Project 10 Stage 1b

I've been thinking about the work I've done so far and revisiting some that I particularly enjoyed.  Fabric manipulation is high up on my list but there's lots I haven't yet tried.

So I've tried make new material from fabric scraps.  My first sample is completely random and very bright.  I started with a small piece of old sheet.  I used no bondaweb.

The fabric was mainly cotton but I introduced some red organza ribbon and some shiny red polyester.  I covered it all with 1 layer of organza.

I stitched from side to side with a Madeira thread in red and blue using a leafy stitch.

When I was happy that things were secure I used the heat gun to melt the organza in lots of places.  The above photo shows how the red polyester responded to the heat gun.

For me this is very bold but it is lovely and has lots of possible applications.

My second attempt was to do something more ordered and considered (using the same method).

Laying on the fabric in an ordered way

Covered with 2 layers of organza

And stitched.  I removed some of the organza layer

I like this one as well but I don't think the stitching works as well as the first one.  This is "nice" but I prefer the exuberance of the bright one.

I've combined applique, machine embroidery and melting in this work.

Momigami paper

Momigami paper originates in Japan and was traditonally made using hand made paper which has long fibres.  It is coated back and front with a paste made of the starch of Devil’s tongue root – konnyaku.

I'm always on the lookout for new things to try and I found this information on the web.

http://midlifecraftis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/momigami.html

I had just opened a new pack of photocopy paper so I decided to have a try.  To begin with the paper was very shiny and I thought it would be sure to tear.  

However, I followed the instructions above.

a) I put oil on my hands and rubbed it all over the paper

b) I gently pulled in the corners and slowly crumpled the paper.

c) I opened it up and repeated the process several times

I wasn't quite sure what I was aiming for but this is what I got:

The reverse side

The reverse

The front (still high gloss)

The oil has penetrated the multitude of creases I made by scrunching and kneading and the paper has become soft and pliable.

I need to press this flat but it's really quite beautiful.

There are some more lovely examples of momigami paper on this site

http://60by62.com/#/book-15-momigami-sampler/4535390482

Project 10 Stage 1a

Reviewing my work so far

My last pieces of work are with my tutor but I've collected everything else together and been totally amazed at the amount of work there is.  Some of it I had forgotten about but other things sing out as something I want to have another go at.

Although it made a big wodge of work I don't think I really made enough of the printing and dyeing element of the course and I'd like to revisit it some time.  

Things that have really caught my eye

Paper collage from Project 4

I liked this from the word go; it has lots of depth and interest.  I worked with the image again later but was unhappy with the outcome.  Now that I have more experience I thought I would try to combine more techniques and make a small sample.  I used this snip from the bottom left hand corner.

It's a very busy image with harmonising colours in autumnal shades.  I chose a colour range to reflect this.  I sponged textured, dark brown fabric with yellow and orange.

I tore strips of some patterned furnishing fabric and gathered them.  I laid two in strips and the third I formed into a disc shape.

The gathered strips didn't want to lie straight so I allowed them to fall into whatever place they preferred.  I thought this might detract from the angular feel of the image but unexpectedly the orange in the fabric seemed to form triangles which compensated.

I introduced some yellow net and deepened the yellow with extra net and plastic in one area.  I made darting, busy stitches in two shades of brown  and put some red stitching onto the torn strips.

I've used stitch, fabric paint, manipulation and applique in this, something I wouldn't have dreamt of  combining previously.  

Apart from the red the colours are pretty authentic to the original image  The slight hint of green in the strips makes the yellow paint look more green than I intended.  I have managed to retain the busyness and the work has lots of texture.  However, I don't find it exciting or satisfying and unfortunately I can't help but think the strips look like caterpillars!  I'll relegate this to Room 101. 

The next thing that caught my eye was from fabric manipulation.  What excited me at the time was the sewing and slashing of material and the wonderful changes that happened.  This is a snip of one of my favourites. This is made largely from painted newspaper with just a bit of organza.  

