Combining Texture

After using flock, foil, digital embroidery (rayon thread) with screen print, I wanted to further experiment with textural features on my samples. Using burmilana thread was mentioned in a tutorial, as it would give a softer, matte appearance next to the rayon and compliment the flock.

Burmilana thread is thicker than rayon and has a wool-like appearance. I had to alter the density of the stitch on my designs, as well as changing the multihead machine needles and altering the tension on the machine.

The appearance of the samples now, I feel, is enhanced with the combination of textures and compositions and they are more appropriate for an interiors context. They were flat and not tactile prior to this, which the flock and burmilana add now. The choice of colour is more sensitive and thought out. The transparency of the block shapes is also contemporary and exciting to look at and is an effect I have wanted to achieve from the beginning. I'm really excited by my work and I am looking forward to developing my ideas further.

Colour and Design Development

Preparing for the next crit, I realised my work was not focussed - there were a lot of ideas but they weren't developed. Moving forward, I will edit and select pieces that I would like to develop and leave the ones that aren't working behind.

Materials were also a problem, and since the crit I have purchased synthetic upholstery materials so I can combine sublimation printing with screen printing and digital embroidery. I feel they are more sophisticated and appropriate for my context.

The colours I used looked washed out on the fabrics I was using previously, so I have adapted my original colour palette, which I think will compliment the fabrics, to take forward. I do not plan to use the 'fig' colour palette as a result of this as I feel the one below is more suitable for current interior trends.

Developed Colour Palette

Sublimation of colours onto sourced upholstery fabrics

I prepared a background on the fabrics before working on them with print and embroidery using sublimation printing, flocking and foiling - which is commonly used within interior fabrics and I feel is more playful than what I have created previously. I like having a textured surface to print onto because of the different effects it creates on the fabric when layered up.

Examples of recent work above - combining flock, foil, embroidery and screen print.

Compared to previous pin-ups of my work, I think my project is really starting to take shape. The fabric choices are far more sophisticated and relevant to my context. The combination of processes, I feel is better thought out and they complement each other. The colours also are much more appropriate than the duller ones I used previously. I could definitely see these fabrics used within an interior environment. I like the simple designs that incorporate just flock and foil, however, the brighter screen-printed ones also are cohesive and relevant to my context.

To move forward, I will further edit and select elements of the samples that work best and adapt these into new designs. I would screen print initially onto the fabrics rather than sublimation printing, as the colours would be richer. It was definitely easier to use a screen rather than newsprint paper, so I will always carry out the process of printing this way from now on. 

Contextual References

Callagio Fabric - https://www.designersguild.com/uk/fabric/designers-guild/calaggio-turquoise-fabric/p7180

Flocking for an interior context - I will experiment with this to create more desirable interior fabric samples and combine with other processes - Love the surface texture!

 

 Mareike Bohmer - Geometric designs inspired by the city. I have been influenced by the transparency and composition of her work - it made me think more carefully about placement on my samples before printing onto them.

 

Tamasyn Gambell - Interior context, similar colour scheme, geometric designs. She uses yellow as an accent colour - similar to my own work.

Screen Print Development



After carrying out more detailed visual research and drawing, I began to think about how these could be screen printed. The technician advised that newsprint paper and a scalpel to cut stencils out would be a quick way to test the designs out on fabric. I found this to be quicker and easier, until I tried to screen print with the stencils. The paper could only be used with one colour as washing the screen would mean the paper would tear away. On reflection, I would only use newsprint again if I was screen printing a small design, not on large designs which I would expose a screen for.

Neutral Painting Linen

Black Brushed Cotton

White PVC

Out of the samples above, I believe the PVC as a background is a little stark for an interiors context. My designs look better integrated onto a neutral or black background and the effect created when the printing inks are layered over one another, particularly on the black fabric reinforces the geometric and transparent element I wanted to capture throughout this project. I enjoyed the process of using digital embroidery alongside screen print and combining them - when printing on top of the embroidery, the ink misses sections which is quite effective, and the stitch on top of the print also adds a graphic quality.

I would consider using the PVC for a live brief such as Michael Kidner as I feel it would be more effective for installation and gallery work rather than for an interior context.

