Craftwork
Senior 3 · Fine Arts
Craftwork
Lesson 2 of 4
25 min
A pile of clean plastic bottles is not yet craft. It becomes craft when someone decides what it will be for, who will use it, and how it should look, and then plans every cut and join before starting. Craftspeople who work with waste think hard at this stage, because recycled materials come in fixed shapes and sizes that the design must work with. In this lesson you will learn the design principles that make recycled craft both useful and attractive, and you will plan and sketch your own piece.
Definition
Function: what an object is for and how well it does that job. Aesthetics: how it looks and feels.
Design specification: a list of the things a design must and should do, used to judge ideas.
Annotated sketch: a drawing with notes on materials, sizes, joins and reasons for choices.
Working drawing: an accurate drawing with measurements, usually showing front, side and top views, used to make the object.
Sustainable design: design that uses few new resources, lasts a long time and can be repaired or recycled again.
| Principle | In recycled craft it means |
|---|---|
| Function first | the object must do its job: stand up, hold weight, keep things dry |
| Work with the material | use each material's properties (Lesson 1): bottles for waterproof containers, fabric for soft parts, wire for frames |
| Unity | repeat one material, colour or pattern so mixed waste looks like one design, for example covering every part in the same fabric |
| Contrast and emphasis | one feature stands out: a bright handle, a band of bottle tops |
| Rhythm and repetition | repeated units in rows or rings, such as caps, rolled paper beads or strips, give order |
| Proportion and balance | parts sized to each other and to the user; a wide, heavy base for stability |
| Safety and durability | no sharp edges or loose parts; joins strong enough for daily use |
| Honesty | decide whether to show the waste (labels as decoration) or hide it (paint, fabric), and do it consistently |
| Specification (illustrative) | Must or should |
|---|---|
| Holds at least 10 pens and a 30 cm ruler upright | must |
| Does not tip over when a ruler is pulled out | must |
| Fits on a desk: no more than 25 cm long and 10 cm deep | must |
| At least 80% of its material is reused waste | must |
| No sharp edges anywhere | must |
| Uses colours or patterns the user likes | should |
Notice what the notes in Figure 2 do: each one gives a material, a method or a reason. "Base: 3 layers of carton glued together, heavy enough not to tip" explains a choice and links it to the specification. A sketch without notes shows what something looks like; an annotated sketch shows how to make it and why.
Worked example 1: sizing the base
Bottles 7 cm across will stand in a row of three, touching, on a base with a 1 cm border all round. How big must the base be?
Length: .
Depth: .
Check against the specification: 23 cm is no more than 25 cm, and 9 cm is no more than 10 cm, so it fits the desk.
Worked example 2: choosing between ideas
Habimana has two ideas. Idea A is a tower of five bottles stacked on top of each other. Idea B is the row of three bottles of different heights in Figure 2. He scores each against three "musts" (1 point each).
Stability: A is tall and narrow and tips when a ruler is pulled out (0); B is low with a heavy base (1).
Holds pens and ruler upright: both do (1 each).
Fits the desk: both do (1 each).
Totals: A scores 2, B scores 3. He develops idea B, but borrows A's idea of a separate small tray for erasers.
<em>The young Nigerian's Upcycling, turning plastic waste into art</em>, from BBC What's New. Watch how the maker plans each piece around the shapes and colours of the plastic waste, and note one design principle you can see at work.
Warning
Designing without measuring. Recycled parts come in fixed sizes. Measure the bottles, boxes or cans you actually have before you draw.
Decoration that hides a weak design. Paint and fabric cannot fix an object that tips over or falls apart. Solve the function first.
Tip
Every note answers what, how or why. If a note on your sketch does not, rewrite it.
Practice
What is the difference between a design brief and a design specification?
Give two ways to create unity in an object made from mixed waste.
Four cans 6.5 cm across stand touching in a row, with a 1.5 cm border at each end and on each side. Find the length and depth of the base.
Write three "must" statements, with numbers, for a recycled lunch-box carrier for a primary pupil.
A classmate's sketch has the note "make it nice". Rewrite it as a useful annotation.
Evaluate this idea against the principle of safety and durability: a doorstop made from a plastic bottle filled with loose sand and closed with tape.
Design task. Write a brief and specification for your own recycled craft object, draw six ideas, develop one into an annotated sketch, and make a working drawing with measurements.
1. The brief states the problem: user, need and setting. The specification lists what the design must and should do, with measurable targets, and is used to judge ideas.
2. Any two: cover every part in the same material or fabric; use one colour scheme; repeat one shape or unit, such as bottle caps.
3. Length: . Depth: .
4. For example: must carry a lunch box 20 cm × 15 cm; must hold 1 kg without the handle breaking; must have no sharp edges.
5. For example: "Cover the outside in yellow and green kitenge offcuts, matching the handle, to unify the colours."
6. It is not durable or safe: tape may peel and let sand spill, and a thin bottle can split when kicked. A better design screws on the bottle cap tightly, wraps the bottle in strong fabric and sews the fabric closed.
7. Check: brief, specification with musts and shoulds, six ideas, an annotated development sketch, and a working drawing with measurements.
Which of your six ideas did you like least at first? Is there anything in it worth borrowing for your final design?
Sources and credits
