ATV Exercise 1.3 Making marks

This is my list of words I associate with each of the textile pieces I’ve chosen:

Embroidered bag:

contrast, interrupted lines, hills, flow, stippled, luscious, shiny, gold, juicy, pop

Mother’s Ruin:

Taut, Shiny, Feathery, Strict, Outline, Muted, Smooth, Pale,,Symmetry

Wall hanging:

Expansive, Natural, Muted, Silky, Earthy, Strokes, Overlapping, Interlocking

– – – – – – – – – –

18/1/19

Some exploratory sketches with aqaurel pencils

20/1/19:

I’ve read the brief and read it again and made lists and plans and been thinking on tools and materials and yet I can’t seem to get a grip on this. I think I’m overthinking it and I think I just need to start and not feel like before I start I need to have the ideas all thought out. In fact usually when I work, when I design, I trust the process to take me along, to suggest ideas and tools and methods. I create whilst I work, one idea sparking the next one. Ok I’ve told myself what to do, just start. Limit the thinking on the perfect tool or the right bit of paper. Limitation often sparks creativity in its own right I always tell my students anyway.

But first the school run!

– – –

I had a few false starts trying to make tools. None of it even vaguely worked and I realised I was trying too hard. It didn’t feel right to create a tool because I felt I should so I stepped away from that for now.

I made three large scale paintings with ink instead, the first with a regular decorating paintbrush and then two with a small brush.

I experimented with watered down ink too as I’ve never used it before. I’m particularly pleased with the graphic painting of the flowers from the embroidered bag although I wished I’d left it as just black and white as that looked really nice. I may do another one in just b/w and not add any shading. But I still like it. I think it takes the essence of the embroidery and makes it more stylised, more modern even, simpler.

It reminds me a little of Marimekko flowers now.

I also love the bird I painted. I deliberately used very watered down ink to convey the tapestry’s muted and earthy tones. I used a little too much water and in places the colour made puddles but not too bad for a first use of watered down ink.

I drew another bird on an A6 card And two very stylised drawings of the flower from Maids of Honour, one leading directly to the next (straighter lines and no outlines around the petals). I have some further ideas surrounding checked paper to emulate the stretched silk canvas upon which Maid of Honour is embroidered, if I get time.

I realise I’m still only focusing on what’s ON the textile, the design, rather than the textile itself. The textiles I’ve chosen are stretched out flat and rather lifelessly on display behind glass. I can’t get a grip on them really. I am also it appears much more into the decoration than the construction which is interesting as I weave a little and knit and crochet a lot which is all about the construction rather than the decoration.