LAST WEEK.

today i had a tutorial with visiting lecturer jane eastwood. (http://janeeastwooddesign.com/about.html)

it's the last week before hand in. and we have to make 2 inspiration/contextual boards and 4 final conclusions by then... AH.

as i was stuck to what i should do next, the tutorial really helped.

her comment 'simplify and refine check fabric techniques. try pulling out threads and slashing, and other ideas done on other fabric sample. try making less bulky.'

i guess this is good feedback for when i start making my final pieces... but what should my final products be? and for what context?

i spoke to grainne earlier and she suggested i make a theme from my initial fabric manipulations. FOLDING, PLEATING AND STITCHING are the most common themes from my samples. also the idea of cutting out and hiding.

so, i photocopied a number of my samples and started to create shapes and forms by folding and pleating. like origami, but i'm not making an object - just shapes. this will help me refine ideas for when i create my samples in fabric.

i still need to think of a context. i was told today i'm a 'fashion girl.' i don't know if i'm an interior girl... or both? we'll see :)

alot of my folding involves triangles. perhaps look at collars..? (http://www.urbanjunkies.com/london/images/stories/08/0616-brightsparks-1.jpg)

ah. collars and corsages in one unit..!?

the last week.

has been an independent study week. we had the initial task to complete and to experiment.

i worked my way through the manipulation list and created a file of my samples. i figured that if i sampled a number of different manipulation techniques it will be easier for my to extend this way of working later on (working on larger bits of fabric etc) and it will be easier for me to push ideas further.
i am happy with what i've produced in a week, i've actually made my work look quite professional! which is new for me. it's normally quite scruffy in terms of presentation. but i have mounted my samples on nice thick paper, labeled them and placed them in a file. having these samples for reference will always be useful so it's best to make them look good the first time around.
i have mainly been experimenting with old fabrics and a dress i brought a few weeks ago and regretted it. so i've cut it up :) it is a netty fabric with printed horses on it.

sketchbook hateeeee.

i definitely need to rip my sketchbooks up more often...

now i actually like it :)

today at uni we had a group tutorial with jill and i said how i don't really like my work, don't really like this project, and really hate my sketchbook... which is the wrong atttitude. so i went home. ripped up all my sketch book, cut it all up and arranged it back into a smaller book. it makes much more sense now and i can also put in my yarn windings and little weave samples. everything looks much more emily. now i feel much more enthusiastic towards this project and have the weekend to do some experiments.

alison willoughby.

  http://www.alisonwilloughby.com/

we had a stitch workshop today with the lovely alison willoughby. what an inspirational, talented woman. dressed in all black, teamed with a trendy hair cut and giant bangles she gave an introduction to hand stitching and how she uses it in her work (£900 skirts... covered in everything!) she came round the group one by one to talk to and find out how we were getting on with the project. she seemed to like my sketch book; laughing at the button heads.
she suggested i shuold;
- look at line and colour gradient; striping down my photos to their simplistic form - like the doodble i do over the top and then translate this into stitch and knit.
- work in a more sophisticated way with stitch, but allowing myself to work over the top in a more messy manner.
- she said to choose a few favourite photos. disect them and translate into needle and thread.

this feedback led me stitching till one in the morning. i was on a inspirational, creative roleeee!

what i need to think about;
- types of thread and wool.
- colour gradients
- knit
- panels, folds
- lines
-blocks
- machine and hand stitch
- more controlled style
- keep having fun
- layout
- scale
- beads, buttons and other embellishments.
- look at jacobean style embroidery and crewel work.

button heads

i thought that as well as working alongside landscapes and nature, i could experiment with my photographs of people; who are after all organic.

i initially played with sticking buttons over peoples faces, translating this into a drawing and then embroidering. but realised that i had to focus on this three week project rather than trying to look and manipulate every photo i've ever taken. i need to focus and sustain projects better! stop trying to do everything emily!

castle museum conclusion.

The initial objects I studied in the Decorative Arts Gallery at the Castle Museum were the selection of 17^th century delftware tiles. Arranged in a grid system behind glass, the white tiles with painted blue imagery looked charming and intriguing. The Dutch tiles are practical and decorative for walls and fireplaces and originated from Holland. However, after a few days of drawing the tiles, I decided my subject was a bit limited. Therefore, instead of just focusing on the tiles, I looked at all blue and white china throughout the decorative art gallery. Now I wasn’t so restricted with the subject and found a range of blue and white china to work from. I experimented with my drawing styles but restricted my colour palette to blue and white to reflect the china I was working from.
I found various books in the library about Delft blue, the history of tiles and also the blue and white porcelain. I also got the chance to study the blue and white china in the Study Room at the Castle. I spent three hours solidly drawing jugs, plates, cups and patterns. I found this beneficial as I was the only person doing this. So my work not only reflected the Decorative Arts Gallery, but also hidden pieces from the study room. I now know it’s important to question and ask about certain objects in museums because the pieces they have hidden and stored away are just as interesting as the things they have on display. If I ever have the chance to do this again I definitely will.
I was encouraged to look at the shape of the object I was drawing not only the pattern within. This helped develop lines and shapes I later translated into pattern work. The idea of looking through windows or the handles of the jugs also restricted my drawing style to a particular shape and I think I produced some unique drawings that I would never have thought I could create. My confidence with my drawing has grown considerably over the past few weeks and I think it also helps when I manipulate them digitally on the computer. I can develop my drawings using programmes such as Photoshop and Illustrator. I like to experiment with my work to create interesting drawings or patterns. I have a past in Graphic Design but I have never before been able to apply these skills within my textiles work. I have really enjoyed this, and I think experimenting with the digital printer and my manipulated designs in the future should be beneficial to my work. This digital technique also applied to my final conclusions.
I chose the Interior market to produce my final outcomes. I visited Clement Joscelyne (The Granary) in Norwich to research. I collected a number of wallpaper catalogues for reference and to inspire. I chose four collections to work from; two by Cole & Sons, Eijffinger and Designers Guild. I chose to study four as I couldn’t decide on three! I studied their catalogues and looked at the layout and structure of each design, the layering and linking of pattern and the colour palette. I then produced at least two designs influenced by each collection. I adapted my drawings from the Castle Museum to hopefully suit each quality and trait of the contemporary collections.
Looking at my designs think they’re quite successful. But I honestly don’t think I can tell unless they were printed larger and displayed on a wall. The detail is intricate and some colours subdued, and printed onto A4 white paper doesn’t do the designs much justice. However, I am happy with what I have achieved and I think my designs, with further development, have potential.

