Final evaluation

Final Evaluation.

For this project my inspiration has come from the seascape. However, to begin I decided that academic research was initially needed. So I started off by researching Patrick Heron, Sean Scully and Richard Diebenkorn. These artists all incorporate colour as their main feature to create abstracted landscapes, which is similar to what I wanted to do as colour would be the depicting component in my work. I produced my own responses to try and gain inspiration as a starting point to my work. I created stitch samples in response to Scully’s work which seemed to be quite effective; I liked the idea of combining various fabrics together using hand stitch. This academic research was very valuable as it prompted me to start looking into colour and how the right combination of colour can achieve a brilliant result whereas the wrong combination could create an unpleasant effect. I also looked into textile artists such as Jan Beanley and Jean Little John. They work by expressing abstracted landscapes through stitch and embroidery. I thought it would be beneficial to research these two people to gain inspiration from their work to put towards my final piece. Their work inspired and directed me towards gathering some more research into machine stitch and hand stitch as I decided I hadn’t explore this area to its full potential. By doing this I gained knowledge into pleating, smocking and couching which I wouldn’t have discovered if it wasn’t for the initial research into textile artists.  In the end I decided to use only smocking and pleating in my final pieces as they were aesthetically more desirable than couching, also as I was under a restricted time limited I decided not to use couching as this consumed a lot more working hours than the other techniques.

I generated primary/imagery research at the start by producing my own responses to my initial artist research. I looked into painting, collaging and stitching which allowed me to decide on the colours I might like to use in my later work. During development I researched into embellishing and hand stitch producing small samples featuring these methods. I looked at ways of strengthening the samples to make them more robust and able to hold a form; At this point I was still working on the initial ideas of my project proposal which stated I would like to produce a body ornamented piece made from material seascape. However, as my work developed I decided it would be much more effective and aesthetically exciting to create a variety of material seascapes to showcase in the exhibition and have these displayed on the walls. I decided these seascapes would be showcased by one being displayed on a mannequin and various photographs on a life model. However, as I didn’t realise I would change my idea until later on in the project I continued to research PVC, wax and wire. I melted plastic on the samples enabling them to stiffen; I used the heat press for this technique. Weaving coloured wire throughout the samples seemed to be the most effective method and one which I would have used if it wasn’t for my slight change of idea half way through. I then collected primary research from wales of the seascape at different stages of the day, focusing mainly on the sun setting. By doing this I was able to achieve truthful colours instead of taking inaccurate colours of the seascape out of my own imagination. From this I produced a range of colour pallets using different media such as water colour, pastels, acrylic paint and dye. I decided that after finding this research I needed to look into a diverse range of fabrics so I produced a sample book filled with the materials I had collected from charity shops and inexpensive fabric shops. Dying these materials following the colour pallets I had created allowed me to select various colours and materials which I thought were most effective. The colour pallets worked really well and I was pleased with this research as it helped me develop investigations into colour samples.   I decided to go with more subtle colours in order to create more sophisticated and refined outcomes.

My proposal states that I was planning on experimenting with card and paper however these are areas that I didn’t explore as I decided at the start of the project that I just wanted to create seascapes out of fabrics. I chose to work with a diverse range of materials to achieve different textures and qualities to enhance the visual aspects of my material seascapes. I choose to use fabric as it’s an easy and inexpensive material to obtain; therefore I encountered no problems in the production of my final piece regarding the materials needed. However, I did encounter difficulties when it came to embellishing the fabrics. The embellishing needles were so delicate I found it very difficult not to snap them whilst joining fabrics together. I tried to resolve this by only using very thin materials on the machine and to proceed cautiously yet the majority still managed to snap. This was my only concern when producing my final pieces, the needles needed were expensive, fourteen pounds a barrel, and then there was the waiting period for them to be delivered. This set me back on the construction of my work but I whilst I was waiting I found other important things to occupy my time such as sketch book work or pinning together other compositions. I had to adapt my ideas slightly due to this set back as I wasn’t able to embellish the seascapes as much as I had originally planned, I had to rely more on stitch to hold the compositions together.

