Welcome to your first blog. During the first day of class, I will not be in attendance and David Jones will be the substitute. David will guide the class through a "light logic" exercise and will show some videos about interior lighting design.
David will not go over the syllabus with you, I will do that on week 2.
David will mention that your text is by Susan Winchip: Fundamentals of Lighting. YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK. They have it in the bookstore.
Now for the Blog: Write about your experiences in class on day one about the light logic exercise and the key information you learned from the videos. THESE WEEKLY BLOGS ARE WORTH 20% OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE. Please visit the blog more than once during the week and respond to each other's comments. Feel free to explore either subject further on the internet and in the library to "beef up" your blogs. If someone beats you to the punch and makes comments that you wanted to post, please do not just agree and move on. Find something new to add to the discussion.
I will see you all week two, I look forward to meeting those of you who have not had class with me before.
Off you go!
19 comments:
The first day of any class is always, umm..., shall we say, interesting. Not knowing what to expect, I wasn't totally prepared for the requirements. I didn't have any pencils! But, as is often the case, out of challenges comes opportunity. I think that I liked the results of my pen and a borrowed sharpie better that what I could have done with a pencil. As far as the assignment itself, I think that it is a definite step up from drawing legos (which I had to do for my lighting 1 class), but I think it could be more effective if the required drawings were much smaller. A tonal lighting study that size is difficult. I found myself getting distracted from thinking about the light and more trying to just cover square inches. All in all I thought it a worthwhile exercise.
The videos where ok. I found them dry is some areas and interesting in others. You could tell that it was put out by the EPA by their love affair with fluorescent lights. Yes, they are more efficient, but I hate the look! Psychology must also be considered in sustainability. Worth a watch, but don't do it with a pillow in hand or your asking for trouble... :)
Seth
Hello to all. Yes! The first week of class after a four week break. Well at least we didn't have to break the ice with trigonometry equations...just 3 educational videos from the early 90s. There is so much information in these videos but it is hard to write as fast as they throw important notes out. But 3 back to back, that was hard.
The drawing excercise was interesting. A little painful at times when I couldn't figure out what certain things were, but the outcome was interesting. I was somewhat unprepared myself, but luckily I had a pencil. Although I must say the hatching that Seth did was pretty impressive. It made my renderings look too light even when I pressed as hard a I could with my pencil. Good idea to do the drawings at a smaller scale.
See you next week,
Jenny
Hey everyone!
Unfortunatly, our Summer break is over and we are back to reality, better known as school.
The first day of class was interesting, not only because it consisted of three videos that belong in the Stone Age, but our first in class assignment was challenging. Challenging in a way that compelled us all to show what we were capable of doing. Just a clever way to teach ourselves something that we may have not previously known.
The images that were given to us, were not easy to master, because of the size and the image was a bit distorted. That just seem to be another test of our abilities. Overall, I believe that the assignment was fun and exciting, and hope that we have more that are similar to it. I am also looking forward to meeting new classmates and spending another wonderful quarter with our instructor, Tim O'Donnell.
My first day of class was off to a rocky start...let's just say my first impression with Dave probably didn't go over very well. My normally responsible and studious self was on the wayside that afternoon, especially in that I didn't receive my official schedule, so I had to miss the first 15 minutes of precious class time retrieving it!!! Aaaaahhhh! Anyway, as class went on, I also began to render my lighting, in COLOR, which, unbeknownst to me, was apparently not the way Dave had imagined it transpiring. So, after he asked me to continue only in grayscale, I was finally off in the right direction.
As for the videos, I must say I appreciate the break, because that is probably one of the last we will have. : ) However, I always tend to find the psychological aspects of lighting very interesting, and that was a key component to a couple of them. I like the fact that the messages users interpret from a space are often times subliminal and that the designer must remember this when working on the lighting. I also found the review of lighting fundamentals to be a great refresher. I am definitely looking forward to this class; if it is half as much fun as lighting 1, then we are in for a treat!
