Wednesday, 29 October 2014

Assignment one - Reflection

Textiles 1 – A Creative Approach
Assignment one
Reflection
I am by nature a very organised person so that when I started this course I was sure that I would be organised in my way of working and time keeping.  I became confused as to what is expected of me, how much work I am to produce and how I am to keep a record of my work.  I was to keep a sketchbook, a learning log/blog and a theme book.  I decided to use an A4 sketchbook on a daily basis, to carry an A6 sketchbook in my bag so that I could jot down/draw when out and about or for visiting exhibitions and shows and that I would have an A4 book to use for my learning log.  After much debating I decided to keep a learning blog http://janstextilelearningblog.blogspot.co.uk/  along with sketchbooks and a notebook.  I will also keep my stitched samples in a book.
At the beginning of the mark making exercises I did not want ‘to get it wrong’.  I was quite tentative mostly because I was not sure how I should organise and record my samples.  I am pleased with the work I have done.  The exercises enabled me to relax into drawing and start to think about how they could be taken into stitch.  Although I was using different media I noticed that I began to use the water soluble materials more.  I found these easy to use and loved the way the colours mixed. I feel that I am now beginning to look for pattern and texture everywhere I go.  I realise that I must make working in a sketchbook a daily exercise and that the subject matter can be anything. 
I have always loved hand stitching and enjoyed this part of the course very much.  I began my first samples on plain fabric and quickly made the decision to colour my own fabric for the remainder of my samples.  I felt I worked much better from my drawings by colouring the fabrics and building up the texture with the stitch.  I would do a couple of my samples differently.  I feel the first sample of running stitch and backstitch could have been more organised and the sample I did of a picture of the fields that was in my sketchbook I think could have been worked differently.  I think it was too much of a straightforward interpretation of my drawing.
I feel I experimented enough within the time I had.  I would have liked to do some machine stitched samples and hope to go back and use the exercises to do this at a later date. 
On completing the exercises and projects in Part one I realise the need for experimentation and sampling.

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