In my 3D design class we were assigned to make a miniature model of a wooden chair that we found. Not having any wooded chairs in my possession, I went to the local antique mall, where I discovered that wooden chairs are a tad bit....pricey. I found one that wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg. I like the design, it looks simple and clean cut. "I can build this." (These were my thoughts on the day of the chair purchase)
I went with an old office chair. Take my word for it when I say that I paid for the wood that is in this chair. It is so HEAVY! This is because it was made for a lot of people to sit in it. It's really a nice chair. I love its lines, and everything looked so simple. For once, I thought that I might have chosen the easy route, until....
I don't have many pictures of the design and building process simply because I was too stressed to care about documentation. First, we had to draw our actual size chair in a 1/4" scale. 1 inch on the chair became 1/4 of an inch on the paper. It was time consuming and stressful. Having never worked with wood before I just drew the chair how I saw it, not piece by piece. I have no idea what I was thinking. After our drawing were complete we had to cut basswood and dowels to match our chair pieces, this is where a better understanding of building things would have been helpful. This was also the first time in my life that I got to use power tools. Growing up, my parents and grandparents all built DIY projects and such, but it seems like my parents didn't even want me to look at the power tools. I suppose I can be a bit clumsy sometimes, and they were just looking out for the well being and survival of my appendages. Thanks, mom and dad!
Anyhoo, I finally got all of my pieces cut about 2 days before the project was due. All I had left to do was assemble my parts to make my mini chair. This is where the trouble began. It soon became apparent that my chair pieces were not going to come together into a perfect model of my chair. I spent a total of 10 straight hours in the studio one night, only getting the base of the chair...sort of done. I came home frustrated and nervous about making a bad grade and failing the class. I looked at my options, knowing that the Drop Deadline for the class was two days after the project was due. I emailed my professor and told here about my struggle with the assembly and my nervousness about failing the entire course. She emailed back with "DONT PANIC!." The next morning I was determined to conquer the chair. Somehow I got all of the pieces together and they formed a chair that looked similar to my chair. It was cute, but in no way, shape, or form, perfect. This upset me, but I was relieved to have the chair assembled.
Here is the final chair before I primed and painted it.
After the chair was primed.
I had some purple paint leftover from a wedding commission, so I used it. I really love the color. This is before I put the poly coat on.
Second coat of purple paint...you can see where I sanded in the curves for the seat.
The clear poly coat made my chair super shiny...which I LOVED. My professor thought it was weird, so she had me sand it down before turning it in. When I get it back I am planning on fixing it.
This may look like my chair is staring longingly out the window, but really it is just drying. After it dried, I remembered that if it was going to pass it had to hold 30 lbs. of weight during the critique. I became so nervous that my little chair that had taken so much time and mind power might be crushed by my professor and her bricks. I tried finding something in the apartment to test it, telling myself that if the chair broke, I would have a little cry, pick up the pieces, and go to the registrar's office and get a drop slip. I couldn't find a single thing that was both heavy and small enough to fit in the chair, so...I carefully took one foot and stepped in it and then lifted my other foot off the ground. My chair was supporting my weight! (which is more than 30 lbs.). I was so happy until I realized that I might have used up my chair's one good support. What if it crashed under the weight of the bricks all because I stood in it?
I was completely stressed out during the critique, and not surprisingly so was everyone else. If a chair held the 2 kiln bricks placed upon it, we clapped for the artist. When it came time for my chair to hold the weight, I wanted to cry. One brick....two brick......CLAP! Oh my goodness my heart was racing so fast even after the bricks had been placed on the next chair. I was so relieved. After the class critique we had a one-on-one critique with our professor. When it was my turn she smiled and said "I can't give you an "A"" I just laughed. I knew that my project was not an "A" project, but I didn't care. I had finished the project and that was all that mattered. It was the first time one of my art pieces had not received an "A" and it will mark the first time that I was happy with an average grade. My professor finished the one-on-one with: "It's really cute and has a lot of character...just too much for this project."
I'll take it.
As you go about your day today, don't give up on something becaue it is hard. The stress will go away eventually and you will be so proud of yourself for doing what you thought was completely impossible. And as always...it's the random reasons.
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