The Science Of Textiles - EVALUATION

What was your FMP project focus and how did you select your theme?

The theme of my final major project is science. However before I decided to have this as my theme I originally was going base it on travel as personally I would like to travel to many interesting places. However I found travel a pretty boring theme as there are no nice patterns of such to work with and the only interesting thing was cultures but then that would not be 'travel' it would be 'cultures.' When I went to my Huddersfield University interview me and my friend Thea was the last people to be interviewed, We had a two hour gap before our interview time. In this 2 hour we went and looked around the workshops and the classrooms in the part of the University that I would be studying, We saw so much inspiring work it was amazing however the one mood board that caught my eye was a science based one, This student had used science and used it as their inspiration to create little colour bombs and other textile based techniques that referred back to science as well as using oil spill to inspire her to use holographic colour in her work, This was something I was really interested in. I instantly got a flood of amazing idea's for this project and I am so so happy that I chose this topic as it's been the most interesting project I've ever done.

What research did you undertake? Primary, Secondary, Drawing from observation?

The most important part of a project is the research. This is where I really disappointed my self, I found almost no primary research for this project at all. After I got my feedback from my last project I noticed I needed to up my grade for primary research this is when I decided I would draw from observation using many different techniques such as continuous line, using different media and using different time's. However I could not find any primary research at all. Of course there is the Magna center which is a science museum but they focus on elements such as earth, fire, air and water. Although this is science based its not reflective on my theme as I focused more on bacterial petri dishes and cells as the patterns I found when researching into them on the internet and in books are amazing. I did find a sculpture in the Liverpool tate which was made from metal and wood and was inspired by the solar system and that was the only primary research I got. Although I am disappointed in myself for not finding much primary research I am really happy with the secondary research I got. Websites such as Pinterest and tumblr have really amazing pictures of cells and bacterial petri dishes and all amazing science based things. This made up for the primary research I did not get. 

How did you develop your research?

To develop my research I used the pictures I found the most interesting from different web sources and used them for my mood boards. I have 3 mood boards in total, The first is filled with pictures of cells, DNA , bacteria and petri dishes. The second is filled with holographic based pictures and oil spills and the last mood board I created is focused on the solar system. I then developed my mood boards into visual sheets by using the patterns and shapes I liked the most and painted them onto my visual sheet's. To do this I used gouache paint as well as silver pen to give my work a holographic look to it. I have 2 visual sheets in total all with different patterns and shapes on and they are both filled with colour. I then used my visual sheets to create my development sheets. These sheets are basically a development of the visual sheets I did, So its about changing the colours and scale of things. I created 3 development sheets in total. They are all quite similar but I experimented with the placement of things and the scale of patterns. Throughout my development I have used 4 main patterns which I have featured in all my sheets and mainly in my development sheets these are, cells, dots, bacterial petri dish's and a different looking cell which kind of looks like a domino. When I completed all 3 of my development sheets I knew how I wanted my pattern to look like.

What elements did you take into your designs and why?

From the start of this project I knew what I wanted my topic to be focused on and that was cells and bacterial petri dishes, They have appeared all the way through my work and have been a big part of my theme. As well as holographic as I used Angelina fibers in my needle felted work and used holographic heat transfer for my samples. 

What influenced what you developed?

A lot of things influenced what I developed. Firstly I knew I wanted to do something really colourful and this influenced me as I had to develop my work carefully so the colours matched and complimented each other. Secondly I wanted to produce something really large scale, This is because during my interview at Huddersfield University I was told by the interviewer that after she had seen my portfolio she would like to see me be as confident with colour as I already was but she would like to see me translate that into something large scale to see how I liked it. With me wanting it to be both colourful and large I also wanted to make sure my final piece reflected my theme clearly and thats the reason I developed cells and bacterial petri dishes in my work as they can still look beautiful and reflect my theme clearly.

What constraints affected your design?

I don't really think any constraints effected my design apart from money as funding my final major project has been very hard but very rewarding at the same time. Being a full time student means I do not have time for a job however with the support of family I have been able to fund my final major project. I hope it pays off and people would like to buy one of my scarfs I produce. Also with my final piece/s being so large time management has been quite hard as I will have to take extra time in the print room and extra time creating the tactile techniques such as needle felting and using dissolveable fabric to use on my final piece. Although I knew time management would be difficult from the start as deadlines have been extended for previous projects which has affected the time we have had for this project. This has limited the time for experimentation and sampling.

What problem solving did you do?

The only problem solving I did was with my paper tracing. After I drew it out the problem was with deciding what would go on which screen. As in my development sheets I used a lot of colour's and with my paper tracing being so large I was limited with screens after I had a chat with Kathryn we decided to use colour pencils to determine what would look good on what screen, We also agreed that we would mix up the screens this is something I had not done before, For example I had a screen for pink and a screen for blue but colouring the same thing in on my both the tracing means I would also have a purple colour. I also coloured in some dots on each tracing, This made my pattern more colourful and more like my development sheets. Although the process of doing my paper tracing then my tracing was long and tiring it was really worth it. 

