Print Rooms

Starting in the print rooms I have been mixing dyes and pastes to start experimenting with. I have used a blue palette combing royal blue, cobalt/electric blue, deep navy and intense black. Using DS acid dyes so that I continue with discharge within my printing. 

Contemporary Whitework

Front cover of contemporary white work

I am developing a growing interest in embroidery and I want to spend this project learning new techniques and expanding on my existing skills. I have taken a strong interest in traditional techniques especially white work. I want to combine this into my contemporary designs, so I have been researching Tracey A Franklin and her work. Being a specialist embroiderer trained at the Royal School of needlework; I enjoying researching both her career and work, taking special interest in one of books 'creative whitework' written with Nicola Jarvis. which I have found really informative of the background of white work and very easy to read instructions of how to create each stitch.

 http://tracyafranklin.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Below are some example's of traditional embroidery from the book. The first is shadow work and the second Ayrshire needlework.

 

 

 

Selecting fabric

 

 

Today I have started with sourcing fabrics, or selcting and testing my sourced fabrics. I want to use natural fabrics that hang well and hold a nice shape. Mixing light wools, a variety of silks and even velvet; I want to display a diverse mix of texture among my fabric choices creating a layered effect within my collection. 

Inspiration bay

This is my Inspiration bay, which is basically where I will pin everything that inspires me; from photographs to magazine clippings, ongoing work and personal notes and reminders. Working mainly from my bay and the print rooms, I enjoy my bay when its like this and full of colour, imagery and texture.

Drawing started

Getting into my drawing now, ive started by collecting objects and creating still life set-ups to get my visual research started.
Starting with some georgous graph paper, and a collection of media. The excitement of this project is setting in.

Starting Point

Colour palette

 

 

 

Ive started work on my colour palette. as I've mentioned I've had all summer to research this project so I really worked on creating a perfect palette for my project. First I spent a few weeks gathering colour swatches, from fabrics, paint charts, paint tester's, natural foliage and packaging. I then selected which I preferred and organised my palette. I think it works really well, with a  mix of dusty pastels covering the bulk and hints of saturated hues as accent colours.

 

 

 

 

 

Minor Project

I have just entered my final year studying for my BA hons degree in Textiles and Surface design. I intend to use this blog as a platform to display my work and record my progress.
I am starting my minor project which I have been researching all summer, I've decided on a basis of a surreal and distorted nature combined with a sketchy outlook of the mundane. Loosely naming the project 'Escapism', Ive gathered visual research from anything and everywhere making it quite difficult to be themed, but i want to concentrate on development and how to combine all the different elements into an embellished fashion fabrics collection.