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Orchids, 8.5" x 10" ink on paper by Melissa Carmon My husband, Jonathan, bought me flowers for Valentine's Day, and I couldn't help but draw them.

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Title

Black and white glass lantern slide of a botanical drawing of an unidentified plant

Medium

Black and white glass lantern slide

Acquisition

Bequeathed to Tate Archive by Eileen Agar, 1992.

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‘black and white glass lantern slide of a botanical drawing of an unidentified plant’

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'Black and white glass lantern slide of a botanical drawing of an unidentified plant', Eileen Agar - Tate Archive | Tate

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Title Black and white glass lantern slide of a botanical drawing of an unidentified plant Medium Black and white glass lantern slide Acquisition Bequeathed to Tate Archive by Eileen Agar, 1992.

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“what the engineers realized was there were organisms out there that had already solved the problems they’d spent their entire careers trying to solve. ” – Janine Benyus, Scientist and innovation consultant TED talk on 12 sustainable design ideas, 17 th of May 2007.

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Illustrations of Darwin's Beagle specimens

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Note: the largest collection of illustrations of Darwin's Beagle specimens is in Zoology of the Beagle, edited by Darwin here. See also the fossil shells from South America here, and barnacles here.

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Nature inspired innovation filtered by Construction

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Heidi Willis - Botanical and Wildlife Artist

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Botanical Drawing ~ Rhododendron Field Drawings

Field work is such a critical component to the quality of our work as botanical artists. In this day and age of fast pace and expectation, of our desire for instant gratification and the remarkable advances in technology that supports us in our work, we often skip taking time on the simple pleasures of our work such as drawing.

With years of experience and confidence behind me now, my work processes have become more and more decisive and slick, but my personal drawing time has been reduced to minimal, simple linework as a result. By necessity, the objective for me is always the same, to spend the least amount of time indulging in drawing in order to jump right in to painting.

When painting is the objective and the work we produce already so labour intensive, when we have deadlines and demand on us to produce new work - and we have fantastic new ways or reducing the drawing process all together through technology, most would understand the desire to minimise the time spent on the drawing process. In fact, I would say its all about working smart... But can we work smarter without compromise to the quality of our work?

The truth is there is no escaping the need to develop your drawing skills competently. Drawing explores the most critical areas of knowledge to produce a sound painting. It is a process by which we create a rich dialogue between ourselves and our subject. It is a process in which we gain essential understanding of our subject, form, structure and tone. It is where we establish that beautiful intimate connection with our subject which translates directly to our painting. If we fail to observe, understand and connect with our work and subject on these levels, we simply can't translate this critical connection and dialogue to our viewers.

So yes we can work smart and we can work well carefully sidestepping the need to draw beautifully, but only once a firm knowledge of drawing has been established can we produce truly exceptional work. If you are struggling with your painting, perhaps its time to take a little time out to focus on and improve your drawing skills.

Besides all else, there are few things more beautiful and personal than taking time to draw. For me, botanical drawing is my ultimate luxury, an indulgence of my greatest loves and my time... and id say that my graphite botanical drawing would easily be my most intimate, personal work I produce. With such a hectic work schedule, taking time out of the studio to disappear into the wilderness for a month equipped with little more than my sketchbook and 2 pencils was my idea of heaven.

These are some of the 40 graphite botanical drawings and field sketches produced during my time trekking through the rhododendron forests of Nepal. Heaven. Just heaven.

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Botanical Drawing ~ Rhododendron Field Drawings | Heidi Willis - Botanical and Wildlife Artist

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Botanical Drawing ~ Rhododendron Field Drawings Field work is such a critical component to the quality of our work as botanical artists. In this day and age of fast pace and expectation, of our desire for instant gratification and the remarkable advances in technology that supports us in our work, we often skip taking time on the simple pleasures of our work such as drawing.

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Herbarium specimen of common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

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Herbarium specimen of common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

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Collected by Frances Giles (pharmacist) on 12 June 1895 in a cornfield near Folkestone, Kent (Image: RBG Kew) Find out more about this iconic plant on Kew's common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) species page

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12 sustainable design ideas from nature | Janine Benyus

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Time-Lapse: Watch Flowers Bloom Before Your Eyes | Short Film Showcase

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botanical drawing | Search Results | NGV

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Treasures of Botanical Art, Shirley Sherwood and Martyn Rix 

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Treasures of Botanical Art, Shirley Sherwood and Martyn Rix 

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Task element: Note taking sheet for documentary, this will be stuck in your visual diary / collection of pages.  

