I haven’t managed to get on here to update my minor project work for a couple days (shame :-( ) I’m missing it already; I need to find time somehow. However I thought I would add an interesting video link on here which I found when doing some last minute research for my chapter 2 hand in for my dissertation tomorrow. It’s about Timorous Beasties and they’re toile work which kind of fits in with what I’m talking about. Anyway enjoy I found it really interesting to watch... I better get back on with writing up some more dissertation to see how much I can get done (yawn) :-)
Thursday 27 October 2011
Sunday 23 October 2011
100 views...
Yay, so far i've had 100 views :-) that sounds so little compared to bigger sites but for me it's great especially as I only created the blog last monday. Lets hope this number continues to rise like this....
Saturday 22 October 2011
Catch up time
I have finally found time to get back on here and do a catch up post, it's been a busy couple of days. So where to start, where to start...
How about with my summer work.
After finishing at Newcastle college in June I went to CCAD to see the 3rd years final show, and while there I met with Tricia Mckenzie the head of the course I was going to join. She gave some summer homework to do. I had to write my personal brief for and start work on my minor brief. I chose to try looking back on a project I had done when I first specialised in textiles which was tea total and see how I would do this again now I have developed my skills.
I started with some research where I found the two images from the previous post by Traci Parks and Jessica Subtonik. As I had the summer ahead of me I chose to pick a couple of sections to draw which I think turned out great. I decided as they looked good to stick them on one of my drawing sheets to show the colours I would like to use later on etc.
I also chose to draw some distinct images that you would expect with tea total like a teacup, a teapot and donuts etc. I thought it might be nice to mix the abstract with the obvious together to try and create something new and not as plain as the normal 'happy teacup' you see in the shops. I don't think the line drawings etc are as successful as the abstract ones though and think it's more likely that I will take the others further.
Before I had organised my drawing sheets into what they are I had all my work in a pile in my room. One day when I went to do something I looked at this pile and decided to take a photo of it. This happened twice over the summer which I thought was really interesting. I don't know what I will use them for now but I think maybe they would be good boards for something.
At this point I still had quite a while before I had to go back to college so I decided to go on Photoshop for a bit and see what kind of things I could get from what I had done so far.
These are my most successful photoshop images from this session. There were so many that I did which I thought were strong it was really hard just choosing these. I'm not sure why the colour of the 3rd image changes but i quite like it to be honest, if it was made into a larger repeat it might be a change to the design instead of it all looking the same.
I chose again to try and mix the patterns with a more traditional tea total image and see if my idea would work. I used the outline of the teapot which I think is the more interesting of the line drawings I did before. One of the designs is alot more obvious with the outline actually being there and a simple stamp being used as a background whereas the other is the teapot merged into the pattern more. When on photoshop I can never seem to stick to a colour, I tend to experiment with them and tend to really like different colourways so you will notice in my work the colours changing often.
Another drawing I chose to try and develop over the summer was the simple donut which I thought stood out. I chose this as it is so different to the other image I developed. I hoped it would give different results to what I had already done which I believed worked. They are similar in ways like the graphic nature but I think they are different because they have more of a motif to work from, it's not just simply pattern.
The final images I will add tonight are a couple more photohop designs where I tried mixing the two developed ideas together. I used the original pattern as the background and tried to add the donut stamp over the top. One the second and third image I used the original image to create another mirrored repeat, this gave it more depth I think as the layers of pattern increase. I think these two things go surprisingly well together.
This is point where I left it to go back to college. I think in total I had about 175 photoshop designs saved which I was impressed with. It wouldn't have been possible to show all of them on here so I chose some of my favourites to share with you. I was really glad with where I got to over the summer. I put some hard work in and think that it meant I had a good starting point to work from at college.
As it is quite late and I am at the end of a chapter as you can say in the catch up session I think its about time to say goodnight. I will continue to bring you all up to speed with the minor project in the next couple of days but for now folks that is your lot. goodnight and sweet dreams to you all :-)
How about with my summer work.
