform their own oil changes regularly.

The Dexter brand, developed around my work sled was to communicate several key attributes shown below.

The course encouraged us to explore many different ideas, here are some of the interesting ones I came up with, including a wearable creeper and a creeper with spherical wheels. Of course all these ideas were based on the research.

As the form was refined, I realized that my work sled started looking somewhat shark-like and tried to integrate this theme in my form development.

The final result was recreated using the CAD software Solidworks which we learned much about in our Solid Modelling course.

I decided to use plywood to create the basic shape of the creeper and explored many resource for fabrication.

Finally I created a mold using CNC-machined ribs. Thin sheets of plywood were then stacked, glued and vacuumed into shape. The final shape was then trimmed, sanded and veneered.

For the final version I created a metal frame that supported both the seat and the wheels, allowing all four to lock into place with one simple gesture. Lights were also integrated in order for users to see under their cars.

The leather pillow was stitched and printed using the Lumi Process, developed by myself and an Art Center classmate.

I embedded magnets under the veneer, giving these tool rests a very intuitive and almost magical functionality! The tools won’t fall off even when the creeper is placed vertically, but they are still easy to remove.

The frame was a complex piece of metal bending and certainly could be simplified in the future, using different materials. The aim was to communicate the new mechanics I had developed to make braking simple.

The following is the poster board that accompanied my final model. You can find a full-size PDF here.

ID Graphics

2010-02-10T17:04:14-09:00

ID Graphics was a great course I took last semester dealing with graphic design, an all-important skill for product designers to communicate their work.

The course started with an exercise in designing our personal stationery including business cards, resume, envelopes and portfolio pages. I will be rolling out the results here and on my portfolio over the next few months!

Our second exercise was closely tied to our Product Design 2 course in which we created a fictional brand for our product. I chose the name Dexter as the brand of my auto mechanic’s creeper. My goal was to create a logo that communicated reliability and mobility.

I based my design on the beautiful typeface Klavika by Process Type. Over many iterations I came up with the following logo:

The final color schemed hinted at the traditional automotive primary blues and reds. In this case the palette is shifted a bit off kilter to give it a modern look.

Our final project was to create a piece of branding for our product. I chose to create a sticker used for retail.

Solid Modelling

2011-04-03T17:58:43-08:00

Moving along with my recap from last term, here are images from Solid Modelling. This course was the continuation of Rapid Prototyping, dealing mainly with the CAD software Solidworks. We started the course by practicing our Solidworks skills and replicating the inner workings of the Team Losi Mini T remote-controlled car.

Recreating hundreds of small parts in accurate detail took us some time but eventually we got quite good with the program.

Once we had understood both Solidworks and the mechanics of a remote-controlled car we starting making our own. Our car was to be created in Solidworks and fabricated using only rapid-prototyping methods.

I focused on making mine lightweight and easy to control. Starch or plaster 3d printers tend to create rather heavy prototypes so I focused on creating parts for the laser cutter. I was very pleased with the final result, it drove very well and the instructor chose it for the school gallery! (Picture pending!)

Our final exercises were in learning how to render our 3-dimensional creations and create exploded views such as this one.

Viscom 4

2010-01-13T15:18:05-09:00

Kicking off my recap from last term here are the sketches from our Viscom 4 course. This course, much like our previous Viscom courses focused on drawing skills. In this particular course we learned techniques for rapidly sketching objects both organic and mechanical. Many of the sketches below were drawn in less than two minutes, while some of the more elaborate ones took about fifteen.

Almost all of these sketches were drawn from life, at one of the many museums we visited during the course. Drawing from life is a great exercise as it helps appreciate the forms better than drawing from photographs. Ultimately, sketching skills require a lot of mileage and in that respect it was a great course.

Happy holidays and a big surprise!

2010-10-04T21:33:19-08:00

I have some big news! It has been about a year since I launched this blog and the response has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Thank you so much for all the kind words. I’ll soon be posting the results from last term.

Next term/semester I will be taking a well deserved break from Art Center before I dive back in for the second half of my curriculum. In the meantime I’ll be working on a very big project I launched yesterday with one of my fellow Art Center friends. Please check us out!

Enjoy the holidays!