Overall I feel my final piece is successful. By creating more than one seascape, when they are displayed together, it has produced a much more interesting outcome. I feel like my technical skills have developed vastly during this project as my smocking, pleating and stitch (machine and hand) have become much more refined and polished. I made sure that each composition was formed to the best of my ability.

My project has slightly moved in a different direction to what I had originally anticipated. I initially planned to make the body as much of a feature as the work itself. However, I have made the main focus of the exhibition the material seascapes and only displayed four photographs of the work presented on the body as ornamentation.  I have also used a mannequin to showcase this. I decided half way through the project that by creating lots of smaller seascapes it would make the overall show much more exciting. Yet this is only a slight change to the plan so I didn’t veer off my action plan too much. Up to week 5 I stuck to my plan then researched the textile artists mentioned before, Jan Beanley and Jean little john, which inspired me to continue experimentation leading me to having the idea of producing a range of varied seascapes. However because I veered off my action plan I made sure I wrote in the amendments column the changes I had made and the reasons for them.

During this project I feel like I have been motivated to work to the best of my ability to obtain the best mark I could. I think my motivation and ambition was high each day starting from my initial research and experimentation all the way through to the final piece and setting up the show. I always try to achieve the mind-set that if I work hard each day I’ll feel stress free and satisfied when the project comes to an end.

If I was to develop my work given a longer time period I would create garments instead of just pieces which could just simply be placed anywhere on the body. I would have liked to take these garments back to the original place of inspiration and have a photo-shoot using various models to present the body ornamentation.

Completed bibliography

Bibliography

Websites:

Artist research:

Patrick Heron. Available: http://www.abstract-art-framed.com/patrick-heron.html. Last accessed 13th March 2012.

Richard Diebenkorn Catalogue Raisonne. Available: http://www.diebenkorn.org/bio/bio.html. Last accessed 13th March 2012.

Sean Scully. Available: http://www.timothytaylorgallery.com/artists/home/sean-scully. Last accessed 13th March 2012.

Ridgway, V. (). Jan Beanley. Available: http://mnlg.com/art/artists/jan_beaney.php. Last accessed 20th april 2012.

Ridgway, V. (). Jean Little John. Available: http://mnlg.com/art/artists/jean_l.php. Last accessed 20th april 2012.

Sean Scully. (1964). Body of Work. Available: http://www.sean-scully.com/en/art/. Last accessed 14th March 2012.

Books:

Wolff, C (2008). The Art of Manipulating Fabric. London: wolff, C. p122-130

Trench, N (2011). Cute and Easy Crochet. London: CICO Books. p24-25.

Bull, J (2012). Stitch-by-Stitch. Great Britain: Dorling Kindersley Limited. p16-28.

Eccher, D (2007). Sean Scully A Retrospective. London: Thames and Hudson. p55-63.

Phaidon (1996). The 20th Century Artbook. London: Phaidon Press Limited. P226-227.

Graham-Dixon, A (2008). Art, The Definitive Visual Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley. p378-380.

