Third Year: Project 1, Week 1

After handing in the summer project on the first day back, I was keen to get on with the new project. The brief was taken from a competition held by the Society of Dyers and Colourists and was titled ‘Nature and Colour’. Unlike any of our previous projects, this one has a three-week timescale.

Initially I was daunted by the short length of the project, and in the first week I feel that I wasted a lot of time trying to come up with a concept which was neither too simplistic, nor too ambitious. I believe my initial apprehension led me to interpret the brief quite literally, so, inevitably perhaps, my first instinct was to gather colourful floral primary research.

I went to Fletcher Moss botanical gardens to take photographs and sketch, but left feeling uninspired, as this is a source of inspiration I have drawn upon in several previous projects and feel as though I have exhausted for the time being. I also went to the Manchester Museum to gather some more natural history nature inspiration, and this generated ideas around fossils, rocks and botanical drawings, however I didn’t pursue those ideas in enough depth, because I felt pressure to come up with an idea quickly.

Floral and natural inspiration from Fletcher Moss and the Manchester Museum.

With that in mind I carried on researching colour and flowers online, in books and in florists. I tried to hone my focus in on leaves but was still unsatisfied with my drawing outcomes.

The time constraint was definitely playing on my mind, and having reached the end of the week, I realise that I let it narrow my thinking and inhibited my ability to experiment and research thoroughly. As well as this, I have realised that a week is actually quite a long time, and with an open mindset can be plenty of time to explore ideas and within three, a well-rounded, if not finalised, body of work could be achieved.

Initial drawing responses.

My drawing towards the end of the week has led me to the idea of doing a black and white project. By interpreting the brief too literally, I thought that colour needed to mean bright and vibrant, when in fact it could be construed as monochromatic. I intend to start afresh, without discarding the work I have already done, by exploring the structures and forms of plants, instead of just drawing a green leaf or pink flower. I will edit my photos to hone in on the linear aspects of plants, and plan to use the restriction of a black and white palette to emphasise the geometric formations of plants and organisms from nature.

I would also like to develop the natural history inspiration in more depth.