Actually got everything done today i had planned! Spent all day scared something terrible was going to happen - things have gone to smoothly. Got my screens cleaned, (which took ages, and hurt my arms) then coated and exposed them. Then got all my fabrics dyed, and even remembered to note down the recipes! Last time a dyed fabrics it took me a whole week to get everything right, but got it all done in about 2 hours today! Definitely going to stick to wools, silks and cottons - dye so much better than synthetics. Tommorow i just need to mix my printing pigments, then im ready to start printing at last!
Didnt get my screens exposed today, but otherwise got a lot done. Im so organised that NOTHING CAN GO WRONG! Even have a plan for tommorow. Expose my screens first, then dye fabrics - should be easier than last time as i know how to mix dye, and what dye for which fabric. Need acid milling or levelling dyes for my 2 different wools and my silk organza, and direct dye for my cotton. While the wool is dyeing (it sometimes takes a while) im going to mix my pigments for printing. Have decided what print goes with what fabric and what colour etc so it shouldnt be to difficult one i get started. I hope, its been a while since i did any screen printing!
These are the kind of ornaments everyone thinks you find in charity shops but you actually dont. Maybe Emma Harding already bought all of them! I found these on Ebay and printed the photos of to draw from - i was running out of time to unsuccessfully trawl charity shops (as much fun as it was!). Still dont have a screen exposed - really running out of time now. Plan for tommorow is arrive in early, photocopy and enlarge the backgrounds i have painted tonight (paint splashes, that sort of thing) then get what i have ready exposed on and maybe expose another screen friday if i need to. Had a really good lecture today from Suzanne Lee, Bio Couture
Just discovered Emma Hardings website ( Charity Shop Orphans ) and its amazing! Her illustrations are so lovely. Think this is my favourite. I need to think up some 'meaningful' quotes like this to appliqué onto my designs (when i actually get some!). Any suggestions welcome! So far i just have 'Poison'! Theory day tommorow, have my tutorial with Caryn, im not prepared at all, have had so much other stuff going on. Cant help but feel that my collection for Indigo is more important at the moment. Hopefully will be able to concentrate more on my essay after Indigo.
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Ok so im not doing graphic photoshop backgrounds anymore! Have enlarged some of my tiny line drawings. Love the chunky look, they look much 'cooler', they were a bit too cute before. For backgrounds i am going to try something a bit more painterly, using black paint and really big brushes and rollers, then just expose them onto the screen like that. Also, still want to use the harlequin pattern, but have done the same thing as with my motifs, drawn it teeny tiny and enlarged it. Highly doubt i am going to be exposing my screen tommorow, have to be monday, yikes!
Went to Polloks Toy museum this morning - at last! Got some really nice photos, i liked these old dolls best, especially the heads. The museum itself is amazing, its 2 old houses joined together, one was built in the 1880s and the other in the 1780s! Wish i'd had more time to look around but had to rush back to uni. Decided on 1 definite design, just need to piece all my different backgrounds, images and colours together to make the other 5 now! Still need to find some more ornaments i think, but i really dont have enough time to trail round 20 charity shops just for 1 ornament. Might have to cheat and get some pictures of the internet or from books to draw from!
Got my fabrics today, well most of them i think! At the top is a nice, slightly textured, stretchy wool from The Cloth House (£20 a metre - ouch!), then silk organza from Borovicks, might need to get more of this, then some brushed cotton which feels like those old lady nighties you get in charity shops, and finally some more wool from the cloth house, this stuff was only £4 a metre and looks amazing when its been through a hot wash, and feels nice and scratchy! Had a tutorial with Kathy today, didnt go so well! Have been so busy getting me Elective done and booking everythnig for Paris that i suppose i havnt spent as much time as i should have on my project. Theory day tomorrow, then lots and lots and lots of drawing on wednesday.
Heres a quick drawing of my favourite beads. They are a really nice jade green colour. Might make a nice edge to a sample, if i did a really long thin drawing. Could cut the fabric loosely round the edge of the beads. Anyway tommorow im going to do some more line drawings of my finds at Haynes Lane. Tried some this evening but i think spending so long on photoshop made my eyes go funny! The cute little bambi looked like a camel! Ok so drawings of bambi, little bottle and patterns on the tiny cup, then maybe photocopy them to think about repeats. Oh yeah need to draw my 'words' aswell. Might just stick to 'POISON' and 'Not to be taken'. Then in the afternoon go to the clothhouse for some fabrics (via Topshop to see if they have the shoes im after in my size!) . Lots of sheer, probably silk organza (might get that from Brovericks or whatever its called) and some thin wool maybe? Then will get any velvet or mettalic fabrics for applique next week. Then finally home for more photoshop!
Didnt take many photos at the market - felt a bit cheeky but i felt sorry for this dog so took a quick photo of him. Forgot to say - while i was there i saw the most amazing pair of vintage gloves, really wanted to get them, Ally would have loved them but they were £20 and i had set myself a maximum budget of £3 per thing!! Sheer orange, elbow length gloves with ruffles up the side they were sooo nice!
