Research For My Make

My research for the imake has been pretty stressful and hard to pull together. When Dr. Reitmeyer first told us we'd be researching our make, I was really confused because how was I suppose to research a bathroom decoration made out of wood and mason jars. I was stuck for a really long time and am still struggling a bit with it. After talking in class about the research process it made a little more sense. What I understood from Dr. Reitmeyer was to dig deeper into my project and look at its origin or facts about the material. I started researching different ways of decorating and what drives people to decorate or why they want a change. This is very different compared to the other kinds of research I've done for school. A huge research paper I had to do my senior year in high school was about the Illluminati and the way I researched was completely different and easier. It was a lot simpler to find information directly on the Illuminati and easier to go into a library and find a book on it then it was to find information regarding mason jars and bathroom decor for my make. Another difference was the attitude I had toward these projects. For my huge research paper, I was dreading it and thought it was too much and was sick of it, but for my make research, I'm really excited to learn new background about my project and am eager to finish it. The main similarity was that for either project, I had to do research or else I wouldn't be able to finish it. 

Blog 10: Research Process

To begin the research process for the burlap wreath I start by looking up simple directions of how to assemble it. All of the directions I have found pretty much overlap in a general series of steps for how to make it. The only difference between all the directions I have found is key tips that people have come up with to make it easier to put together. My next step in researching the burlap wreath is looking at the history behind the wreath. This is probably the most interesting part I have researched thus far. Through many different cultures and religions all throughout the world the wreath served as many different purposes and symbols. Another interesting thing to see is how the meaning and purpose of the wreath have changed over the years and what it has come to be now. For me, this is different from other research projects because I have never looked into the history and original purpose of something I have tried to make. Lastly, this project differs from others I have done because it is something that I am learning and experiencing to make first hand. Other research papers I have done are looking into how someone else did something and what things they found while making them.

“Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.”   - Joss Wedon
         
  - The quote above really inspired be through it's simplicity. For me it means that it doesn't matter what it takes to make something just make it. It emphasizes a carefree attitude that everyone will take a different path when it comes to making.

Blog Post #10 I-Make Research

So far in the I-Make project I did look up some stuff for one day really quick. It was pretty easy to find things about my topic. I just looked up the history of crocheting. In my research I found that there is no specific time or place that it originated from. I did find out some of the theories of when and where they started. Such as Arabia, South America, China, Europe in the 1700s, or other people think it came from Europe but a century later. It also lists the different ways you say it in different languages. Like it is called haken in Holland, haekling in Denmark, hekling in Norway and virkning in Sweden. Which apparently the word crochet comes from croc, or croche for the French word for hook.

There was also a woman named Mlle. Riego de la Branchardiere who published many pattern books back in the 1800s. They also think that she invented “lace-like” crocheting. Later in the article I was reading the author states that all the types of material they used to use as string and hooks. Like they would use hair, grass, and animal fur as the string. Fishbone, wood, horns, teeth, and walrus tusks to use as hooks to crochet. Overall it was pretty interesting to find out all these weird things about crocheting. I think I am going to start watching “how to” videos next and possibly start trying to make something.

Research Process and Similarities to Other Projects

My research that I’m doing for my make is research from the internet that are journals from people who have created the same things that I am trying to make. Therefore this process is difficult and easy at the same time. It is difficult because not many things are found on my topic. It is easy because the things that I do find on my topic are all similar or basically all the same which can also make this difficult because then there will not be much variety or much of anything to write about when it comes to writing the paper. There are cites that I found where all the things on there are DIY.  I have found three cites that are all like this. This differs from other research projects that I have done because all my sources are from the internet. Another difference is that it is not written research. It is mostly looking at pictures and following instructions because this project is about making something. Since I am making a dog bed for my puppy Sarabi, the cites where I have been on all have pictorials and instructions on how to make this big bed. It is similar to other research projects that I have done by trying to find out how to write this paper. I find all of these projects very hard to do because research papers and writing papers in general are always hard for me.

Blood Spatter or Splatter?

 Describe your research process for the make? How is this different or similar to other
kinds of research you have done for school?

