Religion

These are a few images I found in my research of things I want to combine in my project.

Locating

For this project we have to choose our own brief,  after a lot of research I have decided to look at religion, looking at baroque art which are present in religious buildings, also looking at features, pattern and detail present. I'm going to also look at religious figures and also typography which is evident in writings and scriptures. I want to take traditional features of the theme and combine them with graphic montages with bold colours and shapes as seen in new trends.

Intentions Evaluation.

At the beginning of this project, I found it very difficult to get into it and I felt very unfocused.  This was due to the fact I found what I was looking at very uninspiring. I feel like I didn't make use of the first few weeks and missed out on original drawing and experimentation due to not really knowing where my project was going. After extensive brainstorming and primary research, I came up with a final concept. I felt my new idea had a lot more depth and I worked a lot better as I could produce better quality work. My primary research mainly consisted of my own photography and drawings which I then took into photoshop. I concentrated heavily on working with layers and opacity trying to work with various line effects, creating an almost 3D effect. I worked on top of my photographs as I feel this was able to convey the textured details I wanted to retain in my digital prints. I looked at A/W 2013/14 key trends and was really excited with the idea of combining contrasting texture and fabrics. After listening to a talk by Kate Phelan I became really inspired and motivated to try and include some of the ideas she highlighted in my own work.  I concentrated heavily on the fashion side of textiles and created numerous placement prints with garments in mind. The main problem I had throughout this project was trying to combine texture into my 2D prints and illustrations. I worked hard at trying to resolve this by experimenting in the print room. I worked on challenging materials such as leather and wool. I also worked with foil printing, thus bringing the metallic trend to life in the collection, I then furthered this work by scanning the prints and using them in photoshop and in my final illustrations.  

On the whole I have really enjoyed this project, going to all the workshops have really helped me to have a wider knowledge of photoshop and how to use the print room wisely. Even though I haven't used all of the processes, I have made sure I have noted them so I know I can use them in future projects. 

During this project, I feel as if I have found what I get inspired by and what context I want my work to be based on . It has been a massive learning curve, where I have learnt a lot of new skills, techniques and processes which I can take with me and further in projects to come.

Mounted Screen Print Samples.

Here are my Screen and foil prints mounted. I am happy with the way I have laid them out as the colours work together better as a collection. These are my final samples from experimenting in the print room with foil printing and pigment printing on top of challenging fabrics.

Final Illustration Boards.

Here are my two final illustration boards, I have tried to include as many of my final digital prints as possible. I have kept the idea of combining textures by including textured prints in some of the garments. I am happy with the outcome , I feel they are working well as a collection and the colour palette is really evident in each design. I worked hard at trying to include all the key colours of my palette in each print. I printed these onto a matt heavy paper, I am going to display these alongside my colour palette, inspiration/mood board and fabric digital prints.

Metallic Trend. A/W 2013/14

Marc Jacobs

Milly

Paco Rabanne

Few designers that used metallics as a key feature in their A/W 2013/14 collection.

Digital Printer

Today I took my print to Collin to get them printed onto fabric. I chose a crepe fabric as it is quite light and I though it would be a nice contrast to the heavy materials I have been working with in the print room. Below are the 7 prints I chose  to use, I feel they are my favourite final and most resolved pieces.

Foil Printing

I have been experimenting with foil prints, using my motifs on screen and then ironing the foil on top. This creates a metallic effect which I really like. Some prints worked better than others, this was mainly due to the fabric resisting and certain motifs not being bold enough. But after a series of trial and errors I created some prints that I was happy with. I am going to use some of them as backgrounds for pigment printing on top, this meaning I can bring more colours from my colour palette in. I have also scanned these in and I am going to work on top in photoshop. I also kept the foil after I had ironed and peeled them, I like the sheer effect, I am going to try and incorporate these into my digital work. I am also going to layer them on top of coloured fabric to create samples. I have been finding it difficult to combine the idea of texture into my 2D digital prints and illustrations and so I think I have come up with the perfect solution to resolve this.

Experimental Print Samples

Today I was working in the print room, using pigment painting on a range of textured contrasting fabrics. I liked the effect it had on the leather and the jersey material and I could see some of the subtle prints working on jumpers or a skirt. I found it quite frustrating as a lot of my colours didn't work on certain fabrics. I do like the pearl pigment paint I used on the wet look mack material , it gives an metallic reflective effect. I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and use new materials and techniques. I'm not that keen on how the colours have worked out , I feel I have used too much purple and grey so I am going to continue and try to shift the colour balance when I next go in the print room.

Digital Textured Surfaces

After buying a range of fabrics, such as wool, leather, mac wet look material and a range of crepe and silk fabric, I decided to scan them in. I created folds and then used these images as backgrounds for my digital print. I was finding it challenging to translate the textured feel of my collection into digital, I feel this is the perfect solution. Below are a few examples of how these textured backgrounds have worked.

Clover Canyon Spring 2014

Clover Canyon uses clean lines and subtle colours in their spring 2014 collection. Inspired by mid-century Californian architects and artists. This is a prime example of a designer who uses placement prints. They use a wide range of architectural structures combining them with a pastel subtle color palette.

Print Room

Today I was working in the print room I worked with my textured fabrics such as wool and leather. I used pigment Printing on top of them using my colour palette. Above are the motifs I had put on screen. I find the print room quite tiring and challenging. It is very time consuming and I didn't like a lot of the samples I created. This was due to the limited colour I was able to use. I find it very frustrating that I can't undo my mistakes like with photoshop and digital prints.  

Illustration with Print.

After completing my illustrations I put them into photoshop and I have been working on placing my prints onto the garments. I have been playing around with scale and the placement of print on different shapes and textures. I think they work well and it helps to see my work in context. Here are a few examples.

Wet look leather Autumn/Winter 2014.

Burberry Prorsum

Jonathan Saunders 

Topshop Unique

Here are a few designers who used wet look material as a key feature in their A/W 2013/14 collection.

New Prints

I have bee working on some new prints today. I tried to concentrate on the colour palette bringing forward a range of the colours and shifting the colour balance. I also played around with layers trying to make them look detailed and almost 3D. 

Graduate and Placement Fair

Today I went to the Grad fair, it was good to go and speak to employers. I learnt a lot about what kind of things they were looking for in candidates. I got some good tips on what kind of things I should include in my CV. It was a chance to see what businesses were taking on interns. Most were only offering 6-12 months placements, but I talked to Davina Thomas at F&F and she seemed positive about doing work experience. I have connected with her on Linkdin so fingers crossed. I am currently woking on my creative CV, I'm currently in the process of applying for placements. I am trying to keep my options open so I get a wide range of experience.

Fashion Illustration

This week I have been looking at illustrating garments on figures. I wanted to display my audience, who are young fashionable professionals. I wanted to display how my prints would work on a a range of outfits. From casual daywear to office wear to evening wear. I wanted to find a muse that I feel my clothes would work on. I have been looking at Suki Waterhouse who is an actress singer and model and who has recently burst out onto the fashion scene. She is bold with her outfit choices , she isn't too out there but switches up with small details such as a hat or socks.