Sunday 11 November 2012

Holly Fulton


 I love pretty much everything Holly Fulton does and how she does it. Her prints are intricate and detailed while maintaining a highly graphic style that I love aesthetically. While the cut of her garments can be simple or more complex they work with the prints to create something totally eye catching, playful and original. Her jewelry works as an extension of her garments, utilising the same shapes and colour pallet with silver and perspex.

Yingzhi Luo



I just came across Yingzhi Luo's Graduate collection (2011). I found it a fantastic sensory experience of colour, texture and movement.


The combination of beautiful soft draping and embellishment is really effective. Although there are clear references to traditional craftsmanship and clothing the finished collection remains modern and stylish.

http://chichiluo.com/graduate-collection-2011-chichi-luo/

Friday 9 November 2012

Applied Arts - Metalwork


Here is the final outcome of my metalwork taster. I found the acid etching followed by colouring with the micro welder produced my favourite effect. I made sure I added texture using either the press or by hammering the steel before etching it. Any metals that were not etched complemented the piece better when they were heated and tarnished. I found carefully heating the copper produced a beautiful pink hue that worked well alongside the purples and blues of the steel.

For inspiration I mainly just let the materials and processes guide me; I tried to keep the individual pieces irregularly shaped and allowed some of the narrower pieces to curve around the cube to create interesting shapes and negative spaces around the cube. When a space needed more detail I tried to use the offcuts of my different samples to keep my process as organic as possible.


I went on to start applying my favourite process to a second cube. I found when I pressed a steel mesh into the tin plate steel. The reverse side reminded me of crocodile skin so after acid etching all but the very peaks of the metal I tried colouring it in stripes which I thought could look animalistic and exotic. I like the final outcome although I ran out of time before I could apply all the pieces onto the cube.

During the metalwork taster I found lots of unexpected ways I can work with metal, some of which I could apply to fashion work as embellishments or accessories. Some of the metal colouring is so beautiful it could even inform fabric prints.

Martin Smith - Applied arts

This series by martin smith uses a format associated with 2D and giving it a third dimension. The colour combined with the clean metal finish gives it a modern look.

Steve Dixon, Applied Arts

'Flower Brick' is covered by beautiful delicate ceramic flowers. Whilst looking pretty traditional and gentle to me its intricate texture and simple clean whiteness against its surroundings draws the eye, as does its juxtaposition with the rough surface of the brick.

Dale Chihuli, Applied Arts


These huge, lit up glass vessels have an unreal quality to them like flowers from a rain forest or alien lifeforms. The rippled edges remind me of seashells or coral. The random look of the edges gives them an organic form.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Matthew Shlain


 During my 3D and fashion tasters we did lots of work manipulating paper. I found the cleanness of the scored and folded paper really attractive After completing the tasters I found this artist. He works predominantly with paper and creates very clean intricate sculptures using geometry and the working process itself as inspiration.
This one appears to be made by layering different sheets together. The circles within circles appears to me to be referencing the Op Art of Bridget Riley.
 This one is cut and folded so when stretched it expands. It responds like flexible mesh and and a similar technique in a different material could create a viable feature on a garment. I like this piece, especially the long curved form this creates as its arranged in a twist. Although the clean white paper and the uniform cuts gives this a modern look the shapes inside could have been inspired by basket weaving or other traditional crafts.

Although this shape is strong and architectural the smooth curves and layering give it a feminine, floral look
 

3D final piece

Heres my final piece from the 3D taster. I'm pleased with the outcome, the shape and cut-away sections work well.

3D Work

We started off having a go at 2 point perspective and rendering with pastel. I enjoyed learning this technique and thought my outcome was successful.

Next we did drawings of objects My first drawings were quite detailed. My composition worked well and there are nice elements to my results I think.



Taking elements and shapes from my pictures I created 3D shapes from paper and card. here are the best results.

Scoring and folding the card definitely gave the best results.

Next we paired off to develop a shape out of plastic. We started with one of my folded shapes and developed cut outs.

We then created our final piece out of plastic using a combination of hand scoring and folding and using the laser cutter to remove sections.