BA Hons Textiles Final Major Project Blog

Sketchbook page 25.5

Within some of my watercolours I have started to consider using wings as they were used within many of my images from my research. As the structure of these varies highly and they are very complex so I have decided to put together an inspiration board using images I have found online.

Considering the level of detail within my illustrations so far I have decided to focus on insect wings. I feel these are detailed and complex in structure enough for myself to draw inspiration from and would work very well with my style of painting. When researching images I mainly looked for those with an iridescent colour way so they could relate to my colour theme. Despite finding some images related to these I also included some images which do not relate to my colour scheme; however, are still inspiring in their structure and form.

To present my images I decided to lay them out on an art board in illustrator. Following this I played with the scale of the images and their positions until I found a layout I was happy with. For the background hue I used the eye dropper tool and selected different areas on each image until i found a hue i was happy with. Although this hue doesn’t appear in my colour pallet i feel it suits this board really well. As well as adding this hue i also added a white box as i felt just the blue hue was a bit flat and this would help to lift the page.

From my research I started to experiment with drawing some wings using black ink and pencil. Despite that I will be creating these in watercolours for my final outcomes I thought this would be a good opportunity to experiment with some different mediums which may inspire new ideas for my project.

For the ink I decided to only experiment with one thin brush as I wanted to be able to include as much detail as possible. I felt if I experimented with a variety of different weighted paint brushes this may have caused my outcomes to look messy. Despite this, when using the paint brush I did include some thicker lines by pushing the paintbrush down harder. Overall i feel these experiments were useful for gaining inspiration and experimenting with how i could develop my wings; however, i feel watercolours are much more appropriate to my market and allow me to experiment a lot more with tone.

I found the pencil a lot easier and quicker to work with because of its fine point compared to the paintbrush and ink. This meant I was able to include a vast amount more detail and also allowed me to include shade by pushing down harder with my pencil. As I knew the would only be line drawings I decided to to only use a HB pencil and not experiment with different types. Although enjoying working in pencil i still feel watercolours would be most appropriate for my final outcomes; despite this, if i need to do anymore experiments i will definitely utilise pencil again.

Overall I feel these experiments and my inspiration board will come in great use when developing my wings. I feel if I had not have gone through this process my inspiration may have been lacking and I would struggle when trying to create them. From here I will return to my watercolours with my new inspiration and continue to develop them.

Sketchbook page 20

Sketchbook page 20 I have returned to as I initially left it blank. Before this I was working on my designs for my samples and my iridescent collage which I wanted to be displayed over two double page spreads. Conscious of this and that I want every double page spread to look cohesive and uniform, I decided to leave it blank as I knew before long I would be returning to my watercolour paintings which could fill this page and help this double page spread to look aesthetically pleasing.

To continue with my watercolour experiments I decided to utilise the rest of my florals from Colombia. As this is our last ever project I want to be really satisfied with the final collection that I produce and only include imagery which I feel is really successful. Because of this I will have to produce a vast amount of watercolours; however, I know the end result will be worth it.

I had varying amounts of success through these 5 watercolours. I feel the central floral and the two to the right came out well; however, I am not satisfied with the two to the left. As this floral has such a wide surface area within its petals I found it hard to balance the weight/ thickness of the limbs with this. Although these two experiments are not quite how I would like them im sure if I resist this floral at a later date I will have some new inspiration.

What I feel makes the three florals to the right successful is that they look like aliens and the petals and added limbs are in proportion. When completing the bottom right experimentation I was initially hesitant that I had painted the added limbs in a hue that was far too dark compared to the original painting. Despite this, with the added yellow creating brach like structures this helps to soften these additions and makes it one of my favourite experimentations so far.

As well as these original illustrations I also tried distorting some of my florals in photoshop before printing them off (shown in the image bellow). Initially I felt this could help to provide more inspiration for how I could develop this imagery. To distort these florals I simply made them either longer width wise or length wise than they were originally. Although this initially seeming like a good idea when trying to think about how I could develop them I realised there was not an overwhelming amount of difference between these and the original and preferred to the originals so decided to stick with these.