Colour

Debenhams Autumn/Winter 2015

After the latest crit, I tried to develop another colour palette by photographing fruits which have a purple skin, such as figs and passion fruits as this colour is prominent within current interior fabrics in retailers such as Debenhams and John Lewis. I also agreed with my tutor when discussing that some of my recent samples looked a little 'washed out' on a white background.

 

Fig Colour Palette

Passion Fruit Colour Palette

After experimenting with these colour palettes within my samples this week, my favourite is the fig as it incorporates purple alongside an 'accent' colour which in this case is a medium yellow tone. I plan to carry on with sampling for my self-initiated project to be directed towards an interiors context. I would like to mix screen print and digital embroidery for my next samples and play with material and colour compositions.

2-Tutor Crit and Development

Preparing for the 2-tutor critique was a little daunting. I prepared two boards for the Bradford Textiles brief which were different in style (see below). I felt quite limited with scale throughout these initial four weeks, as I was focussed on producing a sample board for submission. My tutors agreed that I need to think more carefully about the scale of my sampling and 'go for it' for the next project. I'm excited to try something that I haven't done in the past and see what the results will look like.

  

From the crit, I plan to continue with this project for my self-initiated brief, but focus more on the scale of my samples by using print screen techniques onto large scale fabrics. I feel this would enable me to widen my creative knowledge and would also demonstrate a more 'bespoke' feel - the original idea behind the large scale sampling. To reflect the scale I want to achieve, I have created some A2 drawings using collaging techniques which can then be translated into screens. I will leave the idea of a large scale banner to a live brief, and concentrate on fabric samples for an interior context.

The two collages above were the most successful as I feel they depict my concept the best. I also think the placement of the detailed pen drawing is better considered than some of my other drawings.

Sampling

Over the last couple of weeks I have developed Photoshop designs from my initial drawings of collaged 'banners' inspired by work from a previous unit X project to be digitally printed. However, the outcomes of these prints were not what I wanted; the colours were too dark and the fabric choices were not right for the effect I wanted to achieve. The sublimation printer can only print onto synthetic fabrics, but I thought I would be able to achieve a closer effect to paper using this technique with the selection of fabrics on offer to me. I was also advised by the embroidery technicians that I would not be able to stitch onto paper using the multi-head embroidery machine as it would tear easily, so I began experimenting with Paper Nylon and Poly Taffeta - both thin fabrics with an appearance similar to paper.

Poly Taffeta

Paper Nylon

The sublimation ink absorbed better into the Poly Taffeta than the Paper Nylon, which I think was due to the Paper Nylon feeling as though it had a covering on the surface - my prints were much fainter. I do think both types of fabric were effective, however I prefer how the colours appear on the Nylon with the embroidery as it appears three-dimensional. I produced A4 and A3 banners as these were the restricted sizes available. On reflection, I would have liked to produce a larger scale sample using the sublimation printing method, similar to the paper roll I experimented with in week one of the project, which is a development I could make in future.

When it came to designing a digital embroidery pattern on the ethos software, I hadn't considered the size of the stitch out frame – I hadn't used the software for about 6 months prior to this so it took a while to get used to. Moreover, when it came to stitching my designs out on the multi-head machine, I realised some of my designs were still too large, meaning I had to rescale them and use the sash frame on the machine. It was also difficult to line my designs up with the prints, and in future I will create a reference point on the fabric if I am stitching directly over one particular shape. Furthermore, because the sash frame extends further than the machine front, it can get stuck on the sides, which causes the design to move over the fabric. Although this was unintentional on the mustard colour sample (above), I love how the stitching adds depth to my design, and reinforces the transparency that I wanted to achieve towards the beginning of the project on Photoshop.

Similarly, the embroidery design below, that has been stitched on top of one of my original drawings, reinforces the water marks on the fabric and adds depth and texture to the flat printed design. I intend to explore this further at a later date in the Practice unit.

I will submit an A3 sample for the Bradford Brief as I feel a larger scale sample would be inappropriate to illustrate using the boards which I will put together. I plan to continue creating samples for an interior context, alongside experimenting with scale in the live brief element of the project.

