Saturday 23 March 2013

2 weeks later...

I've been ill for the past few weeks and felt as though I've had no energy to achieve what i want to, but here's a few images of some of the stuff I've been up to.

 
Exciting times at HCA... I've moved into a new desk space, I'm now much closer to a window- which i really didn't realise now much i missed and living somewhere new is producing a whole new range of design ideas.
 
 
Some sketchbook doodles, I'm working a lot more with pattern and trying to print in a much more illustrative way, which is giving my work much more personality.
The patterns in this piece have been taken from the image of a carousel.
 
 
And here is close up from a finished print from the block i cut out a few weeks ago. I love the instant retro feel blue and red have together ... i reckon there will be much more of this colour combination to come.
 
 

Saturday 9 March 2013

Inspiration Station... Harvest Textiles

Just found this amazing textiles company run by an awsome group of four women, they produce screen printed textiles and run printing workshops  - they're the gift that just keep giving!!!

 
Hand printed cards, simplicity is the key.
 
 
They have a huge range of cushions coverd in amazing coloured patterns.
 
 
And they even do fashion pieces like bags and leggings
 
 
I just find the use of colour and pattern really exciting and I reckon I need to make some pieces with a tad more colour and excitement about them.

Images from their website which you should definatly visit to take a peak at more of their work http://www.harvesttextiles.com.au/

Friday 8 March 2013

Missing the je ne sais quoi...

I been working in the workshop all week and aswell as the series in the previous post, I've also made another lino cut and printed the first layer.


 
 

The piece is the largert print I've done since being at uni and the image is a shell made up from architectual details of buildings around Blackpool. I'm really pleased with the first few prints i've done, and i'm looking forward to using a lot more colour with this block and adding stitch to the samples i've printed onto fabric.

And yet... there is something missing from my work so far which I can't quite put my finger on. It just feels like the thing that makes my work mine is missing - i've lost my essance, I'm not sure whether i'm just having one of those days but i hope that by next week i can find my mojo again.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Workshopping

I'm in week three of my Resolution of Practise module and i've finally got in the workshop - this is the earliest i've ever been in the workshop in a project!
 
I've started doing some lino printing based on shells, not sure how this work is going to develop but here are some images of what i've been up to so far.

 
Lino Block
 
 
First layer printed
 
 
Two layers of colour - I think this contrast of colours is really exiting, perhaps I could recreate using stitch?
 
 
These pieces were more just something that got me back into the work shop, I don't see them developing anymore than this but from being in the workshop, i've got lots more ideas I want to start working on.
 

Sunday 3 March 2013

Inspiration Station... Leah Duncan

I am a print maker - working mainly in lino print - with my work I take my drawings and illustrations and make them into patterns printed onto fabrics.

Leah Duncan is lovely illustator whose work captures some of what I hope to achieve in my own designs.

 
Print from a calander by Leah Duncan
 
 
  Textile pieces by Leah Duncan
 
Her work is so simple yet stunning to look at and she gets the balance of illustration and prining perfect, giving her pieces an amazing sense of identity - this something I'm still trying to get my head around.
 
Plus take a look at her website for even more work.


Friday 1 March 2013

This is where it all comes from...

As the name suggests, I am a print maker. The inspiration for my work comes from the beach, seaside and inparticular Blackpool, a theme which has developed since leaving the coast and moving to the country for my degree 3 years ago. Since then I have aquired a huge amount of research and images of Blackpool and the sea, and so i'm challanging myself to select just 3 photos that best illustrate the ideas behind my work.

 
This first image is of the North Pier, the North Pier is a lot less tacky than the South Pier - not that tacky is a bad thing - I love the peeling paint of the steats and the wooden decking. The blue and turquise tones and then that flash of the pink kiosk at the far end is what i love most about this image.


This image coms from the South Pier, which is definatly a lot more of what people expect from Blackpool. I really love the strong linear elements in the structure of the ferris wheel and how the candy coloured cabins contrast with the vibrant colours of the lights surrounding them.

 
This final image is the South Pier taken at beach level. Again I find the structual and linear qualities really exciting and love the how the supports contrast the colourful pier above. I also like how this image features the sea and the shore line, combining the natural with the man made.