Yesterday I spent the day at a Hothouse taster in Preston, hosted by the Crafts Council. This was a very informative day out and a fantastic way to mix with other designers and crafts people. It was also an opportunity to to network and make new contacts. Luckily I had my business crads with me and was able to pass these onto a few people who were working within the same area as myself and also to a lady that was interested in having some illustration work done as part of a new project she had just started.
Guest speakers for teh day included

Alison Brannagan who was a business advisor and gave advice on setting yourself up in business, she had also written a number of books also on this subject.

Beverly Lamey who was the course leader for Surface design at UCLAN, they offer something called artlab which is for printmakers to go to UCLAN and develop there techniques, they have access to the facilities there, an opportunity to network with other Surface designers and to exhibit your work all for a price of £165.00 for 35 sessions Monday 5-9, this is a fantastic opportunity especially as you are starting out and you haven't got the equipment to do so.

There was a talk from Angela who was the organiser and founder of the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, she talked us through the process from interview stage as they only allow 150 designer makers to exhibit at the craft fair, to the actual event itself.

Jane Dzisiewski who is a jewellry designer that works with resin, she gave a talk on her works, how she started off and how she has benefitted from the help and support of Hot house with the Crafts Council.

Our final guest speaker was Rachel Kelly the designer of the interactive wallpaper, and she gave us an insight into where she began, the works she had done the press she has recieved from her works and wher she is now within her business and career.

It was such an opportunity to be at the day and listening to the talks on how other makers have progressed.

Fantastic News for me today!!! About a month or so ago I met with a lovely lady from Arthouse, who provide wallcovering designs and home decoration. As part of my project on looking for contacts within the industry and working freelance, I had been asked to send over some of my work. After receiving a really nice email back to say she liked my work and to get in touch once my degree is over to do some freelance work for them.. However,I been contacted today and been asked if I would do some freelance work now for them, using my illustration skills. The work needs to be done within the next two weeks which is the deadline also for our end of year degree show. I am so pleased that this gives me a great starting point for what I want to do as my chosen career path and hopefully could give me the opportunity to create even more work for me.

Since last time I was on my blog, I have been spending some time in my dads workshop making props for my final degree show, I also had the opportunity to go to Citrus Rain in Denton Manchester yesterday, as I am having my scarves for my final products made there, everyone was really nice and helpful. Myself and fellow student Sam first met with Claire who we had been in touch with on a number of occasions. She showed us around the printing unit and the guys there talked us through the process of the printing that they do and talked about all the other products they had to offer. Claire was lovely, she offered me a cup of coffee whilst I sat there and went through my designs on the computer with one of the printers and I chose the fabrics I wanted to use also. It was so nice to pass my designs over so they can be made up for me into final products, so I could carry on with some other work....

I have just had my business cards posted from moo.com, I have 3 designs in total for my cards of three different illustrations/designs I have used over the past year which had been ok'd for print. I have also had some giftcards with some of my designs printed inside as an alternative to postcards which are also ready to pick up from the printers, these will be ideal to hand out to anyone that walks onto/passes our stand at New Designers. My scarves are ready to go, I have just sent for my ceramic transfers also for my plates. I now need the time to work on a few more added designs to put in my portfolio and plenty (and I mean plenty!) of paperwork to catch up on!!! Hopefully by the beginning of next week I can get into the print room and print some of my chosen fashion lengths out onto fabric. The end is very near and it won't be long before we are showcasing our work in London at New Designers.. The pressures on, but it will all be worth it in the end x

I was also able to have my fashion lengths approved today, these will be printed out on 50x100cm lengths....

Finally the majority of my prints have been approved for my scarves and fashion lengths.... Ready now to have some fun seeing them made up and making up myself also. With only a few weeks to go the final show is getting very close. Take a look at my designs....

 

These are my final scarves with a couple more to show once I have reworked on the colour

 

Well today is the first day back after an easter break, well you can hardly call it an easter break as I've spent all my time trying to design a final scarf collection, ceramics collection and some fashion prints to be used on fashion garments.... I've also been hard at work helping in my dads workshop to make the props for my final degree show. I've shown my scarf designs this morning and I still need to tweek a couple of things with regards to the colour etc but as I now going to spend the day doing these, I will publish them tonight for all to see... A few more wrestless nights ahead of me I think!!!

 

I am now going through some of the designers names I picked up in London to look for more inspiration for some of my scarves I am about to design. I already have six painted up but I also want to create some more to print.

Christopher Kane..... This range in particular caught my eye whilst in Libertys, it has a very surreal feel about it yet features a character everybody is familiar with. I liked this in particular because it kind of went against the norm. as far as scarf designs were concerned, and it kind of gave me an idea for one of my scarves. I'm going to play around with some long scarves too, instead of keeping to the large square scarves.

 

As well as spending nearly all of my waking day in London yesterday, I have managed to be able to print off my fabric print for the dress I am making for my final show... It was a bit touch and go at times wondering how it was going to turn out, have I got the sizes right? Is it going to shrink when I wash it?... It did however shring a little bit but luckily I had added to this in my print design and sizing things up. I am really pleased with the outcome so far, I have pinned the skirt area together for now, until it gets made up properly, just to see how it sits and it is exactly how I imagined it to look especially with the hooped skirt underneath. I have taken some pictures of it so far, and also of my print as it was layed out after being steamed in the print room...

