Unit X weeks 5 and 6

Over the past fortnight, I have focused mainly on developing my collaged designs into fabric samples. One of the main points of feedback from the previous unit, was that when I translated my designs from my sketchbook onto fabric and paper, some of the detail and nuance was lost. To try and avoid this, I drew thumbnails and planned my designs before going into the print room, as I feel that going in with a plan is crucial to me creating prints which work together as a collection. I have realised that if I don’t plan before hand, I don’t know where to start, so just start layering up screens, without any vision for how they will look.

Sketchbook pages of thumbnails to aid screen printing.

The beginning of this week was spent preparing and handing in my wallpaper designs for the i-Dott competition, submitting my proposal for New Designers and making my screens for using in the print room on Thursday and Friday. I also decided to do some laser cutting, as I felt that my samples in the last unit which were flocked and embellished onto using stitch, flock and Perspex worked really well. This is an element that I would like to continue developing with my samples, as I feel that they convey the playful and experimental approach which I take to sampling in the final outcomes. However, this worked with varying levels of success during Practice, so I will aim to make sure for this body of work, that where I use embellishment, it enhances the colour, shape and detail of the designs.

Laser cut and dyed embellishments.

Sample stitched and embellished with perspex.

Throughout this project, I have been continuing to make collages. This is one of my favourite aspects of the process, as I enjoy working with paper and layering it up to create texture. I continued to work on A2 and A1, as my collages seem to work best on a large scale. I worked on developing bold shapes as well as more ditsy designs, as I think the abstract style of my collage is not often seen in ditsy prints. I will carry on collaging until the end of the project, as it really helps me to continually come up with new ideas and compositions.

continued collaging.

Being in the print room made me consider composition a lot more, by taking elements from the collaged work and adapting them for fabric. I worked mainly with stencil paper which I think brought the collaged effect of the paper work onto the fabric which I definitely wanted and think worked well. I combined this with screens which had all over prints such as dots and semi-circles, and this was an effective way to amalgamate the bold and the ditsy elements. I chose to use a textured cotton to print onto in a rustic, off white shade. This was because I wanted to convey the natural effect of jute or a sack from a farmer’s market, without actually using a material like jute as it wouldn’t take the pigment dye very well. I found this fabric worked well and will continue to use it as I develop my designs.

some of my samples from the print room.

My aim for the outcome of this work has evolved over the last week. Initially I saw the work as being a straightforward printed fabric and paper collection. Now, I am planning to design specifically for a homeware context, particularly table runners, napkins, tablecloths, tea towels as well as wallpaper. My vision for the samples will be to photograph them as though from a homeware catalogue for my portfolio. Whether I manage to produce every one of these items remains to be seen, but for those I can’t screen or digitally print, I will visualise.

To push my sampling, next week I will be screen printing a length of fabric to make into a table runner. This will be a challenge, as I found it really difficult to make the repeat screen itself, and don’t usually turn my samples into final pieces, but I am looking forward to creating an actual item rather than just headered samples. I plan for these samples to be flocked, but not embellished with Perspex as I don’t feel that this is practical for homeware.

Alongside this work, which I will be creating for my portfolio and final assessment, I am developing panels (from the same body of research) for the degree show. My plan is to have several panels. Ranging in size from A3 to A1, each an individual, one-off design. These will be flocked and embellished with Perspex. To give them a hand-made feel, I will be using reactive dyes to paint onto the fabric, giving it a bespoke effect. Again, this will be a challenge, especially as I don’t normally work at such a large scale with fabric, but I am looking forward to being really playful with these panels.

Next week, I will be spending much of the week in screen printing and laser cutting to test my large-scale samples. I’ll be working digitally to create more designs inspired by my screen prints, and will also begin drawing abstract florals, as I am planning to develop another body of drawing and design work, in the same abstract style, but inspired by botanicals.