My research process for the make, would be to view a bunch of articles. There is a Jeffco library database, that I can search for different articles. My librarian and I figured out that blood splatter is more medical based, while as blood spatter is more forensics based. We talked about researching how different densities and concentrations of a substance may react differently that blood, and what those specifics may be. As well as case studies that have been solved solely on the forensics of blood spatter, such as the case of the state police vs. the black panthers. There is also the different tails and satellites that form from different angles of impact and different velocities. This kind of research is different in the fact that it is more abstract than things I've studied before because its an extremely interesting topic to me, but I feel like it isn't for a lot of people. But it is similar, in that is researching a specific topic and finding quotes that compliment your writing. 

Research Process

I would say that the best way to describe my research process is erratic. I just go and see what pops up. I am not really following a specific path or any thing, just trying to learn as I go along. I have started out with a lot of research on the micro controller and Arduino. I am working a lot on the coding, and the electronics. My plan is to move in to the actual implementation, as I get farther into the project.

 This is not really how I do research for school projects in general. In the past I have done all of my research in a much more structured way. Find a subject and stick to it, and learn as much about it as I can. For this I acted a lot more like it was one of the kinds of projects I do in my free time. I would describe that researching tactic as something like a shotgun where I do ten searches, and hope that I get something out of one of them. To that effect I have research a lot on the coding of my micro processor, and the hard ware that I am going to need. I am planning on doing the same to learn a lot about the history and time line of the mountain bike.

Research So Far

My research so far has been pretty interesting. I think it's kind of hard to find exactly what you're looking for thogh, especially when it seems like your topic is a little bit different than what people are interested in writing articles and theses on. My topic is mug making and I bought it would be very least to find articles about mugs and drinking vessels from people of old, but it's actually a lot harder than. I though it would be. I can actually barely find information on mug making specifically. There's a bit more information on drinking vessels, but less on cups and even less on mugs themselves. When  I went to the library however, they encouraged me to research pottery, and they said it would return some results. A person from the reference desk showed me and even emailed me some articles that looked pretty relevant to my research. I think in starting to see that there's more to my topic than just specifically my topic. A lot of things are relevant to it for instance like drinking vessels in general, as well as things that mugs are used for like drinks. I've even thought of finding a little bit of history about tea, coffee and hot chocolate maybe, because I will probably use my mug/s for that predominantly. Overall, my research has been interesting and informative and I'm actually kind of excited to error my I make paper. The question is still for me though, how exactly I want to buil and/ or decorate my mug (glass, clay, etc.)

Blog 10: My research

Researching 3D Printers is actually not to difficult, you can type in on google how to use a 3D printer and tones of results come up.  I am really interested in 3D printing so it makes the process of researching that much easier.  Sense 3D printing is fairly new, forums and websites are redly available. One thing that I need to research a little more are the programs that are used to create the 3D image on your computer. There are so many different programs some of them are amazing and easy to use, while others you wonder how the company is in business. This research I am doing is interesting unlike most of the other research papers I have done in the past. I normally just read threw the articles very quickly trying just to pull out the important information. But with this research I actually want to read all of it to advance my skills or actually just start my skills with 3D printing. I can not wait to make a couple of these guys.

Blacksmith Researching

Researching blacksmiths, a task that I knew would be difficult from the start. What I have done for the research in regards to the process has been very random. For the most part, I am simply going through all of the sources that I find when I search a term related to blacksmithing. What I have noticed that I do is piggyback my research to other things. What I mean by this is that on each site I will follow one term to another site, and by the end of it I will be on YouTube, watching videos about the universe. I am sure that as I get farther into the work for the project, an actual process may appear, but for now, I am just going with the flow of things. It could also be looked at that for now, the way I research is my process, but that is a little silly.
Compared to other research projects I have done in my entire school career, I am fairing well. I have started researching much farther in advance than I have for another recent paper. Don't worry, Prof., that paper was not for your class. But the topic that I have chosen is not very realistic. For this project I need to research a topic that is slightly similar to blacksmithing because of how unrealistic actually smithing will be. As much as I can remember, I have not had to do this for other projects that I have done for my schooling. For the most part I have always been able to somehow get what I wanted from my projects, but that is not the case for this one. Maybe things will come together later into the project, and I will actually get to try my hand at smithing.

