From my first project at the college and again just really liked the quickness and not perfected look of this page. working on top of images and drawings and fabrics.
Wednesday 3 June 2009
My 15 most successful images
Really liked the freeness of this design idea page, reminding me not to be so up tight and use photoshop too much!
My 15 most successful images
Another image from one of my digital photography shoots, Using extra flashes and sky lighting it gives this photo some depth, Also enjoyed styling this photoshoot
My 15 most successful images
One of the photographs from my fashion art and culture photoshoot, I have played around with it only using selective colour, I like the black and white affect.
My 15 most successful images
One of my final images from the work that was set over summer, i just really liked the styling in the photograph.
My 15 most successful images
Work from my digital photography elective inside the lighting studio, I really like the honey comb lighting in this photo and the effect it causes.
My 15 most successful images
Fashion art and culture, this was the image from my group crit. This is a mixture of images i collected from books and also some prints of my own to create this mood board. The composition works well.
My 15 most successful images
Another of my C.A.D rendered experimental drawing images. I really like the different textures created with polly bags, wall paper, string,and chalk that all look completely different from the original image.
My 15 most successful images
Research sheet/Ideas sheet from fashion art and culture. An interesting hand rendered one. I just really like the images on this one and also the layout works well.
My 15 most successful images
Shop reports, I wasnt entirely sure i was doing these correctly until i came back from christmas and seen mine were similar to other peoples. This was a visually successful shop report as i could easily take pictures in these shops.
My 15 most successful images
My most successful trend board from A/W08-09 I enjoyed mixing the images i had taken in-stores and a mixture of images from the internet and in magazines to create the mood of the trend and this was the one i think was most effective.
My 15 most successful images
This was not long after we had one of our first C.A.D workshops were i found my love for photoshop : ) I really enjoyed using C.A.D to create a visual research sheet.
My 15 most successful images
My final line up from container culture project. This was the project i received the most marks for, but also the project i enjoyed the most. I think the C.A.D finishings work well.
My 15 most successful images
This was one of the 5 C.A.D rendered drawings we had to do for the 1st hand in. The image is from one of the experimental drawing workshops we had at the beginning of the year, i feel its a strong visual piece of mine.
Interdisciplinary process hand in!
Phewww im quite glad to have handed in my interdisciplinary process. I was really pleased with my final garment. I think it worked well and reflected on my research. Although i think towards the end of the project i mabe spent too much time on the garment and not enough time on my illustration or finishing off other sketch work! It feels good though to only have PPD1 to get on with now. Ive stupidly been writing my blog in a note pad for the last 6ish months! so will now have to type that up defiantly a learning curve that next year i will keep my blog up to date on the web! Anyway yeah this project has totally swayed me more towards pathway b... I really dont think my designs are avaunt guard at all... I do like using expensive fabrics but there is still upper middle market on the hightstreet which use more expensive fabrics. Also my pattern cutting isnt very avaunt guard either! I really enjoy using C.A.D for line ups etc but this would be used in pathway B too. i just really am not interested in promotion too much, or films... or websites i did IT at school and hated all the codes and things you have to learn to make websites... I think it would just stress me out and i wouldnt enjoy it! So pathway B i have chosen. Im really looking 4ward to all the modules... Although i would have liked to have done innovative cut from pathway A.
Swing tags with 3rd year
So this week with my 3rd year i was sewing buttons onto her swing tags, her collection is ment to have an element of child-like resemblance/ vintage and her swing tags are really inkeeping with this design... She has hand stenciled on her name to them which is glambotsky which was her grandparents maiden name before it was changed which i think is really interested and in keeping again with her vintage theme.
Once i had finished doing her swing tags i then was drawing out some patterns for her. She was already for her garment collection hand in the next day, and didnt have too much to stress about either. Charlotte had also made her own coat hangers that were padded with ditsy floral material...
Ahh yeah almost forgot slipped my mind i was also hand sewing in her labels for her too, which again were floral material with dark black glambotsky signs on them. It was also interesting when charlotte was having them printed out i went to watch andrew do them and that was interesting to watch aswel, another process that you have to think about come my own collection!
