David Hockney is constantly looking for different tools to use to create artworks. He has always been an artist that paints flowers, leaves, trees and all kinds of nature sceneries. However, his most recent piece involved the use of an iPhone and iPad to draw flowers. In an article, Hockney says that he used an app called Brushes in 2011, it was the best app he felt he could use but in 2016 they updated it and Hockney wasn’t keen on the new update. So, in 2018, Hockney and his assistant Jonathon Wilkinson did another Brushes with a mathematician in Leeds and Hockney loved it. He said “there is no clean up needed even if you have drawn all day”.

During lockdown of 2020 and 2021, all he could do was create artwork on his four-acre field full of fruit trees. He painted at least one drawing a day on the iPad and eventually printed them out to put up in the studio. He did everything by looking at the motif rather then photographs. I have included a couple examples below.

Hockney, D. (2021) “I love drawing”: David Hockney on iPad painting and finding joy in spring. At: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/article-david-hockney-ipad-painting-during-lockdown [ accessed 21/03/2023]

This exercise is moving on from the chosen archives and onto a new visual sources. The task is to collect flowers, leaves or plants that I’d like to draw from. I was excited to see this as it’ s new and my house is full of plants. I also have a garden centre as a family business so I can use that to my advantage for this exercise.

I haven’t drawn many plants or flowers in the past so this will help expand my experience. I have decided to use the string of pearls, the cheese plant, a cacti and some primroses from the garden centre. They are all very different which means I have more opportunity to play around with my techniques and the primroses have so many bright beautiful colours that I can draw and paint.

As I said at the start of Project 3, I wanted to explore colour more and see what my capabilities were so I thought I could have a go with watercolour or coloured pens and/or pencils for this exercise. I might try and incorporate the two together to see what effect it has.

This exercise was easy for me because I’m a sucker for plants and flowers or just nature in general so I believe the next exercise will be even more fun.

I will do some research to give this project a frame of reference. I have chosen three artists that employ floral and leaf motifs into their work and I will individually research and explore their practice. The three chosen are, Zoffany, William Morris and Takashi Murakami.

Zoffany

Below is a screenshot of the Zoffany fabrics page. From this, we can already see that the use of floral and leaf motifs are important in their work. They have been using floral patterns since the 19th century creating beautiful pieces of work. Some pieces are dominant with floral and leaf motifs whereas others are one colour.

William Morris

Morris is the single most influential figures of the 19th century as a political theorist, publisher, environmental campaigner, poet and of course, an outstanding designer. Floral and leaf motifs are heavily featured in his work. Some of Morris’ first work included wallpaper designs named, “Trellis”, “Daisy” and “Fruit”. 11 years later came “Jasmine” and “Marigold”. This could have been the start of his famous floral and leaf motifs. I have included a few examples of William Morris’ work to show the recurring patterns.

Takashi Murakami

Straight away I knew who this was when I saw the name. I am a big fan of Billie Eilish and I saw his collaboration with her in a music video for “you should see me in a crown”. His famous flowers are featured towards the end of the music video. The two of them coming together for this song was a good fit in my opinion, it all worked nicely.

Takashi Murakami’s flower face is recognizable worldwide as a core symbol of pop culture. He designed the flower in 1995 and although at first glance it appears happy, bright and smiley, it holds a deeper, darker message. The symbol represents the trauma the local still suffer with from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in 1945.

Now, it has grown in the fashion industry for companies like Ben Baller and Supreme and continues to collaborate with some of the most influential people out there.

Zoffany Home Page. At: https://zoffany.sandersondesigngroup.com/search/fabric?q=fabric [accessed 17/03/2023]

Henderson, P,P. (2023) William Morris. At: https://www.britannica.com/art/fiction-literature [accessed 17/03/2023]

Morris, W. (1843 – 1896). At: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-morris-388 [accessed 18/03/2023]

Allen, K. (2002) Takashi Murakami’s Flowers: A Core Symbol Of Pop Culture. At: https://culted.com/takashi-murakamis-flowers/ [accessed 19/03/23]

Begin by asking yourself what you believe ‘drawing’ is. If I was asked this question 5 years ago, I would have said using pen or pencil to create a picture on paper. Now, my idea of drawing has been expanded due to studying art in sixth form and receiving an A, and completing drawing exercises within this unit. My definition now would be the technique of creating art through marks made my pencils, pens, charcoal or chalk. There are different types of drawing for different uses. There’s your typical doodles that everyone loves to do to pass the time but then there’s also things like blueprints which is a more technical drawing that is used for copying maps, mechanical drawings or architects plans.

I think I’d like to explore some more colour because although drawing can be beautiful, colour will in some cases bring it alive. I would also love to have a go at using the ProCreate app on the iPad. I haven’t done digital drawing before but it looks like it would be fun.

