Nearing the end of the first lap.

Now that we have finished our fashion rotation we are now hit with the pressure of creating a final piece led from our project from over the past two months. It has been a wild and tiring past couple of weeks, and changing each week can definitely test your sense of organisation and commitment as no week can be classed as an 'easy' week; but I could easily pick my favourites from the bunch, that being print and knit.

Since print and knit were my favoured weeks I know I want to interweave these two mediums for my final piece to create a substantial outcome which represents my project and theme of identity clearly. Throughout my project I have been closely looking into hearts and genetics linking to my fathers illness which is something I am eager to include; and since my prints from the digital print week are formed of my heart illustration, I want to use them in some way whether through digital print or a physical accessory.  One thing I have had in mind was printing on to knit to combine different aspects of textiles into a single piece but I am not sure on whether to create my own knit of to simply put together different recycled knits to represent recycled genetics. 

I have two weeks left until the deadline and I'm confident with my project to lead me towards a substantial idea to build upon, hopefully combining all my ideas into one successful piece. I already have some idea's of where to shoot my piece, its just a matter of figuring out what my final outcome will be.

Knitting you away

Along with digital print this was also a week that I much looked forward too, to actually get physically involved with making and creating something with texture and dimension. Knit has always been something that intrigued me and when we got introduced to the machine I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

\We started off with basic row knits which wasnt as easy as it looked as we had to pull out the needles for each row hoping it wont get stuck, but once the clamps were applied everything seemed to go smoothly and soon enough we go the hang of it.

Every hour we learnt a new technique; cable, weave, drop stitch, polka dots ect all as difficult as they look but somehow me and my partner Ronan managed to get the hang of most of the techniques breezing by each time and enjoying it as we went which was super. Finding each of the steps fun instantly led me to believe that I was definitely more into textiles over fashion design which was a perfect eye opener.

For me this was the most rewarding week in that I learnt to use a new piece of equipment and along with it learnt many many different techniques; and even taught myself to fix problems and faults whilst I went along which meant my confidence was at a high during the last day. I felt I didn't struggle at all this week because of how much I enjoyed doing knitwear, it usually meant my positive attitude reflected on the knits I made. But I do have to mention that if there is a difficult part it has to be packing the machine up, it's like a metal jungle.

Digi-digi-digital print.

Being someone who has always been attracted to colours and prints, digital print week was the one I most looked forward to! The concept and process of prints and textiles excites me; and using Photoshop is something I love love love to experiment with as I love the basis of creating something totally new out of a single image, and learning new tools to progress is always a plus. So learning and creating prints based on our family history was a fun and rewarding personal experiment.

We started by learning the basics of crating print patterns as we learnt how do create patterns which repeat as well as drop repeat and using different tools such as cloning and how to control layers on Photoshop. At first, even though I've used Photoshop in the past I found it difficult to catch up as we were learning one thing after the other, which definitely challenged me memory wise as I couldn't note steps down but eventually once done I managed to get the hang of the new tools. 

With some pre-prepared Photoshop edited hearts I created some prints using the new pattern tools which was a great part of the learning process because we were finally able to create original prints. I used the tools to clone, chop, merge, distort and filter the prints in various crazy ways which kept on developing my ideas and patterns which eventually led me to a wild bunch of prints which had connections to different parts of me; genetics, family and background. I chose these three different sectors to keep the patterns totally different with unusual outcomes that relate to me but also with the mutual theme of grey-scale throughout which keeps a sense of cohesion within the prints as well as with my sketchbook.  

For the final print collection I presented it on a basic jumper design mixing and matching the prints to keep it interesting. Because I believe I'm more of a textiles/print person I usually tend to keep the shape of my garments simple but relevant to focus on what is most interesting to me; textile and print.  I honestly really enjoyed this week and can joyfully say that this has been my favourite week so far, but there's still knitting next week so we'll have to see how that goes first then I can honestly decide; although it'll probably be a very close shave.

Develop develop design develop.

Each time we rotated the design development week was the one I dreaded the most as all I saw and heard about was the task of having to create constant different unique designs of up to 20 details in about five minutes; 20 shirt collars in five minutes you have to be kidding me. Being set the stressful task to create multiple designs of trousers/skirts/shirts/collars/sleeves one after the other, keeping the creativity flowing was a struggle but one that really tested our abilities and was a definite training for the future. However producing constant designs wasn't as daunting as I thought, I wasn't good at it but as odd as it sounds I enjoyed being put under the pressure and getting the smallest experience of what the reality of the fashion industry is really like. 

