Part 1 Project 1 Making Marks

 

It is quite some time since I did any marking making like this.  At first I realised I was very tense about doing the exercise.  I got myself thinking too deeply as to how I should organise and present the drawings instead of just doing it.  After I had completed a couple of sheets I felt I was becoming more relaxed and really started to enjoy playing with the different media I had collected together.
It really was just a question of me getting down to it!

Have you ever thought about drawing in this way before?

I did City & Guilds Embroidery which I completed in 1999.  I had done mark making in this way during that course but had not done drawing like this since then.

Were you able to be inventive about the range of marks you made?

I was quite apprehensive at the start of these exercises and had a strong desire 'not to do it wrong'.  I think I became more inventive with the range of marks I made as I did more.  I felt quite rigid in my work at first and tended to stick to using media with which I was familiar and felt comfortable with such as watersoluble pencils and crayons.  As time went on I started to look for different media and this in turn helped me to try different techniques such as resits and collage.

Did you explore a wide range of media?

I feel I have explored a wide range of media and think the possibilities are endless.  I think I would like to explore resists more.

Are you pleased with what you have done?  Will it help you to approach drawing more confidently?

I am pleased with what I have done.  I was apprehensive at the beginning of the exercises and I can see from my first pages of mark making that I was timid in my approach to the work.  On looking through the exercises I have done I am pleased that I have obviously relaxed and I can honestly say it was a pleasure each time I started working.

Which exercise did you most enjoy?  Why?

I particularly enjoyed Exercise 1 in Stage 3 'Using marks to create surface textures'.  I liked working from a visual source rather than just making marks out of my head.  During this exercise I found it easier to utilise different media to represent the texture of the image.

Which media did you most enoy working with?  Why?

I like working with watersoluble media.  I found I kept turning to Inktense pencils and Kohi-noor dyes.  I like the way they can be made to look quite vibrant but can be mixed to look muted and work well with many other media such as wax.  This gave a lovely textured look.  I like using them on torn paper that has been applied to a backgound paper  I especially like torn watercolour paper as this has a visible grain and gives a good texture.

What other forms of mark making could you try?

I could try more printing using found objects and objects from around the home.  I would also like to experiment with resists.

How will these exercises enrich your textile work in the future?

These exercises have helped me to relax into my drawing again and to really look and not just see something.  It has started to give me confidence to try samples and not to be bothered or frustrated if they do not work.  The exercises have enabled me to see texture as well as pattern.  Using different media to do mark making will help me to take any ideas I have through to stitch and to manipulate fabric as a background.  It has helped me to understand the need for experimentation and sampling.