Origins - Weave Samples

Finally being able to remove my weave from the loom was really exciting & I couldn't wait to see how it looked. 

I loved how the piece looked as a whole. Also I feel that I have managed to get across what I've wanted to all along. During the print workshop I felt as though I struggled to get the correct imagery. However during weave, having an actual image taken out of the equation I was able to concentrate more on the 'feel' of the project. I looked further into colour, tiny details, symmetry & pattern; while mixing the soft yarns with the scratchy texture I wanted to bring to my work.

Even though I liked my weave the way it was, I couldn't wait to cut it into samples.

There is a couple of favourites which I will be displaying for assessment.

Weave

So far, the weave workshop has been my favourite part of the Textiles In Practice course. Beforehand I thought I was more of a textile surfaces person & did not expect to enjoy the constructed side of textiles. I find I can get really in to it & love seeing how new patterns & colour combinations can emerge in the fabric.

A letter to...

The Light Switch-On

Deconstruct - Reconstruct

The task - to deconstruct my large scale drawing & turn it in to something new.

I separated the piece in to two parts & although the first part did not go completely to plan; I was happy with the outcome of the second piece.

My Sketchbook & The Dreaded Peer Review

In the past, making sketchbooks has never really been my strong point. I've struggled when it comes to putting my thoughts & visions on to a page. However, towards the end of my Foundation course I began to feel more confident when it came to making sketchbooks. It is always difficult for me to start a new sketchbook & the first page is always the biggest hurdle, meaning I can sit & look at it for what seems like forever, too scared to put anything down.

As this was my first sketchbook on the course so far, I found it to be a challenge getting back in to the swing of things & I think it starts off slow but eventually shows my ideas & concepts emerging. The visuals in book have been generated from photographs which are in a separate file. During the peer review I saw a variety of ways in which people have displayed their photographs & I will definitely be adding mine to my sketchbook so that it is clear where my idea's have developed from. I received positive comments about my combination of loose drawings with text & it was suggested that there should perhaps be more of this. I noticed quite a few comments were made about possibly drawing to a larger scale rather than having a few small drawings on one page, which I will definitely be trying out not only in my sketchbook but also in my independent drawing work.

There is not much evidence of my workshops in my sketchbook so far, this is something that I will begin to include, maybe through photographs or samples. Colour is always very important to me & making a strong colour palette is one of the main parts of my work, so I am really glad that fellow students recognised & appreciated my use of colour. The idea of including feathery yarns & also dried flowers & plants for my weave samples was something that really got me thinking & now I am looking forward to experimenting with my designs.

I have taken the project quite literally so far & haven't really stepped outside the box & looked beyond the actual subject. For me, the subject had become quite tired & drab & I was getting slightly bored at looking at the same things. Some of the comments where really helpful & had interesting idea's on how I can go beyond what I've already been looking at. There was suggestions on exploring the title of the piece - 'Fools Parsley' & also how I could look at modern day designers & maybe even architecture. For something that I was so nervous about taking part in, the peer review has breathed a new life in to my project & got me interested in it again.

Large Scale Drawing

I'm really not used to drawing on such a large scale & so felt quite uncomfortable when I began the task. I'm a lover of colour so being restricted to just black & white media was also a challenge. I just tried to relate it towards my project & to not over-think it all, which is something that will quite often ruin my drawing work. The large scale drawing turned out to be something which felt fluid & natural & I was pleased with the end result.

Making Jerry.

A part of my FMP.

For some reason, there is a lack of photographs from my FMP this past June. I seem to remember there being a couple on the show reel that was being shown on the projector at the final show. Getting in touch with my old tutors may be on the cards as I'd love to put some photographs on this blog. I can however show these:

I really enjoy working with collage, it gives me freedom to include little bits of everything & be as experimental as I like. There's always ways of including imagery, photographs, objects & texture.

My FMP was inspired by the traditional British seaside holiday which in more recent years has been making a comeback. I wanted to include all the things that I loved from my childhood & ending up basing the project on Blackpool. 

Blackpool is a place which often gets a bad reputation in the press, however I have always found it so charming & would happily spend many days of my summer there. It has all the pieces it needs to be the amazing seaside resort it used to be. It's just a shame that funding is always an issue in the age we live in.

Animals

I really wish I'd have been able to take this project further. These are just silhouettes of rainforest animals that I doodled over with a tip-ex pen. I am keeping them in mind for further work.

The River Mersey

These were taken around October just along the pier head in Liverpool looking over towards the Wirral. I think they have a really relaxed feel which is exactly how I feel when walking around my home town. Even though Manchester is so close, it is still going to be a huge change moving there. I just hope I can handle it!

Bon Voyage: When complete.

These are just some photographs that I took from when my Bon Voyage project was completed. :-)

Statement

This blog became a mixture of the projects I have done, which I believe sums me up, I am often described as a 'mixed bag'. Included in this blog is my first attempt at felt making for the project titled 'Sturm Und Drang'. I found the process really interesting and felt positive about the outcome, especially the dramatic and stormy colours that came out in the felt. Aside from the gloomy colour palette of that project, something I like to incorporate into my work is colour and a sense of quirkiness; I believe that this is shown in my book art, stylized drawing and my postcards. I loved giving my postcards the theme of travel as it is something that I am interested in and the final outcome led me into another project - 'Bon Voyage'. This was my favourite project to date, because I feel as though I have finally shown who I am through a textiles project; I loved the colour palette and enjoyed making intricate rosettes and ribbon bows, as well as incorporating images relating to vintage travel in to my designs.
In the past I have struggled to find a subject that I may want a career in, however over the past year Textile Design and Fashion have quickly become my main focus and I can honestly say that I have finally discovered the direction that I want to go in. Fashion is something that I am truly passionate about, it excites me and will always be a part of my life. Textiles is something that I really do enjoy, it is something that I can get lost in for hours on end and it is a subject in which there is so much more to know and that I look forward to learning.

I am mostly inspired by the world around me, including nature and technology as it grows. I have a real love for history and that has lead to my love of antiques and vintage clothing.
I am interested in studying Textiles in Practice so that I can continue to grow and gain knowledge within the subject; I would like to learn as many processes as possible and eventually find my own strengths and hopefully make a solid and enjoyable career within the subject. I have chosen this course because it is process led and I believe that this is the best way of experimenting and developing your own style of design.

Bon Voyage!

Objects

Subversive Stitch?

Sturm Und Drang

The Postcard Project