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Task element: Note taking sheet for documentary, this will be stuck in your visual diary / collection of pages.  

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Queensland spear lily, Melbourne Botanical Gardens1946 Eric THAKE

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Queensland spear lily, Melbourne Botanical Gardens1946 Eric THAKE

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Working drawing for Angophora hispida1982 Margaret STONES

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Working drawing for Angophora hispida1982 Margaret STONES

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Working drawing for Petrophile pulchella (Schrad)1984 Margaret STONES

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Working drawing for Petrophile pulchella (Schrad)1984 Margaret STONES

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This Column comprises of some extra information if you'd like to further study the history and context of botanical and anatomical drawing. It is not crucial to the assignment but it's certainly worthwhile looking at if you're particularly interested in this field of knowledge. 

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This Column comprises of some extra information if you'd like to further study the history and context of botanical and anatomical drawing. It is not crucial to the assignment but it's certainly worthwhile looking at if you're particularly interested in this field of knowledge. 

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The Roots of a Theory: How Plants Specimens Led a Young Darwin to Discovery

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Watch a Garden Come to Life in This Absolutely Breathtaking Time-Lapse | Short Film Showcase

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Michael Pawlyn - Biomimicry in architectural design

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Presentation from VELUX Daylight Symposium 2013 in Copenhagen. For more information please visit www.thedaylightsite.com

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The power of Beauty and Organic Design - Ross Lovegrove 

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The power of Beauty and Organic Design - Ross Lovegrove 

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Ross Lovegrove: The power and beauty of organic design

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In Tuesday the 8th of May's class we did plant rubbings to investigate more closely the structure of plants stems, he texture of their leaves and the fine organic structures that give them form.

Highlighting these details with this technique is a way of conducting observational research which can then be applied to your final botanical drawing which should be high detail. The more uo close observation we do the better and more detaied or drawings will be as we have e comlex understanding of what we are drawing.

This knowledge of the plant's structure can also be applied further down the track when we are working on our biomimicry designs.

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The Early-20th-Century Photographer Who Magnified the Alien Beauty of Plants

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Using a homemade camera, Karl Blossfeldt captured sculptural details of plants in the early 1900s, whether the geometry of a seed pod, or alien curl of a fern.

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Specialised in macrophotography, everyday garden flowers are presented in such a way that their rhythmic forms are emphasised to the extreme and the plants take on new and exotic characteristics. It was his firm belief that only through the close study of the intrinsic beauty present in natural form…

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Blossfeldt, Karl pictures on theredlist.com

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Karl Blossfeldt's close-up botanical studies were a hit when they first appeared in Art Forms in Nature, a book of his photographs published in Berlin in 1928-it quickly sold out, and American, British, French and Swedish editions soon followed. More than 100 years after many of the images were made, they're still compelling-next month, D.A.P. publishes Karl Blossfeldt: Masterworks, edited by Ann Wilde, Jürgen Wild. The book is a collection of 70 plates showing his spare, architectural studies of horsetails and hydrangea tips, arched leaf nodes on Himalayan balsam and unspooling fronds of maidenhair fern. As Hansjörg Küster writes in the new book's foreword, Blossfeldt became interested in photography as a teenager in a small German town in the nineteenth century, and constructed his own camera, "both very unusual things at the time, especially in such a provincial setting." At Art School of the Royal Museum of Arts and Crafts in Berlin, he assisted his teacher Moritz Meurer in creating bronze teaching aides based on botanical forms. Blossfeldt photographed the plants for study, making images that he and Meurer then used for teaching drawings and sculpture. To make the images, Blossfeldt had to decide at what stage in each plant's development it should be photographed, and light each sample in a way that made its three-dimensional structure clearly visible. He then recorded the specimens using a camera that he built himself, with an extra long bellows for magnifying tiny, fragile subjects. The unusually large prints he made were rare at the time.

