How do you all learn to design?

[Tom Rick]

I have been at this long enough that I am well practiced at joinery and the structural aspects of wood working. What challenges me are the questions of design having to do with style or the aesthetics of my work.

I have good design sense and an eye for proportions. I remain challenged however when ever I wander into those parts of a piece which are not simply designed to suit function.
I think of this as the difference between competency and mastery of our craft. I am fully competent but not yet the master craftsman.

How do you all sharpen your design skills?
Deliberate study of past styles? A conscience effort to emulate others?

Just wing it like I do?

http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/woodworking/Elementary-Woodwork-Manual-Training/images/Class-in-Woodwork-University-of-Chicago.png

[Mike Henderson]

Design is difficult and is what sets the artist apart from the craftsman. Any good craftsman can build a Maloof chair or a Newport chest. But coming up with the original design is extremely difficult.

It's not difficult to design something, but it's extremely difficult to design something that other people will go "WOW" about.

I don't know how to do it either. The field of woodworking design has been plowed very well. Coming up with something new, interesting, and appealing to a large audience is a challenge.

Mike

[Dan Hintz]

I never learned... I may muddle through, but as an artist I'm not much better than a 2nd grader.

What I can do, often enough, is improve slightly upon someone else's design... sometimes it's enough, sometimes not.

[Peter Quinn]

You are not alone in struggling with design. I'm sure not great at it. In fact I suck. We should start a club!

I think its important to remember the editing process is an important part of designing anything. Rarely does anything of any interest or quality get designed whole sale in one sitting or the first time out. You start with a sketch or idea, you flesh it out, you maybe build a scale model or cheap prototype, critique, revise, and so forth. You might have to build the same desk a half dozen times to get it right. As a hobby in a small shop thats hard to absorb. Real artistry or craftsmanship takes years to develop and much practice in those years. I'll let you know how many if I ever get there myself. Keep working at it and I'll bet you get there.

[Bill Whig]

You are not alone in struggling with design. I'm sure not great at it. In fact I suck. We should start a club!

I think its important to remember the editing process is an important part of designing anything. Rarely does anything of any interest or quality get designed whole sale in one sitting or the first time out. You start with a sketch or idea, you flesh it out, you maybe build a scale model or cheap prototype, critique, revise, and so forth. You might have to build the same desk a half dozen times to get it right. As a hobby in a small shop thats hard to absorb. Real artistry or craftsmanship takes years to develop and much practice in those years. I'll let you know how many if I ever get there myself. Keep working at it and I'll bet you get there.

Nice thing about the Google SketchUp program is you can work up to your 4th or 5th version without wasting a single piece of wood. And, by the time you do cut a piece of wood, you are experienced in thinking about the cut several times over. The program encourages more and thus better design since designing is effectively cheaper.

Bill

[Ben Martin]

I haven't ventured from working from plans yet!

PS. That is a really cool picture!

[Chip Lindley]

I have not the desire to create new forms in woodworking. My tastes are pretty conservative. IMO, the majority of consumers have conservative (boring) tastes in things of wood. Nobody will confuse me (or my buddy) as creators of the "Chippendale" style. haha! But, perhaps what I do have an eye for, is to recreate the work of others, and adapt it to my needs. Give me a photo and I'll make ya' one!

As Yogi Berra may have said, "You can observe a lot just by watchin'!" I study examples of styles which may work for me and I "borrow".
~Chip~

[raul segura]

In the fine art world of painting Ive herd it said that its all been done.
I think art feeds on itself as you carry the torch to further the point along the road. My wood rarely crosses into art mode but getting some nice or interesting angles often takes me several cuts to achieve and even then I find I must re-due. (cheep wood doesn't help)
I'm not fantastic with wood but I figure if you have the fundamentals you must first please your self as an artist and if the rest of the world dos not like, whell let them make there own art. Making money is another bird.

PS. I make a lot of patterns from shoe boxes, paper often saving details for the suspense. (LOL)

[John Pratt]

I am sure there are a number of "designers" out there who are equally inadequate (or at least they feel that way) at the strucural aspects of woodworking. I think a lot of it comes down to imagination and then being able to apply it to your medium. I have a couple artist friends who have designed some pretty outlandish things and then asked about applying it to wood. They don't understand why it won't work or can't work, but it is still fun to see how far you can take it. How many times have you built a project and thought of new ways to do it or change it into something completely new, but never followed through with the second, third, or fourth build to get what you are happy with. I would venture to guess that most people don't have the paitence or finances to go that far. How many sketches did Picasso do before he got what he wanted? How many rockers did Maloof build before he came up with a distinctive design. Afterall, he didn't invent the rocker, he just took it to a new/different level. With enough experimentation, a good craftsman could become a Master Craftsman. How long that takes is based on the individual. Some are gifted, some are not. I find myself leaning more towards the latter.

[Chris Tsutsui]

3D design is simplified into basic elements and principles. You try to emphasis all of these and your art piece can be cluttered and confusing so you try to stick to a few and combine different ones until the art "works".

