Live brief_ progress

This week has also been mostly dedicated to the branding brief, for which I have begun sampling in knit. My tutorial advice was to be very bold and experimental with colour and technique for this project so I have been really trying to push this, letting myself work quite instinctively.

I have been working on my own fair isle design as this is something that reoccurs throughout Sibling collections. Based on a monster face/ skull, I experimented with scale and colours to see what worked best.

I quite like the pattern here but it is too small and isn't distinct enough.

Here I increased the scale in an attempt to get the face motif to come through stronger, I think this is more successful, the black creates a strong, defined line. I will continue to experiment with colour and yarn choice to 'lift' the sample and give it a Sibling edge. 

Texture was the focus for this sample, I wanted to create a shaggy, furry surface reminiscent of the monsters. On a larger scale I imagine it as a crazy jumper or coat.

This chunky hand knitting has a nice quality to it, different from what can be achieved with the machine. The dark base with the lighter tassels fits well with an A/W colour palette although it could be a bit bolder and more extravagant.  

I feel I have made some good progress and am along the right lines however I do need to pick up the pace for the last week to be able to resolve my ideas.

Live brief_ research

For the live brief part of Locating I am working to the Branding brief. I chose knitwear brand Sibling to design for because I find them inspiring but it is quite different to how I work at the moment and I want to push new techniques and ways of working.

During this weeks tutorial we discussed how to approach the project and research the brand. I have been studying past and current collections to pick out identifiable aspects and reoccurring themes.
The designers draw inspiration from a wide variety of sources, for example youth tribes, music and aspects of popular culture. One of their signatures is to reinvent and reinterpret classics such as the twin set and fair lisle motifs, putting a contemporary and subversive spin on them.

(A/W 13, A/W 15)

I am looking at folklore monsters and myths to build my own body of visual inspiration with which to work from, I felt this would be in line with the brands ethos. I will be sampling for a A/W menswear collection so will be working with a range of yarns and materials to create monster 'skins'. One of my main sources of inspiration is a photographic series by Charles Freger: Wilder Mann.

http://www.charlesfreger.com/portfolio/wilder-mann/

Colour is something that is integral to Siblings identity so I have been focusing on developing a strong pallette that fits. Their use of colour is bright and strong but has some refinement and a good balance across pieces in the collections.

( Sketchbook page- colour ideas)

I now need to push on with sampling; really experimenting with techniques, materials and scale. 

Self initiated_ visual research

This week I have continued visual research for my self initiated project, starting to draw and photograph. As my research was still a bit bitty, I have tried to consider carefully what I am looking at and why, focusing on qualities and abstraction.

Using a torch as a light source, I played with angling it onto objects I had to hand to create interesting  effects.

                           

I did a series of mono prints, working from photos and found imagery as I wanted to explore texture and tonal qualities in some of my drawings. These were the most successful and can work on from them to generate ideas. 

For this drawing I traced the shadow of a grass stalk whilst moving the light source, I like the elongated layered shapes that have been made. 

I now need to dissect and develop my drawings and photos, looking at colour and material qualities ready to start sampling.

Locating_ self initiated brief

This week has been spent considering and developing a theme and concept with which to work from for this project.

I have decide to focus on the contrasting elements of light and dark, stemming from the principals of yin and yang. I am interested in how light interacts with form and the resulting visual effects; the way light enhances and highlights or distorts what is perceived. I am particularly interested in shadows which go mostly unnoticed but are important in understanding the world, visually. I will explore them as both an abstracted form in isolation and as a transitional imprint; working with the following key words to create a body of visual resources.

Silhouette

Transition

Juxtaposition

Conceal/ Reveal

Positive/ Negative

Illuminate/ Eclipse

Fragment/ Interlink

Enhanced spaces.....

I intend to use photographic and mark making techniques to gather information to work from and then develop through sampling and the exploration of materials.