Drawing Week 4: Object Study - Claire Miller

This was our final drawing session and we went back to focusing on the objects from our box. Claire set us timed drawings of our objects, looking at using different media and scales. The quickest drawings we did were 20 seconds and the longest were 10 minutes. We also went round writing down words that described other peoples drawings. Our final drawing was informed by these descriptive words. The words I selected from my list were: 'my brain', abstract, expressive and textural. This was quite a freeing and fluid drawing session and just encouraged us to focus on mark making and texture, and choosing the appropriate material according to the surface texture of the object in study. I thought the outcomes were vivid and exciting and a simple yet effective way to conclude the drawing week. 

Drawing Week 4: Medieval Drawing - John Bentley

This drawing session was my favourite in the final drawing week. We went back in time exploring the creativity of the medieval era. We were told to consider if there was no technology, how would we draw creatively? It was really experimental and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's worth a go!

For the first task, we had to draw the person next to us in cube form.

The same ago using only circles.

At break we were sent off with the task of finding out 10 aspects that your partner wanted to change about themselves. For Kam, I had to include: Edward scissor hands, permanent roller blades, the crown jewels, a dolphin tail, hedgehog spikes, decorative gypsy earrings, a Rudolph nose, candy floss hair, a permanenly framed face and gills. We then had to draw our person with all these features, folded up into a box shape. (Just don't ask!)

After we'd done this, John showed us a book of Medieval drawings that people had done, highlighting the restrictions they were given during that time. In some cases, the drawing were of a fantastical nature, because they were so far fetched. We then had to recreate the same drawing baring in mind the drawings we had just been shown and really trying to make them as medieval and far fetched as possible.

The final drawings of the class.

Drawing Week 4: Items of clothing - Will Stevens

For this final drawing week we began with Will Steven's drawing session. We were instructed to bring with 3 items of clothing: a hat, someone else's shoes and a mysterious piece of clothing. Then we proceeded with the drawing tasks...

For the first task we had to recreate the shoe we had brought with using newspaper. Mine was a child's shoes so much easier to recreate than most peoples due to the small scale of it. Nevertheless, it wasn't an easy task!

For the second task, we had to choose one of our next pieces of clothing. I chose my 'mysterious' item, which was an odd sock. We had to draw a character in a setting, wearing the item of clothing in the correct context. I drew a caterpillar, camping outside, in my bed sock. This was a lighthearted and fun task.

For the third task, we had to take our final item of clothing (my hat) and create a scenery with it, in which characters had to interact with the object. I very unsuccessfully attempted to turn my hat into a bridge, which just collapsed! (oh dear) Nevertheless, some were really fun, one girl turned her top into a hot air balloon!

For the final task, we were split into three groups and had to put all our items of clothing together to create an animal. My group made a lion!

The peacock (my favourite)

Apparently a turkey! 

This was a really fun way to experiment with the playfulness of clothing, encouraging us to be creative and unique in our approach to the materials and restrictions you are given.

Technical Block 3: Stitch - Finals

My final four samples utilised a combination of: colour, tactility, scale and playfulness. I revisited the melted bead-like samples, and the knotted samples in my choice of finals. I think the results were lively and experimental and a successful end to the stitch block, which I really enjoyed.

This sample included the melted cut-up tubes, arranged into rows, melted, and shaped as they cooled. I then joined the units up to create one undulating and spiraling sample. I think the use of colour, and shaping worked really successfully.

For this sample, I focused on larger scale and filled the tubing with a copper wiring which I had shaped and manipulated, adding on pieces of melted electrical wire. I then tied the tube into loose knots and stitched the units together to create one bulky sample. The mixture of curving in the knots contrasted well with the sections that thrust out. I really liked this sample.

This sample was quite simple, just a suggestion of a sheet of material. It was created using the same melting technique with the cut up tubes. I think it's simple yet effective and striking and creates a really tactile and colourful surface.

This final sample is similar to the one above, except it focuses on a larger scale and tubes are arranged upright rather than flat down. I filled the tubes with a combination of wire and yarns and then fused them together on the iron to create another suggested material. I can imagine this on a much larger scale, used on the body or in an interior space. I think the colours and textures in this made it my favourite sample.