Starting in 1899, Blossfeldt taught modeling from plants to art students, using his photographs as aides. Then, as Küster writes, "something occurred that no one could have foreseen...Karl Blossfeldt's photographs became artworks in their own right, and he himself became interested in botany, reading up on the scientific theories of his day." Starting in the 1920s, his images were collected and shown on their own in galleries. Among the people they impressed were cultural critic Walter Benjamin, who wrote about them in his Little History of Photography. Blossfeldt, Benjamin writes, "with his astonishing plant photographs reveals the forms of ancient columns in horse willow, a bishop's crosier in the ostrich fern, totem poles in tenfold enlargements of chestnut and maple shoots, and gothic tracery in the fuller's thistle."

Related Stories:
Seeing the Heart of a Rose
Robert Mapplethorpe's Study of Form
Ysabel LeMay's "Hypercollage" Composites Depict Worlds of Wonder (for PDN subscribers; login required)

Top of Page

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Karl Blossfeldt's Masterworks | PDN Photo of the Day

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Karl Blossfeldt's close-up botanical studies were a hit when they first appeared in Art Forms in Nature, a book of his photographs published in Berlin in 1928-it quickly sold out, and American, British, French and Swedish editions soon followed. More than 100 years after many of the images were made, they're still compelling-next month, D.A.P.

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Photogravures* from his iconic book are available as individual prints for sale at L A Noble Gallery. All prints are approximately 33 x 25 cm (including approx. 3 cm boarder) The images shown are a selection of our wider catalogue. Prices start at £120.

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Canon of Design - Mastering Composition and Dynamic Symmetry in Photography and Painting!

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350/365

Today we are going to take a look at some work by Karl Blossfeldt, whose work was original for his time, and served as a tool to educate the world. I remember seeing the image above in a slide from The Barnstone Studios. It's an excellent example that shows an arabesque (see Day 18) in nature. Let's see if we can identify more design techniques Blossfeldt captured in his inspiring photos of nature.

Here we can see Karl Blossfeldt, looking quite proper in his suit, hat, and leaning on his umbrella. Nice figure-ground relationship (see Day 21) in this photo, just like his others.

How do we create a nice figure-ground relationship? Well, it's all about the dance of the foreground and background...how they intertwine with each other. We have to see the image as a whole, instead of it's individual parts.

We can always accomplish nice figure-ground relationship if we have a light figure on a dark background, or vise versa. It gets more involved than that, but we won't get too deep into it for now. Just know that it's one of the powerful Gestalt psychology principles that master artists use to control visual perception. It's also why Blossfeldt is so successful with his photography.

Who was Karl Blossfeldt?

He was a German photographer and artist that was well known for his closeup photographs of plant life. He and his father were greatly interested in nature and the way plant life would grow.
"The plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure."
~ Karl Blossfeldt
Like most great photographers, had no formal training, but that didn't stop him. He ended up creating a homemade camera that would magnify the plant life up to 30 times it's size. Karl was also appointed a teaching post at the Institute of Royal Arts Museum. By just looking at some of Blossfeldt's photos, you'll see that he was definitely onto something, for his time.

Karl Blossfeldt was creating original photos that were used as teaching tools through the years. I really enjoy the way they are all black and white photos, on a blank background, and detailed shots. With them being in black and white we aren't concerned with color, and the design is first and foremost. As mentioned before, the blank background allows Karl to create a nice figure-ground relationship. He certainly established a strong artistic style within his work (see Day 122). His book " Art forms in Nature," published in 1928, made him famous overnight.

Inspiring Images by Karl Blossfeldt

When we look at Karl Blossfeldt's photos, we'll see that nature was definitely an excellent designer. It even makes you take a closer look at the golden ratio and the wonders of math and nature (see #482). Nature is a master of creating beautiful arabesques, unity, patterns, and gamut (see Law of Similarity).

Hopefully this inspires some of you! It just goes to show you that you don't need formal training or a top of the line Zeiss lens. You just need a passion and a means to capture and create the art you envision.

Make your own lens like Karl, and never make excuses as to why you aren't creating your art.

Thanks for joining on today, I hope this inspired you to use figure-ground relationship more within your art. Develop a strong artistic style like Karl Blossfeldt by producing consistent work. Four things help him solidify his artistic style in the art world; blank background, plant detail, black and white, and well lit. Consistency is the sign of a true master! Remember that when you're developing your own artistic style 🙂

Please check out the other inspiring and FREE articles by Canon of Design. Take care everyone, see you next time!