Initially the light logic exercise was a bit overwhelming for me. Thus far in my designing I have not had to put such thought and consideration into how various sources of light would play off of one another. I had difficulty figuring out which way shadows would be cast as well as determining the value and gradation.
Half-way through the exercises, however, I found myself more comfortably experimenting with practical, controlled and dramatic effects and techniques and in fact, pleased with the outcome. I also found that the subtractive method seemed to work better for me in this exercise.
The videos were nothing short of intriguing. I am eager to learn all about lighting and what it entails. There was something said in the video along the lines of lighting isn’t just about illuminating a room but about the effects the lighting has on the objects in the room. That part of the video really caught my attention and began opening my mind to the deeper importance and impact of lighting.
So, there are some of you who are registered for both level I and Level II. This is an experiment that Tom is conducting. The classes are not really supposed to be a beginning and an advanced class so it becomes an investigation into integration. About blogging for instance, those who are in both "classes" should only do the blog for Lighting I.
~Tim
It will be interesting and fun to see what has changed since the "dark ages" when our video tapes were produced. Obviously, sustainability is more in the day to day parlance than in the early 90's, but what else has changed? are there any instances of 180 degree turns in thought or practice since the tapes were produced?
I enjoyed the first class. The shading exercise was challenging for me. A couple of the exercises were easier when the light source(s) were obvious. It was with the more ambiguous exercises, and the exercises with more complex architectural features that were more challenging. Sometimes it is difficult for me to figure out how a light is going to hit a certain object and what type of shadow will occur.
The videos were more of a review of what I learned in Lighting I, which was good. It touched on some basics like what is needed to see color (light source, object and receptor) and the different types of lamps (LEDs, fluorescents, halogen, HIDs, etc). It also touched on how to use light to where you want to draw people's attention (walls, merchandise, art, point of sale, reception, people, etc.)
What I found most interesting was how light can affect people's behaviors, moods and so on. I was actually watching Law & Order (one of my favorite shows) that night after class, and the detectives manipulated the fluorescent fixture in the rom so that it would flicker and buzz in order to make the suspect uncomfortable and break. I found it amusing because we had discussed in class how obnoxious fluoresecnt lights can be, and those same negative qualities that they can have.
Hey Everyone! I was so excited about the first day of class! After having such a long break it was hard to get my body to jump out of a coma and get to work. The Light Sketches were the first assignment I had this week and it was hard for me to dive into it and stay focused. Once when I did, I really enjoyed it. It kick started the logical and the creative sides of my brain at the same time. But by the time the movies started, I felt a little fried. The movies were very informative, like some of the others have said, and I would have to agree-it was hard to catch all the details in notes. Especially while I was still working on my lighting sketches. It was great for an introduction, though, and I know you will repeat and focus on the topics from the movies, which will help me absorb the information better. The movies did focus on the importance of lighting and how it affects our psyche. Like, people not always knowing that the biggest problems with spaces are not always to do with furniture arrangements or colors. Sometimes the problem is as simple as glare or not enough light. They also focused on the importance of designing the lighting in the beginning phases of design, so it is more a part of its surroundings. Also, this keeps designers from having to come back later to solve a bigger problem, when the lighting is not blending well or has problems, such as humming, severe glare, not enough light, and so on.
Looking forward to a great quarter!!
Kristin Featherman
I will agree with everyone else that getting thrown such an action packed 1st day was a little overwhelming. It had been awhile since I had put pen to paper and got to drawing, let alone shading & trying to imagine light sources! I was not expecting to need materials so after I bought a few items and borrowed the rest, I finally got to work. I have to admit I was less than proud of the work I pushed out. I thought more about what I was going to do rather than just working though it. It was an exercise that I needed to do though.
Even though the movies were ancient, some things that were discussed are timeless. Such as when they were discussing initial phase & concept phase.
We will always have to gather all necessary information, including input from all the users of the space.
