Evaluation

In order to interpret the exam theme Covert and Obscured I had to research what the words meant. I found the words concealed, secret, disguised associated with the word Covert and ambiguous, vague, uncertain associated with Obscured. Both words to me meant to create disguised and secret piece of work maybe in the materials I use or the way I represent my work. I chose the Illustration Brief which was "to create a series of hand drawn/collaged illustrations of people presented as a 'Zine'. 

With this Illustration brief I would have to create a portrait of someone with a hidden meaning or message/ secret. My ideas for my final piece at the beginning of this project was to take photos of people and edit those photos and add hand illustrations manipulating the original features and face of the person. To relate to the theme Covert and Obscured I planned to manipulate, draw and create collages to change someones face to create a disguise. I had to do multiple observational drawings using continuous line and contour drawing using my face. I took pictures of myself and traced the photos adding different details, using shading and layering.  These two observational drawings I did was layering using different scales and colours to show the difference, this also added a motion to it I think. The drawing below I traced onto paper and to create shading I used lines to highlight the darker areas.  

Analysing artists such as Askhkan Honarvar inspired me to create collages in his style of work but developed the collages adding my ideas, to create this collages I used secondary images from magazines and newspapers. I recorded this illustrations and collages in my sketch book, some I developed digitally such as the Honarvar collage which I added filter effects to on Photoshop. Other artists that influenced my work were Geraldine Georges, Quentin Jones, Laura McKellar and Izziyana Suhaimi which were the final two artists that influenced my work most of all. McKellar and Suhaimi the two who inspired me with the feminine embroidery detail added to their Illustration. 

Askhkan Honarvar

 Izziyana Suhaimi

Laura McKellar

At first I started experimenting with collages by hand layering cut outs from magazines, newspapers, old photos extra and cutting out sections to create a whole new image, I found trying to create collages digitally difficult which is why I experimented by hand more. The main type of collage I created was Exquisite collages which was to create a new image by adding different cut outs of body parts to folded paper and when opened seeing a the combination made by the different cut outs, it looked unusual by was creative illustration design. The  embroidery processes was developed on card first to see how long stitching would take and get used to the process which I then got a hand of and stared experimenting on fabric.

For my final piece I planned to make a A3 size heat press onto fabric and start adding stitching into that, and to make my final piece into a 'Zine' fold the fabric into a little square only the eye visible and ironing that pressing it down. But the zine design did not really work well, so I decided to create four A4 size fabrics with my embroidery illustration which I would connect as a quilt and fold.

Over all I understood the exam theme well I think but found it difficult creating a Zine for my chosen brief. I like  experimenting with making collages and the embroidery work, I enjoyed developing my final piece design style the best combining textiles with my graphics work. I think that I will be pleased with my final outcome but I dont think that my final outcome will look like a zine.

Ink Embroidery

This mood board shows different artists that work with ink, to add colour to my embroidery illustration I could experiment adding watercolour and ink to give my work colour. Instead of the Calligram style dark outlines I have been experimenting with I could just trace sections of my photos and with that use masking fluid to block the sections where I don't want ink or watercolour to go into, once I do that I could stitch into the coloured areas using same thread colour, beadings and sequences. 

Experiment with stitching

I started my embroidery experiment by highlighting lines on my photo in black fine liner to have a template and clear view where I can start to stitch. I did the stitching onto card, to create thicker lines I stitched in the same section numerous times and also that way the stitching stands out.

Once I was used to stitching onto the card I heat pressed the Calligram edit photo I did on Illustrator onto fabric. I tried using a sewing machine this time but found that it was hard to control and that the one line stitching did not show enough detail, so I continued by hand. I found that this Calligram edit method creates to many detractions and that the stitching detail is not clearly visible, in order for the embroidery to be clear I think I need to remove the colour and just stitch the outline.

The way I have been experimenting with the Calligram style outlines creates to many thick outlines which takes longer to stitch through. In order to create more detail with the stitching and embroidery I will trace sections of the photos I select, I will experiment with ink and using less lines and see the amount of time it takes to complete a full A3 sheet.  The less lines my image has the more embroidery detail I can add, I will also add beading and sequences. 

Laura McKellar analysis

Embroidery

Laura McKellar is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. McKellar mainly likes working with brown paper, flowers and watery inks. She combines retro photos with detailed stitching around certain parts of the photo, which is heat pressed onto brown fabric which look vintage and add more of a retro theme to the embroidery pieces. 

