Posts

Posted on

Digital Print

I used digital print for some of my repeating patterns for this project.

Digitally printing from fashion formula is really easy and simple to do, all you have to make sure is that you have save your pattern tile in the correct format so it will upload on their website easily.

They have a huge range of fabrics that you can chose from and loads of different sizes. You can also change the scale of you pattern before you order it which is useful to see how it looks.

Here is a photo of the fabrics i printed img_5821

 

Posted on

Creating my Look Book

I was putting off creating my look book for ages as i knew that i needed to make sure everything was perfect and that i had to use InDesign to create it on which i had forgotten how to use.

When i eventually sat down and put my mind to it, it was easier to create than i thought it would be. I actually had a good time making it and seeing all my patterns come to life through the CAD mock up that i created.

I wanted to keep the layout of my look book very simple and slick thats why i chose to fill pages with my CAD mocks and place them over double spread pages so you could really see and focus on what i had done rather than being distracted with too many things on one page.

I found the editing of the CAD mock ups difficult and feel that this is something that i need to work on to get right in the future. I also struggled with how i should approach the wording, i wasn’t sure if i was supposed to word it as if it was a magazine and sell my patterns or tell the audience my journey and what i had created.

Below is a link to my final finished look book!!

LOOKBOOK

Posted on

Editing The Crowns Designs Colours

I knew from the beginning that i wanted to use the fabric sample that i had made in digital stitch, but it didn’t fit in with my colour pallet and when i tried to incorporate it it just stuck out.

I tried different ways of editing the design in Photoshop and i came out with two outcomes. The first outcome i had  i really like as you could still see the detail of the stitches and that it was fabric however the colours weren’t exact so it still didn’t quite fit in properly. The second outcome had the exact colours so it worked well with my other designs but you lost some of the detail that was created from the stitches.

I used the sample that had the exact colour pallet on as it worked really well with my other designs.

Below you can see the original fabric sample and they the two edited pieces.

Posted on

Creating my Boarder Design

I was really struggling at the start to think of ideas of what to do for my boarder design, but after having a teams meeting with Maggie i realised that i could use my paper manipulation and turn it into a boarder design.

I have been really busy doing lots of paper manipulation so choosing my favourite section to transform was difficult. I want the boarder to be uniformed so i chose a section that i could repeat around the edge easily.

I think that this design would work well as a diary cover or maybe on a card with writing in the middle. Baring that in mind i them created a CAD Mock up of it to see where i was correct. Here is my design and the mock up.

Posted on

Week 3 -Working on my collections

This week has been a very busy week where i have been generating loads of patterns to try and complete my collection.

Monday was a very productive day where i created some patterns that i was really pleased with and feel that they work well with my other patterns. I made sure that all the colours were matching to my colour pallet so that the designs would all link and flow.

Tuesday i hit a bit of a brick wall with my collection as i just couldn’t work out how to integrate one of my fabric designs into my collection. I was also struggling with what to do for my final blender design. I had a tutorial with Helen and this then helped me clarify my ideas and i was able to envisage what i needed to do and how to get there.

Wednesday was another busy putting in to action all of my new ideas. I generated a few more patterns that i thought worked as blenders but there was still something that was bothering me. I decided to sleep on it and see what Thursday would bring.

Today I have finally finished my collection and I am very pleased with how it is looking. I feel that the transformation of what the collection looked like at the end of term 2 to now is massive. I have changed everything and learnt so much about myself and how i work.  I definitely need to take more time with what i am doing and be patient with the process, to keep working on things and not to be satisfied if i think something doesn’t quite work.

Attached are my final collection Boards

Posted on

Week 2 – Creating Patterns

This week I really wanted to focus on my collection board that I have now named Lucky Gems. This board was miss matched and had too much going on, I kept three of the original patterns that I had made in part two which were based on gems but changed two of them from secondary patterns to blenders.

This left me with two secondary patterns and a bender pattern to make. I spent a long time making loads of different patterns in different colour combinations and layouts. This took me all week before I had finally come to a combination of patterns that I felt worked well together.

