Assignment 2 – Tutor Feedback

I’m pretty late updating this section but never mind. I was very happy with the feedback I received for this assignment as I wasn’t expecting it really. I was really deflated with the quality of samples I had done but was so happy to hear that most of that was in my head.

Overall Comments
Laura, you have continued to progressively develop your skills via exploration of materials, techniques and application. Drawing has informed your design ideas and concepts. You have created a body of successful creative prints. You are showing a stronger design process and your ability to be focused on themes and topics, has provided effective results. The work is well presented and clearly you have followed the course material to guide and support your progression. It is good to see that you have shown clear research directions within your learning log and this is developing well with easily accessible, informative, reflection of your work.

I understand your aim is to go for the Painting/Textiles/Creative Arts Degree and that you plan to submit your work for assessment at the end of this course. From the work you have shown in this assignment, providing you commit yourself to the course, I believe you have the potential to succeed at assessment. In order to meet all the assessment criteria, there are certain areas you will need to focus on, which I will outline in my feedback.

Feedback on assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
It is evident that you are developing your hand embroidery skills with new stitch techniques and testing colours. You have continued to explore mark making via stitch plus investigation of perceived colours.  The blue and red stitches on black cloth are bold and expressive. In particular the red, cloth sample with intercepting circles is very successful. The French knots are used to blend a vibrant colour palette. This evidences very competent visual and technical skills. The pastel French knots again, works well, as the colours are phased effectively and the surface texture becomes almost organic in nature against the white cloth. Well done!

Moving into print you have shown, research and drawing has informed your design ideas. Here, you have tested a number of applications including block printing, lino cutting, stencil motifs, painting and drawing directly onto cloth, plus masking techniques. The linocut of linear, silhouetted trees worked effectively in green on white cotton. I agree the linocut applied on a densely, floral print looses definition and impact. However, it is good to see you testing variations of materials. Your study incorporating a layering technique of fabric crayon, fabric paint and lino cut is subtle in nature but has a depth and textural quality.

Via masking you utilised tape and a wooden heart to experiment. The wooden heart piece is particularly striking. The small amounts of floral print appearing though the heart motif on a blackened background gives the piece an aged or antique feel (almost like wrought iron or stained glass windows) in essence. You have included a bird, stencil sample plus fabric crayoned and painted, landscape pieces. The landscapes have an endearing, innocent, quality. You have a lovely sketching style in the fabric crayon study. I think you should consider developing this further. Perhaps try being more expressive. Think about trying a larger sample with bigger, expressive, fluid marks. Don’t worry if this starts to ‘abstract’ the piece. Sometimes wonderful accidents happen when we are braver, taking risks with materials and applications.

I would like to see you exhaust the possibilities of each idea more fully. Perhaps consider making a series of prints using each technique then reflecting and reviewing the work, here you can then begin to add applications, try alternative methods and even combine ideas and concepts.

A3 Sketchbook Pages:
Laura, you have clearly evidenced experimentation with colour perception and interpretation using the course materials to guide developments. The square blocks of colour are well annotated with personal reflection and indicating a clear understanding. You have tested mixing various palettes in acrylic and watercolour paint exploring depth, tone and hue. Using a post card depicting decorative fans and the use of an organic print, you have successfully mixed palettes to match colour combinations.

You have documented, very considered moods and themes through mixing colour palettes including: anger versus calm, spring versus winter (warm versus cold) and bright versus dark. This is a good preliminary start to expressing emotions via colour. This could be explored further via reflecting upon the very strong emotions of anger, for example this could become almost ‘explosive’ depicting ‘rage’, incorporating a dynamic, bold and dramatic tones applied dramatically! Winter could throw alternative, depressive, colour blends depicting grey, dull, fog, drizzle, darkness and cloud filled skies. Consider referring to your mark making techniques and apply the colour expressively considering the mood you are reflecting.

