I spent all of today working on developing my work to a finished state for assessment. I was working with a group of people from my course, which I think was a good way to bounce ideas off one another and get a variety of opinions of your work.

Jack sent over 10 of the photographs taken from our shoot on Friday. I was incredibly pleased with the way the garments appear in the images; I think that the nuances that I want to be apparent are visually evident in the photos. The color tones in the photographs are also very beautiful. They are almost to the point of being washed out, but work incredibly well with the garments and the environment. 

I really enjoy how the lines of the garments echo the lines of the surroundings. This is where I think bringing in new creative individuals really succeeded, as they have fresh ideas when seeing your work. They have distance and clarity when viewing your pieces because they do not witness the evolution of the process, but just the final outcome.

I also decided to create a book containing my final outcomes, which is more organized and clearer than my sketchbook. I think that this shows a clear development over the course and progression as well. I'm finding that I enjoy the outcomes of the fashion-based projects more than the textiles projects. This further clarified my choice to want to continue onto fashion for the remainder of the year.

I actually felt that I have been on top of my work for the majority of the course, though of course there is always room to develop your work further. I was definitely not as panicked this past week as some of my peers were. I think that I am in a good place for assessment, because I have a balance between the making in my books and Workflow.

I do think that I can always carry out more research, but I am finding difficulty in continuing research for a non-research based brief. For instance, I found in the Practitioner Project that I had loads of research, but quite the opposite in the Tactile Structures project. I do think this will start to shift as the briefs get longer, but it is definitely something I want to take into consideration.

I feel quite pleased with the work I've made over the length of the course, and I do feel I have taken Katie's notes into consideration. I have experimented more, relaxed with my process, and been able to create unexpected outcomes. Being in a new environment where we are pushed both by our tutors and to work within the confines of a brief has shifted my design work for the better.

I was up early to pack everything for the shoot this morning, which we photographed near Shoreditch High Street Station. A shoot is whole process itself, and the logistics of figuring out how to dress models, position them, and subsequently photograph them can be quite complicated. 

Reflecting on the garments, they are very different from the work I've made in the past, which Jack pointed out as well. I find that being in a course environment where I'm working within briefs has made me challenge my design processes and outcomes. I quite like where these two pieces settled because I find them stimulating yet arresting. 

One of the aspects of the deconstructed jacket I like was the stripe that I placed across the back. When styled on the model with the 1940s guard trousers, the stripe continued down the side of the leg. This unexpected touch added a really special element to the look. The versatility and the way in which Stan interacted with the circle dress was interesting as well. He could put his arms through the welt slits and also keep his arms inside. The shape formed by the garment changed based on the way he placed his arms.

Jack was able to capture some incredible shots of Stan in the garments, where the backgrounds were textural concrete sections mixed with stone, sky, and industrial lighting. He shot both digital and film, so getting a mix of different medium will be fantastic. I'm going to get a few of the shots this weekend to put into my sketchbook for assessment, and later get full retouched images.

Getting creative input from your collaborators can be immensely helpful; for example, Jack wanted the focus of the images of the circle dress to be on the garment itself. He said we should style Stan in all black for the rest so that the print would be the standout. He also shot these images more cropped in on the upper half, which worked quite well given the way the garment worked on the body.

In the evening, I went to see the Royal Ballet in a triple bill of contemporary works. I am constantly inspired by contemporary dance and the concepts that are brought forth in the pieces. The three works were incredibly beautiful, both in movement quality and in visual design. Though there was not a single standout item that I would bring into my work, the visceral nature of the entire evening really informs my style of work.

I worked on cutting and sewing the garment today, with the adjustments made to my flat patterns. I am really focused on making the garment as well made and well finished as possible, since it will be photographed. At this point I am not concerned about time and not being able to finish the garment, because I am familiar with all the construction and sewing techniques I will be using.

In the late afternoon, I scouted locations with my photographer Jack for our Friday shoot. We started at CSM Kings Cross because there are some very pretty architectural details at the site. We weren’t particularly pleased with the idea of shooting at CSM because there is a lack of depth in the spaces that we liked. Obviously it is not meant to be used as a photo location, so it is understandable that this is the case when trying to photograph in the space. We talked wanted to perhaps get a mix of studio and location shots, but Jack said that he would look into some possible locations.

I’ve learned to trust the photographer with these matters because they will always know what will work best in the shots. Although I’m feeling like the whole situation is quite last minute, I have a lot of trust in the collaborators I chose so not overly concerned.

I spent the rest of the night sewing and getting excited about seeing the garment come together.

Today I picked up the custom printed fabric that I will be using for my re-evaluation of my public art outcome. I was so incredibly pleased with how it printed, beautifully saturated with color and the textile itself feels very nice. I am really excited to get to work with the fabric because I think it will work very well with the minimalist design I created. 

I also made a few adjustments to my initial toile. I realized when looking at photos that my shoulders looked really constrained when I was wearing the garment, so to remedy this I opened the shoulder area about 1” on each side. This ended up working fine, because I already have straps that will hold the garment up.

I also had to play around with the slit placement because they were placed too far towards the center front, which pulled the sides in when the wearer’s arms were through. At first I was nervous about cutting other slots, but I realized that this was just a toile so I had no reason to be worried. The purpose of making a toile is so that you can fix issues with the design and make adjustments.

I am getting very excited about completing the piece, and I found a grey lining that complements the colorway of the print I designed. I think that the final piece will be a mix of my usual, more minimalist style with a bolder, brighter print. Print on the body is something discussed a lot on the course, and the ideas about placement and color have definitely influenced this piece.

For the reading week we have, I decided to go back and develop my Public Art project further. I started working up a rough idea for a textile design, as I want to create a print for the final piece. I was incredibly inspired by Sterling Ruby’s spray paintings, and created a digital composition from textural photographs of Serra’s 'Fulcrum' and working in Photoshop to add color and digital markmaking. I wanted to emulate the color scheme that Ruby uses and decided to work in pink and green to stray away from the monochromatic tones we had used initially. I am excited to see where the outcome takes me because one area I am really interested in is Fashion Print, and I think that this could show off my passion for this form of work.

I decided to print on cotton canvas, though I initially wanted to work in cotton drill. The drill was out of stock at the printer that I am using to produce the textile, which I actually think may be a blessing in disguise. Cotton drill will probably not hold the shape that I want it to hold, and since the brief and my outcome was centered on silhouette it was important to have this aspect of the piece retain itself.

