Final display.

 18th November

This is my final display, I chose to have my 1m by 1m drawing as my main piece which explains mu whole project as it is the central library and you can see this when looking at it, also it has been deconstructed much like the library and it has been made in to small little squares and really investigated. When you look at this i really feel you know a little about me and my work. The only problem is only working in black and white, especially when a lot of my final samples are very bright and bold, this is why i also chose to show my final samples along side my drawing, this way you can see my drawings, samples and my colour palette. I wanted my work to be shown on the glass as i really like how you can see the tiny gaps in my weave. The weave alone looks interesting but when you can see the good and the bad parts i find that more interesting. I also liked how you can see the modern building by the old library, it is really interesting as the building is being restored it is almost like you are seeing the new and old. because the library is being built is will have new bricks much like the ones in the back round. The colours outside which you can see work really well with the black and white palette, the blue sky also fixes well with the drawing and it almost looks like the real sky is in the drawing. With this final display will also be more of my samples and my sketch books.

Samples.

17th November

Today i made these samples by making all different coloured felt balls and mixing the felt with metal. I am using this as my final sample, i am doing this as it mixes what i learnt from both my 3d construction and felt workshop. I first decided to make felt balls because i looked closer at my photographs and visited the library once and again, i looked closely for some unusual shapes, and shapes you would not expect to see outside a library. I found lots of circles and i was really inspired by this, The colour pallet was also chosen in the same way by looking extremely close and finding unexpected bold and bright colours. I really like the colours, they are very different to what i have been using in my workshop, however now i have started using them i am very happy with them and i would really liked to have found them earlier so i could have developed this idea. The construction of this sample is not really linked to the building as much as i would have liked, but it does work as the colours and materials have been linked. What i am going to do with these samples are hang them in front of my big drawing of the library, what this will do is show the link of the circles and the building as in the drawing i went in to a lot of detail and started drawing tiny little circles. What i am going to do next is start to look at research and find other work similar to mine.

Drawing workshop.

14th November

Today for my drawing workshop i was put into a group, my group was taken to the Manchester university museum. When we got to the museum we were told there is so much in the rooms that we would not have enough time to draw everything and we have to give ourselves a rule. I was very nervous about this because i did not know what the museum was like inside and i was scared of giving myself a rule and it not working in the space. When i was outside i first thought of the rule to look at the windows, i did this as it links with my sleuths, spies and lies project as i can not get in side the library and i can only see inside by the windows, so i thought this would be really interesting. However when i got inside the windows were all curtained off, this could have looked really interesting however i was really looking for more pattern so i decided to change my rules, this was very stressful because every one was drawing and i was clueless, people had rules such as draw fur and draw the floor, I decided to take chance and i stood in the middle of the museum and i started spinning with my eyes closed and my friend told me to stop and random times, This was so helpful because i did not stress about what to drawing and as soon as i knew where to draw i did it. I was drawing many different parts of the space including the corner of the room, the floor and a snake. I am linking this to my project by looking at the library being constructed and thinking about the risk of working on such a old building and how so many things colour go wrong. I really enjoyed letting go and taking risks in my work. I did this a couple of weeks ago in my drawing workshop when doing the blind drawings, as that told me to just draw what i see.

Drawing workshop task.

13th November

This is my final piece for my drawing workshop, I feel it is very successful and i am really happy with how it looks. The one thing i really like about the piece is that as the paper weaves and the new clear paper goes through the paper it loses a little part of the drawing, the good thing about that is i have got lots and lots of small drawings all together along side a big drawing. I really like how in the each square is a completely different drawing to the one next to it. I decided to weave my drawing when i was asked to deconstruct the large scale piece because in my sleuths, spies and lies project i have manly looked at the scaffolding on the library, and in the scaffolding are many lines crossing and over lapping each other and with the weave this is doing the same thing. The scaffolding on the library when each piece of metal crosses there is a little frame created and the metal rods make a little drawing which i can then work with much like the drawing i have done with the weave. One thing i would change about my work is that i would really liked to have used colour, but looking at this i don't really know how i would use the colour and which colours to use. In some ways i like the black and white as it gives a really dramatic side and in another way i don't like the depth i am losing in some way with no colour. I used just plan white paper to weave with because i did not want to lose the image to much and with black i really think it would have happened. With the white paper i think it looks really clean and professional.

