Design and Inspiration

[Mark Sanger]

In several other threads and topics over the ages the subject of design and inspiration has been raised.

The questions of 'how do you come to your designs' or 'where do you get inspiration from' is often raised. Design and inspiration, how it is translated into the solid is a subject that requires as much time to learn as any other.

When I started turning it was one of the points I felt was missing from many woodturning magazines and books and still do today. Yes it is a subject that is starting to be covered more and more but is still pretty much lacking.

Often articles, I include mine in these, shows 'how to make' and spend less space on 'how, why, where and when' the ideas and designs originated from and even less on how to transpose these into reality. 

So I thought instead of just discussing this, it would be far better to have a proactive thread based on this, to discuss and show how we and other work. What questions we have about creativity, inspiration and design, and to build a reference for people to investigate for themselves to build upon their own needs within this subject.

It has been my intention for some time to have blog entries on how I take visual stimulus that I see around me and how I transfer this into reality. But I have not had the time.

This indeed is not unique to the turners that do it. In fact observation and how this is translated is a skill taught in art and sculpture and has been for hundreds of years.

People may not be interested in this but some may. Everything I have learnt in relation to creativity has come from other sources and not invented by me. It is like any subject one that needs time to research practice and learn. Often people want to keep these secrets to themselves which is a shame, as once we learn to open the key to creativity we have more designs and ideas than we could make in a hundred lifetimes.

here are some books that I have  read over time that may be of interest to you.

Feel free to input your thoughts and ideas.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sources-Inspiration-Ceramics-Applied-Arts/dp/0713670983/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379153223&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pattern-Colour-Form-Creative-Approaches/dp/0713678097/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379153223&sr=1-2

While the craft is different the processes of using nature as a source of inspiration and how these translate for the makers in this instance is the same.

[bodrighywood]

Must admit I feel the same Mark and to some extent it is your fault LOL as well as having a partner who has been designing top end furniture and interiors for thirty years. Ceramics, various different styles in furniture, interior design etc as well as simply working along with what nature does to things all provide inspiration. A good example is that when I am asked t make something I research the different styles of say goblets, what shapes and so forth they have had over the ages and in different cultures. It always amazes me how many variations on a theme there are. I feel that those of us who demonstrate should perhaps focus more on the area of design explaining why one shape works and another doesn't.

Pete

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Mark, thank you for starting this thread, I look forward to it's development. I have started trying to think differently about design than I usually do. This may not be an inspirational way of doing it but what I have done recently is this........ I normally turn a pot or box or something and then add the finial or knob afterwards so that it looks like it is meant to be(you know what I mean). So just recently I have been turning the finial first and then making the box to suit.This has allowed me to experiment with finial shape, which I suppose could be termed design(?) and once I have a finial that is different from the(my) norm I then turn a box to suit it. I posted in the gallery (page 12) a Pau Amarillo pot. This was made to experiment with a new burning tip but the pot was made first and the finial followed, but you can see why the finial was that shape. This is what got me into trying things ass about face as I was happy with the final design of the pot and  my own thought process leading up to the finished article but I wanted to maintain the momentum and that was the way I came up with it.
   I remember sitting outside of the Jolly Friar pub in London after a meeting, a fellow turner found it amusing that he trained as an artist and wanted to be a turner when all the turners he knew wanted to be artists!
Thanks for starting this thread Mark, I for one will enjoy it.
Regards
John BHT

[malcy]

For many years, my wife and I have been to a couple of Antique and Collectors fairs every year. Whilst my wife continues to look for things to add to her collections, I have recently been aware that I have been looking at forms, and designs applied to them, in ceramics and glass wares.  A couple of weeks ago we went to such an event, and I was particularly struck by some modern glass designs from Czech Republic. I have therefore worked out a couple of forms to make in wood, probably segmented forms, based on these designs, and although not the same, they are certainly an inspiration to develop my turnings. Who knows where this could lead. When I make one of these I will certainly post here and ask for comments. Malcolm.

[Mark Sanger]

Hi all

I am getting round to posting more on the ways I work to discuss in this thread, but I am trying to catch up with 5 weeks’ worth of work, impossible.

In the meantime it may be good to get the subject going if we think about what inspiration and creativity each mean to us as individuals and why we feel we find it difficult to realise when trying to come up with ideas.

It is obvious from all your responses that you all are thinking your work, how you go about making it, and what external stimulus has an impact on it. But it is worth thinking about inspiration and creativity and what it means to us as individuals.

