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August 27, 2012 - Comments Off on The Maya Method

The Maya Method

In order to understand any complex system, it becomes vital to understand its most basic components. Theoretically, anything can be broken down into a set of discrete smaller parts. The predictable behavior of these bits will then help inform us as to the nature of the whole. This idea is the foundation of Western thought and most, if not all, progress since the ancient Greeks. In the physical sciences, these parts are particles and forces. In the social sciences they are ideas and people. And lastly, and perhaps most strangely, in math and art they are the point and line. These two fields have only recently begun a beautiful courtship empowered by technology. Both rely on collections of points forming lines and shapes, numbers and functions being interchangeably writing or represented as geometry. Likewise in both, the simple components are recombined and elaborated upon to create new works. The simplest component to have shape is the polygon, making them the fundamental building brick of all art (pointillism aside) but also truly inspiring.

This week's sketch was inspired by "The Moor's Last Sigh" by Salman Rushdie

The beauty of such simple shapes is endless. They're abstract form allows for infinite possibilities; complexity or simplicity. Andy Gilmore leverages this unique ability in his kaleidoscopic works. It's easy to simply appreciate them as wonderful pieces in and of themselves but the more I stare the more I begin to see shapes appear, like cloud watching. His sketches are even more fascinating as they reveal a pointillist nature to his method and a very precise control of symmetry.

They say you can draw anything if you can draw a box, cylinder and cone correctly in perspective. This knowledge is key to becoming a great artist as it allows one to break down the complex into its fundamental parts. This commonality is what allows works of all sorts to be displayed side by side in spaces such as Goverdose, a design zine. That's because nearly every surface imaginable is some combination of basic geometric shapes. The neon light color scheme and scintillating hover states give his art a truly electric feel.

Of course polygons have become most important in the world of 3D and computer animation. Looking back at Pixar's first efforts, it's incredible how far the technology has come. While I can't wait to see the levels of realism that will soon be possible, what interests me most is the creation of new worlds rather than the imitation of the one we know already. This video for the band C2C gives us a peak into just such a world, where everything runs on music and the beat.

The Sketching Mechanism is a series of weekly posts, published on Mondays, containing the artistic musings of Mobile Designer/Developer Ben Chirlin from our Monday morning meeting at the NY Creative Bunker as well as his inspiring artistic finds of the week.

 

Published by: benchirlin in The Sketching Mechanism
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