Art Diploma Blog Ellie Fisher: 25th January Samples & Embroidery

On Wednesday 25th January I continued to generate further samples and experimented with a variety of materials for my live brief project "Mother and Child". These experiments and samples contribute to my understanding and development towards my final repeated screen-print. Also my samples reflect my interpretation of the theme "seaside" and "fairground" which reinforces my development through research and contextual studies. The specialised area of "Textiles" has allowed to continue to develop my skills through methods and techniques which include Devóre printing, and embroidery. It has allowed me to gain confidence through working independently to create a series of prints within the Textiles studio. All the pieces created relate back to my choice of colour scheme and repeated pattern created through the design process. The final outcome will continue to be a repeated screen which will include all of my designs together with 3 colour schemes which will be separate screens combined. The task allowed me to select materials and processes to develop creative solutions for the live brief “Mother & Child”. Finally, the task allowed me to apply practical skills knowledge and understanding of an audience to produce creative solutions for the chosen project.

To start the task, I continued to create further screen-print samples with the choice of colour red as I believe it's a suitable colour and relates back to my visual and design sheet. For the cotton samples I used the background layer as I wanted to work into the designs with yellow embroidery to captured the characteristics and develop me confidence with sewing. As I used the screen, I discovered that I have gained confidence as the outcomes have been produced better and also achieved a better outcome through the quality of colours. Once the samples were dry I focused with the technique "Devóre" which I have used previously in past projects. Whilst completing the technique I followed health and safety instructions in order to avoid the risk of injury. Firstly, I wore gloves at all times to avoid the risk of contact with the chemicals. Also, I placed bags away from the Textiles room to avoid the risk of tripping hazards. Finally, once I completed the task, I cleaned the surface thoroughly to avoid contact with other materials and others to use safely. These were maintained throughout. Devóre uses the same process of screen-printing I used the screen and transferred the substance onto the design through squeegee. Next, I placed the fabric and pattern to dry in room temperature to allow the chemicals to react. Then I placed the fabric onto the heat press which revealed the burnt pattern on the fabric. Once completed I placed the fabric into the water and wash it thoroughly to remove excess burnt chemicals. However, a problem I faced was that I struggled to remove the burnt chemicals from the fabric which caused staining onto the design. To solve the problem next time I will transfer the fabric quicker to the sink to remove the excess chemicals quicker to reveal an accurate design. The outcome is displayed below. Once the screen-print backgrounds dried I worked into the design through embroidery. I used a hoop to create and effective outcome with the choice of colour yellow. I will highlight all the characteristics and pieces on each background design. The outcomes are presented below.