Have a muse, is there a difference, if so what ?. In the first instance just think about it without using any external reference. Hopefully you won't mind discussing your thoughts here.

Finally, think about how easy or happy your are to discuss your thoughts in a public forum and if you feel this would hinder your being fully open with ideas and thoughts. ?

[Bryan Milham]

I'll add a question to this, if I may.

What do you (as in anybody reading this) do to force a creative result?

To explain, one piece of wood is a bowl, goblet, candlestick etc, a second is likely to be a lid, but when I get up to 6+ pieces of wood then it's a step from the norm. Okay it's mostly still something mostly round, but it's also more than R&B.

[Mark Sanger]

I'll add a question to this, if I may.

What do you (as in anybody reading this) do to force a creative result?

To explain, one piece of wood is a bowl, goblet, candlestick etc, a second is likely to be a lid, but when I get up to 6+ pieces of wood then it's a step from the norm. Okay it's mostly still something mostly round, but it's also more than R&B.

Bryan

This is valid and the reason I posted the last, as it can help before we think about materials or techniques, or even the idea of what to make,  to think about the thought process of being creative and inspiration. Before we start looking at how to go to the designing stage which is where you possibly are with your question.

However your point of forcing a creative result is an excellent question, it will be valuable to see what responses are posted.

[Richard Findley]

I'm not an artistic turner and have no real ambition to be one. However, design and form are massively important whichever area of turning you work in. For me, knowing what shapes work together, the sort of diameters that create the best flow to a curve. Even though I mostly work to drawings, there is often a need to add artistic licence to fill in the gaps that drawings often leave.

I wonder if people spend enough time planning or working through ideas before putting wood on the lathe? I have often heard that people put the wood on the lathe and let the wood suggest what to make. The trouble is 90 odd percent of bits of wood are just that, it's the turning that has to make the wood sing. A bit of forward planning really helps, even if its a rough sketch or line. No need to break out the water colours!

Cheers

Richard

[bodrighywood]

Can you force a creative result? You start with an idea in mind but it evolves as you investigate, experiment and work on it. Personally I am not comfortable simply having an idea and being fixed in making sure it is made the way I originally intended as the process of creating seems to bring fresh ideas and inspiration. This all sounds very high faluting but basically I find that it is an ongoing process. Maybe just me as we all work differently.

I agree with Richard that we need to start with an idea of the end result but, unless we are working to specific design we should be prepared to keep an open mind and change as we go along. Not quite 'letting the wood suggest what to make' but there is perhaps an element of that.

Pete

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

I fully understand Richard's point about knowing what shapes work together, but I must admit to not thinking about it, I just do it these days and it works. Perhaps I do think about it subconsciously or maybe I have made so many of them that I know what is coming next! I think it is a bit like cooking, I never know what all the different herbs do but I always chuck some in anyway, tastes alright to me.
Bryan asked  about forcing an idea but I wonder if that should be develop an idea?  When I made that Pau Amarillo pot on pg 12 of the Gallery I made it to experiment with a burning tip shape. I burnt triangles and when I came to the finial it was obvious to me the shape of said finial but more importantly the colour. (which then dictated the wood etc. etc.) This for me was a defining moment. However, when I tried a similar pot with circles burnt on to it and thought a round ball finial would be right, it didn't look as good and I did feel that I had forced that idea at the time. So on that occasion for me it didn't work (and it hasn't sold yet)
    I have also heard those same words as Richard, "I just put the wood on the lathe and it tells me what to make" yeah, right. That never happens to me.
       I have taken on board some of the comments from similar conversations in the past, so I now carry a note book with me and draw or describe some whole or part thereof of something that I like, a shape, colour or texture or even a different use for an object. This is a hard habit to form but I am trying.
           When we had the competition running here I was beginning to get the thought processes going each month but then I was only interpreting someone else's idea.
        I think that is enough for now, I will let someone else speak.
Regards
John BHT

[Les Symonds]

Hi Mark...can inspiration happen without experience? Surely, inspiration is sudden, free-flowing thought which originates either from deep-seated memory of past experiences, or from a current experience. If so, when we suddenly feel inspired to produce a particular piece, the shape, the colour, the texture or the materials that we feel inspired to use must have been seen before, whether in an object produced by man or an item produced by the natural world.
Even those turners who pick up a 'lump' and start to work, letting inspiration and design ideas flow are doing this because of what they know 'works' in terms of shape and form. Whilst those who use a more considered approach, involving a formal planning/design process, are similarly bringing a wealth of experience to mind in order to design their next piece of turning.

