The aim of this exercise is to collate, thoroughly observe and record colour palettes from a series of textiles. The first task was to source a series of textiles samples that I found interesting, big enough to gain an understanding of the colour palettes used. I had to source 6 samples, 3 printed samples where the design contained 4 to 6 colours and 3 neutral samples. I visited a fabric shop in the town where I work and gathered some samples, however, I felt they wasn’t big enough and didn’t show enough of the pattern so I went to another fabric shop in my home town. I chose the fabric that I liked and asked for a 3 centimetre strip of 4 samples and a 10 centimetre strip for the 2 samples I wished to extend. There wasn’t many options for neutral fabrics so I just chose the ones closest to it.

The next task was to work with gouache paint to produce some colour matching tests. I had to replicate each colour on each sample in a 3cm by 3cm colour chip so I started by drawing lots of squares ready to paint onto. Then one by one, I mixed the paint to match the colours on the sample. Some colours were easier than others and took a couple attempts to get it right but I feel I have matched the colours as closely as possible. I particularly like the textured fabric colour chip as there is one grey/white chip where the brush strokes have almost translated the texture of the fabric.

The final task of this exercise was to select 2 samples, 1 printed design and 1 neutral design cut each of them into a 10cm by 10cm squares. On a piece of white paper, I had to use a pencil and draw 2 boxes 20cm by 20cm and place each sample in the middle of them. Using the gouache paint, I had to match the colours again but also extend the design on each sample to the size of the 20cm by 20cm square. I used a pencil to lightly sketch the rest of the design so I knew where to go with the paint remembering to mix enough paint to complete the design as it would be difficult to match it exactly if I needed more.

I started with the neutral one as it looked more difficult to extend so I wanted to get that one out the way first. I mixed primary blue with black to create a dark navy colour and then for the detail in the leaves, I used white and a tiny dot of black to make grey. It was very time consuming as I had to paint round each individual leaf. Once I had completed it, I cut the 20cm box out and I’m very happy with the outcome because when you look at the piece as a whole, the fabric in the middle blends in.

I then repeated this with the coloured printed sample. I drew the rest of the design in pencil which was challenging in some parts because I didn’t know the rest of the design looked like so I had to make some of it up taking inspiration from the pattern that I had. I could have drawn the black lines with pen but I thought I would give it a go with paint and it worked. This sample was more difficult than I anticipated as I had more colours to match and very fine detail but I am also very happy with the outcome.

Overall, I enjoyed this exercise a lot because as I have said before in previous exercises, painting is one of my strengths. I did a lot of it in school so I was able to apply this knowledge in this exercise. I am confident that I have matched the colours and extended the samples well so I am pleased with what I have produced.

I was given a list of 9 artists to research. There are two artists that caught my eye instantly when researching their names.

Cole & Sons

Cole & Sons was founded in 1875 in the printing district of Islington, North London by a merchants son, John Perry. Throughout the years, the business has stayed true to its roots with an emphasis on fine craftmanship and painstaking detail. Perry acquired printing woodblocks from neighbouring companies as they shut down and gathered one of the largest collections in Europe. Going from strength to strength, the paper prints was even used in places like Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Houses of Parliament,

After Perry’s death in 1940, the company was taken over by A.P Cole who never abandoned the heritage of the business. Cole & Sons went on to open the first screen print studios in Europe, creating iconic wallpapers in the 1950s and 60s including the Hummingbirds wallpaper. Today, the brand is stronger than ever with a design team who travel the world to inspire their new ideas.

Cole & Sons signature way of using colour is staying true to its heritage with prints inspired by the 1950s such as Palm Trees with a 1950s Miami inspired colour palette or Woods, taken from the iconic 1959 screen print. Many of the Cole & Sons wallpapers come in a variety of palettes. Bright and colourful hues enriched with sun-bleached, tropical shades. Palm Leaves is a beautiful wallpaper, it has 2 colours that are independent yet work so well together. These designs caught my eye because of their beautiful yet simple designs and the colours work brilliantly next to each other. I would have the palm trees wallpaper in my house.

Vlisco

Vlisco was founded in 1844 by Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen. Two years later in 1846, it was renamed to P.F. van Vlissingen & Co, which is now known as Vlisco. They have been creating more than 350,000 textiles designs for over 170 years and new designs are produced each year. Many of these designs have become cultural treasures. Inspired by Africa, they used a technique extracted from Indonesian Batik. Vlisco’s signature is a “multicultural melting pot of beauty and industrial craftsmanship.

Vlisco’s design come to life when customers name them. Each design often comes with a back story such as this one called Fan. Once upon a time, fans were the only way to cool down in the African climate. Market vendors in Nigeria enjoyed a certain status when it came to the electric fan.This textile has 2 simple colours that contrast each other therefore equally important.

Clayton, J. In Focus: Cole & Sons History and Heritage. At: https://www.janeclayton.co.uk/inspiration/in-focus/cole-son-history-heritage/ [accessed 19/08/2023]

Cole & Sons. At: https://cole-and-son.com/our-heritage/ [accessed 19/08/2023]

About Vlisco. At: https://www.vlisco.com/about-vlisco [accessed 19/08/2023]

For this assignment, I was given the task of developing a series of three stitched textile samples showing repetition, scale and placement using my previous drawings as inspiration. The samples should be A4 or bigger in size where possible to understand the drape and movement of the fabric. I had some ideas in my head, made some sketches in my notebook and gathered the materials I would need to go ahead with the task. Looking back at my drawings and using a viewfinder, I selected a section that would be good to develop further.

Sample 1

I chose this section to work from on this drawing because it seemed quite busy and there was a few overlaps that I could incorporate into the textile sample. I roughly sketched out the design on A4 paper to see how I could translate it onto fabric. I decided to use a thinner white fabric as the background and thicker white fabric for the key features to create a bold, almost three dimensional effect. I drew each individual piece of the flower onto the thick fabric, cut them out and used some heat bond, which is an iron on adhesive, to keep them in place. Using the patchwork technique and some thick white thread, I stitched the individual pieces onto the backing fabric in order of the layers. This sample didn’t take too long to compose as there isn’t as much detail as there could have been, however, I am confident that I have translated the drawing from paper to textile with placement in mind.

Sample 2

For this sample, I used a viewfinder again to choose a selection that I wanted to work from. I drew the section of drawing straight onto plain white fabric and got straight into it. I used thin black thread to outline the leaf and the corner of the drawing to create the effects of the original fabric. Within the leaf, I used French knots to add an effect to the stem. This added a nice touch and brought a three dimensional feel to the piece. For the drawn tatting edge, I used the thick white thread and stitched each individual box which was rather repetitive. It caused the fabric to scrunch slightly which wasn’t intentional, however, it added texture to the final outcome.

Sample 3

I went back to the original Afwillite piece by S.M.Slade and found the larger version, I decided to use another section of the piece to give some variety. I made a quick sketch in my notebook to plan and gathered some coloured fabric. The brief says to match the colours as closely as you can so that’s what I did with the fabrics that I had. Once I had gathered all materials, I cut each individual piece of fabric out and laid them all on top of white backing fabric. I cut the main holes out of the green fabric used the quilting technique by layering the green onto the white and stitched it together along the outside. I then used thin black thread and the patchwork technique to attached the coloured rings in their designated spaces. This sample explores the scale as its bigger than A4. It was very time consuming but I had fun doing it.

Overall, I am happy with the outcome of each piece. Sample 3 is my favourite out of the 3 because it explores two techniques as well as colour and the finished piece represents the original very well in my opinion. I underestimated the amount of time it would take to complete each piece but I enjoyed stitching onto fabric nonetheless.

Written Reflection

Part 2 of the course has a challenge to say the least. The paper manipulation library at the start made me come out of my comfort zone as a perfectionist. I originally tried to copy the drawings when manipulating the paper as it felt right but I had to remind myself to push past the perfectionism and experiment with it. After the first couple samples, ideas starting flowing where I could experiment more. I gathered a variety of papers ranging in thickness. The watercolour card was difficult to poke holes in even with a sharp needle whereas the tracing paper was delicate and ripped if I was too forceful. Stitching onto these samples also required me to experiment which, as we’ve established, is an uncomfortable task for me because in my head it has to be “right”. I enjoyed some samples more than others and touched base with colour as I had plenty of embroidery thread that I knew I could colour match with. Using a viewfinder was very helpful in this stage, it is something I continued to use through the rest of this part and will continue to use in future exercises. I enjoyed the developed and composed samples exercise as I knew exactly what samples I was going to develop. It was very time consuming as they required some very detail sections which became tedious but they turned out great.

In this assignment, I was happy to see that I would be using textiles instead of paper. Working with textiles is much easier than using paper as it can be manipulated easier and the needle threaded smoothly. Therefore I was able to be more fluid and creative with it. Sample 3 was the most successful with the detail and colour exploration.

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Reflection – Assessment Criteria

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills

I have used a various amounts of materials and techniques throughout my work. I believe I have used observational skills though my drawings and demonstrated compositional skills through my textile samples.

Quality of Outcome

I am confident that the content of my work is thorough and presented in a coherent manner. I believe I have communicated my ideas clearly through my learning log and showed the thought process behind them.

Demonstration of Creativity

I have demonstrated my experiment process and used my imagination to create the work as well as developed my personal voice in terms of criticism.

Context

I have done a lot of research along the way and reflected on everything I have learned.

Many artists and designers choose to work with found, recycled, worn or discarded materials. After doing some research, I found a group of artists called Guerra de la Paz. They are a group of Cuban born artists that have been collaborating since 1996. They use old worn clothes and garments to deliver powerful political and environmental messages. There are three pieces from them that particularly caught my eye. The way they use these garments to create different sculptures is amazing.

Artworks for Change. Guerra de la Paz. At: https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/guerra-de-la-paz/ [accessed 02/08/2023]

The aim of this exercise was to help me explore the role of evaluation, selection and development in my designs and making process. Following on from the previous exercise, I had to choose two samples to develop into larger stitched paper pieces that take on board what I’ve learnt through the sampling stage.

I chose a drawing that had a lot of detail and the collage that had some colour. I then drew some ideas out in my sketchbook and these were the outcome. I decided to use A4 card for the collage piece because its quite firm whereas for the detailed piece, I used A3 plain paper to experiment with the size of the marks made.

This is the final coloured piece, I used coloured embroidery thread and believe the colours match rather well. I simply copied a section of my collage piece but in a larger size. I am happy with how it looks but it could have been better if i spent more time on it.

Below is the detailed pieced on A3. I scrunched the paper to represent the creases in the fabric. I then sketched the outline of each object so I knew where to go with the thread and I am pleased with the outcome. I took more time on this one and the detail came through nicely although it was difficult with needle and thread.

The aim of this exercise helps to build an exploratory approach to design development by using stitch as a means of ‘drawing’. The focus is to translate my drawn marks into stitched marks on the samples created in the exercise prior. Stitching by hand will give a similar level of control as drawing by hand. I started by gathering some different size needles along with different types of yarn and thread. Then I had to cut my sampled paper into a minimum of 10cm x 10cm, I decided to go for 16x16cm so that more of the sampled paper can be seen.

I used a paper viewfinder for some of the drawings because I struggled with inspiration for a few samples. It helped to choose a section where I could look closely.

This exercise was fun yet challenging. There was some samples where I had no idea what I would do on them so I started with ones that I had ideas for to get the ball rolling and then eventually the creativity started flowing. I had to keep telling myself that even if you dont like it, you still need to include it in your work as part of the progress.