Completed week to week plan and amendments

Week	Planning	Amendments/feedback
1 12th -18th	Generate a body of initial research. Such as drawings, paintings, mixed media, photography, diagrams, notes, secondary and contextual research such as artists. Devise 2 potential ideas to develop further.	I started out by researching Patrick Heron, Sean Scully and Richard Diebenkorn. Each artist portrays abstracted landscapes using colour as the defiant feature In their work. I found this a very useful starting point as I think their abstraction and use of colour will inspire me to develop my ideas into a more abstracted style.
2 19th -25th	Pitch my main idea to students and staff and await feedback to negotiate a project brief to work towards. Type a project proposal (to be handed in on the 23rd). Continue with research started in the first week.	I pitched my idea and it was taking positively. The feedback I was given from students is to try and make the body be showcased, not just but as well as the body ornamentation (which I aim my outcome to be). I agreed with this as I want the body to play an important role in my final piece.
3 26th -1st	Research different fabrics and there qualities, different type of stitch and colour. Start experimentation with materials such as paper, fabric, card etc. Go out and try to find cheap fabrics instead of working with the limited materials from college. Work out what resources are more robust and rigid; figure out ways to create rigid materials such as wax. What’s more effective??	I worked on how to stiffen materials during this week and also worked on stitch samples. I decided wire incorporated into the sample by weaving is the most effective. However, I didn’t have time this week to pick up any fabrics so that’s something I plan on doing next week.
Easter (2 weeks) 2nd -15th	Complete any unfinished work. Continue with research and experimentation with fabrics and material, stitch and colour. Primary research - go to wales and take photographs of the seascapes at different times of the day to achieve different colours/tones in each picture. Update any sketch book work and blog.	During this holiday I worked on my blog trying to get it up to date. I also updated my sketchbook work to try and keep on track. I went to wales to a beach to take primary research of the sun setting at different stages of the day. I gained some interesting and useful photographs to help me with colour pallets. I went to a fabric shop as well to collect a variety of materials which I could then dye later on.
4 16th -22nd	Create a colour pallet based on the colours from the photographs taken of the seascape. Work with subtle dyes to produce a wide spread of coloured fabrics and then produce a range of abstracted seascapes.	From my primary research I created colour pallets consisting of different media, such as water colours, pastels, acrylic paint and dye. I then produced a sample book filled of different materials which had been dyed with help from the colours produced from the colour pallets. I can then look back at my sample book to decide what the best materials and colours are to use in my main piece.
5 23rd -29th	Research artists/designers who create body ornamented pieces to begin to get inspiration into how I will place my piece onto the body. Produce a spread of body ornamented designs in sketchbook.	This week I researched Jan Beanley and Jean Little John individually and then researched the work they create together. They work by expressing abstracted landscapes through stitch and embroidery. I thought it would be beneficial to research these two people to gain inspiration from their work to put towards my final piece. Because their work had interesting stitch and methods I decided instead of drawing up designs to experiment with different types of stitch I could achieve from the sewing machine and to also try different surface textures such as smocking, pleating and couching which my tutor helped me with to develop my technique.
6 30th -6th	Experiment with the designs I prefer. Choose what materials/fabrics I want to make the final piece out of. Choose which design is more engaging which I can develop into my final major.	As I had created samples such as pleating etc. in the previous week I thought I’d create larger compositions, inspired by the seascape, from these samples. I asked for feedback from my tutor, I was advised to create subtle compositions instead of bright unsophisticated ones. So I put together quite a few subtle and sophisticated compositions which I am really pleased with,  I would like to produce a lot more of these for my final piece and have a range of seascapes instead of just one.
7 7th -13th	Once chosen which design to develop start working on the basics such as starting to build up the fabrics/materials by using techniques such as stitching or embossing.	I dyed more fabrics to gain a wider choice when It comes to putting more compositions together. I then laid out these fabrics so I was able to choose which tones worked well with one another. I was also asked by one of the student teachers if I would take part in a short video as another way to express and showcase my work which I was really happy to do. So during this week I took part in the video to show some of my samples, it only took about half an hour to do my part so I was able to continue with my work.
8 14th -20th	Begin to make the material more robust to enable it to hold the shape on the body (using a mannequin). Choose from experimentation, done earlier in week 3, which the most effective method of keeping the materials form is, such as wax. Then apply that to the piece.	This week I began joining my work together as I had previously been using pins. I joined the fabrics together on the embellishing machine and by hand stitch. I’m not following the plan as I no longer need it to hold a specific form as I want them to hang naturally. I took photographs of the pieces on a life model as I wanted to express how they could also be used as body ornamented pieces. I then edited these and with my tutor we choose the best photographs to display in the show.
9 21st -27th	Make sure the piece is completed and held together how you want, take photographs of it on the body/mannequin.	I continued stitching together my pieces and making sure I was happy with them all. I printed of the photographs for my show at half A4 size and bought some frames to display them in.
10 28th -3rd	Make any last minute improvements to the piece if needed. Begin to set up my allocated space.	During this week I wanted to make it a priority to sort out my allocated space and hopefully set up my exhibition. On Monday I painted my area to clean any ink or paint which was previously on the walls and made a shelf which was put up to display my Constantia book. I also painted my plinth and arranged my other Constantia in a ‘star’ like shape. On the Wednesday I finished sewing any incomplete seascapes, I then arranged my material seascapes with help from my tutors and pinned them to the wall, choosing a specific piece to display on the mannequin to showcase the figure. I put my photographs up as well, meaning my space was all organised earlier than anticipated which I am very pleased with.
Whit (1 week) 4th -10th	Finish any in completed work/annotations in my sketchbook and blog. Go to Wales to the seascape I originally photographed, take pictures of the piece in the environment, and wear the body ornamentation as well to showcase the body. Perhaps enlarge these photographs to present in the show.	As I have finished all preparations and work for my show I have started my evaluation and updated my blog. I haven’t stuck to the plan here as I have finished all photographs needed in my show so I am focusing on my written work.
Deadline! Friday 15th	Finish setting up my allocated space in preparation for the end of year show.	This week I added any finishing touches needed such as cleaning the glass on my plinth and polishing the frames holding the photographs.  As I had finished I helped anyone else who was behind or who was struggling to put up their show.