Something I would also like to do is scan and collage with the samples from the Tactile Structures brief. Although I usually have a fashion focus when creating textiles, I felt that this week was not as such. I realize that this was due in part to relinquishing control with my work. Instead I see myself creating a repeat print of sorts with the textiles. I could reintroduce these to fashion, but I think that I will have to see once I develop the samples further.

I solidified concepts for my samples today, which I often find is the hardest part of sample making for me. I find that I’m not inspired to create a large collection of samples, so I may have ideas for a few designs but not enough to sustain a wide range of work. I think that this shows me that my focus should be fashion and that I want to progress onto the fashion pathway for the remainder of the year.

One of the ideas I had to integrate embroidery by connecting pieces was to create a Hockney landscape by patchworking pieces of fabric together, connected with different stitch types. I also became interested in using acetate and cutting into it in different ways to create negative space. I think that this could make for interesting ways of installing the pieces at the Barbican, since Brutalist sections of the environment would meld with the sample.

I’m trying to work with a variety of scale, some very small and some larger. I think that really small designs can have a lot of impact, as they challenge both the maker to capture a lot of fine detail and the viewer to investigate the work.

Although I initially created 10 concepts for the samples, I found early on through tests that some of my ideas didn’t pan out how I wanted them to, so I had to create new ideas while working. Something that actually turned out really well was combining different elements from initial ideas. This took shape when I used one of the photographs I took at the Barbican, selective color copied it in cyan, and embroidered mid century modern chairs onto it that were initially going to be a stand-alone piece.

This idea of cross-pollinating eras and design periods is something that I’ve subconsciously done over the past few briefs. I think that it is actually strengthening my work a lot and realized that it happens when elements of my work cause me to research another artist. I am constantly pulling from the sources in my head, finding practitioners whose work I find resembles what I’m creating.

I often layout my samples in groupings on the floor of my flat to view them as a collection. When doing this, I found that this week I experimented a lot more with color. By having to pick three colors to center our work around, I found was a very good limitation. I worked with more vibrant combinations of colors that is vastly different from the neutrals that I tend to gravitate towards. I am excited to photograph these in the Barbican area because I think that I’ve had this in mind when creating the samples. I created samples that would play and interact with the environment and will also offer contrast in color and texture. Finding interesting ways to place the textiles in the space will allow for more exciting photos.

The Barbican Centre was our first stop this morning, working on observational drawings and installations that worked off of the brutalist structures. I found the architecture absolutely inspiring and was so enthralled to be in a new setting in the presence of such masterful work. Being outside of the studio and in a new location I found completely rousing to my design process.

I was really happy with the observational drawings we did, and I think that this was due to a few reasons. First, we were sent off to explore so I was able to find a calm zone with some friends and find very interesting sections of the buildings to draw. Also, I chose fineliners and markers to draw the structures, media that really are able to capture the shapes well. I relinquished control and didn’t use a ruler which ended in very arresting depictions of the Barbican. The lines weren’t straight, even jagged in some places, and filled up whole pages, which really made them stand out. I need to remember that letting go of the process and perfect lines can create really amazing results.

In creating our group installations, we actually were really divided and ended up splitting into two groups of three to create our pieces. We had conflicted opinions, and half of us created one type of work and the other created a very different piece. Myself and the two girls I was paired with were interesting in creating really intricate paper forms that were more graphic and less figurative and smaller in scale. The other three group members wanted to create a piece that was made of magazine cuts of models. I didn’t think that working with a literal image of a human form was a good idea, but we were unwilling to compromise. I actually think that our piece was more interesting because we decided to go small and intricate. The shadows and the way the piece worked into the surroundings was really at the heart of what I wanted to achieve.

Back at Archway, I wanted to experiment with creating really geometric forms for my collages. I was surprised that creating the collage materials was so much easier today, and I think it was because I had a rich pool of imagery to draw from in my sketchbook. I worked with new mark making techniques at the Barbican that flooded into my work in the afternoon.

I was able to create some interesting paper samples that built off of what we had done with the morning’s installation. I saw some of the more direct and influential process work in today’s brief, which is what excited me about it. I’m finding that if I really spend time at each step in the process to create work that I like, then there will be a flow and a final outcome that I am happy with.

I took the morning off before heading to King’s Cross to work into my drawings and develop my sketchbook further. Something that I can’t be paralyzed by is work that I’m not pleased with in my sketchbook. I’m learning to accept that there will be some drawings that I’m not happy with and that’s fine, but Katie reminded me that you can go back and work into and develop your work more. I’m trying to take the opportunity to find where I’m not happy with where my work is settling and resolving issues.

I think that my observational drawings in class need the most work. I’m not finding interesting ways of conveying shape and texture in such a short timeframe. In class yesterday, Chris and Danielle talked to us about making sure we create illustrations that convey mood. I’m finding that I just want to create “conventional” drawings that are somewhat repetitive in style. Although this is fine for design development, it doesn’t offer a lot of visual richness in creating illustrations. Pushing my materializations and ways of building up texture is important to achieve this.

My other weak point was my collage development, but I’m starting to find techniques that work for me and communicate my ideas. Something that I was really pleased with was embroidering directly onto images that I want to use in my book as research. I can very easily convey what I want to with this mark making technique and am build up texture on the image. I’m finding that the ideas that I create with stitchwork often carry into my outcomes most clearly, even more so than drawing. This makes it such an invaluable tool to my process.

I spent the majority of my day working on my outcome for tomorrow, working off of the concept that I had developed yesterday. I flat patterned the shape for the garment, which ended up being two circles that had welt slits for arms and two straps. I always love creating patterns that are extremely simple to the point that the geometry of the shape is very evident, but the way it works on the body is not.

I became a bit concerned that my garment would be overtly simple, but I think that staying true to my vision and my design aesthetics are important. Conforming to work that I think my tutors or peers will like is definitely not the route to take––I don’t think we should be aiming to please, but aiming to provoke. Having someone absolutely love and another that absolutely hates is fine, as long as there isn’t a large grey space in between.

