A2 Coursework; Alexander McQueen Artist Research

As part of my artist research work, I've focused on Sarah Burton and how she creates pieces for the Alexander McQueen brand, using this as inspiration for my textile copies. From this, I took experimental photographs and then observational drawings, focusing on things such as high collars, long trains, and using her ideas of contrast and juxtaposition in my work.

 I analysed her AW14 collection, before creating the same kind of patterns and colour in felt, couching and batik work, and these have inspired my further along in my coursework when experimenting with fabrics, colours and shapes.

A2 Coursework; Tree Experiments

Part of my focus into fairy-tales looked at symbolism, such as the idea of an 'enchanted forest'. After looking at artists like Lesley Richmond whose focus is on woodland, I went out and took photographs in a forest, before drawing from my observations in both pencil and water colours. 

I developed the colours and shapes from the water colour drawing, creating a batik piece similar to it. Other textile experiments I created included a mono-print of tree branches, and also a mixed media piece where I tie-dyed the background, then used wool, scrap fabric and beads to embellish leaves and branches onto this.

A2 Coursework; Paper Witchcraft Project

As part of my experimentation, I looked at exhibitions that had been held where students had created dresses made completely out of paper, by folding, ripping, gluing etc.; and the pieces inspired me to try my own. 

After researching to get ideas, I first experimented with tearing, gluing, ripping, folding etc., until I found the techniques I liked most. Then, using inspiration from my artist’s research for shapes and dress styles of witches, I created some design ideas, and refined them to my final paper dress design idea.

A2 Coursework; Tree Drawing and Experiments 2

Carrying on my research from the trees experiments and drawings I created, I decided to do a massive A2 drawing of one of my photographs, using pencil sketch, wax crayons and pen. I looked at the shape and form of the tree, where I needed shading or lighter areas and how the perspective of looking up the tree trunk could be translated. 

From this, I focused on tree bark, and copied this into textile form, creating too pieces made from batik and felt, which both looked at the brown colours and textures created by the materials. These drawings and experiments had inspired me to refine the ideas, and how I can incorporate them when I start my final design ideas.

A2 Coursework; Final Paper Dress

After researching and experimenting with the paper, and also creating my final dress design idea, I started to create my own dress made from papier-mâché. I used the paper to build up layers adding texture, and the style of the dress with the high collars and puff skirt was inspired by my artists Alexander McQueen and Sapto Djojokartiko. 

The final dress reflects a modern day ‘witch’ style, and the layers and texture is extended from my studies into trees and nature.

AS Coursework; Bruce Munro Artist Research

As part of my research into light, and artwork that uses light incorporated in the pieces, I looked at Bruce Munro and his light installation pieces that he constructs on huge scales. 

The main formal elements I focused on were light, colour, pattern and line, I and carried these inspirations into some prints I did. I dyed little pieces of calico and then used a print inspired by my photographs to print on these, then decorating them in different ways, through weave, couching, and embellishing with beads. 

AS Coursework; Light Observational Drawings

After focusing on artists such as Bruce Munro and Sophie Hedderwick, I decided to look at the way light could be used to manipulate an image, and how the contrast of light and darkness created shadows and reflections. 

Taking inspiration from the way my artists work, I took my own experimental photographs of everyday items such as a shoe and a chair, and draped them in fairy lights to make them almost seem to glow. I then made experimental drawings from these, in both pencil drawings and water colour quick media experiments, focusing on colour, light, shadows and shape.

AS Coursework; Light Experiments

Extending on this idea of using actual light in my work, I created some textile media experiments, and then tested all of these, threading fairy lights underneath the textile experiments and also through, seeing how they would reflect the light or glow. 

Some media’s I used included batik, print, felt and weave, and I liked the way the light both shone through the materials, and lit up some of the fabric prints too. One of my favorites was the Angelina threads, I liked the sparkle effect they gave off and the way they reflected light off the piece. 

AS Coursework; Molar Stars Refinement

After looking at the stain glass windows that Harry Clarke produced, I decided to refine the molar work pieces I had created in his style. I used a star shape as this had been a main focal point in my photographs and drawings, and then created molar work stars with different layers of felt, batik and Angelina fibers. 

I then refined these again to make them smaller and have different patterns on them, and then these were used in my final design ideas. 

