Mabel Lok
Study of a Boot
Class of: 2027
Major: Fine Arts BFA
Medium: Paper, Pencil, Wire, 1/2" Baltic Birch Plywood
Faculty: Jennifer Stearns
Prompt: Choose a body related object of your interest and study its structure through orthographic drawing, wire, and wood.
As it was my first time coming across orthographic drawing, it was difficult at first. However, as soon as I got the flow, the orthographic drawing became easier to follow. During the study of the boot, I looked closer at my photographs and the real life object. Drawing this out, I had to be very mindful of the softness of the pencil as it gives different tonal values in the drawing.
The boot made in both wire and wood are made exactly to the real size, which is up to knee height. The wire work was where I found most difficult, since I struggled in the beginning to evenly coil the thicker 1/18 gauge. As I got familiar with the material, I began to work towards building the structure so that the tall boot can stand alone – using thin 1/24 wires to outline the shapes as well as to hold the balance of the structure.
The wood work required much more dedicated thinking, measuring and planning. Following my orthographic drawing, I shifted the measurements to a 4’x4′ 1/2″ plywood. When cutting on the band saws, I added the wavy outline on the sides to imitate the crease that leather fabric creates. Then finally, the connector slots took the most consideration in maintaining the outline of the shoe, as well as creating dimension and structure. Overall, I enjoyed making the wooden boot.