Overall I feel I have made some great progress with my watercolours and have developed more imagery for my project. Despite this, I will still continue to experiment with watercolours to develop even more imagery so I am happy with every element within my collection and won’t be left feeling that I should have done more.

Ice Cream Inspiration

Upon getting some ice cream I realised how much the vanilla floral image on the packaging looks like some of my illustrations and could be further developed to become imagery for my collection. The vanilla pods coming out of the bottom of the flower look like legs and the central part look like a head. When progressing with my illustrations I will refer back to this image in order to inspire new ways I could create my aliens.

Kid’s bedroom products

Thinking about how I will present my show space I have researched into products that are often found in kids bedrooms. From my degree show space mind map I have started to collect ideas of what I would really like to include within my show space; however, I think it would also be useful to have a comprehensive list of items that I could include or inspire new ideas.

Wall décor/ art
Glow in the dark wall stickers
Wallpaper
Wall tiles
Rugs
Storage bags/ boxes
Personalised Initials/ letters
Bedside lamp
Neon lights
Pendant lights
Wall shelves
Floating bookshelf
Bookends
Toys
Artwork display frame
Photo frame
Canvas art prints
Cork/ bulletin board
Display boxes
Toy box
Decorative wall hooks
Chairs
Bed
Pillow
Blankets/ throws
Bedding
Stools
Curtains
Desk

Adobe Colour

Whilst away on my work experience in Colombia I was shown the Adobe colour wheel which allows you to select a hue and then automatically selects others that will work well with it. I think this is a really useful tool as it can help myself to determine how well the hues within my colour pallet are matched and if they will successfully work together.

Another great feature of this tool is it allows you to experiment with different colour combinations depending on the relationship you are looking for e.g. a monotone scheme. Throughout my experiments using the Adobe colour wheel i have selected hues that are within my colour pallet and allowed the software to select relatable hues. When going on to develop my alternate colour ways and combinations this online source will provide great and accurate advice on how well my colours suit and if they will be successful.

As well as including images of the hues placement on the colour wheel and the colour chips, I have also included the colour code if I want to quickly and accurately find any hue at a later date. Although there is the potential to match the hues by eye having this code will allow myself to quickly select exactly the same colour.

Analogous

Monochromatic

Triad

Complementary

Compound

Shades

Sketchbook pages 21 and 22

Initial repeats for fabric samples

Having created some imagery and wanting to send off for fabric samples sooner rather than later so i can decide on my substrates, i decided to create some designs utilising the imagery i have created. Initially i created these utilising hues from my first colour pallet which i have since revisited; however, i have also reworked these designs in order for them to suit my new colour pallet as it is essential that i am able to assess how well my new hues print on different substrates in order for my outcomes to be successful.

For my first repeating structure i utilised a brick repeat and selected 4 illustrations to create my motif. I selected these four water colour paintings based on how well their colours complemented each other as although i want my collection to demonstrate the full array of hues i do not want this throughout every design as it could make the outcome appear rather messy.

To get each illustration from my sketchbook and into this digitally manipulated design i followed the same process and scanned each image in one by one at a high dpi to ensure the image was of a good quality. Following this i would then open the image in photoshop and use the magic wand tool to remove the white background. To use the magic wand tool i had to play around with the tolerance to ensure it was only the white background selected and not any of the illustrations themselves. Following this i would then use the rubber to remove any excess background the magic wand tool did not select and then saved the image as a photoshop file before opening it in illustrator where i experimented with creating a motif and repeat.

To create the repeat it was a case of placing the 4 illustrations in a ruff position of where i wanted them then copying and pasting them length and width wise to ensure there was no over lap between each motif. If there was a slight overlap i would slightly manipulate the position of the illustrations that are causing an issue and then repeat the process again. Once happy with the spacing i then copied and pasted until the design was complete. Both photoshop and illustrator have individual benefits; however, i find the most efficient way of working to be between the two programs. I decided to make the repeat within illustrator instead of photoshop as illustrator allows you to work around the art board where as on photoshop you can only work within it meaning illustrator provides more space to work with.

Once happy with the repeating structure of the design i then experimented with the hues from my original colour pallet to find the one which i felt best suited the design. Finding this hue very much depended on the shades present within the illustrations as i wanted to create enough of a contrast so the illustrations would be visible; however, not so much that the outcome appeared sickly. In the end i selected the orange and a light pink hue which i felt were the most successful and then created a larger repeat to show how this design would look across bedding and wallpaper. Later down the line i want to experiment more with placements for my products; however, at this stage creating a repeat such as this still gives me a good idea of how this design could develop into a placement repeat.

Bellow demonstrates how this design would look across a larger surface. Overall out of these two i feel the pink is a lot more successful as it creates less of a contrast and has a more harmonious feel right across the design. As well as this i feel the pink and yellow aliens against the pink background help to create depth as the pink aliens harmoniously blend with the background where as the yellow really stand out bringing them forward within the design.

After creating my new colour pallet i felt it be best to recreate my design utilising my new colour pallet as the background hues. Overall i feel this new colour pallet is a lot more successful as it is a lot easier on the eye and will be more appropriate for my target demographic. From here i hope to have this design printed on a range of different substrates in order to decide on the materials for my collection and to ensure my colour pallet is as successful as it is here.

As well as the above design i also decided to develop a second to be printed onto fabric. Although the main purpose of getting these samples is to just visualise how my designs and colour pallet will look on fabric i thought it may be nice to have a range of designs in order to make an informed decision.

For my second design i wanted to be slightly more experimental with my repeat so decided to create a 90 degree rotation repeat and then develop this further into a drop repeat which is demonstrated in the two images bellow. To start i selected this time three illustrations and placed them in what i felt was an appropriate position and then copied and pasted this motif rotating it around the central point 90 degrees at a time. Thanks to built in features within photoshop creating a really accurate 90 degree rotation repeat takes seconds as by holding down the shift key the rotation snaps to 45 degree angles. This experiment is displayed against a grey background which is the area sourounding the art board. Within photoshop this area can not be used which is why i selected illustrator for more area to work with.

Once happy with the 90 degree rotation i then copied and pasted this new section and turned it into a drop repeat which is demonstrated in the second image. I could have developed this further by experimenting with a half drop or brick repeat; however, as this design will only be for my fabric samples i decided to stick with this but will experiment further when creating my final outcomes.

Despite feeling happy with the start of this repeat i did feel it had an awful lot of negative space at the central point so decided to include another illustration which is demonstrated bellow. Despite feeling this was successful at filling the negative space and also introducing a greater variety of scale to the repeat, the bright orange of the new floral did highly contrast against the more pastel tones of my original motif.

To try and combat this issue i opened this illustration in photoshop and then played with a range of filters such as brightness, contrast, saturation and levels. I find this process changes highly on what is most successful depending on each individual image so find the most time efficient way of doing this is just playing around to see what works best. Originally i did want to keep this floral orange so tried simply making the tone lighter; however, then manipulated the hue so the floral became purple which i felt was best suited to the hues already present within this design and also worked with my colour pallet.

Once happier with the tone and hue of this illustration i then came back to my design where i continued to manipulate my motif. Despite being a lot happier with the blue as there was already two pink florals within the smaller scale motif i swapped the blue alien with a pink in order to get a better colour balance.

Once happy with how this was looking i then transferred the design onto the art board and copied and pasted the motif until it covered the entire area. Following this i once again utilised the tones within my first colour pallet to create the background for the repeat. Now looking at these outcomes i am so much happier with my new colour pallet as i do feel these hues are quite sickly, especially considering the products they will be on and the large surface area they will cover.

As at his stage i had not developed my new colour pallet so i then selected my favourite background hues and produced the design at a much smaller scale to better demonstrate the repeat and how it could look on larger products such as bedding and wallpaper. Out of the two selected hues i feel the white is the most desirable and attractive as the design already as so many hues within it meaning the purple comes off slightly overwhelming.

After developing my new colour pallet i then transferred this design onto background hues from this. Much like my previous design i do feel this new colour pallet better suits my collection as it is a lot softer in tone and a lot less overwhelming in a good way.