Researching Illustrators
Ive just been doing some research into Illustrators for my final illustration and i love Deanne Cheuk work... Here are some were using a mixture of hand rendering and C.A.D work can be really effective. But we have to hand render ours so i will have to think / do some ideas.
E-mail final catwalk...
Just received an email from Tracey about the 3rd years fashion show and im a male dresser, im really glad to be involved in the show, and glad to have been given the responsibility. It will be a really goof experience!
Knitting machine... Pattern cutting...
So i had a go with the knitting machine the other day, and its quite hard to get the hang of, once you get the jist of setting it up, you then have to get used to it not picking up stitches sometimes... its also best to keep going with it rather than stopping and starting...Hugo was a great help he demonstrated how to set it up, change a needle if need be, how to use the different blocks to create different patterns etc. Then he gave us a demonstration... The only problem is that the machine favors normal wool, and not multiple loose strand wool which was what u was using : ( also the knitting was too manufactured looking and too tight for the effect i was after! I can see it being very useful in other projects thought if i was to use knitting again. It can also create great finishing effects. So this time ive opted to hand knit my panel down the front of then dress.
I have also managed to flat pattern cut all of my garment and above pictures show how its turned out... Ive started playing with layering and lace to get my final material to be in keeping with the theme of my garment. The front panel down the front will be knitted and i will use bias binding to finish off the sleeves. Im really looking 4ward to making the final garment. I hope it works out well!
Knitting!...
In the studio today after moulage morning workshop, i was playing around with knitting for my final garment and i am aiming to use knitting as a feature in my final garment. Tomorrow we have the heat press and i want to have a go at melting pvc to the wool to see what kind of effect it has or if it resembles wings. I still feel behind from missing the interdisciplinary workshop. Also ive booked in with hugo and two other girls to have a go on the knitting machine tomorrow, we will have to see how that goes. I aim to have also started pattern cutting my garment tomorrow as i have my design ready!
2nd Week with 3rd Year
Charlotte sent me into town with a list of zips and buttons and accessories she wanted me to find for her. This gave me an insight into what it might be like to be a designers apprentice or a designers helper. Charlotte seemed pleased i had found her 6 black headbands for her accessories to place a giant bow on top of.
When i got back from town i then had the task of making 4 giant floral bows. It was quite difficult trying to share the machines as a lot had been broken from such excessive use and i could see how frustrating this would be for the 3rd years with only 2 technicians to share between them all. I also felt sorry for hugo and lynn. I also came to understand why it is so important to become familiar with the machines for 2nd and 3rd year. Its a great experience of how a workshop mite work in the trade. I finished the 4 bows for charlotte and aswell as helping charlotte i think it helped me become more familiar of the machines and less scared of them. Charlotte was pleased with her idea and glad it had worked the way she had planned. It made me think i can wait to put my skills together from 1st year and 2nd year to make a final collection i know it will be stressful and sleepless but still very exciting! I am also still unsure of which pathway to choose, it also made me wonder had the tutors placed us with someone similar to which pathway they think we should take? My 3rd year also asked me to go along and watch her styled photoshoot which should be good to see...
Task A... Interdisciplinary group reviews & Moulage...
One day tasks... We had a 1day task were from your research so far you had to create either a half scale garment... half a full scale garment... or a garment out of paper... I went for the half a full scale garment. From my research i decided to look at the cocoon shape, dawn was also looking at a similar shape, after talking to ian on how to create this shape we both went for different methods to see which would work best. I went with the rugby ball shape panels to create a cocoon and dawn went with gathering at the top and the bottom to create fullness in the middle. I really enjoyed this session and it showed me that if you put your mind to it you can get so much more done. Also that i will have to start setting my own deadlines much more! If you are focused or have pressure to get something done its often the case that you can do it. But without pressure you choose not to! Any way from this one day project i really liked the outcome from the cocoon shaped skirt and on the sleeves and this has lead me to do some design development based on this.. I would really consider doing this again in the future on a college day.
Group reviews was a great help i found out that i was pretty much at the same stage as everyone else just beginning or half way through design development. I am tad behind with designing fabric samples but i will have a good stretch this weekend at catching up with sampling. The one day project creating half a garment really inspired me for my final design so i have a pretty good idea at what point im going to make in my final garment.
