Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries
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3D Animation 3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art Animation Applied Psychology Art Character MakeUp Design Costume Design Creative Computing Creative Music Production Cyberpsychology Design for Change Film + Television Production Interaction + User Experience Design New Media Studies Photography Production Design User Experience Design Visual Communication Design




Angela Murray 

BA [Hons] 3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art

I have had a varied career, from office administration to the motor trade, but the one thing that has been consistent has been creativity. I have painted for many years and I have done needlecraft, papercraft, and semi-professional cake decorating, for example. Modelmaking is something that fascinates me, especially miniatures. The challenge of creating something on a small scale is captivating. However, I also enjoy creating on a larger scale and I love a challenge. I have enjoyed prop making, and I intend to continue this and develop my skills further. The future looks interesting right now!

1:48 scale model of the Four Sail Windmill at Skerries Mills Industrial Heritage Museum showing the mill and the park around it. The mill is built on the site of an ancient fort so there is a clay circle surrounding it. The exterior is based on the actual mill but the interior is a simplified mechanism which shows the milling process clearly.
The Four Sail mill is a stone structure with a thatched roof. The sails are wooden trellises which are covered in canvas when the mill is in use.
A side view of the model showing the thatch which is made using fine reeds on a wooden framework. The thatch has a layer of netting over it to help keep it in place.
A close-up of the sails and the sail hub. The sails are made of wood and canvas with a slip of aluminium to give them strength. The hub is 3-D printed.
The roof-cap, which depicts a Raven, the logo of Fingal County Council who are responsible for the restoration and preservation of Skerries Mills Industrial Heritage Museum.
A CAD drawing showing the simplified milling and winding mechanism.
The interior of the model showing the simplified milling mechanism. It also shows the inner framework of the roof. All the wooden parts were laser-cut for accuracy
The hoppers and the millstone mechanism can be seen here. The grain passes from the upper hopper to the lower one where a "shoe" feeds it into the millstones.
The inner section of the mill shows the millstones and the chutes which feed the flour into the waiting sacks.
Two chutes feed the flour from the millstones into sacks on the ground floor.
The mill walls are made of local stone with a sandy mortar. This effect was created using blue foam, which was carved, etched, and then painted. It is then "weathered" using various paints and pastels.
The landscape around the mill is achieved using carved foam which is covered with plaster and painted. The grass effect is created using flocking and grit is used for the path.
Project Description

The project is to make a working model of a windmill based on the Four Sail Windmill in Skerries Mills Industrial Heritage Museum. It will be an educational prop to increase the understanding of how windmills operate, to be used in conjunction with the guided tours and film demonstration. The exterior is based on the actual Four Sail Windmill, but the inside is a simplified mechanism which will show how a mill uses wind power to turn grain into flour. It sits on a wooden box which contains a winding mechanism. When the handle is turned, the sails rotate, and so do the shafts and millstones. Hoppers on the top and middle floors move the grain down to the millstones; two chutes take the flour to the sacks on the ground floor. I landscaped the box top to look like the park around Skerries Mills.


Dolls’ Houses and the Fascination of Tiny Things

What is the relevance of dolls’ houses and tiny things today? My thesis examined their place in the modern era and what their enduring attraction is. It looked at dolls’ houses for display and dolls' houses for play, the differences, the similarities and how they compare to their origins. Why are people drawn to them and to creating tiny versions of objects?

I conducted extensive print and online research to evaluate the relevance of dolls’ houses and tiny things. I have examined their history, the place these objects occupied in the past and what their role was through reading and image analysis. I looked at the psychology of attraction and the physical responses of the body and what role they play in their existence. Attraction in people has been widely studied, however, it has only recently research has been expanded to take in objects.

Dolls’ Houses are the best-known example of miniature and have been in existence since the earliest times. Far from being a child’s toy, originally they were the preserve of adults and usually just the wealthy. It is only from the end of the 18th Century that they became toys.

Dolls’ houses have evolved and have gone from adult treasures to playthings for children, however, dolls’ houses are still popular today among adults. I believe the attraction to dolls’ houses and tiny things is that we are in control. We can create a world of our own only limited by our imaginations.

3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art
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