Product Design 1

2009-10-14T19:00:54-08:00

After my successful results with the insect-inspired family bench last term, I was excited to see what my third term would hold. Product Design 1 was a direct continuation of Design Process 2 with the focus being oriented more towards user research and the development of a functional product.

The project for my class was to create a portable barbecue grill for a specific target audience. I quickly identified “river fishing” as a general market and with a few weeks of research and interviews began to understand exactly what design criteria that implied.

The research phase started with a benchmarking of existing products and retail environments, allowing us to get a good understanding of the market.

After a few weeks we proposed three different directions. My research led me to investigate three river fishing grills based on different cooking methods. Ultimately I chose to design a barbecue based on the concept of plank cooking, a Native American method which uses a soaked plank of wood as a grilling surface. (PDF of the presentation)

By mid-term we had clearly defined our concept and began to develop mockups. I decided to base my grill on a new ethanol fuel which is currently marketed as the FlameDisk. (See the large format presentation here)

My design started to become clearer and tried to remain as compact as possible with replaceable ethanol cartridges that could be loaded from the side and a lid that fit inside the body for storage.

The whole unit was meant to be waterproof so that it could be carried through the water by fishermen.

Vents can deprive the fuel cartridge of oxygen allowing the user to save fuel.

The cedar plank is soaked in water using the lid as a basin. When in use the water evaporates to create delicious smoky flavors.

Our new SolidWorks skills became useful as we started to develop the final version of the design.

The next few weeks were dedicated to finalizing all the details and create the finished model.

My final presentation went fantastically well. I urge you to look at the PDF version of my presentation here.

Rapid Prototyping

2009-10-11T20:47:09-08:00

Catching up with my recap from last term, here are some highlights from Rapid Prototyping, an aptly named course in which we learned the tools and techniques for creating quick physical models.

Throughout the course we learned to use SolidWorks which allows for the creation of computerized 3d models, mainly for prototyping and production.

Our first project was to design a vase and create it in Solidworks so that it could be printed using a starch-based 3d printing machine. The advantage of this machine is that can build very complex shapes including undercuts.

The result was sanded and painted for our class presentation.

Our second project was to design a plate that would be cut using a flat CNC mill. The constraints were greater in this project because we were limited by the thickness of the material and also by the fact that undercuts cannot be made on this type of machine.

The result was cut out on a beautiful piece of cherry wood which I sanded smooth and finished with wax.

Much of our work at the end of the term revolved around our main studio class, Product Design 1. Here’s a sneak peek of that project:

Viscom 3

2009-10-18T12:49:20-08:00

Following our first two Viscom courses, in which we learned sketching and shading, Viscom 3 was aimed at rendering different materials using various media. This is an edited version of our work throughout the term.

We started with a simple sketching exercise going from quick doodles to a more refined form.

Our first assignment with materials was in rendering wood and concrete. This was a mix of markers, pencil and chalk.

Next we rendered glass using markers, pen and gouache.

Chrome and matte steel were done in chalk and pencil.

Our midterm piece was a large drawing incorporating the materials we had previously studied.

In the second half of the course we started using digital media, in this case Photoshop paths.

There were also numerous exercises for us to practice our skills drawing and shading with the Wacom tablet.

We were gradually given more freedom to explore different digital techniques.

Near the end of the term we returned to analog media with watercolor as a quick and emotive technique.

Our final work for Viscom 3 was related to our product design course which you can see here.

Development of Form

2009-08-28T20:00:26-08:00

Each semester at Art Center presents its own challenges, I’m beginning to accept and expect this. My third term came to a close a week and a half ago. Reflecting upon it I feel a great weight off my shoulders, knowing all the while that harder obstacles will face me soon.

One of the courses I took this summer was titled Development of Form, taught by the legendary Gaylord Eckles. The main assignment for the term was to select a product we would draw for the duration of the course. I chose a 1962 Kodak Brownie Holiday Flash. Each week were assigned many pages of sketches, with a particular theme in mind. These are some of the highlights of the term.

We started with basic views of the product including perspective sketches and orthographic views.

We then progressed to sketching hands and arrows.

Our first assignment in shading was to render the inverted shades of our product.