Overall despite these experiments only being for my fabric samples they have provided me with lots of useful ideas for my collection and also allowed me to explore how my outcomes could look. Out of the two designs i much prefer the repeat of the second as it is a lot more complex; however, within my collection of 30 designs i will need to include a range of repeats some complex, and some not so much dependant on whether they are hero, secondary or blender designs.

From here i will research into substrates that are currently on the market, especially from my main competitors and then make an informed decision which substrates to get my designs printed onto. Having to produce 30 designs across different products i will want to explore a much greater variety of substrates than i did in the last project. Ordering my fabric samples at this stage will give me lots of time to deliberate what fabrics i feel will be best and should set me up well for the upcoming weeks of the project.

Updated themed box of collectables

From my iridescent double page spread in my sketchbook I have decided to add some of the samples I have found to my box. When initially adding items to my box I was on the look out for some effects such as these paper samples; however, could not find any. By adding them to my box I feel it is better matching my theme and also gives a more accurate representation of the kinds of colours and effects my project will entail.

Sketchbook pages 23 and 24

Within a tutorial with Sian she suggested that i start to gather some inspiration for my iridescent theme in order to inspire how i will create it. For this i started by looking online to see what images i could find and print out; however, then thought it may also be useful to go and gather some iridescent substrates from stores around town.

When looking around town for this effect i uncovered an awful lot of products such as make up bags, gift bags and pencil cases but found it hard to find any paper substrates which i could easily cut up and manipulate in my book. Not only would paper substrates have been more suitable for this experiment; however, also retail at a lot cheeper price as each make up/ gift bag cost around £4 which is a lot for one sample. Despite finding it hard to find any iridescent paper samples i did manage to find a pack of 5 A4 sheets in Tiger which ranged in hues from a white pearl to a dark green/ purple. Out of these sheets i selected those i felt were most suitable to my colour pallet for my collage.

After searching high and low for more A4 samples such as these i eventually gave in and started to buy products so i could cut them up and add them to my sketchbook. The first product i came across was a gift bag which had a sparkly iridescent look (this is the largest silver square on the left page). Although liking how the hues are scattered across the bag i feel more wave like textures of colours will be more appropriate rather than a glitter effect. This wavy effect was the key theme within my trend research but also, if i wanted to utilise this effect with imagery the soft waves would be a lot more subtle than the sharp flecks of hues.

As well as this gift bag, when looking in Ryman i came across 2 iridescent pencil cases one in a silver hue and another in a pink which have been cut up and stuck in the middle of the right page. Although initially wanting to stick to paper based substrates these two fabric samples have given me an idea of the type and thickness of substrate this effect is printed onto. Despite liking the effect of the hues given by these fabrics i am starting to think maybe i should just use the hues to inspire a matt finish (such as the finish of my printed out designs) as this fabric is awfully plastically and not very soft to the touch.

One major thing this double page spread has made me realise is the vast amount of plastic used within this effect. On all the shiny substrates there is a layer of plastic on top of its paper/ fabric base which will mean the end result is not recyclable nor sustainable. When progressing with my iridescent experiments and developments i will have to consider only utilising a matt finish to limit the amount of plastics used within my collection.

I think this double page spread has been very useful as a brainstorming experiment to see how iridescent effects are already being used and how i can develop them to best suit my own collection. From my trend research and now doing some in store research i can see how this effect is going to develop from small products such as make up bags and gift bags to interiors for SS’21. From here i want to continue my digital experiments to see if i can recreate an effect such as this. A benefit of experimenting mostly with digital processes is that they produce no waist; however, if my experiments do not lead to anything suitable i will then start to experiment with more hand based processes.

Maleficent 2

On a weekend at home i decided to visit the cinema with my family seeing Maleficent 2 which is a fairy tale based off the story of Sleeping Beauty. At first i had no thought that this could inspire my project; however, there was a great variety of mysthical fairies and creatures that i felt related to my key themes really well.

As this film is aimed at children all the forest fairies had a rather charming look to them which i felt my target market would enjoy. What proved this to me was the age demographic of those viewing the film which completely consisted of parents/ careers with children roughly within my age demographic. Because of the strong link with the characters within this film and those i will be creating within my own project this was good to see.