Within these pages you have created studies using pencil, watercolour, collage, pastel, stencil and block printing. The collages (button bouquet and autumn leaves) evidence your ability, to explore building texture with varied materials. The autumn leaved study, is particularly successful in the way in which you have applied layers in brown paper, paint and crinkling techniques. I agree that you could develop this further by incorporating the rusting of wrought iron or consider using found materials such as actual leaves, twigs, earth or sand, etc. Collect corrugated card, buttons, feathers, twine, etc. to develop collage work.

The organic pencil studies have successfully identified areas of texture, line and form experimenting with scale and proportion. This has led on to, the tree silhouette in black card against a sunset in pastel. Again, good use of materials to create a layered and textured, visually successful piece. You are showing a competency in realising ideas, presenting these well and consistent in judgement. Well done.

Sketchbook
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity
The sketchbook you sent is developing well. Here, you have demonstrated some good observational drawings including rusting railings, a view from your work window as well as doodles and motif designs and samples. There are experimental watercolour palettes including tone and saturation studies. I particularly like the fact you have begun to include some stitch samples. The Sashiko, Japanese embroidery piece is very interesting. You include reflective notes and annotation, I noted the fact you felt your sketching was improving with the drawing of the rabbit. It is great to see your own comments on personal progression.

I would encourage you to continue building this wonderful personal resource. Consider including collage, swatches, yarns, post cards, photographs, inspirational images, etc. And keep drawing extend what you are doing. It appears that you sketch beautifully from the scenery around you. Try and draw or doodle every day! You are beginning to develop a personal voice, take risks, be bolder, and more confident in your own abilities!

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays
Context
Laura, your on-line learning log I developing well. I am so happy to see that you have started to look at other artists that inspire and interest you. Examples of these are: Mark Lovejoy who used bright, bold colour palettes on various materials expressively applied and Zsa Zsa Bellagio whose work is subtler in nature inspired by her passion for weddings and fashion. The Gallerina gallery visit is documented well with good photographs. You found artists work here, that was interesting and inspirational. I would encourage you to keep seeking out exhibitions, galleries, sites, shows and areas of research to inform your art practice. It is wonderful to experience contemporary art, seeing the materials and techniques used plus feeling the presence and emotion of pieces created by the artist.

Here, you have documented your Piercebridge walk. It  is clear that you are a keen Photographer and the photos are of a good quality depicting both close up images of leaves, berries and brambles plus the more landscape shots of rural settings. This is excellent primary research and it is evident that this method of documenting areas of interest is informing your design ideas. In particular the photograph of wrought iron railings has been utilised successfully throughout this body of work. Here, you write very clearly about the colour and texture of this scene. I would encourage you to continue taking photographs of inspirational places, considering which elements attracted your eye and how you could go on to incorporate this into your textile artwork. Well done!

 

Suggested reading/viewing
Context

Interesting Textile Artists website addresses:
Anne Froggatt
http://www.studio21textileart.co.uk/?page_id=106

Debbie Lyddon

Home

Ann Goddard
http://www.axisweb.org/p/anngoddard/

Catherine Dormor
http://www.catherinedormor.co.uk/Catherine/Home.html

Artists:
Frida Kahlo (Her use of colour is interesting)
http://www.fridakahlofoundation.org/

Eva Hesse (Her use of materials)
http://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/1648/evahesse1965/view/

Louise Bourgeois – The Fabric Works
http://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/743/louisebourgeoisthefabricworks/view/

Books:
Quinn, Bradley, 2009), Textile Designers The Cutting Edge. London, Laurence King Publishing, Hudson.

Rayner, G, Chamberlain, R, and Stapleton, A. (2012) Artists’ Textiles, 1940-1976. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors’ Club.

Stitch:

Craftsy Embroidery Stitches:
http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/04/hand-embroidery-stitches/

Mary Corbet’s Needle ‘n’ Thread

How To Videos

Pointers for the next assignment

• Maintain your good working practices
• Be bolder, take risks and have faith in your own abilities!
• Extend your experimentation – make series of prints – exhaust ideas and concepts.
• Continue to develop your sketchbook via incorporating other materials and techniques.
• Seek out exhibitions, sites, galleries and shows where you can experience contemporary art.
• Continue to collect found object to draw from or use within your artwork.