On the other hand Moulage was pretty difficult... I had used this process before on my final major project on the foundation course only using a bias cut rather than the grain line. Anyway, my half garment was too difficult and worked out better with flat pattern cutting so i had to come up with a new idea to work with on the stand. I understand the process now though and i know its a useful skill for future projects!
Meeting my 3rd year
My 3rd years name is charlotte, Ian had previously told me charlotte may be quite awkward. So i was a bit apprehensive about meeting her but she was fine, very easy to talk to and my container culture project showed similarities with the ditsy floarl prints and designing for Topshop. So this was useful to see her final outcome and the quility and standard of finish that if expected at a middle market level. I really liked her fabrics she had chosen and it gave me a rough idea of the amount of money spent and were you can source fabrics from. Also the production work process she had gone through. Although she didnt have any sketch work with her or designing work with her so i didnt get to see any of that! Being with the 3rd years it was quite apparent that some people take it more seriously and spend more time and effort creating their final collection. I still couldnt quite understand the 2 different pathways seens as there course was different and had changed from the course we are now taking...
My first day with charlotte she was really quite busy doing her garments. So i was given the task of re-tracing her garments and neatening them up. Most of her patterns were quite simple, and only had a few extra pieces. I could see from working in the hub the difference between the more avaunt guard garments and the more high street designed garments. My friends had a 3rd year who had done mens wear and her work was very impressive, with some quite complexed patterns. I didnt finish all the patterns as i think i was being a bit too precise but thats how i would like somebody to treat my patterns! I offered to finish them another time or next thursday as i had my elective to go to (i would rather have stayed and cut out patterns) and she said that was fine!
Although through talking to my 3rd year she was very negative towards the course and the tutors. But i think you will only get out of the course what you are willing to put in! All the tutors and technicians seen fine and helpful to me.
Interdisciplinary process
We were given a new project before easter and had some group workshops before then end of easter to help you get going with the project over easter. Part A of interdisciplinary process was the research 3 different aspects of metamorphosis... and do 5 sheets for each aspect. I choose camouflage, nature/insects and cosmetic changes to the human body. On our fabric workshop before easter we got to use the heat press and try to create different materials from ideas we had about the project. (unfortunately i fainted in the morning of this lesson and had to go to A&E so missed most of this lesson which i feel put me behind with the project as i didnt have many fabric samples) Over easter i became more interested in the camouflage side of metamorphosis and even more with moths and moths decaying of fabrics and moth cocoons. Above are some of my research sheets that started ideas of colours/fabrics/style and shapes relating to moths... I also began different knitting stitches to try and create a moth eaten fabric, using different types of wool to create different effects. My research shows interest in more dark brown, grey dull colours. This is different from other projects in the past.
Fashion, Art & Culture hand in!
Fashion Art and Culture hand in, at easter at home i finished my full circle net skirt, and basque top that was to resemble the 1950's couture dresses. I really enjoyed making the skirt and now know how to make a full circular skirt. but this was not what this project was about... It was about the final image. I stupidly did not take home my digital SLR camera and therefor had to use a simple digital camera, and without the lighting studio it didnt really work out very well! And add to that, that i was working too much when i was home to go to glasgow skate park to take the picture with a graffiti background let to a pretty dull image. I really didnt enjoy this project much, i dont know if it was because i was ill just before easter and that made me a little stressed... I have learnt tho to get things out the way before holidays, if you can do it before your hand in do it! I feel my image should have been stronger due to my digital photography elective but never mind! Its out the way now.
