2.1.7 Final Collection and Evaluation

Final Collection

This project has been a huge learning curve for me, being my first fully dedicated unit to weave. Learning to use the Scotweave and the loom itself has been as much a part of my project as designing the composition and patterns themselves. Now that this unit is over and I have had time to reflect, I now feel more confident with choosing weave as my speciality. Also with the research I have undertaken into weaving designers I have a clearing goal for the future of my career and practise.

Throughout this project my aim has been to develop a collection that, naturally, relates to my initial visual research yet shows considered development. I wanted each piece to embody detail, texture and space in there own way while relating harmoniously as a collection. I feel I have meet these specifications with my final collection.

Composition Design Plans

I have thoroughly enjoyed this projected with both my brief, future past, and weaving. Constantly experimenting from the very beginning with the visual research, I attempted to use different media for every study in order to create different textures that I could then develop into weave. I continued this exploration of media while designing compositions as I was unsure how to tackle composition design, it took a number of different strategies before I found a method that worked for me, but by exploring them all I felt more and more confident with my personal design process. I feel there is still more experimenting that can be done to improve this area, I would like to find a method that is fluid to me and allows me to design with little thinking or effort, as I believe this is the best and natural may to work.

Margo Selby

Research has also been vital in this unit; as this has been my first sole weave project finding designers that work in a way I would like to has been key in creating my collection. Building up my knowledge of weavers will be a continuous ongoing project, the more I find out the better I can place myself within the weaving world and direct my designs. Initially, for this project, I was working towards a soft furnishings outcome, by using wools and creating compositions that would suit products such as blankets, as borders or all over designs. However after my collection was finished I found there were some pieces that would be well suited to fashion, due to there dense and soft qualities, Ideal for coats and scarf’s.

As there was a range of suitability within my designs I found a connection forming to, my favourite weave designer, Margo Selby. This connection is not due to the designs of the fabric itself but to the wide range of potential end products, Selby as I have said in a previous post has designed fabrics for nearly everything from shoes to scarf’s and quilt covers to carpets. I am very happy with this connection, as I am only just staring to weave seriously and the only direction I had for my work at the beginning of this project was for it to be commercial, a connection to both soft furnishings and fashion is a success.

Potential Products

I would in the next and future projects like to develop my understanding of weave; both in technical construction and knowledge of requirements for commercial fabrics. After a visiting a number of mills with MMU peers I was fascinated with the factors designers had to consider while creating fabrics, elements such as colour, yarn and pattern have to be suitable for a specific purpose.

2.1.6 Design Developments and Artist Influences

Design Plans

At first when designing compositions I struggled, I was unable to embody both the intricate detail and space of my drawings. After discussing this problem with one of my peers we found a way to create quick designs using blocks of patterns from throughout my visual research. By constantly flicking through the pages and jotting down simple ideas, compositions came to me much quicker, and there was less pressure to draw a design that would need to be used within my weaving. Also by drawing many designs on one page it gave me better insight into a collection, how certain shapes and patterns could be extracted to link all the pieces together.  

Jan Shenton

Another aspect of my weaving that I was struggling with was my colours, not the pallet but the way they were applied within my weaving. In my initial studies there was lots of gradients and mixtures of colours, whereas my first samples contained only block colours contradicting all my visual research. After looking at samples from Jan Shenton I saw how complex colours colours could be; with constant changing in every weft, using highlights and lowlights, and subtle gradients.

My new samples I feel reflect my research, exploring detail, pattern, space and colour. I am very happy with the outcome, but there are still areas I would like to develop; I would like to investigate different ways to use my pique, both as a main feature and combine with my base.  

Developed Samples

2.1.5 Initial Samples

Initial Samples (felted, shrunken, hand washed)

For my initial samples I chose to purely experiment, playing with both pattern and texture, I did not consider composition as I found it to be a distraction while trying to learn to use the floor loom and Scotweave. Within my first sample I have tested different ways to use and combine my pique warp, the result has been an accumulation of floats and figuring. Once I cut off my sample I wanted to experiment with finishing techniques; thus I washed all the samples, shrinking one and felting another. The felting was not very successful as a lot of the detail was lost, the shrinking was also unsuccessful as the long floats did not produce enough texture.

Eleanor Pritchard

From this weeks tutorial session, I gained a lot of guidance in relation to how I should tackle composition. My tutor highlighted to me the weaver Eleanor Pritchard as her work contains high amounts of figuring yet keeps a sense of space, factors that were evident in my earlier drawings. While developing pattern and focusing on shapes for my weaving, I had begun to loose elements of my initial visual research. From this tutorial I have been reminded to look back to early work as a means of inspiration, I am keen to develop new composition utilizing the figuring I have mastered though my initial samples. I am also eager to develop new weaving patterns that capture the texture of my drawings and interoperate Pritchard's sense of space.

Previous Drawings

2.1.4 Defining Colour

Initial Colour Pallets

To being my colour refinement I made a number of yarn wraps inspired by my drawings and Photoshops, I considered proportions, texture, and pattern. My initial selection of colours was rather bright, and during a tutorial it was highlighted to me that more subdued and earthy colours would reflect my theme of natural texture better. My final colour pallet contains a mixture of calm natural colours alongside a few brighter more vibrant hues. This resolved pallet has been made from lambswool yarn due to its speckled multi-tonal appearance, this appearance also matches my visual research with high amounts of tonal change and constant subtle texture. During my weaving however I would like to incorporate mercerised cottons or shiny synthetics to brighten certain sections and to add depth to my work.