I also thought about the process of working with various materials this week, from paper to canvas. Working in paper on the body has definitely informed my design ideas in the way it is able to hold shape and form abstract shapes, but working in canvas really allows the design to shine through. I’m finding that I’m neither interesting nor amused in working with strange, unconventional fabric substitutes, because they don’t behave or shape the way that I intend them to. I adore finding interesting textiles, but anything with a natural fiber content allows my intention to be clearer and result in a better outcome.

I was a bit let down by today’s classwork, as I felt it was essentially a repeat of the paper garment with very little development. I think that I came to the personal realization that I really am uninterested by and uninterested in creating sculptural garments. I prefer starting off the body with flat patterns and fabric and taking this into a 3-d form at the end of the making process. 

I understand that sculpting these shapes is the crux of this brief, but I think that working in this way is overly prescriptive. There is no freedom in being able to develop shapes that are personally interesting to you, because you are forced to in a particular manner without individually finessing the work.

The format of the day replicated that of the paper garment, and I think that the outcomes looked the same as well. We were asked to look for fabrics to create a garment with and I came across two that really interested me––a dimensional quilted cotton and a lenticular mesh overtop a thin neoprene. I think that the textile I choose with greatly influence the direction I take the final piece; I realize that fabric selection is very important to my process. Textiles can inspire designs or shift the direction you want to take your work. I am interested to see where I take my work this week, though I do think that we are regressing in a sense with the complexity and absorptive qualities of our classwork.

We created two design development sheets, which I was really pleased with. I decided to work digitally in Photoshop and manipulated process images from the paper work, overlaying them onto male figure photographs. I think that this was successful because I actually had an understanding of how the garment shapes would function three dimensionally. When creating drawings of such intricate sculptural forms, you lose the practicality of building these because the drawings are flat. Working from flat patterns is different but with this type of work I felt it was more important to work with the direct image.

These sheets really excited me about the brief, because I think that it showed me a variety of options and directions I could take for the final outcome. I always find that what I have in my head before the week starts is totally different than the work I create, which is good. I have to work instinctively and center myself around the brief.

I found out which group I would be in for the next two weeks this morning, so I was finally able to carry out research and development for the next brief. I have to seek out three public artworks and use these to inform a garment design. I knew that I wanted to find a Richard Serra piece because he’s a designer I’ve never reference but whose work I find very inspiring. I love his use of line and sense of color in being able to convey shape and space. I want to visit his piece 'Fulcrum' a symbol of London public art.

I want to focus on cut this week with the garment design, and I began thinking of the different ways to minimize the use of seams and folding and pleating fabric similar to origami. We are using both calico and a supplementary textile, and I would love to create a multilayered effect with different fabrics. His work immediately gave me a lot of different ideas about garment design, which, from my experience, means that I should go in this direction for the final outcome.

I definitely want to integrate more drawings into my sketchbook development heading forward, as talked about during my progress tutorial. Both observation and developmental drawing are important to create the visual flow that our tutors look for in our books.

Banksy put a new piece in the Barbican area which I also want to visit. Using a wall as a surface on which you can overlay and overlay aids in my continued understanding of surface design. Ever since I created a tattoo embroidery, I’ve looking for other forms to integrate stitchwork into and graffiti was one of them. The way that street artists are forced to work large to get their work noticed is something that I want to incorporate into my design presentations. Even splaying a design over many surfaces that fit together to form a full image is an idea that I could use down this route.

Amanda and I headed to the Saatchi Gallery and the Tate Britain today as part of our assignment to go to a gallery or exhibit before the start of next week. We both felt a desire to go to more contemporary-focused museums, and I was excited by the prospect of heading to West London as I hadn’t explored art in that area yet. 

The Saatchi was our first stop, which actually had a lot more work of lesser-known artists on display. I was expecting more work by British artists whose work is frequently references or mentioned, such as Hirst or Koons, but on the contrary the majority of pieces were much more recent. I wasn’t particularly enthralled by any singular piece or artist, so I took an overall feeling from the work I saw and focused more on techniques of markmaking. 

One such room featured a series of photographic portraits that were covered with geometrically placed thread and sought to cover the identity of the subject. Since one of our upcoming briefs deals with textiles and surface design, this was a good reference to have in mind. Stitching to cover and manipulate rather than to decorate is something that I should have in mind during the next few weeks. Katie told me to think of new ways to use embroidery, so I’m thinking of different ways to innovate and develop this technique. I’m still considering the best way to work in a large format, because I never feel we have enough time to complete a large scale piece in time. These embroidered portraits were also quite small, no larger than the work I’ve been creating, so I need to meditate on how to expand my development process.

There was an incredible installation on view by Korean artist Oh Myung Lee that filled an entire room with projections of moving images of butterflies and flower petals. The entire experience was otherworldly and high moving and transformative. I was so enthralled to be able to explore the space.

We headed over to the Tate Britain, somewhere I was not expecting to like nearly as much as I did. I’ve only visited the Tate Modern before, so it was nice to have a change of scenery. I particularly liked how the building was quite old but was filled with modern and contemporary selections. Many of the video and mixed media pieces really caught my attention, as I think the type of work that bridges many forms and connects with the viewer’s different senses can be very well received. Some of the more abstract work I could see translating to print very easily, as well as the typographic and lenticular type work. 

I find that this is point of differentiation between my work wanting to have a fashion focus rather than a textiles focus. Textile designers experiment far more with surfaces and materials, exploring many different fiber content forms and ways of creating textures. Although I enjoy developing my own textiles, I like to explore and experiment with shape and silhouette more. I used textile as a way to help and aid in communicating my final vision, but not the primary way of doing so.

I think that the gallery trip was really successful in allowing me to gauge where my interests lie. I’m also wanting to find a larger scope of artists to draw from and research and a museum is the best place to do so. You are able to connect with and interact with actual work that isn’t on a small screen. I really want to make an effort to see as much art as I can and take advantage of all the amazing work that’s continually on display and continually rotating in London.

I’ve been thinking about starting to develop design concepts and pattern cut and construct some garments in my spare time. What I really feel I’ve been lacking since starting the course here is a technical branch of work. I decided just to head to Berwick Street and browse textiles to get a few ideas about what materials or colorways I would be interested in using over the next two weeks.

I was really drawn to the pricey cashmere coatings and loved finding unexpected color combinations that I normally wouldn’t work with. I’ve been feeling an urge to meld my typical aesthetic with a more experimentalist view in terms of coloration and tonality. Color blocking and mixing textiles or tones of textiles is a large range of ideas that can be explored.

