Evaluation: Nature

 For the brief 'Nature', we were asked to produce a sketchbook documenting all our research, both primary and secondary. We were also to create a minimum of one mood board, two visual sheets, design sheets with at least four designs, an up to date Tech File and a completed final outcome. The final outcome for this project was a bag, which must have included one woven panel.

 Our first task was to go out and take photographs for primary research. I managed to take some really good photos that morning in Cawthorne Park, which would later inspire some of my work, particularly the trees. In class we spent a week on observational drawings from a live composition set up on tables in our class. I produced a series drawings from this set up, in many different medias, such as pencil, maker pen and graphite crayon. This series of drawing consisted of line drawings, colour drawings, experimental drawings and timed drawings. For the timed drawings, we all sat around the set and once the time was up we would move two seats to the left, in order to get drawings of different parts of the composition. The timed drawings were for 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 5 minutes and 15 minutes.

 After the observational drawings, we were asked decide on a season in which to theme our project on. I decided to choose Autumn, as we were in that season and thought I wouldn't be short for primary research and inspiration. I then began to research into my chosen season. Whilst researching I came across images of trees reflected in water and was really inspired by the way the colours blended and distorted together in the water. This inspired the backgrounds for my mood board and visual sheet, as well as the colour scheme for the front panels of my bag.

 From the photos I took in Cawthorne Park, I wanted to look further at the forms and shapes of trees. I came across an image of a tree that I took a particular shine to, due to its unusual shape. I combined this images with other elements of trees from my research and this would be one of my designs for my screens. I came across some silhouettes of bats as well during my research and thought it linked well with the Halloween part of Autumn. This image really inspired me and I created my own repeating pattern of bats for my bag lining. I also included a lot of leaves in my sheet work and continued this through to the designing of my bag designs.

 In this project I got chance to learn new skills such as weaving and felt making. I learnt how to weave using a cardboard loom and a peg loom and also got the chance to use a wooden loom. I really enjoyed the wooden loom and produced two samples from it. I liked the final outcome of the card board loom and had done something similar to this looming before so didn't find it as time consuming as others may have done. The peg loom was quick and easy to do but found the finishing fiddly and the weave lost its shape and reduced in size. All in all I much preferred the wooden loom and intended to use this in my final design.

I really enjoyed felting but wasn't as equally pleased with the outcome. The felt shrinks when you make it and the design distorts due to rolling it back and forth, so didn't think felting would be right for my bag design.

We also had to learn how to knit in this project, and having been taught how to knit at a young age, was excited to develop my skills further and experiment more with knitting. I produced two samples on thicker needles than I would normally use, and in yarn rather than wool, an really liked the effect of the bigger stitch. it also wasn't as time consuming as thinner needles. I experimented using two wools at once as well and the outcome was really good. It was really thick and a lot stronger than the other knitting samples.

 I looked at three separate artists , Ulrike 'Ricky' Martin for weaving, Sally Pepperell for felting and Valerie Anne Molnar for knitting. Ulrike Martin created natured paintings then cut them into strips and weaved them together to create beautiful weaving art. Sally Pepperell creates wonderful nature scenes from felt and embroidery. Valerie Anne Molnar knits eccentric art which she describes as 'honestly deceiving'. Strangely, the artist which inspired me the most was Sally Pepperell, as her work consists of layers which was a concept I used in my final piece.

 The design for my bag is a tote bag, with two knitted side panels, a woven panel on the bottom. The front panels are layered prints and there is also a lining. Unfortunately, I decided against a woven panel on the bottom as the loom didn't work out as well as id hope and it would have been too time consuming to re thread the loom, so I decided to have one long panel for the sides and bottom in knitting.  I thought that the tote bag would be simpler than the slouch bag but could be made to look really effective, which I hope my bag has achieved.  I also had to render my handles during construction of my bag. Originally, the handles were the same colour as the knitted panel, however I cut them out wrong so they were too small, and I had to make handles out of cuttings I ha d spare from my lining. Regrettably I would have like more time to go back and do my handles in the colour they should have been but I think the green ones look good and tie the outside and lining together.

 If my bag was to be manufactured I imagine it would be difficult to do, due to the separate time consuming techniques I used such as the devore printing with pigment printing, knitting and a lining as well.

 I really enjoyed this project but I regret not spending as much time on it as I would have liked to have done, due to other commitments outside college. I am happy with sheet work, even though some of it isn't to my usual standard, but I have fulfilled all the outcomes required from the brief. I would have liked more time to work on my sketchbook and will improve from time management for this the next project, as well as producing more samples, as I haven't got as many as I ideally would have liked. I am really happy with how my bag turned out in the end, and really happy with the quality of the panels and construction, having never made anything like this before.