Journal Day 144

Tutorial with Jane flew past me this week, and then I got overwhelmed with the amount to do and forgot to write about! Tutorial went really well, and Jane liked my designs so far. My original idea had been to select say 3 or 4 of my designs (or variations of one design) after evaluating them and working further with them. I would then have had 3 mugs, and some fabric printed from these designs with which I would create a mini room set up. This would have involved a small arm chair and a side table with the mugs, and maybe a vase with flowers on it. Jane pointed out that this could look rather "bitty", unless I upholstered a chair with my fabric. After looking at the work, and the worksheets, on which I have laid the designs she pointed out that both my way of thinking and my way of designing is very logical and my final show should reflect that. She (and I have noticed many other tutors also doing this) pointed out that the final show does not have to include a 'final piece' as such. It does not need to be narrowed down quite such, and that for me this works to my advantage as the logical design process has become the main project, and so the final show should again, reflect this.

And so she suggested that I skip the evaluative process I had chosen, and instead create designs with 2 or 3 more birds. I could then have printed up to say 8 or 10 max. tea towels and mugs of each bird. They could be displayed in rows, by bird and type, creating a 6 x <10 row of pattern and colour products with a strong impact and wow factor. This keeps the products linked, by home placement, allows for mass production and little work on my half. It also give me the option of selling stuff at the show. Over all I loved her idea and am definitely going to do it! Now I'm just researching good manufacturers and prices.

I have also started to re-think my catalogue and whether I want to include home set up style photos with my designs in or not. Part of me thinks this will be really tricky and could look a bit tacky if poorly done. We will give it a go and see, I'm thinking.

So today I started the hummingbirds, and after doing some more sketches in my sketchbook and traced some more photos (this time not my own) to get the bird shapes. I chose to use images that weren't my own as the ones I already had were from Paradise Park, and I had really struggled to take the photos I needed and wanted as many of the birds were not only hidden behind trees, but were also far away and were all in enclosed areas with horrible wire fences in the way. All of which did not make for successful photos!

The one thing I did differently though, was that this time, with the birds already selected and in my mind, and therefore in my sketchbook it was much easier to draw pattern and background ideas on an attached page to the sketches and to play around with ideas in my sketchbook rather than on paper. I don't mind where I do my drawing, but I found that at the beginning of the project I didn't really know what I was planning to do or where I was going to go with the project and so did a lot if drawing that consequently hasn't been used in the project designs at all. While I think that it is completely understandable for this to happen, and is how most of my projects begin, I am really enjoying the confidence and better results that I feel come from the small amount of prior knowledge of choice that I have at this stage for kind of starting again with new bird designs. This is something I think I will have to work hard on in the future. In order to do this I think I need to do a certain amount of drawing before a project begins, before a project proposal happens and even on a daily basis of everything that inspires me in order to have drawings ready and have ideas with which to start a project. This has also been the key and start to a new online course in surface pattern design that I started this week, and can now understand much more where the teacher is coming from. (There will be more on the course to come tomorrow!)

Anyway, onto the Hummingbirds!

What do you think!?

Abiento x

Journal Day 142- Unused inspiration

As I mentioned yesterday, I can see a couple of ways in which I could have done this project differently, and it is in plain contrast to how I am currently doing it.

At the moment everything I am doing is on a computer. I am designing and creating digitally. I chose to eliminate any chance for possible time wasting or mistakes than can often come from working by hand in the print room. It is hugely time consuming and I felt that I want to be able to quickly and efficiently experiment with the patterns and saw that doing it digitally would allow me to see a range of designs in seconds or minutes rather than days, allowing me to achieve much more.

However when I was browsing through my pinterest I found these:

Original Source here

Lauren Adams

Lara Hardwood. Found here

Lara Hardwood Same as above

Lara Hardwood. Same as above.

Kees Goudzwaard. Found here

Kees Goudzwaard. Same as above.

Kees Goudzwaard. Same as above. 

Melanie Mikecz. Found in her etsy shop here

Harlequin Wallpaper for John Lewis. Found here

Harlequin Wallpaper for John Lewis, found here

Theo Altenberg. Found here

Valerie Roybal

Britt Bass. Found here

Thomas Prinz, Found here

 and thought again about how I could have done so much work with paint, colour and textures. I would have almost ignored the birds, or would have created quite abstract bird shapes or perhaps just used bird outlines, all of which I would have liked but do not feel confident doing. It would have been a hugely experimental project, something I feel would have been more appropriate for part 2 of this course. At this stage I want to be able to create quality work and will save the emotional experimentation for my personal time :). Maybe one day...!

Abiento x

Journal Day 141- Worksheets

Week two of this part is upon us and so for me that means evaluating what has been done. I have shared most of the designs so far, but in order to move forward I have printed them out and placed them, in their groups, onto worksheets. I find that working on a computer can give you tunnel vision, and the best way to really look at what you've done is when you can print them out and see them all together.

The way in which I have been working has allowed the sometimes un-sympathetic medium of digital design to have no effect on me so far. What I have and am focusing on is how and what makes a pattern.