The brief says if you want to use colour then you should try and match it as close to the original as possible. Luckily I have an abundance of different colour threads in my house so I could choose one that was the closest. I started with this sample because I knew I had those colours. I started with the yellow and used it to attach the coiled paper to the backing paper. It worked well because not only does it represent the original piece, it also keeps the coil on the paper as it was falling off.

This sample was basic because I struggled with what to do for it. I used plain white thread to imitate the flowers from the drawing and looking at the finished piece, I am happy with how it turned out.

This is another one that I didn’t really know what to do on. I started with a normal stitch around the edge of the tissue paper and then thought it would look good if I added some thread to where the frayed edge is and left it hanging. It emphasises the frayed edges. I used a thread that is quite stiff so it didn’t drape as well as I’d hoped. To improve this, I could have gone back in and used embroidery thread as well for more texture.

For this sample, I used black embroidery thread and a simple back stitch. I split the embroidery thread so that there was only 2 strands to use. It worked nicely because it was thin like the pencil would be. I stitched by eye just using the drawing through the viewfinder and I was going to add French knots to the middle of the leaves but the paper was too fragile and the knots just kept coming back through the paper.

This sample is one of my favourites because I managed to capture the detail from the drawing with the stitch. I used back stitch with the mark making technique to portray the shadows of each object. I made a quick sketch of the objects to know where I was going with the needle and thread and it turned out exactly how I imagined it to so I am very pleased.

Again with this one, I made a quick sketch and used black thread to outline the objects. I had to be careful with this one because tissue paper is very fragile and I didn’t want to rip it. The lines are very bold so I kept it simple.

This sample was another difficult one to do because I didn’t know what to do for it. I just used thick black thread and connected a few of the pre-made dots. The dots were hard to make because the paper is so thick that it kept ripping with the force of pushing the needle.

I used colour again for this one because I felt confident that I could match them. I used the dark purple to create a spiral and then used a lighter purple to create the inner colour of the flower. I could have gone back in with green for the stems but I couldn’t get the colour close enough. It was a challenge around the edges because it was so thin and the card is thick that it kept ripping.

For this sample, I just decided to copy the lines on the drawing because I couldn’t think of what to do and I didn’t want to lose my creativity so it is very basic.

This is my favourite one out of all ten because there is so much variety of stitch and colour. I incorporated the colours of the drawing and I am impressed with how it worked. I used cross stitch and back stitch to provide a variety of stitches. Looking at the collage I did for the original textile, I am confident that I have represented that with this piece.

Overall, this exercise was a challenge for some samples but I enjoyed being creative with it.

In this exercise, the aim is to help develop skills in the translation of textures and building on the key abilities of observation and analysis. It will help develop my awareness of the stages of creative design development.

I chose these six drawings to work from because they all have good qualities that can be transferred in terms of the marks made, some are bold and crisp whereas others are messy. I started with selecting a small range of papers that I can work with. The task is to manipulate these papers to create a range of textures and surfaces. I tried to come up with some words to describe the qualities and marks made rather than the actual paper. It is important that the drawings inform my choice of paper. So starting with associated words helped me figure out what type of paper I wanted to use.

• 1: messy, curvy, fluid
• 2: lines, crisp, pristine, sharp
• 3: lines, detail, messy, scratchy
• 4: overlap, bold, abstract
• 5: repetition, crisp, lines
• 6: bold lines, messy, curvy, thick

I have included a small list of techniques that can be used to manipulate the paper:

• Crumpling
• Creasing
• Layering
• Wetting
• Puncturing
• Weaving
• Laminating
• Shredding
• Folding
• Cutting

Below is a selection of papers that I gathered to start this exercise. From left to right: plain card, grey card, lined paper, squared paper, watercolour paper, tissue paper and envelopes.

