Tutorial & Reflection

I decided to have a second go at the bowl. Although it looks simple, it is not so easy to do it well. I am not very satisfied with my first work.

By analyzing the old one I did weeks ago and find out some problems and shortages：

The curve of the bowl is gentle
The depth of the bowl is not enough
uneven surface
Rough edges

To started a new one, the Tool I used included:

Marker; pencil
Scissors
Aluminium sheets
Concave timber mold
English wheel
Various hummers
Sandbag
Flat rasp

Step 1-- Mark and cut
Firstly，use marker or pencil to mark circles, not only mark the outline circle but also mark two more smaller circle inside,so that can use for guides when you are making the bowl,it's very important. Then cut out a square shape that is a little bit larger than the biggest circle you draw so that it will be easier and more accurate when cutting out the circle with scissors.

Step 2 -- Shape the bowl

Next Step is using mallet and mold the concave timber mallet to shape the bowl along the mark you draw before from large to small. Repeatedly strike the circle at a slight angle along the line to create the concave shape. If you want to deepen your bowl, you need to hit hard at the center of the circle, this process will be easier to complete on the sandbag. If you want to increase the curvature of the bowl, you need to hit a big circle mark, the concave timber mallet will help you create a nice curve.

Step 2 -- Smooth the bowl

Once the obvious bowl shape has been get, the surface is uneven. An English wheel can be used to eliminate most of the raised bumps to achieve a smooth surface.In this step， you need to choose different English wheels to use based on different curves and needs. After that, I used sandpaper and flat rasp to further smooth my bowl.

Finsh work

Compare
The second result is obviously deeper than the first one, and the surface is more smooth.

First bowl

second bowl

Reflection
This is a very interesting class and gives me many opportunities to think and practice. Aluminium is a very shiny metal, also as a hard design element in the design, gives people a industrial style feeling. As a Landscape student，when a hard element as aluminum is combined with the soft elements like water and plants, will gives people a sense of contrast. It often gives people unexpected feelings.
Here are some examples of garden use: