Assignment 5 - Project 10 - What Have You Achieved?

Can you see a clear line of progression from source material through to finished piece? Was there enough information in your source material to stimulate your imagination and sustain your enthusiasm?
When I selected the original theme of the Ocean this seemed like a very broad topic (a thought echoed by my tutor!). However, using the mind maps was a really useful way to "download" ideas and images as they came to me without the pressure of analysing or refining them. Once I'd done this it was easier to sift through the random assortment of ideas and thoughts and to rationalise them into the areas that were most interesting.

Having narrowed down the wider theme to just Waves this quickly led to a whole series of further ideas which again I captured using a mind map. The beauty of this approach for me is that it is a repository for all my initial ideas that I can come back to and work on in future. It is also a good way of forcing me to think freely without a pre-determined plan.

Going from the mind map to actual images was quite natural and exploring the symbolic nature of wave imagery made it relatively straightforward to simplify and refine my waves into a workable design.

I have many more ideas just around the basic wave motif that I would like to explore further and if anything it became quite difficult to know where to stop!

Do you feel you made the right choices and decisions when selecting at each stage of the project? If not, what would you change and how would it alter the outcome?
I did decide on the idea of a garment quite early in the process so this influenced the nature of the materials I chose to work with (see, for example, the reasons for rejecting the felted sample). It also had an impact on the scale of the image and the nature of any repeating pattern. It would be interesting to re-focus on a larger piece to see how the wave imagery could be translated into other media.

Are there more ideas you would like to pursue that have come out of this project? Are they similar in feeling to the direction you took, or different?
There are many ideas I've pencilled in for future exploration! I've noted a number of them in my learning log posts about the theme book and the experimental work. I also have additional drawings and ideas in my sketchbooks. There is also plenty of scope for future development of the mind maps.

Which stage did you find the most exciting? Which stage was most arduous and difficult to get through? 
The most exciting stage was exploring the samples, trying out different techniques and media, seeing how a simple motif could be interpreted in so many ways. The hardest part was gathering source material. I wanted to try as far as possible to source material from a range of places but it is difficult to ignore the lure of the internet! I did use my own photographs, magazines, some drawings and postcards but even with my own images I much prefer to photograph and save images to the computer so I can use them later for image manipulation, colour manipulation, printing and collage etc. I do, of course, keep found objects, fabrics etc. for textural and tactile study but even these I like to photograph and record details online.

Do you like your finished textile? Can you say what its strengths and weaknesses are? 
I do like the finished sample. The colours are perhaps more delicate than I would personally wear but I think the silk paints give lovely tonal qualities that really capture the variety of shading in waves. I like the repeating shape - it has movement and rhythm and it appeals to my passion for ancient symbols and traditional patterns in textiles, art and architecture. I also think that the beads add a nice touch.

In terms of weaknesses, I am not sure how easy it will be to repeat the pattern over a larger area and I can't be sure that the silk will be sufficiently robust for regular wear. It will also be necessary to ensure that any wadding is fine enough to allow for drape and movement so that the wearer doesn't look like a Michelin Man!

Assignment 4 - Project 9 - Reflective Journal - What Have You Achieved?

Did you have enough variety in your collection of yarns and other materials? Which kind of yarns etc. did you use most? How do their characteristics affect the look and feel of each sample?
I found a good selection of yarns and materials in terms of colour and texture. Some of the yarns were rather fine so working with several strands was needed in some areas. It would have been useful to have a wider selection of thicker yarns. I used yarns the most, largely because these produce excellent warp coverage, offer a good range of textures and are easy to manipulate. The thicker (or multiple-stranded) yarns create a firmer, more dense fabric which would be well suited to sturdier projects such as rugs. They are also quick to work, filling up the warp at quite a rate.

Finer yarns are much slower to work with (more wefts needed to cover an inch of warp). The advantage, however, is that they offer more scope for subtle colour changes. Curved wefts and patterning can be quite delicate and detailed. If working to an image, it would be possible to produce much finer detail.  Being able to combine finer threads means subtle texture can also be incorporated, for example, a fine boucle thread with one or more smooth wool yarns, or a metallic with plain yarns.

