FURNITURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

INDES 152

Fall Quarter 2009

Instructor : Ross Day 360.697.0185 rorjrday@embarqmail.com

Prerequisites: Indes 150,151,160,190, Art 108

Text: None required. However, see the Reference Booklist for many texts that may inspire and develop your project.

Drawing Supplies:

• 4x6 blank white index cards
• Sketchpad 8.5 x 11
• flimsy
• markers, colored pens, pencils etc.

Project Supplies: Will vary according to individual project.

Course Outline

This course is geared to the Interior Designer, as opposed to the person who desires to be a professional maker of Furniture. Therefore it is more design oriented than technical in nature. Though these are not exclusive to each other, the Course is designed within the short amount of time we have to give you general information about the characteristics and properties of wood and simplified joinery, and more specific information about the furniture design process itself; and working with a cabinetmaker or furniture maker to execute a specific project. The project will allow you great individual design and creative freedom while teaching you some basic machine and joinery skills. The objective is to give you some practical ‘hands on’ experience in the workshop environment and the experience of working through a project from the initial design stages, construction, and on through to the finished piece.

The course content will comprise 4 areas:

• -Lectures and demonstrations
• -Sketching assignments
• -Project design and design presentation
• -Screen or small table project

Grading:

• -Sketching assignments/Class Participation (including attendance, effort, and aptitude) 25%
• -Design Process (design concept and drawing, design presentation, work in progress) 25%
• -Final Project (cohesiveness and consistency with style source, materials/finish, 50%
• technique/construction, imagination/creativity, overall strength of project).

Your assignments must be complete and submitted on time. A grade per day penalty will be applied to late work.

An ‘Incomplete’ grade will only be allowed in emergency circumstances (hospitalization, physician documented illness, etc.). Anyone else dropping the course beyond the time allowed by the college will receive a failing grade and will have to repeat the course at a future time. This is to save everyone wasted time and effort. This is s studio course, and therefore very time and labor intensive. Please be realistic about your class scheduling.

Quick Sketches in Black Pen

There are 4 sketching assignments you will do on your own time. For each assignment you will produce 6 freehand

Sketches. The format will be black ink on 4 x 6 blank white index cards. A black rolling ball pen is ideal for this. You

should spend no more than 5 minutes on each of the 6 sketches. These are exercises to develop functional quick sketching

skills through line drawing, shade & shadow, indication of materials, etc. The object of these sketch assignments is multifold.

• -To expose you to various furniture styles, locations, and resources.
• -Seeing and drawing what you see is critical to designing and communicating with a client.
• -To develop your skill in producing quick drawings expressing the essence of the object form.