Technical Block 3: Stitch - Testing

With all my materials and yarns bought, I began to start testing. The main technique I was focusing on was melting. I tested out lots of different ways I could make the tubes more personal and relevant to my project, by winding and wrapping them with yarns. I then started melting the tubing on the iron in different ways such as knots, or straight pieces. I also experimented with the shapes they could be manipulated into as they were cooling. Electrical tape was really good for melting so I tested this as a decorative yarn.

I wanted to also test other techniques too, along with the melting. I tried adding in samples of dissolvable stitching, which added more of a fragile aspect to some of the samples. I also used the broken needle technique on a sheet of a thin, clear plastic material I had bought. I used a fluffy black yarn that fused to the plastic with the broken needle technique very well, and other colourful and textured yarns too, which added an extra dimension and tactility. It reminded me of under water coral, sea anemone and, urchins. I then used this material to make my own tubes and tested how it melted. Although the material was successful, when it was cut up and made into samples, it was quite dense and fussy, and a lot less refined.

It seemed the most successful samples were the tubular ones and these were what I pushed forward for final samples. I started at looking at making tiny little bead like samples, with the tube filled with a textured yarn and then cut up into small pieces. I then laid them out in a row and melted them which fused them together. This worked really successful and was something I looked to experiment with further. As well, the knotted pieces were successful joint up as repeats, so this was also something to consider for finals.

Melting techniques

Melting and dissolvable techniques 

melting, knotting, shaping and cooling

Different ways of wrapping and stitching onto the tubing

Using netting/mesh material and creating my own tubes

Creating small units and joining them up using various materials

small units and wrapping

textured material made using broken needle technique

Mixed media - tubing and clumpy made materials

Denser more textured samples

melted up pieces of tubing

thicker tubing and electrical wire melted samples

starting to join together the units 

Technical Block 3: Stitch - Research and technique

In the first day of our stitch technical block, we spent the morning getting to grips with the basic elements of the sewing machine: how to thread up the machine, testing out all the stitch patterns, using free embroidery, threading up the bobbin, etc.

Once we understood the basics, we were shown various techniques on the machine using lots of different materials: shirring elastic (smocked appearance), vilene (fusing), bondaweb (adhesing), broken needle technique (fusing fluffy yarns to material), etc. We were also inducted into using the heat press and shown various techniques on the iron: melting, fusing, flocking (velvety textured), foiling (foil like texture), heat transfer (for colour) and freezer paper (slightly adhesive). This was all really valuable for the first week where we were just encouraged to try out lots of small, different, experimental test pieces.

In the afternoon, we went through our drawings with the tutor and selected something which was suggestive of a particular technique that could be developed. We went around the class and were shown all sorts of different techniques. Because my drawings were suggestive of tubing, I was shown melting techniques on the iron using tubing, which melts really well and can be manipulated into a shape as it cools.

With this in mind, the next day we were sent to Shepherd's Bush Market to source appropriate materials. I bought a plastic material and a clear netting fabric that could be made into tubes and melted. I also bought lots of thin and chunky tubing, as well as electrical wires since I had these as objects in my Box Clever and thought they would melt well.

Foundling Museum

The final weekly lecture before the Christmas holidays, linked back to all the lectures we previously had throughout term. We were asked to visit the Foundling Museum - a hospital which was London's first home for abandoned children. The museum was restored and refurbished and built adjacent to the site of the original Hospital.

When I visited, I looked around at the various exhibitions, comprising of modern art from today and traditional paintings that were donated as part of the hospital art collection in the 18th century, where it became a public gallery. Where as the 18th century paintings make the story of the Foundling honest and real, the modern art acts as more of an interpretation.

An intriguing piece of art donated to the museum is Tracey Emin's bronze cast - 'Baby Things, Mitten', found on the railings outside the museum.

I think the representation of the mitten is bittersweet. On the one hand, it's symbolic of loss and abandonment - perching on the fence as a disowned object. Nevertheless it sits there poised and hopeful of a better future. A mitten provides warmth and protection from the outside, which is essentially what the Foundling offered - a shelter and safe haven for abandoned children. The charity still continues to care for children today.