Corrugated Cardboard Design

This week we were asked to create a Corrugated Cardboard design. Just like in previous week, the first thing I did after being told this was to look for inspiration.

Inspiration

Ragg, D. and Rowley, P. (phot.) (2011) David Ragg monograph. Oostkamp: Stichting Kunstboek.

Vanden Berghe, M. and Dekeyzer, K. (phot.) (2011) Moniek Vanden Berghe. Oostkamp: Stichting Kunstboek.



 

After looking at inspiration, I had to decide how I wanted to incorrupt cardboard into my design. After some consideration I decided that I wanted a concentration of cardboard at the base of my design, to cover the oasis. There were certain things I had to consider:
     ● How I wanted the cardboard to sit on the container.
Did I want it to come over the container or did I want it to be a perfect fit?
     ● How I wanted to cardboard to look.
Did I want it to be its neutral colour or did I want to spray it a different colour?
     ● How I wanted to arrange the cardboard.
Did I want just one big spiral or several small spirals glued together?

Sketches of potential cardboard designs

 

After doing these sketches, I decided that I was going to create several spirals with the cardboard and sticking them together. I decided to create different sizes, both in width and height.

Step by Step Journey of Creating the Design

Sketches of potential designs

 

Materials Used

Longiflorum Lily  x5
Viburnum          x4
Twigs             as many as appropriate
Pot/Container     x1
Oasis             x1
Cardboard         as much as appropriate

1. The first thing I did was prepare my oasis and my container that I was using. I lined the container with cellophane to ensure that any water that escaped from the oasis didn’t leak. I then cut the oasis down to size. I cut it a fraction shorter than the container because I didn’t want the cardboard to sit on the oasis because it would have made the oasis go ‘soggy’.

 

 

2. I then put the container to one side and concentrated on creating the cardboard. I cut a length off the roll and then cut it into strips of different widths.

3. It was then a case of rolling the cardboard up, gluing it at random intervals to ensure that it was secure. To glue it I used a hot glue gun.

 

4. I repeated the process several times. Once I felt I had created enough, I began to stick them all together. When I was sticking them together, I kept in mind the size and shape of the container I was using.

 

5.   To attach the cardboard, and to create a frame and a structure to the design, I added narrow sticks. I began with the base. Firstly, I ensured that the sticks where all at the same level. When placing them into the oasis, I had to consider what proportions I wanted to use. I made the container become one third of the height and the flowers and materials two thirds of the height.

I placed the cardboard on top of the container in the position that I wanted it to be. I then placed the sticks though gaps in the cardboard. I added 5 sticks in total to create a circular structure.

 

6. To strengthen the design and add more structure to it, I created thinner, wider spiral with the cardboard and placed it half way down the sticks, making sure that they kept the circular shape already created.

 

7. The same process was repeated to create a smaller spiral to go at the top of the design. I ensured that the same amount of space was kept between the base and the middle spiral and the top and middle spiral. This added harmony to the design. It also added rhythm as the eye moves freely around the design as everything links together.

 

 

 

8. Now the frame was created, I was then able to add some flowers. I started with the Longiflorum Lilies. When I was creating the frame I had to take into consideration the length of the lilies. If the frame was a lot higher than the length of the lilies then there would have been an area of my design where there wasn’t any flowers, and for this design, this is something I didn’t want to happen. Perhaps this is something I could explore in another design in the future.

When it came to adding the first lily, I kept it long, cutting the stem at an angle so it entered the oasis easily. My idea was to cut each lily shorter than the last one so I could spiral the around the design so they looked evenly distributed, keeping the circular shape I had created with the sticks.

Adding the lilies was a challenge. Each stem had to go through the cardboard at least once and forcing them through, without breaking them was hard. The longest stem went through all three sections of cardboard. Two of the stems went through the first two sections of the cardboard and then the last two, shorter stemmed lilies went through just the base.

At this stage, my design looked ‘wonky’ and this was due to the placement of the lilies and the weight of them. To solve this I needed to be careful as to where I placed the Viburnum.

 

9. I added the viburnum to the design and didn’t look ‘wonky’. I placed them into the oasis in the same way I did the lilies, sliding them through the cardboard. Although it was still challenging to get the viburnums into the design, they were easier to do than the lilies as the stems are smaller. I used the viburnums to fill in any voids in the design and to also soften the harsh shapes of the lilies.

10. Finally, cut two narrow lengths of the corrugated cardboard and spiralled it around the design, using a hot glue gun

 

Finished Design

 

Reflection

The positive features of the design include:
     ● The way the flowers are arranged. I wanted to keep a circular shape and I feel this has been achieved.
     ● The colour scheme. The green flowers suit the neutral colours of the corrugated cardboard.
     ● The placement of the corrugated cardboard throughout the design. I personally like the base I have created with different heights and different widths of cardboard. I also really like the placement of the cardboard spiralling around all of the design.

If I was to do this design again I would perhaps spray paint the corrugated cardboard a different colour to make it more of a 'stand out' feature however, with the flowers I have chosen within this design, the neutral cardboard colour really suits it. Another thing I would perhaps do next time, would be to use less material. The design occupies positive space and this is a feature of my design that I like but it would be interesting to see what it would look like with more voids in the design. By doing this, the cardboard would become a more dominant feature.