Practice Unit Evaluation

The Practice Unit for me has been very eye opening in terms of what I aim to achieve. Since the start of second year I began focusing on digital print and really forgot how much I love screen printing. Half way through this unit I decided to create a whole screen print collection from imagery I was already developing. Although this was a challenge for me I really wanted to do it and I believe this is why it was successful. I made the most of my time in the print room by prepping everything before hand; pigments, stencils, fabrics etc. This allowed me to have more time to experiment and create effective prints. In the future I won't be as quick to jump straight to digital printing, and I would really love to try the combination of both again and make it work.

I feel as though I came to quite a few stand stills with this project, and had to try a few things before finding a way forward including changing colours, deciding to incorporate screen print and developing drawings and photographs. Although not all of these took me forward each time, I definitely see this as a learning curve because I can now recognize what works for me and what might not. I also contemplated changing my concept or starting completely new drawings at a few points, however I kept reworking what I already had and trying new things. I am now happy with my outcomes and I am glad that I stuck to it and didn't disregard the work I had.

I would have liked to have done some more contextual research during this unit. I have taken inspiration from artists and while designing and from designers while shaping garments, however I feel I may have focused too much on particular inspirations rather than broadening what I am looking at. In past units I have definitely had more influences to back up my decisions which makes me regret not doing more research this time. Regardless of this, I don't think my time has been wasted but has more been occupied doing other things which hopefully will have benefited me in other ways.

One thing I wish I had done during this unit is to be more outward facing. Although I did the Braford and Michael Kidner brief's, I wish I had gone and sourced my own to participate in. I have carried on networking through my textile instagram account and also made decisions based on enhancing my portfolio, however I haven't contacted any companies or applied for internships. One of my goals for Unit X is to really get myself out there and apply for placements and enter competitions. I now feel like I am ready to do this with the back up of my second and third year work.

I haven't yet made a concrete decision on what I would like to do in Unit X, I may take elements of the Practice Unit and develop them, for example I could develop my screen prints and use them to make basic garments. Overall I believe that the Practice Unit has benefitted me in more ways than one, and although not everything has gone right or to plan the lesson in this has been finding a way around an issue.

Second Collection

I started to research geometric prints and garments for my second collection when I came across Holly Fulton. I have loved her as a designer for a long time and her prints are very bold and geometric. Furthermore they sometimes consist of only one or two colours, which is one of the skills I wanted to challenge myself with during this unit. She is a designer for a high end audience, and as I am taking inspiration from her my designs could end up for a high end market too. I normally aim for a high street audience so this could be an exciting change for me and encourage me to think differently about my context.

Holly Fulton draws the designs herself and then digitally manipulates them into patterns that mimic Art Deco inspirations. I want to take inspiration from this as I haven't worked on such a strong, geometric shaped print theme before. I am going to use the same visual research as my digital collection in order to keep my work related to my digital designs.

With Holly Fulton designs as inspiration, I drew up some simple black and white geometric designs from my distortion visual research. Although there are similarities with my digital collection I feel these drawings are different enough to produce a very different outcome. The thicker and bolder lines will hopefully help me imitate Fulton's theme. Furthermore, I am excited to make use of different techniques such as foiling which digital printing cannot do for me.

Change Of Plan

Over the holidays I have been working on my prints and trying to enable them to incorporate both screen and digital print techniques.

I really wanted this idea to work and I tried many different ways of putting imagery together where part could be screen printed and part could be digitally printed. However this hasn't gone as well as I would have liked it to. Although I received positive feedback from my peers I myself am not happy with the outcomes, some of which are below.

I feel that the imagery doesn't work well together and it doesn't portray my distortion theme as well as I would like. I have spent a lot of my time trying to get this to work with (in my opinion) not enough success. Unfortunately because of this I have decided to alter my plans for the unit.
In one of my last tutorials we discussed creating an all new collection from more simple and geometric imagery, taken from the visual research I have already collected. This gave me the idea of creating one digital collection and one screen collection that take my visual research into different directions. This way I can still show skills in both processes, just in two collections instead of one.

