Motif Designs

It was difficult for me to select six final motif designs to put onto acetate, because I wanted to put everything that I have ever drawn onto screen. However, I have to be selective. Therefore, I thought of continuing to use Pigeon diagrams as my theme.

I linked my research sources by using The Secret Code by Priya Hemenway (2008) to adopt golden rules to apply to my drawings and as an overlapping idea. Also, for my pigeon drawings I have used Complete British Birds by Paul Sterry (2008). 

I have used artist research to help me understand positive and negative space, particularly Mark Hearld, who is  a printer artist. His works show exactly where the positive and negative space is. 

 

For example, in the picture above there is too much positive space, after seeing Mark Hearld’s work and adopting the way he see things, I have a fuller understanding of where my drawings need to have more ‘blocks’.

 

After using line drawings as a guideline, I filled in the spaces by ‘colouring’ and that’s where the colours would be transferred to the fabric.

This is the final arrangement for screen printing.

Adobe Illustrator Motifs Design

I have been using Adobe Illustrator to create at least one motif design, I was resisting using any Photoshop to design, because I am rather a handmade person, but it is unavoidable, because nowadays it is an advantage to know how to use Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. When I was at the digital workshop session, I was losing my temper over the learning process, but I have decided to book a one to one support session and continue to work on my technology skills.

My Adobe Illustrator motif design’s inspiration came from a book called The Secret Code by Priya Hemenway (2008).  This talks about ‘the mysterious formula that rules art, nature and science’, which in other words means the proportion of measurements. I thought it would be a good idea to use Adobe Illustrator to create some of the motif designs, because they are difficult to draw by hand, because precise measurement is needed. 

I have experimented with different shapes and positions on the Adobe Illustrator, the more I use it, the more I explore what I can do using this software, for example, changing the line design from thick to thin to create  movement, like a brushstroke effect.

With motif designs it is not about making a picture, but to have different combinations in order to create designs in the future. Therefore, I am using these shapes that I have created through the computer to link my hand made design together, because my handmade designs were more drawing based, where I think these computer designs would fit nicely in the background or maybe overlapping.

Motifs Designs - Drawings (Part 2)

Sketchbook Drawing - Pigeon



I thought of using blocks of colour as a background, because I tend to work on white sheets of paper, with black fine liners, therefore, it always ended up black and white. I thought of adopting Egon Schiele’s drawing style, having unfinished pieces. In this drawing I thought of using different colours that I have developed in my colour palette and painting them into blocks, however, while I was trying to create the white wash effect, the paint bled and overlapped with the other colour, it was rather accidental in the process. I have a collection of found objects and I used the cork to create mark making.

 

Sketchbook Drawing - Tiger

 

I adopted a tiger through WWF, it is named Kamrita. Therefore, I been receiving letters about tigers, inside those letters are photographs of tigers, bookmarks and information about tigers.

I thought of how I can relate these letters to my project, so I started drawing them by using the photographs I received as a research base and I am planning to draw a series of tigers, by studying their movements.

 

I thought of using paper cut outs for my motif designs. However, after a conversation with teaching staff, some suggestions were made. When I use paper cut outs, I lose the quality of my drawings, because most of my drawings contain movement. Therefore, I will be more experimental with my use of media. Another suggestion was that I have a habit of working from the corner and this means that my drawings/ designs have been cut off. In motif designs, it is best to have a drawing or design with a shape of its own. For example, the bird skeleton has a shape of its own and is not limited by the paper. I will be more considered with my future work and think about the scale that I will be working on.

Over the holiday, I have been collecting found natural objects, and I developed an interest in their shapes. I started to use line drawings to create a design.

I plan to work on black material, such as black paper, use white paint and a paint brush to work with in my next drawing, because this way I can work out the negative and positive, and it would be clearer while working on screen-printing. In screen printing, if I were to design a drawing on to white paper with black pen, the black area is where the colour would be transferred to while printing.

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.  

Open blanket stitch/ button holes

This is my sampling of open blanket stitch/ button holes. I have used double thread as well as single thread to make it look more interesting, from the left hand side the stitches are more in control and on starting on the right hand side the stitches are more loosening, this is because I have not tie the knot on to each hoop to tighten it up. However, I thought of this is a nice piece of sample of seeing the transfroment of in control to loosen up.

French Knots Sample

This is a task of using French Knots only. I have decided not to work on fabric but to work on a plastic wallet. Therefore, it shows the back of my needle work as well as the front.
I was trying to transfer a henna design my friend have done on my upper arm into textile.

This was a birthday present that was given to me by my friend. I was inspired by the complicated lines, I have tried to use different types of threads to repersent the line quality, such as using machine threads as well as hand-stitch threads.

However, I thought continue to work on this piece.

Cornely Machine Sample 2

After I have gained more experience at the Cornely Machine, I have more control over it. I have used my drawings as a starting point and transfered that into textiles.

This is the drawing that I have worked from, this drawing was done in using non-drawing tools. I have studied at a red leaf that I have found, I was looking at the way it folding it self after it has been dried out and how the colours changes. Then I have used different types of Cornely machine to repersent that, I have used moss stitch and chain stitch to address the vains on the leaf.

Cornely Machine Stitch, Sample

This is just a sample of using the Cornely Machine.
At first I have found it hard to control, for the Cornely Machine design is really different from a sewing machine, on a sewing machine I would have my hands on the fabic, foot on the paddle, in order to control the directions. Where on a Cornely Machine I have my foot on the paddle, but there is a handle under the table, even though I have step on the paddle, but the needle won't move unless I pull down the handle. Also the handle is where I have the control over the directions, like driving a car.

Using Indian Ink with different sized brushes

This is one of the drawing task from the chance cards - use Indian ink with different sized brushes.
I have taken a picture of the Manchester art gallery from the inside, because I thought the building was built with glass roofs and the natural sun light can shine through. I thought that was rather interesting to draw that. I mainly used line drawing to draw the stairwell. Also, watered down the ink to show the see thoroughness of the glass.

This is the actual photograph that I have worked from, it was taken in Manchester Art Gallery.