Tuesday 2 June 2009
more more elective work
Here are some of my photographs taken out on location with a digital SLR, some have been taken whilst home in the holidays and i have tried to style the fashion photography photos. I really enjoy the styling side of photography. I really don't feel like i have learnt anything from my digital photography elective... i just wanted to get it out the way! Even when using the lighting studio ruth would set it up for you and get the effect you had in mind... so i still would'nt really have much of a clue how to use the lighting studio equipment
F.A.C Crit
So we had to email Ian an A3 image it could be a mixture of images but had to reflect our work so that the viewer knew exactly what we were researching... Everybody seem to get the wrong idea tho a lot of us had not included any text and sue and Ian were a bit unaware we didn't know you were ment to. Anyway that aside i think my crit went ok, i found it easy to talk about my work because i was interested in it... the only think that threw me was i had already set out in my head how i wanted my final image to look but sue and Ian threw different ideas at me so im confused now as to wether they think i should not use a graffiti back ground and use a jackson pollock photoshopped back ground... ill have to think about this. We have been given an extended deadline on this project too which i kind of dont really want because i will just drag it out over easter : ( never mind
Fashion, Art & Culture
New project! Hope i enjoy this one as much as the last... We've been having lectures on the history of fashion and politics i would say for the last 3 weeks now and i have really enjoyed these lectures i always really enjoy finding out more about the history of fashion... they also came rite up to date with relevant fashion information about current designers. Our brief is to create a photograph that will contains an artifact that is relevant to your research. I have started my research last week after we had the second lecture. When we covered post war fashion and how they used such extensive amounts of material kind of a rebellion against rationing on fabrics during the war. I have also decided to look at the art movement that was taking place at the same time as the fashion movement that was taking place. abstract expressionism vs. the Dior 'new look' I also aim to pull influence from current day graffiti artists...
Digital Photography Elective...
I started my digital photography elective a couple of weeks ago, I am really interested in fashion photography so thought this would be a good elective to take. First week went not to plan. I was sat in the room waiting for the tutor to turn up with 4 other people but she didnt turn up after waiting 1hour so we all left. turns out she was waiting in the corridor. So the next week went a bit more to plan and we were inducted into using the digital camera. On my foundation and national certificate i had previously done black and white photography and digital photography but because im not using the digital cameras on a regular basis i tend not to be able to remember how to use them, so i thought the elective would help but im still not having much luck. anyway... I really enjoy styling for photography aswell. So i had been trying to rope somebody into modeling for me and harriet agreed so here are some pictures from harriet taken in the lighting studio. I have some more pictures taken out on location i will up load soon... But to be honest i dont really feel like this elective has been much use to me or helped me learn anything from it : (
Critical studies over PPD1 beings...
Now on a monday afternoon replacing critical studies is PPD1 sessions. Today we were taught by Ian, and we were put in pairs to research a particular job that was in the fashion industry. We looked at fashion Buyers. All pairs then had to present the research they had found out about the job and also a A3 mood board of images relevant to the job assigned to you. so heres what i found out about fashion buyers....
Fashion Buyers
Traditionally buyers have to be more visually creative often skilled in both garment construction and design, now thought I.T analytical and negotiation skills are considered equally important for both.
A job of a buyer varies from company to company according to the type of business e.g.
stocking the store with well known brands of designer clothing (womenswear buyer at Selfridges)
Whereas a buyer for a multiple retail brand such as Topshop, will be responsible for overseeing the complete product development process before arranging delivery of the finished products.
Similarly the owner of a boutique or independent clothes retailer will also be involved in buying stock often from wholesales to sell in their shop.
Other facts about a fashion buyer...
They decide on the styles to be bought and negotiates production with suppliers.
A well established fashion buyer can earn between £40,000- £70,000 a year depending on the size of the company, But you will nearly always have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up, interns or P.A'S will be on a basic rate of £12,000 to start with.
Different jobs within the Fashion Buyers role -
Buyers Admin Assistant
Assistant Buyer
Junior Buyer
Buyer
Head Of Buying
Good Points about the Fashion Buying job -
*Extensive travel to worldwide destinations
*working closely with many other areas/sectors of a business for example Fashion Merchandisers, Garment technologists, Imports & Exports, Suppliers, Fashion designers in house, Retail Branch Managers.
Bad Pints about Fashion Buying job -
*Away alot, not home always moving to were you can get work, or needed to work.
*Lots of responsibility, If you choose the wrong line or items to invest a lot of money on that don't sell its on your head!
*Constantly you mind is on the job, You work will not stop in normal office hours!
