C'est fini mes amises!

Hi one and all,

I know it has been a while since my last blog, but the end of the course proved to be a little time consuming to put it mildly.  Most work pinned up at the marked crit 3 weeks earlier either needed more doing to it, changing completely or .....well getting done in the first place!!  However, I was very pleased with my final show and quite proud of myself that I could put it all together in time.

I've got a few bits and bobs below to show how it looked as I know alot of this work hasn't been seen on my blog before.  Hope you like it.

I am very pleased to have also been asked to display my work as part of the Masters Exhibition.  This will be open from this Saturday 23rd June and Sunday for previews, open to the public on Monday 25th with an official opening at 6.30pm.  The exhibiton can be viewed by the public until Thursday 28th.

It is incredibly gratifying to be one of the 5 degree students chosen to exhibit; almost as good as the feeling of finally discovering I have a 2:1 for my degree!!!  Hoorah!!

Overall the course has had many ups and downs, but it is all about learning from it.  I think it safe to say there have been moments when I could not see this and it is good to finally have time to stop and think about it and realise what I have achieved and what areas I still need to continue to develop.

It is fascinating to see how my fellow colleagues have managed too.  There are a number of  people who I consider to be close friends now, who have started with far less skills and fought to the end triumphant.  For these people I congartulate you.

Finally I would just like to say a big thanks to our lecturers who have had to put up with us for twelve months, which probably feels like the whole three years!!  Without your expertise, industry knowledge and sheer determination for us all to succeed......well I don't think I would have for one.
And to all my friends on the course who have supported me and put up with my stresses and sulking when they had plenty on their own plates........I thank you.

Lastly, thanks to my wife Lucy for all her support, (god only knows how she has put up with me for 3 years), and my son Max aged 15 months, who arrived in the thick of it and who's little smile could always make me calm and rational once more. x

Keep a look out for a new blog link as I will be starting fresh soon, but will keep attached this blog and others for you all to read back on.

The little people arrived!!

I received my little people today.  Funny I was expecting a big bag full of these things since I ordered 50....and well ....it's quite disappointing.  One tiny little sachet of white characters didn't seem much really.......waffling....tired.....I'll move on.

I have discovered I have two means of calming myself and making me smile. (apart from the obvious cheesy grin from Max the one year old and me wife)  I have to catch the 6.45 episode of Shaun the Sheep firstly which always makes me laugh and secondly.......... I read Lissy's blog. ...

....even when she is narked off she makes her words sound beautiful and enchanting.  Every entry has something in it which enlightens you or makes the corner of your mouth raise just that little bit even when you feel like crap.  Thanks Lissy....the oracle of wise words.


Anyway.......

I've spent today re working my CAD drawings, preparing annotation for my 1:200 plan and 1:50 plan as I have been completely re sorting them.  A little worried about my sequential sketches which aren't going well for 1:50.  Wish I'd just gone straight down the boring sampled photoshop route now as I am loosing more and more confidence about my drawing skills.

Tomorrows...or later todays tasks! ...are to finish rendering my 1:50 plan and get the trace scanned in so I can titalate it a bit in photooshop.  I have to redraw and render my 1:200 plan and annotate both drawings for printing........the 8th is a painful thought.  I have almost given up hope of getting everything together, but we'll see.  I only have so many hours left.....I can only do what I can do.  If I miss getting something pinned up, I'll just have to grin and bare it and pray I get a better mark from the examiners.

Here's to the light at the ned of the tunnel.....which is just a mere spot in the distance at the moment, but I feel it geting closer.

Night all.
x.....for the ladies

Website Done!

Well the websites done.  I like what I've put together, but my branding isn't great, even though our lecturer thinks so.  But the format of the site works for me and I think I can easily build on it and add to it.  Well done to everyone else too as everyone seemed to pull it out the bag.

Here's a link to mine.  www.wix.com/pauljohnsongarden/design

Pictures of my model!!!

Needles to say the week ends weather stopped me from taking photographs until right at the end of Sunday.  Below is my 1:500 model.  All that is needed for this one is the sea, which I hope to achieve as I have in the 1:200.  So here is the 1:500....and I have to say it's not as perfect as I would have liked but I am quite proud of the outcome.

To follow is the 1:200, which if I can sound my own trumpet, I am very pleased with too.  Still want to replace the seating with white blocks rather than the wood sticks and I have some lamp posts to add...not to mention the little people on there way to me in the post as we speak.  I felt I wanted to create the model as realistic as possible as the examiners have not seen the site and it will help me explain all the different elements.

