Tutorial- Making a Line Design Star

 

I was obsessively drew these as a young boy, making all sorts of permutations and complexities. Then, many years later I was creating these in 3 dimensions as kinetic sculptures

Essentially you are connecting points on graph paper. If there is no graph paper, then you are making it yourself, either measured out in advance, or eyeballed in the moment. The graphic below pretty much sums it up. 

Create a set of points evenly spaced out on one axis. Then do that for another axis- whether at 90 degrees, as my example has, or any other angle. Connect your points in the manner shown. Extend the axis, make more spaced points and those and then you repeat this process, shifting 90 degrees each time, each subset section contributing to an overall design.

Here's my sculptural version of it. (You can see more on my website)

Free Form Structure

I created this piece, which I call ‘Fields III’ on a remote beach in Northern California on a gorgeous winter day while my wife and son worked on their own art and explored the cave seen in the photo. 

This artwork is a culmination of two opposite directions in my work development- order and chaos.

Construction Guide- Icosahedron

The icosahedron is a platonic solid. Platonic solids are 3-dimensional shapes the sides of which (also known as 'faces') all have the same shape. The icosahedron has 20 faces, each a triangle. In the version I made, shown below, I stylized the icosahedron by curving the faces and adding an inner line. Read on to learn how to make this shape.

A Voyager's Heart

A lovely film done by James Yager for PBS.


Voyager's Heart: Andres Amador - Earthscape Artist from James Yager on Vimeo.

Playa Painting- 'Geoglyph'

'Geoglyph'

This was done for a mini doc for KQED in San Francisco. In it I use elements of Pre-Colombian art overlaid on a background of cracks. It has me thinking of the art being chiseled on stone. I like how it turned out. It is definitely a direction to play with more.

'Memorium'

Here is the last painting I created during my recent stint in the Bay Area. This one was done in memory of the passing of a close friend's mother. She loved the flowers and the beach.

This design connects the perfection of geometry with the earthly realm of organic form, symbolizing the connecting of spirit and matter that is a living being. The tide represents the passing of all things. A beautiful offering to his mother and to us.

Construction Guide- Biohazard

I am often surprised when folks choose this card when I offer a choice of my postcards. The Biohazard symbol is beautiful. It is lacy and feels insectoid, perhaps a bit sinister. Apart from its meaning, which is to convey a health warning, it is a lovely symbol. I'll show you how to make it.

Dividing the circle into 3-6-12 equal parts

Most geometric designs have radial symmetry, meaning that the same thing is occurring along multiple equally spaced 'spokes'. Generally the first phase of design construction is about establishing these 'spokes'. The second phase is about using the spokes as the basic framework to create the rest of the design.

Follow this guide to equally divide a circle.

Outward Motion film

Here's one from waaaay back. Poor quality and didn't film all the way through, but still, its fun and interesting...

Playa Painting- Wave

An appropriate design for the beach!

This image can be ordered as a large print here.

 

Design: Andres

Done by: Andres, Amy, Andy

Photo: Andres