Completed exhibiton

This is my completed space for the exhibition. I managed to get this finished on the Wednesday before the whit holiday which I was very pleased with, I was then able to focus on getting up to date on written work. I was also able to help out other students around the studio who were more behind. The week before I had given my space two coats of emulsion paint and scrubbed the floor three times to get rid of any excess paint or media used previously by other students. The only problem I encountered was that some dye left previously on the wall showed through the numerous layers of paint after it had dried. So my tutor placed PVA glue on the effect area and I gave it three more coats of emulsion to make sure it didn't show through. I also painted the plinth and shelf to make sure everything was clean and unspoiled for the show. I am really happy with the end result, however if I had made more compositions for the seascapes I think the end result would have been more of a success.

Arrangement of exhibition ideas

This is the first idea I had concerning the layout for my exhibition. I have tried out all of my ideas in my allocated space to see which one looked most effective.
The material seascapes have been placed on the right wall as this is the first place the viewer will see when they walk into the exhibition. Although I like this composition I don't think theres balance within the space as the right wall is full whereas the others are simplistic and quite plain. I want to place the plinth, holding my fabric sample concertina book arranged in a 'star' shape, at the front in order to allow the public to move in and around the space to get a close up view of the seascapes and handmade books.

In my second idea the large landscape takes light away from the rest of the display and overpowers the space. It detracts to much attention from the rest of the seascapes. The pictures have been displayed on the right wall this time in a square, I don't think the pictures draw in enough attention from the public to make them come to my space like the material seascapes would.

In my third idea I have placed the long seascape on the back wall so its still featured and easy to see but its not taking light or attention away from the rest of the display. Instead of having the seascapes on just one wall I've decided they would look better separated onto two walls and having the photographs under the the shelf holding the concertina book. This way the other walls arn't too plain in comparison to the one that would feature the seascapes.

In my final arrangement I have decided that the seascapes shall be featured on both walls to create a sense of balance. The three largest compositions will be featured in a horizontal line on the left wall whereas the smaller seascapes will be arranged carefully on the right allowing them to hang slightly away from the wall on the pins. The back wall is full as its one of the main focuses when the public views the space, I wanted it to appear interesting and characteristic to capture attention. I am very happy with this arrangement as it showcases my work professionally and looks much better than the previous ideas.

Creative Cropping

I was advised by one of my tutors to creatively crop some of the images i took of the model to make it appear as though the model is wearing the seascapes as a garment instead of just a piece placed on the body.


I created a series of cropped images starting with a close up shot leading towards more attention on the models face. I like this series however, I think they might be slightly too overwhelming as theres a fair bit for the viewer to look at.

 More focus and attention is given towards the model in both of these images. The Victorian look my model gives off really compliments the ruffled collar shes wearing. I think these images have been cropped too much as i want the viewer to focus mainly on the collar but the majority has been edited away.

The face is unfortunately not in focus therefore not achieving a successful overall image.
The second image I think is cropped too much again as it is too narrow width ways. However, it does give the impression that the piece could possibly be a garment such as a dress or shirt as the viewer is unaware of where it ends. This was my aim when i started cropping these images.