I've been tempted to cut the original piece into smaller pieces but then backed off because it's good as it is.  Instead I'm going to fiddle with paper.

I cut the paper image into 60 mm identical squares and experimented with ways to use them.

Each placement gave a different feel.

This looked like weaving

Most uninteresting

The sea?

The one on the right felt like the sea.  Dispersed (below) the sea feeling disappeared.

The sea no longer

This one felt disconnected even though the tiles were identical.

I once again painted newspaper then tore it into strips.  I put random strips onto my sketchbook page and placed the tiles on top.  

The yellow looked too predominant so I tore the newspaper into smaller pieces and pasted them at random.

I muted the yellow with a layer of synthetic material in lilac.  There's nothing remarkable going on with the optical effect; it's just the waviness of the paper due to the glue. If it dries flatter I'll insert another photo.

To some extent this satisfies my wish to see what would happen if I cut the original piece.  If this was fabric I'd now be looking at stitching into it.  

I could also use the cut up pieces to do a collograph print.

This has been much more satisfying than the stitching I did yesterday.  It has opened up new lines of thinking and helped to generate some new ideas.

Out of curiosity I put this same tile image into Paint.net (tile effect) and just look what happened:

I decided to try a bondaweb print and did it two ways.  First I printed directly onto bondaweb (x 4) then ironed it onto some curtain lining.  This gave me a very subtle almost sepia effect - very understated compared to the picture above.  It reminds me of an animal print. I made pleats in the spaces between the tiles but didn't leave enough space round the edge to make another pleat.

So I tried again ....

I had to decide how to manage the intersections of stitching.  Should I bend the pleats over or allow them their freedom?  Freedom won out and the result is a lovely boxy shape.  Once again this opens up possibilities for more work.  There's a wealth of options for the bottom of the boxes, the height or number of the pleats and so on.  I've got a good feeling about this one and the germ of an idea.

My second way to print using bondaweb gave a very different result.  First I printed onto paper and cut bondaweb to the same size as the print.  I ironed it onto the fabric and peeled away the backing. then placed the print, face down onto the bondaweb and ironed it on.  I left it overnight and this morning I wet the paper and slowly peeled it away.

Most of the browns seem to have disappeared and left behind lots of purple.  There is nothing of the sepia effect I noted previously.

True to the feel if not the colour

Up close there is depth

Between the two way to print I don't think there's a best way - it just depends on the purpose.  One thing that is worth remembering is to allow plenty of time for experimenting as the result (particularly on the second print) seem unpredictable.

I have also picked out as a favourite my quick print of silk spools.

I printed this using corrugated cardboard and the resulting shapes have an ethereal quality just like silk. I wanted to see if I could get this quality in another way.  This is the bit I chose to work with:

I used some special paper (a freebie from Patchings) because it had a rippled texture and acrylic paint mixed with PVA and a good bit of water.  I'm enjoying colour matching and this turned out quite accurately.  Sadly I didn't take into account the proportion of the image I'd chosen.  I selected a square and painted in a rectangle and it left gaps that I may yet work on.  I'll think about it.

Using a brush

I used a filbert brush and simply used the edge at a variety of angles. I had no bright pink paint so I used fabric paint instead and this seemed to work just fine.

First I did the orange/brown and I think this shows as it's less free than subsequent marks.  Seeing how much difference it made I wondered how I could continue with the "free" idea.  

I dripped quite watery paint onto my sketch pad and blew it with a straw in the direction the spools faced.

Spattered and blown

I think this is much more successful; there is a particular feeling of very fine silk.  The fabric dye (pink) is much more responsive to being blown than the acrylic paint.

On both of these pieces I yearn for a bit of blue.

I slept on this and decided this morning to introduce a gentle blue to both pieces of work.  I've put them beside the one without blue for comparison purposes.

