Drawing References + Designs

The research and drawings I did for the last project was a good starting point for this collection, I am going to expand on the old prints with new drawing references. By the end of last project I began to be interested in chimney tops and layers areas, finding that these images gave me a great range of new shapes and pattern ideas. I have become very interested in how pattern is created, through combining shapes together to form one surface. I have researched into brick laying, knit patterns and woven surfaces to learn about their structures. This has allowed my prints to be planned in multiple new ideas through simple rotations and scaling.

To accompany this, I have researched into optical prints. To be able design my own I have been learning how an optical print is created, what shapes are needed, spacings between lines etc. 

This was harder then I had anticipated, the shaping and layers of a design had to line up perfectly otherwise the overall print would not work. As each design is drawn by hand it has taken a lot longer then I had hoped, meaning that the time spent creating these drawings in a specific way was time taken away from developing them digitally. The collection of final drawings, ready to be taken into digital work, I am very pleased with and I am excited to see how they work once repeated. 

Final Prints 2 & 3

I have been self evaluating my prints, which sections work the best and which areas need improvement.  This is a crucial part of my work as I want my final prints to be as refined as possible, especially in scaling and pattern positioning. The original drawings that are used in repeat have been drawn square and the width of standard wallpaper, so when it comes to printing they will fit perfectly onto the roll. 

As I put my prints into repeat, I have been working out how to make patterns run through the print as it is repeated. The top print I have added a subtle zig zag through the design, this has allowed a stripe to form as the the print extends. In my previous print I found that the darker areas were the most successful when applied into a room setting, therefore I have been adding thicker and harsher lines into these designs to explore this idea. I really focussed on adding larger dark areas on the bottom print, the shapes that I created were designed to create a diagonal stripe along the wall once the wallpaper was installed. This print works well in repeat as the different shapes break up the half drop pattern, it has a sense of different layers and has a depth that the other two prints do not have. I have found that my prints work best in a half drop design, as the repeat creates a horizontal stripe when repeated across. 

Final Print 1

The large scale drawings have been used in photoshop and put into a half drop design to create this wallpaper. The black and white creates an eye catching image, with changing angles and built up areas. The sections that are complete blacked out shapes work well to break up the pattern, as it would look too crowded if those areas were not there. The visualisations are to a double scale of the print design, the prints works better when enlarged. I have begun changing the print into different colour ways, however I have not finalised a colour pallet as I struggle to find colour schemes that are fitting with current wallpapers.  

Large Scale Drawing

The design brief for Humpties brought up a few flaws in my designs, they were not strong enough or large enough to be used on a bigger scale. As I intend on having my prints as wall paper or wall panels it is crucial that they can be applied to large surfaces. This has been a bit of a step back, as I have needed to go back and re-do most of my drawing. It has however allowed me to really refine my patterns and the shapes I am creating. Whilst drawing these new, larger images I focussed a lot on line qualities. This included the thickness of lines, variation in pens used, line relationships to each other, broken lines, angles of shapes and composition. These drawings were very time consuming, however they have left me with a stronger starting point to create prints. 

External Project

Humpties

www.humpties.com

As part of this project I have to complete and external brief, for this I have chosen 'Humpties'. This company creates fabric pouffes, for indoor and outdoor purposes. The design of their pouffes are circular with a boarder running around the edge, so I have tailored my work to fit the design criteria. My previous design work has adapted well into this shape, the straight lines work well with the curves to create dynamic ideas. The difficulty I am having with these designs however are creating them to the desired scale on the brief, as when enlarged they loose quality and become blurry.  

Line Drawing

The images below all originally came from the same image, deconstructed and rearranged. The shapes they created were the starting point, from which I have added line drawing to connect sections. The additional drawing has unified the image and added more depth. The final image was created by combining the two previous images on a larger scale. Again, additional line drawing was added to connect sections together. It is not as successful as I was hoping, the areas of just line drawing are a lot weaker then the built up areas from the previous imagery. 

Image In Repeat Continued

The prints I have been creating have been developing in two ways, one off prints and prints in repeat. The one off prints are designed towards a panel for a room, where as the repeats are designed for more conventional use. The below prints could be used for wallpaper, wrapping paper or a fabric for interiors, as they have are continuous. The work in repeat isn't as strong as the individual pieces, they don't fit right together. 

Image In Repeat

As I am primarily print based, I enjoy putting my work in repeat or using multiples of the same image to create a new one. I have used simple rotation and repeat for the first image, which works relatively well. However, it would be enhanced if the original images we drawn with a ruler and not free hand, as they don't match seamlessly. 

The images below are the most successful, this is due to the change of scale of the original image. The first image would be richer if the layers were carried on further. If the layers multiplied down the page and the chimneys extended up, the process would work more effectively. The second image works well as a simple repeat pattern along the horizontal. 

Collage

The fine liner drawings have been scanned, copied and dissembled. These pieces have been rearranged to create new shapes and angles from my images. My aim to be constantly creating new layers and shapes works well with the reusing of drawings and repeating processes on one piece. There is a strong aerial sense to these images, the strange junctions and line relationships make you wonder what the spaces represent. 

Drawings

The power stations have been rich sources for drawing references, they have enabled me to create shapes and patterns that I didn't see before. The initial outline shape and the layers inside are taken from elements within my photographs. I have drawn it all free hand to extend my drawing skills and technique, the outcome has been fairly successful. By changing the thickness of the line, it creates a sense of an aerial viewpoint, or a building cut in half. The shapes have a questionable positioning, what are they, why are they placed there, which I do not intend to answer and leave an enigma to the viewer. 

Line Drawing

My last drawings were quite loose and drawn by free hand, the outcomes are not working with the structured objects that I was drawing from. I have focussed more on my line drawing, creating close replicas of the shadows and spaces the maquettes create.

The Drawing Book

Tania Kovats

To gather a better understanding of my drawing style I have researched other artists' way of mark marking. The book that I found the most influential was 'The Drawing Book' edited by Tania Kovats, and her work in particular. My work is taking a more futuristic turn, creating my own shapes and patterns. Her work takes a simple shape but then builds on it until it creates a type of world, with great depth in her images. This style of building up I want to use and explore in my drawings.  

Initial Drawings

My maquettes create interesting shapes and patterns, I have captured this with photographs but I have also attempted to replicate in ink and pencil drawing.

Cut and Fold

Looking at artist's use of shadow has inspired me to do the same within my work. I have experimented with cutting and folding plain paper, cutting in straight lines work well but other shapes fall apart when folded. Through these pieces I have changed the length and thickness of the cuts, creating different layers of shelves. When lit and photographed the shadows worked even better then I thought, depending on the  direction of the light each maquette can produce multiple shadow patterns.