Material Concepts

I think it would be really interesting to use a fabric that most people wouldn't first think of when looking at bones and then relating them to fashion. By using a silky fabric it contrasts with the hard and structured bone interior. Most people would assume that a stiff fabric would compliment this project as it can be molded easier and you are able to make some really interesting shapes using different pattern cutting techniques, but by mixing this thick fabric such as brocade or calico with a synthetic soft fabric it will make it very visually pleasing. I could then link this fabric back to my project by printing a pattern on top that is inspired by my research. 

In my sketchbook you can see that I have experimented by using simple/ basic garments to then place a print over the top. What I would like to improve on with this is to incorporate the stiffer fabric that I spoke about earlier to give the designs more depth and increase the visual appeal they have to the viewer. 

Digital Illustrations

By making my fashion designs digital, it allows me to make complex prints in my sketchbook without cutting them out and sticking them on top, which I personally think makes them look less professional and weaker.  

This was the part of the week that I enjoyed the most because it incorporated designing in with the print and made it so much easier to visualise what the garment would look like once made. When I put my prints onto a model found from the internet, I thought it looked good but would be more interesting to use my own illustration and scan them in. The main problem with this was that the quality of the images suffered slightly. The thing that i didn’t include in my sketchbook alongside these images was the colour pallet, which I am going to include as it helps the viewer/potential customer understand how you want the outfit to turn out. 

Blending prints together 

Another important skill that we learnt today was how to combine three other peoples prints with my own and create a garment on the stand that looked appealing. I thought that our team managed to work really well together and I was surprised by how much I liked our outcome. We chose not make all of our patterns have the exact same colour scheme because we wanted a slight clash with our prints. Luckily our colour ways complimented each other quite well, we blended purple blue and a yellowy gold colour. 

I think next time we do a task like this, we should be more adventurous with our proportions rather than keeping them all quite similar, which would make our garment look more outlandish and extravagant. 

Repeat Patterns

Today we focused on creating repeat patterns on Photoshop that had backgrounds and went of the page. We learnt how to clone parts of the image and blend it so that it looked continuous as opposed to square images being repeated. I began the day finding the processes of how you do it easy, but as I started introducing my own images into I found it more and more difficult because the images we were using were slightly more complex. 

The outcome of my first pattern surprised me because it started to look like a modern inspired animal print. The reason why I found this surprising was because I haven't looked at this theme within my project, but the textured prints I’ve used reflect this. 

When I go on to do some more prints I might start to bring in the theme of bones and anatomy, which I think, will really contrast with the images I already have, giving it a really interesting look. The other thing that I want to explore is the tone of colour that I’m using, at the moment its not looking very blue, and there aren't many variations of tones within the pattern, so I want to play around with that more. 

Mid Project Review

After looking over my work alongside Rebecca, I can see that there are some improvements that need to be made. At the moment I have been relying quite a lot on drawing as opposed to photographic images. The reason for doing this is to not clutter my book/pages with images and paper that I am not going to develop, but I’m currently trying to find a way of including these images so that the other research that I have done can also be seen. This could be done on separate sheets to go alongside my sketchbook, or even by photocopying them smaller and inserting small pages into my book where they relate. 

I think the other really important thing for me to do at this stage is also to pick the two themes to thoroughly explore in this project. I'm not going to then rule out the other themes that I’ve looked at, I am just not going to explore them in as much detail. 

The one that I definitely want to look at is the human structure; what makes up the body, bones, muscles and also how everything is attached within the body. 

I'm finding the attachment side of the project slightly more difficult to translate into designs because my ideas are all based around family and music and its hard to find shapes to pick out and focus on. I think if i am going to go down this route I need to think more about incorporating these images into digital print and use them to create patterns. 

I’m also torn between the previous theme and of Cocoons for attachment. The main problem I have with this one is that its very nature based and I feel as if this theme has been done many times before. It is whether or not I am able to do something unique and new to make it seem like a fresh idea again. 

Introduction to Digital Print

Repeat Patterns 

I really enjoy working in Photoshop so I was really excited about learning how to create interesting designs and prints through this program. I would say that I have an intermediate level of knowledge on how to work Photoshop so I found the class quite basic, but in a way I am also glad that it was basic because I have always taught myself how to use Photoshop so by Dan teaching us, it has majorly increased how quickly I am able to do things and also gives it a much more refined finished look. 

Before today this print would have probably taken me around an hour to produce but after being taught how to define images as patterns and quickly insert them into other documents I am now able to make a simple print like the one to the right, in about 10 minutes. 

I think that the thing that really works about this pattern is the colour ways, at first I used really bold oranges and blues but changed them to subtler colours and also increased the opacity by using a process that Dan taught us. I can honestly say that I didn't really find any problems with working in Photoshop and creating the different digital prints. So that I am prepared for Wednesdays lesson, I’m going find an image that relates to my work, so that I can tie everything in together and the work that I produce during lesson can influence my project. 

A4 Knitwear Samples

The difficulty involved in producing A4 knitwear samples surprised me. I actually found that when the sample was enlarged it made it a lot easier to make the techniques neater and look more as they are supposed to do. I definitely preferred the first sample that I did because for the second one I felt as if I was running out of time and was slightly rushed. The technique that I feel I have mastered the most was the pyramid. I managed to create two pyramids shape on one line and then a larger one above it. I think that you are able to see from my work that I planned out both samples before so that they don't look as if they were just knocked up on the day. The thing that I would change about the samples is the second yarn that I used. Even though I really liked the mix of colours, the yarn was too thin and created some problems even after I had changed the tension.  Next time I think I will choose a more practical yarn as opposed to just looking at it from an aesthetic point of view. I'm glad that we have done knitwear because it has taught me to try different things that I didn't previously know. At the beginning of the week I was extremely apprehensive about and wasn't sure whether or not it would actually contribute anything to my work but I was surprised at how well I managed to link it in with the theme and am considering using parts of knitwear in my final piece. It also shows that I have a more diverse range of skills apart from just designing, and will make me seem more appealing to employers and universities. 

Peer Analysis: 

You can definitely see that there has been a progression over the week of how Rosie's Knitwear has improved just from looking at the small technique samples to her two mounted pieces but I do feel as if there is still some things that I believe she should have change. For Example there are 4 techniques on each sample and some have been repeated and slightly changed. If it was me I would have increased the amount of techniques and tried to vary them as much as possible to show her own range of skills. Overall I think that the outer look of the samples look very professional and finished.  

Jasmin Dhadwal