Evaluation...

This project has been one of the most challenging projects since I have started university. Mainly because the end result had to be a digital print design and digitally I am flawed, so alongside this project I have been attending digital workshops that have been extremely helpful. I came out of every lesson having learnt something new, being able to use Photoshop improved my design work incredibly and my final outcomes were digitally printed and by the end I enjoyed using Photoshop.

                I started off with a live brief and began working by hand creating stitched floral designs inspired by the original Bradford piece. I began creating different combinations of colour and media. I enjoyed working with the needle and thread because it was something very different but the samples were time consuming and by the end result, the samples had no connection, other than that they were all inspired by the Bradford piece.

                I drastically changed the format of the samples and applied a circle format; this allowed me to capture a certain area of the design, an area that grabbed attention when I first saw the original design. I also tried this format out in different media’s and colours.

                After attending my first tutorial and taking on board the comments, I wanted to change the floral elements as well as the leaf elements. I wanted to change these elements and make them more realistic and natural, I started off with the leaves and got my imagery from the gold leaf experiments I did. As the leaves worked so well realistically it determined my idea of applying this to the flowers. I started by drawing from primary images of different flowers but nothing seemed good enough to use.

                After taking a break to work on another live brief project, I came back to this project after 3 weeks with a clear head and new ideas I wanted to try. Having a pair of fresh eyes in the end proved beneficial but at the start it seemed challenging and risky because the change of direction was so drastic. I completely left all of my other design work behind and focused on new elements from the original design, elements that was not the prominent motifs in the original piece. I draw linear drawings of them and applied them digitally to Photoshop to get a feel of certain layout formats.

                As the original drawings were only linear and the digital experiments being simple, I decided to create different combinations and compositions that included more than one of the motifs, I added shading and highlights to give extra detail. I created 10 different compositions which gave me the opportunity to explore digitally. I also made the decision to use the same colour palette as the original Bradford piece as I found it fitting with the natural elements in the design.

I continued to experiment digitally adding backgrounds, more pattern and creating brushes but the new motifs were still small on scale and pattern. I began playing around with rotation and reflection and through these aspects; I created 10 more design patterns. These patterns are my final patterns and they will play a major part in my outcomes. All of these new patterns are made up of the previous motifs.

After creating these new patterns and digitally experimenting with them, I created a number of design outcomes and I chose my favourite one as my final outcome. I chose 2 different outcomes because there were 2 different expectations. I chose one specifically for my tutor as it clearly demonstrates a repeat and the design is beautiful and the other one was chosen because I thought it suited the projects brief better, it also contains a repeat but it is not as clear.

If I was to do this project again, I would have not spent as much time on the hand-stitched samples at the beginning and I would have created more hand prepared backgrounds to then scan through, to create a freer field.

Overall, I have enjoyed this project and I am pleased with my progress, I have loved watching my digital skills grow.  

My A1 board submissions...

My Final Design...

 

I have chosen 2 different designs as my final choices. The first design above is the final design for the overall project as it includes everything that Teresa has asked to see. The 2^nd design below is the design that I am thinking about sending off as my Bradford design. I think the 2^nd design is more fitting because it has more in common with the original design.

More detailed final design developments...

This full design was shaped by creating a smaller repeat using a variety of different brushes that I had previously made using other designs. I had intentionally made this design for a background but it looks just as good placed on its own. All of these layers have a side by side repeat and vary in shades of green. Having an opaque pattern as the background brings out the darker pattern on top. Adding another design on top of this, using a darker green or sticking with black would really portray that pattern. I tried this out and the design below is the outcome.

This half drop repeat below is another one of my favourites and could potentially be my final design. It is a half drop repeat that contains a number of different motif designs layered upon one another. The layers can be differentiated through the colour palette. The design motif in white works exceptionally well against the green solid coloured background, as well as on top of a darker design motif.

