Summer School 2013

This  year we were lucky to  have Sue Dove as out tutor who taught us a new approach to collage. Sue also supported us by making her teaching relevant to our module [in my cases spirals]

We started by tearing strips from glossy magazines – any which were attractive to us – and then stuck them down onto cartridge paper with PVA. We then coloured in the spaces around the papers with oil pastels changing and blending colours / tones as we went.

Then we chopped up the collages and re-arranged them. This meant that the movement of colour became important forming abstract shapes and colours. whatever pleased the eye.

My first attempts:

Becomes:

and:

Another try:

Becomes:

And one of my favourites:

Becomes:

 

We tried adding text:

Becomes:

I love the clock!

And this:  Too nice to cut!

We also tried adding a stencil and stippling over it with black acrylic paint:

Then I added spiral shapes from magazine and a border made up of oil pastels over painted with black acrylic and then scratched away to form a contrasting pattern:

Next we made some monoprints and used a stencil shape as a resist before adding some more monoprinted spiral shapes on top.

Monoprinted paper overlaid with monoprinted tissue paper plus cut spiral stencil.

Monoprinted calico overlaid with tissue paper as before plus printed spiral shape:

The underlayer here is calico which has been monoprinted using a tile base and then monoprinted tissue paper added on  top:

We then chose a piece to which we would add stitching [monoprinted calico with fabric spirals and strip added on top:

And with stitching:

 

When I got home I was concerned that I’d needed to keep what I’d learnt alive and so I decided to try and make a collage a week. I also want to get into the habit of using my sketchbook to record my thoughts or response to the world around me.

Collage 1

Brighton Seafront…….A walk along the Prom

Collage 2:

Inspired by my garden…..

I forgot to photograph this before I cut it so have placed it back together!

Becomes:

With this on the facing page:

Collage no 3:

Memories of the Costume Museum in Sevilla……..

Became:

I had some papers left over so …..

Collage No 4:

It’s been a summer no-one saw coming:

So far so good!

Now I will return to Module 3 course work and keep my weekly collages going…….

Chapter 2b. Designs using the monoprinting method. Spiral drawing using a computer paint programme

I love monoprinting so was delighted to revisit this technique and this time in colour.

I love the element of the unexpected in the result

I made lots of samples using my chosen colours and experimenting with adding additional layers including lighter tints and darker shades. I arranged these in this spiral shape for the purpose of photographing them for the blog.

Spiral drawing using a computer paint programme

I was entering a technique entirely new to me so I asked my friends on our Distant Stitch Facebook network for advice. Ros suggested the Scribbler programme .

The fun began……………….

More experiments:

I was really pleased with this top image:

I discovered this effect with Scribbler and wanted to develop it further:

 

Formation of a spiral by rotating a shape:

I then had a go at filling spaces with colour:

I realised that I wanted to understand the Fibonacci theory more fully so I decided to take a closer look:

I love the idea of the Fibonacci sequence represented in flowers especially the rose, so decided to have a go at constructing one now that I understand more:

I made a paper sample:

And then I drew the petal shapes on the computer, layered and rotated them and filled them with colour:

Using the Photoshop computer paint programme to modify a basic scribble into exciting spirals:

Creating positive and negative images on Photoshop:

I’ve acquired a drawing tablet [so much easier] and now my drawing a little more mature!!

This has been a great learning curve but I have learned such a lot. The time spent will be an investment for future work!

Sitting at the computer takes its toll and I’m looking forward to playing with fabric and threads in the next chapter………..

Summer School very soon too, wonderful!

In retrospect chapter 1

Sian suggested I look at the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh as the images may link in with my ideas around the rose; I was in Glasgow last autumn and was lucky enough to visit take a photo at the Hunterian museum and the Willow Tearooms

I also keep a stock of cards and found these:

Sian also suggested I look more closely at different types of spirals, how they’re formed and then relate these to some of my examples.

2D rotational spirals. 2D is defined as an object rendered visually in 2 planes representing width and height whilst rotational is defines as turning around a centre or axis. Sounds obvious but it helped me to clarify! I can see this in the blue beautiful drain cover I photographed in Barcelona [page 2] and the earrings on page 4. also the paper patterned coil on page 11

Equilateral spiral. Based on equilateral triangles and I can see this in the rose images on page 1 and the paper patterned spiral  page 13

Archimedes spiral. The simple coil seen in the fern frond on page 1 and the rafia mat on page 3.

Helix 3D. examples include the cabbage on page 1, staircase on page 6 and the ammonite on page 3.

Running spirals. Fern frond on page 1 and brooch page 2.

Linked spirals. Linked spiral paper on page 11

Spirals made from crescents.  I thought maybe the garden ornament on page 4

This has helped me appreciate the diversity of spiral patterns and shapes.

Module 3. Chapter 1

Module 3 is based on the spiral shape and  to start we have to collect images which we see in both natural and man-made structures.

Of course once I started to look I saw them everywhere! So I’ve tried to select the ones I find really pleasing. I’ve taken some photos myself and looked back in my holiday albums [knew they’d be useful at some point!] as well as looking in magazines /newspapers and searching on the Internet.

I started by looking at spirals seen in nature. I loved the idea of the spiral in the fingerprint , the very essence of our individuality and was fascinated by the similarity between the rose and the cabbage but best of all are the spirals within spirals seen in the unfolding frond of the fern. I was really struck by the colours in the cabbage image [google search] and started to think of this as an idea for my colour scheme.

I started to add a couple of simple pencil drawings to help me understand how the spirals take shape.

Man-made spirals are seen in so many different contexts and the endless images show how they influence our man-made world from  spires and domes in our cities, the drain cover I found in Barcelona [see below top right] and the ammonite fused in stained glass in Gaudi’s house. Wrought iron gates and jewellery use them as decoration whilst aeroplane engines and motorcycle wheels all need the spiral in order to function.

I added a few more drawings:

I found the image below on within my google search which demonstrates the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Section beautifully. I couldn’t get over how similar this spiral staircase is to the rose [although it should probably be the other way up!]

 

Chapter 2a. Colours next:

And coloured papers:

Spiral shapes using various coloured papers:

Simple 3D shapes.

I’ve arranged these on a cardboard base for this photo but have placed them in a box for safe storage.