How did you find weaving in comparison to the other techniques you have tried? Did you find it slow or too limiting?
Despite the intial setbacks with warping, I actually found the second warp surprisingly satisfying, particularly as I knew I should be able to make several pieces from one warp. Weaving lends itself well to my yarn collection which has lots of interesting textural yarns, handspun and hand-dyed yarns that aren't readily incorporated into stitching, other than via embellishment. These yarns suit the scale of weaving better.

Clearly there are limitations with weaving, imposed by, for example, the size of the loom. However, with careful planning I think there is considerable scope for developing exciting pieces using this medium.

How do you feel about your finished sample? Are you happy with the relationship of the textures, proportions, colour and pattern to the finished size? Is there any part that you would want to change? If so, try to identify exactly how and why you would change it.
I like the intensity and variety of colour in the piece. I think overall the piece captures the combination of warmth and earthiness of autumn. The textural qualities of the materials have worked in the main. However, if I were to repeat the piece I would look to lighten the bottom of the weave and almost certainly re-think the braids which are out of balance with the rest of the piece.

 Was there any stage in the whole design process, such as choice of source material, deciding proportions, choice of yarn or colour, translating idea to sample, that you felt went wrong? Would you tackle this process differently another time?
Additional sampling, in particular, considering the impact of weight and thickness of the non-yarn based materials (the fleece and roving) would have benefitted the finished sample.

Which did you enjoy more - working from the source material or putting colours together intuitively? Why?
As weaving has to be carefully planned, whether working intuitively or from a pre-determined source, there is arguably less scope for spontaneity than with other techniques. I enjoyed the structure and discipline of working to a specific source and this gave a certain reassurance that the piece would turn out according to plan. Working intuitively, on the other hand, was more challenging as it required regular review of the work and there was more risk of areas that didn't work. Given the scale of the pieces this wasn't a particular issue but I would sample first if I was working on a larger or finer piece. I would like to experiment with working from a cartoon, replicating a specific image.

Assignment 4 - Project 8 - Experimenting with Structures - What Have You Achieved?

Did you enjoy inventing constructed surfaces? Were you surprised at the results? Can you see a connection between your choice of materials and the types of structures you made; for example, regular, irregular, small or large scale? Which samples worked best - can you say why?

I did enjoy creating constructed surfaces. It was interesting to see how two different sheets of paper, for example, when interwoven, would create a much more interesting fabric and how strong images in the original images were altered once woven. What was also interesting was how the pieces looked when viewed from varying distances.

 Depending on the nature of the weave, in some cases (the alternating drips for example), looked nothing like the originals close up, but took on an interesting effect from a distance. The eye filled in the "gaps" created by the interwoven sheet and almost restored the original image, albeit somewhat distorted. This would be an important factor in planning any woven structure of this nature, considering and planning with the viewing distance of the observer in mind.

(Original images)

The reverse of some of the woven fabrics was surprising - often more satisfying than the "right side".
 ("Right side")

(

 ("Wrong side")

Working with other materials produced some good, strong textural effects - the contrast between the thick but supple leather and the soft, delicate viscose was exciting and has potential for future development.

I also liked the idea of deconstructing a textile, in this case the hessian, and re-constructing it into a new fabric, yet retaining its overall character. Inspiration for this came in part from the "deserted house" sample I produced in Assignment 3.

(Deserted house)

How accurate were you in matching all the colours in your postcard:
a) With paints?
b) With yarns/other material?

a) I enjoyed the colour-matching exercises and felt that the matching paints to the postcard was a success. It was interesting to see how many colour variants there are within a single image, even one that appears, prima facie, to be a monotone. There are still variations in the blue river and bridge post - not all the blues are blues at all, but some are green-blues, grey-blues, black-blues. I'm keen to continue trying this process with other media, for example, pastel crayons or acrylics.

b) Matching the yarns was harder, mainly due to limitations in my yarn collection, particularly as regards textured yarns. I could either get colour or texture right but not always both! I found working intuitively without any source image was more liberating and allowed me to explore colour and texture in a less constrained way. For a really accurate interpretation of an image I would most likely select appropriate textured yarns/fibres/fabrics in an undyed state and dye these to the colours I need. This worked quite well with the blue bridge postcard where I used my own naturally hand-dyed yarns as there were many subtle variations in the yarns from the dyeing process.

