L’illustrazione per l’infanzia: dal disegno manuale al disegno digitale, dalla modellazione 3D alla prototipazione

Th e present contribution aims to show an experience carried out around the theme of illustration for children starting from some considerations on learning in childhood. Th e ability to imagine possibilities other than the real contributes to the cognitive and emotional development of the child (Harris, 2008): he should not be hindered by mpositions or forced into schemes not his own through the push to copy models (Munari, 2007). This refl ection implicitly suggests the possibility of experimenting and combining different compositional and representation techniques. In particular, focusing on the theme of “relationships between relationships” (Munari, 2007) in which to combine diff erently inventions, fantasy and creativity. Th rough this formula, we wanted to refer to the moment in which, through a graphic process, real situations are modified, for example when subjects change place, weight, situation, color and shape at the same time. In this case, we chose to refer to animal subjects that, through a lyrical representation, have been transfigured through the juxtaposition of human elements, the use of unreal colors and formal upheaval, trying to maintain a certain degree of recognizability. Given these premises, the present contribution intends to reflect on the integration of traditional manual techniques with digital technologies by exposing the procedure used for the realization of the basic illustration, used for the preparation of the digital elaborations fi nalized to the prototyping phase of real scale models realized thanks to the use of two machines: the laser cutting machine and the numerical control milling machine (CNC) present in the laboratories ModLab Arch and MODLab Design of the Politecnico di Torino. Both machines use a subtractive processing method that allows to remove the material from solid blocks, even if, due to the different technical characteristics, they require different methods in the preparation of the files to proceed with the cutting, engraving, turning and milling operations. While for the laser cutting machine it is sufficient to process vector fi les using CAD or Illustrator® software and the three-dimensionality is given by the thickness of the material, for the CNC it is necessary to make a three-dimensional model using modeling software such as Rhinoceros® or Fusion360®. This experience can be an opportunity to start a research process that considers design as a tool capable of generating innovation. Moving from illustration to the three-dimensional object can mean, in this case, operating from the point of view of design thinking, that is “putting the user at the center of creative observation, designing the experience and building around his emotions and desires” (Trabucco, 2015).