Well done Laura, I look forward to your next assignment.

Assignment 2 – Critcal Assessment

Level 4 critical assessment – Looking for laying the foundations – acquisition of skills and good working habits (keeping sketch books and learning logs) – 4 areas of focus: Demonstration of technical and visual skills, quality of outcome, demonstration of creativity and context.

Demonstration of technical and visual skills – I think I have been fairly competent in this area especially with the stitched pieces. I feel there’s more I could have done to show this but I am positive that this development will show as the course progresses.

Quality of outcome – This area is a little touch and go in my opinion. I feel the quality of word produced in the first half of the assignment is good quality but only a few pieces from the second half (the button bouquet and crayon and paint field on fabric) are of a standard I am used to producing.

Demonstration of creativity – I feel this is lacking somewhat through out is assignment. I found it very difficult to find my ‘creative flare’ and found myself copying a lot of old ideas and pictures (especially on my sketchbook) I have definitely suffered a creative loss recently but I think a refocus on previous ideas (fringe science, Mark making, etc) and just some free time to experiment will soon see this change.

Context – I have moved on slightly with this area. I feel I have started to look more at other artists work which has been interesting and I am really looking forward to letting my research influence my design.

Feedback – Level 4 – I think overall this hasn’t been my best production of work.but I am not being defeated. I understand that this can happen and ,  even though it’s not ideal, it’s better it happens now than later when I’m looking to out in for assessment. I’m confident my future work will be of a better standard. 

Project 5 – Painting and Printing

This project really let me down in this assignment. I will warn you now. My collection of work for this is honestly quite shocking. I have had very little money to be able to get many paints and things and I have had quite a bit of a stressful few months which seemed to just stunt any sort of creative outlet for me. It was quite frustrating as I spent so many hours just staring at fabric and drawings and not being able to ‘see’ what I was going to do. I spent a lot of time beating myself up about it too but I just ended up, a week before my assignment was due to be handed in, taking a deep breath and doing anything. Anything was better than nothing and I will just have to deal wi the feedback when I get it and start fresh from the next assignment. I can’t really break this one down into stages and such as I didn’t produce a final large sample and things it’s really just a really small mix of experiments so instead of talking about them I’m just going to post the pictures. Oh and the best part was that once I had sent off my assignment I realised I hadn’t done the relief block printings! I had made some blocks and completely overlooked them so they didn’t get done either.

   

      

So that is it for Project 5 and now my assignment is on its way to my tutor. I really hope the comments aren’t too bad but if there is anything I have learned from this project is this :  I guess the main thing I have learned from this project is to deal with a little failing sometimes and the best way to both approach it and move on and progress from it. Sometimes poop happens and as long as I don’t let it effect my future assume nuts I shouldn’t dwell too much on what I did wrong. I still produced workand in fairness it’s not the worst, it’s nice work, just jot a lot of it. 

Project 4 – Review

Did you manage to ‘make space move?’

I think I managed to ‘make space move’ yes. I understand the idea of taking away the same amount of space but in different ways to make the same look like more or less.

What are your thoughts about the drawings you did in Stage 3?

I liked my drawings from Stage 3. I think I showed a good set of progressive pieces. My only critique is that it would have been nice to do more than one but my time wouldn’t permit.

Were you able to use your drawings successfully as a basis for further work? Are there any other things you would like to try?

I think I was able to choose a good selection of drawings to develop. I liked my selection and think I developed them well. I would have liked to try many other ways of developing such as with stitch or unusual fabrics and things but I think my confidence won’t yet allowed to take ‘abstract’ and ‘unusual’ risks but that will come I am sure.

Now that you have a good working method, do you feel confident that you can carry on working in this way independently?