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Karl Blossfeldt and His Artistic Representation of Nature [Inspiring!]

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Today we are going to take a look at some work by Karl Blossfeldt, whose work was original for his time, and served as a tool to educate the world. I remember seeing the image above in a slide from The Barnstone Studios, but I didn't make the connection until I was going through the list of books Myron Barnstone recommended for his students.

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These unique photographs reveal the tactile qualities, intricate forms and peculiar aspects of flora which, when magnified transform to resemble architectural structures and the ornamented patterned surfaces of modernist designs. Blossfeldt's fusion of scientific observation, sculptural form and abstract compositions pioneered an artistic style that forged new approaches to modern art and photography.

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AnimationResources.org - Serving the Online Animation Community

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Today, I hope you'll bear with me as I get philosophical. (I promise not to get all "hippie college professor" on ya!) Think of this as one of Eddie Fitzgerald's theory posts at Uncle Eddie's Theory Corner.

When an artist sits down to draw something, he is focused on how the object he is drawing appears. But there are other aspects that can be caught in a drawing beyond just the likeness. Believe it or not, it's possible to also capture the place that object holds in the universe.

We scanned an interesting and inspiring book today- Ernst Haeckel's Die Natur als Kunstlerin (Nature as Artist). This paperback book from 1913 is a popular adaptation of Haeckel's landmark book, Kunstformen von der Natur (Art Forms in Nature) originally published in 1904. Haeckel was a biologist and an artist, and he merged both disciplines into a study of natural forms, shapes, symmetries and patterns from every aspect of the natural world.

Natural history studies are beyond the scope of what we do here at Animation Resources, but this one is an exception. Haeckel didn't just attempt to document lifeforms and their place in the environment... He documented the structures and shapes that are common to all plants and animals on this Earth. His drawings have no indication of scale or habitat of the various organisms he depicted. A jellyfish would appear right next to a single cell animal or the patterns of folds of skin on the face of a bat. The focus was on the form.

Biologists in Haeckel's time thought of man's place in nature much differently than we do today. Haeckel was a staunch Darwinist. He saw mankind as a part of evolution, and a vital part of nature. Today, when we turn on the TV to watch a nature show, we see jungles and tigers, or underwater coral reefs full of fish. There isn't a human being in sight. Many people today look upon humans as "contaminants" to the natural world. But in Haeckel's day, nature was seen in everything- Darwin's Theory applied to the evolution of fish or birds just as much as it applied to the evolution of people. social organizations, business practices or creative processes.

Haeckel saw no contradiction in his role as scientist/artist. In fact, he considered his work to be an expression of his own natural place in the world he was attempting to represent. Instead of approaching the subject from an objective viewpoint, he subjectively and selectively edited what he saw to reduce it to a form that appealed to him on a basic level as an artist. Thus, the scales of a fish become arabesques, and microscopic diatoms become beautiful sculptural forms. Haeckel was using nature's imagery to express his own inner nature.

At the turn of the century, when this book was published, Art Nouveau was popular. Natural forms were incorporated into everything from architecture and illustration to street signs and ornamental patterns on clothing or wallpaper. Today, we have nearly eliminated natural forms from our lives. We live in shoebox shaped houses and drive cars shaped like shoeboxes with rounded edges. We pave the landscape with geometric grids of asphalt and design characters for animation out of triangles, rectangles and circles. We have isolated ourselves from natural shapes; and in so doing, we have isolated ourselves from ourselves.

Ernst Haeckel was a remarkable person. He straddled the seemingly contradictory disciplines of art and science and was able to reconcile them in a way that fully expressed the best attributes of both. The DVD documentary, Proteus presents an amazing look into Haeckel's life and work. It includes eye bogglng animation based on his drawings of the remarkable single celled creature, the radiolarian. This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen on any subject. It changed the way I think about the world around us. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The following three books comprise an encyclopedia of natural shapes for you to explore. Don't copy from them- incorporate them into the way you think...

Art Forms In Nature by Ernst Haeckel
Cabinet of Natural Curiosities: The Complete Plates in Colour, 1734-1765 Art Forms From The Ocean: The Radiolarian Atlas Of 1862 by Ernst Haeckel This posting is part of a series of articles comprising an online exhibit entitled Theory.

