Adornment- Week 3

This week, I have been illustrating my final designs and I have concluded that my print should be in the form of typography that goes from two dimension to three dimension, which has been inspired by Andrea Ferrandis. I had decided to use my designs for typography because I wanted to link my work to the Graphic Design degree that I want to apply for.

I have decided to create two letters in order to show the viewer my intentions of creating a sample for the alphabet. I have also explored ways of producing my final design, which includes layering cardboard and Styrofoam; I was considering using wood in order to create a solid effect, however, Charlie (3D workshop technician) suggested Styrofoam because it is easier to manipulate and it can still create a solid structure.
I have carefully spread out a plan to create my final piece. Monday, I finished producing my final illustrations. Tuesday, I cut the Styrofoam and smoothed it with sandpaper. Wednesday, I painted the background onto my fabric. Thursday, I printed my pattern on top of my background, and I pinned the fabric onto the Styrofoam. This is effective because I have considered the amount of time required for the paint to dry, and I have also made sure to cut the Styrofoam first, just incase the measurements change; I was able to calculate how much fabric I needed for each letter based on the size of the surface letters.
I am please with how my final piece turned out because it relates to all the artists that I have been looking at, and the vibrance of the colors makes the  typography stand out and the viewer feels attracted to it. I dislike this print however because I have used more white in the background than my previous sample, which has made the pattern blend into the background and has made the print appear a bit rough. I have found pattern cutting the hardest because my surface letters are an awkward shape and you need to fit the fabric around it tightly without any folds.
Additionally, I have also been life drawing, which mainly focusses on the details in the model's face using charcoal and chalk. During the life drawing session, I was mostly drawn towards the detail in the hair due to the fine strands of hair and the amount of shading and tone that needs to be included. We were given one hour to draw, and when we had five minutes left, my lecturer advised me to pay attention to the rest of the face in order to create balance. I added as much shading to the face as I could, however, I don't think I have emphasized the cheek bones correctly. In order to improve, I will attempt to spread out my timings more, so the drawing as a whole looks balanced.
Next, I am going to have a week of progression, which focusses on filling in my university application, and I am hoping to work on my sketchbook during the week;

Penzance

This week, I have been in Penzance as part of a college trip, which involved looking at galleries and sketching the scenery. I decided to collect as many photos as possible in order to use it as a reference for other sketches. This week was set as a one week project, which focused on the main characteristics of Cornwall, and I decided to pay my attention to the color; I admired the strong vibrant colors of the countryside and I wanted to take advantage of it. 

As I started going through this project, I began to get more attracted to the Cornish waters because of the natural movements, the color and the way the surroundings naturally blend with it.

At the end of the week, after collecting all my primary resources, I was set a task to paint on three tiles. I decided to use the drawings as a reference for my paintings mainly because the hostel had no computers to show my photos and my camera was low on battery.

My first tile was a painting of St. Michael's Mount, which was produced using acrylic paint and a paint brush; I would have preferred to use oil [paint because it has a richer pigment, however, the college wouldn't of had enough room to put them, and they are expensive for the college to provide.
My second tile was mixed medium because all the palette plates were put in the bin and I spent most of my time on my first tile. I used pencils in order to draw a rough outline of the boat, and to create a clear transparent reflection in the water.
And the third tile was an accident. I was doing the under coatings of the tiles because I didn't want the wood to soak in all the paint, and I wanted my paintings to be clear. As I was painting these undercoats, the paints got mixed up and now it looks like a shore in Cornwall; I wanted to keep this third tile as it was because it Cornish colors were present and it reminded me of the fog covering the shore that same day.

I enjoyed this trip to Penzance because I was able to get to know the people on my course as well as being able to make new friends, and I think this has enabled me to be more confident with socializing and interacting with people; before this trip, I always felt that I needed to be invited into a conversation and relied on others to make me apart of a group. I have enjoyed looking at Cornwall's beautiful scenery and walking through the villages.

On another note, I disliked the trip because some people on the course decided to get drunk every night and gather everyone into the room next door from mine, which was inconvenient, however, it gave me a chance to get to know the people that weren't as social as other students of the course.

Next, I am going to continue with my previous project and attempt to illustrate my designs. I will also keep my sketchbook from Penzance and consider using the resources and artists that I have collected. One thing I think I could have improved on was making all my tiles vibrant in color rather than focusing all my time onto one tile; part of this project was to focus on color and I don't feel that I have taken full advantage of Cornwall's natural beauty. In order to improve, I should have balanced my time more effectively and use the painting that was in my sketchbook, which was an image of St.Ives' shore.