So I'm not sure what I could put here that has to do with a process, and I don't wanna put another thing about smithing on here, so here's the universe:

(so that's not the whole universe. Too bad)
http://www.the-universe.ie/html/multimedia/Grand_Universe.jpg

Blog 9 I-make Proposal

I will be making a song/mix with some software that I have found.  I will try to use a software called FL studio, however it's in beta so I do need to research how long the beta will last, since it's a free beta.  The software is a 200 dollar software so it's important for me to know if it will be available until the end of the semester.  If it turns out that it won't be able to use FL studio I will end up using garage band.

Blog 10 Peter Juska

The research process for this project is definitely much different than other projects that I have done. The reason for this is because I have a genuine interest in the topic I'm researching.  I like to listen to electronic music, and the interest I have in electronic music makes researching it all the more interesting.  When I'm reading an article about electronic music, it makes me want to read even more about electronic music.  If I was researching about something else, I would basically just read through it and take out the information I needed for my paper so I could get my paper done as soon as possible.  That's the difference between the research I'm doing now and the research I've done in the past.  It's willing research and unwilling research.

My project is to make a piece of String Art. When I started researching String Art I was surprise at how hard it is to find information on the origin of string art and how it has grew over the years. I had to break it down into smaller key words and other terms in order to remotely get some information on it. I even learned that there's a whole other name for string art and that is curve stitching. After I was able to discover who invented the practice of string art then I was able to allow myself to go deeper with the research. I was able to find more things on it's history and this gave new idea to other topics that relates to string art. The reason why this project is a little different to do then other ones that I've done is because I am actually researching in order to bring this project to life. It is kind of really cool to be practically teaching myself to make something new and abstract that I can hopefully master and yet it is not too expensive that I can continue to do it later after this project for the fun of it. The research process is similar to my previous work but also different because there are so many other terms and topics that you would normally not think would be relating to a making of something but it does. And when the story of that make is revealed such as string art, it becomes a pretty awesome project to work on! Below are a few images of what I may use as a guide to make my own piece.

Researching Baby Mobiles

When I began research for my baby mobile build, I surely thought to myself, this should be as easy as pie. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that this wasn’t the case. Research on something you're trying to make is really hard, (who knew!), and it seems like I can never come up with the right “key words” to find what I am looking for, or if I do I might find one or two articles that help me in my research and then I start all over in finding another “keyword” for another article. At first this process was intriguing and fun! Now it seems vigorous and taunting. Not my favorite research projects thus far, but maybe when I begin building and find questions as I build that might give me my “key words”, I’ll feel a different way. After all, isn’t the worst part of all research projects finding the research? It is for me.

In other research papers I’ve done, the worst a part of finding the research is going through the articles to find if they help win over you argument or not. This paper’s hard part is just finding articles. However, in both, my favorite part is reading what I find. For example, when I was researching Abraham Lincoln, I found billions of articles about him, and, therefore, learned so much. I found out that his mother died when he was young and his sister and his wife were named Sarah, and a lot more. I loved it.

In this paper, although finding it to be difficult, I have learned a lot about the look of babies rooms and am finding it quite interesting. Like did you know that babies rooms weren’t done by theme and color, pink and blue, until the 60s? Before then the room was made to be mostly neutrals: cream, white, gray, etc, and might have some teddy bears or angels in them. The sixties is when babies began to be, what the article I’m reading refer to as, “stereotyped”. 

 http://swra.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/1/7.short

I still have a bunch of research to do, but I hope to find more great finds and I hope that it gets easier.

Blog 10: My Research

As you might recall from my last blog post, I will be making ornaments for my family members’ Christmas gifts. When I first started researching this, I was taken aback by the amount of research that could be done on Christmas tree ornaments. I had endless options. I researched the history of ornaments and Christmas trees themselves, finding both fictional and nonfictional versions of the legends behind decorating a tree for Christmas. I researched the different types of ornaments and their traditional meanings, so as to give the right gift to the appropriate person. Continuing my research, I looked up different methods for creating various types of ornaments from scratch. I found ideas such as Paper-Mache, clay, yarn and beads, and ways to turn regular glass bulb ornaments into something spectacular. Below are some examples of articles I found:

                                               

 

 

 

 

 

The research for this project was different from any other research I have had to do for school. My usual research includes scholarly articles about complicated, in-depth subjects that I then use to support my thesis statement, or synthesize together to uphold the argument in my persuasive essays. This research, however, was more engaging and light-hearted and fun, and really helped excite me for the rest of the I-make project.