I promise you, you won't be disappointed by these books. They may just change your life!

Pita, a reader of this blog sends along this link to a page with all 100 images from Haeckel's landmark book, as well as a downloadable PDF version.

Also, check out Pita's great image blog, Agence Eureka. It's at the top of my blogroll; and I bet once you see it, it'll be at the top of yours too.

Stephen Worth
Director
Animation Resources

by

Comments

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Theory: Organic Shapes- Ernst Haeckel's Art Forms in Nature - AnimationResources.org - Serving the Online Animation Community

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Today, I hope you'll bear with me as I get philosophical. (I promise not to get all "hippie college professor" on ya!) Think of this as one of Eddie Fitzgerald's theory posts at Uncle Eddie's Theory Corner . When an artist sits down to draw something, he is focused on how the object he is drawing appears.

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Barbara has been fascinated with patterns and symmetry for a long time.

Patterns and symmetry in Basia's art.

While looking for an inspiration to catch my daughter's interest to be able to work with her on vocabulary, grammar and tripod grip I reached for Ernst Haeckel "Art Forms of Nature", suggested by an artist Rachel Goldsmith, Basia's former art instructor.

Ernst Haeckel "Art Forms of Nature"

It appeared to be a perfect match and very powerful source. Barbara has been fascinated with the patterns and symmetry for a long time but precision and colors of Ernst Haeckel's art unlocked the door to her creative imagination once again.

Ernst Haeckel's art stroke Basia's imagination, November 2014

Check the links:

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Looking For Inspiration - "Art Forms of Nature" by Ernst Haeckel

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Barbara has been fascinated with patterns and symmetry for a long time. Patterns and symmetry in Basia's art. While looking for an inspiration to catch my daughter's interest to be able to work with her on vocabulary, grammar and tripod grip I reached for Ernst Haeckel "Art Forms of Nature", suggested by an artist Rachel Goldsmith, Basia's former art instructor.

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Art Nouveau's organic shapes surfaced thanks to some underwater inspiration. With serpentine flourishes, a contrasting play of symmetry and asymmetry, and precise, vibrant colors, the zoological illustrations of 19th-century German biologist Ernst Haeckel were appreciated by viewers as much for their style as their science. Artists in particular were fascinated with the previously-unseen microscopic animals he portrayed, as they considered in the early 1900s how to visually respond to modern knowledge.

René Binet modeled his gateway to the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900 after Haeckel's interpretation of coral structures, and glass artist Émile Gallé was inspired to replace the flowers on his vases with translucent jellyfish. Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage based the interior lamps of the 1903 Amsterdam Stock Exchange on Haeckel's illustrations of single cell organisms. Later, Surrealists sought out Haeckel's most fantastic publication - Kunstformen der Natur (or "Art Forms in Nature")- for inspiration.

Despite his renown, hundreds of Haeckel's illustrations remain obscure and inaccessible. Last fall, Prestel released Art Forms from the Abyss: Ernst Haeckel's Images From The HMS Challenger Expedition, featuring rare selections from his 222 lithographs of marine microorganisms that accompanied the over 50 folio volumes of scientific reports from the Challenger expedition. The HMS Challenger, a Royal Navy vessel, circumnavigated the globe from 1872 to 1876 as a floating laboratory focused on exploring the ocean floor. Haeckel was enlisted to visualize the expedition's sea creature findings, such as siphonophores, medusae (jellyfish), and microscopic radiolarians.

In an essay for the book, scientists Dylan Evans, David Roberts, and David Thomas explain why it was important to make these illustrations available to the public:

His contributions to the Challenger Reports were published between 1882 and 1889. As such, the major part of Haeckel's work on plankton remains locked away in the rare book collections of a small number of libraries, and their use is limited to the few scholars aware of their existence and who have the privilege of access. They are in danger of becoming a lost treasure.

In conjunction with the book, which has Haeckel's drawings in full-page color accompanied with details on each category of organism, all of the HMS Challenger plankton images are freely available to download online through Bangor University. While some later taxonomists criticized Haeckel's elaborate art as favoring aesthetics over substance, Art Forms from the Abyss affirms his significance as both an artist and a scientific observer of the natural world. And no artist since has so beautifully bestowed the visual delicacy of a flower upon a helmet jellyfish.