I now plan to do some market and designer research for my second collection and begin drawing for screen. For my CP3 Extended Essay I researched the differences between screen and digital printing and the ways in which we can design for both. I am planning on using this research to aid my designing for the two different printing methods.  

Further Development

Feedback from my presentation included the idea of further distorting the prints I have created already. I decided to do this in the same way in which I distorted the original lines; compression, folding, and as I had samples digitally printed onto fabric, I experimented with draping. I decided to do this using photography as it worked for me so well at the beginning of the project.

I believe re-working my prints was successful because it provided me with a lot more to work from. I have kept on drawing throughout the project and distorting these as I go. Something I hadn't tried already was distorting my images digitally rather than physically. Alex told me about a tool in Photoshop called liquidize, where I can pull parts of the image to distort it. I really like this tool and what it does to my drawings, I think it gives some of the distorted grids a more 3D feel which I like although I hadn't anticipated it.

 I came across an artist called Yvonne Hindle. The mixture of colours in her work is really effective and looks similar to the liquidize effect I have been using. In particular I like the way she uses negative space. Sometimes my prints can be very busy and overpowering, looking at Hindle's work has got me thinking I should play with leaving some space blank.

Drawing and Contextual Research

This week I started drawing from the photographs I collected over summer. I like how the drawings have turned out however I want to create a larger library of work that I can keep developing all the way through. 

Below are two images that originally are separate drawings, however I then took them into Photoshop to edit them together. I have found that taking my drawings into photoshop allows me to enhance them without losing the textural quality they have.

I personally like the contrast of the messy distorted drawing with the clean and precise lines of the black and white image. Pairing these together relates to my concept as before something is distorted by glass it appears clear and detailed.
I have always liked collaging as a creative direction and I love experimenting with placement and layering of images. I took to Pinterest to find some more inspiration from artists, but also from designers so that I can get a sense of where these types of prints might fit contextually.

I am very fond of the work of Tracie Cheng. She places thin and detailed line drawings on top of rustic painterly backgrounds, which I think works perfectly. I want to experiment with layering in this way with my drawings.
I also found these garments from Clover Canyon. The reason I like these is because the black and white lines and geometric shapes are placed with much more graphic and colourful images. Again I want to experiment with this in my work and also play around with colour.
In terms of contextual direction, I aim to design garments for High Street consumption. I'd like to design for this market because I like the idea of creating something that can be worn in everyday lives and isn't over expensive.

Unit X | Starting to Design

This week we started to take our ideas and turn them into actual designs. Me and Pipp are used to just sampling fabrics and materials, so this is another step further for us. I have previously experimented with placing prints onto very plain and basic garments however I haven't yet designed my own in such detail.

I really enjoyed designing different outfits. I started by drawing templates in order to put in different prints in different places and experiment with placement and tones. During our tutorial with Louise, she told us about range plans and showed us Prada 14 as an example. The collection followed a certain set of trends or elements and injected them into various different garments. For example, they repeatedly used large faces on their designs, imitations of bra shapes on the chest and sports trims. 

I tried to keep this in mind when creating my own designs. I wanted to keep our concept of martial arts in mind at the same time, so I decided to repeat these elements; cross over v-neck, cinching at the waist, culottes, various fabrics wrapped around the body and sheer fabrics. I chose each of these based on martial arts uniforms such as karate jackets and kickboxing shorts.

Unit X | Fashion Collage and Muse

We've had several workshops since Easter with Sarah, which have been focused on fashion illustrations and collages. The first thing we had to do was pick a muse to aim towards and take inspiration. The muse we chose is the lead character of the film 'Stick It'. She is a boyish personality with a lot of attitude and opinion, but also has feminine features and is pretty. This is the mix that we have been trying to achieve in our collection. 

I started by sketching different images of her facial expressions to work and collage from.

 The next step was to collage together some illustrations, trying to locate where different textures might be on a garment or what different pieces might be made of. I particularly tried to work on print placement and scale, using the photographs from the projector work really helped with shape too. I think these went quite successfully considering I've never done them before and felt a bit lost to start with. I realized the trick was to not think about it too much.