Listening to other presentations heres some other information i found out about jobs within the Fashion industry
Product Developer
A product developer would oversea the whole designing process from initial designing to the clothing actually being in the shops. side line jobs that are included in a product developers job. Marketing, Fashion forecasting, suppliers, invloved in retailing the product.
A junior salary would tend to start at between 15,000-20,000 and a fully trained and working product developer between 30,000-70,000
Processes involved with a product developer
1. Planning a line
2. Creating the design concept
3. Developing designs
4. Planning production
5. Production
6. Distribution the line.
Fashion Photographer
This involves always being at the top of your game, being aware of new alternative ways of taking photos, new technology, new techniques etc. Its free lance work so only the photographers at the top of there game get work.
Its competitive and exciting getting to travel to often exotic places to take shoots, working in lighting studios, Shoots on show, skin tones, film and digital photography.
A junior photographer would earn between 12,000-20,000 a year and a senior photographer could earn up to 50,000 a year.
Some disadvantages to the job are irregular and insociable hours. working outdoors with un predictable weather conditions which may deter you from being able to capture photos you want.
Advantages to the job are lots of traveling be it locally or abroad.
Other people you will have to work with if you are a photographer are stylists, hair stylists, models, companies. Free lance photographers can earn £150-£600 per day.
Fashion PR Public relations / Personal Relations
Salary ranges from 10,000 - 50,000
Fashion PR tasks include Appeal companies to retail stores, build and maintain a favorable public image. Because they do not have to pay for publicity or media coverage.
jobs within PR Promotions Assistants- Public relations specialists to public relations co-ordinator to director of public relations
Perks of the job are free clothes,shoes,accessories and other fashion related produce.
Other jobs you may have to do is preventing bad press, or stories that may portray an image that is not suitable or damaging to a brand.
Critical Studies : (
So i had my last lesson of critical studies with marcel the other week, and i cant say im not happy to see the back of those for a while! I had my tutorial with marcel today and i have to concentrate on my essay and which question i am going to answer. Reading through the list of questions i am slightly more swayed towards the other tutors question about the history of corsets and its patriarchal history. I will however have to do more of my own research if i choose this question as marcel has not covered this topic. I still think i would rather choose this question thought! I think i will aim to outline the arguments about the corset being used as a weapon of torture and control, opening with a brief history of the corset and it origins. (which i will have to research) Good luck to me ( im not a fan of writing)
Final Line up
Whilst doing some of my new design sheets and using alternative fabrics, i did some fabric samples with them to see if my designs could actually be made/produced from these materials. Some of the fabric samples are scanned in above. I thought they worked really well. They would look effective if actually made! I really enjoyed hand drawing my final designs and then C.A.D rendering them... I was really pleased with the outcome. This project helped me to learn a lot more about how to give things a more professional finnish through using C.A.D i would defiantly use this technique again and again! I also clicked another piece into place of which pathway i would like to do next year.. It may be a bit early to think about but i am swaying more towards pathway B with this project i have defiantly enjoyed it the most so far. I also feel personally i have improved on this project, the work seemed to flow a lot more easily. I would have liked to have gone further with this project and actually set about making one of my garments from the line up!
Design development- materials2
My Crit with Angie went really well, i felt like i was on track and had done a substantial amount of work. Angie pointed out that my designs were more designer and therefore not in keeping to designing for a middle mass market/ a high street brand. Neither were my fabrics suitable for a high street brand these too were also more suitable for a designer brand. I decided to take a few steps back and start researching into which high street brand i wanted to design for also taking into consideration the 15 design development/ idea sheets i had already done. I have decided to choose Topshop unique, which is a side brand of Topshop's, they use slightly more pricey fabrics compared to Topshops main line. Talking to Ian about what i should do with my designs as they did not reflect Topshop uniques brand i then took some elements of my original designs and adapted them so they were more in keeping with Topshops brand and highstreet designs. I also have chosen alternative fabrics that are more relevant to the new designs.
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Container culture- idea sheets
here are a few examples of the next stage of container culture, we had a power point presentation on idea sheets which should come after your research i found this really helpful as normally i go straight from research to design ideas and this is probably why my work dousnt flow very well normally. But i feel now in future projects i will be able to actually use the design process and make it work! i liked using photoshop and drawing for these sheets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
