Chapter 5 - patterned papers

This chapter was fun and I had trouble stopping once I got started.

 

Fig. 5.1

 Produced with the edge of a piece of card dipped in black ink. Reptilian scales?

 

Fig. 5.2

I used a feather 'brush' dipped in ink. Tiger stripes

 

Fig. 5.3

 The edge of a piece of card dipped in ink to produce this tortoiseshell pattern.

 

Fig. 5.4

 Corrugated card dipped in ink and used as a brush to imitate the direction of feathers.

 

Fig. 5.5 

The edge of a piece of curved card in acrylic paint on my gelli plate.

 

Fig. 5.6

 I stretched a net bag from some fruit across my gelli plate and spread acrylic ink through it with a brayer. Snake skin!

 

Fig. 5.7

My feather 'brush' again this time used on  acrylic paint on my gelli-plate.

 

Fig. 5.8

Again the feather 'brush' on acrylic paint on the gelli plate to produce a tortoiseshell pattern.

 

 

Fig. 5.9

 A larger tortoiseshell pattern this time made in the same way as in Fig. 5.8

 

Fig. 5.10

 A circular textured wooden stamp on acrylic paint spread on the gelli-plate.

 

Fig. 5.11

 I used a small foam decorator's roller with elastic bands wrapped around it at intervals rolled through black acrylic paint then rolled directly onto the paper.

 

Fig. 5.12

Sample 5.12 was produced in exactly the same way as 5.11

 

 

Fig. 5.13

 Circular felt furniture protectors stuck onto a child's rolling pin rolled across my acrylic paint covered gelli-plate then over-printed using the same method directly onto the paper.

 

Fig. 5.14

 Natural sponge dipped into black acrylic paint then dabbed onto the gelli plate. Leopard's spots.

 

Fig. 5.15

As sample 5.14 above but this time printed direct to the paper rather than onto the gelli-plate.

 

Fig. 5.16 

I rolled acrylic paint through a stencil onto the gelli-plate. Snake skin.

 

Fig. 5.17

Soft cotton string was laid on the gelli-plate in a random fashion then acrylic paint spread over the top.

 

Fig. 5.18

 Cotton bud used to produce scale patterns on the gelli plate using acrylic paint.

 

Fig. 5.19

And finally a second pull from the plate after printing 5.18.

Chapter 4 - Drawing patterns

I chose several of my animal patterns from my initial research, trying to choose a range of different types rather than limit myself to just one section of the animal world. I enlarged these on the computer, printed them out in grey-scale and then picked out interesting sections of the images to draw.

 Fig. 4.1

 Fig. 4.2

 Fig. 4.3

 Fig. 4.4

 

Fig. 4.5

 

 Fig. 4.6

 

Fig. 4.7

 

Fig. 4.8

 

Fig. 4.9

I have to say that the lizard in Fig. 4.8 is by far my favourite and I couldn't resist stitching a piece of needle-lace from the drawing I made of his cheek - just a couronne with lots of picots worked in perle 8 thread. Very quick to do but effective and great fun.

 

Chapter 3 - Machine stitches

My first real foray into my machine's embroidery stitches. I treated myself to a Janome TXL607 for my birthday earlier this year so I have plenty to choose from.

 Fig. 3.1

Sample a is a zig-zag stitch using the stitch length control.

Sample b is the same stitch but this time altering the width control.

Sample c is a 3-step wave stitch altering both width and length controls.

 Fig. 3.2

Sample d shows a 3-step battlement stitch altering both width and length controls across the sample.

Sample e is a leaf embroidery stitch again altering both width and length 

Sample f is a honeycomb diamond pattern altering the length and width of the stitch and playing with the spacing between the rows. This looks a bit like reptilian scales.

 Fig. 3.3

Sample g uses a straight stitch in non-parallel lines to produce a shaded sample, which is quite effective.

Sample h is worked as above but this time with a honeycomb pattern which I found a little more tricky to control.

Sample i is a wave pattern using black thread on the spool and white on top - the reverse side is showing in the sample. I like this one a lot!

 Fig. 3.4

Sample j is whip stitch with black thread on the spool and white thread through the needle using a straight stitch.

Sample k is whip stitch again but this time using a zig-zag stitch, again with black thread on the spool and white through the needle. My machine revolted at doing a close zig-zag but it has made for an interesting effect on the reverse of this piece.

