Evaluation

Throughout the practice unit the main part I enjoyed was concentrating on creating detailed illustrations. Although I think that they were successful as drawings I found it very difficult in the development process to be able to create designs for a fashion outcome. Towards the second half of the practice unit I realised this and my work became very illustration led as apposed to designing for clothing. Because of this I really wanted to try something different in my unit x work. I made the decision that I no longer wanted to work with fashions or fabric and focused my practice on my paper based illustration skills. During the unit x project, I found not only illustrating a book but writing my own book to illustrate very interesting an engaging. I feel that by writing it myself from scratch really let my creativity out and I was able to have full control over my own work. However, I feel because I spent so long in the initial process by writing and designing at the same time. This may have inhibited my time that I could have used to create more samples. Although I feel I could have tested out more processes I think that it was important to spend my time developing and perfecting my story. During the project I felt like I gained a lot of new skills especially developing my digital drawing skills. Before starting this project, I had never used the paper print room which is something I regret not doing earlier as I really enjoy this way of working and think this technique really suits my style of working. To make the book I have created more special and selective I chose to hand paint each page. This was one of my favourite parts of the unit as each one is unique.

If I was to do this project again my main aim would be to manage my time better to ensure that I give my self long enough to explore each part of the project as I go. I feel that I may have spent longer on some aspects that I did others which overall had a knock on affect at each stage of my project. I am disappointed that I didn’t have a chance to get some laser cut paper samples ready in time for hand in. Although I am looking forward to going in and creating some samples ready to assemble my final outcome for the degree show. I would also try and be more experimental with techniques and processes that I have used as I feel I stick to my own safe drawing style. This is something that I aim to work on in the future to help push my practice to the best of my ability.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome of my project and I have surprised myself by all of the new skills and techniques I have learned. I feel that by making the initial decision to stick to paper printing and not designing for fashion is one of the best decisions I could have made throughout this project. Especially that I made the choice fairly quickly meant I didn’t waste any of my time trying out different media.

Digitally printed prototype

After creating a wide range of samples and perfecting my digital designs, i have created a digital mock up of my finished book so i can get a better idea of what my final product will look like. This has really helped me as it has fought me new skills such as using InDesign software to help me layout and format my documents. As i will be printing my final outcome by hand this is just a test for me to check out the layout and design for the pages. Through this process it has really shown me the importance of scale between my text and illustrations, and how important the use of space can be within my work. 

Material and Colour testing

To ensure that the final outcome i will be producing is to the highest standard possible, i have created a whole range of samples to test out paper qualities and materials, colours, embossing and hand painting. Through sampling these things i have come out with a greater knowledge of the materials i am working with and selected the ones which were most successful and suitable for my own style of work. 

Illustration Development

Whilst developing my illustrations i have focused on using digital drawing techniques to ensure that the work i am developing is symmetrical and accurate. This is an important aspect of my work if i want to create a professional looking outcome. Using my graphics tablet and Photoshop software i have been able to edit and refine all of my initial drawings to help me with the development process. I have used simple techniques such as mirroring my hand drawings and adding components from different drawings to create more developed motifs. I feel that this has been a successful way of working for me as it has not only improved the quality of my work but i have developed my computer skills.

Initial Drawings

I started creating my initial drawings by hand using pens and inks. My main inspiration for my initial drawings has been looking at stories and fables with a fantasy/fairytale genre. I intend to develop these drawings using a variety of digital drawing techniques to achieve the style i am happy with.  I feel that combining both hand and digital drawing techniques shows my skills as an illustrator in a diverse and interesting way. The style i have chosen to create my initial drawings in is a single line pen style. This has heavily been influenced by etching and traditional hand printing processes. This is the direction i am intending on taking my own work. 

Degree Show 2015 Review

Tamzin Riches

I have chosen to review the work of Tamzin Riches because this was my absolute favourite of all of the work I saw throughout the degree show. I was immediately drawn to her work because of the amazing detailed illustrative element. What also really draws me in is the monochrome colour palate that she uses. Throughout my own work I feel that using a monochrome colour palate has worked very well for me in the past and it is definitely something that I will be using throughout my work in my final year. I am also fascinated by the way she is able to put her own thoughts and visions down on paper in such a detailed and intriguing way. The theme of mythology in her work is something that I believe links closely to my own practice, as this is something I am very interested in. I myself have started to look into the theme of mythology and mysticism for my own project.

Krista Murtagh

I really love the colours and the textures that Krista uses. I am really inspired by the mark making that feature in her work, as I feel that it is quite similar to my own mark making techniques. The vibrancy of the colours she uses was what caught my initial attention and captivated my interest to try using more colour myself. I have been told on a few occasions that I need to bring more colour into my own practice and be more experimental with it. I feel after seeing her work that I am inspired to try exploring colour more, especially bright bold colours. Through viewing the work of both of these artists it has given me an idea to use a monochrome colour pallet, complimented by very bright possibly neon colours.