Final Colour Pallet

Warp Yarn Wraps

Feedback from my tutorial has also guided my in my warp design; as there was lots of clear space and multiple varying colours in my visual research I was recommended to develop a plain warp. Once again using lambswool I develop a number of different warp compositions, but settled on a consistent pinstripe half and half warp (bottom image). I feel that this slight amount of colour will be very effective and give subtle pattern to all my woven pieces.

2.1.3 Pattern

Hand Drawn Patterns

As I have chosen to specialize in weave pattern will be an important element within my fabrics. Inspired by the intricate simplicity of the Downing Archive and MMU Special Collection printed fabrics I have produced some of my own patterns. I have simplified chosen forms and naturally reoccurring patterns from visual research studies, in accordance with those of the achieve prints. These patterns I believe can be translated into my weaving though a combination of floats and traditional weaving structures. Some will take more time to develop than others, but I am confident that by the end of this project I will have successfully designed my own weaving pattern and incorporated it into a sample.

Digital Pattern Designs

Another way I have attempted to derive pattern from my studies is with the use of Photoshop. In the past I have found repeating and altering the scale of a drawing can completely change the way it is seen and can highlight consistent elements that may otherwise go unseen. I have constructed these patterns (above) by tiling a single image that has been reflected, both horizontally and vertically. To experiment more with my studies I have cropped down or selected interesting areas and as a result it has given me many different patterns and forms to work with.  

Developed Digital Designs

My final means of experimenting and creating pattern have been to combine designs; during this process I have altered the hue and saturation, giving me vibrant colour ways that I am keen to use in my wefts, and I have begun layering designs. By layering and utilizing filters while editing my digital patterns it has widened my colour range while also providing me with possible warp layouts. I have also integrated my hand drawn designs, by doing so I have gained a better understanding on how to construct them and, naturally, how to use then within samples.  

As my colour range has now grown rather large and I have begun to consider warp and weft layouts my next area of inquiry will be to solve this; to find a defined colour scheme and to develop a suitable warp. I would also like to further develop my patterns; by working with my digital designs and extracting shapes from them, alongside more visual research delving into the idea of natural texture. By doing this I can create more individual and original patterns.

2.1.2 Archive Research

Manchester Museum Pieces

For me this week has been a defining week; I have been able to develop and refine my concept and gather ample amounts of visual research. At first I was confused by my chosen brief, 'Future Past', and was unsure how I should integrate my summer work, after discussing with a tutor I was informed that the main focus of this brief was to use archive and historic collections as starting points to fuel the ongoing project.

As I've begun to direct my work towards nature and the natural world I chose to visit the Manchester Museum and its multitude of collections. My visit was rewarded with many areas of possible enquiry; I am particularly spellbound by the minerals, rocks, and fossils on display. The variety of colours, forms, and patterns is overwhelming, and after I produced some fist-hand observations I see potential for translations into weave through both pattern and texture.

Observational Drawings

Along side my visit to the Manchester Museum I have also been researching natural textures with the help of the library and the internet. The books 'Fossils in Colour' by J. F. Kirkaldy, 'Fossils: The Key to the Past' by R. Fortey, and 'Rocks, Minerals & Gemstones' by W. Schumann have been tremendously helpful in both the scientific identification and presentation of natural objects. I have also found the website of the Natural History Museum, London to be a useful tool in discovering the ways in which rocks and minerals were recorded in the late 18^th to early 19^th century. All this research has influenced my work though the use of media, grounds, and compositions.

Artefacts from the Downing Archives and Special Collections

During this week I have visited a couple of specifically textile related archives, the samples of which I am highlighting are from the Downing Archive and the MMU Library Special Collections. Even though my project has evolved into a rock, mineral, and fossil focused venture I was still intrigued by the archives. Seeing all the different patterns; with unique colours, compositions, and textures was truly exciting, I plan to use my favourites as guidelines when designing my own patterns once I enter weave and as starting points for further visual research.

2.1.1 Inspirations Workshop

Summer Drawings

I found the peer review I received in response to my summer work the be highly formative, key themes and direction was highlighted in my work and many possible areas of exploration. I was told there was a good variety of techniques within my drawings, but areas to develop and venture into could be; experimenting with different grounds, combining techniques, and producing some drawings on illustrator or photoshop with focus on line. Also exploring different scales when I draw was recommended, zooming into past drawings really changed the feel of the piece and displayed new textures, colours balances, and gradients, all aspects that could be redeveloped into my work.

Form in Nature and Life, A. Feininger

The most important feedback I received, I feel, was direction on my overall concept. Even though I had centred on Stacking for my summer work I did not feel confident enough to continue with it, my peers upon assessing my work felt that my nature inspired drawings were the most successful, containing the most colour, pattern, and texture. Guided by this new subject I went to the library to discover more about the possibilities and found 'Form in Nature and Life' by A, Feininger, a book filled with nearly all the artistic elements from nature. This book alongside my new Pinterest boards has inspired a new line of enquiry for my oncoming project.  

http://www.pinterest.com/brontemorgangeo/natural-texture/

http://www.pinterest.com/brontemorgangeo/aerial-nature/