Elements:
Space, Line, Plane, Mass/volume, shape (positive/negative), value, texture, and color.

Principles:
Harmony, Contrast, rhythm, repetition, emphasis, continuity, balance.

To design a work of art you don't have to be gifted... For example, you can be inspired by nature, past/present pieces, function, etc... Then all you have to do is produce massive numbers of thumbnails or sketches of the piece until you stumble upon a good design.

If you were to sketch or design 100 tables. I bet that 3 of them would be decent and from there you could expand on those 3 tables and continue to sort through versions of that table until you find one that works.

Design can be exhausting depending how critical you are... And even if you are a top notch artist you may still have a very difficult time designing something.

There are tips and tricks designers use such as using 1/3 ratios, the golden rule, and 3D design softwares for visual aides. However it still boils down to practice, luck, and sweat.

The same with photograhy... If you are a novice and want to professionally photograph a chair but don't know how. Try taking 500 pictures of the same chair from various perspectives, settings, and angles. Sort through all 500 pictures and 5 of those pictures will be professional. :)

[Stephen Cherry]

I have not the desire to create new forms in woodworking. My tastes are pretty conservative. IMO, the majority of consumers have conservative (boring) tastes in things of wood. Nobody will confuse me (or my buddy) as creators of the "Chippendale" style. haha! But, perhaps what I do have an eye for, is to recreate the work of others, and adapt it to my needs. Give me a photo and I'll make ya' one!

As Yogi Berra may have said, "You can observe a lot just by watchin'!" I study examples of styles which may work for me and I "borrow".
~Chip~


Chippendale copied most of his work

[Brian Tax]

This is funny, I was just discussing with my wife last night (during the TV show Project Runway, she likes it, no jokes), that there seems to be two distinct personalities. The designer/artist type is very free thinking, creative, impatient, spontaneous, etc. The craftsman/engineer is more deliberate, methodical, patent, more attention to detail, etc. So it seems designer vs. craftsman can often be at odds with one another. I guess the truly great ones can combine both aspects into one person.

As for me, I tend to take other's designs and modify it to suit my needs.

[george wilson]

It is design and taste that separate the true artist from the skilled technician. I have seen so many works that were perfectly and accurately made,but which looked terrible. Especially in knife makers for some reason. Many of them have comic book notions of what looks good. The "fantasy" knife makers are right out the window!! they seem to have some kind of "Dungeons and Dragons" mentality in their heads.

I really do not have a plan to make someone a good designer. I must have trained over 22 people in Williamsburg, and many others before that. Though I could teach them to do good work,I never could teach then to draw well,or to design tastefully. One young man in particular(who considered himself smarter than everyone else) did do good work. Yet,his designs looked like they came out of the movie "Dune." I did manage to make a dent in his viewpoint. Hope the dent grows. He made the statement that "rectangles are ugly!" So much for classical architecture and a million other examples of the use of rectangles.

I actually do think it is a gift that you are born with the seed of. You must develop it from the seed through study and practice. There are tool makers who think they are great designers,and may do accurate,careful work,yet their work looks ridiculous. You can't tell them better,either,or they and their followers get insulted.

[Dan Hintz]

It is design and taste that separate the true artist from the skilled technician.
I think it's the taste of the patron, not the maker, that determines if someone is an artist... and some of those patrons have no taste ;)

[Steve Schoene]

All design builds on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Originality consists of extending and refining to meet new design goals or new materials. It's never out of pure air.

So the first part of learning to design is to STUDY design. Know the history of furniture, the systems of proportion used by the Rococo (Chippendale) designers, know what has happened on the "Art" fringe, both now and in the 30's, and look at the Italian designers, etc. Visit museums and galleries to see the real things not just pictures in a book or worse commercial interpretations in furniture stores. Just like to be a writer you must be a reader (and have a life), to be a designer you must see and examine lots of design.

[george wilson]

Dan and Steve,both of you speak the truth. Your knowledge of anything consists of summaries of your experiences. It is not possible to "make something unlike anything you have ever seen". However,that was the stupid assignment some William and Mary art teacher would give students. Anything you imagine has elements of things you have seen.

The trick,I think,is for a "beginner" to know the GOOD things from the bad. Museums may not always have the best designed pieces in them. But,for the most part,they are a better bet than looking just anywhere.

I do not consider some of the most famous painters to have done what I'd consider great work. Nor some of the most famous current furniture designers. I met some of them when I was teaching at Penland Craft School. Some were real jerks.

Sort of along the lines of what Dan said,some artists get lucky,sell a piece to some well known person,and gets 'in".

One of these famous furniture makers made the most uncomfortable furniture you have ever seen. He made "roots" that would come out of a wall,curve down sort of in a lounge chair curve,and go into the floor. The root might be 8" wide,and was just impossible to get comfortable on.

One time,I saw him make a "root" out of stacked up Brazilian rosewood,and then paint it fire engine red. When a student asked why,this jerk said"I don't have any love affair with wood!" The amount of wood he used in a piece like that was just shocking,being solid wood all the way through. What a waste.