Fig 1- 23/09/13 (Own work/photography)

Fig 2- 23/09/13 (Own work/photography)

Once that quick activity was over we were told to pick a symbol which represented ourselves, I chose to use the Turkish S from my name which is written slightly different to get the 'shh' sound which I thought was a good and simple symbol to choose. With our chosen symbol we had to draw and cut multiple sizes and layers to later drape onto mannequins. This was a really interesting task as we draped each others symbols onto mannequins rather than our own and funny enough when it came to pinning my own symbol onto my mannequin I found it difficult to come up with more creative ways but managed with what I had.

Fig 1- 23/09/13 (Own work/photography)

Fig 2- 23/09/13 (Own work/photography)

After experimenting with continuous design development and draping and gaining influences and inspirations from the past two days we were told to create a collection of six designs which would be our final collection whether it be with pencils, watercolours, Photoshop, so long as you created a successful collection.Because I feel I am more of a print/textile student over a fashion design student, more of my designs were kept to a minimal shape-wise but bold print-wise which is what I love to focus on mostly.  Of course naturally I turned to Photoshop to fill in create my collection however not all of my work was Photoshop based as I originally drew my designs and prints onto paper, scanned it into Photoshop then filled in the textures of knits and weaves to create the illusion of real technique kept in the my original colour palette of black/whites and greys which is repeated throughout my sketchbook.

My finished collection is based on my S symbol which explains the curved/rounded garments I created within my collection; as the heart prints represent my continuous use of genetics with this whole project as I have managed to include a snippet of a heart in nearly every week which I don't know whether is an ideal thing to do but I feel it keeps my sketchbook looking slightly cohesive. My final concept board for my collection seems successful to me because I like to think despite my bad efforts to design a unique shape for my collection, I still managed to pull it together with a print and with the layout of the board as I also created flats for each garment I drew which makes my whole board generally more professional and well kept. This week was a struggle for me but at the end of it I have learnt how to keep in tact under pressure and also learnt how to work towards a deadline and actually get everything done on time which I am extremely pleased about.

Gerhard Richter

As you enter room 11 in the Transformed Vision floor at the Tate Modern you are instantly towered over by these large canvases lashed and scratched with paint which injects you with a weird dose of fulfillment. 

Fig 1 - Gerhard Richter - Tate Modern - 26/09/13 (Own photography)

The placement/curation of these large art works may have been why I was overwhelmed by the art; even though the art speaks for itself as the harsh squeegee paint lines are what overpowers the artists emotions through his piece. There was 6 pieces overall covering each wall with his work which is why I felt so strong by it because of the amount and largeness of the work in general which gives you more to enjoy. 

Capturing the feeling and state of mind of  Richter at the time was quite difficult but it didn't take me too long to make out some understanding. What I got from the piece was a sense of impatience as the thick lines seemed to strike with irritence. However it seems that these paint lashings were influenced by music which best describes Rcihters constant harshness of paint against blank parts of the canvas as he has been interested in "sound and silence" which is shown within his work.

This is a great collection to simply enjoy for the sake of art as it suggests a lot of movement and thought behind each canvas and can inspire almost anyone from any age which is the effect every artist wants to have on their audience and I definitely believe that Gerhard Richter's work radiates this positiveness to inspire. 

Fig 2 - Gerhard Richter - Tate Modern - 26/09/13 (Own photography)

Fig 3 - Gerhard Richter - Tate Modern - 26/09/13 (Own photography)

Bibliography

"sound and silence" - Tate Modern description board- Curated by Mark Godfrey- 26/09/13

Style me your personality, then shoot me.

The idea of styling always seemed quite normal to me when it comes to my own personal style as it does for everyone. However when we were told to style another person using our own props it wasn't so easy as I thought it'd be and I found this out through the styling exorcise that I really wasn't so comfortable with, however I think it can be something that I can progress on. 

This week was quite hectic in that the tasks set were all quite big from portrait polaroids to trend reports to photo-shoots. The trend report was a scary one as we had to photograph current trends in stores and since myself and Nina nominated ourselves for the high-end stores and we were instantly nervous about whether we'd be allowed to photograph especially in Selfridges. But oddly enough I had no stares, no one even said a word, therefore I just simply waved my phone about snapping up any print and garment which looked right for the trend report; so by the end of it we were quite pleased with our findings and our ability to not get rumbled by the staff at Selfridge's. Looking through the high end collections we found that boyish androgynous shapes were key throughout with boxy fits and round shoulders dominating the displays. However feminin prints were also at bay with digital printing being presented at its best with Katranzou's wild collection and Erdem's yellow floral prints all over the rails were quite uplifting on the rainy day. When we regrouped the next day to gather eachothers trends we found quite a great collection of opposites and similarities within high-street and high-end. in that prints were infectious and that bold geometric designs were cohesive with boxy shapes to match. After a lot of research and printing credit lost we finished up with 4 trend boards which all linked one way or another Geometrics, Floral Digital Prints, Metallic Iridescence, and Texture. By the end of this task I found I learnt how to edit down a lot by scrapping some trends, and how to cooperate in a group whilst completing a challenge such as this however I feel we functioned pretty well together which was great. Also being part of such a diverse group with many different ideas I felt our boards were very different and slightly more original compared to the other groups, but everyone presented in their own style which was amazing to see and great to feed off of.

