Yellow- not my thing!

Looking at the Indian art research I had collected, I realised the prints included animals; birds butterflies and insects. I therefore decided to start experimenting with this aspect. I have never used animals within my work, so it was difficult at first! I used a thicker watercolour mix to make the colours more defined so the shapes looked quite bold and full of depth. 

After having a feedback in my tutorial, I realised I needed to start producing individual motifs that could either be used individually, or together to create a full print... 

...But then I started to use yellow! Looking at the work I produced this week, I just think, why?! Nevertheless, there was a reason. In most of the visual research I collected, creams and yellows were used for both the backgrounds and hints within the motifs. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with this idea using the bird motifs I had created. Yellow has NEVER been my colour-I think this is because I've never been able to wear it as I have red hair...and to this day, it is STILL not my colour!

Drawing

This project, I am adamant that I am going to push myself further, to expand as a designer, I need to get out of my comfort zone. Therefore, when drawing, I have been experimenting with a range of techniques. Seeing as the Indian prints are very soft and textured, I decided to work with watercolour; using dabs of faint paint to build up an image. I really liked this way of working as it meant it added more depth as I added each layer. Additionally when transferring these paintings into Photoshop, the fine liner I had used to add definition, made the print look really bold and more abstract.

I really like the contrast of the soft background against the harsh reds; it brings in a bit of pop!

Visual Research

I decided to look at the indian style of work first. It was really interesting to look at, as most of the motifs were floral, using reds, greens and yellows. All the shapes used within the designs are very soft and fluid, each motif detailed and beautiful.

Image sourced from: 'Indian & Persian Textiles Designs'  by
Christophe- Philippe Oberkampf, 2006

Image sourced from 'Treasures of Indian Textiles' Calico Museum

Looking at Spring/Summer 2014 Trends

I've been looking at the trends for spring/summer 2014 and I love the themes! There are so many floral trends: dark & dense florals, painterly florals, quirky florals and shadow palms. The florals that stand out to me are the quirky and painterly florals; it would be interesting to work with different paints, from soft water colour to harsh acrylic and then experiment with them in a more abstract way, to get the "quirky" look. Last project I touched on the idea of zooming in to my print so it slightly blurs and creates a abstract, textured look, therefore it might be interesting to look at that in more detail. 

Lele Rose pre-summer 2014

Hussein Chalayan pre-summer 2014

Looking at the s/s 14 catwalks, the overall trend that stood out for me was the 'Cultural Prints'. The trend highlighted pop colour, graphic duo-tone and Indian- inspired prints. 

Mara Hoffman spring/summer 2014

Roberto Cavalli spring/summer 2014

  

I have explored the theme cultural prints before, however in a different way; I focused on traditional African tribal designs, therefore I feel it is important to approach the topic from a different angle. I’m going to take two different cultures and create new and interesting designs: a cultural clash! Indian and Persian textiles design and art generally have a softer approach compared to pop art; so to combine these two themes will capture a exciting mood that will then be transferred onto fashion prints. Pop culture is all about being bold and daring, however Indian art is subtle and elegant and this challenge to use both these themes within the same work has inspired me to choose the theme ‘Cultural Clash’. I will experiment with shape, colour and composition taking inspiration from both cultures, thriving on the challenge of the ‘Clash’.