Design Module

So, I'm currently getting stuck in to my final module for first year, which is the design unit. We were given a few different words on which to base our work on, so I chose 'Transformation'. From that, I'm looking especially at the transformation from old to new - so you should get a snippet every now and again of what I'm doing with it. We also have to link anything that we do back to florals, so I've spent the last couple of days getting stuck back into drawing, which I'm enjoying! We're on a trip back to my part of town next week, spending 5 days in London getting some quality research done... and also maybe having just a little fun whilst we're there.

For anyone that may actually read my blog, I'd love for you to check out my Pinterest and Instagram (to the right if you're on a computer) to see what I'm being inspired by, and also a couple of pictures of what I'm doing at uni that I don't post on here! I'd also love it for you to comment on any posts if anything strikes a thought or opinion - I'd love to hear what you have to say, and it's always nice to know that someone took the time to read whatever interesting or dull thing that I have to talk about.

Timed drawing floral study

My currently overcrowded studio space

Textile Techniques

Finished Studio Space - Working on Embroidery - Print Final 1 - Embroidery Final 2

Studio module 2/3 done! It's been a tough one - I've not done much embroidery before, so that was a big learning curve. As far as print goes, I've done screen printing, but never using dyes or heat transfer. It was all really fun but also super stressful. I definitely felt out of my depth but I'm looking forward to improving all these skills as I do new modules and more work!

Transfer Printing

Did some heat transfer printing at uni today. Was a lot of fun, but found that the colours came out very different - everything was a lot brighter, which was interesting! It's been great experimenting with all these different processes - once we have the basic recipes round our heads we can start going wild for our final pieces! Looking forward to working with pigment dyes and foils tomorrow. Here's a picture of my dye sample sheets before transfer.

Exposing, Printing, Dyeing

Just some quick images taken from my phone to explain why I've been sort of inactive this week (again!). First week of new module so I've been busy getting my koda trace done, exposing my screen and producing dye and print samples. Hopefully you'll be seeing a bit more of my professional studies this week.

Print Prep

Started our koda traces for the next module yesterday. (yay!) Here are the selected images that I'll be printing from over the next 3 weeks - all taken from the last drawing module. 

Finished

Finished my Photoshop piece today. I don't think it's brilliant, but I don't think it's awful for a newbie. We had to choose 1 of 4 pieces from other artists to work from, so I chose Richard Hamilton's '$he'. (second picture)

Week 5 - Sets

We're working especially on composition this week, and I've finished my A2 drawing set - now on to the sketchbook work!

All Saints

All Saints is a high street fashion company around the top/middle market range. Their pieces have always inspired me - they're unique in the way that they use shape, as they are known for creating unusual looking pieces. They tend to stick with neutral colours - mainly blacks and greys, but do it in a way without it looking really dull and miserable.
They were a key source of research and inspiration when I was designing my AS Textiles final piece, where I designed a Victorian-shirt-meets-high-fashion sort of thing.
Another thing I love about All Saints is the way that they present things. You go into any of their stores, and you'll see something crazy within the decor. For example, I love the little All Saints shop in the middle of London with the wall completely covered in vintage sewing machines - it's very cool.

My AS Textiles
Final Piece

(01)
Antique sewing machine
wall in London

(02)
Drina Dress, £158
(03)
Amei Long Sleeved Dress, £118
(04)
City Monument Coat, £278

References:

(01) - http://pompandcircumstance.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/a-broad-abroad-london-portobello-road-image-diary/
(02) - http://www.allsaints.com/women/uncategorised/allsaints-drina-dress/?colour=33&category=490
(03) - http://www.allsaints.com/women/dresses/allsaints-amei-long-sleeve-dress/?colour=5&category=22
(04) - http://www.allsaints.com/women/coats/allsaints-city-monument-coat/?colour=5&category=117

Photoshop

Today we've been working on our mixed media techniques on Photoshop. This includes free hand drawing, (with a mouse, which I've discovered is actually a lot harder than it looks) cutting photos and composition.
Before I started uni I'd never used Photoshop before, so I was quite nervous when it came to learning how to use specific tools and finding my way around. Luckily, I have a few helpful friends who are much more expert than I am!
Below is a picture of the start I made today. I'll be working in to it a lot more, but I thought it would be interesting to see what I've begun with and how it ends up when I've finished.

Floral Study

This is one of the A2 pieces that I've been working on this week whilst we were looking at florals. I did the background wash using dyes and bleach, and did the actual paintings using gouache. It's not at all finished yet, but I thought I would share it with you anyway. I'm feeling very rusty with my drawing and painting at the moment, and I'm hoping that practice will make perfect!

Getting Organised

Over the past few weeks, we've been focusing on observational drawing techniques in the studio using both wet and dry media. This has included foliage, feathers and floral studies. We've also looked at a few alternative drawing techniques using mono, carbon and screen wash printing - and a bit of drawing with Photoshop too. Next week we're heading over to Hartlepool museum to do some drawing there.
Up until today, my sketch book was all over the place, with a mixture of leaves, drawings, prints and research all squashed in to the back of my book. Today I've been working on my presentation and piecing bits together (two pages in the photo below). I haven't done loads yet, but I'll be sure to post some finished pages as they happen!

Inspired

As part of my course at university, we were told to make a blog to use as a research tool, so that both you, (the reader) and I could see how my work changes and develops over time, and to see what my work is being inspired by.
I came across these series of images when I was researching for my drawing and foliage module, and although they didn't quite fit in to what I was doing, I just loved them. They reminded me a lot of my A2 Textiles final piece, where I made a dress from leaves.
I love to see designers/stylists use unconventional materials within their work - it makes it original and interesting.
Works like these remind me that I need to be constantly thinking outside the box when it comes to my own designs - just as you see here. This is a beautiful example of how something as simple as cabbage can be used in a wonderful way when thinking outside of the guidelines. 

My A2 Textiles Final Piece

Bloom Issue 18 - Cabbage Luck - Beth Evans + Graham Hollick