My photo-shoot was a whole other bundle of craziness. My main theme was based off of my love for Matilda and the particular scene of when Matilda and Ms Honey hid in Ms Trunchball's garden, and I just loved to fear and secretive and innocence to that scene which is why I wanted to use it as an initial theme in my photo-shoot. Using my mini mood boards I decided on a hyper-reality based scenery which reflected on the innocence of the model through the props of bubbles and gum. It was amazing going through this whole process from a small influence, to mood-boards to the actual shoot and I really enjoyed organizing and creating such a fun piece. One of the mild difficulties I had was painting the leaves in my garden as it was pouring with London's sadness of rain once again therefore by the end of the shoot my garden was dripping with pink and purple, however it was totally worth it as the photos were a great turnout and for the sake of fashion it wasn't really a huge bother. After editing the photos and enhancing colours and making it seem very 'alice in wonderland' everything just came together and made sense; especially with the video of the whole process which I believe makes the experience more enjoyable especially since I loved editing the video and making it seem urban in the way it's presented which I'm quite proud of. 

This whole week has been a very fast tiresome blur and I probably wouldn't have been able to recall this all without my sketchbook but overall it was a very messy and crazy week but with wonderful outcomes which is always rewarding. Bring on Design Development Week! 

I also filmed the process of the shoot which I'm so glad I did as it shows each step and everything I went through to get the final shots and feel it is a successful addition to my project and a different side to fashion. I really did enjoy the editing process of the video also  because  I quite enjoy trying out new things and ever since creating this video it has made me eager to video more of my work which I hope to do.

"Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous."

Accessorise my paper heart.

The process of accessories week was quite a fun journey of exploration, creating a piece inspired by our special object that we were told to bring in. I chose my dream catcher which was gifted to me by sister so I thought it would be a fun personal object to work with.

From our single object we were told to draw, photocopy and create a mini sculpture which all worked towards our final accessory which we made at the end of the week. For the mini prototype sculpture I used the lines within the sketches to create a 3D card cube of lines and shapes which was a great start as I played about with the placement and appearance of it by placing it on the stand in different places which sited best. Even though I didn't quite want to use card for the mini prototype and would've preferred wire, I felt it was still a very successful piece which allowed me to challenge my comfort zone as I made something pretty substantial and I probably wouldn't have the final outcome without it which I am pleased with.  I also played with layers as I used Photoshop to explore the idea of negative spaces and to possibly influence a greater idea of which I believe it did. From these we created our final accessory of which I decided to create an extra large pendant for a necklace out of wire which has many lines in between. To have a connection with my mood-board I tried to make it in the physicality of a heart and the largeness of it was because of the link to heart failure which usually means having a larger heart than normal, which I thought would be an interesting creation and to hold a true connection throughout my project.

From my the collection of work I created this week my favourite has to be the layered Photoshop images as I feel they look professional and were a huge part of helping me move on to deciding on the shapes and make my sketchbook look a lot more varied in terms of mediums. I also feel my accessory collages were quite a fun task to complete as I enjoyed creating different accessories but I did find it difficult to come up with an almost unique idea each time as I felt I was quite limited with creativity at the time as I only had 3 collages by the end of it, however they were the best I could do and I'm pleased at how my final pendant turned out from the collage. Actually making the large pendant came quite easy to me as I felt using wire was an easy medium to get used to even though I've never used it before and as I kept going the more natural it became and the more I added the more it progressed and I'm extremely happy about the overall piece.

I feel like sometimes once I am caught in what I'm doing I work too fast and maybe rush my work therefore I feel I'm not allowing myself enough time to come up with more designs but I do think I can work on that by pacing myself slightly, however despite that I can have some strong ideas at times. This week I have explored different mediums with card to wire to create similar objects which feed off each others appearances with the clear connection; working with wire really got me interested in maybe using it in the future for a design since I believe it worked well for me.  I really did have a good time experiencing a different sector of the fashion world and feel that creating an accessory will help me be more creative and slightly more imaginative when it comes to designing and styling in particular.