I don't think these cropped images have been very successful but I wanted to experiment initially to see if they made any improvements. I have discovered they didn't make any improvements as they look unprofessional and as though they have been edited to much, i wont be using them in my show.

material seascapes on a life model

I have used this life model to showcase my pieces as I think she has an interesting look about her. She reminds me of the Victorian period so i thought having collars around her neck might look really effective, the beauty spot on her right cheek also compliments this.The simplicity of her hair and makeup compliment the compositions as she doesn't draw too much attention away from them. I wanted her to wear red lipstick and have her hair up to keep the photographs simple.

These pictures have turned out to be really effective. The first image has produced a brilliant shadow in the background, it appears to have the from of a Victorian. This is one of my favourite pictures as I think it has turned out really well with the shadow adding another dimension. The second two images I have chosen to have in my final show as I think they are really effective for expressing the piece as well as the model. Having the composition in the form of a collar seems to have worked really well so I tried this with the other pieces as well.

The simplicity of her eye and lip makeup here compliment the colours displayed in the seascape. This picture is also being showcased in the exhibition.

Instead of just a close up shot I wanted the shadow to really play a part of one of the main features in this photograph. It allows another dimension to be incorporated into the picture adding depth and interest. She is doing similar poses on the majority of these photographs so I wanted a pose which was slightly different. Her lips are a big feature in this photograph and again compliment the tones of the neck body ornamentation. I edited this photograph to achieve the best quality photograph i could. I edited out the corner of the wall as it was a prominent feature and set back the quality of the image. I also edited out her bra strap and made her top darker. By doing all this attention is immediately drawn to the models lips and neck instead of being drawn to any imperfections. I am really pleased with the outcome of this photograph but Iwont be using it in my show as it doesn't compliment the other photographs chosen.

The vast amount of white space in this picture really compliments the simplicity of the body ornamentation. The empty space draws the eye towards the piece and allows the viewer to appreciate the detailed shadows created by the smocks. This is another image chosen for my show.

These images i think work well as a series, leading towards a more zoomed in shot. However, i only wanted 4 images in my show and they have already been chosen so i wont be displaying these.

I am really happy with the outcome of these images and i think they are much more effective on the life model than the mannequin. The photographs chosen to be showcased all work really well with one another and demonstrate what I stated in my proposal at the start of the project, to create a seascape body ornamented piece which showcases the model as well as the work.

material seascapes modelled on a mannaquin

I prefer the close up shot here as the texture on the materials are much more prominent. Also the viewer can appreciate the techniques such as the pleats, smocking and stitch as more detail is depicted here. I'm not as fond of the other photograph in comparison to the close up one due to the lack of detail seen in the image.

This photograph really captures the detail incorporated into the material seascape such as the embellishing, stitch and smocking. From afar this composition is less exciting.

The smocks create a lot of exciting shadows to the composition adding another dimension in the work. I like how the excess string dangles loosely off the piece almost giving it a carefree nature, like the waves of the sea.

Again the smocking and pleating produce interesting shadows adding extra visual qualities to the seascape, creating a three dimensional piece instead of just a flat composition. These are my favourite pictures of this series as the colours are all complimentary with one another allowing the composition to blend well. The piece takes up the top half of the mannequin making the full shot photograph really effective as detail can still be appreciated, unlike the smaller pieces where the close up shots were better. The shadow produced by the mannequin compliments the shadows produced within the composition of the piece.

This close up shot highlighting the smocks works really well. I added thread inbetween the smocking to add extra visual interest as i found the bottom half of the composition rather plain. I think this piece works well as a collar.


Even though I like using the mannequin as it focuses all attention towards the material seascapes I still think it might be more interesting showcasing them on the human figure. I think a life model would be able to bring more character and personality to the pieces, therefore I'm going to do a shoot where one of my friends is going to act as the model.

Video

I participated in a video as a different way to showcase my work, by participating it allowed me to gain insight and experience into something I have never explored before. I liked the idea of creating a video as my work would normally be viewed as stills therefore the use of a video captures awareness and curiosity, something which the viewer would be more interested in. I'm glad I joined in with this video as it allowed me to understand set design and lighting and if I wanted to showcase any future work in a video again I would know the basics to be able to do it myself. My part in this video only took a short amount of time, 45 minutes tops, so this little project did not distract me from my work. Here is the link to the video:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=173618652766711&set=vb.259681684106562&type=2&theater

The director of the video, who was a photographer, also took stills of me mounting my work to the mannequin. I think these shots are really effective as they showcase my ideas of where these pieces could be placed on the body. It has also given me ideas of where I could place them on my life model when the pieces are ready. During this video the seascapes are still pinned together, I need to hand stitch and embellish them together before having my own photo shoot of them being displayed on a model.