After finishing at Newcastle college in June I went to CCAD to see the 3rd years final show, and while there I met with Tricia Mckenzie the head of the course I was going to join. She gave some summer homework to do. I had to write my personal brief for and start work on my minor brief. I chose to try looking back on a project I had done when I first specialised in textiles which was tea total and see how I would do this again now I have developed my skills.
I started with some research where I found the two images from the previous post by Traci Parks and Jessica Subtonik. As I had the summer ahead of me I chose to pick a couple of sections to draw which I think turned out great. I decided as they looked good to stick them on one of my drawing sheets to show the colours I would like to use later on etc.
After doing that sheet I chose to draw some of my own images using various media. I found some mugs that looked really interesting and created really nice reflections so I chose to try and draw them. The next image is one of my photographs that I took of these mugs to work from. I really think the composition is great and the colours and lines you can see make it interesting to look at.
These mugs were really hard to draw but I think they were worth it because I think they look great in the end. (The image of the red and purple handle isn't great as it is blurry but I think you can still see how detailed it is and how it looks really well drawn.) I love the use of colours, they looks bold and eye catching.
I also chose to draw some distinct images that you would expect with tea total like a teacup, a teapot and donuts etc. I thought it might be nice to mix the abstract with the obvious together to try and create something new and not as plain as the normal 'happy teacup' you see in the shops. I don't think the line drawings etc are as successful as the abstract ones though and think it's more likely that I will take the others further.
Before I had organised my drawing sheets into what they are I had all my work in a pile in my room. One day when I went to do something I looked at this pile and decided to take a photo of it. This happened twice over the summer which I thought was really interesting. I don't know what I will use them for now but I think maybe they would be good boards for something.
At this point I still had quite a while before I had to go back to college so I decided to go on Photoshop for a bit and see what kind of things I could get from what I had done so far.
 |
| Original image close up |
 |
| Image mirror repeated and colour altered etc |
 | |
| the design layered over the top and the blending changed |
 |
| more layers and a more dense repeat (I love this) |
 |
| using the filters adjusting the repeat |
These are my most successful photoshop images from this session. There were so many that I did which I thought were strong it was really hard just choosing these. I'm not sure why the colour of the 3rd image changes but i quite like it to be honest, if it was made into a larger repeat it might be a change to the design instead of it all looking the same.
I chose again to try and mix the patterns with a more traditional tea total image and see if my idea would work. I used the outline of the teapot which I think is the more interesting of the line drawings I did before. One of the designs is alot more obvious with the outline actually being there and a simple stamp being used as a background whereas the other is the teapot merged into the pattern more. When on photoshop I can never seem to stick to a colour, I tend to experiment with them and tend to really like different colourways so you will notice in my work the colours changing often.
Another drawing I chose to try and develop over the summer was the simple donut which I thought stood out. I chose this as it is so different to the other image I developed. I hoped it would give different results to what I had already done which I believed worked. They are similar in ways like the graphic nature but I think they are different because they have more of a motif to work from, it's not just simply pattern.
 |
| Original image - I made into a stamp to create an interesting design |
 |
| repeat pattern made from a stamp design of the motif |
 |
| repeat pattern layered over each other |
 |
| stamp pattern over a repeat pattern |
The final images I will add tonight are a couple more photohop designs where I tried mixing the two developed ideas together. I used the original pattern as the background and tried to add the donut stamp over the top. One the second and third image I used the original image to create another mirrored repeat, this gave it more depth I think as the layers of pattern increase. I think these two things go surprisingly well together.
 |
| donut stamp on pattern background |
 |
 |
| playing with things like the layer blending to change the colours to look really interesting |
This is point where I left it to go back to college. I think in total I had about 175 photoshop designs saved which I was impressed with. It wouldn't have been possible to show all of them on here so I chose some of my favourites to share with you. I was really glad with where I got to over the summer. I put some hard work in and think that it meant I had a good starting point to work from at college.
As it is quite late and I am at the end of a chapter as you can say in the catch up session I think its about time to say goodnight. I will continue to bring you all up to speed with the minor project in the next couple of days but for now folks that is your lot. goodnight and sweet dreams to you all :-)
Thursday 20 October 2011
Sorted...
