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Workshop Days

When i have free time i have been trying to use the workshops as much as possible to get the most out of them. I have been in the print workshop using all different techniques such as heat transfer, the dye lab and screen printing.

For the heat transfer i wanted to create background and my colour pallet so i spent a lot of time making samples of different colours so i could make sure i got the perfect combination. I then created some galaxy looking of the sky piece with my chosen colour pallet.

I also wanted to dye some fabric samples in the colours of my company so i used the dyspers dyes to dye a synthetic silk. i believe that this turned out really well as the colours were all as bright as i wanted them to be.I also tried a method which we spoke about in the studio where you plait the fabric and knot it before you dye it so when you take it out it leaves beautiful affects on the fabric. i thought that this method look like starts and a night sky.

i creates some stencils to screen print as i had lots of motifs that i wanted to try screenprinting that wouldn’t all fit on one screen. Some of the stencils worked really well and others not so well. I coated up and exposed one screen which went well. I am hopefully going to create lots of different samples and do some devoure with it.

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Week 2 – What is Sustainability ?

This weeks session we looked at sustainable objects, are they actually sustainable and how the objects we interact with change our behaviours.

To sustain is actually to just keep something going.

By having a washing machine in our houses we have lost the sense of community, as many years ago you would have all done your washing on a Monday outside where you would converse with your neighbours. Just through technology changing and advancing we are loosing interactions with each other.

These objects can sustain our behaviours. Items give us freedom to do what we want but we also loose the ability to communicate with people which can bring us isolation.

 

Activity – Take away coffee cup

  • speak to someone at the counter
  • you are on the move so you are not socialising
  • to busy to stop, you are on the go tend to be more busy
  • not as relaxing and enjoyable as sitting in or drinking at home
  • a lot of money
  • tend not to be recyclable
  • you loose the waiting time where as if you were at home you could be doing something else
  • whilst waiting you tend to just be on your phone.

 

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Self Set Written Agenda

Self-set Written Agenda

1)General Aim

To create a paper and fabric-based series of samples for the stationary company ARK Colour Designs that will be suitable for females of the age 18 – 24 years inspired by a ‘spiritual journey’ theme.

2) More specific objectives

– The season for the theme spiritual journey is A/W 20/21. I will be referencing mystical spiritual astrology, star signs and the zodiac. The colour trends will be quite bright to in keep with the company’s style but also adding foiling for the extra shine and sparkle which the company already do.

– The target market for my theme is based around females of the ages between 18-24 years. The theme is playful, young and quirky with a hint of mystery to it, so I think is best suited to that kind of target market. Women like to have fun stationary as it can reflect their personality. With the theme linking to horoscopes and zodiac signs it allows the clients to have something that is more personal to them.

– The theme of ‘Spiritual Journey’ is all about looking into horoscopes, star signs, the zodiac. I will be taking inspiration from horoscopes, tarot cards, the moon, sky, stars and mystical creatures.

– My Theme will be evidenced through many different medias, I will mostly be using ink and fine liner in my book but then transferring that into the workshops and use heat transfer, screen print and dying.

– Due to wanting to foil and heat press I will be using synthetic fabrics as that’s what works best with the processes. For the paper cut work in my sketch book I will be using coloured card and then for the papers that I have created myself are just from normal printer paper as that’s what I use to ink up before heat pressing.

-The colourway that I will be using will be the same as my clients, bright and bold with hints of sparkle and shine.

– The CAD visuals will be including mock-up designs on different types of stationary.

 

  1. Your research base

Due to the nature of my theme collecting primary research is difficult however I will be looking in books of my own that are based on space and the meanings of dreams. I will also be looking in the library for books about horoscopes and astrology. I am hoping to find out more about the history of star signs. Water is a big part of astrology so for inspiration I am going to do use it as a primary resource, looking in to the way it moves and flows.

 

  1. The actual proposal/brief

The market area I have chosen is stationary as I find that It appeals to me as it’s something that I enjoy and always like to have funky stationary. Through the stationary that you have I feel that I conveys a lot about a person. It’s the small things in life that are pleasing such as a cute little notebook or a quirky pencil case. The company I have chosen ARK Colour Designs is a bright and colourful company that design and make all their products themselves in the UK which was one of the reasons I went with them.  The Theme that I have chosen is called ‘Spiritual Journey’ which is all about the zodiac, astrology, horoscopes and the night sky. I feel that it fits in with the company as due it the theme including star signs you can create items of stationary that are personal to the client. I feel that it will fit in with the companies look as it is a trend that is current with what I believe their target market it is. Its different from other stationary and appealing to clients who are looking for something a bit edgy.

The concept behind my theme is to create samples that are personalised to client’s star signs. The materials I will be using are synthetic fabrics for heat press and dying. I will hopefully be trying out some screen print stencils also lino printing on to a good quality sketch book paper and fabric.

