2.2.11. Unit Evaluation.

My main brief concept was 'Entrapment'. I explored this through first hand photography and expressional mark making. Then for my Live Brief I chose the concept of 'Natural form' which is focused on the working model of the brand 'Helen Lawrence' has touched upon before. Working two briefs simultaneously was, I found, to be a bit of a challenge and at times a little daunting, yet a challenge I enjoyed. At times I found I was favouring one brief more than the other. On discovering this I decided evaluate my work’s progress each week, selecting which brief required more attention and emphasis. I then focused primarily on a week by week basis on the brief that required more attention. I found that this worked for me and allowed better time management thus improving greatly my efficiency in managing both briefs development and understanding. 

When I consider my work on both briefs I find that overall I enjoyed the branding brief more. I felt it reflected my style and personality more. I enjoyed restraining my research to one brand as if I was to work for them as an employee of the Helen Lawrence Brand. I felt this helped me to develop my ideas towards a single cause, focusing on bringing my original designs toward what the brand stands for. Complimenting the ‘Helen Lawrence Brand’ with new but similar concepts was an experience I really enjoyed. I am proud of the outcome I achieved as it gave me opportunities to narrow my colour palette to a season, to research and understand a brand’s trademark learning how to cater for the demands that entails.

Although I enjoyed my work on the Locating Unit I don't feel I was successful in adding my own signature design to it. Additionally I struggled in writing my self-initiated brief. Initially understanding the concepts needed to integrate the two briefs together was difficult to grasp. However once I received some much needed support, guidance and advice I was able to overcome these hurdles to finally bring it together. 

I found contacting Helen Lawrence via email a very positive experience. Recently I have uploaded and tagged her in some of my finished samples. In addition, through the use of social media I have set up my own ‘Linkedin’ account. This account includes a summary of my work illustrated with key images of my designs. Besides Linkedin I have uploaded these key images to Instagram and Pinterest with the hope that at some point in the future these may lead to developing contacts, building links, with potential employers who view my work via these social medias. 

Overall this unit has helped me to improve many skills both personally and as a designer. Personally this unit has helped me develop an understanding that at times whether in university or in the workplace of textile design, I will be required of me to take on and manage multiple projects at any given time. As a result this unit has led me to think heavily upon how important time management is whilst juggling multiple projects, and has emphasised the importance of effective research and solid concepts and ideas when running numerous projects simultaneously in order to manage time efficiently. This unit has given me a better understanding of what is required of me and of how to work more efficiently therefore pushing me to work harder for what I want to achieve. Looking at myself as a designer and the way I design i feel i should not be too literal in my drawings. I feel that I have learnt I can create something impressive by not adding too many elements together, working with something simple can still produce beautiful and elegant pieces and result in a good outcome. In addition the feedback from my tutorials guided me towards the optimal direction of where to push and drive my work. This positive and negative feedback allowed me to learn whether techniques or work suggestions would work or not.

To further my practice I plan to develop and progress my embroidery techniques within my knits. I feel this element will bring my samples together more wholly whilst showing my style and personality making it my own.  To be more diverse I would like to develop ideas into menswear to see if this is a field I can mould my design process to and in doing so still focusing my samples towards high-end fashion knit. 

As for the future, I plan use my research more efficiently, whilst delving deeper into brands in order to understand their design aesthetics and trend patterns. In conclusion, I have really enjoyed this unit, especially the constant flow of work and the fluidity between both projects. Having to manage my time effectively and managing my projects and to employ different work techniques in both has taught me constraint, bringing an understanding of what each individual project needed, therefore enabling me to switch between the two and in doing so developing my personal skill and developing my ability as a designer.

2.2.10. Selection.

This week I am refining my development samples. With some of the samples I need more flashes of red and pink, while others are lacking in range of colour. I aim to address this problem by adding colour through embroidery. The aim is to incorporate this technique once my knits are off the machine when I can judge where and what embroidary might be required.

I have completed few black based knits although this isn't what my initial research indicated. Therefore I need to be minimising the black in my samples, changing the base colour to a lighter yarn or monofilament to more accurately represent those colours from the initial research.

Some of my samples are still overly controlled and patterned. Consequently I am adding more beading and inlaying to cause more disruption, showing movement in alternative ways. In addition I have been making quite small samples and will this week will focus my work on elongating my techniques to create larger samples, to show how they will look on a greater scale.

Finally I will have to consider what works well, similarly taking out what doesn't. Also I aim to  lighten up my colour palette to portray my sketchbook more accurately, whilst also bringing disorder to my overly controlled pattern.

2.2.9. Irregularity.

This week I have been focusing intensively on developing and extending my sample work. To the extent that I feel I have been disregarding my sketchbook. I have worked extensively with pattern and repetition, when this is only half of what my research and imagery is about. During my tutorial I realised that I had been ignoring the change in pattern, and unevenness this brought to my images. It’s something I intend rectify this week.

I imagined the next step in my sampling was piecing knit parts together to make a whole, together with incorporating machine embroidery; sadly it was a total disaster. It did not work at all, a complete failure; the aspect wasn't what I was aspiring to.

After reflecting on my sketchbook I have made a decision to section out and layer techniques, combining one into another. Bringing sections from different images together to make a sample.

                                                                                                                                                                              Nicola Jones

To achieve my goal this week I need to solve the problem of how to lay out and declutter my knits. Also I aim to simplify my samples using more elongated processes. In order to hit my targets I will need to develop and extend my work further by pushing boundaries and manipulating different techniques to fit within my images.

This week my work will take inspiration from Nicola Jones's knit samples and will use these techniques in my own work. In doing so I will be working with a few basic techniques to create something eye catching, beautiful and yet simply made by having more movement whilst maintaining structure too.

My focus being on bringing together parts of my drawn images and extending the movement within them. My intention is to add pockets of beads to some of the samples. This process will bring an illusion of movement to them adding texture whilst showing bolder colours in different ways and to have chunks of colour and alternative characteristics. Thus developing an unconventional way to express the theme of entrapment and struggle, of being trapped with nowhere to go, with no escape.