Half Term

I have been struggling to come up with any ideas of where to go next. I knew that I wanted something sculptural. But I spoke to a lecturer and was told to look at my research and come up with shapes, which I did but kept ending up with flat surfaces, which I then used to print with. These worked quite well, but they weren’t where I wanted to be heading. I was getting myself confused so I spoke to Janet about where I could go with my project over the holidays. I showed her what I had done so far and told her why I was feeling confused about what I wanted to do. She told me to do it my way. Janet remembered that I wanted to do some kind of hanging piece, and she said that she could see from my research how I was thinking. So over half term I have made some small samples how I thought about doing them in the first place. I want to create something quite sculptural but also flowing at the same time. I like the use of curved edges, so I did some more research to find some architecture to influence me. I can across an architect called Frank Gehry. He has designed buildings all over the world, and now even designs jewellery pieces for Tiffany’s. His work is instantly recognisable with his use of curved metal surfaces. After looking at his work I knew where to go with my sampling. I knew that I wanted to use different types of metals and wires, mixed in with using different textures of papers. I looked online for some ideas of what materials I could use and came across a company called the mesh company which sells all different types of mesh; from really thick to mesh so fine that it becomes fabric. They sell their products in sheets of A4 or A3 sizes, and if you wanted any bigger sizes they can sort them out for you. Perfect. I ordered six different types of metal meshes, which included copper woven wire mesh, phosphor bronze, aluminium and stainless steel. They came in a few days and I got started on my sampling. I cut out different shapes from the mesh, and used different papers and plastics to contrast with the metal. I used wire on the edges of some paper, which I stuck down with a glue gun to help strengthen the papers. The samples worked really well and I was pleased with the results. They do look a bit messy around the edges due to the glue gun not being that easy to control. But I think this just takes some practice. I think that they worked well the scale that I made them, but I also think that they could work if I was to make them bigger. I emailed the mesh company and asked about a price list so that I could see how much the materials would cost for me to make bigger sculptures. A man emailed me back saying they haven’t really got a price list but he gave me an idea of prices and said they do it cheaper for a student which is great. If I made the samples again, I am not sure how I would change them. They could be made better. But I think it would be jus practice and getting used to handling different materials. I am used to using fabric and a sewing machine not wire cutters and a glue gun! I took some photographs, as I thought that I could use these to draw from and to get some more ideas. They came out well but you can see the glue on some of them so I am going to take some more in the photography studio to see if they are a bit more professional. The ones I took can be used for my sketchbook and to use for drawings and illustrations. I can photocopy from them and cut them up to use within my designs.

Week Five

Purple file

This week I have started to put together my purple file, which is where we have to look at a problem, and look into things which are needed to help solve it. For mine I am going to look at opening a fashion business. In the file we need to look at strategic planning, which would be to look at business plans. We also need to look into funding, so I can research into different grants and funding options. And the last thing I need to research into is training, so I am going to research into different courses that you can do to help set up a fashion business. To cover the modules we have got to look into all of these areas and then concentrate on one of them to write a written response. I am going to look in a book called how to set up a fashion label, it is a really good book which talks about all different aspects of running your own business. I have also ordered another fashion business book from Amazon so hopefully there will be a lot of information I can look into. As well as looking into the business bits such as money and planning, I can look into which shop I would like, and where I would like it to be. The exciting things such as how you want it to look inside will make the file seem more interesting. There is a really good program on the computer called mock shop which is what visual merchandisers use to plan the layout of different shops. It would be really good to do something like this for the file. But I think the program is way out of my price range. There is no price on the website. I could use Photoshop to do some kind of mock up instead. I can also make some promotional material for my shop such as labels and bags. I think that if I do this file well, I will be able to take it to Nottingham Trent university if I get an interview as it is the type of thing that they would be looking for. They do projects on this type of thing, and when I looked through some work at the open day, they had planned something such as a range of jeans. They had then shown where they would go in a shop, and how they would promote them.

De Montfort

I applied for a retail buying course at De Montfort University after seeing the work at graduate fashion week. I have had a date through for an interview, but I haven’t ever been to the university so I wasn’t sure whether I would like it there or not. And at the interview if they asked me why I wanted to go there, I wouldn’t know what to say. So I went to the open day to look around and look more at the course. The course sounded good, if you was started from year one. But for me, I think I would struggle to fit in. They look at things such as the technical testing of fabrics and garments, and I wouldn’t know anything about this. There were quite a lot of things in the first year that I wouldn’t know never mind the second year. I spoke to the woman who was talking through the course, and told her I wanted to go into the third year, she said that they sometimes let people into the second year, or very rarely into the third year. She wrote down the things I would need to show that I knew to get accepted into the second year, and I don’t know enough of it. I think I would have to do the whole course from the beginning. I wasn’t much for the university either. When I went to other open days I got a better feeling. I don’t think I will be going for my interview as I wouldn’t want to go there and I don’t think I have much chance at all of getting in.