Sample l is cable stitch with Perle 16 black thread hand wound onto the spool and white thread through the needle, using a straight stitch.

Fig. 3.5

Sample m is cable stitch as before but this time with Perle 8 hand wound onto the spool.

Sample n is cable stitch again with Perle 8 on the spool but this time using a 3-step curved zig-zag stitch.

 

The whip stitch and cable stitch samples shown in Figs. 3.4 and 3.5 were achieved by completely bypassing the spool mechanism as my machine has a drop-in spool so without dismantling the machine it is impossible to reach the tension screw on the bobbin case. 

I'm not too sure how successful some of these samples have been and feel that I need to practice and experiment a bit more with them before I feel totally comfortable. I suspect that it's never going to overtake my love of hand stitching though.

Chapter 2 - Stitched columns

Always much happier with a needle in my hand and I love blackwork so this chapter was right up my street!

 Fig. 2:1

I began with a short paragraph about blackwork embroidery which dates back to at least the 15th century and originated in Spain. The repeat patterns found their way onto the cuffs, bodices and sleeves of the British nobility, as can be seen in many portraits of the time (including the one of Queen Elizabeth on this page). Stitched using a double running stitch (Holbein stitch) or backstitch, purists insist that the design should be identical on both back and front of the work. There is sense in this as the black thread can show through fine white fabric if there are large spaces between stitches. Although traditionally worked in black thread with either silver or gold highlights, today coloured thread is often used and beautiful effects can be achieved by using space-dyed or hand-dyed stranded cottons.

I've included a card showing a horse's head stitched by Cluny Chapman, who is one of the York Broderers and who has been to give talks at our branch of the Embroiderers' Guild on a couple of occasions. 

 

Fig. 2.2

Fig. 2.2 has the horse's head image flipped back to reveal my own blackwork design which I've used parts of in the following exercises.

 Fig. 2.3

Column a in Fig.2.3 shows the design being reduced by one element at each stage. It was stitched with a single strand of Anchor stranded cotton on a fine Aida fabric. I worked 2 rows at each stage in order to show the full effect of the 'disappearing' pattern. This works very well as a tonal column.

Column b is again stitched with a single strand of Anchor stranded cotton but this time the design has been spaced apart by one extra 'thread' of the fabric at each stage. This again works well at lightening the tone as the design becomes more widely spaced.

Column c is stitched initially with the full 6 strands of Anchor thread, reducing the number of strands used by one at each stage and again this is very effective at representing tone but in a much more subtle way.

Column d is not really a column at all - this is the one that didn't work. The design was increased in size by one stitch in each direction and immediately became too large to continue. A simpler design would probably have worked better in this instance.

Fig. 2.4

Column e at the top of Fig. 2.4 is worked in cross stitch worked over two threads of the Aida fabric. I worked with a skein of black Anchor stranded cotton and a skein of white and altered the mix of strands at each stage... i.e.

6 strands black; 5 black + 1 white; 4 black + 2 white; 3 black + 3 white; 2 black + 4 white; 1 black + 5 white and finally 6 strands of white.

This produced a very smooth change in tone though would have been easier to work on a smaller count fabric!

Column f is worked in much more random cross stitches using a wide variety of threads including tapestry wool; chenille; perle 8; perle 16; coton a broder 16; coton a broder 25; stranded cotton (various numbers of strands) and Gutermann sewing thread.

I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and feel that all the methods used (with the one exception) were very effective in producing different tonal values.

Module 2 - Animal Magic

Module 2 is all about animal patterns and I was excited to find a sketchbook which was appropriate for the topic!

Fig. 1: Sketchbook cover

The first task was to find visual information - an overwhelming choice of material is available on the internet and I also had pages from an old part-work that my children had when they were young, from which images were cut out.

 Fig. 2

 Fig. 3

Fig. 4

I selected images from all branches of the animal kingdom - mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, butterflies...

Fig. 5

and  brainstormed my thoughts for just three of them:
1. Tiger - strong; powerful; fierce; brave; deadly; claws; scratch; cat; prowling; stealthy; pounces; concealed; hidden; camouflage; golden; stripes; sleek
2. Snake - sinuous; writhe; flexible; twist; twine; coil; glide; slither; scaley; stripes; diamonds; forked tongue; fangs; venomous; squeeze; crush; cylindrical; long; narrow; slender
3. Butterfly - fluttering; fly; gentle; fragile; multicoloured; spots; stripes; patches; caterpillar; transform; mutate; slender; delicate; ethereal; short-lived

I realise I could have gone on and on with this exercise but felt I'd probably got enough initial ideas.