I feel that I trust myself a little more now, and my creative decisions, to allow me to start developing my drawings. I just need to focus a little more and give myself enough time to try out different ways of expression and using different mediums.

 

Project 4 – Stage 4 – Developing Design Ideas

Stage 3 asked me to select some drawings from my previous work that could be developed.

I chose to develop 2 drawing that have always been in the back of my mind for developing further. A picture of trees in the sunset and from ahoto I took of some autum leaves poking through a green gate.

 

To make this I cut drew the tree designs onto black paper and used a craft knife to cut out the areas I wanted the back ground to show through. I used chalk pastels to create the sunset look as they are easy to blend and mini pulsate. Once I was happy with the back ground I stuck the tree detail on top. I love this personally, I like the blend of colours in the background and how spooky the trees look. It reminds me of Halloween or something. Looking back now though I wish I had cut it out so it was framed in a way or at least so the excess colour wasn’t surrounding it which I think makes it look a little unfinished.

To make this I decided to use brown paper and, using a sping, paint it orange and yellow to make it look like autumn leaves. I thing cut out the leaves and crinkled them up to a get a bit of texture. I thing layered them and introduced the green paper to act as the green bars of the gate from the original picture. Again I really quite like this. I think I have managed to get the textures very well and the colours make them almost look real. If I was to develop it further I would try and get the rusting detail on the bars.

Project 4 – Stage 2 – Looking for shapes and drawing

Here I was asked to pick a picture from my visual collection and pick certain areas that have interesting shapes. I was torn between two different pictures.

 

Exercise 1  

I chose one of the second pictures to work from for exercise 1 which asked me to look at surface textures, colours and shapes.

 

I have never really drawn in this way before, looking at each different element and picking out only those features. It was a very interesting way to draw really and I did enjoy trying something different.

Exercise 2 & 3

I didn’t complete this exercise as I wasn’t sure what it was asking me to do. Which is a shame. I really didn’t understand or know how to draw what it was asking me to draw. With the image I took being mostly lines and shapes it would hVe been difficult to interpret it without just copying so I was a bit confused about how to approach this exercise use.

Exercise 4

This exercise asked me to do the same but with a real life object. This one I found a lot easier. I started with the three drawings, one of shapes, one of textures and one of colours.

 

I then moved on to do the focused drawing using different mediums dry, wet and collage. I tried to focus on the shapes and colours as these are the main things I like about the object I picked to work from.

 

 I really like how these turned out. Especially the collage. I used a mix of paper, card, ribbon and wire to try and get the colours, and textures correct. I really enjoyed this exercise and feel that I have made some good representations of the orginal object I was working from which was my button bouquet.

Project 4 -Stage 1 – Developing Desing Ideas

Stage 1 – Introduction and Preparation

   

This exercise asked me to look at using space. I was asked to use black squares to manipulate the area of a square to get different uses of space. I quite enjoyed the experimentation of this exercise, how using the same one square in the centre vs the outer area of the square can make what is the same area space seem like less of more. I did find this really interesting.

 

 

Project 3 – Research Point

For this I was asked to look at a piece of textiles that had meaning in detail.

I don’t own any christening gowns or wedding dresses or anything but I do have a homemade pillow that says ‘Home’ on it that my fiancé bought me when we moved into our house so I thought this is would be a good thing to look at.

Firstly I was asked to make a sketch of the item and give some brieft description details.

Colour

The pillow is white but has several different colours adorning it;

Bird – Blue polkadot with black black stitched wings, beak and legs and white stitching around the shape in the top right hand corner of the pillow.

‘H’ – Dark blue fabric with red, white and light blue flowers on it and dark blue stitching around.

‘O’ – Light blue fabric with pink, yellow, green, grey, black and red square attern on it and white stitching around.

‘M’ – A Wedgwood blue colour fabric with a white floral pattern and white stitching around.

‘E’ – Red polkadot fabric with red stitching around. Polka dots are a lighter red than the base colour of the fabric.