For my design collection I want the samples to look all uniformed and colour coordinated however the imagery to be different to represent different star signs and zodiac groups.

In conclusion working for ARK Colour Designs I will be creating paper and fabric samples that are based along the theme ‘Spiritual Journey’. I will be using bright colours with pops of shiny foils for a clean and quirky finish.

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SWOT Analysis

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Strengths

I believe that one of my strengths is mark making and experiment so through doing this I create a varied range of different techniques that then can help me progress my work further. I am also a very organised person in the way that I carry out my work, I like to do things in order which means I tend to make lots of lists and am always creating mini timetables so I can visualise what I need to do and when things need to be done by.

I really enjoy both stitch and print workshop meaning that I like to invest my time into screenprinting and sewing.

Weaknesses

I feel that one of my weaknesses would be that I don’t have enough confidence in myself and my work and sometimes hold back on trying new things as I may not be good at it.

I am also not the best at using photoshop or other programs on the computers, I struggle with the tech side of textiles as its all very new and complicated.

I feel that one of my weaknesses is that I am not overly experienced in the dye lab so would like to improve in that area.

Opportunities

Every new day there is a new opportunity waiting for you to discover it. In Uni there are so many different workshops and facilities waiting to be used you just have to go ask the tech dems and they are more then willing to help you. The library is also another huge learning resource with loads of opportunity to find out so many knew things just from books but also from there online databases.

I feel that there are lots of opportunities to use new fabrics as there is such a wide variety in the stich room.

Threats

I feel that I don’t cease my opportunities to the fullest. I should go to the library more and do research using the books and the online database however I tend to shy away from this as it is almost entering the unknown.

I think that I should do more research in to the materials I am using as I should explore different ones as there is more to what is in the stitch room.

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Making Connections – WGSN Trend

To start the new project off i began looking on WGSN for new trends that i though t would be of interest and best represent me. I feel that my work before wasn’t a true representation of me so i wanted to find something that i could really relate to.

Knowing that i wanted to work for a stationary company further on in the project i began looking in the Interiors and Lifestyle section as they best fit what i was looking for. There are so many different trends on WGSN it was really difficult to just narrow one down but i finally made the decision that i wanted to go for one that was called Free Style. it was all about bright colours happy affirmations and bold shapes.

I later discovered that this trend was in the current season of A/W 19/20 which meant that for this project i would be creating something that technically would be outdated. So i then went back to WGSN and had another look at different trends in the future. I came across this new trend called Spiritual Journey which is a trend in A/W 20/21 which meant it was in the future so my work would be in season.

This new trend is a funky trend about horoscopes, tarot cards, glistening moons and the starts. I felt that this could work really well with a stationary company as it is relevant to birthdays and different times of the year for example Halloween. I believe that i am quite a spiritual i person so that means that hopefully it will be a good representation of me.

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Digital Matters Summary

Digital Matters has been such an interesting project I feel that this project has opened up so many doors in to new techniques and skills and styles of working. A the start of the project I was super apprehensive about it as I feel that I am more of a hands on maker but I went in to it open minded and now can successfully do some many things that I didn’t think would be possible.

To begin with I found learning how to use photoshop such a struggle I just couldn’t get my head round any of it. I now feel that I can do the basics successfully which is such a personal achievement as its something that I tried to avoid previously. I feel that the next step for me would be to keep playing around with things and become more confident in the software. For my project I didn’t need to use illustrator but I know its a very useful skill to have so hopefully I get the chance to have a go at learning that as well.

When I first started Uni I hated everything about stitch, I was new to everything and I just couldn’t understand how any of them worked and how to create something beautiful with them because they just baffled me. In this project feel that I have spent the most time in the stitch room and I really have learnt so much. I tried out so many different machines I learnt how to use all the machines properly, I finally learnt how to whined a bobbin correctly which doesn’t seem like a huge achievement but it did to me. I even feel confident on the digital stitch machines and how to use the software. this projected has made me open my eyes to the stitch room and see it in another light. I am really starting to enjoy spending time in there and experimenting with all the different machines and mixing techniques to create amazing things.

Overall I have really enjoyed this projected and feel so happy that I have learnt so many more skills that I just didn’t ever think I would have.

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Creating My Lookbook

At first when I found out that we would be creating a lookbook I was a little worried as I wasn’t entirely sure what it was. After I had done some research I then discovered that it is a journey of how we got to our end outcomes and our final patterns on different items. From looking at my research on look books I knew that I wanted it to look slick and simple and well put together. I spent a lot of time trying to get the placement of images and the order correct so that it would flow naturally.

When putting my patterns on to images I found it rewarding when it works so you can actually start to understand what your work looks like and how it would be used. I felt that some of the objects that I put my patterns on just weren’t supposed to be and others worked really well. I really like how some of my patterns look good on lamps and others on pencil cases and mugs.

