Repeat Pattern Workshops

We had a 2D repeat pattern workshop a few weeks ago with Martyn. He delivered instruction on the traditional methods in repeat pattern design and using photoshop, and having wanted to draw my current work for a while it was a really great excuse in which to do so. Taking a big sheet of paper and drawing drawing drawing, my design from that workshop was this:

I feel that it is perhaps a bit busy but with some digital tweaking this could become quite interesting.

For the 3D workshop we were asked to bring in 100 of the same material/object to create 3D forms. I looked to the additional components of my work at the moment (nails and bamboo), plus a few extras from the shop (treasury tags) and got to work!

From the morning session I created these:

    

Then I went on to draw them in the afternoon. Although they are quite different from my normal kind of drawings, I'm quite pleased with the results:

As with the 2D workshop drawing, I'd like to use the information in the video about repeat pattern using photoshop and play with these lines whilst adding some colour.

Drawing Movement

I attended a workshop at the Surface Gallery last weekend, it was part of the Big Draw and titled Line in Motion - it was just my cup of tea! We were watching a rehearsal to the performance Gymnast by Bodies in Flight (this is on show again in February in Hinkley and I would definitely recommend a visit!) I'm going to use these sketches as inspiration for my next project and taking into consideration some of the wire line work I was doing in my last so watch this space for the developments!

handstands and leg stretches

swinging around the pomell horse

This was the whole rehersal worked into the page. The colour is the sound of the choir and all the lines the moving people!

Access to Arts : Online Drawing Course

I signed up to Access to Arts first ever online drawing course in May. Over a 7 day period I was introduced to different drawing modules. I never got round to doing them at the time but have them here for future reference as and when I need them.

Drawing small



Drawing Large



Using Charcoal to shape form




Continous Line Drawing




Drawing Backwards to Forwards


Seeing the negative space





Foreshortening

Bookbinding with Heather Dewick

I went along to a Bookbinding workshop ran by Heather Dewick at Debbie Bryan's Studio. It was a great day punching, cutting, sewing and making (plus excellent chocolate brownies to keep us going!) We made a soft back medieval-type book with leather wrap around fastening.

Here's my book!

and in detail

Now lets look at the process....

we started by folding our paper...

taking an A1 sheet we folded it with the grain in half, cut it along the fold, then in half again. 

Then we slice down the fold 2/3 of the way

then folding over again we get this

an A1 sheet makes 8 of these sections

Then we're ready for marking out the cover! 

there was lots of leather to choose from...I chose a green goat skin, with complimentary brown fastening.

on the reverse of your chosen cover, place 1 of the paper sections on the front of the book cover and mark out guidelines for where you need to sew

using a ruler mark out 2 outer and 1 inner section

repeat guidelines until you have a grid

following the guides punch holes through the leather with a braddle tool, these will make it much easier to sew!

turn it over and you will have created this!

Next, mark out the equivalent holes in the pages. It can be useful to have a rule guide for this..

make sure you have all the folded 'tops' of the page sections in the same direction.
mark this side of the stack to keep you in check!

Now you're ready to get constructing!

lay your piece of leather out with what will be the front of the book facing you

starting at the guideline furthest away, place the paper section down and sew through following the guideholes

you are looking to create this type of effect on the spine. the larger sections on this example have been woven, you can embelish, or leave plain and simple, it's up to you!

as you are sewing, you may run out of thread! To knot on to the existing thread, loop the new thread around your finger

and pull it through. Pull this tight onto the old thread and carry on sewing

Once all the page sections have been attached it's then deciding how you want your wraparound

I really liked this one of Heather's

we looked at some other examples and I thought this one was great too!

We also talked about other methods and had a go at some Japanese binding 

looking at examples I really likes the simplicity of this one

and the ingenuity of the postcards used here!

I had been collecting envelopes ever since Claire told me about a  book she'd seen once made out of them so I had a go with the Japanese bind on them here! It's a bit crude if I'm honest but to experiment with the process this worked just fine

Heather also showed us a way of folding a single sheet of paper to create a book without the need for a cover!

Heather will be part of the Open Studios event at Persistence Works in Sheffield 18th/19th/20th November. I'll be off to have a look!

Jewelery Making Workshop with Tanvi Kant

I went to a Jewelery Making workshop at Nottingham Castle today, run by the artist Tanvi Kant. I had a great day and was introduced to her working process of twisting, binding, knotting and stitching offcuts of unwanted materials. It was just lovely, working with beautiful saris and dress making offcuts. The processes of the day help to develop an understanding of the real content of the cloth. 

The workshop ran alongside the exhibition 'Lost & Found' which was part of 'Critical Cloth' and 'Remainders'. The three exhibitions "examine how artists use garments and materials with a previous life, transforming them into something unique and far removed from their past associations or uses."

 

It was very inspiring set of exhibitions and I went twice to visit it! I really loved the work of Lucy Brown, Shelly Goldsmith, Amy Houghton, Tanvi Kant, Daniel Marcus Clark and Rhiannon Williams.

Here are some images from the workshop:

This piece includes handmade ceramic pieces, which was a process she started when she took Decorative Arts at Nottingham Trent University...the same course I'm about to start!

the material we got to work with

 me working on my binding

 

Tanvi wearing a piece from her collection and showing how she loops her creations to make those beautiful neck pieces

Tanvi showing us how she uses the Bandhani technique in her work

which creates pieces that look like this!

my piece at the end of the workshop

and here are some much more sophisticated pieces...those from Tanvi's collection!

I love the piece on the right - really beautiful forms are created by simple process of looping

I love how delicate this is...

...and that with a piece of similar length, once bound, structural textured pieces like this can be created