Combining yarns would also be a good way to build the desired colour. When I work with tapestry (sewing) I build up colours using a number of threads of fine crewel wool. This is a successful way of creating tonal variation without jarring colour changes. Presumably I could also combine colours and textures?

Assignment 3 - Project 6 - Reflective Journal - What Have You Achieved?

Did you prefer working with fabric in this way to working directly with stitch? If so, can you explain why?
Working with stitch is very satisfying, however, being able to work in fully a 3-dimensional environment, using both stitch and fabric manipulation to make new structures is stretching and gives many new possibilities.

Do you feel pleased with the shapes and movements that you have created in both applique and fabric manipulation? What would you want to change or try again in a different way?
A number of the samples were successful - I really liked the undersea piece (purples and blues with net overlay). The layering captured the feeling I was looking for - looking into the depths of the ocean. Likewise, although the free-machine coral was a small piece, the result was pleasing and I felt captured the key features of the coral. Free-machining is very satisfying!

Using different fabrics in the appliqued "deserted house" was fun. I can see the scope for extending this into lots of different projects.

I particularly liked the woven green/yellow fabric using devore to create the weaving grid. The devore could have been replaced with a sharp knife as it wasn't particularly effective but the seersucker of the fabric combined with the stripes and the interaction of the rough edges and weave made it interesting and tactile.

The work with the silk velvet wasn't particularly successful but I learned a lot about the technique and will be experimenting further to perfect this technique. The interaction of the texture of the velvet, the rich colours of the dye and the relief effects created by the devore are very satisfying and there is lots of scope for further development.

How did the pieces work in relation to your drawings? Did the fabric manipulation technique take over and dictate the final result?
Interpreting drawings into collages was a good exercise. It was suprising how, when viewed from a distance, the correct balance and positioning of colours and captured the essence of the drawings.

Was it helpful to work from the drawings in the applique exercise? Would you have preferred to play directly with cut shapes and materials?
I felt that the quilted piece based on the earring was a logical and structured interpretation of the sketch, even if the finished result bore little resemblance to it! It was very interesting to look back and see the development of the final piece.

I would have been equally happy to work from cut shapes and can see the benefits of both approaches. Sometimes inspiration comes simply from play with no prior assumptions. It can be harder to break away from replicating an image and think freely when you have a given starting point.

How do you feel about working with stitch in general? Is it an area you would like to pursue in more depth? Do you find it limiting in any way?
I enjoy working with stitch but I like to combine it with other techniques such as print and surface texture. Working with textile products such as Fiber-etch and moulding pastes extends the range of  possibilities for really sculptural and imaginative textile art. Stitch can be time-consuming so effects that I would like to create such as using stitch as paint/french knots etc. are sometimes sidelined in favour of a more dramatic, speedier result. This can be particularly important when considerations of commissions and pricing etc. are in point.

Final Piece

 Can you see a continuous thread of development from your original drawings and samples to the final designs?
Based on my selection of photographs, many of which came from visits to science museums so I could see cutaways of the workings of machinery, and the research from Steampunk sites and magazines, I am pleased with the progress of this design. The starting point was the small sketch I produced in Assignment 2. It was taken from an image in a catalogue for an Art Deco exhibition that I attended at the V&A in 2003.

The imagery of cogs, gears, metal and chainwork in this oranate gate was married up with imagery taken from visits to the Museum of Science and Industry, York Railway Museum, Quarry Bank Mill and Armley Mills Industrial Museum amongst others. Visits to Steampunk fairs and research on the internet gave more ideas as to how to pull everything together into my Steampunk-themed book cover.

Do you feel you made the right decisions at each stage of the design process? If not, can you say what changes you would make? 
There are aspects to this design that I would perhaps change. Firstly, the design is too open. Steampunk is a very busy, intense style with masses of interest, dense texture and detail. A Steampunk object should keep you engaged for a long time, seeing different things each time you look at it. This was my first large-scale interpretation of this theme and next time I would be more confident in incorporating lots more detail, in particular textural content, small "objets" and more metallic items (from keys to gaskets to wire etc.).