As for the exhibit that we have to visit this week, Amanda and I began planning a gallery day for Thursday. We want to hop to a few different museums to see an array of work to include in our research. The Saatchi Gallery was one that we both wanted to visit, and I am excited to go because of my love for contemporary art and the YBA period in art. The Basquiet exhibit at the Barbican and the Burberry photographic installation at Old Sessions House also sound really interesting as well. I’m glad that we’re not going until Thursday, because I would like to have read through of the brief before researching.

We only have two more weeks of projects before the assessment period where we receive marks, so the work that I do in the upcoming briefs is vastly important. Pushing myself with scale, process, and experimentation is really important to achieve fresh outcomes that are not overtly self-referential. I feel like I’ve really begun to find my feet in the last two weeks, so if I can follow the pathway that I’m heading down I will be able to achieve outcomes that I’m pleased with.

I had a relaxed work day today, working in the library on sketchbook work and adding in photographic research images and references. With my progress tutorial on Monday, I want to make sure that all my work is cleaned up so that there is a coherent visual flow in all of my work on the course thus far. I went back and printed out a lot of my research and progress documentation images taken on my phone, which was a suggestion Pauline had for us. Especially after last week's crit with Chopova Lowena, there mentioned how the sketchbooks that stood out were those where research was heavily integrated. Looking over all my work, this was definitely lacking. Incorporating items from my Workflow aids in getting across a visual understanding of my process to achieve the final outcomes.

Another item I want to improve upon is the presentation of the final pieces in my sketchbook. A lot of times my final outcomes were not as present or clear, and often got lost in all the work. I think this was due to the fact that I didn't leave an adequate amount of pages to properly layout the images, so they blend in and don't have enough space to "breathe." I could really see this was the three silhouettes brief, where I compiled all of the images onto one page. I wasn't able to really create a full-fledged print to demonstrate the impact of the piece.

I was really looking at my first sketchbook and thinking about how different my feeling towards the course was at that time compared to now. I felt a bit lost the first two weeks, not really trusting my process. I think I had a sense of ambivalence to experimenting and exploring, which really shows in the first part of my sketchbook. There is a fragmented narrative and the observational drawings were really poor. As I really delved in and focused my attention on the work and not the way of working my work grew in volumes. This is something that I want to mention to Katie during my tutorial, because I think it's good to know that I'm aware of my progression thus far.

I woke up with an epiphany and thought of the work of Tracey Emin, rather than Hirst and LeWitt. I don’t think that I really have enough time to develop the concept of the crossbreeding of these artists for such a short outcome. I did research on her and found that needlepoint is a technique she frequently uses, which reminded me of the work I do with embroidery. The piece that I was most interested in was her tent, entitled ‘Everyone I Ever Slept With.’ I thought this would be a wonderful tie in to the Chopova Lowena brief, tying in this idea of personal history to historical dress.

I decided to create a two layered banner, the bottom being a textile with a image overtop to create the appearance of a garment after scalpeling out a shape. I wanted to explore different methods of appliqué and textile layering, like Emin did in her tent. I decided on using embroidery and screen printing to create the effect of lettering that she used in the work. I went and sourced materials and came across a variety of beautiful textiles—a natural dyed cotton, a block printed cotton, and a pure wool coating. I thought that using natural fibers would be a good continuation of the ideas developed in the practitioner project and picked a print which I normally wouldn’t use. This was a good challenge for me to expand my sense of materials and design aesthetics.

 I found a photograph from David Hallberg’s Nike campaign and loved the obscurity of the image as his face wasn’t exposed. The subtle blur in the water with his movement really is a reflection of my styling and photographic aesthetic, incorporating movement into imaging. I printed this in an A0 format so that the viewer really gets an understanding of scale and print on the body.

A setback occurred when I screenprinted letters onto a blue cotton. The ink I used was not nearly opaque enough, so the text wasn’t visible and it had a crafty, amateurish feel. I quickly had to come up with a solution, so I used the orange wool I had remaining from the jacket project to create letter appliqués.

I was quite pleased with how strong the visual image is, particularly heightened by the boldness of the letters and colors and the size. I think that my classmates will react positively to how appealing the outcome is. I was mostly proud of myself for being able to create a concept and execute a piece in such a short time and problem solve when faced with obstacles.

A major emphasis of the day was on creating a reflective film in a group setting based on our ten research images. In my group we found that the majority of our images dealt was a process of some sort, which was where we found a connective element between the photos we each sourced. I'm finding that the creative process has to have this type of logical flow for a sound final concept. We went out and collectively filmed clips before playing around with editing them. In a bout of experimentation, I threw a greenscreen filter whilst overlaying clips which resulted in the most enthralling effect; this visual was what we decided would link all of the words together. I really liked this outcome as well because it was completely organically formed without prior thought––it was created because of our tests with the film clips. Our team worked together to create the video concept, which really excited me when the process is collaborative. When one person takes on the role of the leader, the entire group's vision isn't reflected in the project, which I think is a shame. Having six unique aesthetics and ideas that have to work together is what strengthens the outcome.

Because we have to tie text or recording into the video, we initially had the idea to loop the works and have them scroll continuously across the screen. We tested this idea and thought it looked far too amateur and was not pleasing to look at. There wasn't a strong visual built from the addition of these words because they weren't fully integrated into the design of the film. I later had the idea to create black frames with the text and greenscreen in images in place of the words. I tried this out with my word, sequence, and really liked the appearance. The only issue is in connecting and interspersing these between the other video clips. They feel quite separate so we need to work on how to link them together. 

I trying to solidify an idea for what I wanted to make as this week's final outcome. I decided on two possibilities––a garment/collection design and a photoshoot. I decided that it would be necessary to do a photoshoot with my jacket regardless or not if I completed this for the week's final outcome, so this would be dependent on time. I want to fully produce a shoot by finding a location, which could take too long for the time frame. My other option would be to design other garments based off of the additional research I had. This could be a better option because I want to diagnose myself into menswear. I wanted to explore the idea of hazy, enlarged images which I could very well do this week. Depending on the time and the way the week pans out, I can pick which to cover and which will be more beneficial for progress tutorials.