We will always have to consider what type of lighting will need to be used in the concept phase. There isn't too much that can changed about grazing, framing, wall washing, accent or decorative lighting. You might call it a different name (you would be wrong) but it is all the same.
Kristin,
I am so glad you joined in on the blogging! Haha, I am just teasing. Any way, you made a good point about glare and other small, but very important, details that can be forgotten. Glare is a huge factor when it comes to the enjoyablility anf functionality of a room, but one I certainly didn't think about during my blog. Great observation. : )
Jamie
After a nice four week break it's good to be back.Had to question my sanity after seeing David Jones. I had to stop check my schedule twice, read all the fliers on the window and still question if I had the right room. The lighting assignment was tough trying to figure where the light was coming from then imagining the shadows that are cast as well as estimate the reflections off certain surfaces.
I thought the videos were dated and dull however the information was a good review. The information was thrown out a bit faster than I like and I personally would have preferred to have a more recent video shown along with them. As much as we all love florescent I think that in the last ten years there are other options. Hopefully that will be next week.
Any ways it was still a great class and I'm looking forward to next week
HEY EVERYONE,
WELL IT KINDA SUCKS THAT OUR BRAKE IS SO SHORT BUT IM GLAD TO BE BACK. THE DRAWINGS IN CLASS WERE FUN AT FIRST, BUT I HAVE TO SAY A LITTLE TIRERING AFTER A WHILE. THE MOVIES WHERE GOOD AND OVERALL I LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHT,THE VALUE OF IT, GRADATION, AND COLOR. I WAS PRETTY SATISFIED WITH OUR FIRST CLASS AND AM EXCITED OF WHATS TO COME. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK TIM.
Good comments. You all might notice that I have logged on to the site several times since people started posting. We all want to get in the habit of doing this.
The first day was a nice ice breaker with the lighting excercises. I was not at all prepared for it either. I would like to see how different they would be at the end of the quarter and being prepared with the right supplies.
The movies were...interesting but the different hairdoes were a little distracting. I found myself trying to listen rather than watch the films.
I am looking forward to improve my visual perspective of how I look at light, as well as the gain knowledge of vast amount of types of lighting and what is considered to be more sustainable in today's design.
Well, I must say that as a transfer student who is a bit rusty, jumping right back into the artstic portion of being a student felt a little awkward. However, it was good to get the feel of drawing back into my brain.
I had taken Lighting at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh before, and I've seen all of those videos in the past, so it was much like deja vu to me, a little surreal. However, the fact that I'd seen them before allowed me to concentrate more on my drawings, while keeping lightly tuned into the videos.
It was kind of strange, because I recalled the discussions we'd had in Pittsburgh. Mr. Smelko paused the videos at various points for us to discuss the lighting in a particular space shown in the video, and it was interesting to recall these things. It was definitely a great refresher to get me back into the swing of school, after having taken an entre quarter off.
I will be looking forward to going over the syllabus today. It was definitely not what I'd expected, to come to my first class in a new school and be thrown right into being the artiste again! I was expecting an easy day of going over the syllabus and discussing why we think lighting is so important that we have a class about it.
I think this class will be an excellent review for me. Fortunately, in Pittsburgh, there is an exceptional lighting lab from which I learned many things. I am hoping that my previous experience there and what we learn here will pretty much get me set as far as lighting is concerned.
Yes, I have have heard of the lab in Pittsburgh. Maybe someday Tampa will rate that kind of facility and a shop for furniture construction and upholstery, different things like that would be really useful to ID students.
I enjoyed the first day, I don't draw nearly as much as I should and it felt good. The videos where great review, I have seen them in several other classes.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Outline of class one..
Watched 3 videos about lighting. The first video touched on the way light effects us by color and time of day. The second video was more about the different types of lights. Also included placement within a space to be the most effective. Video three was about design phases and also placement of lighting. The most important point I found were external view of light . Which is determined by; size , contrast, time and luminous .
Posted by sarah meyer at 2:08 PM 0 comments
silly me did a post..opps
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