Drawing Experiments

Here i have done the same experiments as i did for the stair drawing. I want the animation to be fluent therefore i feel that all of the drawings should have the same technique used to make the animation flow well from beginning to end.

Drawing Experiment

I have drawn part of the building here which are the flats and balconies which run all the way down the estate. They are a very weird structure which could enhance the animation if i include this aspect as it would not be entirely obvious as to what the structure is.

grey steps

Here i have coloured the steps from light to dark grey to show the ageing and deteriation of the building. I feel that this as part of an animation would work well as the viewer can see the gradual change of the building.

This is a slightly different approach to the one above as the grey creeps over the steps which i feel could possibly look more interesting as an animation as this isnt a realistic way in which a structure discolours whereas the image above is more realistic. This way of depicting the ageing of the building could proove to be more intriguing. I will experiment wth both of these techniques to see what best suits my idea.

Steps again

I have experimented with how the concrete can be depicted through different textures.

Sketches from the building

This is a sketch of the 'ramp' that takes you out of the building. This is shown on the Rowley Way homepage.

Here is a sketch of the flats and the balcony. It is not very clear as to what it is an in reality it is also quite surreal. I will experiment with this drawing to make it more clear.

Steps

This is a pen drawing of a set of steps that are all over the building. I think i could do something with this in an animation and show the deteriation of the concrete.

Animation that links to my idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca5SDlcBKSc&feature=relmfu

I came across this animation and it is for an Elbow song. I think this relates to my idea and i would like to achieve a similar look to this animation. It is fairly simple but the way the building grows and the colours spread is something i aim to achieve.

3 sketches, white to grey

These sketches depict an aspect of the building. The sketches get greyer to emphasise the deteriation that the building has taken.

Photo's of the building

Drawing over photo's

My original idea for this project was to depict the people who live in the building of Rowley way which is where i live as there is a diverse community and i wanted to show the change the building has taken (some experiments above). Through thinking this over i feel that this idea is quite cliche and could become quite boring. Instead of depicting the people who live in the building i have now decided that i will depict only the building and the change it has taken through 40 years. I want to show the physical change that the building has taken in particular the deteriation of the paint work which has turned from white to concrete grey. I think that this could have potential as an animation as there are many different parts to the building that could be shown through the animation to emphasise the surrealness and the deteriation of the building.

Estate History

Here is a bit of history about the estate and a photograph of the estate when it was first built. The building was painted white which made it it comparable to holiday chalets, it is a very different looking place today.


"http://www.alexandraandainsworth.org/history.html">

An idealised photo of part of the building

I like this photograph most out of the many i have seen as it makes the building look welcoming with the plants and sunlight. This is quite a contrast to many other images of the building and this shows how the building has changed with the times.


"http://www.alexandraandainsworth.org/images/rowley_way_b-block.jpg">

Photo's at night

The building looks a lot different at night time compared to the day time. It looks a lot less harsher and I think this is because of the row of street lamps which are on either side of the path which is sandwiched between the two buildings. The lamps give the building and the environment a calming effect.

I will take photographs myself of the building in the day time and at night time to show the contrast that the estate has and i may use this aspect of contrast in my animation. I feel that the estate looks like a completely different place when it is dark and it surprisingly less intimidating.



"http://www.alexandraandainsworth.org/gallery.html">

Rowley Way Homepage

The estate has its own homepage where residents and the general public can find out about the building and watch the film 'One below the Queen' which was made by the residents.

http://www.rowleyway.org.uk/

The Everyday

'The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes' (Sherlock Holmes' words)

I am going to base this project on the building that I live in (Alexandra and Ainsworth estate AKA Rowley Way). This is because it has a very unusual architectural design as it is a Brutalist building and as I live in it it means that I  am accustomed to it, and wish to communicate the 'mundane' in this surreal environment (the building is extremely unusual remember). The building looks out of place as it stands between St Johns Wood and Hampstead which are two generally affluent areas with pre-20th century design;this strangeness is compounded by the fact that it is a 2nd grade listed building. There are varied cultures, races, ideologies (exhibited by the regular socialist posters often on display) and religions all present on the estate. I also want to interpret the design of the building (designed in the 60's and built in the 70's), as the school of architecture that influenced the architect Neave Brown wanted to move away from high rise blocks to create a sense of community and space.

Today the building looks very different to what it did when it was first built mainly due to the weathering of the white paint which originally covered the building, to a mottled dirty grey which it has now. The building has been used in many t.v programmes including The Sweeney, The Bill, Breaking and Entering and One Below The Queen, which was made by the residents of the estate.