I spent a good amount of my afternoon creating Photoshop composites using the final textile samples from this week’s project. I did so because 1) I initially imagined these translating into garments and 2) I feel as if my work is lacking actual fashion design outcomes. With progress tutorials coming up very shortly, I think it is necessary to show my tutors my strength and passion for menswear. I started by finding images that I wanted to composite on; I used an image of leading male dancer David Hallberg because I really feel he encompasses the image and emotion I seek to bring to my work. Because of my dance background, I am very familiar with him, and I always want to exert a sense of movement in the garments I make. There is a sensual quality about the image that I picked that I feel is reflected in the research images and outcomes I created. From the stance to the body language to I was very happy with the way I was able to cutout shapes and manipulate them digitally, I think this was successful because it is an exact translation of what I had in my head. I also used the replicated scans of the samples, so the image is exact and direct.

I think what I enjoyed about this composite process is that I could easily manipulate scale and layering on the computer. I was able to experiment and test different versions of the garments. An example of this is the design with the male chest exposed; I actually came across this when I was toggling visibility of the layers. I really liked this unexpectedly and decided to build on it to create another garment design. I’m finding that this way of working leads to new possibilities that I would not have discovered otherwise. I think that this is a method I should continue to use throughout the course rather than simply drawing designs. The way I can manipulate shape and structure on the body is very exciting to me, because you can warp panels in ways you cannot do when drawing. I ended with three designs using my favorite four outcomes from the week.

I continued with research and began to look at different possibilities for the 10 images we have to bring in for the upcoming brief. I didn’t see anything that particularly interested me, but I narrowed what I want to search. I definitely want to revisit the paper garment because I think that was my weakest of all the projects we’ve done. Looking more at architectural shapes and architecture designers whose work I like will be important. Also looking at Japanese boro would be a great reference to draw since my tutors makes this reference and there is a no-waste approach to Japanese design. The paper garment sought to use shapes and the resulting negative space, so it did have a no-waste methodology in its own way.

We started our morning by sharing and peer critiquing our work in groups to come up with an idea for a seventh sample. My group said that the work was very polished and clean, but quite flat and not dimensional enough. They said not to focus on embroidery for the final piece, as it is interesting but not when it is overdone. I wanted to create a pleated, textural sample from the indigo dyed fabric, so I started to manipulate and stitch together the folds in the fabric. Although I do think it followed their criticisms and guidelines, I don’t think it was the most interesting piece in the collection.

We had a few hours to focus on our needs and complete any outstanding work. I hadn’t had a chance to photograph the sets of work we created on Tuesday, so I took this time to do that. I used three of the samples created on Monday night as the influences for these pieces.

The first was inspired by the sample of the jug I used as my functional object. I looked at this idea of repair through thread and created three paper cut samples from this. I wanted to actually bridge pieces of paper with the thread rather than have them float above the paper. I connected different pieces with the stitching, and I think that this was the most developed of the three ideas.

The second came from a sample of the bathing suit stripes. I took this shape of the stripe and cut it out of different strips to play with negative and positive space. I also wanted to take the stripe idea and layer yarn to create this as well.

The last was the shape of the drape in the Catholic cassock, and I used this looping shape in different ways. I don’t think that these were as developed as they could have been, but my favorite was the very minimal interlocking loops. I think that this actually furthered the idea of the initial sample rather than just repeating the motif.

We had an exhibition at the end of the day, and I was surprised by the overwhelming positive responses I had on my work. Both Gail and Katie said that they liked my embroidery work and thought that it looked liked Boro, which was an unintentional Japanese reference that I loved. Many people were amazed by the skill and technique of the embroidery work and liked the simplicity and restraint I had. I definitely think I need much more research in my sketchbook to create visual flow and links throughout; I am doing better at connecting the ideas but it’s not quite there yet.

Emma and Laura came in to look and critique our work as well, but their reaction was not as positive. They said that they didn’t feel I pushed myself in terms of material and process far enough. They said to go crazy and not be restricted by my ideas of aesthetic. I definitely want to take their responses to heart and incorporate that into next week’s brief. They did say, however, that because my focus is menswear it’s not a major problem, but to push yourself especially since the brief called for that.

Our morning starting with looking at tonality within primary colors and using different mark making approaches. Each person had to create 5 samples per primary color, using flat, saturated, pale, textured, and collaged as guiding methods. I began to feel the same way about my work as I did last night, where a lot of the materializations looked similar. Working flat to create pattern and texture can be difficult with traditional mark making tools; I would be much happier working with yarn and dyes onto actual textile than paper.

The walls of primary colors was quite the spectacle of the day, and seeing how similar yet differentiated the samples were was the highlight of the exercise for me. I took how choosing the particular hue of color is so important to eliciting a particular feeling or dimension within the work––this is something I really want to consider when creating the final outcome.

We took our color A5 sheets to create 9 different samples based on previous work from the week. I used last night’s samples as the starting point as I wanted to incorporate the line work with thread. A main concept I was working with for three of the samples was the idea of repair; I cut and reconnected paper using stitch work. Patricia responded really positively to this series of three. She reminded both myself and Kristin that final samples should be polished. They need to be resolved even though they might be experimental. I don’t think that this is a major issue I’m facing thus far in my work, but something to keep in mind for sure.

We created one final A3 samples before breaking for the day. I knew that I wanted to head to Berwick Street to get more fabrics and textiles to work with the for the final outcome. Indigo dyed fabric was the first sample I knew I wanted to use, and embroidering a semblance of calcium deposits and limescale. I also want to look more at dyeing techniques for the final outcome. I love the look of natural dyes because of the earthy tones they can produce; this is definitely the colourway I want to use.

I spent the rest of the evening embroidering built-up calcium textures onto an amazing indigo-dyed cotton I found. Although the samples are two-dimensional, I want to create a sense of dimensionality within them. Immediately other thoughts came to mind from this sample––dyed landscapes on soft silks, rough lines on washed linen, curved haystacks on taffeta, and nautical tattoos.

I really like the direction I’m taking the brief and want to hanker down and spend a large amount of time on the samples to have a solid outcome to show for on Thursday. Emma and Laura will be joining us for the crit, so I’m hoping to make an impression on them with my work.

The Tate Modern was the first destination for my Sunday, where I headed straight to the ‘Factory’ exhibit at the Tate Exchange. Clare Twomey’s installation consists of a 30-meter production line in which guests clock in, join the line, and work with clay. The final outcome is either a tea pot, a jug, or a flower, and you exchange your item for another worker’s item.