In both cases the blue makes a huge difference.  The work comes alive.  I think some of this is due to the placement of the blue and the way it interacts with the colours around it particularly the green and the pink.

I've been pretty unhappy with the quality of my photo so I decided to scan some parts of this work.

It's a bit more long winded but the results are so much better.  

Thinking about my own design

Although I've still got to do Stage 2 I've been thinking about my own piece of work and considering what my strengths are and what will provide a challenge and hold my interest.

Until quite recently I would have said my strength was stitch but I'm revising that dramatically.  I'm comfortable with stitch I think as such I fail to be inventive. I'm starting to think my best work is in things that are new to me; where I have no history of right or wrong.  Whilst my project may well contain stitches I no longer think they will be the focus of my project.

A week or two ago I went to a talk by Ingrid Karlsson-Kemp at North Notts Creative Textile Group.  She showed how her work had developed over a period of 10 years and told us that it was always informed by her history.  One series of work that impressed me (I can't remember what it was called) used fabric from the attics of elderly relatives who had died.  Every piece had a significant memory. 

Ingrid used little doors to hide things behind and this is something I feel I could develop in the work I want to do.  The idea of a door has developed in my mind to become a book cover - on opening the book an array of recycled surprises awaits.  

This fake book came to me containing a gift at Christmas.  I think I'd like to try to make something similar using recycled textiles rather than cardboard.  I need to run this past my tutor.

There are one or two things that I'd really like to do

a) use recycled materials

b) make something interesting

c) incorporate several techniques 

d) be inventive and prepared to take a risk 

Combined with the work I've just done these things are starting to show me a path I'd like to investigate further.

I need to make some sketches but I don't want to jump the gun regarding Stage 2 and I've still to review Part 4.  There's lots of playing to be done.

Addendum

My tutor suggests that rather than the idea informing the technique I'm letting technique lead the way here and she's right.  Back to some serious thinking.

ingrid-karlsson-kemp.co.uk

Part 4 Review

Assignment 4

Reflective commentary

As ever I reflect as I go along but this is a good opportunity to take an overview of Part 4.  It doesn't seem two minutes since I began but the amount of work I've covered is staggering

I love looking at the work of artists of all kinds and I've managed to do a lot of this.  For one of my tapestry pieces it even inspired me to try an experiment based on a painting.  Best of all was Linda Bellinger's response to my request for details of her work; she was just so helpful and friendly..

The idea of wrappings is one that seems to work well for me.  Whilst I've sometimes found myself deviating from what I've wrapped it's been useful to focus on proportion.

I enjoyed the early weaving tasks and it surprised me that such a wide range of effects was possible..  

I've found myself using braids and cords I've made in the later tapestry work.  It's been useful as a way of combining colours and thickening yarns up a bit.

In the Structures section I found myself rejecting work that I'd spent quite some time on.  I think this is part of becoming more discerning and critical..  The structures I finally produced were both a bit off the wall.  I'm finding I'm more and more interested in using the odds and ends I have instead of expensive materials..  I'm an avid eBayer and have a nose for a bargain.

I had to teach myself to weave and made an initial mistake through misunderstanding some instructions. However, what my mistake did show me is that there's more than one way to weave; you just get a different result.  In my case my first piece was like a tough rug and my second piece was very loose.. Eventually I realised what was happening and subsequent pieces are better.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the weaving in spite of the problems (including tension) which I think I've managed to resolve..

At the beginning of the course and way into it I was always happy to return to stitch because I felt more comfortable with it than anything else.  This is changing and I'm finding other textile approaches I want to pursue.

My Theme Book

I had  a difficult time with my Theme Book at the start of Part 4 and it took a definite back seat as I floundered. around.  I managed to pick it up again by looking at the enormous variation in fruit skins.  The work I did on melon skin informed my design at the collograph workshop I did recently. and I'm considering a similar design for Project 10.  I need to talk to my tutor.

Assessment criteria points

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills

Part 4 has been about structures and weaving and has offered some challenges which I have managed to overcome.