Art Forms from the Abyss: Ernst Haeckel's Images From The HMS Challenger Expedition is out now from Prestel.

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Art Nouveau's organic shapes surfaced thanks to some underwater inspiration. With serpentine flourishes, a contrasting play of symmetry and asymmetry, and precise, vibrant colors, the zoological illustrations of 19th-century German biologist Ernst Haeckel were appreciated by viewers as much for their style as their science.

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Complete PDF-Version of this book (Medium resolution): haeckel_kunstformen_der_natur.pdf (136069720 Bytes)

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This Video is a good reference for mapping shapes and then beginning to fill in the finer details.

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This Video is a good reference for mapping shapes and then beginning to fill in the finer details.

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This video is good to watch for how artists build up tone to create form. 

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This video is good to watch for how artists build up tone to create form. 

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The generosity given by this community of people to us is what our world really needs. How often do we get to be in an environment where young people from Egypt, Mexico, Belgium, Canada, Sweden and America get to learn from nature and share their ideas to benefit their communities? The experience gave us hope that small ideas can become realities and that a small group of young people can dream to help their country and change the world. Nariman Lotfi

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Design Challenges - Biomimicry Institute

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The generosity given by this community of people to us is what our world really needs. How often do we get to be in an environment where young people from Egypt, Mexico, Belgium, Canada, Sweden and America get to learn from nature and share their ideas to benefit their communities?

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Georgia O'Keeffe 'Jimson Weed' Boxed Note Cards

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Jimson Weed by American artist Georgia O'Keeffe was commissioned by cosmetics entrepreneur Elizabeth Arden. The four blossoms are placed in an energetic design that repeats the tight rhythm of the jimson weed's pinwheel-shaped flower. It was the largest floral composition O'Keeffe would ever create. Set of 12 blank not

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Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture

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The Innovators Using Nature's Design Principles to Create Green Tech

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Janine Benyus, "Borrowing Nature's Blueprints: Biomimicry and The Art of Well-Adapted Design"

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Biomimicry for better design | Andy Middleton | TEDxBedford

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Famous Buildings inspired by Nature | Architecture Biomimicry

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See the latest news and architecture related to biomimicry, only on ArchDaily.

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Chlorella-Announcement-FB

When it comes to design, mother nature has a lot to teach us. The field of Biodesign has emerged as an exciting new discipline which integrates the best ideas from nature with the cutting edge of modern technology, fostering technological breakthroughs that could allow us to live better lives, more in harmony with our environment. We recently invited architects and designers from all across the world to submit their wildest visions for a Biodesigned future, and they delivered so much creativity and ingenuity that it was extremely difficult to narrow it all down to a short-list and then determine a winner. From algae structures, to aquaponic fish homes, to self-healing homes, we were thoroughly impressed by the entrants of our Biodesign Competition. And the winner is...

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Biodesign Competition winners announced - algae takes center stage

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When it comes to design, mother nature has a lot to teach us. The field of Biodesign has emerged as an exciting new discipline which integrates the best ideas from nature with the cutting edge of modern technology, fostering technological breakthroughs that could allow us to live better lives, more in harmony with our environment.

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Entrepreneurial companies and individuals that think the answer is yes are being invited to submit their ideas in a global challenge​​ launched by the Biomimicry Institute ​​and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation​​.

Applicants are "​ invited to submit commercially viable, nature-inspired solutions to our ​ global food system challenges ​," said Janine Benyus, biologist, author and founder of the Biomimicry Institute.

"​ Our goal is to show how modeling nature can provide viable solutions to reduce hunger, while creating conditions conducive to all life. And we want to get those solutions to market as quickly as possible." ​

So what kind of thing are the judges looking for?

The remit is very broad, and could cover everything from new ways to tackle food waste, improve water or energy efficiency, to products or processes that return waste nutrients to the soil, protect biodiversity, or protect food post-harvest.

Examples include: ​

Wakati​​ (inspired by honeybees and plants, a low-cost evaporative cooler to keep fruits and vegetables fresh following harvest);

Work by the Land Institute​​ to explore how polycultures could replace monocultures (perennial grains grown in mixtures, creating ecosystems that reflect the resilience and productivity of prairies;

The ultra-light but strong Vitalis PET water bottle​​ from Logoplaste, the spiral pattern of which was inspired by alpine trees (spiralgrained materials deflect, or bend, more than straight-grained materials);

WikiPearls​ ​edible packaging from WikiFoods inspired by the skins of fruits and vegetables;

Home compostable Mushroom Packaging​​ - oil-free bioplastic packaging based on mycelium, a living organism.