Drawing 1

I started by crumpling some tissue paper to resemble the stems of the flowers and then stuck them onto plain paper. I like that it gives a three dimensional effect and I feel that it translates the qualities of the drawing.

This one is rather simple, I just cut some strips into the paper that formed the stems. I folded each stem outwards to try and make then three-dimensional.

This piece didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to because I accidentally ripped the paper. I started by creasing the paper from a quarter of the way up the paper and then I punctured holes at the top of the crease to portray the flower head. However, I was a bit too forceful and ripped the paper. Instead of throwing it away, I wanted to include it so you can see the progress.

This is probably my favourite of the four because I used two different techniques and the outcome was just how I pictured it. I used the creasing technique but on card this time so it was more difficult to manipulate, however, the creases seem to stand out more on card. I then cut holes above the creases to resemble the flower heads.

Drawing 2

I really enjoyed creating this one because it’s something I haven’t done in years. I had to remind myself how to do it but once completed, it gives a quilt like texture which is perfect when looking at the drawing. The weaving of the paper resembles the tatting technique seen in the drawing.

This was another quick one using squared paper. I chose squared for this drawing because I believe it resembles the tatting. I made creases on the right hand side of the paper to create the drape of the fabric as seen in the drawing.

Drawing 3:

For this drawing, I thought the best way to resemble the drapes and folds of the fabric was to scrunch the paper up and then flatten it again. I tried it with tissue paper which ended up a little too creased. So I tried with normal paper and it worked better.

Drawing 4:

The next technique I wanted to try wasn’t on the list but I thought it would represent the drawing quite well. I coiled the paper to create the circles of the drawing, I used a pair of scissors and scored the pattern onto the paper.

For this sample, I used tissue paper on lined paper. Starting by crumpling the tissue paper and manipulating it to create the pattern of the fabric. Then I stuck it onto the lined paper and twisted more tissue paper to create the frayed edges.

The final technique for this sample was cutting the pattern into card paper and sticking tissue paper to the back. I liked how this turned out because its almost like embedded into the paper and it makes it stand out a lot.

Drawing 5:

I definitely struggled to find a technique that worked for this one. The pattern on the original fabric was repetitive and I wasn’t sure how to recreate that. I started with twisting some lined paper and that seemed to work well.

The next technique that I tried was slashing and I tried to do it in the flow of the pattern. The photograph doesn’t really do it justice and the paper ended up quite flimsy.

Drawing 6:

The first technique I tried for this drawing was wetting the paper. I thought it would work well because the pattern on the fabric is almost oil like. I went over the wet patches with sand paper to see what effect it had and it took the first layer off. I think it would look good if I was to use watercolour at this stage.

The final sample for this drawing involved pricking the paper with a needle. I decided it would be better to use a thick needle to make the hols more prominent. I was originally going to use the front (picture 1) but I preferred the look of the back (picture 2) more because it created a nice texture.

This exercise definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but I gave it a go and I’m pleased with how some samples turned out. I would say I am a perfectionist so I had to keep reminding myself that even if you dont like it, you still need to include it as a part of the process. I believe I have a good range of samples to work from now.

The aim of this exercise is to help develop my ability to evaluate and review my previous work to make effective decisions that will inform the next stage. I had to lay out all of my drawings produced from Project 1 and consider which ones I find most inspiring. The six drawings I chose are below:

I chose this drawing from the introductory project because it is detailed with some bold lines. It was the most interesting out of all of them.

I chose this one because of the bold lines and the scale. This was the first piece that pushed me to use bigger paper.

I knew I wanted to use this one straight away because it is a little more complex than others. There seems to be a lot going on and I feel it would be good to work from.

This one will also be challenging because its a collage but its visually interesting so I had to include it.

I chose this one for the detail. I will aim to recreate some of the detail with stitching later on in the project.

This is the continuous line drawing with colour. I thought it would be good to try continuous line with the stitch which I know already will be a challenge.