My Research Process

In terms of research for my make, I have found that finding articles and journals to be somewhat difficult. It’s very difficult to discover sources on Google that contain a substantial amount of ethos.

However, after Friday’s class, I feel much more confident when it comes to the process of discovering sources that contain more compelling and credible material. Now that I understand how to navigate the Regis Library Databases, the research aspect of the I-Make project seems less daunting.

I have come to understand that key words are essential when it comes to discovering information in regards to my make. Thanks to Dr. Reitmeyer, I now have another key phrase to add to my search topics. That key phrase is “shoe art.” I can’t believe that I didn’t think of this, it’s so obvious. I should probably remind you that I am custom painting a pair of canvas shoes, either Toms, Converse, or Vans. Right now, I am currently researching painting tips and techniques in regards to decorating a canvas. I am also searching for information on all the name brands that I mentioned above.

It has been a couple of years since I have been required to do research for a project. Thus, I forgot some of the steps in regards to the process of examining sources. From what I remember, the processes for those assignments and this assignment are somewhat similar. For instance, we referenced library databases. However, I have discovered that I now have access to better quality material.

All in all, research is difficult, however, I now know what I should be looking for, thanks to Friday’s class! I’m convinced that I will be able to find interesting substances to incorporate into my make. Sure research is tedious, but I know that this process will pay off and thus, the creation of my make will be much more rewarding as a result.

Research Process for Imake Project

For my Imake project, I am going to be making a canvas with a quote on it, and I plan on decorating it in some artistic way with paint.  For the past few days, I have been researching different forms of interior design, the history of canvases, and techniques with paint.  So far, I have found that my research for the canvas has not been easy or simple.  Because this research is very open, and since it is optional as to what can be researched, I feel that I am having a slightly difficult time finding the useful sources.  In my research experience in the past, I have been directed more specifically of what to search for, so I think my research then was a little bit easier to find.  One difficult thing about my current research, is that it is so hard to even find useful articles about canvases.  I think I am going to take a more artistic approach to this research and possibly try to focus more on different ways they were used, rather than the direct history of them.  In comparison to other research I have completed before, this research is similar due to the variety and the amount of research that comes up.  I have found that often, so many different topics and sources are available, that it makes it harder to find the one source I am looking for.  I am really excited to make my actual prototype of my project, so I think it will be great once I find more sources that relate to what I am doing with the canvas.  I also just visited with a librarian on campus, so if I cant find enough on the internet, I know that I can go to her to get some useful research assistance.  The next topic I plan on trying to research for this project is quotes, and their origin.  I think that would be very interesting and meaningful towards my Imake project.

Imake Proposal

When I first thought of this project, I knew the perfect spot to go and get ideas on what to do. This perfect spot is a website/app called Trusper, very similar to Pinterest. The apps contain so many DIY ideas and such that I could not, for the longest time, choose a project to work on. Then I had an epiphany, I thought of how my boyfriend's birthday is in a month and I haven’t figure out what to make him yet so I decided I was kill two birds with one stone and will use this project to make him a present. That was when I came across String Art. “String art, or pin and thread art, is characterized by an arrangement of colored thread strung between points to form abstract geometric patterns or representational designs such as a ship's sails, sometimes with other artist material comprising the remainder of the work.” String art has recently become very popular and trendy as I’ve learned. It started from just simple monogram to now more and more complex geometric shapes. The challenge I am currently facing is to decide which pattern to create so that It will turn out beautiful and meaningful as well. To be able to understand the instruction will also takes a lot of analysing and close reading and research. Although, there are a few obstacles I am personally very excited to be doing this project and making a present for someone I care about and hopefully brings him joy on his birthday. I am very excited to be making this and learning a new skill as well. Below is a small example of a String art part of work.

