Mono-printing and Lino printing

Mono -printing and Lino printing

This week i began exploring my new project and experimenting with different printing processes. Re-visiting techniques i had learnt before, i was able to create more complex designs and discover new ways to use them. the next few weeks i will be continuing to research  my topic in more detail and develop ideas through experimentation inspired by artist research and exploration of different mediums. 

Exploring the mono-printing technique i was able to effectively create some imagery that reflects consumerism in a indirect way. I decided to use receipts as a representation of consumerism to show just how much money people often spend and the clever marketing of companies to compel people to do so. To create the mono prints, i applied printing ink to a printing plate, placed paper and an image over the top then began tracing over the image. i think this printing method allows you to create simple imagery in an interesting way, i especially like the way i am able to layer it with different colours and go back into it with mixed media.

After creating these prints i scanned them in and created motifs that could potentially be made into digital repeat patterns.

Revisiting lino printing i decided that i would like to create something with more detail than last time i explored the technique. As in my opinion, Donald Trump is one of the best known capitalists at the moment i thought this would be the perfect way of transitioning him into my project.Lino printing is can create quite bold, powerful imagery, so i wanted to try and use the technique to my advantage to get ideas across. To create the lino print i etched an image i had drawn into a lino slate, inked it and printed it on to paper. It took several attempts to get it looking how i wanted as bold, full print. When exploring this technique next time i would like to create more prints to develop layers in the image.

Making a start to FMP

Making a start to FMP

For the final project at college we are allowed to write our own brief, focusing on  interests as long as it is something that will provide idea generation and observational drawings. When thinking along the lines of what i wanted my last project to be about, i knew it had  to be something full of passion, something that would create impact and interest in the final show. A common theme in society at the moment, is capitalism and the ever growing need to consume. Many people are continuously being oppressed due to the nature of capitalism, people can work their whole life but still be stuck in the same social class struggling to pay for rent, food etc. While the privileged few, often born in to wealth benefit from capitalist ideals and are the ones that earn a considerable amount of the worlds income. 

A big product of the capitalist world we live in is consumerism, the need to excessively by products we don't actually need. People are brainwashed into thinking they need the latest product by clever advertising and societies need to impress and out-do people. This often leads a considerable amount of people down a flowing path of debt and unhappiness- ironic when the initial cause was consuming for happiness. 

After extensive research on this subject i knew it would be something that would provide me with idea generation from a wide variety of subjects. Capitalism affects a lot of people for a variety of reasons and can often do more damage than good. I think creating products based on a subject that is often over looked will allow people to acknowledge the oppression created by this and question their own integrity. 

I am excited to see where this project leads me and experimentation of structured and surface textiles throughout the design process. 

Initial idea brainstorm 

Idea generation through observational drawing

Mood board for repeat pattern unit

Mood board for idea generation and artist inspiration

Links:

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~waldr20m/classweb/worldpolitics/capitalism.html
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~waldr20m/classweb/worldpolitics/consumerism.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_capitalism
http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/politics/ideology-politics/difference-between-capitalism-and-consumerism/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crony_capitalism

Order and Chaos project

Order and Chaos Final pieces

At the start of September i was given the brief Order and Chaos in which i could tailor to myself. As someone that believes there should be an interesting concept behind work, i decided to look at Punk ideologies in Politics. Being extremely passionate about on-going world issues and politics, i found it extremely easy to depict ideas that reflected order and chaos in the political world. Reflecting on issues of the hierarchy, authority and current political debates i.e brexit and refugee crisis, i was able to experiment, creating a clear theme and colour story throughout. At the end of the project i spent two weeks creating a series of  five A2 designs that used a variety of textiles techniques i accumulated over the course of the year.

   
A2 Reverse applique final product

     

A2 Embroidery on heat transfer final product

                                                 

A2 Embroidery on screen print final product

A2 Digital design final product

A2 Weave final product