Floral Geometry - Summer Project work
The summer project title ‘Floral geometry’ really inspired
me. Although it’s a very wide-ranging brief, I was encouraged by the thought of
lots of avenues for experimentation, and the abundance of primary source material
available.
Initial drawings using the left handed techniques learnt in Friday drawing. |
As a printer, there is a risk of becoming derivative when it
comes to florals, as they are such a huge part of the textiles industry. However,
by going out and drawing what I saw in front of me, and employing the techniques
developed during last year’s Friday drawing sessions, I hope to have brought something
individual to the concept of florals.
Rather than try and focus on one idea, for most of the
summer I simply drew. I think this helped me become less hesitant and more
inclined to just pick up a pen and go for it. Whilst this was beneficial at the
start of the project, I think it did limit my use of media somewhat as it progressed. I tended
to gravitate towards Pro-Markers, fine liners and gouache. These are my usual materials
of choice, but because I didn’t have a clear focus within the floral brief I think
my outcomes became a bit samey.
With this in mind, I started experimenting with paper
cutting and a bit of collage which I really loved. Something about the creation
of negative space and stencil like shapes really appeals to me, so I definitely
want to develop paper cutting in the Intentions unit.
Looking back on my summer work, I realise that very quickly I started ‘designing’ rather than just drawing. I need to try and reign this
in a bit and return to a looser style of drawing for the next stage of the
project, otherwise my ideas will run out of steam quickly and I’ll lose
inspiration for the development of my samples.
I was fortunate over the summer to travel to Venice and
Amsterdam, where I was able to experience new environments which were very
stimulating in terms of ideas for drawing. I think the biggest thing I took
away from traveling was the use of colour in my work. Pre-travels, I had been
sticking to a fairly limited gouache and watercolour palette, but the sunshine
and vivid colours I saw abroad (particularly in Italy) encouraged me to be more
adventurous with colour mixing.
Vibrant Flowers in Venice. |
As well as travelling I made the most of some spectacular natural
environments at home in Cumbria. Wordsworth House near where I live has a
beautiful garden which I went to several times in order to draw the abundance
of plants they have cultivated.
Flowers in the Wordworth House gardens. |
One thing I tried towards the end of my summer work was lino
cutting. I’d really like to develop this further this term. I love printing
directly onto paper and can potentially see myself designing for a paper
context.
Lino cutting experimentation. |
My next steps for Floral Geometry and the Intentions unit
will be to focus on a specific theme. The summer has been all about gathering
as much visual research as possible for me and now I intend to refine my work
and draw with more attention to context and theme.
Comments
Post a Comment