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!
