Geometric final Evaluation
1. What skills have you learnt in this project?
During this project I have learnt a variety of skills which I’ve been developing over time. Tie dying is something that I am familiar with, so when learning the shibori dye technique I enjoyed this and felt confident however I quickly learnt that the dye spread better once the fabric was soaked in water first. Techniques such as Arashi, Kanoko and miura shibori are all techniques that involve a process which resists the dye from the fabric. I then combined previous skills like foiling to develop my shibori pieces.
Embroidering is another skill that I learnt during this project - embroidering into magazines, fabrics and various mediums - this allows for drawn and planned out designs. I enjoyed embroidering into unconventional mediums to create a design that sends a message or to change a pre-existing piece of art. Machine embroidery differers in terms of its spontaneous movements and fluid organic design. I found that when creating abstract pieces it allowed me to express myself in the work. One of the skills I struggled to achieve/learn successfully was needle punch because of the various challenges such as the fabric type, tension of the hoop as well as the needle because it popped out sporadically. This is a skill that I am still yet to learn so that I can apply it to garments and other projects similar to this one.
2. Select 3 artists that had an influence on you and discuss why.
The embroidery artist Mike Bieraugel was an artist that had an influence on me because his work uses bright bold embroidery thread that is similar to the vibrant colour schemes that i enjoy to use, as well as this he embroiders into vogue magazines in order to address issues of inclusivity and diversity in society - this was inspiring to me because his art is questioning the structure and role of the media in society. Another artist that is inspiring to me is Rex Ray because in his work he contrasts plain backgrounds with vibrant psychedelic graffiti designs. I found his work inspiring because of his layering of graffiti and his colour schemes used, however when I tried to replicate his work in the session, I found that the technique requires practice and the right weather conditions (wind was not my friend).The final artist that inspired me was Heather Koumi not only because of her vibrant colour schemes used in her batik designs but because of her fluid use of the wax similar to the embroidery she uses unconventional mediums to work onto. I found her work inspiring particularly in my cushion project because in her batik she has a combination of circles, spirals and dots shapes similar to my own style.
3. What skills did you choose to apply for the final cushion? How successful was this?
For my final project I decided to use batik, dyeing and embroidery. I began by using the batik wax onto my fabric I used the deep pit circle tool and the long silver tool however an issue that I found was that the wax didn’t stain all the way through to both sides of the fabric; this meant that once I added the dye and ironed it off it didn’t successfully resist the dye. When applying the porcion dye I mixed orange dye with water, to create yellow, this meant that it required several layers because it was quite pale in its application. On the other hand I found that because I had soaked my fabric in water the dyes merged successfully. Finally, the last technique I used is embroidery. I decided to embroider my geometric shapes using a white thread because it fit in with my colour scheme but I realised that using a bolder thread such as an orange would have highlighted/reinforced the geometric theme and contrasted to the background. Despite this I concluded that the embroidery was successful in terms of its relevance to the theme however, I did not execute it with procession in terms of the placement, thread tensions or planning which shapes to produce.
4. Where in the market or which brand could you see your final cushion being suitable for and why?
My market is not restrictive to demographics such as age, gender, race etc.
I believe that the market I see best for my final cushion would be one that enjoys bright cool colours, simple contemporary designs that are not overwhelming. I believe my cushion cover would work in a modern home that is styled bright and cosy that doesn't shy away from colour features. In terms of which brands I believe would be suitable for my cushion I began by researching brands that created homeware products that used bright colour schemes, light and airy setups as well as simplistic designs. Brands such as anthropology and Oliver Bonas seemed best suited so I then decided to look into companies whose whole range of products are similar to mine i concluded that urban outfitters' bright, simplistic designs on their products were a brand that would be suitable for my product.
5. What would you have changed in your work if you had more time? Or what challenges have you faced/overcome?
If I had more time during the project I would have considered the artist Nina Gregier and her work in terms of using smaller geometric shapes to collage together to build a larger design, I would have liked to create a feature design on the front of my cushion that addresses a message personal to myself. As well as this I would have reconsidered my colour schemes for the dye and embroidery thread so that they could have been more vibrant and representative of myself. I think one of the challenges I faced during the project was the success of the batik wax resisting the dye so in order to overcome this I would have practiced using different batik tools and techniques had I had more time.
6. Overall, how successful do you feel this project was for you? (Creative learning as well as personal skills e.g. time management)
In order to rate how successful this project was for me I looked at the skills i learnt and how i have been able to apply and execute them as well as my personal skills such as my planning, time management and decision making. I have used several new techniques that have been taught to me during the project, I have used the correct processes, developed them using layering and I have applied them to the brief provided. In terms of my personal skills I suggest that I was more productive during the last week of the project because I used better time management in order to get the cushion cover sewn together, embroidered and overlocked. On the other hand, I am confident that I have done the planning for each step of my cushion; clearly presenting the process I have gone through this has helped me to progress to each stage and remain relevant to my original cushion ideas instead of diverging to other ideas. In conclusion i believe that this project was successful for me to practice and apply new skills i’ve learnt, as well as being put under a time constraint so that i can adapt to being under stress/pressure however, this project did not inspire my creativity to produce a project i am pleased with and that i believe fulfills the brief of geometric design.