Week 2- Adornment

Last Friday, I managed to hand in my screen print, which was inspired by high tech architecture, and Richard Sun's work enabled me to think about how I could use this movement as repetitive patterns. I decided to design a background for my screen print because I didn't want my final piece to be plain and I wanted my piece to build up layers, like Christopher Wool's artwork.

During the week, I decided to experiment with Christopher Wool's use of color and use it for my background, but I wasn't too sure what markings to make or how it should look like, so I went into more research and became inspired by Cody Hooper's use of natural form, which I tried to interpret into my own work.

The two prints are my two most successful pieces of work because of the use of tone and the way the colors balance the print as a whole. I also like these prints because they allow the architectural pattern to come through without blending into the background.

Additionally, I have also been through a workshop in life drawing, which involved drawing the model in three different positions and connecting each position to a stick he is holding. I started off using chalk, so it would be easier to overlayer my drawings. Then I used chalk to create strong outlines, and I also used graphite pencil to create detail and depth. I preferred using graphite pencil because I enjoy paying attention to detail, and I think I was mostly drawn towards the model's hair due to the shading, highlights and hair strands that needs to be considered. I think I am becoming more comfortable with life drawing because I realise how much it is improving my drawing skills and my use of perception, which is a tranferable skill for illustrating my designs or collecting primary resources.

Next, I need to choose a design that most appeals to me and then think about how I am going to use this print in my final piece. I have been thinking about linking this project towards visual communication because I want to strengthen my portfolio for when I apply for university. I will research more artists and see how I can apply my designs in relation to what I want to do (Graphic Design). I am unable to continue with this project this week because I am traveling to Penzance for a college trip, so I will need to backtrack to where I left off and make a note on what I am focusing on and what I need to do for the last week of this project. One thing I do need to also consider is annotating my sketchbook because I have organized where everything needs to go , however, I haven't had time to do any writing, so I will also write out a plan and attempt to balance everything.

Adornment- Week 1

This week, I have been introduced to a new project, which is a taster course in fashion textiles and surface design, and the brief is called adornment. Adornment means beautification, and I am considering reusing materials and giving it a chance to start a new life.
I was given an artist called Christopher Wool and an architecture movement called High Tech, which acts as my starting point to the project and has been done in order to challenge my problem solving skills, which is a transferable skill in a designing career. After much thought I have decided to combine these two contrasting styles by using the same colors Christopher Wool uses (red, white, grey, black, and blue), and I am making use of the architectural patterns.
I have been through a printing workshop, which combines image and blank screen printing. I prefer my second print because it is related to  the architecture I was given and it has sections of abstract art.
I have also done a life drawing session using graphite pencil, which was easy to use and it creates bold outlines. For this session, we were looking at the way fabric droops around the model, which is a transferable skill for illustrating fashion. I like this drawing because of the detail in the face and the way the hair strands are defined. My tutor advised me to focus on putting detail into the face and working downwards because an illustration is supposed to have personality, so the viewer knows who the individual is and what type of person the product is for. I dislike it however because it feels incomplete, making it in-balanced and unnatural.
I have also completed my sewing introduction, which has enabled me to experiment with my ideas. I started off using an embroidery hoop with a sewing machine, which I found difficult to control because you have to make sure the fabric is tight and the hoop needs to remain flat. I have decided to create triangular shapes in order to emphasize the geometric patterns within high tech architecture. I have also cut out smaller triangular shapes and added it to my free hand embroidery in order to add colors inspired by Christopher Wool. I like this design because it relates to my architecture and my artist, and it also goes with the theme adornment because I am re-using fabric and giving it a new purpose. I also like this design because it is playful and attractive to the viewer. I might consider using this technique in my work because it is colourful and has different techniques used within this work. However, I am leaning towards using screen printing because I want to build up my printing skills for the Graphic Design Degree that I am hoping to be apart of next year. In addition to building up my portfolio, I have decided to transform this fashion/ textiles project in my favor and make it relevant to visual communication. I plan to do this by designing a pattern and shaping it in the form of typography, which demonstrates I am able to be adaptive and it will strengthen my portfolio.
Next, I am going to design an image for a silkscreen and explore how I can play with this design. I also think I need to start researching more artists because I am required to have a minimum of six artists. I can start by researching how I am going to transform my patterns into typography and what textures I could use.