This project consists of two exercises and the aim is to move onto a new visual source, drawing flowers, leaves and/or plants from new life. Flowers and leaves are a huge staple within textiles for things like fashion and interior contexts. They can be easily built up for repeating patterns and they provide a bold colour palette.

For this exercise, the main focus is attention to the fine detail of my archive piece and represent this detail through drawing. Again, I chose the tatting piece to work from because I could zoom in and still have all the detail whereas if I chose one of the others, it would mean zooming in on a photo causing it to pixelate. This exercise made me look even closer and capture some of the finest qualities of the fabric which I can use in future projects. I have followed on from the last exercise slightly and used the dropped/folded layout but I have also zoomed in on both.

There was a few things to consider when drawing these pieces. Does the front have any different qualities than the back? This fabric didn’t, it was completely the same on both sides and there is no tags. Is the age apparent in the fine qualities? Not that I can see, it was a well looked after fabric. Are there folds, creases or crumples that you can record in detail? Yes, and I believe I did it quite well.

Using pencil, I traced the outline of the dropped and folded fabric to ensure I can record the fine qualities as perfectly as possible. I have been a fan of drawing since I can remember and I was always told I have a great attention to detail so this exercise was fun for me. I started with zooming in on a section of the dropped and folded fabric and taking a photo to draw from. This allowed me to look closely at the stitching and the seams. I tried to incorporate the shadows into the drawing to emphasize the detail.

I then zoomed out and took another photo of both dropped and folded. This is where I traced the outline to allow for real definition. Again, I looked closely at the detail and drew from that. They were drew in pencil so the folded one has been smudged and some of the detail has faded but you can see it if you look closely.

Basically, to put it simply, Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept described as finding beauty in the imperfections. The more I research into this concept, the more I can understand. A broken bowl can be much more than just… a broken bowl. It can be transformed into this beautiful bowl that allows the imperfections to shine through thus creating this concept… Wabi-Sabi.

“Wabi-Sabi inspired interiors celebrate the history and “soul” of a space and embrace the presence of cracks and scratches that are symbolic of the passing of time and loving use.” (Bonnici, 2017). Wabi-Sabi can also be seen in building interiors through the wooden beams of the structure or cracks in the paint.

I don’t think I can apply Wabi-Sabi to any of my chosen pieces, although the tatting fabric has wear and tear. I will keep this concept in mind when working on futures projects.

Bonnici, K. (2017) Embracing Imperfection – The Art of Wabi-Sabi. At: https://kristinebonnici.com/design/embracing-imperfection-art-wabi-sabi/ [accessed 23/09/2022]

The aim of this exercise was to expand my means of drawing by using the paper to capture further aspects of my chosen textiles pieces through collage. I had to try and portray the form, shape, drape and three-dimensional qualities through the two dimensional collage.

First, I gathered a variety of different papers such as newspaper, magazines and coloured paper. Once cut into the right size pieces, I then applied them onto a base paper to compose the collage. I chose to do the patterns and colours of Afwillite because it’s bold and it was the only one with frayed edges; I thought it would be good to work from. I also used the tatting piece because I could manipulate that however I’d like. I decided to do two collages for this, one where the fabric had been dropped and the other folded. On the folded fabric, I folded the paper to create the shadows and bring a three dimensional feel to it. I used the writing of the newspaper to act as the tatting border because they’re thin. On the dropped fabric, I used darker parts of the newspaper to portray the shadow on the fabric.

Overall, this exercise was fun to do and I’ve loved creating collages in the past. I could have experimented by scrunching or cutting large chunks out and I could have used more of a variety of papers. I felt like I could have spent more time on this and explored more options.

The aim of this exercise allows me to develop my observation and recording skills through different qualities of line to depict my chosen textiles. It also helps to build an experimental approach to my drawings.

Looking at my chosen textiles, there are linear aspects that are more drawing-worthy than others. For example, the hem of the fabric, the border around it or the actual pattern on the fabric. I started with the patterns of Afwillite as a quick sketch to get the ball rolling. I did the same with Frequency because they both have bold lines which was fun to work from.

Then I moved onto the textile that I could manipulate and rearrange to work from and create a variety of different drawings. I folded the textile in multiple ways and drew from each fold. I experimented with a few different techniques such as, continuous line, fuzzy line, dotted line, using my left hand and right hand and drawing with my eyes closed. The dotted line was done with pencil, however, looking at it now it should have been drawn in pen for it to stand out. Drawing with my eyes closed was definitely an experiment because, as you can see below, it wasn’t perfect but the lines are there.

I enjoyed this exercise because it forced me to be creative and I think that’s what I’ve needed recently. I was experimental with my drawings and I feel like my skills have definitely improved.