Contextual Research

I usually find contextual research difficult, in that I never know where to start looking. However, I began this project by looking at store websites that I believe my work could be appropriate for, such as Next, John Lewis and Debenhams. From these websites I came across Scion and Sanderson, who are companies that specialize in fabric furnishings and wallpaper.

The two images above, I feel reflect my work in some ways: shape, transparency, colour and style. They have an abstract feel about them, which is a way in which I enjoy working.

Additional samples I ordered from the John Lewis website are shown below. They have similarities to my own designs in that they have transparent areas, geometric shapes, and a graphic linear quality.

John Lewis fabric samples

Custhom embroidered wallpaper samples

The texture of the thread against the smooth paper contrasts with each other, which I feel I could push forward within my own project. I should consider a heavy weight of paper, almost like a fabric if I do use digital embroidery onto paper to achieve these effects, whereas thin printer paper is likely to tear during the machine stitch out.

Sanderson fabrics featured on the John Lewis homeware website, and these particular samples above, (Dandelion Clocks) depicted the mix of colours that I would like to use within my own work. However, after the samples arrived, I didn't feel they gave the best idea of the colours together as there were only small areas of one colour on some of them, which was disappointing. I did, however, have enough of each colour to create swatches on Photoshop to potentially use within my own work.

The Debenhams Autumn/Winter15 Home Catalogue has some fantastic colour inspirations for my work - I knew that I wanted to use purple shades within my work, but seeing the colours within a home environment within the catalogue really helped me to understand the shades that would compliment other colours. I plan to scan the relevant colour pages into Photoshop to create swatches that have more of a sensitivity and warmth to them, compared to other palettes used previously.

Design Development

This week I have concentrated on knuckling down with Photoshop and I feel to have developed as a designer on the software, which is very pleasing. Initially, I was slightly bewildered as to how I could manipulate the images of my drawings into suitable designs for a 'bespoke banner' style wallpaper - as discussed in a previous tutorial.
After playing with the image size and scale of the designs, I encountered a few problems when attempting to print from the wide format printers as I was unsure of the sizing restrictions on them.

I want to push my abilities this year and I am really proud of the outcome; the scale, colours and concept. However, moving forward, I will sample on a smaller scale as it would be too expensive to print at such a large scale all the way through the project.

I plan to sample onto digitally-printed fabric to get an idea for the multi-head embroidery designs that are suitable. I would need to consider appropriate fabrics because the paper would not be suitable for the digital embroidery machine.

At my weekly tutorial, I felt like other people in my group had produced more work during the last week than I had, which made me feel a little awkward when trying to justify myself to my tutor. The last week had been challenging, in that the Photoshop edits took longer than expected to create and the wide format printer also was a new piece of equipment for me. Next week, I will endeavour to work quicker and not be afraid to try new things: I think I worry too much about samples being 'perfect' first time.

Starting Level 6

Over the summer period, I felt apprehensive about how I would cope with the pressures of my final year on the Textiles In Practice course. However, I felt motivated to create a body of visual research that would allow me to really kick start my final year, as well as continuing with an idea that I had in a previous project which I felt could be developed further - Unit X from level 5 - which included geometric compositions from the entrance of a Bruntwood building we were redesigning.

57 Spring Gardens entrance - triangular peak - reasoning behind geometric approach.

Most of my initial ideas were developed through research on Pinterest, as well as looking into current interior design trends on store websites such as John Lewis and Next, as I feel this is where my work would sit within industry. During the previous Unit X project,  my group saw a trend in businesses using an 'accent' colour within their spaces. This is the reasoning behind my choice of colour palette including an accent colour. I have also recycled some of my Photoshop designs into drawings for the first project of level 6 - see below.

After receiving the Bradford Textiles brief, I felt it would allow me to experiment and play around with scale, and during my first tutorial, it became clear how I was going to develop my visual research into something appropriate to the brief. I came away from last weeks' tutorial and looked at CUSTHOM, a company that specialise in embroidered wallpapers. This is the kind of scale I want to try out through this four week project as I feel it will push me out of my comfort zone, not only by the scale but also the materials - I hope to combine paper prints with embroidery. I have not used the wide format printer before however, which is also outside of my comfort zone. I also realise that quite a lot of this project will involve Photoshop work, which I am a little unsure of still, but I will refer back to my technical file from previous years for help.