Were you able to interpret your ideas well within the techniques and materials you chose to work with?
The finished piece looks too modern. In a future piece I would consider using metallic sprays and metallic paints (possibly car paint spray or textured metallic paint such as Hammerite?) and investigating how to distress the components to give an old, reconstructed feel.

How successful is your final design in terms of being inventive within the medium and coherent as a whole?
I feel that the finished piece has a balanced composition and shows a range of materials and techniques. Unusual components (coins, cds etc.) have been used creatively and combined with more familiar materials such as fabrics.

Did you enjoy working the piece? Is it a good intepretation of your idea, and do you like it?
Yes, I very much enjoyed making it. I doubt it would make the grade as far as true Steampunk artists and enthusiasts are concerned but I do like the finished piece. It was challenging and exciting working out how to incorporate diverse, non-traditional materials into a textile-based project. For a first piece, I think it was a good start and something I'd like to do more of. I can see much collecting of rusty nuts, keys and bolts in my future!

Overall, it had some good components (found objets, leather, metal, etc.) but just needed more - more detail, more texture and more grunge!

For lots more images, see my Picasa album here

Assignment 2 - Project 5 - Reflective Journal

Do you feel you made a good selection from your drawings to use as a source material for your design ideas? Which interpretations worked best? Why?
I am pleased with the typography and the airplant as source images. The typography in particular offered many different opportunities for development and re-interpretation. The airplant was not quite as versatile but nonetheless offered scope for using different materials, re-sizing and arranging in either structured or random patterns.

The basketweave wasn't as interesting as I had hoped although I did feel that the shibori-style clamped and dyed piece was an unexpected success. The bleached version was rather disappointing - not sure whether this was the fabric or whether I needed a stronger bleach (maybe a specific discharge chemical?).

The "drip" was, I think, too unstructured. Having said that the image manipulations and negative colour imaging was very interesting. I think it might be possible to simplify this image and work into the simplified version, playing more with colour and media. Using the silk for these pieces was a good way to exploit the drippy nature of the image but I would need to do more experimentation to solve the challenges posed by getting the balance of too much/too little dripping and blending right.

In terms of interepretations, the success of the interpretation depended on the optimum combination of technique, medium and fabric. Some techniques (the potato printing for example) worked very well on smooth fabrics with thickened dye but was of limited success with the resist paste. The stencils on the other hand worked very well with both the typography and the star-flower both with the resist paste and with thickened dyes. Overall, the interpretation that I feel worked best was the final sample as I chose my favourite combination for the typography, moving it away from the original but still with echoes of the source image. I like the crispness afforded by the stencils, thickened dye and resist. I would like to re-work this piece in different colours, perhaps in an octagonal shape to mimic a kaleidoscopic effect. Whilst the colours in the final piece work, I have concluded that yellow isn't my preferred colour!

Which fabrics did you choose? What particular qualities appealed to you? 
I chose a range of fabrics to give different surfaces, drape, some colour and both synthetic and natural fibres. I also selected fabrics with different densities, from the heavy hessian to the fine voile. I wanted to see how the fabric affected the design and how fabric and design need to work in harmony to achieve a successful result.

Is the scale of marks and shapes on your samples appropriate to the fabric? Would any of your ideas work better on a different type of fabric? Why?
For most of my samples I made the tools (stencils etc.) to a scale appropriate to the fabric size. However, as I have noted elsewhere, a number of the experiments could be scaled up for use on larger fabrics, for example, furnishing or homewares as opposed to apparel. The spray-stencilled typography (made with the modelling clay) wasn't used at the fabric stage but this would make an excellent large-scale motif or centrepiece.

Certain of the samples could be repeated on different fabric types. The stencils could be sprayed with fabric paint onto silk or a sheer fabric. Handpaints could also be used on a stretched silk/voile or a gutta outline used and the shapes filled with silk paint. The basketweave could be cut into a lino block, possibly with two different blocks that can be printed on top of one another to mimic the weave effect. Stamps would work well on the hessian although it would need to be a paler colour to make the paints visible!