When I make a piece such as the sycamore/blackwood sculpture that I posted in the gallery a few months ago ... http://www.awgb.co.uk/awgbforum/index.php/topic,1625.0.html ... I firstly have an initial idea, then I mull it around in my mind for days, sometimes weeks, before I start work. In the interim period I will develop the idea in my mind, perhaps as a result of seeing something that suggests a suitable variation to my original idea, or perhaps as a result of further inspiration based on previous experience. I believe that design and inspiration are inextricably linked....that you don't get either one in isolation!

Les

[Mark Sanger]

This is a subject I always find a brilliant. The comments are interesting in relation to how we produce our work as individuals and for me is a continual learning curve;

From my research and studies I see it as this. (mind you I am sure you could think and dissect each definition to eternity)  

Inspiration is a source that influences us in the creation of an idea;

As Malcolm showed in finding inspiration by using the glass he saw as a reference for the pieces he is working on.

You may also find inspiration from other sources other than solid/static sources ( pottery, building, nature as examples), but also dance,  music etc, such as being inspired by the gentle flowing lines of ballet or the harsh aggressive lines/form of cosac.

Creativity is when we use our ideas that have been inspired by something to produce new or unique ideas within our work. So I may be inspired by Kimono patterns, a piece of glass work, the shape of a building,  an animal footprint in the mud or anything around which we use to think about and develop an idea for, or within our work.

So when I produce a hollow form I am producing a shape, it is not a new to me or a unique, so I am not being creative. It may have been inspired by a piece of Chinese pottery but the shape has been around for thousands of years, so while I am inspired by it, I am not being creative I am crafting an item without anything new.  

If I use the chinese pottery as a reference for shape as a starting point and mix it up by thinking about how I can come up with something new to me then this is being creative.

IE, the piece I produce below is of a common form, used by many and one that originated from the Far East. In fact most forms did and many can be traced back to early pottery from 14,000 bc.

But the idea, as you will probably know,  (the piece has been around for some time) came to me when I was on holiday eating chilli chocolate http://www.lindt-shop.co.uk/our-ranges/excellence/lindt-excellence-chilli-100g.html?gclid=CLWrh6HR1LkCFUld3godlgIAOA this one in particular, although the wrapper has changed a bit since then, as when I was chomping on it it was predominantly black with just the red chilli.



I thought about the colours and form and how I could included them together having set criteria. This being I wanted to be a contemporary (inspired by my taste in interiors)  and to embody simplicity (my inspiration from Japanese simplicity/influences.)

Then I sat with a sketch pad and mixed my ideas up until I was satisfied.  

At this point I set about the 'design' specifics in order to make the piece practically. It is this stage which as Richard clarifies, by taking a short amount of time to plan a piece before the wood goes onto the lathe can be the difference between an piece that works or not. 

The process was initially inspired, followed by the creative process, then the final design.


A exercise to stimulate creativity is one I use often form 'Chuck Green, Ideas Book'  called 'Jolt thinking'. The technique helps to promote creative thinking. When you want an idea close your eyes, turn around so you are looking in a different direction, open your eyes and the first thing you see is your inspiration/point of reference for a new idea.

So as I wrote this I carried out this exercise and the first thing I looked at was my television. In turn I started thinking about films and from this famous actors, then John Wayne and the rocky formations in the american desert. Any one of these ideas could be thought of as ideas for a piece. The formations of the rocks as a form or texture etc.

When out walking with my dog I do this all the time. (just make sure there isn't anyone nearby as you may get some strange looks).

I keep a notepad and along the walk carry out the exercise several times, jotting down what I saw then as I walk I think about them and jot down or sketch an idea. Also my camera is always with me and I perform the same exercise with photographs.

Try it out, see how you get on.

A few points though. Don't worry about (can I make it on the lathe), forget about the practical, this will come later. The idea is to stimulate the creative process, the more you do it the more it becomes easy. Eventually you will see an idea in everything you look at.

 


    

[Paul Disdle]

I am finding this very interesting.  I have tried the 'wood will tell me' technique and fast found that quite limiting. I wound have to agree with Richard at least some pre-planning needs to be done. If I do not plan I find I get stuck trying to form my vision as I can not work out how to hold the piece to do the next cut or I find out I have chopped of a chucking point early. At this early start in my turning journey lack of creative ideas are less of a problem than having the tooling technique needed to produce them.

