Experimentation 2

Welcome back to my experimentation blog! Today I will be showing you more of my experiments within my sketchbook; there are new techniques being used and inspiration being taken from other artists. 

Let's start off with my pages with dolphins and plants. I have used techniques such as; burning fabric, collaging, paper scratching, etc. My favourite technique has got to be burning organza; I loved how the fabric was shrinking and creasing in a fast motion. The ends of the fabric had hardened with some bubbling effect in some areas. This is an experiment that I will definitely use in my final products, it's a quick an easy technique but one of the most effective.

On my dolphin page. I have used ink to paint a background, I then stuck on a piece of card on top of that painting once it was dry. I then began to scratch on the card in the shape of a dolphin so I could see the colour below. it had worked in the end, however, it was very difficult to get through the whole card. In the future, I need to use a thinner card to stick on top so I can scratch through without problem. On the same page I have created a silk paint background similar to the ink painting. I wanted to add salts to create a diffused look, I however, didn't have the salts that are used for silk painting. After some thought, I tried to use regular table salt, and it worked just the same! Whoever said, we learn something new everyday, was absolutely correct. 

My next experimentation was on jellyfish and another sea plant. My sea plant experiment is my favourite because I used Carolyn Saxby as an inspiration for what I have created. She layers collectables and fabrics then machine embroiders over it all. I have done the same technique; using felt. hessian, net, satin, and cotton linen. It has created such a beautiful picture and I am pleased with the outcome. I will be using this technique within a final product as it is so effective. I can visualise this kind of technique for a child's textured textiles book where they can feel the different materials and textures.

My jellyfish page shows my burnt organza technique again, I have angled the way I burnt the fabric so it curves in all around creating the jelly fish head. I think it's such a mesmerising technique and I cant wait to make more soon within this project. On the same page, I have also created different hand embroidery stitches that can be used for the stingers of the jelly fish, they range from; running stitch, zig-zag, chain, herringbone, and cross stitch. Just above this experiment, I have machine and hand embroidered jelly fish (the body being cushioned). I love mixing both kinds of stitches because it creates different textures at the same time. 
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Another one of my favourite pages in my sketchbook include my fishes and green plants. Here is embroidery central; I've used it to cushion my plants, I've used it to colour in my fish (DORY!), I've used hand embroidery to fill another fish, with a complex plaiting embroidery threads beforehand. I have also created a fishbone ribbon embroidery to represent a leaf. All of these experiments were successful and my favourites because once again it has many textures, but it is also three-dimensional which develops my experimenting skills and will enhance my designs and products when I come to the making stage. I have used hessian multiple times to create these stitches because it is open weave, which means it is a lot easier to get the needle and thread through without trouble. 

My next experimentation was dedicated to two pages, I know.. special one! One page was on a full octopus and the other page was on just a leg and its tentacles. Once again, I have brought in burnt fabrics to represent these sea creatures. I believe that the burning fabric textures ties in with a lot of the patterns the ocean creatures have. I haven't only burnt organza, I have burnt satin too, with the background being silk painted. The strips of burnt satin have turned out so beautiful I want to keep them forever! The curls that have been created are precious and look delicate. It can represent the delicacy of the ocean as a whole, how it is in danger by the pollution created by us humans. 

Another experiment on this page is shibori! What a beautiful sight! I rubber tied marbles in organza then placed it in boiling water for a few hours. Once the time was up, I managed to untie all the marbles and this manipulation was created. It's such an easy experiment and also very much effective. My three-dimensional experiments will be taken forward to my final outcomes as my project is about textures under the sea. Shibori wasn't the only 3D experiment I created; I paper-mached an octopus' leg and painted it with some splatters of black ink. It ended up looking gruesome in the end due to the gloss of the glue, however, it did have a coral look to it which is why I kept the experiment. ​

A final experiment for this blog post is on crabs and stingrays. My crab page is paper-based to show experiments with stationery in thought and not just interiors or fashion. I have created an effect of laser cut paper chains (crab chains), however, I had to use scissors to cut the chains out due to limited facilities. One chain was created plain, but the other chain was created with a background of finger prints. The finger print that I have created is actually the historic way of making a paisley print; to my mind it looked like crab arms so I used this technique to create a tossed and layered design. It's a simple design but it can be either used as a tertiary or secondary design as there is just one motif. 

Onto my stingray experiment; I have once again silk painted a background but with more colours from my colour palette. I have machined and cushioned on a stingray with a chain stitch running down representing its tail. I love how the salts have diffused, it reminds me of the ripples in water when something is moving within it. I have also machine embroidered on yellow mark makings in the background to help me visualise this experiment as a design, I will have the stingray repeated around the page. Where my stingray is cushioned, I have put in bondaweb to create a crackling sound when pressed on. This gave me the idea of a child's soft toy!

Another day, another blog done! These experiments are making me feel so refreshed and wanting to create more! Stay tuned for my next blog on final experimentations...​