I participated in both the slip casting and bone china production lines, where I was able to document the steps of creating both a ceramic jug and rose. Many of the people assisting and working in the exhibit were actually CSM Ceramic students, and I began chatting with those who I “helped with their work.” I like this idea of molding and reshaping raw material to create a three-dimensional form. The entire process of ceramic is extremely transformative, and I found the ways in which these artists are able to sculpt quite fascinating. This process I want to somehow translate into this brief and work with forms to sculpt and reshape them from figurative to abstract.

I took a jug home with me, which will act as the functional object for the brief. In terms of how I would describe it, I think of a jug as an item to both sustain and pour. Because the slip casting is so thin, it has a fragility while maintaining a bone-colored, chalky exterior. I’m not sure how its appearance will play into the project, but I do like the look of it aesthetically and chromatically so I’m not too concerned.

I also went to see Bruce Nyman’s exhibit room, and was particularly interested in his use of film and neon. Although his work is seemingly playful, it has a conceptual basis and justification which makes it infinitely more absorbing. I also peeked at different uses of knit and yarn in the materials gallery, though many of these remind me too heavily of the projects with string I had experimented with in the past few weeks.

I think I have a strong foundation for the coming week and have interesting references points to draw from.

I was excited at the prospect of ideas brought on by the 3-d induction today, which included the wood, metal, plaster, and plastic workshops. I took a year of woodshed whilst in high school, so I was familiar with the machines and tools in that aspect, but I haven’t worked extensively in the other mediums. The metal and plastic workshops really excited me because I can see myself using those for fashion and textile projects. These are nontraditional materials for garment and fabric design, which makes them really interesting as a way to push the boundaries in terms of materialization. Creating accessories from metal or casts of body parts from plastic are interesting concepts that I want to explore. I think that making use of every possible outlet at CSM makes this experience invaluable.

Following the induction, I headed to the King’s Cross Library with fellow course mates to research traditional dress for the Chopova Lowena brief. I focused all of my time on looking at clergy garb and mens swimwear from the 1910s. I broadly looked at ecclesiastic wear, but found myself drawn to Catholic cassocks that priests wear. I found a lot of vintage imagery, which I always think is the richest in terms of visuals.

Death in Venice was the other outlet I wanted to research, which I actually became very interested in. I am somewhat familiar with the film, which is based off of a novella by Thomas Mann that tells of a feted composer called Gustav von Aschenback who becomes attracted to the idyllic beauty of a young Polish boy named Tadzio. The setting is Venice is 1912 under the attack of cholera. The strange story piqued my attention because of the costumes, which often feature traditional 1910s mens swimming costumes. There is a homosexual eroticism that is frequent throughout the film, and I realized early on that I liked the contrast between these two ideas because they are so different in notion.

I was discussing my thoughts with Amanda and Shaun, who I went to the library with and they quite liked the direction I took. I think that many people in my course are going to take the route of cultural traditional dress, which is not a topic I am particularly interested in. I haven’t begun to research the functional object or the making processes, which I still need to complete this weekend. I was considering looking at Brick Lane vendors for the functional object, because I had great luck there last week.

I had a stitch workshop induction with Jess today in which I spent the majority of my time working on samples and the garments for Thursday. I experimented with the free motion quilting and knitting machines, both of which are new to me. I particularly liked the free motion quilting effect on the wool I brought in because of the unintentional subtle gathers and texture that appears when the fabric is put into the machine. As I continued experimenting, I thought that the best concept to lead the samples would be to have them act as comparative replications of the textures and layers on my jacket. This led me to the next sample, where I machine stitched lines that referenced Sol Lewitt’s drawings. I immediately thought of referencing his work because the geometric patterns that I saw in the interior of the coat reminded me of the shapes in his work.

I had never used a knitting machine before, so I was really excited to learn a new skill with this machine. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, but there are many specifications with casting on. I do know how to hand knit, so learning this highly expedited process is very nice.

I focused the rest of my time on sewing parts of the garment that I needed a machine for before making a haberdashery run to get the remaining finishings. Something I was very adamant about from the start of this brief was finishing the final outcome with concealed stitches and well sewn draperies. I spent a good amount of time hand sewing the entirety of the garment together, attaching the back strap, and adding snaps to finish. Creating as functional a garment as possible was an important element of my work. Although the focus is on deconstruction and structure, having a resolved final piece vastly important for the viewer to understand the work and the conceptual makeup.

The rest of the night was spent on samples, and I sought to use as many mediums as possible, from ink to charcoal to rice paper. I definitely took a minimal approach to the brief, which is how I normally work, so I am interested to see how my peers and tutors respond. All of my work focuses on the overlooked nuances and is much quieter than I expect others to be, but I don’t think that I should conform to a particular aesthetic just because I feel my tutors will like it. Trusting my vision and ideas is important to being pleased with my work.

I was quite pleased with the work I created today as well as the new drawing and design methods Katie and Chris had was work with. The most interesting method of working that I used and feel I will use again was the textural paper cutting. I liked the process of making texture samples on paper that didn’t necessarily correspond to where we placed them in the final sketch. I also quite liked this method because there was a mixture of the two and the three dimensional in creating the drawing. I have some pattern cutting abilities, so I find it interesting to recreate flat shapes from a garment that is already constructed. I also think that my pattern cutting skills were to my advantage for this method of working, because I have some understanding of how a flat shape can form a garment. This is an idea that I really feel will inform my final deconstructed garment.

Chris and Katie really focused on having us create interesting layouts and compositions in our sketchbook. I really enjoy layout pages in this manner, and I’m glad that the sketchbook isn’t treated as a “dump file” for our work. Layering sketches, styles, and mediums really creates a strong effect that I want to continue to do.

We began deconstructing our jackets, and, like I had thought, mine is fully canvassed. I’m glad that this is the case because I had much richer source material to work from than a cheaply made garment that was interfaced. Traditional tailoring techniques really influence my design process, so I definitely want to incorporate pad stitching or quilting into the final outcome, especially since I have a wool to work with.

Later I ventured to Soho to search for a meter of fabric that would contrast with or complement my fabric. I knew that I would need a fabric with a heavier hand, so I immediately looked for wools. I found a structured wool felt in a bright red-orange; I think that the color is a contrast to the suit jacket, as they are opposites in terms of hue and saturation. Red is not really a color I am comfortable designing in, so I feel it is a good challenge to push myself and, hopefully, create a really interesting final outcome.