The Evermoor Chronicles

Over the summer, I carried out a week of work experience at Lime Pictures in Warrington, helping to create the sets for their children's programme 'The Evermoor Chronicles' which is based around the idea of a tapestry that can see into the future. Throughout my time there, I made a 12ft square spider web, a 5ft spider cocoon, and a human-sized working 'mouse trap' with the rest of the design team.

I found the experience highly rewarding, and it allowed me to gain some more valuable experience within an industry that I potentially might like to work within after graduating. Furthermore, it will assist me in writing my CP3 work placement report. It was a very hands-on job and allowed me to be creative although I had to work to a given brief set by the production designer, who has also worked for the BBC and ITV. He allowed me to look through his portfolio of work, which was also very enlightening, and I could see how much creativity you can have, even within the TV industry. On other placements I have been on within the same industry, there wasn't really any room to be creative, it was all planned for you and you had to stick strictly to what had been set out.
At the end of the placement, the production designer invited me back after I graduate as they need someone to design all the curtains and wallpapers for the sets as they cannot be outsourced due to advertising restrictions, but they currently don't have anyone that can do that full time.

Degree Show 2015 - Manchester School of Art

After attending the 2015 Manchester School of Art Degree Show, I realised that my final year at MMU maybe isn't going to be as scary as I had imagined previously. Looking at the third years' work inspired me to try new things and push the boundaries of my thinking. It also made me realise that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I started looking at the work with an open mind, and considering how it relates to my work in the following categories: Context, Processes, New Things To Try.

Carmen Etches

As one of the first sketchbooks I had seen at the show, I noticed that Carmen's drawing style was similar to mine, in that she uses abstract shapes and layering of papers to create drawings. I think she adopts a more sophisticated approach to mark making than I have done in the past, but to develop my drawing I believe I should not over-think and over-work marks on the page. I will continue to draw using mixed media methods.

With regards to material process, I came across Shannon-Paige Hartley, Laura Kent and Lucinda Pender who all have very different styles of working, but relate equally to my own way of working.

Shannon-Paige Hartley

Using mixed media and embroidery processes (similar to myself), Shannon has mapped out a journey with thread and acrylic - a simple, yet effective way to translate an idea. I could use thread and acetate over the summer to develop my drawing style.

Laura Kent

Laura's work appears to be a more decorative and hand-sewn approach to embroidery than I would normally use, however, the majority of these marks have been produced using digital embroidery which I prefer to use. I believe it has a neater finish to it in most cases, and with a context of interiors in mind, digital methods would be easier to mass-produce in industry. Laura is continuing her education by doing a Masters in Textiles at a university in London.

Lucinda Pender

Lucinda uses mixed media processes with industrial materials to explore how the materials react. She plans to undertake an MA in Future Materials to strengthen her knowledge of innovative materials for future use. I believe the processes she uses such as laser cutting and folding could be adapted for use myself within an interior context through the use of alternative materials - non-industrial and more suitable for the intended context.

Considering the context of my work being interiors, Katie Edwards is working within the same audience base as myself. 

Katie Edwards

Katie uses print techniques to create patterned wallpapers which are traditional but contemporary, and are aimed towards a high-end interiors market. She has been inspired by English Heritage gardens and floral motifs from historical research. Her work is on trend for the intended context and I believe she will have thoroughly researched these trends throughout her project which I will also endeavour to do over summer. She has used repeat patterns to create these wallpapers, however you cannot tell where the repeat is, which is also imperative for a repeat to be effective.

Things I Would Like To Try

Hannah Heaf

Although Hannah designs knitwear, I believe the same effects could be achieved using embroidery techniques. In addition, her subtle use of colour could also be suitable for an interior market. I will consider the use of colour in my final year so that my samples are sophisticated and suitable for my intended market. I do tend to go a bit mad with colour when I have used it in the past.

Rebecca Worrall

I have briefly worked in a three-dimensional way in previous projects, however I believe I could re-visit this way of working in my final year - it could need adapting though, to be suitable for my intended audience. Rebecca has used shapes formed inside the body as inspiration for 'making the invisible, visible' which I think is an excellent concept for a project. I will try to think outside the box over the summer period so that I can create an interesting and unusual concept for my final year projects.