MY CHOSEN BUG REPEAT

'Bugflower'

I have decided to use this repeat as my final base design on to which I will embroider motifs. As the bugs in the print resemble flowers, I will be aiming to embroider flower like pieces onto the fabric in a similar colour palette.

PHOTOSHOP: BUG PRINTS REFINED...

Over the past couple of weeks I have been tirelessly trying to refine my repeats on photoshop. I've had a few problems along the way but I overcame them and I think I've finally cracked it! Here's a few of my ideas to cast  a beady eye over...

These are my best designs in repeat. The middle design is simple and would be ideal for scarf prints etc, however I was aiming to create a sort of 'landscape' with the bugs and I think I have been successful in doing this with the first and last designs. Therefore these will be the ideas that I'm going to push forward with! 

PHOTOSHOP: FIRST ATTEMPTS

We had our first photoshop session as a group today with Lisa Stannard, a practising print designer who graduated from MMU. She taught us how to use the basic repeat tools on photoshop to create repeat patterns for fashion and interiors. These are my first attempts!...

 My first attempts aren't bad, but I need to refine my skills to make sure my final designs are of the highest quality! PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT.

BUGS: DRAWINGS AND RESEARCH

Some drawings and research to kickstart my British bugs project...

UNIT TWO: URBAN OUTFITTERS

For the second project of unit two, I plan to create a textile wall covering to hang in a space near to the women's fitting rooms in the URBAN OUTFITTERS store, Manchester. 
My inspiration is based on naturally growing fungi and mushrooms that tend to grow in groups and climb vertical surfaces. 
Techniques I will use include digital print and embroidery.
I will look closely at current trends and themes on the high street and the catwalk to allow myself to create a piece of artwork that will fit in with the current fashion climate but that will also fit in with the URBAN OUTFITTERS 'look' and 'feel' within the store.

YEAR TWO: UNIT TWO: BRITISH BUGS IN PRINTED TEXTILES

I have chosen to focus this live briefed unit on british insects and bugs. My aim is to use printed textiles techniques combined with other textiles processes to create a design for the fashion market. 

My designs should fit into the current fashion trends with embellishment and large, bold print being central. Other key elements will be colour and fabric choice. 

With J W Anderson using bold, animal orientated, repeated prints in his A/W 2012 collection for Topshop, and designers such as Louis Vuitton using bright and bold prints on the catwalk, my designs need to be in keeping with these themes.

I plan to study insects and other 'creepy crawlies' to then group together in a repetitive pattern that resembles scenery. My inspiration will come from my photographs and other sources of bugs that are common throughout England and the UK. 

WRAPPING THE NEST, FONT BAR, FALLOWFIELD

This month we (a group of friends and I) were asked by the creative director of FONT BAR, Fallowfiled, Manchester to create a piece of textiles to sit in the back corner of the bar. As it is autumn, we decided to build a suspended, wrapped nest to create a warm, cosy feel to the table underneath.

We used autumnal colours to wrap the gathered twigs, then started to wrap them together into branches to hang from the ceiling. We did this in an ordered manner to give a sense of flowing colours around the nest. We suspended them from the ceiling using hooks and fishing wire. The final touch came with the fairy lights which added a soft atmosphere and colour to the piece in the evening...