 

This week has so far been a success. Yesterday i went down to London to visit some stores for inspiration and to look at what designers have currently on the market, in terms of print.... Harrods and Liberty for Scarves and fashion and also for Ceramics in Liberty as they have a vast amount of ceramics for sale to take inspiration from. I also went to the V&A gallery and museum as I wanted to go up to the prints and drawing area. This was a research area which housed an enormous archive of prints, for those that wanted to research prints and drawings from hundreds of years ago to the present day. I had asked to look at the Illustrations of fashion illustrator and artist Julie Verhoeven and I was able to take images of her original drawings that she had used for fashion designers such as John Galliano, Hussein Chalayan, Topshop, Cacharel, Versace and Louis Vuitton, as well as illustrations she had worked on for fashion editorial magazines, and music covers etc. Julie Verhoeven is a British illustrator, and her work has also been included on bags for Mulberry. Her style of work is of a surreal taste and feature collaged natural forms with illustartion heads. Black and White with splashes of colour. I was really lucky to have seen these images because I felt that her style was quite like mine and she is a very contemporary designer working with some of the largest most prestigious design houses to date.. Take a look at her work..

Just had a tutorial to determine where I am up to with my designs. I had managed to get my design together for my final dress, which I am hoping to have printed this week, so, I can work on it over the Easter period. I will upload images of  my design once I have designed the print for the back of the skirt tonight. I have painted up three more 60x60 scarves, so I now need to decide on borders for these and determine what market level I am working to properly. I also have to work on designs for my ceramics, which I am hoping to get done and finalised by the end of this week so that I can have them printed off over the easter break.... Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

 

 

Boards almost ready for Bradford

   A couple of illustrations I have been working together for print

 

Textile Competition design

 

I'm not going to lie but this weekend has been an absolute waste of time for me with regards to work.... Saturday myself and Susan turn up at Fab Lab in Manchester for our freebie session on the laser cutting machine. All armed and ready to go we arrive promptly at 10:30am to be told that it was the time slot for a Health and Safety 5 minute chat, We am then prompted to put our name down on the waiting list for our turn, with the only available time at 3pm! So not only have I sacrificed my Saturday morning lie in to get up as I would do on a school morning, I am asked to leave and return almost 5 hours later..... On our return at 3pm we get set up, are assisted in putting our work on the computer ready to print on the laser machine, by this time it's getting on for 3:20 and the lady that has been using the machine since the morning is still there, using it and cutting into our time... I put mine on ready to start, only, because mine is being "Rastered" It's going to take at least 40 mins for my illustration to appear on wood. Our hour slot finished at 4, the man next on the list turns up, makes me take mine out so he can use it for his time. I walk away with a third of mine produced and Susan walks away with nothing!!! Thanks for the experience, but I think were going to stick to our slot at Fred Aldous and pay the price!.. That was Saturday. Today I have managed to ink up another 60x60 scarf which is great, because i've managed to get two done this week, however, I have had to tweek my design for Bradford and my Photoshop has decided to go extra slow on me. I give up, looks like another early doors for me in uni tomorrow so i can work a little more on it and send it to print through the day.. Here's a preview of my final design and a couple of other illustration motifs I have put together....

Just finished pattern for Bradford Textile competition, inspired by my rabbit design from last semester. I just need to get it ok'd now before I can get in the print room next week to print it off. I then need to produce a A1 mood board to go with it, and then it's ready to go... Also had an afternoon meeting with my dressmaker yesterday who will be putting together my final piece to check that I have all measurements right before designing onto my pattern piece. An appointment booked tomorrow to speak with a creative designer working in industry, and a weekend booked of laser cutting. I'll keep you informed of the outcomes. 

One of my final illustrations

A view on this week..... I have been able to sit down on a mid way review which has given me some ideas into my designs..... Still spent the day looking at the computer though, thinking of what to do!!!... On a good note. A day out at laser cutting has given me a fresh idea, moving forward. Take a look at the day we had at Fred Aldous, which included a tutorial session of the machine, a guide into the different programmes used and materials. Below is one of my final outcomes made using laser programme Photo grav, which enables you to use any JPEG image and turn your artwork into something new...

 

An Idea for the heads of my Mannequins?

 

 

Today has been another day again, in Manchester. This time, along with, my second visit to the gallery, I wanted to look around stores to see what is currently on the market for the more high end designer areas in ladies fashion and accessories. I was able to look around the Hermes boutique on king street at there scarves and was given a brochure to look at for inspiration towards my final scarf designs, then it was on to House of fraser to see what scarves they gad in to look at which were from designers such as Codello, Lola rose, Ted baker, Sue Timmney, Linea, fraas and Pieces. Next I went to Harvey Nichols, which at the moment have amazing window displays and there fashion designer pieces all very much seemed inspired by nature and the spring garden. I was particularly interested in the red Valentino range which featured a Rain mac with florals around the base and

butterflies/birds etc flying away from the base and moving up the mac. Take a look at the ranges pictured, by, Just Cvalli, Red Valentino, Versace, Mary Katrantzou, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Christopher Kane and Alexander McQueen.