McKellar uses a combination of retro/found images, collages and mixed media to create and incorporate into her work, she collects second hand picture books and dress pattern books to find influences/ ideas to incorporate into her work. She uses "desaturated colours, detailed illustration and dreamy landscapes," the vintage classic photographs in pattern/ picture books which she uses in her embroidery work below. 

LM uses soft shades of colours as her background that don't clash with her main photo at the centre, also the colours she uses on the embroidery around the eyes complement the background colour. These embroidery examples I chose drew my attention to the vintage and detail of the work, also the process that the work was made in. The photo is vintage black and white photo which was heat pressed onto fabric that looks like it has an 'old paper' type of texture, which adds more detail to the work. 

The text no the work looks hand made using ink or fine liner but edited digitally before heat pressing onto the fabric from what I can see. The actual embroidery looks like a mask, the image looks edited and placed on top of the photo digitally before heat pressing onto the fabric. She adds stitching around the outlines which high lights the image around the eyes, she uses gold threading which makes the mask around the eyes stand out. 

Looking Forward

Flying Freedom

I personally find the process McKellar made her embroidery work and the detail she adds to it combining Textiles with her Graphics work interesting and relatable to my working mind. Her work inspired me to try to make this the theme/technique I follow to make my final outcome, combining Textiles and Graphics by editing photographs digitally and then heat pressing the finished image onto fabric to start embroidery. But instead of the vintage look that her work represents/ has my work will have more of a Pop Art theme like Andy Warhols work, by adding bright primary colours onto my photos with dark outlines to stitch into. 

Marilyn Diptych 1962

Caligram Style Illustration Embroidery

Started off tracing a photo of a girl wearing a turban with big and unique features such as her lips, neck and face. This image is a little example of the type of photos I will be taking to use for my final outcome, I will only be doing head shots because trying to do embroidery and stitching onto a whole body would not be finished in 8 hours. Doing only head shots I will have more time to add detail and make the embroidery stand out, this technique I will be using relates back to the theme Covert& Obscured because of the effect Needle Art adds to illustration, when looking at the image you would have to take a second look to view the detail the stitching/ embroidery has and the detail that has been put in. I may use heat transfer and heat press onto fabric first then add the stitching's.

I traced a photo onto tracing paper using black fine liner trying to highlight the main features of the face and creases on the clothing etc. using lines. Once I had finished tracing, I scanned the tracing paper to start editing and to begin adding color on Illustrator. To do so I selected the Live Trace and Live Paint Bucket tools to give the animated/caligram effects. Because I did not join my lines together in some sections of the drawing I came across the problem where when I tried to use the paint bucket tool to fill in color it would go into the whole background or other sections. 

 I had to go back to the drawing on the tracing paper and join my lines together, to fill in individual sections.

This is the completed image where I will add embroidery/ stitching, I will try using sewing machine but I think that hand stitch will be easier to each into and around curved lines for example. I this is the theme or idea I use in my final outcome I will maybe do more than one but using different embroidery and color pallet.

Vintage Collage

To further my Zine experiments I created this Vintage Collage on Photoshop following a tutorial, using old adverts and images. The background is 'old paper' texture which I found on Flickr, I used the ' Round Rectangle Tool' to create the rectangle in the centre as a border for my images and added a eroding effect by selecting Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All then using brush tool to start adding the effect. The image of the woman is a propaganda image representing women strength and what they can do, which I thought was a statement and also the red rectangle works well with the colours of the image. 

Written Review of Initial Ideas

1. What are your 3 initial ideas? (Explain them and include visual examples - scan your drawings!)

My first initial idea is to create a collage on A3 card looking back at Askhkan Honarvar who's theme is Life and Death, but instead of that theme I would just use the human body for example have cut outs of many different sized,coloured,positioned etc body parts such as legs,arms,eyes,ears etc. With all the cut outs I would use the Exquisite Corpse technique to create a unusual/ humors new form.

Second initial idea is Geraldine Georges inspired the way she uses an interesting mixed media blend of illustration and photography. I would try to continue her theme of capturing the eye and imagination of a human form, combining textiles into this would be around her fashion influences in her portfolio which I can connect to by adding fabric also. I would take photos of different types of body form ranging from size, age, colour, height etc. 