Bellow is my new Pattern Board – Lucky Gems

Lucky Gem Pattren Board JPEG

 

Posted on

Term 3 – Feedback

My tutorial at the beginning of this term was really informative, we spoke about my collection and how I could make lots improvements.

Some of the comments where

  • that I had too many of the same motifs in one collection
  • the colours needed to all be the same throughout both collections
  • when creating a digital portfolio make sure the background colours work
  • look at scale
  • swap some patterns from secondary’s to blenders

I took all these comments on board and started to look at my collection and see the errors and how they didn’t quite work. I took out the patterns that I thought didn’t work and kept my favourites. This then meant that i had 7 new patterns to create. I knew that this was going to be challenging as I was happy with my collection before the feedback but I could see my errors and wanted to improve to make sure everything was coordinated.

Posted on

Self Reflective Statement

Self-Reflective Statement – Making Connections Project Two, Spiritual Journey

Over the course of project two I feel that I have really grown as a designer, at the beginning I was struggling to get the concept and to work out what pathway to take designer or maker. At the start the thought of making a collection of 12 was daunting but as soon as I found my rhythm the designs were made with ease and they just flowed. I feel I have finally found the process in how I like to work and how I get from mood boards to motifs to patterns.

My overall outcome is two collections of 6 that focused in on the two-star signs which are Leo and Libra. The reason I narrowed my project down to two-star signs was because I thought it would be easier to focus on rather than 12. I felt that for Leo, and Libra I had the most motifs and drawings so could work well and develop them further. Both collections have 3 fabric pieces and then 3 paper-based pieces. Throughout this project I was designing for a stationary company ARK Colour Designs, there work is bold, bright and funky. Within my collections I have tried to keep this in mind by using a similar colour pallet to them. They also use metallics and foiling so on my stitched samples I wanted to use shiny fabric and threads. It has been harder to incorporate the shiny foiling on the paper designs, perhaps if the circumstances were different, I could have screen printed the foils on top to add texture and depth.

At the beginning of the project I was worried how I was going to turn my line croquis drawings into final pieces. Usually I am quite a hands-on workshop maker but for this project I felt designing my collection on photoshop would create the best outcome. Photoshop is a software that I find daunting and confusing so to have produced fabrics and croquis’ that I am proud of was an achievement. I feel confident is the small skill base that I now have that I could use photoshop more often to create more pieces.

Going on the London trip also opened my eyes hugely to the design world and my position within it.it showed me how broad the market it is and how I feel that I would like to be part of the interiors side of design perhaps rather than stationary. I have enjoyed looking in ti stationary but think that in future I would like to explore the interiors world. Whilst at the design show I particularly liked Emma Shipley’s work it is so detailed and beautiful. It has made me want to learn how to add more detail to my photoshop designs so they don’t look as flat on the screen.

When choosing the fabric for my fashion formula prints, I wanted them to look glossy and luxurious that’s why I went for a glossy satin finish. Unfortunately, printing is expensive so I could afford all of them in this fabric. I also purchased a gift wrap sample as I thought it would tie in nicely with my company being stationary based. I feel that the gift wrap and the diamond pattern work so well.

During part two I moved in to doing a lot of digital stitch whereas before I was very much based in the print room dying and screen printing. If there was more time, I would have combined all theses techniques to create my pieces. However, I really enjoy digital stitch and the different aspects of it. I feel that you can create clean sharp motifs that add depth and texture to your work. I have enjoyed experimenting and learning new tips and tricks I would really like to carry this on in the future to make more complex designs. Another technique that I have been practising is my hand embroidery skills, I usually find this a slow time consuming process but since having more time within this project and the sun being out I think I have found a new hobby. Due to being restricted to not having the workshops I feel that I would have definitely explored lots of new techniques to create my patterns in them.

Overall, I feel that this project has been a whole load of mixed emotions despite this I feel that I have really grown in to becoming and thinking more like a designer. My pathway was unclear at the beginning of this project and I was apprehensive about the project but as soon as I began and got my head round things everything became clearer.

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started