Scarf inspiration

While in Debenahms this week I saw this bed cover on display the layout of the design was really interesting and I feel the idea could work well within my scarf designs. I am going to try and use this idea within my designs and I am hopeful it will be as effective.

Scarf Designs

Over the past week I have been working hard to create my scarf designs for the degree show. I am planning to create both square and long rectangular scarfs on both wool and silk fabrics. While creating my designs I have been thinking about composition scale and layout. I have been looking on the internet at Liberties looking at scarves on their website for inspiration. On Monday I am going to London to do some further market research.

Here are some images of some of the designs I have made, some have been more successful than others and these will be the ones I will have printed.

I really like this first one I have tried to stick to 3-4 colours in this design making it more commercial. I plan to have this printed on silk satin at the size of 100cm by 100cm.

This was the first design I created I have tweaked the colours slightly but overall I really like the design. My plan is to have this printed on Silk Satin Viscose then I will devore the white squares away leaving the grid with the florals design. I am hopeful this will create a really interesting look.

In this design I have tried to experiment with scale and colour. I have used the same design in the middle and the edge but I have changed the scale and colour of the pattern creating a juxtaposition. I plan to have this printed on Silk satin at the size of 140cm by 140cm.

This was an experimented I created with some of my ideas following my tutorial with Allison willhoughby. In this Design I have experimented with the idea have the pattern as a border with the main part of the scarf being a large block of colour. I then plan to devore the white large dots out of the design giving the material 2 thicknesses. I like this idea but I feel that a different design would work better using this concept.

In this design I tried to experiment with colour and scale contrasting black and white with my bold colour palette I think the idea is good but I don't like this design. 

 

This finally design is using my favourite Black and white Design from the Stew Exhibit. I really like how this design is going It is still in the process of being created as i am putting the dots long the centre border. I am hopeful that this will look really effective when completed. 

I am as of yet to start my long scarf designs, I am wanting to use my market research in London to inform these designs in particular the scale of print and the size of the scarf its self.  from my current market research I have not seen any long silk scarves so my current plan is for the square scarves to be silk and long scarves to be wool. this plan may change after Monday depending on my findings in London. 

I am planning on creating A1 samples which correspond to some of my scarf designs. I plan to use the same designs maybe in a different colour or scale developing them through devore, dischrge and foiling techniques in the print room. With these samples I plan to create Garment fronts showing my design in another context. 

here are a few design I have so far:

This first one needs the colour reworking as it currently doesn't look right to me. 

I am going to create new screens which I will use to work into the prints further like i did with my stew samples. I am going to use bias binding to show this designs in a fashion context. I have done this in previous projects and I feel it works well. 

New Inspiration

Whilst on Instagram I came across the work of Camille walala. I found her use of geometrics with collage really interesting, I also admired her felt tip drawings and how she had used continuos line to add flow to her designs and motifs.

New Body Of Work For The Degree Show

Since the Stew exhibit, I have been working to create new imagery for the degree show. The work I create will reflect the same theme of the 60s focusing on flower power and geometric shapes, But it will  be a more developed version, In which I will create designs which showcase the success I have discovered and learnt in the work I created for the stew exhibit.

I have been working in the same way creating drawings first which I have then begun to develop through collage. I am planning on using the same colour schemes as well as introducing new tones and hues of current colours in my palette to continue with the fresh imagery which I am working towards.

Photo Copying

On Friday I had the opportunity to go with my mum to work and use the Photocopier. I shouldn't be aloud near a photocopier, I go a bit crazy and get carried away. 

I used this opportunity to scan sections of my A1 drawings, I plan to use these in the same way I did before working back into them using paint, felt tips and stickers developing them into geometric designs.

My sketchbook is very full and after my previous sketchbook for Ba7 falling apart I have decided to buy a new sketchbook for new work for the degree show. The work I have created since stew will go in this sketchbook, I feel this will help me to keep the imagery fresh and make my designs for the degree show separate from my samples which I created for stew. I am hopeful by doing this I will create a large portfolio of work which I plan to use help me get a job in the textile industry. 

Print Room Wednesday

On wednesday I spent the morning re-dying one of my velvet samples. After my group crit I went and spoke to Niel about how I could mute the pink of the discharge I used. In my group crit Nick said he wasn't keen on the Pink, Niel suggested I re-dye the sample using a red direct dye, he said that this would tone down the pink.
I personally really liked the pink of the sample but I liked the idea of experimenting with re-dying the sample. I haven't really developed my Dying skills since we learnt them in year 1, I have to say that I have enjoyed re-discovering dying within my work especially with my velvet samples.

I wanted to test this idea of re-dying the sample before I put the whole sample in, so I cut a section of the sample and dipped in the dying leaving it to test what effect the re-dying would create. I liked the effect the re-dying had created particularly how I had only tested it on half of the strip of the sample creating an ombre effect. I decided to use this idea and dye the rest of the sample only dying half to create an ombre effect.

I am really pleased with the finished effect, I will defiantly develop this idea of readying the discharged areas of my velvet samples.

With the test piece I dyed, I experimented with seeing what foiling looks like on velvet. I experimented with four foils:

• clear
• blue
• black
• pink

They all worked, but the heat press made the velvet go very flat loosing it texture, which is a shame.

Group Crit

On Tuesday we had a group crit in which we discussed our projects and plans for the degree show. This was with both Jill and Nick, at the beginning of the session we where given a sheet to fill in which we then discussed are plans with each other as a group.

Im not sure I can say that this session helped me or not. I think if anything I left feeling confused. Jill questioned my plans for the degree show saying "Did I want to be known as a scarf designer". I tried to explain how I felt, that by making scarfs I was creating a body of work which could be sold at the degree show, but at the same time allowed the viewer to still see my skills of combining colours, scale and patterns allowing them to view the scarves as samples as well. Nick had a different opinion to Jill, he encouraged my plans to create scarfs and said I should be bold with my designs. He said I should experiment with scale and create large scarfs which I could show as lengths showcasing my repeat skills. 

They both agreed that I should undertake Market research which is something Allison Willoughby had encouraged me to do in my last tutorial. I am planning on visiting London on the 21st of April visiting Hermes, Liberty's and Selfridges. I will use this opportunity to look at: 

• Material choices
• Scale of design
• Labeling
• Displaying of scarves for inspiration for the degree show
• Edging

I also took the velvet samples which I created last week using discharge and devore techniques. They thought this was very interesting and encouraged me to develop this further. Nick wasn't keen on the pink discharge I used, after to speaking to Niel about this I am planning on redying the sample red to mute the vividness of the pink. 

While I am in London I am also going to visit the V&A looking at the african masks for inspiration for my geometric designs. I am also planning on visiting The Glamour Of Italian Fashion exhibition.