As you can now see I have managed to watermark my own work so I can now start posting images properly without worrying so much. As I am at college right now and should be working (like I said this blog is going to distract me :-P ) I won't upload a proper catch up post right now but save that till tonight when i'm back at home and have more time.
For the moment I won't leave you empty handed though. At the start of the Minor project when researching I found two images that I really liked and inspired me. One is by Traci parks and the other Jessica Subotnik. I love the colours and how different they are from each other but they still sit nicely with one another. They stood out from all the other research I did at the time.
For the moment I won't leave you empty handed though. At the start of the Minor project when researching I found two images that I really liked and inspired me. One is by Traci parks and the other Jessica Subotnik. I love the colours and how different they are from each other but they still sit nicely with one another. They stood out from all the other research I did at the time.
 |
| Traci Parks - Crystal crown |
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| Jessica Subotnik - 9 little bottles |
Wednesday 19 October 2011
College day and Watermarking
So it was a long day in Hartlepool today, starting at 9:30 with our professional practice lecture and an afternoon in the studio working on my minor project. As always I got distracted on Photoshop again :-S woops :-S but it was a good distraction I think, I managed to get quite a bit done.
I want to upload some images of work I have done today along with a catchup of the project so far but until I can figure out how to watermark my images I don't want to upload anymore so stay tuned :-) I know I sound paranoid but it's better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully I will sort this out tomorrow and I can start posting properly (along with watermarking the images I posted yesterday - fingers crossed I don't have to reload them all again :-S )
I want to upload some images of work I have done today along with a catchup of the project so far but until I can figure out how to watermark my images I don't want to upload anymore so stay tuned :-) I know I sound paranoid but it's better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully I will sort this out tomorrow and I can start posting properly (along with watermarking the images I posted yesterday - fingers crossed I don't have to reload them all again :-S )
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Dissertation
Just a quick post to say...
Dissertation I don't like you!!!
As a 3rd year student I have to write one and so far...... Well lets just say I didn't choose to do an arts course to write something like this, to write anything to be honest. But then this is education for you isn't it : (
Dissertation I don't like you!!!
As a 3rd year student I have to write one and so far...... Well lets just say I didn't choose to do an arts course to write something like this, to write anything to be honest. But then this is education for you isn't it : (
Reflecting back... part 1
So let the good stuff begin...
At CCAD I am currently about halfway through my Minor project which is called 'Reflection'. One direction I went in to begin with was to look back at a past project and see what I would do differently, I will soon be comparing how this went with the origional project on here, but for now I thought it might be nice to reflect back on some of my other past projects. I decided a good starting point would be my FMP at Newcastle college as this is the last project I completed.
Although I struggled to start this project (like I always do) I ended up loving it. The amount of work I put into it was crazy but I think in the end it was all worth it.
These first two images are a coule of drawings I did and worked from to create my finals. There are many more but these two are the ones that stand out for me.
The next image is my main colour palette. I used a pattern that I developed on photoshop and added the colours into it for a more interesting way of showing them. I think it creates a great pattern all by itself which i think is nice. No need for complexity.
I have also added some images of a few of my designs. They are quite diverse but I love them all. I really like how some of them are analytical and complicated whereas some others are simple and graphical. (one design you may even recognise from the background of this very blog)
In the end when choosing my final designs I couldn't pick one set because there was so many that I thought were strong and successful, so I made 3 collections:
- Parrot Collection
- Flamingo Collection
- Pattern Collection
The following image is me trying to figure out what to make with each chosen design. I knew I wanted a range of products and not to just stick to one or two. I managed to cover my double bed with my material and paper designs that I had to use, whether they were going to be made into cushions, or they were notlets or bags I couldnt get into bed because of the amount. I thought maybe I was being to ambicious when I looked at this with the amount of work that was still to do (aswell as thinking it was hilarious) but I didnt want go the easy way and minimise, I wanted my final show to be full of interesting things. To have people not knowing where to look so I went for it, and actually managed to make all that i set out to make.
