Design - The-Going-Under-The-Water-Safely-Device, Research and Development

To get into the swing of things now I will begin with the design of an interesting vehicle seen in the novel - the submarine known as 'The Going Under The Water Safely Device' or; 'The Boat'.

Plan;

1. gather descriptions and a list of adjectives, references from other artists, historical research on early submarines, historical reference images
2. Compile into a list of images and short descriptions and adjectives
3. Draw thumbnails
4. Select some distinct thumbnails for further refinement

Collection of descriptions from Jingo

Copied and pasted all useful references of the craft below:

 'Well, because it is submersed in a marine environment I've always called it
the Going–Under–The–Water–Safely Device,' said Leonard, behind him.
'But usually I just think of it as the Boat.'
He reached behind him and shut the lid.

It was a cylinder, tapering to a point at both ends. At one end the taper
was quite complex, the cylinder narrowing in a succession of smaller and
smaller rings, overlapping one another until they ended in a large fishtail.
Oiled leather could be seen gleaming in the gaps between the metal.
At the other end, extending from the cylinder for all the world like the
horn of a unicorn, was a very long and pointed screw thread. 

'Looks like a giant fish to me,' said Colon. 'Made of tin.'

'Propulsion was a major headache, I'm afraid,' said Leonard, climbing up a
stepladder. 'I thought of paddles and oars, and even some kind of screw,
and then I thought: dolphins, that's the ticket! They move extremely fast
with barely an effort. That's out at sea, of course, we only get the shovel–
nosed dolphin in our estuary here. The linkage rods are a bit complicated
but I used to be able to get quite a turn of speed. The pedalling can be
somewhat tiresome, but with three of us we should be able to get up to
some quite satisfactory accelerations. It's amazing what you can do when
you imitate nature,

'Let's see you get up them steps, lad... hup hup hup.. .'
Nobby scrambled up the ladder and disappeared.

' 'ere, sarge,' came a metallic voice from the belly of the fish, 'there's all chains
and cogwheels in here. What's this do?' The big auger in front of the thing started
to squeak round.
Leonard appeared from behind the fish.

After a moment any listener in the boathouse would have heard a
complicated clonk as bolts slid into place. 

It was quite dark in the Boat. A candle swung from a bracket over Leonard
of Quirm's bowed head as he sat steering with two levers. Around Nobby,
pulleys rattled and little chains clicked. It was like being inside a sewing
machine. A damp one, too. Condensation dropped off the ceiling in a stead
There were the tanks of air, for example. Nobby was happy to accept that
you could squeeze air up really small, and that was what was in the groaning, creaking steel–bound casks
strapped to the walls. It was what happened to the air afterwards that came
as a surprise.
'Bubbles!' said Leonard. 'Dolphins again, you see? They don't swim
through the water, they fly through a cloud of bubbles. Which is much
easier, of course. I add a little soap, which seems to improve matters.'

Page 133
Sergeant Colon risked a glance behind him.
Lord Vetinari was sitting on an upturned box amidst the clicking chains,
with several of Leonard's sketches open on his knees.
The Boat was moving faster now they were away from the city. There was
even a brackish light filtering through the little glass windows.
'The auger, I would have you know, is for attaching us to passing ships in
the manner of the remora, the sucker–fish which attaches itself to sharks. A
few turns is all that is necessary for a firm attachment.'.
.
Page 135
'I am knackered, sarge. Is there anything to eat?'
'There's some more of that garlic sausage. Or there's the cheese. Or cold beans.'
'We're in a tin with no air and we're supposed to eat cheese? I ain't even going to
comment on the beans.'
'It's just that it's getting a bit... crowded, if you get my meaning.'
'I will pay out the rope as soon as it's dark and we can surface and take on air.'

He reached up and opened the hatch.

Sergeant Colon did not get a lot of sleep. This was partly because he was
woken up several times by sawing and banging coming from the front of the
Boat, and partly because water kept dripping on his head, but mainly
because the lull in activity was causing him to consider his position.
Sometimes when he woke up he saw the Patrician hunched over Leonard's
drawings, a gaunt silhouette in the light of the candle – reading, making
notes...

They might even have wondered about the piece of bent piping which
turned with a faint squeaking noise.
'–idea while I was dozing off. Piece of pipe, two angled mirrors – the
solution to all our steering and air problems!
'Fascinating. A Seeing-Things-Pipe-You-Can-Breathe-Down.'
The pipe slid down into the waves. There was a little flurry of bubbles and
a damp argument about whose job it should have been to put the cork in,

Leonard
spent a lot of time looking out of the tiny windows
Sergeant Colon reached
automatically for the screws that held the lid shut. 

