Saturday 23 April 2016

Fabric Samples and Storage

What the hell are Pinking Shears??

Yinka Shonibare pattern 2013
I have produced a series of textile designs which have been digitally printed onto a range of fabric samples. I have done this to explore which material further accentuates the curves and follows the folds of the body more accurately when draped onto the human form. 
I have looked at a number of ways to present and collate material print samples. Examples of my  fabric work has been sent to Petri Justin at Marimekko for feedback - the work of Maija Louekari and Maija Isola is similar in style to some of my own - and I have introduced  abstract forms into the backgrounds of my recent work in response to this.

Viktor & Rolf - Van gogh Sunrise 2015
Viktor and Rolf - Vogue Spring 2015
Initially I used Photoshop to manipulate and then combine images together. My inspiration for this set of designs has come from a variety of artists; particularly Miss Bugs, who has formed the basis for my Professional Practice report, but also the work of Viktor and Rolf (particularly their 'Van Gogh' inspired Spring Collection 2015), Yinka Shonibare (specifically his fabric covered sculptural figures and vibrant patterns), Aubrey Beardsley and Jasper Goodall (their linear and monochrome figurative work).

I have printed a selection of small, eclectic designs (incorporating scanned Linocuts, Silkscreen prints, Acrylic paintings, Ink line drawings and Collage) onto a mixture of fabrics including: Cotton Duck Canvas, Juniper Linen, Bamboo Silk Satin, Twill Silk and Wool Delaine.
Salome - Aubrey Beardsley
In my opinion, Silk blends are most effective for capturing the essence of the figure - these fabrics are not only more tactile and soft but hang better when draped and folded across the body.


Hardcover books, cloth books or hangar style drapes could be methods I use in order to store and present my fabric samples effectively. However, I am particularly concerned about collating 'pages' of fabric and stitching a book together as I have the sewing skills of a pickled egg. 




 


 

Dissecting Silkscreen Separations

CMYK colour separations
Accuracy of registration
Accuracy of colour
Consistency of print quality

The idea of layers of colour and experimenting with texture and opacity was interesting so I began using process colours and layering them to reproduce a digital photographic original. The process colours were split four ways, reminiscent of a schizophrenic personality and combined to recreate a four colour process print. Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black; Folex or Acetate positives of these four colours (silkscreen printed in this order) were made and then exposed as separations on a silkscreen, registered and printed, one at a time, to recreate a full colour, photographic quality print.


I have been experimenting with halftone dot structures, patterns and extreme colour. On my computer screen, the brightness of each finished piece of artwork was immense and I wanted to try to replicate this vibrancy of colour using the silkscreen process. I thought that the silkscreen method would enable me to reproduce my images on a variety of surfaces, allowing for experimentation with both 2 and 3 dimensions, particularly as it is my intention to work with a variety of fabric samples.

I exported and then printed my CMYK separations from both InDesign (JPEG files) and from Photoshop (PSD files) to compare the quality of the positives from different software programmes. Unfortunately, my first print efforts were unexpected. I forgot to take into account the ‘moiré’ pattern (which was more pronounced when printing positives from Photoshop), where the linear textural composition of the areas of contrast affected the transposition of layered colour considerably. Also, when printing out the series of acetate positives the printer cropped the registration marks from the artwork, causing me to print the Cyan positive as Magenta which altered the colour of the image so it was unrecognisable compared to the original. Therefore, I had my positives reprinted from the original JPEG files by lovely Ben in 2D print. The end result was an experimental education albeit it dull. Printing process colours in order is essential as is printing the correct colour with the correct positive. What a moo!

 




The ‘Moiré effect is a visual perception that occurs when viewing a set of lines or dots that is superimposed on another set of lines or dots, where the sets differ in relative size, angle, or spacing. The moiré effect can be seen when looking through ordinary window screens at another screen or background. It can also be generated by a photographic or electronic reproduction, either deliberately or accidentally.
                                 
Moiré effect can produce interesting and beautiful geometric patterns. However, the phenomenon degrades the quality and resolution of graphic images. Problems occur when a screened image, such as is found in a newspaper, is directly photographed and then the photograph is reprinted in screened format. It can also occur when the image from a computer display is reproduced by photographic means and then rendered in a screened or dot-matrix format. The fine matrix of dots in the original image almost invariably conflicts with the matrix of dots in the reproduction. This generates a characteristic criss-cross pattern on the reproduced image.”

Accuracy of registration is the key to my success here and in order to replicate each print with precision I had to use a ‘flip-sheet’. Therefore in the future if I choose to produce more silkscreen prints in this way, in order to be successful I need to check for ‘Moire’, accurately register my print and just bloody concentrate.

The final screenprints were interesting but lacked the colour intensity of the
‘on-screen’ originals and I was disappointed. The designs worked better on fabric when printed digitally. Hand rendered textile prints using a combination of a silkscreen printed keyline and acrylic paint directly onto fabric and textured paper has given me a more intense colour and a much more accurate and satisfying end result.  The figurative patterns were rather chaotic but the more chaotic and complex, the more I liked it.



Friday 1 April 2016


“The human body is the best work of art.”

“To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.”


I have begun working with digital and hand rendered positives to produce silkscreen and textile designs, which can be translated onto both fabric and paper, inspired by the female form. The patterns that make up these images are taken from a variety of sources and blended digitally to provide colourful compositions that I am ‘playing’ with.

Using a combination of my own figurative work, organic studies and projections alongside recognisable photographic and fine art images, where the idea of the feminine becomes more stylised, I have blended these variations so they appear as an amalgam of repeated pattern, colour and form.

I have taken reference from personal nostalgic sources to iconic filmic representation of women in the 20th century. I wanted to use ‘snippets’ from my childhood of my mother and grandmother, but have also chosen Hollywood actors and captured movie stills, which, for me, evoke the essence of 1960’s and 1970s era. “ The Odd Couple” - the go-go dancing girl at the beginning of the film and also the waitress scene, “Dirty Harry” – captures a half tone image of Clint Eastwood on the hill overlooking San Francisco.

Arnolfini’s Wedding Portrait by Jan van Eyck and Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ were initial starting points for another series of potential textile patterns and also classical Greek sculptural forms photographed in Amsterdam. All the subject matter for my work is feminine and has been combined with linear aspects of the female shape.


There is a recurrent theme throughout my current work – a Madonna and child style schematic which was unintentional initially.  The shapes I use  - curved halo-esque patterns – are repeated, as are the interlocking faded figurative patterns - which are taken from my earlier silkscreen, linocut or life drawings. Angie Butler noticed this religious undercurrent therefore I am starting to explore Religious Iconography again (see my earlier work on Shrines).