I wanted to create at least one subtle pattern that looked delicate and less detailed than all of the others and I think that this design below achieves it. The design is simple and holds no background other that white. The floral detail looks elegant with simplicity. The way that the different designs have been layered makes the design look like a fade out which works fittingly. This layout is very similar to the layout in the original Bradford design; it holds a prominent column in the middle that holds most of the detail and other columns that lead off the page. This is a delicate and simple design that would work especially well on silk curtains or a cheaper option of voile curtains.  

This idea could be my new final design as it looks exquisite.  The detail, the background and the colour palette all suit each other and placed together with different design works wonders.  The background pattern is in a side by side repeat that had a border design running through it. The middle and top layer are also side by side repeats. Sticking to using different shades of green was successful. All of the design motifs were found from the original Bradford design work, I think this design modernises the orignals.

 Experimenting with more compositons...

Final design idea developments...

Starting off on the development of my final ideas was exciting and different because my outcome will be a digital print; I have never done a digital print on Photoshop before. Going to the digital workshops have been exceptionally helpful, I now have skills that I can apply to this project that I would not have had if I did not go. I wanted to start off by experimenting with basic repeats and develop from there. I began repeating some of the new combination motifs and this design above was my first outcome. It is hard to tell from the image but this design did not work out, as the original was a croquet design the stems coming off the floral elements did not match up like I thought they would have. Even if the stems matched up to how I wanted them too, I would have not taken this design any further as the pattern is too busy and too dark especially with the flowers.

This design was a little more complicated as it involved colour that was applied through Photoshop using the gradient overlay. I created the half-drop repeat first and then tested out different backgrounds. I added the green gradient overlay to the background but the opacity made the pattern look faded to I applied the gradient overlay to the pattern itself and this above was the result. As a simple repeated pattern this would work satisfactory but I want something better than it just be satisfactory.

This design above is a simple side by side repeat with a coloured striped background. The minute I saw this finished design, I knew it would work wonders as a wallpaper design. I think I knew this through the striped vertical background. It would work especially well as a singular lined pattern border. I could not see this design on a couch or cushions as I think the design is too straight for that.

This design above is a simple side by side repeat that shows off the motifs clearly. I applied a solid coloured background that does not distract from the pattern. Even though I do like this design, the plain background stood out too much for me so I went on to develop this pattern by adding a second layer of pattern and a lighter coloured background. Being able to create something as detailed as this on Photoshop gave me the confidence to try much more and create more intense patterns, through using brushes, other patterned backgrounds and multiple layers. Applying all these new techniques more interesting designs were made.

This design uses the same techniques as the previous one; the only difference being is that the motif combinations are different. Both layers are in a side by side repeat.

This design below is one of my favourite designs because it is so different to all the others. Creating a side by side repeat using a brush pre-set, allowed me to change the floral colours to a negative white. I also played around with the faintly striped background to create a negative colour setting that matched up with the pattern. Even though this is one of my favourite designs, a couple of people have said that it just looks badly printed, so maybe this is not the best final design idea to choose.

This has to be one of the most detailed patterned designs of mine that has been created so far. Both 2 layers are side by side repeats placed on top of each other, the middle layer pattern has been faded out to add extra detail to the design but not to distract away from the prominent pattern. I also developed the scale of the striped pattern background. Not only do the 3 layers apply together fittingly but the different shades of green also blend together attractively.

Another design that focuses on a side by side repeat. The layers are distinguished through different shades of green, there are 3 different layers that create this pattern. 2 of the layers contained the same pattern just at different scale levels, the bottom layer which is the darkest is a different motif but is still a side by side repeat.

New combination motifs...

As the previous motifs were from the original Bradford design, I wanted to create a number of different combinations that could then be scanned and experimented with on Photoshop. Creating these new motifs allows me to be more creative and allows me to add more than one motif to a design, this could generate a number of final design outcomes. Here are 9 new design combinations that had been developed and inlfuenced by the original motifs of the Bradford design.

Design development...

The above experiment was about testing the waters out with colour and learning how to do it on Photoshop. I decided to stick with the original designs colour palette as I think that the colour green suits the naturalistic aspect of the floral elements but especially with the leaves.