How to get involved ​

The deadline for submissions - which must involve a technology, product, service, or process that addresses a challenge related to improving the food system - is August 3.

Each entry must show a clear connection between a biological mechanism, process, pattern, or system, and the technological solution submitted (ie. the solution must emulate a natural model).

The top concepts will then be selected in October, with $50,000 in seed money going to the finalists. Then, with the support of a global network of mentors, finalists will spend the next few months completing their functional prototype, returning in May 2016 to compete for the $100,000 grand prize.

For more information, click here. ​​

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Nature knows best? Global design challenge invites firms to use biomimicry to design a better food system

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Entrepreneurial companies and individuals that think the answer is yes are being invited to submit their ideas in a global challenge​​ launched by the Biomimicry Institute ​​and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation​​. Applicants are "​ invited to submit commercially viable, nature-inspired solutions to our ​ global food system challenges ​," said Janine Benyus, biologist, author and founder of the Biomimicry Institute.

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Biomimetic design is where nature inspires a designer / scientist / engineer, to design a product. Sometimes a designer / scientist will look at the way nature has solved a problem through evolution and then he / she will apply it to a design problem.

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Time Lapse: Milwaukee Art Museum - Calatrava - Burke Brise Soleil - HD

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Sustainable Choice Supplier Database | Sustainable Choice

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For more information about the Sustainable Choice program, or if you wish to become a member, please visit

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Industrial designers basically deal with the ergonomics and aesthetics of products. They develop the concepts for a variety of manufactured products such as home appliances, tools, cars and even toys. They mainly focus on the user experience when they are developing the function and creating the style of that particular appliance or gadget.

They usually start with exploring the design options before sketching the concepts so as to put the rough ideas on paper. They then discuss with the client so as to get what the client favors the most. After a client makes a choice(s) the process moves into the design refinement phase where the industrial designer will do some computer renderings of those selected designs using a variety of computer programs such as Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop or use a modeling program such as Rhino. They will then generate some mockups which will then be presented to the client who will then narrow down to his or her final choice. The mockup now moves to the design finalization stage where the design is refined further, taking into consideration any client requests before it is handed over to the engineering department for actual development.
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To become an industrial designer, you require a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Architecture or Engineering for entry level jobs in the field. Many schools will require that you complete some basic classes in Art and Design before you enter into the degree program. To this end they may request that you submit some sketches of what you have drawn. Because this field does combine Art, Science and Business in equal measure, a good number of Industrial designers are pursuing an MBA ( Master's of Business Administration) so as to help them gain the required business skills.

Since your interest in the industry has now been piqued, here are 15 good reasons to study industrial design in college. They include but are not limited to the following;

The Sector is Growing

This is growing sector and demand for industrial designers is expected to grow by 4 percent between 2012 and 2022 as stated by the U. S Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is because consumer demand for new products and different styles will sustain the current demand for industrial designers in the foreseeable future. The chances of getting a job are quite high.

It Pays Well

The job does provide a very decent wage. With a median annual wage of $ 59,610, with the lowest 10 percent earning $ 34, 610 and the top 10% earning slightly more than $ 94,250, the job can comfortably sustain a family and afford you some luxuries in life. The pay differential does show that there is a good chance of developing your career.

You Are Good at Grasping Concepts

If you are good at conceptualizing new ideas and being able to put them into paper, then this is the course you need to study. Industrial designers thrive in coming up with new ways of doing old things and introducing new dimensions to appliances and tools that were previously not envisaged. Industrial designers are free spirited and don't think in a box.

It is Ideal For the Artistic

If you are artistically gifted or you are one person who is constantly drawing both abstract and still images either by hand or using 3D programs then industrial design will suit you just fine. If you enjoy rendering 2D and 3D images, and quite at home with programs such as Adobe and Corel Draw then you will seamlessly fit into this field.

The Job is Cool

Whichever way you look at it, this is a cool job to have. Imagine conceptualizing a unique look for a pneumatic air tool and then spreading the entire aesthetic to a whole line of tools in the product basket and seeing it develop to the end product and having clients love it from the onset. That's the life of an industrial designer.