I do have a question for who ever is reading this though.  Do I need to add in the changes that I have done on my 1:50??  Not that I have the time for 8th May, but maybe for the examiners?

Hardworks and Softworks Plan

Well, I'd been working on these plans for ages.  The soft plan I have not been happy with as it was really busy, but worst of all at the crit on last Monday, I was told if I can't fit the writing in there, you've got too many plants.  I had a big isue with this comment as we are ment to be designing a fully successional planting scheme.  You can't do that with six plants......well you could I suppose, but it would be pretty boring.

Anyway here is the first pinned up planting plan which I showed at the crit.....

I don't know whether if you will be able to see the detail on the blog, but here is the refned version I made after a inspiring tutorial by Julia Fogg and my colleagues.  There is still ore to do, I need to increase my numbers and place the text into the boxed areas.  This will make things even clearer to read.

I then tackled the hardlandscape plan which I thought was there, but I realise I need to still improve a few line weight issues, add my detail markers and change the hatching to actuall paving showing how it would be laid.  so here is how it stood today befor I make these changes.

I actually really like the technical side because I like to solve design problems.  There is the nice part of creativity and pretty pictures, but knowing something is going to work and that somebody picking up your plans gets it, and can transform those ideas into reality is great.  So 'BIG UP' the technical side of things!!!

Anyway....off to upload the images of my model at the end of a very long day, yet I still have loads of drawings of plants to to scan and get onto the computer.....the night has only just begum!

Hope is a wonderful thing....and 'Phurt' is funny!

I read Lissy's poem today......and that is L i s s y by the way!  Sorry couldn't resist.  The Hope poem very calming and so true.  We need stuff like that in our lives.

Anyway, tutorial was good today, even though I felt like a stomach ulcer coming on with the stress.  An incredibly stupid amount of work to produce in the next week or so, but felt good.  Went home and have re assesst my planting plan and have now made the changes on paper.  Just need to get the info on to my CAD drawing which shouldn't take too long as I am simplifying the annotation and hopefully it will read better.

I'll post the plan tomorrow and will photo and publish my two models which I told everyone I finished two weeks ago and still haven't put on the blog, so you'll get a glimpse of them too.  Waiting for the little people in the post still.

I was singing my baby boy a song to calm him down tonight, but I think he has finally worked out that a rasp noise is funny .......so it didn't really calm him down.  Here it is......

"There was a little fly
who flew into the grocers store.

He 'PHURT' on the ceiling
and he 'PHURT' on the floor.

He 'PHURT' on the bacon
and he 'PHURT on the ham.

And he 'PHURT on the head
of the little grocer man."

What a way to end the day.......and yes he did end the day with a 'PHURT'

Until tomorrow one and all.

Spray on Solar Cells

I came across this a week or two ago and have been meaning to put it on the blog.  Has anyone else seen this.  This could be the way forward, just think of the apllications we as designers could use this.  No more ugly panels on rooves we could put the technology anywhere!

Spray-on solar may be future for green energy

As Japan seeks to optimize its use of environment-friendly energy sources in the wake of the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, a company here may just have come up with a major breakthrough: spray-on solar cells.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. has developed technology that enables solar cells to be applied to buildings, vehicles and even clothing in the same way that paint is applied. The breakthrough means that the places where energy from the sun can be harvested are almost limitless.

The new solar cells utilize carbon compounds which, when dried and solidified, act as semiconductors and generate electricity in reaction to being exposed to light. Most existing solar cell technology requires crystalline silicon to be sandwiched between glass sheets and positioned on the roofs of homes and office buildings, or in space-consuming "solar parks."

Scientists have been attempting to increase both the energy-gathering efficiency of solar panels and make them easier to install and use.

Mitsubishi Chemical is the first company to create prototype spray-on solar cells, which at present have a practical conversion level of 10.1 percent of light energy into electricity.

That figure is still some way behind the 20 percent that is standard in traditional crystalline silicon solar cells, but the firm expects to be able to improve the efficiency ratio to 15 percent by 2015 and is aiming to eventually reach 20 percent.

The company said the new painted-on solar cells would be particularly effective when applied to round or curved structures, such as chimneys or the noise-reduction barriers that line many highways in built-up areas of Japan. 
It could also be applied to the exteriors of cars and theoretically used to help power the vehicle and even to such flexible surfaces as clothing.

The sprayed-on solar cells are less than 1 millimeter thick - far thinner than existing solar cell technology - and weigh less than one-tenth of crystalline solar panels of the same size, the company said.