Research.

11th November

Ruth Waller

In my tutorial i was told to look at this artist as her work is a lot like mine in the way she used both metal and felt, i am really interested in the felt balls also. Ruth Waller's work is very sensitive and when any movement close to the balls happen they begin the move. I really like the idea of them not being still. When making the balls it is a very hard task and you have to keep rolling and moving them so them still being able to move is really beautiful, almost like they are still not made and still growing. One thing i really like about Ruth Wallers work, Which also really links well with my sleuths, lies and spies project is that the metal is so fine and flexible. So far in my project i have been using metal mesh which is i  fine metal but a large amount of it put together. I really like the elegance of the really fine metal, but with the bold pieces of felt at the end, I really like the contrast of the material. I really like the idea of having such soft material such as wool and making it into and hard object, and what i really want to experiment more with is having the felt balls dropped into the dye baths, it shows how the library is not yet complete however it still looks amazing and the felt ball will not have its full colour but it still looks good with out the right amount of colour. I am really excited about adding the metal in also as the library at the minute has a lot of metal surrounding it.

Independent studio time.

9th November

Today i went back to doing more large scale drawings, When i did the drawing workshop on negative space and blind drawing we used strips of paper so i had some left over and deiced to use the left overs. I liked using the long strips as it also links in well with the columns on the library. I am trying to keep as many things as i can linked with the library and that can be with the drawings i do and always what i draw on, I did this also when i experimented on drawing on the book pages. Keeping my drawings and sleuths,spies and lies brief allows me to get loads more ideas. I am not afraid of using the white page and not knowing what to do at first as i just cover it straight away with the rubbings with the mesh. and using the oil pastels. If i just cover the paper with the rubbings it makes me so much more relaxed to just start drawing and working into the marks made by the rubbings. I really like the idea of tiny little pieces of detail next to the harsh lines used in the rubbings. I really like using the lines on the big drawings as it shows the dramatic side of the scaffolding. I am so interested in the scaffolding and i am really enjoying using the mesh to make really interesting backgrounds for my drawings.

Felt workshop.

8th November.

Today i spent the day doing more samples, i really want more development, I don not really care if some samples do not work it is all part of my development. I have done some bad and some really good and successful samples which i have used more of to get more of an idea for a final piece with, for example with my felt balls when i dropped them into the dye bath, they could have turned out really bad but they didn't and not i am using them hopefully in my final piece. I really like the idea of risk in my work and with out doing these samples i would not have learnt this. I am learning a lot about what i want to do in my work and also a lot about myself as a felt maker. I am so excited when i cut open the felt balls as they could be really bad but some times beautiful. Today in w=one of my samples i looked at my drawings in my book and tried to bring more of drawings into my felt. When i was in the dye lab i dyed a piece of felt a bright pink which at first i really did not like, i thought it looked to bright and cheap. However i i carded some white wool and placed some of the bright pink felt into the wool and started felting it, The drawing i was looking at had some bright pink in done by a high lighter and i feel the pink looks very similar to the one int he drawing. This felt also has strips of mesh in which i have used a lot in my sleuths, spies and lies project.

Drawing task.

7th November

Today i had to deconstruct my 1mx 1m drawing, I was slightly worried about doing this however i sat and thought about what i should do for a few minutes, However i tried not to worry about it so once i got an idea i went for it without stressing. When i was first given the task to create a drawing on a 1m x 1m piece of paper i really wanted to do some kind of weave with the paper as i thought it linked very well with the scaffolding on to of the library. So when i was given second chance to improve and do something new with the drawing i was happy that i could bring my weave idea in to it. As my drawing was mostly in the top left hand corner of the paper i had a lot of spare paper to work with, so i cut it up and cut it in to strips of thin paper. I then cut lines into my original drawing and started weaving. I find this technique so successful, It links in to much sleuths, spies and lies brief so well, as it looks a lot like the scaffolding and also in my drawing i have done many little scratches in it and lots of line which links with the weave. It has made my drawing a lot stronger and and gave it more depth. The weave has gave my drawing so much more to look at, it is more interesting and the little shadows and curves make me think more like the library and the outside carvings.