Page 176
and then the hull of the Boat rose a few inches above the surface. The lid
unscrewed and Leonard's worried face appeared.

Page 232
Lord Vetinari pulled the steering levers until he was pretty certain that they
were heading towards a suitable ship and said:

Page 233
There wasn't very much space in the Boat, and most of it was taken up
with Sergeant Colon's souvenirs. He'd been allowed a brief shopping
expedition 'to take home something for the wife, sir, otherwise I'll never
hear the last of it'.
Sergeant Colon coughed and indicated with a tilt of his head the hunched
figure of Leonard, who was sitting in the stern with his head in his hands.
Lord Vetinari looked up. They were under a boat now and it seemed to be
going in the right direction. He steered the Boat until he heard the thunk of
hull hitting hull, and gave the auger a few turns. 

Storage and launching:

The whole thing was mounted on a crude trolley, which was in turn riding
on a pair of iron rails that disappeared into the black water at the far end of
the boathouse.
'I've lit the candle that'll bum down
and sever the string that'll release the weight thatll pull the blocks out.'
The candle burned down and severed the string that released the weight
that pulled the blocks out and, slowly at first, the Boat slid down the rails
and into the dark water which, after a second or two, closed over it with a
gloop.

Summarising Descriptions 

Exterior form:

• Metal
• Reminiscent of a fish according to Colon
• Cylinder, tapers to point at each end
• Rear end series of smaller and smaller circles with oiled leather in gaps. Fish tail at the end.
• Seems to function with the motion of a fish tail - inspired by dolphin
• Long thin detachable screw at front to attach like Remora fish
• Screw misunderstood to be a weapon for sinking ships
• Ladder up to hatch on top
• Hatch bolts shut, screws shut and can be pulled shut - complicated mechanism
• Bubbles created with soap and air to aid motion through water
• Little glass windows, some on ceiling
• Later modification - Seeing-Things-Pipe-You-Can-Breathe-Down with optional cork

Interior:

• Not much space 
• Cogwheels, pulleys, little chains
• Candle hangs from bracket
• Condensation drips
• Very smelly from food and lack of fresh air
• Food storage for garlic sausage, cheese, beans
• Three seats for pedalling
• Space in bow and stern where Vetinari and Leonard do work
• Behind pedallers - chains, upturned box for sitting
• Two levers for steering
• Compressed air, groaning in steel-bound casks (wood, metal?) strapped to walls supply air and soap to outside
• Little glass windows, some on ceiling 

Picking out most important aspects for gathering reference

What does the design need to SAY? What is our major emphasis?


What is its purpose? - exploring deep underwater, sneaking away from the city, sneaking into the enemy city = exploration and espionage vehicle

Things to aim to portray

1. Deep underwater - structural strength, pressure protection, lights, 
2. Sneaky, stealthy - camouflage colours, textures, imitation shapes, low shapes
3. Natural ocean forms - fish, dolphins, whales, fins, tails, gills, mouths, lights,
4. Da Vinci eccentricity/aesthetic - copper, brass, leather, wood, gears, cogs, wheels,
5. Misunderstood peaceful vehicle - looks dangerous but is not intended to be, conflict between peace and violence, misleading form

Things unsure of/things to think about or experiment loosley with

1. Serious or quirky?
2. Materials?
3. Overall style?
4. Speed?

Think about what can and can't be portrayed in silhouette 

- try to portray as much as possible in silhouette though

Notes - looking at the references in relation to design principles/elements - perhaps take some notes specifically re: this 
Reference Gathering and Topical Research

Collecting a large range of relevant reference images that show some of the aspects described by the 6 points in the section above. Using pinterest to collect. See the images in this link.

Topical research will include looking at some early submarines, a quick look at how they work, etc, to make a design more grounded in reality.


Some Historical Submarines

Cornelius Drebbel 1572-1633, Dutch man in service of English Royal Navy
Created the first navigable submarine in 1620 based on William Bourne's (1535-1582) design (historical accuracy)?
Leather-covered wooden frame. Third model (last one) had 6 oars, carried 16 passengers. Could travel from Westminster to Greenwich and back at 4-5m deep
Method of oxygen generation unknown - historical suggestions that it could have been by heating potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate in a pan to create oxygen. But this is not fact.

Bourne's idea was a submarine that would expand and contract its overall shape (thus changing its overall volume) to change its buoyancy. Modern submarines have chambers that are flooded or emptied of water in order to reduce or increase buoyancy respectively.