This design above is a half-drop repeat. This motif works slightly better than the other motifs through how the flower stem bends to one side. This motif design would work as an opposite reflection in a half-drop repeat? Layering up the same motifs twice gives off a 3-dimensional look, an aspect that works well in repeat.

This design above explores the angle of working with a 3-dimensional aspect alongside a coloured background. I used a thick green stripe that provides a green stripe for one line of the pattern, this creates an underground pattern. Layering up 2 different patterns that co-ordinate with each other could work better with different sized motifs. I decided to use a striped background because the original design holds a less obvious stripe. I wanted my design to still hold some of the orignal features, the stripe being one of them. However, this thickness of stripe may not work so well with other motifs, so I would change the thickness to what suits the other motifs.

This is where I began to experiment on Photoshop with rotation and reflection. Being able to use these tools and knowing how to use Photoshop a little more, allows me to be more creative with my design work. It also allows me to be more adventurous when thinking of prospective designs.
The half-drop repeat below uses relection. Using 2 different colours shows off the pattern clearly, this design could use a background to give a little bit more detail but the motifs do work when reflected.

Repeat patterns...

To begin using these motifs in my design work, I decided to experiment with them on Photoshop using some techniques that I was shown. The combination of motifs placed together, work better placed into a simple side by side repeat. For my first designs I have decided to stick to using just black ink, with no background to keep the detail as priority for discovering what will be the best for the layout as well as what combination of motifs will work better for my final design.

All of these 3 designs are in a more complicated repeat known as a half drop repeat. This layout adds more detail to my motifs, it also creates a better pattern than a simple side by side repeat.

Adding detail within the new motifs...

 

I began experimenting about with the structure of these motifs and playing around with different combinations and compositions of them. Doing this allowed me to give the floral elements character through their shading, highlights and positioning. 

New floral motifs...

After leaving this project to start my Tiger print one, I came back and thought of it as an opportunity to re-look over my work with fresh eyes to see how my project can be developed and what can be left behind. I do like some of my designs so far but I think there structure and elements in them could be developed into something a lot better.

Because all of the previous designs were a collection of motifs placed together, I decided to simplify the amount of motifs used and focus on creating different and individual motifs found from the Bradford piece. I went back to the original Bradford piece and started to select other un-used elements and draw them out in a simple linear form. Even though they lack character or any form of detail, I think these motifs with some work could be the final ones I use.

Design developments...

This is one of my first designs created since experimenting with using natural and realistic leaves and flowers. The use of realistic leaves adds detail to this design; however, it also darkens the design. If I was to use this design and improve on it for a final piece, I would ease off on the amount of ink-shaded areas and add more subtle lines to create delicate shading and highlights, the lines created here distract from the realistic nature of the leaves. The circles added to this design shows off the aspect of colour and because it is an image of stitch, it adds a 3-dimensional aspect that is hard to draw. These circles could contain any elements of the Bradford piece and still work. I am not going to continue developing this design, as it does not flow together, it looks like 2 individual designs placed together, and I want my final piece to all connect. 

This croquet design below is produced to show a continuous flow of flower, stem and leaves. It is a line design that connects every aspect of this design together. This design would work more for wallpaper rather than for a furnishing design, mainly because of its length. I would also changes the leaves to how I said in my previous post, they distract from the rest of the design.

This design shows how this croquet sample would work put into a continuous repeat, from a far, the mistake is not as easily spotted but the leaves do not connect exactly where I hoped they would off. If this mistake was amended this design could work.

 

 

This third design below is the one that works the best so far, on its own and not in repeat. This linear drawing, which is all connected, contains detail, shading, colour and the Bradford floral elements. As I liked this design more than the others did, this is the design I chosen to take into a repeat workshop that shown systematically how to put a design into repeat physically and whether my design would work as a repeat. In this case, my design would not work without some major altercations to it. The altercations in affect would essentially change the complete design because it would have to be re-structured. The design would have to be re-structured because the repeat does not fit into the expected furnishing measurements.