questions

i found these notes in my journal from a seminar the other day.
i think they're good things to think about within my work and general practise...

who are you and how do you think?

my visibility; exhibitions, retail, design, websites, fairs, books, magazines.

connections; places, geography, general history, art history, music, people, writing, books, science, contemporary practise.
- how do i perceive the world?
- how do things effect the world.
- reasoning.

reflection; moving forward, growing, aspiration, position, learning.
- ask yourself questions;
why are you making work?
what do you like doing?
what is it for?
what do you want from your work?
what do you get from your work?
what is your work about?
who is your audience?
where does it go?
- where i sit in the textile context

materials and processes;
- understand what you work with and become an expert.

contemporary practise;
- the work of others.
- what interests you?
- process.
- work.
- methodology.
- influences.

economics; how do you want to life your life?

what influences the people that influence you?

drawing notes.

ways to improve drawing and explore different ways of drawing;
- continuous line
- collage
- different papers
-positive/negative space
- photography
-mixed media
- cut outs
- shapes
- patterns
- shadows
- paintings; watercolours, acrylic, gouache etc
- maps
- feet
-night time; lights
- bold blocks of colour
- surfaces
- 3D
- doodles
- impressions
- scan
-photocopy
-manipulate digitally
- change scale; close ups.
-vary the weights of line

i must describe, document and analyse what i see.

.

we started today, early, with a group task that involved us looking at each others work and responding collectively as a group to what they'd achieved. my group responded by making a paper weave. the original drawing was a floor of surface of norwich that had been drawn in overlapping blocks. the weave element and the shapes make it link really well and i really enjoyed the task.

it made us think about how we push an idea or drawing forward in terms of experimenting with different medias. so, i took my little blue ribbon camera and visited the cathedral to take some pictures. recently i've been working into my photography with stitch, paint beads and pens. and it would be nice to incorporate this into my work as well.
i got to castle and looked up at the sky. and then down to the ground. the lines, forms and shapes the buildings and trees make when they hit they sky are amazing. i went for a tour inside the cathedral and took pictures of the ceilings - beautifully sculpted that looked like the cement had been plaited. i recorded all things in the cathedral; floors, details in the walls, doors, the organ and stained glass windows.

i captured some interesting photos through a window looking up at the cathedral. and when i got home i printed these and started to trace these areas and other sections of my photos. i managed to create some diverse shapes, patterns, and lines to work with. i then layered these and copied them onto the computer to manipulate. i also stitched over a few to give them a bit of texture and added colour to them with inks.

first week at uni.

after a very long, lovely summer, it was was a slight shock to be thrown back into education. in a new city. not knowing anyone or how to get anywhere. moving into my house. just everything changed within a week. but looking back now, it seems really strange. norwich feels like my home now and i've met some of the best people.

the first week at uni was standard. getting to know people, taking part in group activities and workshops on how to think laterally; solving problems through an indirect and creative approach. lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using traditional step-by-step logic. from the beginning that made it clear that they encourage us to think outside the box, and we must apply this to our textile practise.

lateral thinking methods:
- random entry generating tool; choose an object at random, a noun from a dictionary, and then associate that with the area thought about.
- provocation idea generating tool; wishful thinking, exaggeration, reversal, escape. move your thinking forward with these for new ideas and inspiration.
- challenge an idea; WHY? WHY? WHY?
- concept fan idea; ideas carry out concepts - expand the range and number of concepts to end up with a broad range of ideas to consider.
- disproving; take anything that is obvious and generally accepted, question it, take an opposite view and try to convincingly disprove it.

the main things i've learnt this week;
- to study and document real world experiences to make whatever i'm doing personal and relevant to me as a person.
- i should focus on what i enjoy doing. i'm just wasting my time if i'm forcing myself to do something i'm not liking. make everything i do exciting for me, even if it's not to other people.
- i need to stop being impatient. textile processes are loooong, so if i rush my work, the outcome will be poor.
- i should extend and push my creative work through exploration and experimentation..