I've been pleased that I've been able to combine materials to achieve so many different effects.

I find that I'm looking at the work of others (like Peter Dworok) and being able to imagine it in another medium.

I still feel that composition sometimes lets me down.

Quality of Outcome

I'm learning that quality doesn't necessarily mean neatness.  This is a big move for me...

I'm finding it hard to know how to present bulky material so that it is    shown to best advantage..

I continue to feel I'm on an adventure and am becoming less "stitch dependent"..

Demonstration of Creativity

I think that some of my best work is in this section.  It feels exuberant and exciting and that's down to combinations of materials I think.

I'm enjoying letting go and experimenting.  .

I'm pretty hard on myself - I'm still wanting to produce "wonderful" all the time.

I'm constantly surprised at what I can do.

Context

I'm managed to see the work of a whole range of artists recently.  They have ranged from ceramicists to blacksmiths.  There's something to be learned from each one..

I'm beginning to believe that I CAN. and recognising my own work as something worthwhile.

Project 7 Collograph workshop

From not knowing anything about collography to doing a workshop took exactly a week.  Wikipedia has a comprehensive description of the process:

Collagraphy (sometimes spelled collography) is a printmaking process in which materials are applied to a rigid substrate (such as paperboard or wood). The word is derived from the Greek word koll or kolla, meaning glue and graph, meaning the activity of drawing.
The plate can be intaglio-inked, inked with a roller or paintbrush, or some combination thereof. Ink or pigment is applied to the resulting collage, and the board is used to print onto paper or another material using either a printing press or various hand tools. The resulting print is termed a collagraph. Substances such as carborundum, acrylic texture mediums, sandpapers, bubble wrap, string, cut card, leaves and grass can all be used in creating the collagraph plate. In some instances, leaves can be used as a source of pigment by rubbing them onto the surface of the plate.
Different tonal effects and vibrant colours can be achieved with the technique due to the depth of relief and differential inking that results from the collagraph plate's highly textured surface. Collagraphy is a very open printmaking method. Ink may be applied to the upper surfaces of the plate with a brayer for a relief print, or ink may be applied to the entire board and then removed from the upper surfaces but remain in the spaces between objects, resulting in an intaglio print. A combination of both intaglio and relief methods may also be employed. A printing press may or may not be used.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/collagraphy

I did the workshop with Carol Eason at the Bean Coffee Shop and Gallery in Bolsover.  The following photos chart the day.

The start of Carol's demo plate

Further progress

I used the image of the melon from my theme book as a basis for the shapes.

Layers of texture

I got layers by cutting and taking away the top layer of the card (the brighter white).  I put snippets of lace, shredded credit card pieces and spots of PVA on.  When the spots had dried I covered it all in PVA the consistency of single cream and when that was dry did the same on the back and sides.

Inked up

I inked up with a violet and an orange ink.  I put the ink on with my gloved finger. The shapes I had made were really hard to work with and there was a mix of the colours which I was assured was OK.
After the ink is applied it takes some time to wipe off the excess.  This is done with newspaper first and then finally tissue paper.

On the press

Carol was kind enough to let me use some lovely paper.  The paper needs to be soaked prior to printing so the shapes sink into it.  I placed the plate on the press with no real idea of what to expect. 

Surprise, surprise
coming of the press

Carol was delighted with the result but for me it's a bit messy (as is the whole inking up process).  Some of the detail is lost and I think it would have been better to stick with one color.  There is a real need to touch this print as it is very tactile but 36 hours on it is still wet in places.

The  completed print

The lace is on the left

The credit card marks

The plate after printing

The last picture shows the plate after printing.  In the centre the PVA coating has broken down and needs to be repaired before another print is taken.

I had to leave the workshop early and I felt a good deal of pressure from this.  If I can get hold of a small quantity of ink I'll try printing from the plate again because several can be taken from one plate providing it is cleaned straight after printing.