Do the marks and shapes seem well-placed, too crowded or too far apart? Were you aware of the negative shapes that were forming in between the positive shapes? 
In some cases the patterning was a bit dense (the purple natural-dyed typography sample for example). I'm not sure to what extent I was exploiting the negative spaces in the fabric pieces. Probably not very much! I did, however, look quite consciously at negative spaces when manipulating the images on the computer.

What elements are contrasting and what elements are harmonising in each sample?  Is there a balance between the two that produces an interesting tension?
As mentioned in the notes accompanying the images, the negative image of the typography created with the modelling clay contrasts a geometric, balanced pattern with a subtly changing print. 

How successful do you think your larger sample is? Do you like the design? Have you recreated or extended your ideas from the smaller samples so that there is a visible development between the two? Does your repeating design flow across the surface, without obvious internal edges, or do the shapes and marks in your single unit sample relate well to the size and shape of the fabric? Do they make an interesting composition on this larger scale?
I am really quite pleased with the final piece. I like the way the delicate star-flowers contrast with the bolder border. I can see the progression from the early viewing frame, through the paper prints, fabric experiments to the final piece.

As mentioned in the project notes, although this fabric is a lengthwise repeat it would be possible to adapt the design to make the typography motif a border around all four sides to make a single unit pattern. With a larger piece of fabric it may also be possible to create a hexagonal or octagonal border around the central motif. The central star-flowers are printed at random intervals but could be placed in clusters to interpret the original airplant more closely. It would also be possible to use a single, centred cluster of star-flowers with the typography border round all sides for a more structured effect.

To develop the the design further it would be possible to extend the colours of the piece by overprinting with different colours using the star-flower stencil. With a wider fabric the green borders could be placed close together, overlapped along the length (base to base of the image) or left with a gap between. So many ideas, so little time!

Assignment 2 - Project 4 - Developing Design Ideas - What have you Achieved?

Did you manage to "make space move"?

There are certainly images and motifs which have energy. Some of the arrangements of the black squares are clearly dynamic such as these:

Others are more balanced, giving a stable, static feel:

Yet others were just a random, unfocussed jumble of shapes, some of which were almost jarring to look at:

Are you pleased with the drawings you did in Stage 3?
Yes, I'm happy with the images I selected and how I developed them. I deliberately chose images which I believed had potential from the outset as well as something more challenging.

Were you able to use your drawings successfully as a basis for further work? Are there any other things you would like to try?
Yes. The letter imagery was particularly successful. The clear lines, simplicity and flowing shape of the design gave scope for many different interpretations and I have lots more ideas for working on this image using computer manipulation then further work on fabric. The airplant stars have also got excellent scope for future development using stitch, screenprints, discharge/devore and other possibilities.

Do you now feel confident that you can carry on working in this way on your own?
Yes, this project has been very satisfying. What has been especially interesting is seeing how just a small area of a single image can be developed into a huge range of future projects.

Assignment 2 - Project 3 - Understanding the Textile World

My chosen piece for this exercise is a cushion cover.

It was handwoven in Afghanistan and was originally part of a traditional camel bag. These bags were used by nomadic tribes to carry their belongings and this cushion would have been made from one pannier of the bag. The fabric would be woven in a long piece with a central hole to throw over the hump, or in two pieces with a pannier either side. There are many beautiful designs for these bags, mostly geometric in design.

My cushion It is backed with a hardwearing fabric, also handwoven, probably a rough wool judging by the feel. 

The front of the bag is woven with a cut pile so it feels like a tough velvet!

It had a fringe at some point in its history as there is some fringing left on one edge.

 The stitching is clearly done by hand and appears to be a rough, strong yarn, again probably rough wool that wasn't suitable for spinning.

Older examples of these bags would have been handspun and naturally dyed as well as being handwoven. The fabric on the reverse of the bag has the more rustic look of a handspun warp and weft as there are slubs and colour variations I wouldn't expect to see in a commercially spun yarn. It is clearly finely woven as it has a beautiful, delicate woven border which would indicate a good quality piece (lesser quality pieces would be plain on the back to save time and cost).

There are corded edgings to the top and bottom, again suggesting a piece of fine quality.

