Yesterday I finally worked larger in the print room. I decided to ease in gently and work on half a metre of cotton using procion and pigment binder. I found it difficult to be loose and experimental like I was in my drawings. I felt as if i was being too controlled and tight with the way i was laying colour down and making marks. This was because of the scale- working on a white blank canvas made things difficult for me initially. I soon loosened up though and painted pigment binder on the fabric in loose marks from my drawings along side the contrasting shapes. Once I had finished I realised that there was too much white and even though this was similar too the drawings, this was emphasised because of the increase in scale. I also reasoned that i probably needed to increase the size of the shapes and marks so they are more varied in my print. I need to be more daring and less precious next time.

Today I coloured tested further as i wasn't completely happy with my chosen colours from last night. This wasn't entirely successful as i ran out of time and i ended up with a few spillages. This evening I decided to try dyeing some cotton so that the white wasn't as prominent. I aimed for a warm taupe shade and after a few testers I dyed a whole metre of fabric. This wasn't particularly successful either but I felt as if i learnt a lot from it. The colour didn't come out how I aimed- it was much paler than I hoped and there were some marks on the fabric from the bucket. Luckily this can be covered when I come to printing.

I feel like this week has been a real learning experience for me as I have been in regularly and using the print room - creating new work and reflecting on this and working out how I can improve things. Positive feedback from Nick on tuesday has encouraged and reassured me.

positive
encouraging
keep going
larger
cardboard wall paper???
graphic wall paper?????
look into idott comp further! repeat specifications?

After my tutorial with Nick I realised that my SDC designs/drawings were flat and this is why I wasn't keen on them. Nick advised to keep using the textures like in my previous drawings. So I  went on to create more markings using graphite, ink, posca pen and oil pastels from my imagery of graffiti, I then scanned these in and manipulated them using the invert tool and the various overlaying tools on photoshop to build up some drawings. I found that this was successful- the balance of shape and texture worked well and I managed to develop my colours too, so this seemed successful.

I began to develop these drawings into some designs using AVA, after speaking with Nick, i realised that I could repeat these just in length, so that the whole design is the width of the fabric- meaning my work would be commercially appropriate. Doing this helped me draw further in order to create relevant drawings that would flow once they are put into repeat.

Nick explained that I could work unconventionally and using felt tip markers and other drawing tools straight onto fabric to see what happened- I like the idea of this as I feel that I would become precious and wouldn't work as loosely on fabric as I am going on paper or digitally.

I aim to try and work on fabric soon and experiment with markers on fabric.

initial designs- before development

tried to briefly put into context- not particularly successful

developing drawing after speaking with Nick

putting these new drawings into repeat

Today I took inspiration from WGSN trends from throughout the years to inform my decisions for colour and style. I wanted to create a classic, timeless collection for SDC as the brief mentions life span and longevity- I want to the this in different ways, not just durability of the material but longevity of the style and print and how it works in the home.

For the SDC competition I am finding it difficult to cover all areas of the brief as there is so much to consider.  I want to focus on the colour and style aspect as I want to keep my same aesthetic whilst showing I can adapt it in my portfolio.

I still plan to be inspired by my surroundings, focusing on walls and urban details. I have used this morning to draw from my previous photographs from London, using a different observing approach and focusing on the negative space and the shapes in the imagery, instead of just focusing on the textures and marks like my previous work. I still have stuck to the collage techniques with found and waste papers and materials.

I used sublimation printing to use the cut out techniques in my drawings to transfer them on to fabric using exact colours that I collated previously on photoshop. I created several designs, each different combinations of colours to help me decide what worked best in terms of colour and design.  I plan to digitally manipulate these on photoshop and AVA to create repeats or placement prints for soft furnishings in the home. I am unsure of these so far as I feel as if I have lost the texture and depth but I will still use these as colour tests and digitally manipulate them, layering markings and shadows.

I am treating this competition as an extra project, so I have gathered lots of research regarding colour, trends and sustainability as the theme is Design for a Circular Economy. I am now trying to decide what fabric to digitally print this on in order to meet the brief.

This morning I realised that I need to create mini briefs for my self in order to work appropriately and ensure I am making the most of my time. I need to be able to create collections to apply my work to various contexts. From realising this in the crit from a comment from Les, I decided to plan the projects and how long I will take to complete them. I am frustrated that I may not be able to explore materials more (like I had planned) but I feel that focusing on print design and creating a noticeable aesthetic will be more appropriate and worthy for my future skill set and career.

I aim to research further into a variety of contexts that are edgy and appropriate to my style of work. I plan to incorporate the competitions that I aim to apply for/complete within my projects so I have more structure.
I need to further research the different contexts and how I can alter and adjust my designs and colours   to suit the applications:
-wall covering/wall paper... could I link this with the Idott competition?
-soft furnishing> bedding/homewares
-3d wall covering> wood/cardboard/3d
-fashion> urban/streetwear/activewear

After todays crit I have also realised that I must create a criteria of success in order to decide and understand whether a certain piece is working- I MUST REFER BACK TO THIS WHEN I AM STRUGGLING.

Today I considered my entries further for the Bradford competition and how I could use my work to fulfil the briefs. I want to be able to use my unique wood idea for the multi media construction entry but I am unsure where to go with that an dhow to develop if further from the coaster/ drink floor idea. I could translate these into wall tiles and have them as a design form interior but this may mean altering the print and gluing/ fusing them onto some more wood to structure it. How could this then sit on the board securely?

To improve the wood pieces and translate my current drawings, I used my textured screens to print onto them with adhesive to apply foil and create marks that contrasted the coloured shapes. I am unsure about this outcome but I will continue to ask myself questions to whether these are successful.