PE Task 2

For the sampling unit project 'Data' I looked across a variety of genres of art. I decided that advertisement is a form of data that we are all more familiar with than what we would presume. For my project I wanted to focus on cropped images of advertisements for example font and colours to translate the advertisement into my project. I enjoyed collecting and creating my visual research to create constructed fabric samples. I found the Procien dye with bleach to be the most valuable drawing technique because it provided me with a source of colour and compositions that fed the ideas for the majority of the project. 

 Although I don't find Sir Peter Blake's work visually appealing I do feel that without his influences my Advertising concept could have being differently motivated and executed. Through the influence of his work I decided to focus on the font on the match boxes. This affected the majority of my compositions because I focused on zoomed in parts of advertisements typography.

I am fond of interior design so I want to create a pattern in construct that could be applied across upholstery fabrics, rugs, wallpaper and decorative accessories. I feel once I had found good colour proportions through experimenting with yarn wrappings and drawings. I feel that Margo Selby's work has been influential because of her use of pattern and tonal colour palette. 

My Weave design

Margo Selby interior accessoize

I looked at architecture photography for shape and form inspiration. I found the work of the Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill I was interested in the way it related with some patterns I had already started on the knit punch cards. I don't feel that my designs could work well for architecture design but I do however think that the graphic natural of this geometric building communicates interesting compositions for my pattern based work. The relation between his building and my samples is the introduction of a vibrant contrasting colour. This work encouraged me to me more experimental on the the knitting machine. I have found that the partail knit and punch card setting work well for creating geometric shapes in my samples. 

The influence I am most enthusiastic about is Claire Anne Obrien I am interested in her structural knit collection for interior design. I can visualise some chunky knitwear being used as a starting point for injection moulded plastic seating amongst other things. The could also be wool versions and interior accessories to match. I feel that my sample could make and textural knitted rug. 
I have enjoyed knitting my knit because it made the samples more structural and tactile as they hold the shape I bend them into. This is why I feel that they themselves could be interesting furniture designs. 

Claire Anne Obrien

Architectural influences

Ricardo Bofill's architecture is an interesting visual source for knitting because of the proportions of darker colours mixed with vibrant stand out colours. The photography of his work is contrasted to emphasise the geometric nature of the buildings structure. The graphical shapes have influenced my knitting patterns. I have introduced moderately different tone with 'e' wraps on my knitting to introduce the geometric shapes in the knit pattern. 

close ups of my ink composition drawings have helped me to keep the relation between my drawing visual research. I have found it useful to keep my sketch book close to me when I am creating patterns because that was the work I have already created can influence my samples.

My first week in Knit.

Before I started my Knit induction I had had a lecture with the knitter: Clair Anne Obrien. I was impressed with her contemporary use of knit in interior design collections. I am pleased to have seen her work prior to starting knit as I can see knit can go into many dimensions and categories. Claire's work is very chunky and structural. I liked her anecdote about how she didn't want to be working commercially for clothing brands so for her task at university where she was make a jumper she created one for a chair. It is that 'out of the box' way of thinking that captured my attention in her lecture.
I am excited to be learning to knit because it fascinates me the shapes and patterns that are created in the form of the structure of knit. I knitted a long yarn that I then hand knitted with my chunky 20mm needles this week. I feel that the chunkiness of the knitted yarn help to emphasise the structure.

The importance of yarn wrappings

I have muted my colour palette this week because I have revisited some of my older yarn wrappings. The wrapping are more tonal that colourful. I have done this because I have zoomed in on small areas of my drawings that have texture that can relate to yarn textures. I have found that creating  yarn wrappings has improved my work because I have considered proportions of colour that I can directly transfer to my weave samples.

 Margo Selby's work inspires me because of her colour choices are complementary and are limited in the palette. Her work is tonal which I feel my work has become, as my palette was to contrasting. I found that cropping my images of my drawings helped me to focus on the shapes and movement in the drawing and painterly marks I made.

The Beginning of Weave

By starting weave I have started to question how to relate my samples to my drawings and draw to influence my weave samples. I have selected a range of yarns that link to my mood board colour swatches. The colours look autumnal together which doesn't relate to my vibrant drawings. I have sampled some different shades of green to make the samples brighter. I found that the chenille yarn gives a good affect because of the way it fibres all reflect the light differently that gives the weave another depth.


.

Levi's Series

A series of weaving commissioned by Levi's. Woven with denim scraps from the Levi's San Francisco tailor shop.
Denim and cotton yarn on copper rods.
Handwoven in Los Angeles. Brook & Lyn

Brook & Lyn's woven textiles are visually pleasing because of the way the compositions divide the space with shape and block colour. I am intrigued by the texture in their work, so i have developed my samples with some textured floats to make the block of colour and the weave three dimensional. 

My weave

My textured weave

Learning to Listen and general good practice

listening is something I that I think people over estimate how capable they are at doing it. I wasn't until my lecture with Kate Egan that I considered where I do listen properly. Listening is to hear interpret and remember, which I sometimes struggle with. In Kate's lecture she made us bring paper and a needle and thread to doodle with. I found that the passive use of my hands enabled me to interpret the information Kate gave better. I have found it useful to know that creating something when you are listening to information helps me to fully concentrate.

I also learned that having an area that is dedicated to things that you find inspiring helps me to visually communicate to my self when I am work. I can also mentally evaluate designs to help me create more.

Mood board

I sorted through my work to find compositions that had worked well, had interesting texture in the drawings and general colours that feature through out my early pieces of work. I did this to create a mood board to give my work a base that could be uniform throughout. I am still interested in the form of fonts and composition in advertising. The match boxes are still a prominent feature because I am interested in the shapes are compositions in the old logos that are on them.

The Mood Board

Max Kläger 
Letters Type and Pictures, Teaching alphabets through art.

This book was a good source of inspiration because a lot of the artists use lettering as shapes for interesting compositional motifs. Positive and negative shapes are also created though the letters being over laid. This also creates texture through the different tones being created.