MondayPrint Workshop I found the print workshop very interesting this morning, it has opened up a lot of options that I can begin to explore throughout this unit and the rest of my time at university. There are a lot of different thing on offer for us to work with, from digital printing to screen printing, digital embroidery as well as exploring the use of different types of inks that react differently to different materials. There were lots of samples to look at all using different techniques which I look forward to trying. Laser Cutting Workshop I really enjoyed getting to see some of the techniques that are possible with the laser cutter. It was interesting learning about how the machine worked and I look forward to using it. TuesdayTechnical session Today we were constructing the collar that we pattern cut last week. I am really happy that my patterns worked and that it all fit together without any issues. Geometric Pattern Cutting -Constructing silhouettes on the 1/2 scale mannequins using geometric shapes. During today's session I was beginning to create some quite interesting silhouettes that I will continue to explore, mixing circles and triangles I was able to make sculptural silhouettes, I have taken lots of pictures so that I can begin to design around them. I really like the cape effect I have created but I want it to be bigger, I am also going to try using fusing to make the material stiffer so that it holds the shape better. WednesdayContext Editorial Briefing
Today's briefing was all about the second of four projects within the BA1b unit. For the Context report we must produce a 2000-word editorial for a news website. Although I am not a very confident writer I am quite excited to do this project as we get to research into an area of the fashion industry that we find interesting or want to know more about. I shall be sharing some of my research as I go along, so I hope you find it interesting.
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MondayToday we had the briefing for the first project within the BA1b unit; Creative Cut- The Shirt. We are exploring shirts and creating a final piece which incorporates the collar, sleeves, cuff and stand of a shirt, but we are encouraged to push the boundaries of what a shirt can be. I am really excited about this project, because we are going to be doing a lot of pattern cutting, trying different techniques to create interesting silhouettes, I look forward to improving my pattern cutting skills. During the briefing a picture was shown that really stood out to me as it was a wedding dress that had the features of a shirt, I am really intrigued by that and I am going to use this as a starting point and research into bridal wear. I want to go into bridal wear, so I am going to begin with looking at how I can link the two together. TuesdayIllustrator Workshop This morning we had a workshop on using illustrator, I found this very helpful as I had never used illustrator before, we got taught a lot of the basics as well as how to create a repeat pattern which I will find really helpful when doing design work. I am really looking forward to our next session which is going to be a lot more fashion based, looking a technical drawings, I am going to keep practicing my illustrator skills so that I can get better and quicker. Technical Session Today we were pattern cutting a collar and collar stand, I really enjoyed the challenge of being left to get on with it as it was quite difficult but it made me think about what I was doing and why, as I went along I wrote the instructions in my own words ready for my technical file so that I can understand and remember how I did it at a later date. Wednesday, Thursday and FridayI have spent the last three days getting on with research, my next step is to bring all of my research together and begin my sketchbook.
Today we had a lecture all about sustainability in fashion, I have found that this has stuck with me and made me think about what I do. I know that I am very good at making sure I get the most out of garments as I can, and once they no longer serve a purpose I make them into something else or use the fabric as scrap. I Found it very interesting to know what happens to the garments that we put into the charity clothes banks, as I thought that the clothes were given to poor people in Africa and other poor regions of the world or for relief after natural disasters. Natural FibresSynthetic FibresRegenerated Fibres
I found todays lecture really thought provoking about how we treat the world. I found it interesting to see just how much clothing gets thrown out, but I was happy to see that it when it goes into the clothes banks it goes to Africa to be sold so that the people can make a living. I enjoyed learning about the different types of fibres, this is something that I am going to continue researching, as I want to be a sustainable as I can when I am designing and making. When we were learning about other fashion company’s sustainability I was very disappointed by the lack of information on a lot of their websites:
MondayToday I had life drawing, to find out how I got on please read my last blog post. TuesdayDeconstruction and Reconstruction Today’s session was really productive as I began the construction of my final 3D outcome, I have decided to hand stitch each section onto a calico bodice, I am finding it quite hard to stitch as I have to go through quite a lot of layers, but I am really pleased with how it is looking and I know I am on track with construction ready for hand in. Technical Session In today's session we were pattern cutting a raglan sleeve and a kimono, I found the kimono quite challenging to start with but once I got into it I understood the directions a lot better and got it finished, I shall go home this evening and type up my notes from today's session and add it to my pattern cutting technical file. WednesdayToday was another day of independent study, and I used this to make sure that I was on track with everything. I finished my technical file today and my sample file and I am beginning to feel a lot calmer about the deadline on Friday. Thursday Deconstruction and Reconstruction Due to a few technical difficulties today was very stressful, but I finished all my work, so I am very happy. I am very pleased with the result of my construction as I feel that it links clearly to all my paperwork Technical Session In today's technical session I cut out my t-shirt patterns in jersey and constructed my t-shirt. I used a cover-seam machine for the first time today and I am really pleased with the results. I have never made a jersey t-shirt before, so I enjoyed the challenge and I am quite proud of my results. I found the neckline the hardest as there was a lot to focus on, I had to make sure that I didn't cut the stay tape and make sure that all edges were overlocked; this was the hardest part as you couldn't see the underneath, I had to go over it again in a few places where I hadn't caught. FridayHand in
I have finished! Today was the last of my life drawing sessions for the time being, and we were drawing a man, this was the second time drawing a man but the first time drawing a naked man, I found it quite difficult getting proportions right as there is less elements than the female form. This was an hour drawing that I did, we were drawing on a mid-tone paper with pencils and white chalk, at first, I thought it would be really difficult to find something to do for the whole hour, but once I got into it I could have kept going for longer. Over the past 8 life drawing sessions I have seen a real improvement in my drawing and I getting a lot more confidence in the wok that I have created.
MondayToday I had life drawing and a lecture on Sustainability in Fashion, to find out more please read my previous and next post. Tuesday Technical Session Today's technical session was beginning the manufacture of the yoke skirt hat u pattern cut last week. I have now constructed the skirt, inserted the channel zip and have begun inserting the facing of the yoke. I have never sewn a yoke before, so I have found the sessions very beneficial in improving my technical skills. Next time I create a yoke I will explore a different edge, maybe one with a wave pattern. Deconstruction/ Reconstruction In the workshop session I did some more experimentation for my final 3D outcome, I really like the way that this turned out as all the colours work well together and I feel that it is beginning to tie all my research together. Now that everything is beginning to come together I am feeling a lot happier about the deadline next week. ThursdayTechnical Session- Skirt Manufacture I am really pleased that I finished my skirt today as it means that I can complete one more section of my technical file for hand in next Friday. My technical file is coming along nicely, and I am on track for next week, it is up to date which has helped me to not stress out too much as it is one less task that I must work on now. Assessment Briefing Today we had the assessment briefing it was so helpful as it gave me a clear indication of what is expected of me ready for hand in. As this is our first unit it has been quite daunting to think about the deadline day as we have never had a university one before, but after today I feel a lot happier about it, I have had all my questions answered, I can now start work on my portfolio now we know what we need for it. We were also told how the marking works, I found this very useful as I now understand how the marks are given out. FridayWith exactly one week till the deadline I have started construction on my final 3D outcome, this feels like a big relief as it means that I am one more step closer to finishing all my work for hand in.
We also had a guest lecture today which I will talk about in a post coming out this weekend. Todays session started with six 4 minute drawings with brush pens, I found this quite difficult to get the whole body drawn in the time, and the positions were quite difficult to draw, but I am a lot more committed to a drawing, I just dive straight in especially in the quick drawings. My line work is improving the more I do, its a lot less sketchy. However my proportions still need a lot of work. After doing the quick drawings, we moved onto painting, for each painting we had 15 minutes, I enjoyed getting add the colour however I found it quite difficult to paint the faces (especially adding detail), this is something that I need to practice a lot more so that I can get better. Working with paint you get to create your own style especially when looking at clothes as it is how you see a garment, it was interesting looking around at everyone elses paintings, as they were all very different. Overall I am pleased with how I got on in today's session as I can see a lot of improvement compared to my first session.