Finding ways of creating these products without it costing me a fortune was really hard. Most places I looked to make things like the notlets/greetings cards and the notpads for example wanted something like a minimum of 100 orders of each design, which as a student doing this for a show wasn't possible. I ended up being creative with how I ended up making some things and I think it mostly worked well.
This is a picture of my products the night before hand in. As you can see they are all my finished products mixed together. Even though I decided to make 3 different collections so they are supposed to be seperate I love how they still sit really nicely together and create something bright and eye catching.
Finally we get to the end, after alot of hard work it was the final show. I really love how it turned out, it's so full and busy. There is so many different elements to it as I made so many different products in the end (and not all managed to get into the show - there was just that many of them). Also as i said before I think that its great that the designs all sit together really nicely, and showcase one another well.
So that was my FMP at Newcastle College. I tried my hardest to create some great designs and in my opinion I think I succeded. Let me know what you think in the comments i'd love to hear back from you all. Anyway I think i've taken up enough of your time for now, come back soon and I may have reflected back on another old project or may have posted about my current project... who knows what'll be next :) but for now I think I have been distracted from doing some college work for long enough, (I have a feeling this blog will do alot of that in the near future :S woops :P )
Bye till next time.
At CCAD I am currently about halfway through my Minor project which is called 'Reflection'. One direction I went in to begin with was to look back at a past project and see what I would do differently, I will soon be comparing how this went with the origional project on here, but for now I thought it might be nice to reflect back on some of my other past projects. I decided a good starting point would be my FMP at Newcastle college as this is the last project I completed.
Although I struggled to start this project (like I always do) I ended up loving it. The amount of work I put into it was crazy but I think in the end it was all worth it.
These first two images are a coule of drawings I did and worked from to create my finals. There are many more but these two are the ones that stand out for me.
The next image is my main colour palette. I used a pattern that I developed on photoshop and added the colours into it for a more interesting way of showing them. I think it creates a great pattern all by itself which i think is nice. No need for complexity.
I have also added some images of a few of my designs. They are quite diverse but I love them all. I really like how some of them are analytical and complicated whereas some others are simple and graphical. (one design you may even recognise from the background of this very blog)
In the end when choosing my final designs I couldn't pick one set because there was so many that I thought were strong and successful, so I made 3 collections:
- Parrot Collection
- Flamingo Collection
- Pattern Collection
The following image is me trying to figure out what to make with each chosen design. I knew I wanted a range of products and not to just stick to one or two. I managed to cover my double bed with my material and paper designs that I had to use, whether they were going to be made into cushions, or they were notlets or bags I couldnt get into bed because of the amount. I thought maybe I was being to ambicious when I looked at this with the amount of work that was still to do (aswell as thinking it was hilarious) but I didnt want go the easy way and minimise, I wanted my final show to be full of interesting things. To have people not knowing where to look so I went for it, and actually managed to make all that i set out to make.
Finding ways of creating these products without it costing me a fortune was really hard. Most places I looked to make things like the notlets/greetings cards and the notpads for example wanted something like a minimum of 100 orders of each design, which as a student doing this for a show wasn't possible. I ended up being creative with how I ended up making some things and I think it mostly worked well.
This is a picture of my products the night before hand in. As you can see they are all my finished products mixed together. Even though I decided to make 3 different collections so they are supposed to be seperate I love how they still sit really nicely together and create something bright and eye catching.
Finally we get to the end, after alot of hard work it was the final show. I really love how it turned out, it's so full and busy. There is so many different elements to it as I made so many different products in the end (and not all managed to get into the show - there was just that many of them). Also as i said before I think that its great that the designs all sit together really nicely, and showcase one another well.
 |
| Me at the final show on the opening night |
So that was my FMP at Newcastle College. I tried my hardest to create some great designs and in my opinion I think I succeded. Let me know what you think in the comments i'd love to hear back from you all. Anyway I think i've taken up enough of your time for now, come back soon and I may have reflected back on another old project or may have posted about my current project... who knows what'll be next :) but for now I think I have been distracted from doing some college work for long enough, (I have a feeling this blog will do alot of that in the near future :S woops :P )
Bye till next time.
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