Evaluation of Origins unit

Evaluating Practice 

I have developed my way of working in this project by making connections between practice, practical work and visual research. I mainly gather inspiration from Friday drawing sessions and looked for related artists. I also got inspiration from my surroundings, for example found objects and natural objects in everyday life. 

Whenever I run out of ideas, I look back my drawings, it opens my mind to ideas and away from the machine. With Friday drawing session, I was advised to collage and I didn't understand what we were being asked to do but I researched the suggested artists and that helped me to understand the brief.

Drawings used as templates for stitching have become my blueprint. This makes me feel more confident using the machine to draw. I see using the machine to draw as being the same, but just with another tool. This has been different from how I was taught before. Before I was told what to draw, but over this unit, I have been exploring how to draw. 

One of my strengths is composition and how I can transfer that into hand-stitch. 

In terms of composition, this units forced me to experiment more with different approaches. Eg I did not like to use fabric, to develop ideas, I used paper first and to find my own pathway and only then move to fabric.

Therefore, I started to develop my own way of working, through different material choices. I enjoys working on different types of paper, so I have started to collect receipts. This is one example of me using found objects, thinking more carefully about the choices I am making in terms of materials, meaning and the connection between these. 

Certain artists inform my work, Egon Schiele in his use of colours, lines and composition. I use colours to draw attention to my work and have started to develop my own colour palette, this way of working was influence by Schiele.

I continue to use accidental stains that are made during the process of drawing and making. I have realised during this unit something about the need to experiment several times to achieve quality. 

I have realised that using machine stitch is just as flexible as hand-stitch. Once I gained control over the machine, I started combining these techniques together, using different types of hand-stitch and machine stitch. 

I never realised before that the machine can do so much. This has also fed into experimenting with composition using the machine. This needs more work, I must remember to tap back into this flexibility, in future work. Also, I need to spend some time on the Cornely machine to improve my skills and confidence.

During the chance card week, I have taken photographs of Manchester Art Gallery and was inspired by the building structure, the glass roofs and how the sunlight reflects on the glass and shows the building layers. I have used these photographs to help develop ideas. This helped me realised why I choose particular materials. 

I enjoy the transparent fabric and I have started to layer and collage my works. 

I have realised that I am repelled by patterned fabrics, I did try to work with patterns and I am able to work with floaty patterns that are more free styled, but I struggle with very structured patterns and do work better with plain material. 

I am free style in my thinking. When the tutors asked us to do crouching, I decided to link it back to found objects and use the waste products from other people's work, which gave good results. I am the kind of person who looks through the bin. For example, Tracey Emin informs my work, because in her way of thinking, it's about story telling. When I collect found object, I would think about the story of the object itself and how I can transfer that into a story through practical work and experimenting.

I am managing my studio time well, because I organise using the machine while in the workshop area and do the editing, hand-stitch, technical file and sketchbook work at home, therefore, I am making the most of the availability of the machine. I have improved my skills on the machine, I use it for time saving techniques with complicated stitches and I also use it as a creative tool. 

I have always liked the work of Alice Kettle, in particular she works on the back of the fabric and now I always look at both sides of the fabric from observing the way she works. I am making connections with designer and artists' research with my way of thinking, practical work and experimenting. However, I realise that I have not done enough new research using my own interests and this is something I need to improve. 

Friday drawing day

Using kinder egg's toy to create mark-making. 

Sampling

This is a sample of couching that I have done on the machine, I was experimenting with what types of 'stuffs' that I can couch with and I found some left over threads on the floor from other people and used them to couch down onto fabric.

Shoes Drawing

 

I have always been a big fan of Egon Schiele, because of his style, how he uses paint to highlight tone, create depth and his way of addressing twisted body shapes by using expressive lines.

 

In my work I was trying to response to that style, by using different shades of blue paint for blue shoes only, different shades of red for red shoes and so on. In each pair of shoes drawing, I was also experimenting different drawing style. On the left, (blue shoes) I have first used continuous line drawing, then working with different shades of blue to fill in the form. However, I have left it unfinished, because some of Egon Schiele's work was left part coloured in.
In the middle, I have used white paint to highlight the light area on the shoes, but on the right side I have started thinking about using the background itself as the positive space.

 

For example, Russian prisoner of war, 1916.

I thought this way of working draw more attention to the work itself and also showing having the skills of photographic drawing, but having thought about the compostion in another level of working.

Combining drawings and hand stitch

I was inspired by Alice Kettle. Her work involves combining drawings, prints, hand stitch into contemporary textiles.

In the Guise of an Angel

I have found this piece very inspiring, the use of colours, the textures and the energy within have bought movements in to this piece. I was trying to create the sketchy feel in my work by using mainly drawing and use little hand stitch just to bring out the details.  

The making of my works.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=704698019540472&l=3135599664767579340

Open blanket stitch

The colour on the background are accidental, I have been using this piece of fabric for ironing my ink-up receipts, therefore, the ink stain got onto the fabric.
Then I have started cut out coloured fabric and place them on top in a collage way and used chain stitch, french knots and open button hole to creates the petals of the flower, on each flower, I was trying to creates more details by creating smaller loops.

French knots sample

On the chose of fabric, I have chosen to use already dyed, because I do not enjoy working with white background, I have started to develop my own colour palette. However, I still sometimes photoshop my work into black and white, just to give it a dramatic effect.
On the fabic, it already has machine stitch as the background and I have worked onto it with french knots to bring out the textures, I have focused on the foldes of the fabric and used french knots to hold the folds together.

Overall, I like the worn out textures.  

Sketchbook drawings

Experimenting with lines and colours. Again, this was drawing from the plants I have at home.