[Tom Rick]

When a student asked why,this jerk said"I don't have any love affair with wood!" The amount of wood he used in a piece like that was just shocking,being solid wood all the way through. What a waste.

Odd that an artist would make this flat footed point of not having any affinity for his medium.


Eric Sloanes 'A Reverence for Wood' has echoed in my work since I read it some 35 years ago. My best work starts with a real love of wood.

http://www.rayboasbookseller.com/EB154.jpg

[Rick Moyer]

Not good at it either so I usually copy and/or modify. If I do try something original I usually use the "golden ratio" as a guide: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGolden_ ratio&ei=xYSLTKjiEsH98AbK_ITsCw&usg=AFQjCNGvTeqRmjHIyivtoZVeb1rnt1GV4w

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

same as anyone else.
I look at what others have done and feel really great when I see that I ain't just copying them.

Other than that, it's rip off city.

[Andrew W. Thomas]

I've spent more time in drafting and design than I have in woodworking so here's what helps me.

Through the study of architecture it is truly difficult to come up with an entirely original idea. Instead, immerse yourself in designs and artists that peak your interest.

Once you determine a piece that you want to design, conduct research on that specific style and piece. Use snippets of those items or put away all the pictures and design and get out the sketchpad with all those ideas still in your mind. You may be designing a craftsman bookcase that others had possibly built similar styles to in the past, but it likely won't be an exact duplicate.

Through these practices of research, sketching, design, repeat... then you will become well versed in specifics and tastes allowing you to possibly branch off towards your "own style".

[Dan Karachio]

Having dated a few artists, art teachers and photographers (always the arty babes for some reason), there is a lot of "book knowledge" that can help. There are widely accepted ideas (almost formulas) on proportions that humans like and these can be found in any style from Greek temples to Chippendale to post modern minimalist stuff.

So, check out some books, take a class (even a good art history or architecture course) or... date an art related person!

[Steven Hsieh]

To first have your designs/style, you must have imagination.

[Dan Hintz]

Something I don't believe has been mentioned as of yet... even though many of us may "design" by slightly altering pre-existing designs, I think it's worth noting that with enough of these small changes, as people "appropriate" it for their own use, a piece will eventually appear mostly unique to the person who has not previously seen those individual elements before (i.e., someone not in the field).

[Cody Colston]

Something I don't believe has been mentioned as of yet... even though many of us may "design" by slightly altering pre-existing designs, I think it's worth noting that with enough of these small changes, as people "appropriate" it for their own use, a piece will eventually appear mostly unique to the person who has not previously seen those individual elements before (i.e., someone not in the field).

In regard to furniture, that is a very correct view.

Chippendale's furniture "borrowed" from several different styles. It's also ironic that he never designed or built a piece with ball and claw feet which has become synonomous with Chippendale furniture.

The different furniture styles of the 18th century, generally regarded as the apex of American furniture design, all grew out of previous designs that were generally English in origin. The block front style by Townsend and Goddard was probably the only fully American design concept of the period.

What all of those styles had in common were pleasing proportions to go with the masterful craftsmanship. I'm certainly no master but I see so many self-designed pieces on the forums that are poorly proportioned and ill designed...usually constructed from a wildly figured wood which is used in an attempt to cover up for the design shortcomings.

So, I would suggest starting with the proportions from an eye-pleasing piece and designing from there. Personally, I'm content to try and re-create solid, successful designs by others.

Just remember, form and function are one...Frank Lloyd Wright

[Gary Curtis]

I married one. From time to time, I'll come across gorgeous piece in Architectural Digest. I'll ask my wife, "Would you draw that table corner from the side.?"

She gives me a pencil sketch with near photographic realism. From this, i can go to the shop. It is intimidating to watch. And the average person realizes he could rarely rise to the challenge.

Gary Curtis

[Eiji Fuller]

Im neither an excellent designer or master woodworker but I think I do alright with both.

My take design is that there really isnt original thought except from the creator. We all copy from his design and other's.

I really like modern contemporary design so when dwell shows up I look through it and put post-its on pics that catch my eye and add notes of my thoughts when I look at it. The pics arent even all wood pieces. I might see a plastic chair or a fabric sofa and imagine what that would look like if it were wood.

I'll often search through online and embellish a piece I like with my own take on how I would like it to look.

Here's an example that Im working on right now. I found this desk online
http://www.spacify.com/modern_contemporary_zen_wooden_desk-490-14-Furn.FRO~S+0607*A.html
and this is what I did with it. Did I think it up all on my own? Far from it. Has it changed enough for it to be my design? I think so.
I went from finding the desk at spacify to this sketch up in about an hour.

If you like it go ahead and copy it but make sure and put some of your own ideas into it.

[Dan Hintz]

Elji,

I'm looking at the pic in your avatar... I may have to steal that idea when it comes time to make my built-in entertainment center for the basement :D