Paul

[Mark Sanger]

Paul and all

Pre-planning is important and the 'wood will tell me' I believe is often something that comes from past experience while people work. It is no different than any other skill, over time the experience is what we draw upon.

Have you looked at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Woodturning-Design-Derek-Hayes/dp/1861088655

As well as woodturning project books show the processes for turning the various projects, bowls, boxes etc, by starting with these set projects you could plan a few different ideas within the parameters of the projects.

It is worth making a note by jotting down the processes you use as you work on different projects. Check to see if they are standard and simplify is needs be.

Check magazine articles and see how each person works, you will find that nearly ever project is approached in the same way. For instance, I work in the following way for all of my projects.

1/ Screw chuck between centres.
2/ Balance and produce spigot and waste section.
3/ Rough base of form/main form.
4/ Reverse into chuck, refine the form shape.
5/ Finish the outside with abrasive.
4/ Measure and drill out to depth.
5/ Hollow out, be it a bowl, box, hollow form etc
6/ Finish inside with abrasive
7/ Reverse onto jam chuck or friction drive and finish base form and finish with abrasive.
8/ Remove waste and blend base with abrasive.

This basic eight processes are the same for all of my work. There may be tweeks but by working in the same way every time I do not have to think about what I am doing as it becomes ingrained.

Once you have a set way of working you can in the most forget about this when designing. Or at least as you are so aware of how you normally work any design issue with quickly be ironed out.

For any new design, knowing this is my foundation I design a piece using a CAD system. This allows me to scale it on the page so I can check the dimension and proportions.

The software I use is this. 
Serif Draw




You can use a software to pre-plan the project by using a 'rule of thirds' grid to make sure the proportion is correct. Once correct the dimension tool with give you the sizes. Simples. 

It means you can make designs without going to the lathe and wasting wood.

Here for this vase you can see the rule of thirds grid ( in blue) used to construct the main form and main parts within it.



Here you can see the same form. Each part of a form should (but does not have to) conform to the rule of thirds. Practically speaking this means that the separate parts can also be broken down into thirds, as seen for the main body and the neck of the vase.

 

Note the main bulge/shoulder of the base form is 2/3rds the height of the body,the foot is 1/3rd the diameter. Also see that this is carried into the neck where the narrowest section is 1/3rd up. 

Once I have a drawing with the correct proportions, I can lock everything together and drag or squash the form, in turn everything moves proportionally and I never have to worry about working out the proportions or sizing again. Just take it from the drawing.  See the squashed version below.



This is how I work. Seeing at the moment the creative side of the thread is not pulling in too much input at the moment;

How about looking more at designing. ?

How do people plan their work. ?

Do you produce project drawings and make a prototype first.

If you do not plan the projects, is it far to say we are stabbing in the dark somewhat and the chances of us getting the best from the wood is minimal..

It does not matter if you have a software, this one shown you can get as a free download to try it out. And you will never have to pay the full price for it as once you subscribe then will send you offers especially if you download it but don't buy it to start with.

Let me know if this is useful. ? I am happy to talk about ideas but if others are not minded to give input also I can find other things to do. 

 



 



 

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Hello Mark,
                seeing how other people work is always interesting(to me anyway)this serif draw will be interesting, I am going to look at it in a minute.
 So I have been planning something but have thought back to the inspiration for it.
 I have nearly always been adverse to colouring wood but on seeing a particular blue on a piece of woodturning I was quite taken with it and wanted to use it. I have had an idea for a turning that I have never seen before (so I will not be giving too much away at the moment)so thought I would use that for my blue project.
       I quite like using pewter in some of my work so am looking at combining that aswell. I also like Troika so will try to include that too. All I have to do now is come up with the final shape and it needs to be one I like, and then I can make it, this has been going on now for about 5 months. Today I turned the vessel and applied the first coat which should be dry by now so I will work on the inside this afternoon. I put a coat on the outside to give me an idea of colour for the inside, on this occasion I think the inside will be bright gold. As part of it will be pierced I need to ensure the inside finish is spot on.( with a black internal finish I usually get away with a couple of coats, with gold I use a sealer.primer. undercoat and top coat to prevent the grain from telegraphing through.)
    So although I have determined certain parts of the end product, shape ,colour, finish, I have yet to decide on the small details like piercing pattern and how I will incorporate the pewter, although I do have an idea in mind for that.
 So my inspiration for this piece is 1st colour, then my turning idea, and then pewter and Troika ware.
I don't think this is anywhere near to the way you think about your creative work but this haphazard way is the norm for me, hence my need to organise my thoughts.
Regards
John BHT