Here is the reverse of my drawing

The following week we sketched the product with a great number different lighting scenarios, here are two examples.

Each week in class we reworked a few of our homework pages to correct the mistakes. It was a very instructional process which greatly improved my technique.

Starting Third Term

2009-05-13T11:39:26-08:00

I’ve had a relaxing break back home in Paris and now we’re back for 14 weeks at Art Center! This should be an exciting term (my third semester) and I’m looking forward to all the classes. The mid-term and final wrap-ups seem to be working well for me, so I’ll keep going in that fashion. In the meantime, check out this great piece from Katherine Bennett titled “A Peek Behind the Curtain” at her blog Design Investigations.

As she mentions, several students have created accounts of their experience in other schools. They’re well worth a look and can be found in the forum thread I started at Core77. I’m hoping to see even more students share their process and not just in the field of product design!

Design Process 2 for Product Design

2009-04-20T11:56:41-08:00

In the first two terms, the Industrial Design Foundations (or IDF) program at Art Center pools people who will eventually become product designers, transportation designers and entertainment designers. The courses I’ve described so far were shared between these three majors and allowed us to gain an essential grasp on fundamental techniques such as sketching and model-building.

Though all of us have gotten quite close, we were excited to split off for the first time, each following a particular Design Process 2 class aimed at teaching us a process specific to our discipline. This was also exciting because it was our first chance to truly test the skills we had been learning.

The project for us product designers was defined early in the term: to design seating made from a single sheet of 4’ by 8’ material, which should be assembled without the use of glue, screws or other fasteners.

We started the project with a few weeks of research to help us understand different methods of joinery, materials as well as general research on chairs. From there we decided to each investigate three themes. One of my themes was insects. The full process (with bigger nicer images) can be viewed in the PDF version of my process book (20.6MB). In the interest of keeping this reasonably short, though, I will describe how my final concept evolved.

The process started with a huge collection of insects which I found all over the web for inspiration. I found that Wikipedia has a great number of interesting pictures.

From these images I tried to come up with a variety of furniture.

After some ideation on paper, some fifth-scale mock-ups were made. These included some ideas from my other themes which you can discover in the process book linked above.

Some of the more interesting concepts were developed and pursued.

I returned to mocking-up the best ideas, this time at half-scale. These were made from corrugated cardboard which I laminated.

From these mock-ups we found that the ant-inspired bench was an interesting concept to pursue. Initially, the idea was to make an outdoor furniture piece which could be used either as a bench or a picnic table. Going back to my collection of insects I picked out the ants and gave them a closer look.

The structure of the bench evolved to gain more volume and better structure.

In this second half-scale mock-up I found that cross-shaped legs were far more stable and also added a more natural element.

I went back to my sketchbook to see how the concept could be refined. We also began to think about how an additional item could help better use the leftover material.

My first full-scale mock-up was made using the same laminated cardboard technique. Though it isn’t apparent in the pictures, this was a HUGE model. It had to be reduced in size, which also helped to cut down on material usage. Antennae and mandibles were added, functioning as bookends and a cup holder. Finally, the rear legs were made longer so as to better balance the weight of the bench.

The first full-scale mock-up had a problematic rear section (the abdomen). As a cantilevered platform it just wasn’t sturdy enough. I added two more legs, thereby quenching the complaint that ants have six legs.

The following week I sent my design to be cut out on a CNC router. This first plywood mock-up helped understand the tolerances required by the material and also gave us a chance to test the strength of the chair. The two new legs were also lengthened as they didn’t seem quite fitting in their first iteration.

Some scenario images of how this bench could be used were created. The “ant bench” became more of a family product which can be used both indoor and outdoor.

The design was finalized, adding a small aphid-like stool to better use the material.

This layout shows how the material is used. The CNC router requires some amount of spacing between the parts. Grooves were also milled out of the seats to strengthen the interlocking of the parts.

The final model was made from maple Europly which was then finished and dyed a dark brown.

Branding was added to the underside of the seats using the laser cutter.

The finalized graphic elements as well as the product shots were put together on a large poster which you can download in PDF format (2.2MB).