With weaving in the drawing it is really interesting as with each srtip down the drawing little squares apear and in each square is a tiny drawing and on its own the square drawing is so interesting.

Sketchbook Exhibition

3rd November

When i first started my book i was slightly afraid of the white page, i first wanted to use text a lot in my book and then draw along side the text but after my first two pages i started to get more confidence in just using the full white page, now i love just doing page after page of drawings. Most of my drawings have been generated from visiting the library and looking at the photographs i took, over time i started adding hints of colour to bring in more elements of the sky and other surroundings. I try to use the drawing technique i have learnt from my drawing work shop a lot in my sketch book, such as the blind drawing, I really enjoy doing blind drawings as they really give a relaxed approach to drawing and always turn out well. In my book i also showed photographs of me working on the stand to show my development and what i am thinking and also where i am want to take this dress. A lot of my book is drawings this helps me see where i am going and really inspires my work.  Showing my work to others was not worrying me as i am extremely happy with the way my book is coming along, and i found it so helpful looking at my peers books, i got a lot of inspiration from doing this. When i looked at other peoples books and was more interested in how they organised there work and how it was layed out, as everyone is taking a different route with there work every book was different. I find appearance in my book very important as when i look back at my development it is a lot easier to read. In my book i have referenced some designers work which linked well to my current work but i have not done a lot of this which i will start to do a lot more of. One thing i have took from this task is i have to record more museum visits which i will do as soon as possible, i will talk a lot more about work that inspires my work.

The people who looked at my book left a few comments such as "Sketchbook shows development and laid out well and everything is organised" this comment really pleased me as this is really what i want my book to come across as. I put a lot of effort in my book and always want something new and better on the next page. I also was told to "Try working large scale" I will totally take this comment on board and start doing some of my rubbings on long strips of paper much like the columns on the outside of the library. The comments helped a lot and gave me more confident to be more experimental in my book. When i look back at my book i am happy with my progress. I do feel i should do more large scale pieces, and this would also really go well with the grand library.

Independent studio time.

2nd November

Today i spent my time getting my book ready for the peer assessment tomorrow, i decided to carry the rubbings on. I am starting to try new colours and mixing the new colours together. I am trying to move away from the other drawings i have been doing, i do not want to get to comfortable to the blind drawings and the fine liner pen drawings i have been doing. I am trying to push myself and not always do what i know. I have really enjoyed using these new materials, For the rubbings i used oil pastels, the metal mesh, masking tape and fine liners. I am not afraid of working on the white page, however doing this was very fun and refreshing. I am linking these colours to the ones i have found in my photographs i took of the library. I am always trying to link all my samples to the library, if they do not always look like they are inspired by the library, this does not really bother me because i really don't want it to be obvious and i really want my samples to make you think. When i visit the library and look at the photographs i am look so so close and i am not looking at the whole building sometimes i am looking at the tiny details.

Felt workshop.

1st November

Today in my felt workshop i learned how to felt on more fine fabrics, normally i use muslin to make felt however this is to heavy weight. What i did was cart my wool and created a colour which i was happy with, i try to take a lot of time on this to get a perfect and strong colour, i then placed it on to of some bubble warp, i do my design and put some nylon netting on top. I pour the right amount of water on top and make sure all of the fibres are wet and i start rubbing with the palms of my hands for a couple of minutes. I then add soap to make the surface less ruff and i then turned over the muslin and do the same on the other side of the felt. I then peel away the felt and wash away the soap. When the felt is slightly dryer i begin to massage the felt to tighten the fibres. The more i rolled the felt the more the felt got more strong

To i also tried using more unusual materials and i also tried to link my project more with the felt, so i deiced to add metal in with the felt, i am very please with the results however, the felt can not grab on to the metal so it is very lose and sometimes falls away. I will try this technique again with the mesh as it has holes and the felt can grab on easier.

Dye lab.