Flower 1 – Red and white polka dots with a white button in the centre with red stitching and is adorned with a green polkadot leaf with green stitching around.

Flower 2 – Pink and white polkadot fabric with a red button in the cntre with yellow stitching attaching button but also creating definition in the petals with red stitching around and adorned with same green leaf as ‘flower 1’.

Flower 3 – light purple fabric with dark purple floral design with 3 buttons in the centre one red, one orange and one yellow all attached using yellow thread and red stitching around . Again adorned with the same leaves as in the other two flowers.

Size & Shape

The pillow case is approximately 24 inches by 10 or 11 giving it a rectangle shape.

Decorative Elements

As described in the ‘colours’ section, this item’s decorative elements are in the embellishments on the pillow which are a little bird, the word ‘home’ and 3 flowers with button centres and leaves.

—I was then asked to answer some further detailed questions about the pillow case.—

When was the piece made and how long has it been in your possession?

I’m not sure exactly when this piece was made but it has been in my possession for 3 years now. It was bought for me as a moving in present from my fiancé when I walked past a shop that sells all hand made craft things and spotted it.

Who made it and where was it made?

There is a tag on the back which says ‘Rubyru – Helenru’ so I’m guess either helen or Ruby made this pillow. I’m not sure where it was made.

What is it made of (cotton, wool, silk, or other materials?)

The main fabric used is a white, thick, heavy material. I’m guessing some sort of pure cotton but I’m not entirely sure. The emblishments are definitly made from cotton fabric with different patterns.

Can you identify the techniques that have been used?

The two main techniques used are appliqué and running stitch. The bird may have been back stitched also.

Was it made by hand or machine? How are you able to determine this?

I’m guessing both. The stitches running along the edges of the pillow and its embellishments are all to uniform to have been made any other way than by machine but for the flowers and the little bird it looks like there has been hand stitched running stitch and back stitch.

What is its purpose? Do you still use it? If not, how was it used and by whom?

It’s purpose was for my bedroom to brighten it up, but I don’t use it any more as my cat commendeered it and wouldn’t let me have it back (silly I know, it’s just a cat, but I couldn’t upset him!) so it is now being kept clean, fur free and safe in a cupboard until a time when I have a spare room available without the cats being able to go in. I have recently done out spare room out into a study which they are no longer allowed in so I may have to by a new pillow to go in it and put it in there.

What does it tell you about the maker in terms of gender, role in society, wealth or environment?

This may be a very steriotypical and sexist assumption but (had I not known the names of the people already) I would have said the person that made this was female as it have a very feminine design. It’s very floral and colourful and just says female to me. In terms of role in society, wealth and environment, I would have no idea. I wouldn’t even like to hazard a guess. I know from experience that so many people from so many background have skills enough to make something like this so this piece provides no indication for answering those questions.

What do you particularly like about this pieces?

I like everything about this piece. The colours, the design, the reason it is in my possession. I love the colours of the flowers and ow cute the little bird it. I think I like the design as a whole picture rather than individual pieces.

This is the pillow case I am talking about:

Edit

Project 3 – In Your Sketchbook

This section asked me to start recording colour in my sketchbook and to continue collecting images and things with colours that I like. Honestly, I very rarely work with colour. I love colour but in fabrics and when I’m looking at art but when I’m drawing, I prefer to use a biro or pencil so that’s one thing I’m definitely going to need to start working on but I do have some of my favourite colour schemes on my Pinterest (which holds 90% of my visual inspiration!) 

www.pinterest.com/laura513290

I was also asked to look at my work and answer the following questions:

Were you able to mix and match colours accurately? 

I think I was overall successful with mixing colours to match accurately. There were a few which I couldn’t match but I’m sure that it was due to my limited material resource rather than my knowledge and understanding, for example, the pink I failed to match in stage 3 exercise 3 was due on the orange undertones of the colour red I had, if it had more of a violet undertone it would have made the pink I was looking for so I’m comfortable in the knowledge that I know how to mix colours accurately.