What experimentation did you do?

My experimentation was mostly with colour and fabric but also with some techniques I had not used before and some I had not been confident in. Firstly I experimented with fabric as I had to find the correct fabric for my final piece/s as I am creating one big exhibition scarf which will not be worn and a few scarfs to sell. The fabric had to be comfortable and light and hold colour well. I experimented with colour as I had to see what colours compliment each other, How the colour came out on different fabric's, I also diluted the colour with water so get a more light and pastel colour. I also experimented with holographic heat transfer paper as I want to create a summer scarf it has to be a light and floaty material, taking this into consideration I sampled with light silk, muslin and cotton I found that on silk the heat transfer ruins the float in the silk and makes it a little stiff so I decided I would not use heat transfer on the scarfs I would be selling but still use it on my big exhibition piece scarf. I also experimented with dissolveable fabric, As I had never used this before I was excited to see how it turned out and I was really happy with the outcome as it looked really like something you would find by looking down a microscope. I decided to use this technique and feature it on my scarf. 

If you had no time constraints, what would you have done? Would you have used different fabrics or colours, embellished your fabric further?

Even though I have been on a dead line I am really happy with what I have produced and what I am planning to do for my final piece. If I had much more time I wouldnt have done anything different apart from make a proper collection of maybe scarfs and head scarfs and ties all with my print on it. But I am really happy with that I have produced and I would not change it for anything.

How did your chosen Artists/ Designers link to your work? How did they influence your work?

My biggest influence for my work is an artist called Klari Reis, She is an artist that experiments and layers up acrylic and plastic and industrial dyes and produces art that looks like bacterial petri dish's. The dye's she uses react with each other and smudge and bleed and make an amazing piece of art. This inspired me with my backgrounds for my samples as I tried to create the same kind of effect. I used water to soak my fabric in I then laid it out on news print and splat different colour procian dyes on it and they bled and smudged and made an amazing effect.

How did you decide on your final design?

From even before this project came upon me I knew for one project I wanted to design and make a collection of scarfs. However It was only half way through this project when I had a chat with the print room instructor kathryn when she gave me the idea to do one really big scarf as an exhibition piece and then a few scarfs to sell and I thought it was a really good idea as I could then show I am capable of being confident with colour even on a large scale.

What processes did you use throughout this project?

I used many different processes through out this project, In my sketchbook I used batik and different techiques such as collage, berol and pen. I used the sewing machine to free machine into the dissolveable fabric. In the print room I dyed up fabric, Screen printed, used the heat press for the heat transfer material. I also used the pegloom to weave, I created some knitting samples. The one process which I have found to really enjoy this project was needle felting. I have experimented with this alot, using many different colours and cutting up different fabrics to also add into my needle felted creations and not forgetting angelina fibers. 

What went well? What went wrong? is there anything you would change?

Nothing really went wrong in this project which I am so grateful for, I took my time and did everything correctly which prevented from anything going wrong. I also did a lot of experimentation which can not really go wrong as its just experimenting. What went well? All of my project has gone fantastically well I have really enjoyed my self with this project and I have genuinely being interested in every part of the project. 

Did you manage your time well?

I think I did manage my time very well, I set my self goals and targets and I also used my fmp diary (notebook) to create to do lists for each day and prioritized my tasks.

Did you use your blog effectively?

Yes, I think I used my blog very much, not just to blog about my projects but to also blog about what inspires me and other textile/art based blog post's. I have found blogging to be a hobby rather than something I have to do and I shall still be continuing my blog even after this project.

Satisfaction with your project work overall? What were your strengths? what could you have done better to improve the project?

I am really happy with my project work overall, I have put so much hard work into this project and spent most of my free time doing work at home. My strengths in this project I think were needle felting and being confident with colour. To improve my project I could have got more primary research however I really did try to find some relevant primary research but was not successful. 

Did you do what you set out to do from your proposal? If not why?

Yes, Mostly. I did everything I planned to although half way through the project I decided to create one big scarf and a few little ones rather than a collection of scarfs. I think this is a better idea as it will show how I can transfer colour from my samples into something large scale which will show of my skills with colour more. 

How did you handle the amount of work and organisation needed for FMP?

I used my FMP diary to make daily to do list's as well as blogging. Blogging helped me handle the amount of work as when I blogged about it I knew it was done with and out of the way. Apart from that, Taking regular breaks and not getting too stressed is key. Although during the end of the project I got really stressed and upset about how I was going to finish everything in time for the dead line but now I am really happy as I have got plenty of time to create my final piece/s for my exhibition now that my sheet work and sampling is out of the way.

Conclusion

In conclusion with this evaluation, I am really happy with my project and I am completely proud of myself and the amount of effort I put into my project. From sheet work to sampling, From blogging to experimenting I have put 100% into everything and I hope it all pays off. From the last project to finishing this project I feel I have grown as a person and as a textile and print designer. Its made me realise that I really do want this as a career and I really do enjoy doing what I do. 

Thank you for reading x