Viscom 2 - Part 2

2009-04-19T16:54:25-08:00

Following my end-of-the-term recap, here’s the second half of Viscom 2. As I described in my first post, the aim of Viscom 2 was to teach us basic shading techniques starting with simple geometric shapes and evolving into more complex panels and forms.

Having completed the basic geometric forms we moved on to simple panels, and attempted different lighting scenarios.

Paying attention to reflected light was one of the challenges of the course.

The following week we worked with compound panels, which bend in two directions. We also tried adding form changes.

A variety of media was used including marker, Prismacolor pencil and chalk.

The next two weeks were dedicated to working with side views and trying to sculpt these semi-recognizable objects with light.

The second round of side views was done entirely in chalk and black Verithin pencil. Most of them were done on Canson 335 paper as a practice for our final rendering.

The final rendering was done on a large sheet of 18 by 24 inch Canson 335. You can see a larger view here.

3D Fundamentals 2 - Part 2

2009-04-20T07:44:29-08:00

My second term/semester at Art Center has come to a close. While the first term pushed our limits in raw volume of work and number of projects, our second term was a more focused effort, which nonetheless ended intensely.

During the first half of 3D Fundamentals 2 we continued to learn different tools and techniques in the workshop, following the work we had done in 3D Fundamentals 1. The second half of this term was closer to Study Models in its approach.

The basic premise of the course is to learn the clay modeling techniques used in automotive design and in the process understand the development of industrial lines and surfaces by creating a so-called “speed form”.

We began with several pages of sketches delineating concepts for an abstracted form inspired by air, land or sea.

Once the direction was selected orthographic views were created.

From these, a basic armature was constructed from MDF and masonite.

Using Chavant Y2 Klay, we packed the basic form.

The templates allow us to roughly determine the section views of our model.

A variety of tools allows us to shave the clay.

Crossing the strokes creates a far more even surface.

Design adjustments were made, such as the addition of this outer ridge.

Using splines to check the quality of our lines.

Finding section lines allows us to balance the design over to the other side.

Using a height gauge to check the symmetry.

Tape lines allow a better read of the surfaces and where they need to be balanced.

Using blue steel scrapers we shaved a final thin layer of clay to make the surfaces perfectly sharp.

The final steeled model.

Spray shellac was applied to protect the clay and provide a surface for the primer to bond.

First coat of catalyzed primer.

The primer was sanded down in order to further smooth the high and low spots in the clay.

Metal Glaze was used to fill in low spots and other imperfections.

Yours truly, spraying a second coat of primer.

A guide coat of Krylon was applied to better differentiate the high and low spots.

One last coat of primer was applied and wet sanded smooth.

Applying the automotive paint.

Once the color was dry, a glossy clear coat was applied.

I was quite happy with the final result!

Viscom 2 - Part 1

2009-03-02T16:52:49-09:00

Continuing my midterm recap, these are some of the results from Viscom 2. The aim of this class is to learn how to properly shade objects from simple geometric forms to complex curved surfaces. We also learn how to use various media such as pencil, markers and chalk. The principles we learned in Viscom 1 are the basis for our constructions but instead of using lines to describe form we use value.

Our instructors have created a great online resource called SketchWiki which is growing each week and describes the techniques for shadow construction and value assignments that form the basis of this course and of Viscom 1.

I’ve mentioned Scott Robertson’s DVD series as an excellent place to start for perspective drawing but he also has a set that describes shading and rendering. The series How to Render Matte Surfaces is broken down into Planar Surfaces, Geometric Surfaces and Complex Curved Surfaces, and are essentially a condensed version of our lectures this term. They’re an excellent resource which I’m still using every week to aid in me with these assignments.

As you’ll see from this sampling we have gone through the basic shapes and will be starting to create more complex objects as the term goes on. Unfortunately the scanner isn’t particularly flattering on some media and the subjects remain basic but I hope that by the end of the term I’ll have some cool stuff to show.

We started with simple boxes in this case drawn with black Prismacolor Verithin pencil.

Increasing the complexity of the construction, here is a drawing made with Polychromos and Verithin. These pencils are preferred over graphite because they can create a darker black.

We then started to tackle shapes with more facets, and new materials such as chalk (Prismacolor Nupastel) and marker (in this case toner-gray Copic).