MondayLife Drawing Today's life drawing session was all about portraiture, to find out how I got on read my latest reflective journal post. TuesdayTechnical session In today’s technical session we were pattern cutting a yoke skirt. We were first taught how to do it and then we had to go away and complete the task, over the past few weeks I have found that my note taking has really improved, which helps a lot when I have to come back to something. I will go away after today’s session and write up all my notes and put it into my pattern cutting file. Sketchbook/Deconstruction Today we had independent study, where I chose to focus on my sketchbook, I found this time very helpful as I was able to finish lots of work that I had already started. I was beginning to feel a little bit stressed, but I took the time to go through everything and point out what I had already done and what was left to do and now I feel a lot more confident and happy to just get on with it. WednesdayLecture: Senses in Fashion Today's lecture was extremely interesting, we were taught all about how we can use our other senses when researching for design, I found this really thought provoking as I have only ever thought to use touch and sight, but we have been encouraged to explore smell and sound, for me I found sound rather different, but it is something that I look forward to exploring. ThursdayTechnical session Today's technical session was good however I did struggle with the simple task of getting the correct number of pattern pieces in the correct size of fabric, on the plus side i did learn how to stitch a channel zip, i had never completed a channel zip before so I am pleased to be able to add a new technique to my technical file. Mood board and Line up workshop Today we had a mood board workshop where we created mood boards, for this we had to collect 10 images from our research and print them, we then got to stick them to the wall creating a moving mood board that we can change around when ideas move forward, this exercise helped me a lot as I now feel that I have a better idea about how my ideas are going to come together, we also had a peer review session with our mood boards, this gave me loads of new ideas as well as ways that I can improve my mood boards. For the Line-up workshop we were creating our first 6 outfit line up, I really enjoyed looking at the shapes I have created over the past few weeks and seeing how I can change the scale and shape of things to create an interesting silhouette. FridayGroup tutorials
Today I took part in the group tutorials, with two weeks till the deadline I found it useful as I now have a clearer idea of what is left to do and how I can improve what I have already done. I still have quite a lot of work to do in my sketchbook, but my technical and fabric files are coming along nicely, and I now have a very good idea of what I need to include in my sketchbook. Today’s life drawing session was all about portraiture. I have tried to avoid drawing faces until today, where we had to focus on the face. To start with I had no idea where to begin but once I got into it I felt a lot more confident in starting. it was recommended that we start with the eyes and work from there. To start we were just drawing the head but we then moved onto the body as well. In the second half of the session we were still focusing on the face but including the body as well, we had a bit longer for these, the first two we had 12 minutes and for the last one we had just under an hour, for this one I used pencil and white chalk, I used the chalk to highlight where the light was hitting the body, I really wish that I had more time on this one so that I could finish it. Overall, I am really pleased with the progress I made in this session and I feel a lot happier with drawing faces now, I am going to keep practising so that I can keep improving. MondayLife Drawing Today I had another two sessions of life drawing, the first session we were just using brush pens and in the second session we began using paints, to find out more read my next posts all about each session. TuesdayTechnical Session- Constructing The Top Today I finished construction of the top that we started last week, I had to insert the collar and the facing as well as hem the whole garment, although the facing was quite fiddly I am really pleased with my end result, I enjoy construction as I can be quite regimented with the way I do things as well as being very hands on. Deconstruction experimentation I decided to work on the full-sized mannequin today to explore my ideas on a bigger scale, I am taking a lot of influence from the work of Bridget Riley, as well as focusing on texture. Bridget Riley creates art that consists of lots of lines and block colour, they often give the effect of an optical illusion, which is all things I am trying to experiment with. WednesdayToday was a catch up day, so I took the time to work on my sketchbook, fabric file and my technical file. Thursday1/2 scale mannequin shape experimentation Today we had our open studio, where we were showing the work that we have been getting up to for the last few weeks, our work was shown from behind a piece of white fabric where we shone lights onto it so that you could only see the silhouette, then people could come around to the other side to see what was creating the shapes. We were focusing on shape today to see what silhouettes we could create, I found this quite difficult as my piece at the moment is very textured, but it doesn't have such a sculptural shape to it, this is something that I am going to work on so that it has a more defined shape to it. I found it very helpful projecting them onto the fabric as it showed us the silhouette of our work making us focus on the shape. Pattern cutting technical session I really enjoyed todays pattern cutting session as we pattern cut three different types of skirt, we pattern cut an A-Line, a Flared and a Circle skirt, I really enjoyed getting to know different methods for each of them, for the A-line I was taught using the pivot method which reduced the amount of paper that I needed to use from my old method and was a lot quicker and easier. |
AboutHello, Eleanor here, I am currently at Norwich University of the Arts studying Fashion, please join me along my adventure. Archives
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