Forming a collection

During this unit i have been introduced to a number of print techniques and i have tried to experiment with them all to produce a range of samples with different qualities. I have worked mostly in an intuitive manner, focusing on colour and line quality/ mark making and responding sensitively to the samples as i am working.

My task now is to gather a final collection of prints, to include screen, digital and hand processes, that work together and communicate my theme and colour mood well. Below are a few examples from my collection. 

I really like the subtlety of this print, i used discharge paste on a dip-dyed background. It has an organic and quite worn feel.

Here i used collage and pen. I enjoyed working by hand as i could build layers and play with scale and shape easily.

This is another discharge print, i found the technique quite magical as the colours and full pattern are only revealed after steaming and hanging. This does however mean i couldn't achieve an exact match to my colour reference.

Overall i feel i have explored a good variety of techniques and ideas through out this project. However i could have developed my work further by combining techniques more and working onto different surfaces.

Mary Katrantzou

I really admire Mary Katrantzou as a designer. Her use of colour is always exciting and her print designs dynamic and absorbing. I think her work is a particularly good example of print in fashion; the print placement works harmoniously with the shape of the garments.

Inspired by Mary Katrantzou, I wanted to create some samples that have a sense of perspective; to give my work depth and reflect my theme of trails and tracks.

(Above: screen print and dip dye, cotton.  Right: digital design, own photography)

       

I feel the digital design is the more successful, the image had a nice quality to begin with and I could achieve a subtle blending of colours using photoshop. I could imagine this print on a garment or as a stand alone piece. 

Composition and Colour

This week I have been working in the print room, developing my ideas into samples. I chose an advertisement for Prada s/s 13 as a colour reference because I liked the variety of colours and tones in it. My aim has been to communicate the colour "mood" of the image by considering colour combinations and proportion.

For this sample I layered the same motif in a random fashion, I think the colours reflect my reference image well and the print has a good depth to it.

 

Dip dying fabrics to use as backgrounds meant I could achieve a greater complexity of colour in the samples above. I used two colours at once which softens the images a bit and gives a nice quality. I also experimented with masking some areas to create a new pattern and contrast between sharp lines and organic shapes. 

I feel I have made a good start with my sampling but need to start to work with different fabrics and techniques to get a good range in my collection. 

Sketchbooks v Blogs

Mondays lecture from Kate Egan was about sketchbooks and blogs and how best to use each of them. I found it helpful in understanding the role they play in the progression of a project.

A sketchbook:

Is a repository for information
Add to daily and keep referring back to throughout
Can include drawing, photos, found imagery, contextual inspiration and notes
Is for 'working out', generating ideas and making connections between them

As well as a sketchbook, an inspiration wall/ installation of collected imagery and objects is good to work from. I pinned up a selection of my visual research and colour inspiration, it is helpful to take bits out of the sketchbook and be able to see it while i work.

The reflective blog:

Is objective, a way of 'stepping back' and reviewing your work critically.
Should contain your best ideas and work, filtered from the sketchbook.
Sums up where you're at/ your thoughts at that point in the project and helps to navigate your way forward.
Is good professional practice and is organised

Following this lecture i feel i could get more from these tools, particularly my sketchbook. I need to not be afraid to start filling the pages and remember to keep annotating as i go; making it part of my daily routine. Kate also mentioned that to become good at drawing you need to practice everyday, even just doodling on a napkin.

Langlands and Bell

"Air Routes" is a series of work by artists Ben Langlands and Niki Bell. I first came across their animation- Air Routes of the World in the Diagrams exhibition in the Holden Gallery. There is also a collection of prints on the same theme.

(screen print- Air routes of Europe)

The works are generated from international flight plans, showing routes between air ports. They have cleverly used data to give an alternative view of the world; visualising daily activity that wouldn't otherwise be seen. The patterns created are interesting, dense clusters in regions where flights are more frequent, the lines then reaching out to farther flung places. I think the simple black on white and white on black makes them really striking, almost like constellations.

The idea of leaving a trail or trace of where we have been is something i'm interested in for my project.