We’re you able to use colour expressively?

This is probably my biggest weakness. For a project based on colour I feel I did the absolute minimum with colour. I did all the exercises as instructed and feel I gained enough knowledge with colour to understand but when I went back over my personal sketchbook, there wasn’t a lot in ways of experimenting with colour. That’s probably a time issue more than anything, my work pattern means I’m quite tired by the time I get back and then I want to sketch but don’t want to have to bring down my paints or pastels and clean up afterwards. I did do 1 or 2 pastel drawings but don’t feel I’ve really connected with colour just yet. I love using colour when working with fabrics but when it comes to using them in drawing I find it difficult. I hate to use coloured pencils as I feel they really don’t have a nice finish and tend to make my work look a little lack lustre but I really must get into the habit of using colour mediums to create work.

Can you now see colour rather than accepting what you think you see? 

Yes and no. Once I notice one thing (for example with the pastel french knots in exercise 2 of stage 6, I was talking about blending and once I noticed the blending I noticed how the blue had looked darker with the purple, then I noticed the purple tinge, then I noticed the tinge in the other colours and so on) I can snowball and start to notice lots of things but my trouble lies in getting started. Like with exercise 1 of stage 6, I notice a few little things but I don’t feel I have noticed anything of significance or anything that wasn’t already found from the square exercise at the start of project 3. I think this is also something I need to learn to connect with a little more. 

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

I think I definitely prefer watercolours. I feel that watercolours are a lot more versatile than gouche. You can build with watercolours, start of light and add until you have the intensity you are looking for where with gouache paints you’re kind of stuck with a brightness already. Only by mixing can you make something lighter or darker. I think they also have a more raw finish than gouche which might just be a personal preference but I like art that looks like it’s been made by someone rather than a painted photograph if that makes sense?

How successful were the colour exercises in Stage 5? How did they compare to the painting exercises?

I found the colour exercise in stage 5 very interesting. It was nice to see the colour effects from a stitch in relation to paint. I feel they had very similar outcomes but it was nice to think outside the box in regards to presenting and the different effects created from different marks. It’s so easy to just do a brush stroke with paint but with stitch I had to think of ways to display the stitches. I found them a lot more stimulating too S I had to think about what I wS doing and after so many painting exercises it was nice to do something different.

Is there anything you would like to change or develop?

I am pretty pleased with all my work within this project. I would have liked to managed to crate the pink colour I was needing for Stage 3 and I do plan too once I can afford to buy some better quality/larger selection of paints. I would like to develop my artwork in colour in general. As I stated above, I don’t feel quite comfortable with colour mediums yet and would like to dedicate more time to experimenting and seeing what I can create.

Project 3 – Stage 6 – Combining textures and colour effects

Exercise 1 

Exercise 1 asked me to select a primary coloured fabric as a background and using  2 other primary colours and a third colour of my choice, make french knots to look at the effects the colours had on each other. Spacing them together and apart. I found that the 2 darker colours I used made the brighter yellow seem darker too and the red background had a similar dulling effect on the colours. I also found that the 2 darker colours together somehow made them look even darker and, while they made the yellow duller, seemed to also make it stand out more when surrounded with a darker colour than the red background.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2 asked me to do the same french knots but using pastel colours and mixing them together to see what effect they had on each other. This too me a seriously long time. I think is was around 3 weeks it took me too complete which honestly took away the charm of the exercise as I was just wanting it finished. I do like it though. It reminds me of flowers. I like how the colours compliment each other and quite similar to the primary colours, the darker Patel colours have a darkening effect on their lighter partner yet they still seem to blend nicely. They also seem to take on the colours of their partners too. Like in the first exercise of this project with the grey squares, the blue when mixed with purple takes on a purple tinge yet when mixed with green takes on a green hue and so on.

Machine Embroidery 

I don’t have a sewing machine so unfortunately I was unable to give this exercise a try so I skipped straight onto the sketchbook exercise.