The way the colour has aged on the back suggests natural dyes were used.

 I would expect madder for the reds/orange/golds and browns, pomegranate for the buttery yellows. When viewed in good light there is some blue in the darker sections of the pattern, most likely indigo. For the black (which is very rich even after so many years) I would have to guess at walnut or a modified pomegranate, and over-dyed with indigo or maybe a local bark/plant? The most common black would be logwood overdyed with indigo but this would be the wrong part of the world for logwood which is mainly found in Central America.

As the practice of nomadic travel has declined (or as they are worn out/damaged), these bags are re-used and recycled. As well as adapting them into cushions and housewares for the Western market a common use is to find them slung over the back of a moped or motorcycle!

I particularly like this piece because of its rich history. It is beautiful but had a very practical purpose. The fact that it is clearly handmade and incorporates many of the techniques that I use in my own textiles today (handspinning, natural hand-dyeing and weaving) makes me feel a connection to the original makers. I love the idea that in all probability an entire family were involved in its production, with the men rearing and shearing the sheep, the children preparing the fleece, the women spinning the fleece into yarn and the men weaving the bag.

Sadly but unsurprisingly the lifestyle of nomadic peoples is under threat and the remaining nomadic tribes are struggling to retain their cultural traditions and in some cases, basic human rights. This site speaks a little of one such people.

Assignment 2: Project 3 - What have you achieved?

What have you achieved?

Did you enjoy working with colour and were you able to mix and match colours accurately?

The colour-matching exercises were really enjoyable, although probably in part because I do a lot of this in my design work so it was in my "comfort zone". That said, there were some notable differences in working with paints as opposed to dyes, in particular, there is no white dye so this has to be managed by using dilutions rather than tinting with white paint. Making repeatable quantities and keeping accurate records is much easier with dyes as I can start with known stock solutions and use syringes to measure dyes used accurately.

Were you able to use colour expressively?

I found it quite difficult to steer away from obvious ways to interepret emotions and concepts (eg. using bright colours for happy, positive themes and murky colours for negative, sad themes). Expressing more abstract ideas such as passive and active was an interesting challenge and I made more use of marks with these terms than colour.

Did the exercise help you to really see colour instead of accepting what you thought you saw?

In the colour-mixing exercises I was surprised by the colours I needed to mix to achieve a good match. There were many undertones and subtle nuances of colour in some of the samples I was replicating. For example, in the fabric sample what appeared to be "green" had a much stronger blue content than at first seemed to be the case. I used 10 different base colours (not all in every sample!) to achieve the four different shades in the fabric.

Did you prefer working with watercolours or gouache paints? What was the difference?

I found that that Gouache paints are more controllable and the colours are more opaque, making them more intense and rich. They are my preferred choice for precision work and when I need really lush colours. Watercolours on the other hand are somehow liberating as they have a bit of a life of their own! This is quite good for me as I am a bit tense when it comes to painting so using a medium that requires a less structured approach forces me to relax more which I find enjoyable.

How successful were the colour exercises in Stage 5? Were they more or less interesting than the painting exercises?

I did not enjoy working exclusively with primary colours. I find them quite jarring. I tried to use red-orange with the yellow-orange to give a more harmonious feel whilst staying broadly within the primary colour brief. To cheer myself up I did experiment with some interesting stitches and stitch combinations, varying the proximity and size of stitches to see how the black background interacted with the stitches.

If you enjoyed them more, were there any factors that made them more exciting?

I think that with more freedom of choice as to colour this would have been a more enjoyable exercise. Working with stitch gives additional opportunities to create light and shade through textural stitches. The variety of threads available - different thicknesses, reflective or dull, smooth or slubby gives lots of additional scope for creating pieces with 3-dimensional qualities. Working in stitch is more tactile and satisfying. 

Are you pleased with what you achieved? Is there anything you would like to change or develop?

Of the exercises in this project I was pleased with the colour-matching. I also enjoyed the final stage, using French knots to create a representation of one of my watercolours (the poppy head). Although I think if I re-did this piece I would try to get an even wider range of thread colours (possibly finer ones too) so that I can create more subtle shading effects.