Around 1652- 1654, Louis de Son built the Rotterdam Boat, semi submerged craft designed to punch holes (battering ram) in the side of boats. Underpowered, didn't move at all.

The Turtle was a submarine, first to be documented in combat. Built by David Bushnell in 1775 to attach explosives to ships. Never a success.
Two wooden shells, covered in tar, reinforced with steel bands.
Buoyancy controlled by letting water into a bilge tank at the bottom and used a hand pump to push the water out. 91kg of lead attached could be released instantly to give instant buoyancy. 30 minutes of air, speed of 5km/h. Powered horizontally and vertically by two hand cranked propellors. Vertical propeller would be used when neutral buoyancy achieved.

The Nautilus built by American Robert Fulton for the French between 1793 and 1797.
Hand-cranked propellor. Large iron keel was hollow and was the ballast tank, pumps pushed water in or out.. Had a rudder with horizontal fins attached to control the angle of dive - like modern day hydrofoils.
Copper sheets over iron-ribbed hull. Collapsible mast for surface propulsion.
Weaponry - drove a needle-like spike into the underside of ships through which a wire had been threaded. Wire attached on one end to an explosive that would be released from the submarine, and on the other end attached to the sub. As the Nautilus moved away the wire would be pulled through the eye of the spike, the explosive pulled towards the ship and on contact it would explode.
Waterproof leather snorkel tube provided air



Technical contemporary sub information - specific workings 

Subs are generally kept as close as possible to neutral buoyancy, and then control surfaces used to fly the sub through the water.
To submerge or surface, the Main Ballast Tanks are used. For precise quick control of depth beyond this, the Depth Control Tanks are used. These can also be used to maintain a constant depth. Can be located near the CoG or further apart to prevent affecting trim.
Stern hydroplanes oft used to control trim while the  fairwater planes and/org bow planes on main body may be used to control depth with less effect on trim (due to close to CoG)
Teardrop shape reduces hydrodynamic drag when submerged.


General nautical terms and concepts

Some reading on ballast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_ballast
and Keel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel

Keel: the 'spine' of the boat and the first part to be laid down and a major source of structural strength in the ships we'd see in Jingo. Ribs attach to the keel.

Ballast Keel or Full Keel is an extension down from the keel that often has weight. Intended to provide stability and lateral resistance - to reduce rolling.

Skeg is an aftward extension of the keel that protects the propellor

Bilge keel are projections from the sides of the ship to reduce rolling.

Draft - the distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull. The more laden the ship, the bigger the draft.

Trim - the difference between the fore and aft draft

Outriggers - help reduce  rolling


A really good simple explanation of submarine functioning
http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Submarines/Fleet-Submarines/Trafalgar-Class/How-A-Submarine-Works



















Thumbs

6B -

• aggressive front, low profile hatch or 'cockpit' form indicates a stealthiness - like a hunched head. 
• Long form, blunt face and blade-like form, gives a sense of speed and damage. 
• Small, tucked in side fins give sense of speed, aerodynamic
• Interesting, bold and distinctive shape, but a thin, tall form doesn't serve our purpose

6A -

• large nose area gives sense of large engine placed there - heavier, more powerful but slower to speed up or slow down - like a muscle car

8A -

• front lantern heavily suggests deep water exploration and nighttime operation
• Prominent wing or fin-like protrusions reminiscent of Da Vinci's style of wood-and-canvas wings
• Overall form suggests speed and some agility - size of fins relative to body suggests smaller body, so very fish or bird-like rather than sea mammal
• Long form suggests great forward speed
• Far pulled back rear connecting edge of front fins suggest fish-like form rather than aircraft or bird
• Gaps between fins and body, as well as mechanical adornment of lamp and screw-spike suggest machine rather than fish
• Taper towards rear directs the eye backwards a little, maybe confuses direction 
• Light too far forwards, makes front heavy. Make more stumpy or balance further back

8C

• Shrunk size of side fins to increase sense of scale of body and reduce sense of agility
• Increased scale of tail to retain some sense of forward speed, although general bulk means it seems slower now
• Maybe a bit front heavy

8B 

• Rounded form and smaller tail-shaft feels more playful, slower and perhaps less aggresive, more defensive
• Rounded form more Bathysphere-like - suggests deeper water
• Lamp suggests deeper waters as well
• Seems less stable or controlled - somewhat more prone to tipping due to rounded form and smaller fins, smaller rudder, etc
• Large screw suggests smaller size
• Seems more fish like and less mechanical - need to play up the mechanical a bit more
• Stealth? Camoflaged as fish form. More camoflage or stealthy attributes in detail?
• Light too far forwards, makes front heavy. Make more stumpy or balance further back Discovered by putting the boat in a quick speed painting with rough proportions, angled downwards
• Light as is also too flimsy, breaks unity with the quite tight and firm form

Further exercise - take 2 and push further?

