28 January 2014

First digital fabric samples are out!!

The first eight prints of my collection! I say collection - I havnt decided quite what's in and what's out yet.. And I get a feeling I'm going to be using about 25 different prints!! 

I have so far printed onto cotton sheeting, cotton canvas, bamboo fibre and also a beautiful linen. All suit different purposes and products, of course, and I'm so happy that the cotton canvas has turned out okay because that's the main one for all the bags etc! The sheeting is too thin, and the bamboo is only for products which won't see a while bunch of wear, as it's super soft. The linen is perfect for smaller accessory items, as Long as it's interfaced with heavy vilene, which it will be :) 

I have included here two of my fave prints as well as the stack of eight. Eight more next week after some lino printing hopefully this week!! 

:D



21 January 2014

Colour Palette

I have a good few colour themes going on at the moment, all extracted from photographs that form my primary research in edinburgh. I like to present my palettes in a different way rather than the tradtional. so here are some, in chimneytop form! Created with my bamboo :) 


Drawing, Drawing, Drawing

I am trying to draw everyday. a sketch, a bag idea, or a technical drawing, perhaps some colour.. but drawing anyway i can! then im trying to create repeat prints.. which is hard with new drawings coming everyday, but hard in a good way i suppose! Just thought i would share some of my most recent drawings :)




Edinburgh Chimneytops

Technical drawings on dot paper to get an idea of size and pocket placement! They dont include fabric placement, but tartan and harris tweed will feature :)

another chimney sketch

some repeats ive got going on!

20 January 2014

Digital Fabric Printing

Having my first tutorial this year tomorrow! Im quite nervous because they either send me on a motivational high where i work work work or bring me down to a state of depression which means i just want to sleep, eat chocolate muffins and watch big bang theory everyday for about 4 days.. soo.. yeah, nervous haha! Ive missed the last two weeks because ive been visiting London, including a trip to Top Drawer which was really great, i saw some great designers, and it gave me an insight into smaller trade shows which i could more than possibly exhibit at this time next year! Also good to see layouts as im thinking forward to my degree show, and trade prices was interesting to see too!

The shop featured in the next few photographs is called 'Miss Katie Cupcake' - an adorable little shop absolutely filled to the brim with handmade and vintage-esque goodies, my mum and i stumbled accross this little shop when we were wondering up to the royal mile. its no bigger than my bedroom and we probably spent an hour in there! Anyway - i fell in love with a little linotype tray filled with goodies, got a good photo, bought a brooch and then went home to draw up from my photograph! And it features in my print below :)

Miss Katie Cupcake - Shop in Edinburgh - Photo by MacLean Photography :)



 Visiting Top Drawer in London was a great eye opener! We turned a corner to see some lovely scarves, my flatmate nudged me and said 'Hey! you can make scarves.. they would sell so well, definately get on that!' anyway.. 55 stands and about 1200 scarves later we decided its er.. its already been done. ive never seen so many scarves at a show!! maybe i wont bother with those then!!


Top Drawer London!


Oh and the fabric design - im getting somewhere - but SO slowly... I have to work at it for hours and hours and then just before i quit photoshop i have this idea.. and it comes from there! Also i havnt got illustrator so i cant make vector files, which means i cant reeeeally use these as theyre not good enough quality. when means all the work im producing, is infact, a waste of time.. but i figure ill go through like this, and then when i know my final designs ill re do them in high quality! A decision im sure ill live to regret! 

This is my latest design featuring picknmix bags from the christmas fair, in my colour palette blue tone, with drawings from miss katie cupcakes shop over the top. a continuous line drawing created in pen. Its a little different i think i quite like it.. and it does feel more surface design than fabric design.. i can see it on notebooks etc.. we will see! the white is a layer inbetween just the break up the colour and line.. but i quite like it. hmmm.. i havnt slept on this yet though! 


18 January 2014

Visualisations



Here are some of my first visualisations. I dont have any definite fabric repeats yet so i decided to use my drawings, both digital form and straight from the raw scans! i also scanned in my tartan wool and leather.. i kind of like the look here actually even though i havnt used my repeats yet! Strange what you do when you're bored then actually you like them..!

I am creating a bunch of luggage pieces with accessories. i hope to have a few big bags for my degree show as well as a large range of accessories, from toiletries bags to umbrellas! Maybe even some wellies.. we will see :)

 I want my degree show set up to be kind of simple but still have a good amount of products on show. Its about quality, not quantity.. thats for certain. you dont want your space to look overcrowed..! I plan to have a box shelving unit which i can stack loads of accessories into. that way, i can make an overwhelming amount which you can view, but in an enclosed space. then stack two or three big luggage bags on top of each other, maybe get a luggage trolley too!


17 January 2014

Edinburgh Project Progress

hey buddy! a deer in a scarf, from the menu at the Carlton Hotel, EH1. Drew this when i was there for afternoon tea last year :)

working through slowly.. i do feel like im making prints for the fun of it. havnt really found anything which i love yet, which is a worry!

I have, however, decide to primarily digitally print my fabrics, and screen-print on top.. even saying this out loud makes me feel alot more relieved because to be honest, im pretty rubbish at screenprinting and im sure with time and practice i would be awesome (haha) but the thought of learning something all over again stresses me out.. especially the whole repeat thing. So im going to be printing gold tones on top of digital prints to enhance the prints in certain places. stress free, and a sustainable method of working for my future!

Lots more experimenting to do, and also considering creating some A1 drawings and using them. but hey.. who needs sleep? :D

Product reviews

Being a student and everything, I do get a certain amount of money from student finance three times a year. Now.. I do think the whole system is flawed.. But that's another matter. I do spend most of my funding on products and materials for my course.. Which is great! I don't really go out that much so I can afford to buy good quality products, and since my achievement at art on the prom this year I decided that I'm slowly going to upgrade everything material/tool-wise that I own, so that by the time I graduate I'll be ready with the best tools to get stuck into whatever I decide to do!!

So.. As I buy all these lovely products, I have decided to try and review them a little bit, in the hope it might inform someone else's decisions on buying good quality products!! 

I am a firm believer in saving up and buying the best instead of buying cheap and having to replace.. This goes for everything.. From shoes to shower curtains! Yep.. 

I will make my first reviews in the coming weeks 




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