Unit X | Stand Work and Design Development

To start off the design process, we decided to look at the structure of martial arts garments that already exist. Nicole purchased a karate uniform online so that we could do some stand work, and pin it in different formations. One of the things we specifically tried to do was see if we could make the bulky/spacious garment look more feminine.
This helped us to picture what kind of garments we might have in our collection.

In our tutorial with Louise she suggested that we test print placement with a projector. After we had our screens sent off we took our chosen motifs to the projector to experiment. Unfortunately because of the projector the edges were blurred, however we could still get a jist of what the print looked like. We might have to try the process again with smaller images on the acetate to see if we can get a well-focused image with better positioning.

Unit X | Digital Editing

Although we aren't supposed to produce digital prints for this Unit, I still want to be able to play to my strengths. Which is why I am choosing to digitally edit my designs before putting them onto a screen to be screen printed.
I'm not sure whether my drawings would be best as repeat prints or placement prints, so I decided to experiment with both so that I can see the designs full potential before putting it onto a screen.

Reducing to one colour edit

Quick Repeat edit

Experimentation - placing drawings together as placement print

Overall I am happy with the experimentation and development that I have created by taking a digital route. After showing my work to Louise she really took a liking to the design above, which is simply an edit of my original drawings. This would definitely be a strong and effective placement print. Next, I plan on experimenting with ways of engineering prints, possibly through using a projector or pinning paper copies to a mannequin.

Locating | Unit Evaluation

The Locating Unit is the first in which we were required to produce both a Self-Initiated Brief and a Live Brief. Producing two sets of work along side each other has been really beneficial for me, and I feel I have produced better work because of it. I thought that I would become stressed and find it difficult, however if anything I have been more relaxed.

 I often get frustrated with my work because of seeing it too much or getting temporarily stuck. Sometimes I need to take a break from it or a step back in order to overcome the issues. Having another project to work on at the same time has meant that I haven't had to stop working to take a breather. When one project came to a stand still, I would work on the other until I was ready to resume both. I also think I made less mistakes because I wasn't doing things for the sake of doing something, I had more time to think about what I wanted to do. My time management has always been one of my strongest points, however I feel like having two projects has helped me improve it massively.

One of the things I feel I could have done more of is new techniques. I have developed my skills in Photoshop which is what I stated I wanted to do when I wrote my brief;  the Mirror-effect, Offset Repeat and Image Editing are a few of the things I have experimented with. However, in a way I wish I could have pushed the boundaries a little more and tried something completely new. I will definitely be pushing myself to do this is Unit X.

Nevertheless, when it comes to processes I have greatly benefited from experimenting with stand work. I find it way too easy to just copy and paste a print onto a garment in photoshop. The stand work made me really consider where the print was going and how it would look on a finalised garment. The anatomical feel to the final collection was largely due to the placements of the prints as a result of using a mannequin. I will definitely be repeating this development process in future units.

One of the learning objectives in this unit was to build networks and contacts as a career development resource. I took part in a Threadless competition and also adapted my self initiated work to fit a Bradford Textiles Association brief. As I said above I felt this was beneficial to me in terms of time management and work load.

In addition to the live briefs, I also decided to create profiles on popular social medias to get my work seen by the outside world. This has certainly been a productive and valuable process for me, as the responses have helped me gain confidence in my work. The positive feedback has enabled me to overcome the fear that people won't like my work and that it isn't good enough, as well as giving me the confidence to send my work to companies or designers.

Additionally, the career development objective pushed me to write and design a creative CV that I can send to companies or use to apply for internships and placements online. My aim is to use this to arrange some placements over summer.

Overall during this unit I think I have come out feeling like I know where I belong in the Textile Industry. Through briefly dabbling in interiors I know that fashion is the right direction for me, and I have also cemented the fact that digital printing is where my strengths lie. The self-initiated brief shows me that I am capable of setting myself useful goals and achieving them. Positive feedback from social media and also from Louise Whitaker makes me think I am ready to connect fully with the outside world and start experiencing it myself through internships and placements.

