There is something so cathartic about this time of year. It always feels to me like the opportunity for new beginnings, a fresh start. There’s a lot of change ahead in this crazy world of ours, but may the coming year be full of joy, love, friendship and many blessings. Happy New Year!
BA Textiles: Experiments With Geometrics
With the year nearly over and the first term of the final part of my degree complete, I have a great deal to reflect upon. Choosing to take this final year in Surface Pattern Design has been an enormous undertaking, as I get my head around different processes and industry terminology. My actual ‘hand-in’ date isn’t until the end of January, so over the next month I’m hoping that all my work since September will start to come together. It feels as though I’m a long way off realising the briefs requirements at the moment.
Ultimately, it will all culminate in two very different collections of 10 pieces, a sketchbook, a fabric swatch book, a customer board and inspiration board and among other things, 2 final visualisation boards . The module is all about experimentation and for me virtually each and every process in the workshop spaces has been an utterly new experience. I’ll share some of those pieces over the coming weeks. But for now, I thought I’d begin by showing you some of the simple geometric collection I’ve been working on. Geometrics are quite a departure from my normal work and I’m not entirely comfortable with them. Some are created by hand and some I’ve learnt to create digitally in Photoshop. It’s made me realise how much I miss my trusty old paintbrush and watercolour paints though and I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with them in the New Year!
Etsy On the Horizon ...
It has been absolutely sweltering hot in my little studio and since my windows don't actually open I have been slowly melting, add children's school holidays into the mix and the result is not a lot has been getting created! However, I have been managing to rework some of my existing images in the cooler evenings while mulling over the idea of preparing to open an Etsy shop in the near future. For now, here's my little folk tin with an update all of its own, including a new background!
Under The Sea
I've been getting a little bit carried away with my underwater themes of late... perhaps it's all this hot weather we're having! I've just been taking a class with Stephanie Fizer Coleman over on Atly on Texture and Pattern in Photoshop. It's opened a whole new world of texture in my illustrations and in this piece I've been trying to incorporate some of what I've learned. I really like the depth that the textures add to my layers when I'm digitally collaging hand rendered pieces. In the meantime, my workload is piling up while I've been getting so absorbed and I've really got to get back to finishing that mermaid journal!
Here's A Little Fishy...
Ok so now I've got that tune on slow repeat in my head, although I only remember the first two lines! Anyway, I'm joining in with the Folio Focus Summer Reboot over at Rise Design and Shine. It's giving me a chance to revisit some old work which was previously quite rushed and unfinished. This project is based around nautical theme and needs to end up as a journal cover design. I've reworked the mermaid completely and found the time to paint some of the hand drawn motifs I'd previously created. Taking my time really with this one as it's giving me the opportunity to really think about building layers and texture when I collage the hand rendered pieces together in photoshop. There'll be more to come, but this is where I've got to so far!
The Pattern Curve!
At last, I have made the commitment to finish the final year of my degree, my youngest will be starting school in September and now seems like the right time! After much thought and deliberation, I've chosen to pursue Textiles and Surface Pattern Design. While I'm incredibly excited at the prospect, I'm also slightly nervous and a little apprehensive. Having already done the first two years with a young family in tow, I am under no illusions of how tough it's going to be, despite my wonderful and supportive family. Plus, oh my goodness I have got so much to learn about pattern! So in an attempt to start as I mean to carry on, I've been going slightly pattern crazy by starting with some of my existing work and getting to grips with creatine pattern repeats in photoshop. Hopefully, with some practice my pattern designing will become a little more sophisticated. I'm really intrigued at the thought of looking back in a years time and seeing how my work has evolved!