AS Coursework; Light Design Ideas

I used all of the artist’s inspiration, my photographs and drawings, and also the experiments I did with the lights to inspire my final design ideas. I thought of quite a few and finally chose to create a tutu skirt, incorporating the molar work stars I had made. 

However after making it, the piece didn't look right to me, and I wanted to start again but be more free with my work, so I cut up the skirt and redesigned the piece into a dress, using the panels for a corset top and creating a puffball skirt like the shapes seen in Bruce Munro’s work.

AS Coursework; Lights Final Piece

My second final piece was a lot more complex that my first, with more techniques being used such as a bit of pattern cutting, papier-mâché and working with wax, and a bigger piece was created. 

 I used the panels off the skirt of my old tutu to create a corset like top, coating the panels in papier-mâché before tearing them to give it an illuminated effect. I used tissue to stuff a puffball skirt I created, and used fairy lights both inside the ball and on top of the corset to light of the piece, incorporating my inspiration from the artist research I had carried out.

AS Exam; Carol Law Conklin Artist Research

For my AS Exam project, my theme was Earth and one artists I focused on was Carol Law Conklin, a batik artist who works with trees and nature. I experimented with batik, inspired by her pieces and also photos that I took myself in the forest, and used these for inspiration. 

I tried other media to get the same earthy effects, making a molar work tree branch inspired by my photos, and a felt copy of a post with mushrooms growing off it. The earthy brown colours and free flow of experimentation inspired my final design ideas.

AS Exam; Artist Copy and Earth Experiements

Carrying on from my Earth theme and work inspired by Carol Law Conklin, I decided to experiment looking at different types of media to create tree patterns and pieces. Firstly, I used felt to create an actual tree shape, stuffing it to make it 3D, and then couching different wool and thread onto it, as well as embellishment. 

I used ink to create a mono-print piece of tree outlines, an also dye fabric and ink draw over the top of the dyed pieces. I printed a tree pattern onto more coloured ink pieces, and then couched over the top of these.

AS Exam; Carolyn Saxby Artist Research

Another artist I looked at was Carolyn Saxby, as she looks at beaches and the water side of Earth and Nature. She works very freely and with a lot of blue colours, so I created a molar work with layers of batik, felt and other fabrics to represent the rock pools and pebbles I had photographed. 

I then embellished this with couching, beads and wax bubbles, and this inspired my pebbles that I incorporated on my final piece. 

AS Exam; Pebble Observational Drawings

After my research on Carolyn Saxby, I went out and photographed rock pools, streams, and other water forms and rocks. From these I did some experimental observational drawings, using pencil crayons, sketching, ink and water colours. 

I looked at the colours of the blues, browns, and greens, and the shapes that the body of pebbles created. These were then inspiration for my textile inspirations where I could translate my colour and shape observations.

AS Exam; Further Earth Experiments

Other textile experiments I completed when thinking about refining my previous pieces into design ideas included a lot of couching onto batik and tie dye pieces, looking at the textures and lines I captured in my photographs of the undergrowth and vines on tree branches. I looked at using plaster of Paris to coat little experiments I created looking at layers and textures, and then peeled it away to embellish with beads. 

I also looked at making felt pebbles and embellishing these, and creating batik drawing of the pebble textures, all of which inspired my final piece.

AS Exam; Earth Design Ideas

My ideas focused around dresses that followed the same form as Alexander McQueen’s work, and I then used other things such as my drawings, photographs and textile experiments to build on these. 

I used a mannequin to create my form out of paper, and then created six design ideas before refining these ideas together 4 times, before I finally reached my final design idea. This contained elements of felting, batik, couching, plaster of Paris, embellishing and a lot more. I used the colour I’d experimented with, and incorporated lot of previous ideas from throughout the project.

AS Exam; Earth Final Piece

For my final piece, I created a dress which contained many different media, based on experiments. The top part of the dress has a batik pattern, with and ink and couching stretching up the side of the mannequin’s neck. 

The main skirt is a brown silk, that has been ruffled to add volume, and then a huge over skirt train with layers of silk, tie dye and also Plaster of Paris on thread has been added, with rips to reveal the layers. Finally, I added some felt pebbles of different colours, shapes and patterns, all embellished and scattered around the entire dress.