THE STUDY OF TONE
I made a series of tonal columns using different media:

 Fig. 6

The left hand column in Fig. 6 is made using ink. The first bottle I opened was actually grey rather than black but I left it in place as it helps the tonal quality of the column, then went over the upper half with black ink.

The right hand column is charcoal.

 Fig. 7

The left hand column in Fig. 7 is made using a Sharpie pen and the right hand column is a collage of newsprint. The collage works very well as I managed to find sections of adverts with different tones of grey in the image.

Fig. 8

The left hand column in Fig. 8 is made with sequins and the lower section is made up of silver and white sequins. Unfortunately the silver is appearing much darker in the image than it is in reality. It actually works rather well in real life. The right hand column is white chalk on black paper.

Fig. 9

This last column is mixed media - including acrylic paint, torn papers, watercolour, black pastel and white chalk and again I'm happy with this one, especially the collage part at the top.

Module 1: Odds and ends

Fig.1: Composite sheet

I made a composite sheet as requested in Chapter 11 - sorry it wasn't attached to the relevant blog post but I needed to finalise Chapter 12 in order to complete it. This shows two photographs used as inspiration - the Moroccan tiles from the British Museum and the painted tiles from the town centre showing growth and disintegration. I added a paper design, some stitched stars showing threads used throughout the module, a small selection of fabrics used, including three of the silks used in the final piece. The stitched samples are a padded star covered in seeding stitches, a small star with french knot embellished slips, a star covered with random needlelace stitches and one covered in cutwork holes.

Time and expenditure

The vast majority of the materials used throughout this module have been taken from my existing stocks but the list below identifies specific items purchased.

Chapter 1: Sketchbook £4.50              9.5 hours

Chapter 2:                                            8 hours

Chapter 3:                                            14 hours

Chapter 4: Paper £3.00                        12.5 hours

Chapter 5: Fabric £8.00                       3 hours

Chapter 6:                                            8 hours

Chapter 7: Thread £3.00                      20 hours

Chapter 8:                                            16 hours

Chapter 9:                                            10 hours

Chapter 10:                                          6 hours

Chapter 11:                                          20 hours

Chapter 12: Silk fabric £8.00              22 hours

Chapter 13:                                          3 hours

Total:          £26.50                              152 hours

Health and safety:

• Take normal levels of care whilst using electrical equipment i.e. don't leave electrical cables trailing across the floor or work space.
• Cover all surfaces with plastic sheeting as well as newspaper when using Brusho inks and other paints to protect your work surface.
• Use a cutting mat and non-slip ruler when using a craft knife to cut papers. Replace the blade regularly to ensure a clean cut and always replace the cap when not in use.
• Work in a well-ventilated space with water close at hand when using candles or matches.
• Work on a heat resistant surface when using heat tools.
• Use the correct heat for the fabric when using an iron, and keep fingers out of the way - especially when using steam.
• When bonding fabrics ensure that baking parchment is used beneath and on top of the fabrics being bonded to prevent damage to your iron.
• Take care when using sharp pointed scissors to slash fabric to ensure they don't also slash your fingers.
• Use a darning foot and embroidery hoop when doing free machine embroidery to protect your fingers.
• Always, always keep pins, needles and other sharp items away from pets (and young children if you have them). Cats are curious, playful and very precious!

Storage: 
As I live alone practically my entire house has evolved into my 'studio' so fabric and machine thread is stored together with my sewing machine in one bedroom. Art materials and electrical equipment are stored on fitted shelves around my workbench in the garage, which also has a sink and houses the ironing board (I don't own a car). My hand embroidery threads, embroidery fabric, beads etc for hand stitching are stored on shelves in my study (which also houses my computer and printer).

• Threads are sorted by type and colour, wound on cards and stored in labelled, transparent plastic boxes. 
• Fabric is sorted by type and stored in labelled transparent plastic boxes.
• Electrical equipment is also stored in a plastic box to ensure it is kept dry and away from harm or prying paws.
• Papers are stored flat in a box.
• Art materials are stored in labelled drawers and plastic boxes by type e.g. pens; pencils; paints; inks; fabric paints; stamps; stencils; punches etc.
• I made a double pinboard from fabric covered foamboard with fabric hinges and a tie so work in progress and inspirational pieces can be stored safely between work sessions.

