Week 3 - Digital Print

Before the week even began, I was slightly nervous as I knew it involved using Adobe Photoshop. It had been a while since I used the program and I knew it would take me a while to get used to. We were told to  extract patterns from our research that was relevant to Family History. I wanted to look into my culture as I feel it is known for our traditional dress to be intricately patterned.

Having drawn a couple patterns we then had to scan it into the computer then import it into Adobe Photoshop, make it into a repeat pattern, Define the pattern, then apply it onto a model. At first I was confused and it took me the whole week to get the hang of it, but by this time everyone had completed theirs. I then spent time trying to figure out how to do it and now i feel fairly confident to apply the patterns onto models. 

As we only had 3 days to do it, I feel If I did it differently I would've used the days in between to get used to it rather than leaving it to the end of the week as I had to catch up during the next week. I have learnt from this and now will not leave it to the end of the week.

I struggled with the technicality of Photoshop, coming across different words and devices etc that I haven't seen and used before. for e.g. layering, magic wand tool and trying to do repeat pattern etc. However, it is pretty straightforward once you use it a lot. I feel like you have to get used to it and once you do get the hang of it, it is pretty fun and I enjoyed it and this is the week where I felt like I actually learnt a LOT as well as enjoying it.

I am now familiar with the actions like magic wand tool, how to define a pattern, how to repeat pattern, layers, altering colours etc and now fairly confident to do again. I feel my final outcome is successfull because the edges do seem smooth and not edgy and the patterns on the garment properly. However, I do feel the pattern does not look as natural and to improve it I think I would use the curves tool to change the colour.

Pattern1

 Pattern 2

                       

Pattern 3

Week 2 - Design Development

This week was Design Development week where were told to extract a shape from our research and develop it further. I used the shape of my Mentor badge that I thought to be a special object. We then drew the shape onto A1 and A3 pieces of paper and cut it out.

Paper manipulation, I enjoyed this activity as it was fun trying to create different silhouettes with one paper and you cant change the shape. It was difficult at first as I felt the designs would be limited but once I got the hang of it, I started to fold the paper, add pleats etc. We also had time limits to create a look which was challenging at first but got the hang of it. For h/w we were told to develop it further, so i made the dresses longer, added more pleats changed the silhouette etc. To improve I think I would have done more designs rather than trying to do a few and neatly.

Below is is just a few of many that I did:

Later on in the week, we had to do very QUICK drawings on tops, trousers, collars, pockets, coats, skirts and shorts. I did NOT like this activity as I prefer to take my time with drawing therefore I did not produce as many as I would have liked. If I did this differently, I would have given myself more time which I think would have given me more time to be more creative with my designs.
 
Below, is just one of the pages that included tops, trousers, coats and shorts.

 Having done the quick drawings, we had to come up with a simple collection which I enjoyed doing.

 We then had to do 5 outfits, we had some time to show everyone in our group. The feedback I received was good. Although one got my attention as it said it is good but if it was bigger it would make it stand out. I agree in some aspects, however, I prefer to work small and not big. If I changed things, I would have maybe changed the colour scheme and chose one colour and worked within that colour for e.g. Blue - dark to light. At first I thought it would be hard putting the outfits together but because I thought it was quite simple, it turned out to be pretty easy to match up.

Tate Modern Review

My 3rd trip: Tate Modern Museum

I also visited the Tate Modern Museum with the rest of group1 where we were asked to produce a written report. This would be the first time I write a report on an exhibition, so it is slightly challenging however, I have a few articles that I photocopied earlier on in the week which I feel would help give me an idea of what a good review should be like. I am still in the process of producing the report and will blog it as soon as it is complete. Within the museum, there were a few rooms with different themes but what really caught my eye was the room based on Surrealism, this is something that I may consider writing about for my review.

Below is a few pics I took from the museum:

Week 1 Research

This week was based on Research and Development. We were shown different ways to present our research for e.g. we had to place our objects that represent our self and identity onto an a1 paper, take a picture then place the picture onto another a1 picture and do a mind map around it. This gave a 3d look to it which I thought was quite interesting. Usually I would brainstorm words however, I wanted to try something new. I feel that the writing is not clear enough on the photo as I would have liked, so I wouldn't say it was 100% successful. Therefore, I will also add a brainstorm of words onto my sketchbook so it is clearer. On the other hand, I do think doing a 3d mindmap is more visual and exciting to look at.

My research included looking at my physicality, likes/dislikes, family history, genes, special objects, personality, objects that have a symbolic meaning behind them and significant events that occurred in my life.

Some of the research that I had gathered included things like my big eyes I had inherited from parents, being family orientated and coming from a very big family, being Bengali, my hobbies which included swimming, interests in tennis. Also in recycling and in particular ethical fashion, being a mentor at a younger age, a souvenir bag bought on holiday in Turkey etc. I thought these were good starting points and an excellent source to abstract from and explore it in detail. At first I found it difficult researching things about myself that were meaningful as opposed to just surface things like my likes/dislikes etc.

We were also given the task to produce a moodboard where we had to gather 10 pictures that relate to what we had mindmapped earlier. The pictures I had gathered were from online as I had found what I wanted but if I was to do it again I would look at other forms of media for e.g. magazines etc. The moodboard was an excellent task in terms of setting the colour scheme. I felt I instantly knew what the colours in my sketchbook would be. The pictures represented loyalty, ambition, peace, family oriented, travelling, calm and confidence etc.

Below is the moodboard :

First attempt of the brainstorm (3d effect); did not like it. I then did it in my sketchbook in a brainstorm with added pics.

second attempt:

Drawing Day

 Day 1 was Drawing Day, we were given the task to literally do quick drawings of things inside and outside of Ravensbourne. Personally, I dont like doing quick drawings because they look messy and inaccurate. 

Below, are a couple drawings from that day:

 At the end of the day, we were given the task to combine a couple of these drawings and make it into a pattern and incorporate it into a fashion illustration. I enjoyed this task and used the fence, mannequin and the pattern on Ravensbourne building to design the necklace below

My 2nd trip: The Victoria & Albert Museum; Memory Palace Exhibition

Because we had to visit at least 2 museums, I thought a visit to the V&A would be ideal. The exhibition was like a walk-in book. It had illustrations and typography on the wall to tell the story which was a new fiction story written by Hari Kunzru. The story was set in the future, the worlds information infrastructure was wiped out by a magnetic storm. technology and knowledge has been lost. The narrator of the story is in prison. He is accused of being a member of a banned sect, who has revived the ancient ‘art of memory’. They try to remember as much of the past as they can in a future where forgetting has been official policy for generations. The narrator uses his prison cell as his ‘memory palace’, the location for the things he has remembered: corrupted fragments and misunderstood details of things we may recognize from our time. He clings to his belief that without memory, civilization is doomed.

I feel that memories is a part of your past and it shapes your identity and who you are as an individual. This is most definitely relevant to my work as my memories is something I can research into and use as a starting point for e.g. my memories of being on holiday in turkey, or memories of being a child etc. I will then be able to abstract deeper and develop ideas from it. I liked that it was black and white and may consider this colour theme if I go choose to further explore my memories.

What I really enjoyed the most, was the interactive games that were in the exhibition. Basically there were boards where you write or draw a memory and it appears on the boards that were hung up on the wall. It was fun to note down personal memories.