31st October

I was introduced into the dye lab and was shown how to dye my own fabrics, i was also introduced to the health and safety in the print room. I was told what i can do and can not do with dyes. The two main requirements to ensure i handle the chemicals and dyes safely, to show good workshop practice and keep good standards of personal hygiene in the lab. The recipe i tried in my first time in the lab was for a acid levelling dyes. What i did was weighed my fabric which came to 14.9g and then i placed to felt into warm water and 2% matexil WA-HS. I then weighed the dye out i did this by calculating the percentage of the weight of the felt to the dye. I then set the dye bath at 50c and added glauber salt and and sulphuric acid. I placed the felt into the bath and begin the raise the temperature to boil over 45 minutes. I Left it close to boil for 30-90 minutes until the felt went to a shade of the colour i liked. I then put the felt into the dryer and as it was drying i cleaned up my working space. As a experiment i placed a felt ball into the dye bath and turned it for a few seconds and left it on its side for around 5 minutes, the results when i cut up the felt ball was amazing i think it was so successful and now i am starting to think this is how i would like to take my project for sleuths, spies and lies project. I am thinking about using both the felt balls and mental mesh together. As the colour is not completely filling the felt ball this represents the library not being finished however the building still looks beautiful.

Drawing task.

31st October

I was given a drawing task to complete in three days in my independent studio time. The task was to produce a large portable drawing to link with my sleuths, lies and spies brief. The drawing had to be at least 1mx1m and i could only use black and white media. I thought about the composition and placement of my drawing and the scale. In the end i decided to do a large blind drawing of the central library, when i started doing my drawing it was a blind drawing but the more i did of the drawing i started to look at it more so it is half blind drawing and half detailed drawing which i feel worked. I like the hints of really detailed pieces next to the harsh lines over lapping. I lot of the top of the drawing was blind and the bottom not. I do not really know how this happened it just did. I started wanting more of an understanding of it being the library. I did not want people to look at it and not know which building it was. As the drawing started off being a blind drawing this is why a lot of the drawing is on the top left corner, i did not plan this it just happened, however i really like the crisp white blank section at the bottom. I feel it really works and it almost makes the drawing more bold. I feel the drawing is the perfect size and to big it would not look quite right. I have looked a lot at the scaffolding in my sleuths, lies and spies project so in my drawing i included the scaffolding and made it very dramatic. I want the scaffolding to be very noticeable but not to over powering. The limited black and white pallet was very hard for me as i really enjoy using colour in my work, i do feel the black and white does work very well, if i could i would have included so coloured rubbings with the mesh in the background like i have been doing in my book, I feel very please with what i have done and it portrays the library very well, It is both dramatic yet still calm and peaceful like a library should be.

Drawing workshop and Felt workshop.

27th October

In the morning i had a drawing workshop where a group of us sat on the floor circling a object, which was two dogs two students had made. We had to do two tasks which were blind drawings and negative space drawings. I found the blind drawings very easy, as you can see from my sketch book a lot of my drawings are blind drawings. Negative space drawings however i found very difficult as it is not really the way i like to draw, however i completed the task and the drawings are good development. When we sat on the floor drawing, after every drawing we moved so we had many views of the two dogs. In the afternoon i had a felt workshop and i created 5 new colours using wool and the carders my colour pallet came from a image i took of the library, the colours are very successful. I looked deep into the image to find the none obvious colours.

Independent studio time

26th October

Today i just spent time on my book and doing some drawings, i looked at my photographs i took and developed with colour and doing some rubbings with the mesh i got for 3d construction. I also used some tracing paper to give the drawing a little more depth i feel it was very successful. I have linked these drawings with the scaffolding i found on the library. I have looked a lot into the scaffolding and i feel i have developed this idea a lot and now maybe a may look away from the structure side and now look at the colour of the scaffolding, as it is not only silver it has the reflections of its surroundings such as the sky, grass and other buildings.



Dye, Fibre, Cloth Workshop

25th October

Dye, fibre, cloth is my second workshop i have chosen. I am really excited about this workshop as i have never done this before. It will be really interesting to see how i can link the felt and 3d workshop together. My first day of my new workshop i learnt how to mix the wool with carders and how to make a felt sample.
With these two samples i have begun to relate them to my sleuths, spies and lies brief and as i have been looking into the scaffolding around the library these samples are looking at the colour in the metal. I have dropped a few things into the felt to give it more depth, this has been successful as they really jump out at you and are very noticeable. The two samples are very experimental and in some ways look very dark and haunting, which is not what you first think when looking at the library however, when you look closer at the building and the history and start to see the dark side.