Chapter 13 - Take three artists

Fig.1: Herta Puls

Herta Puls
Herta Puls was born in Germany in 1915, moving to England in 1939. Here she studied embroidery and textile design at the Newport College of Art, the West of England College of Art in Bristol and the London College of Fashion. She was a member of the 62 Group of Textile Artists, the Practical Study Group and the Quilters Guild and Textile Society.

Fascinated by the embroidery of Panama whilst visiting the San Blas Islands in that area, she has written two books - the Art of Cut Work and Applique and Textiles of the Kuna Indians of Panama. The needlework of the Kuna tribes was based on traditional body painting, with stitched versions appearing in the late 19th century. The word 'mola' means cloth, clothing, or blouse and these reverse applique panels usually form the front and back panels of a woman's clothing.

Traditional designs are generally geometric, abstract or based on nature - fish, birds and the sun, all of which have spiritual significance to the indigenous people. The quality of a mola is determined by the number of layers, usually up to five, and the fineness of the stitching, with the very best examples having stitches which are practically invisible.

Herta's inspiration for her own versions comes from nature and from sketches made on her travels to Panama, India, Thailand and Indonesia as well as to the Americas. This kind of work features in this module in the chapters on reverse applique and, having now attempted this for myself, I am in total awe of the skills of Herta and the Panamian ladies who make the most amazingly intricate designs.

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mola_(art_form)

Fig 2: Wassily Kandinsky

"Colour is a power which directly influences the soul"

Wassily Kandinsky
Kandinsky was born in 1866 in Moscow where he initially studied law and economics before moving to Munich where he studied art, going on to teach at the Bauhaus School of Art and Architecture for a period of some eleven years. Shortly before the outbreak of the second world war he moved to France where he lived for the remainder of his life.

From very early in his artistic career he saw parallels between music and painting, often using musical terms to describe his art. He said that colour was the keyboard, the eyes the harmonies and the soul was the piano with many strings. He saw the artist as the hand that plays, touching one key then another to cause vibrations in the soul. He claimed that when he saw colour he heard music with tone of colour being the timbre, hue as pitch and colour saturation as volume.

His fascination with colour symbolism was a constant in his life and his art, his paintings containing swathes of bright colours and, initially at least, recognisable forms of buildings and seascapes. By the early 20th century, however, his paintings had become increasingly abstract with shapes being over-laid to create depth.

Many of his abstract works from the 1920s incorporate crosses, as in the image at bottom right of Fig. 2 above, entitled simply 'White' and in this way his work relates to the themes of this module, as does his use of colour. I also feel that many of his paintings would easily lend themselves to interpretation in applique and stitch.

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_Kandinsky

 Fig. 3: Chuck Close

Fig. 4: Chuck Close continued

Chuck Close

Chuck Close was born in America in 1940 and, due to severe dyslexia, which severely affected his academic life, he turned to art, encouraged by his artistic parents. Close credits his prosopagnosia (face blindness) for his decision to paint portraits, thus enabling him to better remember faces.

Using a process which he described as 'knitting', he took large format Polaroid photographs of his models which he then recreated on canvas. His huge portraits are formed by placing a grid on the photograph and on the canvas, and then copying cell by cell. Each square on the grid is filled with rough circles of colour which, when viewed from a distance give a rough approximation of the colour on the original.

Having been to an exhibition of his work in London a couple of years ago I was totally 'blown away' by the intricacy of his methodology and by the fact that such a fragmented image when viewed close up can produce such realism when viewed from a distance. His art is even more impressive when you realise that in 1988 Close suffered a massive seizure which left him paralysed from the neck down. Physiotherapy has returned some movement to his arms and legs though he is still largely confined to a wheelchair and produces his huge pixelated portraits by pivoting the canvas and with a device strapped to his wrist and forearm to hold his brush (see photograph at bottom of Fig.3 of the artist at work).

He also makes wall-size tapestry portraits where the image is made up of endless combinations of woven threads in a myriad of colours. His work is relevant to the module due to its fragmented nature, which can be argued to represent the disintegration of the whole portrait into individual pixels, and also his use of vivid colours, which when viewed from a distance actually look very realistic.

Refs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Close

www.pacegallery.com/artists/80/chuck-close