Mitsubishi Chemical said it plans to work with domestic carmakers to build a car coated with the new solar cells with the aim of giving the vehicle sufficient power to travel 10 km after being exposed to sunlight for two hours.

The spray-on solar cells are a breakthrough concept, but other organizations are working on similar research to get the most out of energy from the sun. Scientists from The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization, the University of Melbourne and the University of Padua in Italy are collaborating on 'printable laser' technology which could impose nano-particles onto wafer-thin panels which could then eventually be developed into into paper-thin solar panels.

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Where do we go from here?

Well a new entry as promised.  Wanted to talk about yesterdays crit.  I am feeling a huge sense of indecision and confusion throughout the group.  We seem to receive all the critique on  what is missing, what is wrong and the why is that not there and the why is that there.......what about the, that bits working, I like that......well done?????

Even though I am behind myself , certainly in the rendered art work, I felt the work people pinned up in some cases was completely different from the previous crit.  I think this is because everyones confidence is knocked a little and in doing so we leave one crit feeling that we are going in the wrong direction, so we are forced to try out something new.  Then we go to the next crit and are asked why we have changed what we are doing.  Unfortunately we don't have enough time to keep changing things and I am worried for myself and everyone else just how we are going to achieve our final work in time.

There is either far too much put into this third year or we simply are not taught enough in second year.  No-one should be worried about rendering technique in the third year, we should be merely perfecting the skill.  Afterall that is what the third year is all about in most degree courses.  We are expected to know so much and to be quite honest if another person tells us there was a book in a reading list that we could have read to solve our problems, then why didn't I just do a blummin Home Learning Degree!

Anyway it's a bit late for this rant, both tonight and for the year, lets hope we all get through this thing with a little bit of confidence and dignity still remaining.

.......Hmmm, well my efforts of returning to regular blogging has completely failed.  Sorry everyone.

Well done to everyone who pinned up today, I think we all have alot of work to do still, but we're heading in the right direction.

Anyway, across the next few days I hope to catch up.  First off I'll just round off the trip to Lille I was talking about on my last blog.  Don't worry, I'll make it short and sweet as everyone has read about this a mont ago on a number of other sites.

Initially we were put in small groups of about 5 people and were left to come up with a concept for the site.  This concept was then to be presented the next morning to the whole group and lecturers.  Assessments were made by the lecturers and then each group was twinned up with another.  We then had the delightful job of amalgamating the two concepts into one.  I actually thought this would be quite easy for some reason, but it became obvious very quickly that this task was going to be a challenge; not just for our group but for everyone!  And here lies the main objectives of the course.  Understanding, communication and comprimise.........

.....the first two fairly easy to grasp, but comprimise not so hot!!!

Anyway as this is a quick summary I will round up.  The long and short of the story is that alot of people got stressed, alot of people hated what they were doing, but in the end we all made the important deadline (even if that ment working all the way through Thursday evenig!) and then eventually were very pleased with the results.  A good experience and lessons learnt by all involved.

We had produced visuals and a 1:200 model and put together a presentation for local press and the Lille dignitaries.   The off to the pub!!!!

Below are a couple of images at the presentation .  I will blog again tomorrow.......no really I will!!

Trip to Lille

Well it seems to have been a while since my last entry.  Time has flown and alot has happened.  But most significantly was our trip to Lille.  So my first bit of catching up is about what I discovered on this trip and what I learned about myself and design.  Working with a group of about 40 or so, half being the french students, we had been set the site of the Porte d'Pyres an area around the northern part of the city.

The brief was slightly daunting, but very exciting at this point.  Although I have only just got to grips with the fact I am more of a landscape architect these days rather than a garden designer........but this....this was city planning!  Road infrastructures, transport infrastructures commercial buildings, residential buildings, leisure facilities....oh and habitat!  We were given an opening speach by ????????? who explained the history of the city, the difficulties with the site and how the collapsing industries over the years had left many parts of the city disjointed with residential and old commercial/industrial properties mixed together.

There were two things which on a larger scale to the site were significant charaters of the city.  The first being the Citadel and old fortified ramparts and secondly the new 'Euro Lille'.  The latter is the new ethos for the city to develop.  Lilles location is perfect for a connection point of industry through Europe.  The city planning has taken on the direction of basing the central station and Eurostar connections to be the heart of the city, rather than sticking the station to the city outskirts.

The historic side of things are the old ramparts.  Some exposed some buried beneath the ground and covered up.  Coinsiding with this are a number of waterways and canals, some of which linked with the old fortifications.