I started with these basic background ideas with the intention of applying a variation of foregrounds to them. What I was interested in was not the over all pattern and it's effect (to a certain degree, with colour choices etc.) but was interesting in asking questions about the application of the foreground to the background.

Lots of multi coloured squares over-lapping to create a busy(!) background that possibly overwhelms the eyes?

Many coloured squares separated to be slightly less busy and easier on the eyes

All one tonal background with fewer squares spread out, but still over lapped for creation of new colours and shapes.

For example;

How does a busy background work with a busy foreground?

one bird repeated evenly, but in a colour that is not easy to see. Is it too much for eyes? Is the colour too light to see the new shapes created by the over-lapping?

In a bolder, more neutral colour the birds become much more dominant than the busy background, but your eyes focus on them rather than the new shapes created by the over-lapping. The colour also highlights the  squares that are also the of the same colour which I don't like.

Tropical, 80's coloured birds clash with the multi coloured background, but the strong, repeated bird pattern stands out without dominating the background entirely. 

How does a simple background work with the same busy foreground?

The background, now separated, is much easier for the eye to focus on. This in turn makes it (as it is brighter and bolder) more dominant than the foreground. The birds in the foreground are slightly opaque adding to this. Again the colour choice of the foreground is pretty awful and does not help it to look good. However I do think that a neutral colour would not work either. Having a foreground and background so separate seems to be part of the problem.

What about a background that is simple and of one tonal theme?

Here, the colours all work well together making the image much more aesthetically pleasing in general, however I still don't like the background as it feels like there isn't enough of one for the many may birds present. 

Here the colours do not matter as much, as I feel that it works because the background and foreground match in terms of having a similar amount of information and activity. 

This kind of organised grouping for the birds is preferable for me to the many many birds of the pattern 2 above. It is group, structured and repeated. Same as the background. 

Admittedly the colour choices for these ideas was awful, and to be honest I hate how they have turned out. But at the end of the day they have done the job and shown me ideas and basics on how the foreground and background can work together. I also think that having a background and foreground so separate makes the patterns look weird- Having them linked/related and joined in some way is what makes a complete and good pattern.

In order to gain the bird pattern in photoshop I traced photographs and drawings and scanned them into photoshop. I spent an afternoon tracing many different versions of the birds together to again see how each idea and format of the birds would work. Like I said, I have been working very logically  towards creating the patterns.

Once this was all done I started a fresh and began creating the patterns. For each one I have two or more versions in order to experiment and see what works better and what I prefer.

Again, for example;

Same bird layout as above, but with different colours and on a white background.

With an orange background. (Bright and 80's!)

Blue background- still bright but not so 80's, more of a beach feel. 

With a pink background it has a girly feeling. 

Smaller birds, with big yellow triangles and small grey triangles. More of a spaced out feel. Not quite enough?

With the addition of yellow triangles, it feels more full and detailed. 

With  no background triangles it feels a little bare.

Pale yellow birds for a toned down feeling

much poppier with a bright yellow

poppy yellow with stripes. Stripe additions always make me think of wallpaper, so not sure how I feel about this!

Pale blue version, feels suitable for much more surfaces. 

Purple, for a mature but girly feel. All of these plain patterns can really be done in any colour to suit the need or person.

Add in some blue and centred yellow triangles with a red bird. The yellow birds give lots of details and linear pattern for the eyes to follow. 

A fuschia pink is a slightly nicer fit with the other colours.

Pale stripes and dots give it a wallpaper feel again but add more detail and info. 

A bolder  bird makes them much more dominant, and while I like this I think the bird could be toned down a bit to find a middle ground between the two. 

Back to the red, with dirty yellow stripes. I really do not like this colour combo. 

butter cup yellow stripes give it a much better feel but the red is still not working for me. 

even brighter yellows bring back a feel of the 80's and are very happy :)

this time dirty yellow, but bolder. Gives an earthy feel that I think could work if the red was also earthy or was replaced for another earthy colour. Quite a toned down and mature feeling. 

girly pinks! with only dots for a more simplified feel, with opaque birds to create new shapes and colours for added info. If this had stripes it would be too much. 

bolder colours, still opaqued slightly. This I think takes away from the girly feel. 

A simple feel with only dots, with added green for a unique twist that I love!

Bright yellow triangles add another shape to the dots. 

Paled out a bit they become less of a focal point which I think is preferable. 

Thick stripes and thin stripes enhance a wallpaper feeling you could get! Possibly a bit too much?

Shadows create a mirage that quite frankly hurts the eyes

Spaced out shadows add nothing but confusion.

A simple green stripe on one side rather than both adds a bit of a quirk but does not take away from the wallpaper feel 

plainer, with no bright blue stripes gives a maturer feel, but is too plain for my liking.

So far I feel that this method is working quite successfully for me, allowing to evaluate and choose as I go. It is very methodical and not at all expressive or emotional, but for this project I am happy to work this way! As I go on I can see many ways in which I could have done it differently, but that is something I could try when the time frees up again :)

Abiento x