Week Nine

I am really pleased with myself this week! I have done so much work! I felt as though I was never going to get anything done, and this week I have got back on track and back into my work. I started off by scanning in some figure templates which I then used to layer up my own sample photographs. I used Photoshop to cut out the shapes from the photographs and made some simple and quick ideas of where they could fit onto the figure. It was a good way to start thinking about where the shapes could be used within a garment. They didn’t look very interesting or exciting though, and the figures weren’t my own drawings. So once I had done this and though about the shapes more, I took some photographs of a mannequin, and then used these to layer up with the images of my samples. Even though they hadn’t been drawn by me, and they were still photographs, the photographs were still my work so it seemed to work a bit better. The shape of the mannequin is a bit more simple then that of a figure with a head and arms and it doesn’t distract from the shapes of the samples. I did quite a lot of different ideas, placing shapes in different parts of the body. As well as placing on the body, I mixed some shapes together from different images to make some hanging shapes. On Photoshop I cut out shapes from my photographs and layered them together, and changed the lighting affects and made some of them slightly see-through, to come up with a kind of sculptural form which would look good as a hanging piece. I made some shapes which would work well both hanging, and on the figure. I placed the images on the mannequin images and I also photoshoped the shapes into images of architectural spaces as hanging pieces. I am really pleased of how they have turned out. It really got my ideas flowing. The shapes worked well on Photoshop but they somehow seem a bit, fake. So as well as the photoshoped images I decided to hand make some of the same type of shape ideas as I had done on the computer. I got the photographs printed of the mannequin, and then cut out the shapes from the sample images and layered them up the same as I had done on Photoshop. I think they look good made out of photographs, I think I am going to stitch into the images to give them a different more handmade look. I have started to do some drawings from the shapes. I have layered up some photocopies of my wire samples and then extended the shapes with drawing, and then used paints to work into it. It looks great. Like I have painted the whole thing. I wouldn’t be able to draw or paint the shapes perfectly from scratch so using some photocopies is type of cheating that works really well! It looks good as it mixes in different materials into one image. On Wednesday I went with Briony and Lucy to Staffordshire University for an open day and met with Rowena to talk about the top up course which I have applied for as I wanted a bit more information about what is actually involved. She explained through the blocks of the course, the projects and modules which is involves. It sounded better then I thought. I know that it isn’t a fashion course. It wouldn’t be like going to Salford and making lots of garments which would go on a fancy catwalk. But it is an option where I can write my own briefs and make the modules into fashion. The university have just employed a fashion specialist to help with the course, and she came into college on the Thursday to meet us and talk about the course. She spoke about how we could make it into a fashion outcome. She was really lovely and very enthusiastic. She was full of energy. She made the course sound exciting and was full of ideas about what people could do. She had a look through my portfolio, and she gave me some really good feedback. I was relieved that someone seemed happy with my work and I seemed to have a lot of things in common with her about different designer’s work that I like. She looked at one page of my folio and asked if I look at Hussein Chalayans work! He is my all time favourite fashion designer! Collette was another lady from Staffordshire University who is also involved with the course but she isn’t a specialist in fashion. She also looked through my portfolio and was really nice about my work, she loved my sketchbook and made some good comments which has made me feel more relieved for when I have got to take them to interviews. Sam suggested that I look into flower shapes, as she said my work seems very organic with the shapes. So all Thursday afternoon I looked into different plant shapes and found that the carnivorous plants and calla lilies have something very similar about them to my work. The curves and shapes work really well for research. Some of the carnivorous plants also seem to hang down like a sculptural form. Dried up old leaves also reminded me of my own work. The shapes are very similar. I don’t want to go into looking at just flowers, but they are quite architectural in the way in which they are made up. The colours are good within them as well. Sam suggested going to the botanical gardens in Birmingham so I am going look into going there in the Easter holidays to collect some more primary research. One thing she said I needed to do was collect some more images myself for research rather than just books, the images I have taken myself she said I must label them more and make them more obvious that they are mine so that people don’t miss my work. Later in the afternoon on Thursday I had a tutorial with Amy about the exhibition. This was to talk through my work and get an idea of where to go next so that I am ready for the exhibition. Also I want something sculptural and hanging. I don’t want to make a big metal sculpture as I’m not a 3D maker, and it wouldn’t look very good. I don’t want to spend a lot of money making something that turns out to look rubbish. I want it to look really sleek and professional. So rather than making it, I have got to cost up how I would get someone else to do it for me. And then for the show I can have some images of it mocked up. I am going to do some illustrations next using my images, and then if they turn out good enough I can get them blown up on large banners and get them blown up and hang them for the exhibition. I could also mock up some images of them hanging somewhere. I could take the images of the place myself so it is my work and then mock up the piece hanging. This would need to be done really well though so that it looks professional. For the illustrations I want to go in the photography studio and get someone to model for me. I want them to do a lot of different poses, and all they need to wear is underwear, or shorts and small t-shirt, as I will Photoshop an outfit onto them and collage, and work back into the figure using different materials. I think it will look really good to lighten the figure image more than the shapes of the garment so that the garment stands out more. So I need to get booking into the photography studio soon as possible and I am also going to make a couple more wire mesh samples, but make them a bit bigger and a bit better and photograph them again. Lots to do!! But bin a great week!