You Do What You Love

This is one of the very few jobs around the world where you will be paid doing what you love to do the most. Depending on which side of the coin you are looking at it, this is one career that you either love to bits or one that you are not cut out for. You are either in or out.

An Avenue for Self- Expression

If you are looking for a job where you are constantly expressing yourself and discovering new things and exploring new ideas, then studying industrial design is a good choice to make. Industrial designers are constantly out there trying to either come up with new concepts or freshly package old concepts. Nothing stays still in this industry, things are very dynamic.

Works Best For Team Players

Most artists prefer working alone, but if you are one of those artists who do not mind sharing his or her ideas with friends and do quite well in group projects in class, then you are bound to snugly fit in this particular career as industrial designers usually work as a single unit that constitutes a team.

Lots of Schools Offer This Course

Another reason why you should consider studying industrial design is because there are several schools currently offering the course. You thus have a large pool of high quality colleges and schools to choose from. This also means that the fees are quite fair or average; though this will depend on the school or college you opt for.

You Can Work Anywhere in the World

As an industrial designer, you are a global employee. It is one of those professions which lack any geographical boundaries. You can work on products and items from all over the world and be able to communicate in the universal language of art which in this case involves sketches and drawings of products. You work locally but target globally.

A Multifaceted Career

Industrial designing is a multifaceted career that requires both art and business acumen. If you are an artist who is also interested in the business angle of art and design and how it plays out in the market place then studying this course will open for you that particular path and give you a chance to try out your skills and sharpen them too.

Ideal Career for Time Conscious Individuals

If you can handle work pressure and deliver within strict deadlines then this career will pay you handsomely for having those qualities. Marketing and business development teams which commission new products usually work under strict deadlines dictated by market demands and they normally expect their solutions to be delivered at the same speed.

Rewarding for individuals with good problem solving skills

If you are constantly being commended about your problem solving skills, then studying industrial design will be quite heartwarming for you since yours skills will be brought to bear on virtually every project. This is because you will be expected to identify complex design problems such as the need, size and overall cost and anticipate production problems.

Good for Those Who Shun Publicity

If you are one of those guys who is at ease working in the background and having your end result do the talking then this is a course you should take. Industrial designers are usually the unsung heroes of the product development life cycle. If you abhor flamboyance and are more down to earth then this is the course for you.

It is At The Center of Change

Finally, if you want to be part of a career that's at the epicenter of change, constantly changing the lives of millions of people and directly affecting how people perform tasks then enroll for an industrial design course and live your dream. You will positively effect change and influence how people perceive lots products.

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15 Reasons Why Studying Industrial Design is A Good Option For You - Design Schools Hub

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Industrial designers basically deal with the ergonomics and aesthetics of products. They develop the concepts for a variety of manufactured products such as home appliances, tools, cars and even toys. They mainly focus on the user experience when they are developing the function and creating the style of that particular appliance or gadget.

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We had such a great opportunity this year to teach Viz 1 @ SJSU and what a journey it has been! We would like to thank our class for all their hard work and dedication this semester and especially for weathering the tough critiques...they certainly poured out the mileage...just to remind everyone this is the first design course in our ID program, so there is still much to be learned and gained, and after their performance we definitely believe they are ready to kick ass in Viz 2...

This was their final...to redesign a housewares product...show us your understanding of perspective, construction, lineweight, rendering in monochrome (baby steps before color), shadows, and of course their first stab at redesigning something...here are some snap shots of what they presented to us...

We posted up their first day sketches (they were so embarrassed) and had them post their finals directly underneath to show their progress, or not.

To help them drive their designs and push their boundaries, we had them create inspiration boards, from steam punk to aliens that exercise really drove them.

From fun and whimsical to modern to speed and flow...

Construction, perspective, quick thumbnails for concept generation, and monochromatic renders (next term will be color and materials)

Again, thank you to our class...remember to keep on sketching over the summer, keep it loose, and never get complacent, always hungry-never full!

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We had such a great opportunity this year to teach Viz 1 @ SJSU and what a journey it has been!

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Explore Hevelyn Baer's board "arq_reutilização arquitetura" on Pinterest. | See more ideas about Industrial design sketch, Product design sketching and Product sketch.

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Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

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Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.