I feel that when I work I tend to over crowd things and layer lots on to pages which means sometimes certain parts get missed. So I felt that this was my chance to create something simple and minimalistic. I wanted each page to link together and for you to be able to understand my thought process without it having to be explained.

I am really happy with the outcome and think that it rounds the project off well.

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Creating my Cushion

I have loved the whole process of creating my cushion, as nervous as I was because I didn’t want to mess it up I have thoroughly enjoyed trying out new things and experimenting.

On the front of my cushion I wanted to add lots of texture as I felt that it would make sense seen as my theme was forest fungi. At first I was really struggling with ideas as I felt I wasn’t knowledgeable in what the sewing machines could do. However after speaking to Maggie and looking and hearing about how the samples on the wall in the stitch room where made I started to envision how my cushion could potentially look.

I spent a long week in the stitch room them creating the front of the cushion. I didn’t want it to be flat looking so I started off by applique. I used this process on some of the mushrooms this allowed me to use one of the larger machines with all the options of different stitches to add depth to them. I also used this same method for the butterfly to add pattern to the wings. For the centre fungi I decided to used the fringe foot to create these loops. I really love this part of the cushion I think that it works so well and brings in the right about of texture that I was looking for. The fringe foot loops also resemble my original drawing so it was cool that I was able to recreate that but adding lots of texture.

Other parts of my cushion where more simple such as the hand stitch around the edges of the leaves. I did this so that they didn’t look so flat to the cushion and that it would give them more definition. I use added French knots to the clouds as I felt that when placed together they looked fluffy and cloud like. I find that when I hand stitch things I get very impatient because I have to take my time and make sure everything is just perfect.

The last method the I used on the front of the cushion was the cording foot. I used this on the stems of the mushrooms. I feel that I chose the colours of the threads well for this part and was pleased with how well it fits in.

Moving on to the back of the cushion, I used the digital stitch machine for this to create the underside of a mushroom. I love the back of the cushion I am so pleased with every aspect of it. The colour thread that I choose really compliments the green background but also ties in really nicely with the front of the cushion. I enjoy how the edges of each individual mushroom over lap slightly as I feel it makes the look of it more all over and not spaced out. I find the digital stitch machines fascinating and I am looking forward to using them more in the future.

The actual putting together of the cushion was really nerve racking as I didn’t want anything to go wrong. When we made the mock up cushions in calico I felt more at easy as it wasn’t the real thing. This was my first time creating a cushion so everything was very new to me and I had to learn and understand how each step would them come together and create a cushion. Putting in the zip was the most difficult part and also overlocking. I found overlocking a little bit difficult as I cant move my left arm smoothly with the fabric to feed it through due to my disability however with some practice I started to figure out how I could do it in a way that works well for me and started to feel more confident about using the machine. Also the overlocking machine is very fast so it was hard to work out how to get the speed of everything right.

Overall I am so happy of the outcome, obviously there a slight imperfections that I can see that I would change for next time for example with the cording I would have made sure I had gone right to the very tops of the stems. However for a first cushion I really did put all my time and energy in to it to make the best it could be and I feel that I have achieved this.

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Receiving my Fabrics & First Workshops after Easter

Throughout the Easter holidays my fabrics that I had sent off to Fashion Formula arrived. I was super excited to open them and see how they turned out. I was really pleased with the out come as they were better than I thought they would be, I was pleasantly surprised. However I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t afford the type of fabric that I wanted but I guess this is something to bare in mind for my next project. I now know how much it cost to print fabric and how long it takes to put together a perfect repeat, this has given me an insight in to how much I need to be prepared for future hand ins so I can allow myself room for mistakes.

The first workshop back after Easter was a Photoshop Workshop on how to put your patterns on to objects. I found this a really useful as there was only 2 of us in the lesson meaning that the class was more personal and I could have more 1 on 1 time to ask any questions or queries. The task that we were set was difficult and feel that it is something that needs a lot of time and assistance to make perfect. Hopefully these techniques will all come with practise.

Tuesday we were told about the next couple of task that we had yo complete which was to create a lookbook and an interiors board. At the start I wasn’t sure what this was but I had a crit and all my questions were cleared up quickly. Sian was also supportive of my ideas that I have on sewing into my samples and cushions which then gave me the motivation to start creating.

I went in to the workshop and spent the day using the digital stitch machine to create my first design on to one of the sides of my cushion. I was so pleased with the outcome, there were a couple of small mistakes which were easily fixable which was lucky. I am looking forward to creating the other side of the cushion and seeing the final outcome.

 

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Finalising my Pattern Collection

Everything is starting to come together now as we head towards the Easter holidays. I have finalised my pattern collection and created 1 hero design 2 secondary designs and 3 blenders that I believe all work well together and coincide with each other well.

I have also been working really hard in the stitch room to create designs that can be sewn in to my samples to add depth and texture. This is my favourite sample so far it is a repeat motif created through digital stitch.

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