I have been struggling with my work lately and have been looking at my research to come up with shape within them which I cut out of paper. I showed the photographs on week fours blog. These did work, but I got stuck with what to do next as I wouldn’t be able to cut them out of fabric without having a laser cutter. The cut out shapes that I did remained me of stencils so I thought, well why not do some printing? Maybe I will come up with some ideas I thought. So I made some more stencils of the shapes that I had before, the circles and triangles, and a couple of new ones and off I went to the heat press. I used black and brown ink as these were the closest colours to my project, everything else was really bright. The inks didn’t come out very strong though. Some of the black prints looked almost green. The colours did still match my work though so it wasn’t a disaster. I used different papers, fabrics, and a faux leather to test out which worked best, the prints were ok, but nothing special. The faux leather worked well, as did the papers. The leather that i had was blue so i used the wrong side of it which was white. It was very plasticy, and the dye came out darker on this then on the paper and fabrics. The problem with doing printing is it is really flat. What can I do next with them? I wanted to make something more sculptural. I could go back to these after I have come up with some sculptural shapes and use the printing within them. But at the moment I do not want to carry on with the printing. I need to look more at my research and go back to my brief to come up with some ideas for how to make some sculptural samples.

Week Four

I’m struggling this week with my work. I’m finding it hard to know where to go next. I can do paper samples all day, but they don’t relate to my research. I need to look at my architecture images and find shapes within them to create something new. I have been doing this and cutting out some shapes using a craft knife. They are working. When the paper sample is placed on the mannequin, the shapes stick out more and become more interesting. But they aren’t exciting me. They are also going to be hard to recreate in fabric without having a laser cutting machine. Which I haven’t got access to. I want to create more 3D kind of samples which I can take photographs off to then use for my designs and illustrations. If i cant find any ideas soon, i think im going have to move onto printing or something. I could print useing the cut out shapes that i have done, and then stitch into them. This could work for a garment but i don’t think this would work for a hanging piece that i thought of doing for the show. I need to think of ideas fast as I am running out of time and haven’t got much work to show for it. On Wednesday we started to talk more about one of the files that we have to do. The purple file as I call it, is a file which we choose an idea and then follow the modules about funding, strategic planning and training. I have chosen to base my work on the idea of opening a fashion business. I think that this will keep me interested, and help me to understand more about the industry. I can look into funding that businesses can get, as well as other finance options. I can do a business plan to cover the strategic planning and I can look into small business courses which help you get started which could cover the training section. There is a good book that I have seen before called how to set up a fashion label (or something along them lines!) which was really good at talking through all the aspects of a small fashion business, so I will have to go and find it out of the library as I think it will come in useful.

Hussein Chalayan

When I did some work using paper and fabrics together on the mannequin, this garment by Hussein Chalayan came to mind. I love his work. It always interests me every collection he does. He mixes technology with fashion and comes up with some really interesting and unique garments which push the boundaries of the fashion industry. I love how this garment mixes soft fabric with the hard and smooth edges of the fibre glass dress. I think that this is something which I could look more into as my project develops. Using strong clean smooth paper against soft flowing fabrics to show a contrast. This could show how the hard edges of architecture work well with the fabrics used within fashion.

Week Three

This week I had planned on getting quite a lot of samples done. However this hasn’t happened. I have done quite a lot of research and have photocopied a lot out of different books and magazines which has been really useful, but it doesn’t seem like I have got that much done. I think it is with having to do the meetings on fundraising, and having sessions on the other work I need to do. It just slows the progress down a bit. I am pleased with how my sketchbook looks so far, I think it looks professional and is laid out neatly. I could do with going to a DIY shop to get some of the paper paint samples to look into different colours which go with the images I have collected. I need to do some paper samples which I can then photograph. I haven’t yet done this but what I have done is some work on the mannequin. I used large sheets of A1 paper and ripped and folded them to create different pleats which could be used within a skirt of a dress. I took some photographs and they have worked well to show some ideas in progress. I can see from these how the paper gives good structure and strong edges to a garment. I took some with the paper on the mannequin, and I then tucked some sheer fabric into it to show how the soft fabric looks against the sharp edges of the paper. I think they worked really well together. The mixture of textures could work within a garment. It reminded me of a garment by Hussein Chalayan. He created a white garment out of fibre glass, and had it opening at the back to show soft fabric underneath. I have printed off the images and stuck them in my sketchbook to show how they link in with my research. I need to get some more samples done this next week. I think that working on the mannequin worked well to come up with some ideas but I need some loose, almost object type samples to do some still photography with which could then be used as work on its own. I want it to be strong enough to use in my portfolio to show that I enjoy taking photographs. Something else which I must remember to do is to find all of my old journals from previous projects as I need to look back through them and evaluate how things have progressed.