Assignment 1: Reflective Commentary

This first assignment has been a series of bursts of exuberant energy followed by struggling to get going. Looking at the work I've completed, it was no surprise to analyse the gaps and find that they were when sketching or drawing was required. (Um, and rather longer than planned finding the right theme for the blog - oops!).

I think I am developing a little more confidence with picking up a sketchbook and have been doing lots of research on other people's methods for sketchbooks and journalling. I've also found some good resources such as the Sketchbook Challenge for encouragement.

My Pinterest account and Picasa albums are building into a good collection of visual inspiration.
Joining the Textiles Facebook group and engaging with other students via the group is proving a really useful resource - just being able to discuss ideas, plan visits and trips etc. helps to keep me motivated.

In terms of work I have completed so far, highlights have been working with a wide range of materials. In particular, I have (finally) learned that it is both necessary - and possible - to teach oneself to use a new medium (watercolours in my case). This revelation was quite liberating. For some reason I assumed that artists are all naturally proficient in all media when I would never assume that I should instinctively know all textile methods but have to spend time learning them. An interesting statement on my assumptions about fine art and artists. With a bit of luck I'll cut myself a bit more slack and spend more time learning about the media before plunging straight in and expecting to be an instant Da Vinci!

Am I pleased with what I've done? Yes, in the main. I've a long way to go but I'm enjoying the learning progress and pushing myself outside my comfort zone. I'm enjoying the research and collecting, too. I think it will improve my future work.

My approach has always been to go straight into the stitching and do my practising and testing “live”. I am starting to see benefits in taking a step back and putting thoughts, visual images and the like onto paper before I commit to fabric as it is making me think in a more focussed way.

I’m still wrestling with how to structure sketchbooks. I have several on the go at any one time – different sizes and formats – some with themes, others less structured. However, I like to be able to pull images together from different sources so rarely put anything permanently in one place. The bound journal format really doesn’t work for me. Ring binders and photo albums with removable pages have been my preferred choice previously - not as arty or “sexy” but more practical! Online “albums” such as Pinterest are also great for the way I work. I can scan or photograph objects as well as straightforward images and create online, really flexible mood boards. Maybe I’ll need to think about printing off collections as a more physical record?

For the next assignment I’d like to work more with colour and texture, working larger-scale and sketching/journaling more. Onwards and upwards!

Assignment 1: Project One Learning Log

 This has been an interesting series of exercises. My experience of drawing has been more focussed on accurately representing whatever I am drawing/painting so working with just words as the inspiration was quite liberating. There was no "right" or "wrong" or feeling of having failed to draw something realistically. I feel that my use of different marks was initially quite limited but expanded as the exercises progressed.

I found a surprising range of media to work with and enjoyed working with all of them.

With most of the exercises I found at least one example that I was pleased with. It was interesting that by putting the samples to one side and re-visiting them later I found them more satisfactory after a short break! This has definitely made me more confident.

The most satisfying exercise was Stage 3, interpreting the textures using different media. Overall my favourite pieces were the nebula and the coral. I think this was bacause I matched the media well to the images to capture the textures and created several interpretations that I could see translating into a textile-based project.

My favourite media was probably the aquarelle pencils for versatility. The watercolours were a surprise pleasure as I haven't been very successful with using watercolours previously (I did invest in a book about how to use watercolours so this probably helped!). The pastels were lovely for richness of colour but I need more practice controlling them!

I think there is more scope to explore printing, rubbings and uisng combinations of different media.

Assignment 1: Project One Making Marks Stage One/Two - Exercise 2

More work with a variety of pencils within a stencil shape...

Three different areas of tone within each stencilled shape, dark, mid-tone and light.

It was interesting using the pencils at different angles to achieve effects from fine lines through to broad swathes of pencil.

Assignment 1: Project One Making Marks Stage One/Two - Exercise 1

Using marks to express words:

 For this exercise I used a range of pencils, from hard 6H to soft 6B, working with the pencils at different angles to achieve sharp lines, soft lines, smudged areas and shapes.

I'm sure this should have been simple but I found it surprisingly difficult to achieve lots of variation. Some words were easier than others: Sharp, hard and sad are, I think, my favourites.