Module 2 - Introduction - Abstracting a design from animal markings

A collection of visual information, and a list of words describing the subjects. (Thank heavens for National Geographic magazine!) These are all pasted to A3 cards and attached to the pinboard in my studio.

'Drawing' marks that relate to my list of words (also on A3 card).

Between Modules

My Albert Irvin bookwrap! Based on an Angie Highes workshop of woven fabrics covered with a layer of organza. I'm disappointed as I think I totally ruined the effect with the black stitching, but I needed to anchor the organza to the fabric strips somehow.

Chapter 12 - Study Three Artists

Chapter 11 - Resolved Design based on Growth and Disintegration

There were loads of ideas swimming around in my head, so for speed and simplicity, I did some quick computer 'thumbnails'. This way, I only had to draw each different cross once, it could then be reduced or enlarged in size and duplicated as many times as I wanted. Simple!

I then experimented with a few of my favourite layouts. First, I tried using white paper onto black card using various methods of disintergration.

This was OK, it simplified the thought process because it was just black and white, it enabled me to think about the layout and not about colour. However, this became difficult when I wanted to try out the designs in multi-layers, so I did the rest in colour.

I reviewed the work done to date and made a list of my favourite elements that I would like to include and decided that the bottom right image, originating from Chapter 3 - 'Repeat Pattern Using Change of Scale', gave me the best scope for experimentation.

COMPUTER THUMBNAILS, DESIGNS AND NOTES - 2 HOURS

Composite Sheet

Onto a rectangle of calico I put snippets of glitzy yellow, gold and orange fabrics to achieve an applique ripple effect. Most of these were polyester scraps given to me by the girls at work, left overs from their pajami suits.

On top of this I put a layer of beautiful, newly dyed, inky indigo scrim. This is my favourite fabric as it has a lovely textural open weave and frays delightfully for chenille applique.

Layer 3 was specially dyed violet and indigo calico, also perfect for fraying.

For the top layer, also specially dyed and printed, I used a slub weave linen which has a sumptuous texture. I printed the fabric with gold fabric paint as this is easier to stitch through than acrylic paint. I tacked all layers together to stop movement.

DYEING, PRINTING & PREPERATION OF FABRICS - 5 HOURS

1st stage of reverse applique.

I became so obsessed with stitching and cutting away to create the 'ripple effect' and 'chenille' applique that I completely forgot to take any photos of the next stages!

My original plan was to applique solid gold crosses into the negative spaces, but I was desperate to use both trapunto, and bondawebbed gold foil which gives a lovely worn-away, disintigrated effect.

FINISHED DESIGN

STITCHING, CUTTING & EMBROIDERY 20 HOURS
APPROXIMATE COST £16.75

close-ups of finished design:

EVALUATION OF COMPLETED WORK

I am very happy with my finished design.

I think the foiled crosses merge nicely with the gold printing, as if gold leaf has flaked off the surface of the crosses and blown across the design, unifying the foreground, which gives the impression of an ecclesiastic grid-worked partition with a warm, bright, gold iconic light shining from behind.

Although I planned the design very carefully from the outset, it evolved slightly as I progressed, so, for this reason, there are not really any changes I would wish to make.

I feel it is fit for the purpose. It is a simple design showing growth and disintegration. I have used many of the methods of embroidery and decoration explored in the exercises leading up to this chapter - ripple effect and chenille applique, bondaweb and gold foil, and trapunto. I have also included hand printed fabric using my rubber stamp design and completed the project with machine and hand embroidery.

HOWEVER, viewing the design objectively, I feel perhaps that this is too much of a pattern, and should have been more of a composition. Is it too regimented and geometric? I should probably have tried to achieve something more fluid and spontaneous. Some of my samples in earlier exercises were more random, but I still struggle to feel confident about whether an irregular, unconstrained design is aesthetically pleasing. Maybe I wouldn't feel this way if I had pursued the 'crossroads' and the gnarly crossed twigs designs from my original source images in chapter 1, as I think Sian was trying to encourage.

I am slowly working through 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' and admiring work of other students, such as Catherine Slater, Maren Fischer, Leanne Boughner and Jenny Marty, and also becomming aware of the work of artists such as Kandinsky with his 'shapes and swirls that fly across the canvas'. Hopefully, as I work throughout this course, my work will develop more natural fluidity.