Connor Peploe

The thing that I really like about Connor’s work is how diverse it is. What I initially loved was the brand he created called Steeplejack. This really appeals to me, as this is the direction that I want to take my own work in. I would love to be able to create a successful alternative lifestyle brand. Not only did I like the initial look of this but also I loved the concept behind it. The brand being based in Bolton and being named Steeplejack after Fred Dibnah is a real selling point to me. I think the ‘Made in Britain’ quality about his work is what I find really appealing. I am hoping to keep a Made in Britain quality throughout the work that I produce, as I am aware that it is a very on trend concept due to ethical and economical factors, which matter to both the manufacturer and client. Not only did I love his branding work but I also like his illustrative style and the importance of the local Manchester areas within his work.

Unit X- Reflections

In the final stages of this project I have been working hard to finalise all of my work so that it would be ready for the exhibition. This meant finishing and backing all of my samples to a high standard and choosing my final collection to be displayed along side my cushions. I am glad that I made the decision to have my fabric printed onto cotton canvas. I chose this as I thought that this was the most durable yet professional looking fabric for my prototypes. If something is designed to be used in the home then it must be durable and not easily broken. Also the cushion covers can be removed and washed in a washing machine easily without any risk of warping or shrinking. Although I could have experimented with more fabric testing I still feel that I have made an appropriate choice. Although I would have liked the opportunity to experiment with more printing methods, I felt due to the time scale this would be unrealistic to produce work to the best of my ability.

I was initially quite nervous at the thought of displaying my work in the exhibition as I sometimes find it difficult to pick the strengths and weaknesses within my own work, as I am not very confident. But I am pleased with this project and although I am out of my comfort zone displaying my work, I am confident that I have tried my hardest to push myself and ensure that the work that I have produced is to the best of my ability. I feel that I have chosen my final collection well and I am pleased with my selections. Here are some of the fabric samples from my final collection

After my last tutorial I focused on trying to create a brand for myself. I created some tag designs that I had printed on fabric and made into tags to add to my cushions. As well as this I have been creating mock ups on Photoshop of some promotional style products using my logo and designs for this project. This was something very unfamiliar to me but after doing lots of contextual research I thought I would try it. Although this is something I have never done before I found it very rewarding to be able to visualize the possibility of having my own brand. Here are some of the branding images I have created

I feel like throughout this project I have engaged well with what has been asked of me. I particularly enjoyed the very beginning of the project where my imagination could explore the Whitworth and all of the possibilities that I could design and make. Also attending workshops gave me a much broader sense of what other people do on their courses and how different their way of working is in comparison to my own discipline. I have gained a much greater appreciation for other contexts and way of working, especially 3D design, as this is the subject that the girls from my collaborative group study. Although I was unable to attend all of my tutorials due to illness, I felt that I learned a lot about my own work and the work of others by attending these. I have been really inspired by some of the ideas and creative ways of working that some other students have had. Meeting up with my collaborative group has been the part of this project that I feel I have engaged with the most. It has helped me see the strengths and weaknesses within my work but also has helped me see this amongst the work of others; this can sometimes be difficult when looking at work from another discipline. Because of meeting up with my group I was able to see a clear development within my work based on the feedback that they were giving me. This has helped me improve and develop my designs and push myself further and out of my comfort zone. I can also identify development within my work, not only through my print designs but also within my passion for designing, creating and making. Throughout this project I felt myself enjoying the project more as I progressed through it. I think this was because I was receiving regular feedback on my work from a range of different sources, tutorial groups, course friends, my collaborative group and interdisciplinary points of view all played a major roll in the success of this project for me. Receiving regular feedback and, more often than not, receiving positive feedback really gave me the confidence boost that I needed to push my work further and get me to the end of the project without hitting a major creative block. I think the main aspect of this project that I could improve on would be my initial research and initial drawings. I always find myself getting one idea and sticking to it from a very early point. In future I am going to try and push myself further at this stage to create more opportunities and ideas for myself to develop.

When setting up my exhibition I had to think creatively as to how I would display my work creatively and professionally for other art students and the public to see. This made me very nervous although I tried many different ways until I was 100% sure that my work was displayed clearly and effectively to show it at its best. Setting up the exhibition also pushed my collaborative and team working skills as it was a very congested area where we all needed to work together to make the whole operation run as smooth and as successfully as it could. I feel like I really pushed myself in this aspect, as it was a very long and tiring day setting everything up. It was also very clear to see other students not putting much or any effort in with helping at all. I was at the session from morning until night making sure everything was ready for the exhibition opening, and through doing this as it gave me such a sense of achievement to see how successful it all looked on the opening night.

Throughout this project I feel that I have made good and informed choices as apposed to just doing something because I wanted to. I have thought carefully at the type of product I wanted to design for after visiting the Whitworth’s retail outlet I decided I would like to design for cushions on the basis that it would be a reasonably priced souvenir product with a purpose and a function which people can take how and still have the concept of bringing the outdoors indoors. I chose my colour pallet carefully and chose the designs I would use on my final outcomes because they fit in with the ‘Playful’ theme that the Whitworth uses to describe itself. Throughout this project I have witnessed my own work and my confidence grow and develop. I think that creating and designing cushions could definitely be something that I want to develop and pursue in the future as part of my career. Also it has taught me to think about the context of my work and how I portray myself, and my image as a designer. Overall I feel like I have gained a lot of experience by doing this project that I will take with me into the future whilst perusing my career goals of becoming a professional textile designer.