Blog 9: I-Make Proposal

For my I- Make project I am going to make a burlap wreath. There is not really a strong personal meaning behind making this wreath other then I noticed the door at my house looked lonely and needed one. I came across this idea on Pinterest and was intrigued by all the different styles and colors I saw. When I see a wreath hanging on a door I get a sense of warmth and invitation. By itself a commercial wreath already gives off this sense so I figured that there was no better way to add to it other then making it myself. The first step is collecting burlap, wire, the wreath base, and any additional accessories. Next, I follow the steps of weaving the burlap through the wire frame. Lastly, I can add whatever decorations I want such as: letters, ribbons bows, feather and flowers. One of the fun things about making the wreath from scrap is that I am able to choose the colors, fabric, and patterns of all the materials. This allows me to make it with an intended purpose of either having it as an everyday wreath or a seasonal one. My coworker recently made a beautiful Fall themed burlap wreath that looked professionally done, so I am going to also seek out her advice about the best way to go about assembling it. One of the challenges I will face while making this wreath is if the burlap is not weaved and twisted correctly it will look flat and overall unappealing.

I-make Proposal

For my I-make I was thinking about making a little action figure using the 3-D printer. I will need to research 3-D printers, learn how they work, how to use it, etc. I want to use the 3-D printer in my make because I think it is a very cool piece of equipment humans have created. As far as what action figure I will be making, I was thinking about making these little lava drip men or some of the characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I want to make one or multiples of those figures because I think the show Aqua Teen Hunger Force is funny and the lava drip man because  one of my good friends gave me a red lava drip man before we both left for school. I also want to experiment with different colors for the lava men. Some of my challenges will be learning how to use the machine, figuring out dimensions for the characters, if I want to make them with movable appendages, etc.

Maker Proposal

B9: Give a summary of your proposal and discuss why you are interested in the make you
selected

For my maker proposal, I decided I wanted to make a bathroom holder made from wood and mason jars. The purpose of this is for it to hold my miscellaneous bathroom items such as Q-tips or cotton balls. I was thinking about adding something to my bathroom at home last summer because it was pretty bland and didn't have much hanging on the walls. The more I thought about it I decided that I'd make this for my older sister who recently moved back home. She's struggled adjusting to living back at home after a couple years in a college and wants her space to feel like her own area without my family being in the way. My sister also loves arts and crafts and would really appreciate a hand made gift from me. She's been interested in decorating her room for awhile now and I hope she enjoys the piece I make for her at the end of this. 

I-Make Proposal

What I am making for my I-Make project is a big doggie bed for my baby Husky, Sarabi. She will get older and along with getting older she will get bigger which is why I chose this to be my project. Instead of buying a big bed for her I will buy the materials needed that are similar to the bed she has now as a puppy. I had first asked my mom to make this for her because she had already made a medium sized bed for my cat Tigger. Since she has experience making one I thought it would be nice if she made another one but a little bit bigger. Since we have a project where we have to make something I have decided that instead of asking my mom to make the bed for Sarabi, I will make an attempt at making one. Like I said before I will just buy the materials needed to make the bed. My mom had the sewing machine and the other tools needed to make the arts and crafts. She also has a lot of books that show instructions and suggestions of what to buy and how to make what you want to make. To make this more of a challenge I will just get the materials and come up with my own ideas to make the bed. I will get the ideas by looking at the bed she has now or just look up other beds for dogs without searching for the instructions on how to make it.

I-Make Proposal

I been working on an idea for a computer controlled mountain bike system. I was thinking a robotic micro controller, probably programable in c code. That would be hooked up to a number of sensors, force, distance, taco, etc. The micro controller would use the sensory input to control a number or linear actuators and servos so that, suspension, compression, shifting, lockout, and brake would either be automatically controlled, or “ride by wire” controllable. 

To get this project off the ground I need to brush up on my c coding ability. Then I need to get a micro controller, sensors and actuators so i can start coding and writing the operating system. Then I need to look at mounting of the sensors and actuators and wiring everything. I do not see any problems with the implementation of this project, the only problem that I see are that so of the parts pessary are a little on the expensive side. Also this project is very scalable because I can start with controlling only a couple of the systems first, and then once I have a bit more experience, control the entire bike.