I spent a good amount of time today at the CSM library catching up on sketchbook and workflow items as well as sourcing a jacket for next week’s brief. Before heading to Kings Cross, I reviewed my work from the night prior––I lost track of time and was sewing until 2 or 3 in the morning. I began thinking of ways I want to link the three silhouettes together and playing with different permutations for placement. I decided that the best plan of action for presentation would be to scan in the sheets separately and Photoshop composite them over a male figure photograph. I definitely want to create a top of some sort and connect the three shapes by stringing them together to echo the individual threadwork in each.

Another idea I had would be to digitally create duplicates of each shape as a way to create multiple views to the garment. Finding different ways in which the silhouettes piece and string together is a concept that I want to use.

I looked through my sketchbook progression thus far and I am really pleased with the direction my work has taken. I’m finding that when I let go of my preconceptions about ways of working really beautiful images appear. One of my favorite sketchbook pages that I created is a page of stills from the GIF I have with the overhead projector and acetate sheets. The reason I like the outcome is that it is a video that was converted into a GIF that was converted back into JPEG stills. The translation between forms is something that I find really fascinating for whatever reason. I also want to take a lot of the soft chalk pastel and charcoal work into next week’s drawings. The layering effects that are created are quite alluring with the hazy quality the drawings have.

Later, I ventured out to Camden Market to search for a jacket I could use. I found a stall selling vintage items, but all of the tailored pieces weren’t speaking to me or inspiring a design. Many of the fabrics had a great hand and feel to them, but the colors were bland and the shapes were banal. I’m going to explore Shoreditch’s many vintage shops tomorrow and hopefully will find something that strikes some semblance to my aesthetic.

I was very pleased with my work in class today, particularly my observational drawings of the models that we were asked to style. I think that our group did an interesting job with the styling, draping the different garments we had in unusual ways on the body. Reshaping the human figure is an emphasis of the course, which will carry into next week’s jacket project.

I think that the most successful outcome from the observational drawings is the one shown below, and I particularly like how the type of fabric influenced the media I used––to show draped silk I used a looser medium and to put in facial features I used a fineliner. I really see why our tutors stress changing media and style because there is great interesting in the variance of outcomes. This is the primary new way of thinking and working I encountered this week. The idea of capturing texture by physically scratching into the paper, switching and layering media, and having a physical action of movement is still very new for me. The image shown below would never have arisen if I continued to create heavily detailed figure drawings. The essence of the garment is captured without having unnecessary detail. I am used to heavy renderings, so this type of loose technique was encountered.

I hope to continue of this trajectory of work in the future week, because I think it is important as a way to expand and strengthen. I bought even more media to work with, which will help to be able to capture grain and surface better. Something that was pointed out by my peers in our group critique was to use the medium as it should be used––for example, not using charcoal as a pencil. Letting the material inform the drawing is vitally important for a pleasing outcome.

Having a peer critique of our sketchbooks was really helpful to me to see my progress and growth even just this week. The strengths they pointed out were, again, the sketches that varied in media––capturing texture and silhouette is accomplished in this way.

The benefit to this week’s one day project structure is that a lot of work was achieved. Three projects in three days can be overwhelming, but it forces us to think quick and work fast. There’s not a lot of time to really be concerned about how the outcome will look, so going off of preexisting drawing technique is important. There are many more sketches in my book and many different outcomes, from research to drawing to 3-d.

However, I think that some of the outcomes are not as conceptually developed as they should be with such a quick structure. There is a final product, but there is no concept that is driving it. This the main drawback that I had with this structure.

I was much more comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed the textiles brief today, and I quite liked the different observational drawing methods we experimented with as well. I played with using a lot of different drawing techniques, which I think led to a successful outcome. We started with observational drawing of installations we created from personal items we brought in, before moving onto working on acetate to create projections.

Observational drawing and mark making informs the design process because of the interesting patterns, hidden details, and response on paper that it yields. The many nuances that are created from these two practices can lead to many, many design concepts. This was seen with the textiles project today, when finding a small section of our drawings led to full-fledged print projections. Expanding, repeating, or otherwise manipulating drawings and markings can create unanticipated results.

The drawings of the installations we created were precisely timed and restricted in how we could work. There is a very visceral response with timed exercise that allows you to achieve unexpected results, which is massively important to the design process. I have discovered this personally, because I enjoy intensely detailed drawings that I spend mass amounts of time on. Being pushed to do quick sketches has yielded results that I would never have conceptualized otherwise. I have found many interesting sections of the quick sketches that we were asked to create, many of which informed the final acetate works I created for the overhead projector. You really push yourself with speed in mark making––you don't have a lot of time to think beforehand, you just do. You put pen to paper, which informs the design process in its direct approach.

I also decided to experiment with materials on the acetate. One of the best projections I was able to achieve was from creating stitch patterns through the projector sheet. I tried to expand my use of mediums, so I worked with the woolen yarn, liquid ink, and markers. I found that having a greater diversity in mediums really creates better textures and more interesting graphic images.

Today's project definitely has me thinking about different BA progressions, especially as I had already been thinking of Fashion Print as a possible outlet for my work. Of course, this is only one taste of textiles, but I think it's important to explore all possible options. It was definitely a good lesson to approach every project with an open mind and to spend as much time researching the brief, no matter how interesting or uninteresting you may find it.

I reread the brief for Monday over lunch today and started thinking of influences that I want to pull from that will inform the next assignment.

One of the reference points directly from the architecture/silhouette brief that I intend on drawing from is the Balenciaga exhibit at the V&A. I visited the museum and was incredibly inspired by Cristobal Balenciaga's use of silk gazar and his ability to beautifully tailor and sculpt his fabrics. The grain and texture of gazar is dually unique and irregular, and I find that searching for unusual textiles is important to a stimulating garment. I find his envelope dress still extremely contemporary and his use of bouillonné technique in his "chou" wrap incredible. 

I also visited the Comme Des Garçons exhibit at the Met this past summer, which is another source to reference. I find Rei Kawakubo's approach to fashion very fresh, some of which is due to the fact that she was never technically trained in fashion. Her tailored pieces are amongst my favorites of her work, especially the suit sets done in monochromatic plaids. Her aesthetic and color choices really speak volumes to me, as I have a love for tailoring and minimalism.