Spent ALL DAY on photoshop! Trying out different ideas with the harlequin pattern, bringing in other pattern inside the harlequin pattern. Spots, stripes, triangles. Going to try filling the diamonds with line drawings as well, think it will work really well with the pattern on the little cup i got yesterday. Today i have also been putting lots of my clothes on ebay to try and raise some funds for paris (so far a French connection dress, black blazer, moschino bra and a pink beret - anyone interested?!) , cant believe its only 3 weeks away! Need to have a whole collection, and some money together by then!
Found lots of lovely things at the market today, think i spent about 2 hours in there! Managed to keep the spending down to £17 though. My best find is the little bambi - he was only £1 and will look great with a lick of paint! Also really pleased with the tiny green bottle - really unusual texture, and it says 'not to be taken' which will look great with the 'poison' bottle. The bears head is a bit scary but is was only 50p and might look quite good with a pattern painted on - worth a try! I just loved the colour of the little cup, its the exact lilac i want for my prints. Also really liked the florals against the graphic black and white pattern. The tiny necklace is a present for my sister, and the chunky beads and the ladybird brooch are treats for myself! I was quite well restrained with treats for myself - was very tempted by some lovely sheer orange vintage gloves and a really nice patchwork drawstring handbag. On the way home the strap on my little Moschino bag snapped though so i may have to go back for the handbag tomorrow... it was only £8!! Tommorow might be going to an antiques and collectors fair, and after that i hope i have time to draw my new objects, and maybe finish my elective report.
Today i did some more quick drawings, decided on a colour palette (i think!), and tried out making some patterns on photoshop. My screen is all clean ready to expose my images on first thing monday. Looking forward to finding some more ornaments and odds and ends to draw tommorow.
Love the pretty pastel colours with the metallics and black. The shape of the blue skirt is amazing. I like how the colours are so pretty, but dont look to 'cute' because of the sculptural shapes and tough boots.
Some quirky, pretty illustrations. The yarn is by Hillary Bird, and the tea cups and dressing table stools are by Debbie Powell. Really pretty colours and a little bit more interesting that a plain repeat would have been.
This is the powder puff i posted a little drawing of a few days ago. Going to take it into uni tomorrow and spend a while doing a more detailed line drawing.
Heres a picture of the vintage window at Barnardos (where Ally works). Its one of the last window displays i did before i left in June. I wasnt sure what to put in the window, but then the trousers were donated! Black vintage harem trousers coved in sparkly green gem stones and glitter. I couldnt really carry them off myself so, of course Ally got them (we always bought all the best stuff!) . They look amazing on, but she does leave a trail of glitter everywhere she goes! I like the combination of stripes and spots in the outfit, and the colours together.
Another designer i havnt looked at before. Love the mix of textures and how the colours are grouped. In the first image i really like the greens and purples together. Love the skirt in the middle, the mix of grosgrain ribbon and tassels is really unusual. Also the blue skirt is really interesting. Like the shiny panel on the front, unusual fabric to mix in with the others.
Love this collection - not sure how well you can see the prints on these little pictures but they are so sweet. Theres cats, dasies, naked ladies, puppies AND birds! Not to mention all the lovely beading, the cute collars and the oversized brooches. I think the cat print is my favourite.
This is the first thing i have ever done in Photoshop (well apart from colour palettes and changing the exposure on photos!). I think this would work better with a slightly bigger harlequin check maybe. Although i have done this on the computer, i think i will still stick to printing by hand. Mainly as i cant afford digital printing! So will need to dye fabric in the off white colour and print the check in black, then print the green colour, then over print the outline of the rabbits. God thats 3 different layers already and only for 1 design! Im going to print my designs A2 size, so can fit 2 'layers' on each screen. I have only 'adopted' one screen from Lara, which might be a problem!
Like how something not very nice - spiders, has been made into something really pretty. Print on silk looks like delicate florals from a distance. I love the spider lace in the middle, and the coral and silver grey colours are amazing together. I liked how the print on the purple dress was shiny and mettalic. Interested to see how crows would work in a similar way?
Went to Tate Modern today - meaning to go to Pop Life but it was to expensive! Had a good look round at everything else though - this was my favourite thing there, managed to sneak a quick photo! Its by Jannis Kounellis, 1979. Made me think of the crows and the magpie at the Barnardos where Ally works. The ones in the shop arent real though! Crows might be quite nice in my project - little birds are too cute, but crows are a little bit spooky so it could work.
This Moschino collection seemed to come in 3 different parts. The black and white, neutrals and also these lovely jewel colours. Cant decide if i like these feminine, colourful looks best, or the theatrical black and white looks.
Of the Green Rabbit. Braved the weather today for a visit to the Victoria and Albert museum (via paperchase for a quick look around!). Saw lots of lovely things in the museum, but nothing that really inspired me. Did bump into Tanya and Kirsty from my class though! Have been thinking about images and motifs for my prints, the rabbit obviously, the powder puff, the poison bottle (from the background of photo of rabbit), Audrey the kitten, perhaps an old fashioned birdcage? And patterns for backgrounds, harlequin checks, thin subtle stripes. When the weather clears up i will go to the Cloth House and have a look at some fabrics, im thinking cream or off white backgrounds for most of my prints.