The vast black space allows the focus to be directly drawn to the piece without any distractions. This image is one of my favourites of this series as i think the eye is drawn down the material enabling the viewer to take in and appreciate all the methods and techniques incorporated into the work. However, I wont be using these images in my show due to the contrast between the images featuring the life model. They wouldn't compliment each other because of the contrast between light and dark, therefore would let down my space for the show.

I think this image has turned out to be really successful with the blurred figure in the background contrasting to the sharpe materials and threads featured on the mannequin. It displays the piece being arranged and pinned really effectively.

The light draws the eye towards this piece highlighting the softer fabrics and casting shadows over the denser materials.

Like I said before I wont be featuring these images in my show as they are too dark and wont compliment the subtle seascapes or lighter pictures being showcased in the space. However, I really do like these photographs and think they have turned out really well.

Experimentation with machine stitch and pleating

Today I began experimenting with machine stitch as this is an area I have not explored before, as I am using hand stitch as well I thought they would compliment each other. It is also a much quicker method of joining together materials which will be useful as i am on a tight time deadline. This idea of experimenting with machine stitch came from researching Jan Beanley and Jean Little John, as they both work by expressing landscapes through the mediums of stitch and embroidery. Their compositions are very creative so instead of narrowing myself to only a few skills I thougth I would develop my range of techniques to make my material seascapes much more interesting.



First of all I started experimentation on the sewing machine by adapting its functions, I was able to create a loose loop stitch which I find very aesthetically pleasing. This could potentially be used as representing broken waves.

My tutor then showed me how to create pleats. I really liked this method and thought it was really effective. It was rather time consuming however I think the other all outcomes worth it. I would like to develop this method further.

 I was inspired by the book ‘The Art Of Manipulating Fabric’ by ‘Colette Wolff’ to try some smocking. This at first seemed really complicated but after I tried out a few testers I became rather refined at the method. I like how I can create very different outcomes with this technique purely depending on the fabrics I use. For example I can create really neat samples using shirting fabric but when I use thinner creased fabric I get a messier more unpredictable outcome. I think I prefer the untidier sample as its more interesting.

I then began to create larger smocking samples using thinner material as I wanted an uncontrolled sample which could hang unpredictably. I much prefer using thinner materials as I think it represents the nature of the sea much more realistically than stiff materials.

Again from the book ‘The Art of Manipulating Fabric’ I was given the idea of couching as I wanted some more techniques to try out. I like the texture and visual quality this method produces. If I had a complex composition this would be useful to help break up sections and add balance within the work. However, I found this to be a very time consuming process taking well over a day to produce just this sample. As I am under a time limit I think this method would be risky to continue as I might not finish my work on time. If I was to continue with this idea in the future then I would definitely include this technique, yet I would use subtler thread as I think the colours used here are rather childlike

After creating a range of samples I was able to start building up compositions. I was advised by one of my tutors to use more subtle, sophisticated colours so I took this into consideration when producing the seascapes. I was simply pinning together various materials and samples to see how they worked together in the composition.

One I was happy with the arrangement and tones I joined them together using the technique embellishing which I experimented with before and hand stitch.

The only problem I encountered when making my pieces was that the needles on the embellishing machine were too flimsy. I found myself breaking the majority of the needles after about only 10 minutes of using the machine. So I tried to resolve this by using only thin materials and going very cautiously yet they still seemed to break off. The barrels needed to replace the broken ones were expensive at 14 pounds each. And then it was the delivery time period I had to wait so this set me back on my producing of my seascapes quite a lot. I decided to limit my use on the embellishing machine as much as I could which I was disappointed with as I really like the effects the machine creates. I relied more on hand stitch to join my materials together and only used the technique of embellishing for aesthetics of the piece.