The aim of this exercise was to generate a collection of mark-making and drawings from the three selected items in the previous exercises. Also, to develop my observational skills through recording textile qualities of texture, tone, weight, drape, detail, pattern, surface and scale.

Unfortunately, for the three chosen from the Victoria and Albert website, I will only be able to record marks from the pattern as I am unable to physically touch the fabrics. Hence the reason for the fourth textile which I will be able to touch and feel. I have started with Afwillite 8.45 using a pen, paintbrush and scrunched paper on blue paper to portray the background. The scrunched paper print wasn’t my favourite but I included it for you to see the progress.

The next piece I made marks from was The Blue Vase by Picasso. For these, I used a paintbrush, a sponge and scrunched paper. The scrunched paper worked better with this piece as I could represent the repetition of the piece. I made marks to portray the pattern in the textile.

I enjoyed making marks from this pattern more because of the bold and funky lines. I felt like I was more free with this as I gently followed the lines.

Finally, I have made marks from the tatting piece which I was able to touch, feel and manipulate. I used a paintbrush, a sponge and a pen. The first photo is a quick sketch of the stitching pattern. The top middle photo is representing the tatting technique used for the border and the last two photos are made with a paintbrush and sponge to capture the drapes and folds in the fabrics. I had more fun with this piece because I was able to feel it and see it in person.

Once I had selected the three pieces to explore, it was time to find out more about the chosen textiles through observation and further research. I have decided to do the three chosen and the textile I found in my home so I can have a better understanding. I will discuss the substance and story of each textile, one by one.

I will start with the Afwillite textile by S.M.Slade. This textile is made from spun rayon. Rayon is a fibre made up of regenerated cellulose, typically from eucalyptus trees. It was manufactured by British Celanese Limited in 1951 using many synthetic chemicals. This should be kept in mind when caring for the fabric. It should be hand washed and hung dry to protect the fibres. The method used in its production is done one a spinning wheel, which consists of spinning short lengths of rayon filaments into a continuous strand. So the textile is machine made, spun rayon with screen-print added to create the dress fabric. The textile is made in Great Britain, however, this particular textile isn’t the final piece. The final piece is a dress that I cannot find unfortunately. The fibres of this textile originated in France where the first production began. It has since been used worldwide.

There isn’t many, if any visual indications on S.M.Slade’s “Afwillite 8.45” as its not the final product. However, it looks fairly durable which you would expect from a dress fabric. The fabrics I have chosen are from the Post-War textiles archive, so all items have a story to tell. “Aided by post-war confidence and growth, a new wave of designs was produced, influenced by art and design from around the world.” (V&A website) New opportunities were provided by the Festival of Britain in 1951. One design type stood out from the rest, which consisted of magnified representations of atomic structures to create patterns. Substances including boric acid, aluminium hydroxide and afwillite were used to create patterns such as Slade’s “Afwillite 8.45”

The textile by Pablo Picasso is also made from screen-printed rayon. It was manufactured in Florida by Fuller Fabrics in 1956. The process of making the textile is the same as the previous, machine made spun rayon with screen-print finish. In 1953, Fuller Fabrics approached Picasso to invite him to try his hand at textile design. These designs would eventually go on to create dress’s and furnishings.

“Frequency” is a textile made from cotton. Cotton is mostly made up of cellulose fibre which gives it the soft and fluffy feel. The fibres get spun into threads that are then woven into fabric. It was manufactured for Heals Fabric in 1969. This kind of fabric can be cared for by washing in cold water either by hand or in a machine and preferably air dried. This piece was made on a spinning wheel machine with a screen print on the fabric to produce the design. It was made in Great Britain in 1969, designed by Barbara Brown and produced by Heal Fabrics. Cotton itself was first cultivated as a fabric in Pakistan, 2500BC and has now been used all around the world for so many years. In the late 1960s a new generation of designers replaced the delicate look with a larger scale more bolder designs such as Barbara Brown.

Traceability within a textile is important because it provides better control. From the product to the raw product, it helps to identify every process that goes into making a fabric and where its been.

The tatting piece found in my home was made from an old cotton bedsheet and polyester blends. There is no manufacturers label because the bedsheet was cut up and used for this new textile piece. However, I know that the bedsheet would have been woven on an industrial loom. Once the woven fabric is complete, it would have been bleached, dyed, rolled and finished with a sewn hem. The artist then used the old worn bedsheet and created a piece of fabric using the tatting technique. It is around 100 years old now so it is almost impossible to find out any extra information about this piece. It is well worn with a couple holes and very light patina can be seen but if you looked at it for the first time, I don’t think you could tell it was 100 years old as its been well looked after.

Post-War Textiles, Victoria & Albert Museum. At: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/post-war-textiles [accessed 15/09/22]