When we first arrived in Lille on the Sunday, we were greated first  by frost, then by a snow blizzard....which I have to say gave a completely different view of the city.  Below are some images of areas around the site we were about to work on.

The frozen cannal which normally flowed into the south side of our site 

Here an example of the stone and brick work in the city.  Quite beautiful in places how the old and new mix.  The old materials a mixture of Limestone which is indigenous to the area, along with brick work of which was a thriving industry in Lille.  You can see in the bottom left picture an example of the hand made bricks held by Lime mortar.  We later were shown an example of how the mortar can erode quite seriously over time.  First it drys out, then the wind and rain get a hold of it and before you know the walls are crumbling away.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of this as the snow was preventing me from taking any pictures!!

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW........

Shaun the Sheep is the best thing on TV.....it's official!!!

1:500 and sequential sketches

My 1:500 plan is a bit more updated, but still far from good enough.  I have to admit I am struggling with this and yet it is not as if I don't know what I am doing isn't making the grade as it were.  I look at my work and it lacks depth both in presentation and in detail.  I also seem to have lost track of the fact I am ment to be designing planting!  I have been looking at shapes, circulation, building function, how the wind will react to these elements and yet I've almost forgotten about the soft landscaping.  I suppose this is where I feel I am studying landscape architecture and not garden design.  I know, I know they are basically the same thing.

Andrew Wilson gave us a talk about starting a small business during our professional studies week.  Someone asked him to define the difference between the two and his answer was this.  It's about the client.  Garden design is about designing for basically one person or a family, but essentially the client is who you are designing for.  Landscape architecture is designing for a client on behalf of many others.  You are designing public spaces and large facilities which essentially have to please a much broader 'clentelle'.

So I am side tracking again.  My plan.  I accept my annotation is pretty week at the moment and I should be going into alot more detail.  In fact looking back at my 1:2000, I have shown more layers of thought here than in the 1:500!  Blow....am I going backwards, I'm ment to be getting better at this.  As my Saltwater Marsh Habitat is key to my design I have not really communicated more than this.  This  I fear needs to be addressed and fast.  I need to show the planting for each level.  It's essential a large pond by the sea, so why I have such a problem with this I do not know.

I'm not going to put the plan on the blog now as it is not important and looks very similar to how it was on my last post.  I will however, get it up there very shortly when I get it finalised and looking like something I can be proud of.

The Sequential sketches are yet another stumbling block.  Again, annotation is key and I have not put enough thought into what I am communicating.  I don't think I have an issue with this, I just need to give myself some time and thought and get it on paper.  The big issue is how I am visually communicating.  My style is sloppy, the choice of media (dry pastel) is certainly not helping.  It lacks punch and depth, having said that they did look better once I had shrunk them down and got them printed.

Looking from the harbour entrance towards Martello Tower

 Looking from the boardwalk over the new saltwater marsh

 Looking towards the eco build education centre through the wave landfroms

 The promenade towards the harbour entrance

 Connecting pathways of the main promenade, boardwalk and entarnce to education centre

The woodland shelter picnic area

I think I should get myself I descent set of coloured pencils.  What does everyone else think?  Is this just too limited on detail and tonal quality.?  I initially drew on A3 trace in pencil.  I then traced the pencil work with black ink onto another set of trace.  Then I rendered with dry pastels on a separate sheet of trace, placed the inked line work underneath and scanned through the two sheets.  I felt this took the blacknes out of the line work, but in saying that I have no line hierachy.  Is that where I am going wrong?  This is so frustrating because there really isn't the time to be experimenting.  I need a process that works and that I can achieve productively.

Bahhhhhhh!......Hopefully one of these blogs soon will read how happy I am with what I am doing and that 'it' has finally clicked.  I have more luck learnig french......even though the 'click' hasn't happenened there either!

What a mistake'a to make'a!!!

Well I haven't wrote my blog every night as I intended since last Monday, but I have been cracking on.....even if I have the look of death on my face!  Sorry for all concerned!  Today could have been another break point for me as things did not start out well, but thanks to my friends(who have enough on their own plates) gave me some positive words...and a hug which is always a good thing.  Cheers Jules and Phil.

The mistake of the day is a very important learning curve for me and should be taken note of by all.

After you spend hours creating your soon to be master piece, it is always wise to remember the media you are using, it's properties and it's downfalls.  I rendered until 3am my 1:500 using dry pastels.  Then after a couple of hours kip, walk the dog, feed Max a bottle, kick Lucy out to work to earn a good crust......I delicately roll up said master piece and bring it into Uni to be scanned.