Bauhaus design is another influence, as well as contemporary architecture. The shapes that were born in the Bauhaus movement were very extreme and avant garde and play very well to the challenge of silhouette. The textures and materials in contemporary architecture I find eye-catching, and the structures of such buildings can inform fashion greatly.

I'm really waiting to see what direction Chris and Alice give us before diving in with design, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to begin research.

I took a break from work this morning and headed to King's following lunch to work in the library on formatting and printing images for my sketchbook. I'm finding that creating heavily visual pages are more successful that text based pages. Collaging together research images, both from book references found in the CSM library and images taken myself, lend themselves well to my creative process. Inserting samples of materials and experiments alongside research better illustrates how investigation can lead to new discovery. 

I also ready through next week's brief in its entirety and became really excited for this next project; I often cite architecture as an influencer on my work and because we get to starting designing for fashion. I love the buildings around Kings Cross and challenging myself with creating innovative, yet minimal, shapes. A lot of the brief has to do with silhouette, something I care about a lot with tailoring.

The final outcome and steps to achieve it are definitely more complex than our previous assignment so time management with be even more crucial to finishing. There is also more independence with this assignment, so I feel as if the final presentations myself and my peers create will vary even more.

My day started with library induction, after which our group met and completed the image research portion of our assignment. I became more interested in video installation and modern abstract art that I used as image references for the final outcome. Obscure is quite a vague process so the books that I found ranged greatly in the type of work they presented. I found a mix between visual art where image were layered atop each other to obscure the base image and video installation where projections are morphed onto various spaces. I was particularly interested in how different installations are presented, as our final idea is a projection onto mesh. I also found varying mesh images, from tennis rackets to wire fiber optics, which pushed me to think about the different forms mesh can take.

Later, I took more video footage on my higher-resolution DSLR camera and edited the shots together to form the two-in-one appearance. I enjoyed getting my group’s feedback on which footage to use and which to put together. Their opinions have been really important to achieving the final short that we created. The ambient noise created by the environments that we captured is quite beautiful itself, so we decided not to obstruct it with another soundtrack. It’s interesting also to see the similarities between the shots, which ties back into our initial idea.

We decided to create a three-dimensional model of the gallery installation. Sathryn, Ran, and I each created one form of mesh ourselves, rather than buy, which definitely led to a more interesting outcome and formation of materials. I knitted a mesh with string, Sathryn wove a wire mesh, and Ran strung together different plastics to form another type. I really think that our different backgrounds and cultures was a strong suit at this point in the project, because we all had different creative approaches. I would never have thought of the weaving processes that they thought of if I was assigned this brief on my own.

I think it would be fantastic to expand this project to full scale, because I feel that it is very strong in many facets. The weavings is one of my favorite parts, as it is so unique to our aesthetics and viewpoints.

We finished by working on the A2 display sheet. We compiled an array of research materials, gallery photos, and stills from the final film for the display. Something I want to see is how different the teams within the Fashion/Textiles course are and what types of mediums they decided to work in. Obviously, we went along the path of film and installation, but incorporated our textile abilities into the project. I like seeing how different our completed assignment is from the initial words we were given. There is a clear influence, but it the inspiration is not literal which I am very happy about. The ideas present themselves abstractly to the viewer. I feel very pleased with the final outcome and I’m hoping that my tutors understand and respond to our ideas positively.

On our first day of instruction and classes we were given our first project brief that will be carried out in groups. The essence of the assignment is to construct a design proposal that focuses on extensive research and is based around three concepts––we were assigned polytheism as a concept, mesh as a material, and obscure as a process.

The research process consists of finding reference points that lead you to create your own individual concepts and, eventually, own work. It can take many forms, from attending exhibitions to looking at reference books to viewing films; anything can inspired visually or conceptually can be considered research. It allows you to generate original ideas because it offers jumping off points and an initial stimulus. Within my personal work, I look at fine art, film, and dance references that can influence in unexpected ways.

During class in group discussion, we created a brainstorm map that sought to find connections between these three seemingly disparate concepts. Initially, I was struggling to find relationships between them, and I think that part of this had to do with being unused to being assigned a topic and concepts to work in rather than having it evolve naturally. I’ve also found it quite an interesting task of discussing and bouncing ideas around in a group setting, as I typically work independently and then ask for criticism on my design ideas. Developing and nurturing working in a group setting is something that I think that benefit the outcome greatly, as there is a wealth of ideas and knowledge that can be drawn from. Working in a team setting could lead to many unexpected tangents and an excess of original concepts. 

The main ideas that came out of our discussion were the idea of a tube map, which functions as a sort of mesh of the city and visually reflects the appearance of mesh. In its own way, London is polytheistic––the people are richly multicultural and come from very different religious backgrounds. We also found a direct connection between mesh and obscure, as mesh is often used to obscure the body when used in clothing.

I think that the group discussion was greatly helpful in developing these ideas, because I certainly would not have thought of using a tube map as a visual code for our work. This is one of the strongest ideas we produced, in my personal opinion, and I built on this in my own research following class.

My task was to research polytheism, but I became more interested in the ideas surrounding religion. This led me to look at Ai Weiwei’s work, which I have always found immensely interesting, not only because of the visual aspect but also because it is so politically charged. The main idea that came out of my own research was Ai Weiwei’s piece, ‘Remembering.’ It presents 9000 backpacks that each represent a life lost in an earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008. I was drawn to this work, because I think that mesh will lend itself very well to product design. I had already been thinking of the idea of a backpack before stumbling across this piece, because it functions as an item that obscures its contents.

I think that the visual of the tube map is quite strong, and I think that embroidering it onto mesh would function quite well. If the design were to be spread amongst many backpacks or objects of the sort, as in ‘Remembering,’ I think that it would tie back to obscurity, as the design would be abstract. This is the idea that I’m going to present to my teammates during our meeting tomorrow.

I also came across the piece 'Martyrs,' which is on view at St Paul's Cathedral. Four vignettes are displayed that show martyrs being exposed to the four classical elements. Something about the visual displaying the conceptual so clearly is heavily inspiring. I want to look into martyrdom more in my research, as I think it could be an influencing factor.

A trip to the Design Museum would be very useful, as it houses a large collection of product designs that I think could help us further our final proposal. Viewing 'Martyrs' in person at St Pauls could be a great resource and a destination for sketching and design development.