Project 1 redux, Project 2 begins

As we begin the new project, we were also given a chance to re-design our previous assignment.  After looking at everyone's work, and accepting the critiques of my work, I've re-worked the design.  This is done only on a small sheet of paper, and not the 18x24 foamcore that the main project was on, but I certainly feel a lot better about this one. 

I added some color, and since the grid feels very De Stijl, I went with primaries, and used them in a way that roughly corresponds with Kandinsky's color theory.  The sizes of everything but the main object is reduced to one inch squares, and any floating objects on a white plane have borders to bring out the grid.  The focus object is enlarged, with two drawn views and a large photo.  I'm much happier with this layout, even though it's just pencil and pen.

Most of the afternoon yesterday was spent in the Architecture building with a friend and co-worker Matt Salad, sketching away garlic press design ideas.  Only a few of these were taken all the way to ink and marker, but, I'll show you most of them.

This device is the first thing I drew, and really, is probably the first prototype I've ever drawn.  It's much easier to draw things that you're looking at.  This scissor style garlic press would likely not draw the two ends together unless the handles were permenantly further apart.  But not bad huh?  I immediately drew from old tools I've interacted with, as this device looks very familiar, like an old pair of pruners, or sheet-metal crimpers.  It's a little medieval for the modern kitchen, but I just need 10 ideas, not 10 perfect solutions

Pen and markers!  I got to use my new toys, and here we are with something that probably already exists somewhere.  It slices the garlic into little thin wafers, a la Goodfellas.  The top part pushes the slices all the way through the blades.  I probably should have colored the handles differently to better communicate that idea in the side view.  If the top were purple for example, a little bit of that purple would show though on the bottom.  This also suffers from imperfect rendering.  The top handle would not go all the way down as described in the side view.  This is hard to do with ink.

Here's an odd one.  I was thinking of a mortar and pestle, but didn't want to turn the garlic into paste.  The solution is a fun, albeit impractical one.  Once you've jammed all the garlic into the little holes, the silicon backing is pushed out.  Each of these holes has tiny little plungers, and when you turn it over, you simply push the pieces back out.  It's got 3 legs so it never wobbles, and feet for being upside down or right-side up.  That pestle is not to scale, and shouldn't be spelled "pestil".

Finally, here's a very quick, just before bed rendering of Genevieve's idea for processing garlic, the finger choppers.  Essentially a safety glove rendered incredibly dangerous.    With this product, one can chop conceivably quickly, like a double trigger paintball gun.  Maybe I should mock up a four finger version.  It would be fun at least.  That hand is actually not based on my own fat, sausage-fingered hands, it just came out that way.  It was late.

There are several more drawings, but I won't bore you anymore.  If you want to give me more ideas, please feel free to comment.  Or perhaps you have "the best" garlic processing methods, let me know that too.

GeorgeP