After placing my drawing through the drum scanner and checking the preview, I am disappointed to note the quality of the scan is not good and there are many streaks running the length of the drawing.  Trying to be positive I shrug off this little problem and begin playing with the threshold settings and smoothness etc, only to find I can not improve this annoyance.  It was then I realised my mistake, but it was too late and the task which now lay ahead was a daunting one.  The lines were not scanning lines but many specs of dry pastel (dark brown of course) which having not sprayed and sealed my drawing were now happily running around the feed wheels of the scanner, smearing lovely patterns across my work.  Lines which of course if I wanted to produce that thin myself would be impossible!!

......three to four hours later of retouching on photoshop and I'm nearly there......!!!!!  Below is the first draft of the1:500 with annotation, still a number of things to do.  Dull down the blue of the water, because Eastbourne is not the Med!  Re-jigg position and content of some of the annotation and add a bit more texture in some of my detailing.  I'll email at the end of the week end how this plan and the rest of the work went. Oh, and thanks for your comments Lili, nice to get feed back and helpful words from a pro.

Tram lines from pastel in scanner

First draft of 1:500

So do I pack it all in?

Well, this blog is here for me to show my progression through the course and to highlight the difficulties I may face.  So to be honest, today was a bit of a slap in the face, a kick in the teeth, call it what you will, I'm very worried.  The interim crit was a disaster for me as I have not been able to complete enough of the work to pin up.

Working through the Christmas break was a constant battle with my baby son being very ill for two weeks during which time.....of course, my wife and I were struck with the same bug.  It's not an excuse, but more of a reality check.  The little time I have been able to achieve any work has been set aside for the History and Philosophy notebooks.  That was also due in today, so unfortunately it had to take priority.  Time management, time management I here the lecturers say!  Well I'd like to think I was doing alright on that issue until now.  I have prioritised different modules, different projects, but sometimes things really don't go to plan.

So I left today without anything apart from being over emotional and thinking I might as well chuck it all in.  I'm exhausted, frustrated and so disappointed with myself.

So do I pack it all in?

Well, I could.  I could go back to my old career of photography; back to something I know.  But I had become to hate that career hadn't I?  The competition was high and the work was difficult to get.  Didn't I say I wanted to do something that would 'change peoples lives'?

I think with all the stresses and pressures of doing a course like this; learning new skills.....realising the skills you thought you had don't exist, you start to forget what it's all about.  I'm not some kid doing any old degree at the age of 20, just so I can get a job in something completely different afterwards.  I chose to do this course because I wanted to become great at something that inspires me, that excites me and that hopefully I can be proud of.

So.....god damn it....you'll have to put up with me a little longer!  I just have to rise to the occassion, what ever that means.

What was I barking on about at the start of this course......."POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE"!  That and alcohol and maybe a little bit more of the confidence that my New Years resolution promised.  Oh...and maybe designing things with straight lines...... they're much easier to draw!

I therefore set myself a goal of completing each day for the rest of the week with a blog update of my progression and development.  Lets hope it is enough to complete everything for Monday......No, no...I will finish everything for Monday and it will be great!

Blog Clock

Does anyone know why my bog clock is not the right time.  My computer says it is 20:37, my blog entry time is some what out?!

Blimey....professional studies!

My goodness........it was a good job I didn't decide to take up law years ago!  I'm exhausted just from being at the lectures, let alone trying to comprehend what I've just been taught.  Although, hanging around for the last half hour today to have Environmental Law explained to us was something I can relay straight away.......
.......it doesn't really exist.  It is a load of Agencies set up to tackle the different areas of land, water and air, but they merely manage as there are not laws conceived to control any of them.  We obviously haven't killed the planet enough to recognise the need.  It's a bit like down our street, where everyone has complained about the speed of cars shooting down it.  The councils opinion on placing speed bumps or any other form of speed reduction is...."no one has been killed yet so it is not necessary"!

Hmmm, now I'm just on a rant.  I am pulling my hair out at the moment trying to finish drawings linked to the 1:500 of Eastbourne.  The longer you look at something the more picky you get.  I'm like an artist not knowing when to stop adding more paint!  Not that I am anywhere near the 'painting' stage.  Still, 3 more days should do it........you'd hope anyway!

My trip to Villandry 2010

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note for those of you following me.  I have finally knocked together some info of my placement at Chateaux Villandry in the summer of 2010.  You'll see I have a separate blog on it.  For those who got the email updates when I was out there might remember some of this, for anyone else enjoy the read.