Thursday 28 April 2011

Professional Practice Hand-in

Contents of my PPF bag

My A4 box of stationery, CVs, formal letters, blog postings, etc.

An envelope I made for my press release


A closer look at the bag I made from my own printed fabric


Well I have just been into college to hand in my Professional Practice module to Claire so officially I could stop blogging now. The fact that I am sharing these pics with you now, instead of cracking on with my FMP, is a sure sign that I am officially addicted to blogging!


















Sunday 24 April 2011

Lampshades

Lampshades complete

Close up of Dragonfly Shade

Close up oj Jellyfish Shade

Another shot of the Two Looking More Like Shades


On Friday I tackled the tricky job of making up my designs into actual lampshades. I had put off doing them because I was sure they would end in disaster. I'm rather pleased with how they have turned out for my first attempts. I had ordered the kits to do them off the Internet and when they arrived I carefully measured the length of stiffener they provided in order to set up my Photoshop document.I then had to estimate how much of this was overlap. As the double sided tape they provided was 1cm wide I presumed that this was the overlap. WRONG!. It was actually nearer to 3cm and despite leaving some margin for error I have lost a little of each design. At least I know for next time if ever I am crazy enough to repeat this exercise.

Friday 22 April 2011

Fabric Lengths Arrive

Showing off my fabric and wallpaper lengths

I have been busy the last week working on my Professional Practice before hand in next thursday so it was lovely to receive my parcel from the Glasgow School of Art. They have done a great job printing my 2m lengths of fabric for the Degree Show. I thought you might like to see the photo my daughter took of me surrounded by them and my wallpaper lengths that I printed in college

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Screen Printing

My Moodboard & Some Drawing Sheets

Samples for the Competition
When I was in the print rooms a few weeks ago screen printing some designs onto cushions I was so impressed with the standard that some of the students have reached. Mine was very basic one screen stuff but when I got my old work out for my photobook I was quite impressed with the different techniques I had used like colour separation, flocking, discharge and metallics.
Oh if only I could start all over again - but I think my husband might strangle me if i suggested it!

I Love Embroidery

Children's Fashion

More Dresses

Embroidered Length for Projects I
I'm doing some embroidery onto cushions for my FMP (as I got the sponsorship from Madeira). Because of the time it takes this will probably be very basic but I wish I had more time as I enjoyed it very much in earlier modules.

Individual Options

A Drawing of a Teddy My Friend Lent Me

Some of the Gifts I Made

A Drawing of a Cute Duck Lent to Me by Henny
 (who was on this course)

Some of the Cards for Different Occasions




















When I started this module I was just about to become a grandma for the first time and had spent a lot of time in Mamas & Papas and Elphin in Yarm so I felt I knew my target market pretty well for this range of products for the very young.

 I drew a lot of traditional children's toys and others that friends lent me. Jackie, who always has loads of lovely old textiles, came up trumps with a collection of crocheted animals. They were definitely different and there was no worry about copy rite that you have with modern toys.

As well as cards,wraps & tags I made a selection of knitted and stitched gifts from rabbits 7 trains to bandannas and books and loved every minute of making them including designing the knitting & sewing patterns. I even printed my own fabric to make the rabbits shirt, the bandanna and the cloth book.

I Wonder Why I Didn't Choose Gift?

A Close up of One of My Card Designs

A Few Examples of My Female Card Range

A Drawing of One of My Vintage Hatpins

Some of the Gifts & Packaging

A Close up of One of My Cards for Men

A Few Examples of  My Male Card Range

A Drawing of a Tropical Fish We Saw in Australia

Some of the Gifts for Men




















I loved my gift assignment. It was the first time that I really started using Photoshop and I produced two extensive ranges for males and females. The first was called "When Science meets Nature" where I layered up copies of my drawings of birds and fish with backgrounds that included extracts from my notes for my Physics degree, drawings of cogs, as well as my favourite building in New York - the ChryslerBuilding.
The second was called "Nature Bejewelled" which was very floral combined with drawings of my own Victorian pendents and hatpins.
It also meant that I could satisfy my natural tendency to be a designer-maker as I made fabric covered diaries, key rings, coasters and badges and it was great getting out my product boards to photograph for my photobook.

Photobook

Bullfinch Drawing Sheet

Cushion Designs Based on Birds

Dartford Warbler Drawing Sheet

Wallpaper Design Incorporating my Drawings of Birds

Insect Drawing Sheet

Doorstop Based on My Drawing Sheet

Detail of embroidery on the Pocket of an Apron

A Range of Kitchenware


























Well despite having a lovely visit to my friend Alison on Sunday to celebrate her 60th birthday and afternoon tea at Crathorne Hall yesterday to celebrate my friend Joan's 90th birthday I have managed to complete my photobook for my PPF. I have just uploaded it and can't wait to see the real thing when it comes.
I wasn't sure whether to just include my Final Major Project or work from earlier projects. I really enjoyed looking back at what I had achieved in the different areas of Fashion, Interiors and Gift and thought I would share some of them with you. These are from my Minor Project by which time I had opted to specialise in Interiors.

Friday 8 April 2011

2m Lengths for the degree Show

  
2m Length of Angiosperm IV
in new colourway
   
2m length of my Butterfly
design in an alternative
colourway


I have spent the last two days preparing the files for these two designs and then checking them again and again before sending them off to the Centre for Advanced Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art. It's rather expensive but I wanted them printing onto linen and, of all the samples I sent off for from different printers like Smarts, Digitex etc, theirs was the nicest as it had quite a pronounced slub. It looked much more like real Irish linen than the others and was very white so the colours should be true.
Well at last they have gone off so it's just a case of waiting for that exciting parcel to arrive back. I can't wait!
 

Sunday 3 April 2011

Wallpaper Lengths

A 2m length of my Brachiopod wallpaper
being printed in college
Last week I prepared 3 x 2m lengths of wallpaper for printing in college based on the suggestions that Lianne made in my tutorial. I did however change the colour way of the Brachiopod design, which means I now have 3 versions for this. Richard in IT tested a sample section on Walldoctor lining paper by Graham & Brown. The colours were lovely on this very white paper but I preferred the weight of the other lining paper so chose that for the full print out. To say that things did not go smoothly is a bit of an under statement but another 20m roll of paper later I do have 3 good lengths for my Degree Show display!