Week Two

This week I have started to work on my project. I have been researching to help me gather some ideas on where to go with my sampling. I no I want to start off by using papers and then move onto fabrics. I have been researching into architecture, origami and paper sculptures, and looking for fashions which resemble paper, or that show some type of sculptural shape which could be used within my own designs. I have started my sketchbook off by trying to link all of my research together. I have been doing this by finding a building, and then finding a paper sculpture which resembles the shapes within the structure. I have then tried to find a garment to go with it, or a type of fabric that contains the same quality’s. I find that by linking all of the different research together I can clearly see shapes and colours that work together in both paper and fabrics. Also by researching this way, rather then researching one area after another, such as buildings, then paper, then fashion. I am able to keep on track with what it is I am actually trying to do. I find that if I was to split up my research I would loose track of what it is I am looking for. Already I have started to think about the colours and shapes and I can soon start making some quick samples and then get them photographed to help me with the next stage. I want to do some photographs which are of a really good, professional quality. These can then be used within my portfolio to show off some more skills.

I have just had a book delivered and cant wait go get back to start photocopying and adding to my research. The book is Louis Vuitton Art, Fashion, and Architecture. The whole book is about Louis Vuitton, and it isn’t the bags and clothes which interest me within the book. It is the images of the Louis Vuitton shops. The buildings are amazing and the interior design within them is really special. There are some nice images of shapes used within the buildings and it will be a really useful book for this project.

Next week I want to have started some samples, I have already got some papers ready to have a go with. I got different types of paper, such as water colour papers, transparent tracing paper, acetates, and different thicknesses. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have more of an idea of what type of garment I can make.

Research on Sculptural Paper Forms

I have been looking at paper sculptures to get some ideas of how to start my sampling. These are by Richard Sweeney who is an artist and designer-maker based in Huddersfield, England. Sweeney creates and photographs unique sculptural works made out of papers. I really like this work as they are really effective. I like the fact that he uses plain paper with strong shapes. I think that the shapes look very architectural with the use of sharp edges. I want to start off by sampling paper and move onto fabrics. I think that paper is a good material to start with as architects plan their designs on paper and make small scale paper sculptures of their buildings before they are made. I want to use different types of paper to make sure I have experimented and tested out to see what works best. I can then move onto using fabrics. If i move on to using fabrics, I would need to treat them first with some kind of fabric stiffener which would enable me to iron in strong edges that you would find in the paper sculptures. I need to collect different papers and materials such as acetate to start sampling. I will photograph throughout the making process to keep track of what I have done so far and what is needed to do next. By next week I need to make sure I have got some samples made and photographed. Once I have some samples I can start to place them on a mannequin to see what they sit like on a figure.

Week One

I haven’t progressed much this week with it being the first week back in the new build. It has been more about settling into the new studio rather then getting much done. It feels strange to be in a different studio, almost like im at a new university. Hopefully this time we will have more equipment to use. I have already seen the photography studio and it looks amazing. There is lodes of lights and photography equipment which will be really good for me to use for a final photo shoot, or even to photograph and record my sampling.

I have finished writing my brief this week so hopefully now I can get stuck into my project. I have decided to use architecture as my theme. I want to look at contemporary buildings and make paper samples using the shapes that I find within them. I have decided to look at more modern architecture as I find it more interesting to look at then historical architecture. I like the use of different materials such as glass at metals. New buildings use more unique shapes and colours then have been used in the past. Traditionally architects tended to use just brick and have normal windows. I am going to sample using papers and then maybe move onto fabrics to make a garment. I think that paper would be a good place to start as architects use paper to plan their designs. Papers are also a good thing to start off with as they will be easy to fold and treat to make interesting samples.

I want to make a garment which could also be displayed as a hanging piece. I think that for my final show it would look good to show a series of photographs and a hanging piece. This would link in better with the architecture theme, rather then just displaying a dress on a mannequin. I want to photograph my samples throughout the project, and if these are interesting and strong enough to use for the show I will use these. If not I will have to take some photographs in the photography studio of the finished piece either on someone or hanging and then get these printed up to display. The only problem with this is that I would have to get the final garment made earlier to have enough time to get the images printed up.

On Wednesday I went to the library to find some books that I can use for my project. I found two called patterns designs art and architecture. These are really good books which show different modern types of architecture which are incredible. The use of different coloured glass and metals work well together and there is also a lot of different and interesting shapes used. I also got out a book on surface textiles which shows all different colours and textures. I need to look at what colours I could use. I am going to start off by using quite a subtle colour pallet. Creams, greys, browns. Anything which may be used within architecture. I think I mite then see what colours I could use with them. I think that a small flash off bright colour would work well to liven it up and make it stand out more. I could have some colour on the underside of the garment. I will have to see what research I gather throughout the project to see how that goes.

Next week I want to get started with my work and start sampling with different papers. Different thicknesses, colours, and textures. Once I have started this I can keep photographing the samples and work out where to go next with the fabric ones. It will depend how the paper ones turn out to see what to use next. I also need to get a sketchbook started.