My final initial idea is the one I most likely will do most development on and end up as my final outcome, which is the mixed media which includes illustration, embroidery and water colours. I would first take portrait photos and also full body shots of extravagant outfits or head wear for example which I can then develop by adding embroidery such as different scale stitching, sequins, buttons etc. With the photos I would then trace or draw the image out onto paper using black fine liner to capture the lines in the image, where I will continue stitching onto. If the stitching/ embroidery onto paper becomes to difficult I would first make the embroidery on fabric cut out in the shape of the parts of the image I selected to edit using this technique, with the finished embroidery I would place onto the illustration. 

Looking back at Izziyana Suhaimi's work I would try to add ink/ watercolors the fall down the page which adds the impression that the embroidery is melting in a way. The other idea in the same embroidery technique is using heat transfer to place the photos onto fabric which I then will add stitching, embroidery etc. This technique is in the style of Laura Mckellar who heat presses illustrations/photos onto fabric and then adds the embellishments in detail, she also uses water colours and ink to add colour.

2. What are you planning to do to create them? Think materials, equipment, techniques...

For my first initial idea I will use different papers to create my collage by collected photos from newspapers, magazines, books etc. With the photos I collect I will then combine them with different textured material, tissue paper, sand paper and also add drawings that relate to the photos or continue a drawing from a photo, to show use of mixed media techniques and experiments. 
For my second initial idea I will use mixed media doing some experiments by hand like cutting out sections of a person in a photo and adding ink/ water colours. Digitally on Photoshop I could do the same thing cutting sections of photos and using brush tool to add the ink detail, I could then add more ink and water paint by hand. 
Third idea also a mix of digital and hand experiments drawing faces or tracing faces off a photo and scanning the drawings onto Photoshop highlighting the lines which I can then print and heat press onto fabric. Adding embroidery such as stitching and beading for extra detail.

3. Who have you researched to develop your ideas?

I have researched artists that relate to each of my final ideas which were influences to how I came to my three initial ideas. Askhkan Honarvar was the first artist I researched who is a collage artist, I used his technique of  blending photography and illustration to create his collages, Geraldine Georges was another artist I researched who uses photos and cuts sections out which she then adds shapes and lines on Photoshop adding more detail.  Izziyana Suhaimi's and Laura Mckellar were the textiles/ embroidery themed artists I researched Suhaimi adding more detailed needle art to her drawings and Mckellar using vintage photos which she heat presses onto fabric and adding embroidery. All these artists helped me develop and experiment to come to my final idea designs.

 4. How have you explored a range of ideas around your theme within your experiments? What are they? How have they informed your ideas?

I have experimented with a range of different observational drawings and illustrations around the theme Covert and Obscured. I explored different techniques artists use and interpreted their style with my own experiments such as Ashkhan Honarvar who combined photography, illustration and collage with a theme of life and death. The needle and embroidery experiments relate back to the theme well because creating illustration using embroidery and stitching has a hidden effect. This technique informed my final idea and experiments well by using card and fabric to see what material works best as my base to start adding embroidery.

5. Have you refined/developed your ideas through experimentation? How?

I have tried to develop my experiments by using the same photo or image but using different techniques added to the drawings. For example the observational drawings of my face using tracing paper I layered using different scales of the photo and colours to make each layer stand out, also with the same tracing paper technique I used coloured paper to trace and highlight the drawing with lines which I then traced and layered the traced version on to to see which one works better. The embroidery technique I refined by experimenting on card first before working on fabric and also to see if working on card is better, but found that stitching into fabric was more flexible and easier. I also experimented with using hand stitching and using sewing machine, hand stitching was more simple to create refined detail whereas sewing machine was hard to control.

6. Have you annotated, in detail, your experiments and developments in your sketchbook/blog and used this information to help you improve? (include imagery if relevant!)

I have annotated my experiments and artists analysis experiments in my sketchbook/blog which helped me improve and develop my final idea design. Annotating artists work helped me get ideas and develop my original experiments with detail using their techniques, such as the needle art/ embroidery work using stitching to create detail in their illustration such as Laura McKellar who uses mixed media to create her illustrations.

7. Which idea has been the most successful? Why?

The embroidery idea has been most successful because I could combine my textile experience and lessons with the Illustration brief. Also the theme related to the technique well because the stitches are blended in but hidden within the work, the embroidery detail adds a unique covered element to the illustration. 

8. Which idea has been the least successful? Why?

The least successful idea was my second initial idea which was the Geraldine Georges work because I did not experiment with her technique well enough to consider doing as a final outcome. I also did not develop the experiments I did more.

9. Which idea do you think you will choose for your final outcome? Why?



10. What else could you do to further develop this idea? Think techniques and experiments!