Recitation 5 Processing Basics by Haiyan Zhang

Oct 25

Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #1180, installed at the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2017. 

Complete info of this work can be found here: https://artgallery.yale.edu/exhibitions/exhibition/sol-lewitt-wall-drawings-expanding-legacy

I chose Sol LeWitt’s drawing as my motif. I always enjoy seeing minimalist/ simplist images or projects for it visually charms and calms me. Spectators in front of this kind of work can easily fall into a sort of meditative mood. I want to create similar experience through processing. And the image generated needs to be as spontaneous as possible. To achieve this goal, (1) I used high contrast between colors of background and the groups of ellipses in the center; (2) a bunch of float variables are defined; (3) function random is utilized to create a spontaneous effect. Simultaneously in the background, random tiny ellipses in light colors pop up. So that the audience will experience two levels of activity in this animation. These ellipses are restricted into a rectangle area. To realize that, I also used the function “random”. The final project is simplist/ minimalist. I think it’s meditative too. However, the visual shock doesn’t last like Sol LeWitt’s work. 

MilkyWay

“For” function is commanded out in the actual code. It works in the same way as the while function part. So they can replace each other according to need. Meanwhile, by changing the value of radius from 10 to 1, also r=r+10 to r=r+1, it can be easily developed into an intensified version of MilkyWay. A screenshot , which resembles the motif work more, is also took. Furthermore, in order to have a simple still image, only the part void setup() is necessary. Again, by changing the value of variable rapspeed from “rapspeed = rad1+ 0.001” to “rapspeed = rad1+ random(0,3)”, the program will automatically generate different images of milky way each time the user starts the program. 

Caution: rapspeed = rad1 + random(x,y), y < 2π. Otherwise, it will generate full circles. 

MilkyWayIntense

Milky Way Code

void setup(){
size(600,600);
background(20,30,45);
int r = 10;
while (r < 400) {
float rad1=random(TWO_PI);
float radspeed=rad1+0.001;
float start= rad1;
float stop= radspeed;
noFill();
strokeWeight(1);
stroke(255);
arc(300,300, r, r, start, stop);
radspeed=radspeed+0.0001;;
r = r + 10;
}
}

void draw(){
fill(20,30,45);
circle(300,300,50);

float red=random(200,255);
float green=random(200,255);
float blue=random(200,255);

float x= random(100,500);
float y= random(100,500);
strokeWeight(1);
stroke(red,green,blue);
ellipse(x,y,1,1);

int r = 10;
while (r < 400) {
float rad1=random(TWO_PI);
float radspeed=rad1+0.001;
float start= rad1;
float stop= radspeed;
noFill();
strokeWeight(1);
stroke(255);
arc(300,300, r, r, start, stop);
radspeed=radspeed+0.0001;;
r = r + 10;
}

POSSIBILITY TWO 

//for(int r=10; r<400;r=r+10) {
//float rad1=random(QUARTER_PI);
//float radspeed=rad1;
//float start= random(rad1);
//float stop= random(radspeed);
//noFill();
//strokeWeight(1);
//stroke(255);
//arc(300,300, r, r, start, stop);
//radspeed=radspeed+0.01;
//}
}

MilkyWayIntense Code

void setup(){
size(600,600);
background(20,30,45);
}

void draw(){
//fill(20,30,45);
//circle(300,300,50);

float red=random(200,255);
float green=random(200,255);
float blue=random(200,255);

float x= random(100,500);
float y= random(100,500);
strokeWeight(1);
stroke(red,green,blue);
ellipse(x,y,1,1);

int r = 1;
while (r < 400) {
float rad1=random(TWO_PI);
float radspeed=rad1+0.001;
float start= rad1;
float stop= radspeed;
noFill();
strokeWeight(1);
stroke(255);
arc(300,300, r, r, start, stop);
radspeed=radspeed+0.0001;;
r = r + 1;

}

MilkyWayStill Code

void setup(){
size(600,600);
background(20,30,45);
int r = 10;
while (r < 400) {
float rad1=random(TWO_PI);
float radspeed=rad1+random(0,3);
float start= rad1;
float stop= radspeed;
noFill();
strokeWeight(1);
stroke(255);
arc(300,300, r, r, start, stop);
//radspeed=radspeed+100;
r = r + 10;
}
}

MilkyWayVersion1

MilkyWayIntense

MilkyWayStill

Leave a Reply