Over the last 15 weeks we have been doing a project called 'Too Much Information', in this project we have had to collect and research all things to do with information, including primary and secondary research, drawings, photographs and much more.
At the beginning of the project we were given the task to document all our findings in a sketchbook of our choice, I did this in a black A4 sketchbook, I collected things such as bus tickets, receipts, and sweet wrappers and did things with them such as, use them as backgrounds, make a collage out of them and draw them. I would say I did a decent amount in my sketchbook as when it came to the end of our project I had nearly filled the book.
So throughout this project I have used many different methods of research, I have collected primary research by ,as I have said before, collecting bus ticket etc. And going on a trip to Scarborough and taking photographs of all things information. I have also collect secondary information by doing research on the Internet of artists, photocopying pages out of books and printing pictures off of the computer.
Over the summer I do think I did a fair amount off work, all though I didn't start the project till later on than I should have done, I do think I caught up with the amount of work I should have done earlier on. I think my work was to a high standard and I tried to vary my work so I wasn't boring. I could have probably done more through the summer holidays but I am quite happy with the amount of work that I did.
Throughout the project we were asked to do artist/designer research. I researched two artist, my first artist was Bansky, a graffiti artist. I chose Banksy because I think he is a very current artist, he uses information in his work and I feel that I could relate to his work. The other artist that I researched was a lady called Holly Levell. This was a girl who studied textiles in university and recently is making things out of felt in the shape of well known branded products, e.g. Colgate toothpaste or Hobnob biscuits I really liked her work because it was very original and rather fun and quirky.
After we got back to college, we then had to carry on with the rest of our project, so after having around 15 weeks on our sketchbook it was time to move on, we were told to create two visual sheets. I quite like my visual sheets, I feel they linked on from my sketchbook well, I think they were very full and had no negative space on them I would say they also gave me a lot of inspiration for our next task, which was our tracing. This was my first tracing I had ever done, so baring this in mind i believe I did a good job, it was very full, and I would say it all linked together nicely, I got all my ideas of what to put on it from my visual sheet and my sketchbook, so again, it linked all my project together. Our next step in the process of this brief was our experimentation, I learnt quite a few new processes that I had never done before including Devore, and puff binder. I think I did quite well with all these, I will use all the processes I learnt again and to say it was my first time of doing these processes I think my outcomes were quite good although if I have one downfall, I feel I didn't do as many as I could have with the amount of time that we had in the print room, so next project I will be sure to work on my time management in the print room.
As I have already said, this was the first time I had ever done a tracing before, when our teacher was telling us how to make one, I will be honest, I found it a little daunting, as I thought it looked very complicated, but once I got started on it, I think I managed pretty well. It took me around 3/4 hours to complete it but I think the time I spent on it showed as I feel it was to quite a high standard, especially to say it was my first ever tracing. Looking back on it now, I think my line quality could have been better than it was, as when it was put onto the screen, not all of the lines came through as some were too thin, also I stuck magazine clippings onto my tracing, which I thought looked good, but unfortunately the writing was too small and didn't come out on my screen, so I now know for the future not to do that, and it also give me a rough idea of how small the image or writing can be before it doesn't show up on the screen. But overall I like my tracing.
In this project we have been taught how to use the sewing machines, I have had passed experience on sewing machines so I had a vague idea of what I was doing, but now it has come to the end of the project I am pleased to say I am much more confident about using the sewing machines. we have been taught all the health and safety for using a sewing machine, including, always having your hair tied up, and never use electronic devices or anything else that could distract your attention from the machine. We have been taught, how to set up/ shut down the sewing machines, how to use the stitch selector on them, how to change the stitch and use it, and how use Free machine. I would say I did well on the sewing machine, I didn't come across any serious issues and I feel that over all I am quite confidant at using them. I have defiantly because more confidant too.
Through this project we have had the chance to do a lot of experimentation in the print room. I would say I did quite well with this, although I didn't do as much as I would have liked to, so next project need to work on my time management skills when I am in the print room. But, saying that I did get a few samples of experimentation done, I did quite a few puff binder samples, I really like the effect puff binder gives, I think this is because it gives it more of a 3D, tactile look to it, instead of just a print. I experimented with puff binder by adding pigment dye to it to make it coloured, and then later sewing into it too.
Another experimentation I did was devore. I had never used devore before so I learnt a new skill in the process of doing it. We did this process on three specialist fabrics, Devore silk, Devore velvet and Azeta. Devore is a process which eats away at the man-made fibres, so when you print it, it takes away the fabric when you put the devore paste. I do quite like this process and I think it looks quite goo but unfortunately I wouldn't say it works too well for me , so maybe in the next project I could try it again and hopes it works better for me.
Another experimentation sample we did was a technique call 'stitch and burn', with this you get a few pieces of material and stick them together with wonderwebb, you then stitch into them on the free machining on the sewing machines. after you have finished sewing, you then burn it with a heat gun. To be honest I didn't really like this sample as I thought it looked quite messy and so probably wont use it in the future, although it was still a good learning curve and I did learn a new still and technique.
I would say my favourite process of this project was the puff binder as I really like the texture that it adds to the work, and to say how simple it is to do, I really like the end product. My least favourite is, as i have just said, stitch and burn because I didn't like the final outcome, I didn't think it looked neat and I didn't really like my sample, depending on what you want you work to look like or what the theme is, I imagine it can look really good, but unfortunately I didn't like it in this project.
For my final piece I did an A3 piece of cotton, which I then dyed with a multitude of colours with procian dye, I then did a repeat pattern in puff binder onto it, and then worked into it with free machining, overall I think it went quite well although I did come across a few problems, first of all, my screen got blocked and the pattern didn't come out as well as I had hoped, to sort this I scrubbed my screen and made sure I had got out all the previous inks and dyes I had used on it before and the carefully went back over the pattern again, thankfully this worked. My second problem that I encountered was the fact that my dye wasn't as bright as it was on the sample that I did, unfortunately I don't know why this happened as I pressed the cotton on the heat press at 180 degrees for 18 seconds as you should to keep the dye locked in, so unfortunately I couldn't do anything about this. But like I said, as I whole I do like my final piece, I think you can tell that I have worked hard on it, and to say that it is the first repeat patter tracing that I have done, I think I did quite a good job.
Throughout the project I do feel that I managed my time pretty well, I do think that I did a decent amount of work for everything, although like I have said before, the only thing iIdon't think I did enough of is my experimentation samples in the print room, so next project, I will be sure to plan in advance enough time in the print room. But apart from that I feel my time management was up to scratch.
Overall, this hasn't been my favourite project, and because of that I do feel you can see that in my work, but I have tried my best throughout the project, I have hit all deadlines and I would say I have finished the project with a final piece of quite a high standard.
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