I think the key elements that really attracted my target demographic to these fairies was their cute and prettiness but also the array of hues they were displayed in. I think with children this young there is always a need to pick a favourite which is based on colour on some key characteristic that relates to the child’s own. I gathered this idea from my little sister who is now 9 and is a big fan of yellow so naturally preferred a yellow character. Within my project i feel including a variety of hues will be key as i want children to be attracted to some element of my designs in order for their parents to proceed with buying my products.

Overall despite this being a non research based trip i am very glad i went as i found it really useful and awfully inspiring. It was amazing how well this film linked to my project and key theme. When continuing my drawing and painting experiments i will remember to keep experimenting with more and more hues as well as different characteristics; however, remember to keep to more muted tones to match with my new colour pallet.

Substrates Research

Before ordering my samples i have done some research into what substrates are currently being used on the market within children’s bedroom products. As i want my designs to be digitally printed by Fashion Formula i need to decide on a range of fabrics for my collection before finalising my designs. In order to determine the most appropriate substrates i will order a selection of sample fabrics to see how appropriate they are for my products.

M&S

The first retailer i have looked at is M&S as they are the brand i intend to produce my designs for. As my products will be for children i have decided to focus my research on this range. To make my research clear and concise so i can refer back to it later i have decided to present it as a list:

Bedding substrates- 100% Cotton, 80% Cotton 20% Polyester, 50% Cotton 50% Polyester, All 180 thread count where listed

Curtain substrates- 62% Cotton 38% Polyester lining 100% Polyester

Pyjamas- 50% cotton 25% viscose and 25% polyester Ribbing – 49% cotton 24% viscose 24% polyester and 3% elastane, 95% cotton 5% elastane Ribbing – 95% cotton 5% elastane, 100% cotton Ribbing – 95% cotton 5% elastane, 100% polyester.

Although my main collection will focus on the bedroom from previous research i have also considered introducing matching pj sets. As well as this bringing my collection into a new market this should also help to boost sales as well as allowing me to present this within my show space.

Laura Ashley

As one of my main competitors i have also decided to research into Laura Ashley’s range of products. From looking into more than one company i am hoping there to be some key consistencies; however, also some big differences in order to inspire a range of substrates for my collection.

Bedding substrates- 52% Polyester 48% Cotton, 100% Polyester, 50% Cotton 50% Polyester, 51% Polyester 49% Cotton

Curtain substrates- Viscose mix, 51% Cotton 49% Linen, 70% Cotton 30% Linen, 51% Linen 37% Cotton 12% Nylon

Bed throw/ fleece- 100% Polyester, 100% CottonFILLING 100% COTTON (225 GSM)

Lighting- Paper

Blinds- 51% Cotton 49% Linen, 40% Viscose 37% Cotton 11% Linen 10% Acrylic 2% nylon, 54% Linen 46% Cotton Woven Plain, 70% Cotton 30% Linen Printed Linen Cotton Fabric, 83% Viscose 17% Linen Woven Plain

Wallpaper- Paper, Non Woven Paper, Woven Paper

Overall Laura Ashley had a much greater range of products for myself to draw research from. Despite this i still need to gain further information into the types of substrates children’s lights can be made out of if i want to produce one for my collection and within my show space.

John Lewis

Bedding substrates- 100% Cotton, 52% Polyester 48% Cotton,

Curtains- 100% polyester woven, 100% cotton Lining- 50% cotton, 50% polyester, 100% Cotton, 100% cotton Lining 52% polyester 48% cotton

Blinds- 100% polyester

Bed throw/ fleece- 100% Polyester

Lighting- Polyester, Terylene cotton and Steel, Digitally printed fabric and Steel, Fabric and Steel.

Pyjamas- 100% cotton, 58% cotton 42% modal

Wallpaper- Despite looking for the substrate and material content this was not listed on their website.

Overall i am quite surprised at the lack of range of substrates supplied by John Lewis compared to their market competitors. Being such a large and well known brand i thought they may have had a much larger range of substrate combinations throughout their collections but this was not the case.

Looking into these three companies has given me a good insight into the substrates that are on the market and that could be used within my own collection. From here i hope to go on to order my array of fabric samples, utilising this information i have found.