Oriental! Look at Da Vinci work to compare aesthetics, see if oriental influence might be acceptable

The Oriental Issue:

Da Vinci Flying Machine:

Same wooden-frame and canvas look. Less straight edges and more curved, bone-like forms.

European analogue - sailing ships, shapes - masts, sails, the little triangle ones, etc.

Lantern idea to also anchor in eurotown




Set 2



A1

• exploration of a different lamp shape
• Brought to my attention the asian aesthetic - how do I tone this down?
• Interesting head form

A2

• Rounded the wing forms similar to Da Vinci's flying machine above, added tail fin
• rethought the tail - more planar

A3

• Much less asian influenced, more curved and sharp wings - aggressive, speed
• Tail simplified

A4

• Started looking at European ship and their sales
• Tried a staysail-like form to retain nautical iconography while decreasing Asian aesthetic
• Tail still quite Asian-like but hopefully offset and countered by larger fins
• Idea for lantern - old-English street lantern. Wall-mount appropriate form for angler-fish look

A5

• Ditto but scaling down the fins and drill to add bulk to body, create sense of decreased speed and agility

A6/A7

• Playing with perpendicular sail masts
• A6 confuses direction of motion
• A7 departs too far from the nautical aesthetic

B1

• Took the sail forms from A4 and applied them to B
• Works well, looks fish-inspired with obvious man-made, western and period-specific construction
• Tail could use some further thought

 Things to do at this stage!!
Refer to list of things to aim to portray
Refer to Design elements and principles when thinking about the shapes used



Selected A5 and B2
Final silhouette stage -final touches - tail shapes on both and rudder fin on A5


Round 3
A2 - tail too detailed? Will be offset by surface detail, I hope
A series trouble defining direction of motion
B series trouble defining direciton of motion with the convex tail, returned to concave

Shortened the screw on A4 to reduce sense of speed, moved rudder forwards to give a sense of  weight nearer front to also reduce sense of speed

Tail choices - defines direction of motion clearly without creating excessive sense of speed

Tail still a problem for A series
Too far forward leaves back top edge unbalanced and empty
Too sharp gives too much of a rocket-like form and sense of speed
too square stands out as unique



A4
B4



Tidied up persp

Details, revised for minimal layers, less cleanliness and smaller and tighter canvas for more focus on speed and idea generation/dev than presentation

Generate a bunch of ideas up until 3pm, then review them while thinking about the elements and principles of design and what each of them expresses/relation to brief
Select 2 detail images to take to colour and material

Experimented with position of ladder - middle felt too divisive, rear felt gave too much attention to rear(?) (more instinctive feeling, like we enter a car/aeroplane near the front where the driving happens, entry to submarines near front, etc)
front position also gave a sense of easy access to lantern on front, etc

Quick look at cars - detail in front to form a focal point, the 'face' of the design
look here for meaning or important information - character, indicatiors, lights, identiificaiton number plate, and we know the driver sits just behind and above this


importance of having a front face of vehicle became noted

Detail 1 - ended up analysing in book, scan and place here

two that were working best were A4 and B4

Did one final stage of making final changes and alterations as noted in analysis



Detail 2 - final touches



maybe ask online about list of concerns re these designs
eg - initial read of A - does it feel forward moving?

B2 selected had line cutting through eye window but by pulling it back we lead viewer's eye to face
wider sections slows down. also ties in with the architectural sensibility. But feels off compared to other one.

as an acting-art director make more solid decisions before beginning - don't be afraid of putting up walls to make it a managable task within time frame



Ref advice next time - slow and small!



Refer back to materials on surface for detailing!! Original claims - leather between joins of tail, 'tin' body



Colours discuss
A&B 3, 4, 5, and 7 are more stealthy - camoflage.

Materials of 3 and 5 are steel or silver metal, while 4 and 7 are copper or brass or similar with blue paint.

7 shows a quick paint job with lack of concern for overall aesthetic - pragmatic and speedy, an unexpected alteration. The rough and organic shape of the paint edge does contrast with the rest of the aesthetic and doesmake it a focal point of the design -what if it were made of vertical strokes like with a roller?

Screw of 6 and 7 appear to be made of same material as the framing material. If this material is decided to be wood then this will not work! On these ones the framing must lie flat on the surface.

5 seems quite more advanced and contemporary with its more modern navy blue theme