more ferns and faces

And today I found some left over heavy brushed cotton from ages ago. So I thought I would print the Ferns and Faces design on to it and see how it turned out. I had this green colour already mixed up and wasn't too keen on it. However the colour worked quite well with the natural tone of the cotton. As expected, some of the print lies on top of some of the fibres on the fabric making it quite fragile. This is something I really like and I think it works well in relation to the passing of time as the image would change as it got more worn. You also get an embossed texture to the image where larger area of colour (the hair) go deeper into the fabric and the areas around these become raised.

Ferns and Faces

I finally got the fern and faces print done. I printed a few, on calico and on fabric I had dyed different tones of grey. It is hard to tell the different fabrics on these photos but never mind. I like the simplicity of the one colour image. I will work into them a bit with embroidery at a later date I think.

I left the faces out of another print, with the idea being to embroider the faces in later on. This will take quite a while but i think it will prove to be pretty interesting.

More circles of girls.

A drawing for a new design done today.

more drawings...

A couple more drawings trying to figure out another piece. I took one more photo of another section but it did not turn out, so will get a photo tomorrow. I am aiming to put the heads next to each other with little overlap, not like the drawing below.

I like the fern pattern, but will include it in a different way. I like the connection with nature that this suggests and the simplicity too. More work to be done on it though. I also need to consider the idea of printing this as a repeated image, and the scale in which I would do this. If I stick to a one colour print, perhaps I can play around with design, scale and placing.

Embroidered Ladies.

I also printed this relatively simple design, with the idea of using embroidery over the top. I have started this but I am unsure of how to carry on with it at present. I am greatly enjoying the embroidery, and think I will pursue this further in more work. Each girl is slightly unfinished, which I also quite like. I am wary of creating an image that looks as if it's looking to be perfect, if that makes any sense. I have photocopied the piece to try and draw onto that and maybe work something out. I may well print some more, with the idea of doing some different work on top of those at a later date. There may be an opportunity to use some text also, but as that is something I am unfamiliar with, I am slightly anxious of doing it.

Repeatedly Grumpy

After a five hour printing session, this is what I had achieved. It took 18 prints and worked out pretty well I think.

Calico Circle

The same print again, this time on a medium/fine calico. The neutral tone allows for a different colour for the thread outlining the trees. It clashes with the tone of the inner pattern, but I think it works. The rippling in the fabric that the quilting creates gives each girl a slightly different expression.

Quilted cotton.

At last I had some time today to take some pictures of what I have been working on for a while now. This piece is printed on cotton that I dyed a light grey. I then backed it with a piece of fleece and quilted it. The initial idea with this (and subsequent pieces) was to create an item that provided some form of comfort, perhaps a cushion cover even? I am trying to think of what to do, though, and how best such an item would be exhibited. For now I am leaving it as it is, and I am just going to try and get as much printed as possible while I have access to the college facilities.

new drawing

and finally, a new drawing. i am thinking to team this with another previous drawing for printing, but that will take some more working out. i like how ernest she looks.

calico girls

finally have been doing some full prints from the trials i have been doing. this is on calico which i think i prefer to the cotton. but i have also printed on the cotton now - images to follow! next step is to start the stitching process.

screen prints

some lazy posting means that and a late night means these next few posts are a bit hurried. so i will just post some images up, as i have been doing quite a bit of work in the last few weeks, i just haven't found the time to put anything up. this was also made a bit more difficult with mum and dad's ruby wedding anniversary, which meant some careful gift making was in order. so there haven't been quite enough hours in the day...

quilted screen print

I also took some time to try quilting this print sample. My idea is for a quilted cushion cover perhaps, following themes of comfort and notions of home. I'm hoping to dye the fabric I print on, perhaps to a light warm-toned grey. I think quilting around the trees helps balance out the image and offers area of simple print with detailed stitching, and areas of detailed print with less stitching. I also chose (not that you can see in the images) a very pale green thread to do my quilting with.

screen print on cotton

I also finally got a three layer print done recently that I have been working on steadily for a while (with little urgency!). But it's finally something I can experiment with. I went for some brighter colours just as a random trial really on some small samples. The last image is pretty poor as it was taken with rare sunlight streaming in.

screen print...finally

I have been struggling to get a screen print done and was having problems with the screen getting blocked. But I finally got it sorted this week and got a couple of good prints done. So I will try and get some more done over the next couple of weeks. The larger image doesn't show the fine detail so well, but the close up is better for that.

tests

I finally got round to putting a couple images on a screen. I have another image to sort tomorrow. The three will then fit together. These were just test prints on to paper, and there were some places that needed filling. I'm hoping it will print up well tomorrow, all going to plan.

Girl and house drawing

I completed this drawing this week, which was quite a challenge. A real test of focus, but I am happy with it as a piece on it's own. I will be printing it up at some stage though too. perhaps just simply as it is, or with other layers.

girl circle drawing