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working mostly with chalk. Though it is easy to mess up, it is also a fast and fun medium to work with.

Each week we are asked to try a number of lighting scenarios, varying the angle, the softness of the light and whether the source is the sun or a local light.

3D Fundamentals 2 - Part 1

2009-03-02T16:53:36-09:00

Second term is going well here at Art Center and we’ve just passed the midterm point. The past few weeks have been intense but the rhythm has slowed down and we’ll soon be gearing up again for finals. With the midterms we ended the first portion of 3D Fundamentals 2, a direct continuation of 3D Fundamentals 1 which I had mentioned last term.

The second part of 3D Fundamentals 2 will be a continuation of Study Models. We will be working on creating a dynamic-looking form out of automotive clay.

As expected, we continued to learn new tools and techniques and practice our skills with the ones that are now familiar. The class started with a refresher on the table saw. The aim of this project was to build a tool box to specific dimensions, with a sliding cover. It will be used to store our clay modeling tools in the second half of the course.

I used the laser cutter to engrave my name, adding a personal touch to the project.

Along with the tool box, we created “modeling angles” out of plywood and masonite, which will help us in sculpting our clay model. These had to be perfectly square.

The wood was cut on the table saw, then sanded to clean up the grain. Two triangular shapes were cut out of a rectangular piece of wood and stacked together so they could be made to the same shape. I then drilled holes to create the handle which was cleaned on the router and then sanded.

The parts were then glued together and finished with wax. A layer of masonite was finally added to make the angles more durable.

A new skill we learned was working with fiberglass. We started by creating a simple shape out of polyurethane foam, which was then vacuum-formed to create a mold.

Once sprayed with gel coat, we applied layers of glass fiber and resin to the mold.

After letting the resin cure we extracted the part, cleaned up the edges and finally sprayed it with gray primer. The final result is a sturdy reproducible fiberglass part.

Our biggest project was probably the so-called “geoforms” project, a set of the four basic shapes (cube, cylinder, cone and sphere) that are used for reference in our rendering class (Viscom 2). We also had to build a base and acrylic case to store these in.

The cylinder, cone and sphere all started with a rectangular block of wood which was mounted on the lathe.

From the block of wood we created a cylinder with an even diameter all the way across, which is the base for three of the shapes.

For the cone, we simply carved down the cylinder making sure to keep the proper angle and height.

The sphere was far more difficult and starts with flat angular guidelines.

We smooth these down and use a laser-cut template to check the accuracy of the surface, slowly chipping away at the high spots.

Eventually the shapes were sanded down to the exact measurements, the grain was patched with wood filler and the shapes were primed and painted.

Building the acrylic case was a rather frustrating and arduous process, but in the end the result was a rather nice set of reference material.

Response

2009-01-12T17:23:30-09:00

I’m proud to say my blog has started garnering attention, notably from one of my favorite design sites: Coroflot. Along with the positive remarks, I’ve been asked for tips particularly about perspective drawing. So here’s my best tip.

One of the finest teachers I’ve encountered at Art Center is, without a doubt, Scott Robertson. His methods shape the industrial design curriculum and we couldn’t be luckier having him here. About a year and a half ago I learned about his DVD series for Gnomon. It was very influential in helping me build my portfolio. Amazingly I didn’t realize he was part of the faculty at Art Center until my first day of class! His first DVD, Basic Perspective Form Drawing is essentially a condensed version of the first term Viscom 1 class. I would highly recommend giving it a look, along with the second part How to Draw Cars which provides more practice with ellipses.

What he covers in the DVD is very similar to our class lectures. Unfortunately, the DVD can’t quite push you to do hundreds of pages of practice. If you can assiduously force yourself to do the exercises over and over, you’ll get the Art Center experience right at home!

Second Term Begins

2009-01-12T16:58:21-09:00

My second semester at Art Center is starting today with Viscom 2. Last term we learned the basics of perspective and this term seems to be more about shading and environment.

Over the break we were given a few pages of homework to keep the concepts from last term fresh in our minds. I turned to my biology background for inspiration and grabbed one of my favorite reference books – Hawaii’s Fishes: A Guide for Snorkelers and Divers. Here are a few of my vehicles inspired by tropical fish.