Second year has been a busy year full of ups and downs but overall i feel that i can happily say that it has changed me as an artist and made me realise a lot about myself, my practice and the way i like to create.
I went in to this project very confused and nervous about the outcomes as i just couldn’t see how i was going to be able to do everything that was set but i have come out the other side with a portfolio of work that i am proud of and that shows my journey to becoming a designer.
At the beginning of the second term i was rushing my work and thinking that it looked good and creating connections in my head that didn’t really make sense. When stepping back and actually looking at what i had produced in second term and then what i have submitted in the third term the change is massive. I think that Lock Down has made me realise that i don’t need to rush my work and that there is plenty of time to get things done. When everything is at a slower pace i feel that i produce better work as my thought process is less cluttered. I started to realise the mistakes and how disjointed my collection was, this then helped me to start a fresh and begin making patterns that fitted in to the collection properly.
I have found it very strange not being able to be in uni and getting others opinions and speaking to the tutors as those brief conversations make a difference to your work. However it has also allowed me to have space and to figure out what works and what doesn’t and to come up with solutions and ideas myself. I feel more independent as a designer and more prepared for what third year has to offer.
I have had the time to really discover myself in this project and when we were at uni i was doing a lot of experimenting in the stitch room. I have found a new love for digital stitch and am excited to get back in there and to start creating. I enjoy how the whole process of how you can transform a drawing into a beautifully neat digitally stitch sample.
I am very proud of my collection, i feel that i have used a range of different layout styles and scales to ensure that it wasn’t repetitive. I wanted to do something that had bright bold colours as my previous projects haven’t been. The colour scheme matches throughout and the colour choices in certain patterns make them seem elegant rather than in your face bold. If i was going to change anything now looking back at my collection i would perhaps change the age range of my client to lower as i feel it may be better suited. Possibly i would target a younger market starting at age 8. I loved how my digitally printed fabrics turned out, that when thinking about embellishing them i felt to nervous as i didn’t want to ruin them. If i was do to this again perhaps i need to be more brave and modify my fabrics to add more textures and details to them. I really enjoy mark making but didn’t included it in my final collection as i created them all digitally on Photoshop. When using Photoshop to create my patterns i forgot about all the lovely textures and marks that i had made. My next step would be to include my mark making in to my final collection.
Overall i have really enjoyed this project and feel that i have learnt a lot and grown as a designer.
Chiodi's Textiles Blog 