I am really excited about this project because I have been a pretty big mountain biker for the last few years, and I have always loved computers, and putting the two together is a dream come true. This is something that I have thought about as an idea for a couple of months now, and to be able to do, and as a project for school is super cool to me.

My Proposal

I have decided to do a personal make on something called an Erector set. What this is. An Erector set is somewhat like a logo set only with completely different set of building materials. Instead of simple blocks there is metal parts and screws to hold them together. There are many different types of erector sets ranging anywhere from a car that moves around to a helicopter that has a working propeller. These Erector sets have always been intriguing to mw simply because they are harder to build ten legos but are still very interesting and fun. Ideally, I would want to try and build this without any sort of instructions. I think that not having the instructions would be even better than with because it makes you think more and you can put your own creative twist on what you are building. Another really interesting aspect of this to me is the way that parts work together to make something move. I have always had an interest in engineering and these sets allow you to see that work first hand without having to build something massive. You get to build every part of the set, including the engine, by hand so you can see all of the intricacies and work on all of them. I think that this interest stemmed from a young age because my dad was a woodworker on the side, I was always with him at his shop when he was building and usually helping. I was way more interested in how the machines worked than how the wood was put together so while he was working with the wood, I would be studying the machines. The only thing that I am really worried about is not being able to collect enough research to meet the requirements of the project. Im not sure really how much is out there about these sets, I hope there is enough!

This is an example of one of the sets!

iMake Proposal

I want to make a set of mugs for my dorm room. It's a pretty simple make I think, but the details I include will hopefully make it more intricate and more complex. I chose this make because I thought it sounded fun, and I am also in need of at least one mug in my room. It always seems that I have to borrow a mug from others or bring one from home which is kind of annoying since its pretty fragile. I want to make something durable, cute, and preferably cheap. If I could find some cheap or old materials and convert them into mug materials that would be a great thing for me. I also want my mugs to look good/ cute obviously, but I'm thinking more about exactly how I want to design them. I like the idea of drawing on them in black pen. I like the color scheme of black and white, but I also like the idea of glassware, so I'm not exactly sure. I am sure however, that i want my mug to have handle that doesn't break off, and that preferably is the part of the mug that draws in the eye the most.

Laura's I-Make Project

                In my proposal I wrote about making a baby mobile and what it is. A baby mobile is like a spinning chandelier made with stuff, animals, balls, butterfly’s, lights, etc. that are hung over a baby’s bed. I discussed the issue of balance because the most important part of a baby mobile is balance. I also talked about how my baby mobile is going to consist of two different baby mobile designs based on ones I found on Pinterest. These are the picture of the two designs I will be using:

The butterfly's will be on the inside and the pompoms will be on the outside. 

                The reason I choose to make a baby mobile is: one, because I love babies and baby things, and two, because my work study boss is expecting her first child and I thought a hand-made baby mobile would make a wonderful gift for her and her baby. I realize that there is a lot of other baby gifts I could make, but a baby mobile sounded most interesting to me because it’s not a gift most people think about giving, and it will be a fun challenge for me to create one.

                Knowing that my baby mobile will be for my boss, there are a few aspects of the design I must adjust according to her baby room design planes. These include, but are not limited to, the color scheme of the room, and if there is any theme; duck, jungle, butterfly, etc. that I should consider. Finding this information may be difficult because I want the mobile to be a surprise for her and don’t want to give any clues that I am making something for the baby room. Therefore, to find out this information, and any other info I might need, I plan on using my fellow work study members to ask her different questions, at different times, about the baby and babies room and then report back to me the information. Overall, I’m really excited about this build. 

I-Make

For the I-Make project I would like to be able to try to crochet. I am a pretty weird girl and do random things. When I was little I would always watch my aunt and grandmother crochet and I would try to learn, but that was back when I was like eight so I don’t remember what learned. Now that I am older I will probably be able to actually learn and remember how to do it. My aunt and my grandmother have passed away, so I guess the reason why I am picking this so that I can remember them or connect to them.  Another reason is because my mom really likes having the crocheted pieces around the house, if I learn I can make some for my mother. Plus  I will have something to do when I am bored! Though I am not going to lie, I am not exactly sure what we will be writing about with this. But I might as well make this fun for myself and enjoy this!