   

Intentions | Unit Evaluation

The Intentions Unit has been a huge eye-opener for me in terms of the purpose of my work. I have taken a lot of time and done a lot of research on where exactly I see my work going. For the first time I have been making decisions based on the research I have done on fashion and have taken inspiration from real designers that are already out there. Making Inspiration, Consumer and Concept boards has really helped me get my head around what I am doing and where it is going. I have made myself much more aware of what I need to be producing to target the right audience, which I hope will benefit me a lot for the rest of this year and Level 6.

I have also tried to link everything together in terms of concept. I often find it easy to get lost and stray from my original ideas into something completely unrelated. I have tried hard to back everything up and link it throughout. Although I did start with windows and stray from that into textures which in the end took over a little, I see that more as development because I became stuck with the windows concept by itself. In terms of linking my work to contextual practice, I think I have tried to find artists/designers/photographers along the way that relate to what I am doing and why I am doing it. However, I definitely could have had a few more just to make it crystal clear where all of my ideas are coming from. I've learned that I need to document this from the start so that I don't get confused trying to place them later.
When I first think about the Unit and the new processes I have tried, I feel like I haven't experimented anywhere near enough. However I then think about the fact that I have really come to terms with which processes and media work for me. I have really dedicated this unit to progressing digitally, and I have realised this is what I enjoy the most and it plays to my strengths. In a way I have learned countless Photoshop processes which I have documented in a technical file, but aren't as obvious to see when just looking at my work. Nonetheless, I feel like I should have taken a lot more risks with my drawings beforehand, as the only overtly new process I tried was paper making. In comparison to Level 4 my drawings are a lot more thought about and considered, rather than drawing for the sake of drawing.

 The one thing I would say I have done the most successfully in this unit is refining and fixing. Although I didn't take as many risks as I would have liked to I certainly made enough mistakes. I kept stepping back and thinking "Ok, what's wrong and how am I going to fix it". Mind mapping helped me a lot along with asking other people for their opinions. I learned that to be able to criticise yourself its important to be able to take criticism from other people and work on it accordingly. Overall, this unit has been a learning curve for me. I can feel myself becoming more prepared for the outside world and understanding what it will want from me. The key process for me has been refining again and again and finding solutions to what needs fixing in order to produce the best possible outcome.

Intentions | Development

My digital prints came out exactly how I wanted them to, and in some cases a lot better. Although I intended to work on them further in the print room, I found some of them to be lovely enough on their own. This made me wonder whether I should just stick to digital printing...

I screen printed on a few of my samples just to see what the outcome would be, as this might also come out better than I expected. Although there are two prints which I do think were reasonably successful, overall I think the pigment dye on top of light fabrics is too heavy, especially in comparison to the detailed print in the background.

I have decided to now only aim to produce digital prints as this seems to be where my strength lies. Although everything is still mostly screen printed, digital printing is definitely coming through and will probably take over in the future. Even now Photoshop is used to create the separations for screen printing, so developing my digital skills will not go a miss. However, I am still comforted by the fact I can take my designs into the print room if I need to.

On the topic of digital designs, I played around with masks a lot this week. I do like how things came out however the collection as a whole is looking a bit too similar. I want my prints to tie in together but also have some aspects of individuality, which I dont feel they have at the minute. They currently blend into eachother rather than compliment eachother. I'm going to head back into photoshop to come up with some new designs, and also do some more drawings to work with.



Unit X | Working in the Studio

During Unit X we have been able to work in the studio in a way which we never have before. We have always been entitled to putting our work up on the walls but it wasn't exactly instructed. However in drawing and film this is exactly what we have been told to do, and I have very much enjoyed having the experience. 

It is really nice to be able to see other people's work and how they are developing their ideas. I never realized how seeing how my peers are working could inspire me to work harder and show off my work. Normally our work is enclosed in a sketchbook which can be seen by our friends and who we choose to show it to. Having work up on the studio walls enables anyone and everyone to see our work develop. 

I like this way of working as when people walk by you can see their reactions to your wall, and a lot can be shown through facial expressions. When people have a positive response to my work it gives me more confidence. I have also had people come up to me and tell me they like my work, in fact I've received lots of really lovely comments. 

I also find it interesting to be able to see the difference between my wall at the start and at the end of the unit, and the journey it has gone through.