mollyingramart

[mollyingramart]

My final compositions!

I am so so pleased with how these Maria Wigley inspired pieces came out, drawing on elements from the artist but also from flora poetry and all of my research into it.

My larger piece is about A2, with two smaller pieces in just larger than A3. For the biggest piece, I tried to dissolve as much of the fabric as I could, aswell as cutting some of it off! I also wanted it to appear as if it was flowing down the page, so made sure to only leave threads that didn't obstruct this. I also wanted to keep the 3d element, so used wire to attach the thread into the cardboard just to keep it in place.

I also really loved Wigley's ideas of letters and envelopes, so used three different materials (including dissolvable!) to make these. By using envelopes, I think there was a real sense of symbolism in the words (poetry by authors such as Wordsworth) and thus reinforced the power of nature.

[mollyingramart]

My exam piece! This week I have spent 3 hours drawing one of my stitched pieces, using a fine liner pen. I spent some time practicing this piece and I realised I really loved the way tiny loops looked when layered, almost as if I was stitching on the sewing machine. I also tried using larger marks as I know I would do this if I were actually stitching! By using a lightbox, i managed to achieve the unique loop and thread shapes that I think really add detail and a realistic aspect. I also often tried to make the lines continuous or at least seem it, as I was trying to achieve a really similar effect to the actually stitched piece!

By using tiny mark making, I could control the amount of ink in each section - this allowed for a variation of depth and tone in a piece that would otherwise maybe be a bit 2 dimensional. I also attempted makrmaking on the dried flower section, as I wanted to achieve this variation and stippling/mark making allowed me to achieve a slightly lighter shade to the rest of the piece.

I also love the 'loose threads' and I think overall they look really realistic and the composition works well for the page size.

Overall I am really happy with this piece and would love to add it o my final collection, possibly layering it with acetate and my typewriting pieces!! :)

*image 1 is after an hour and a half, image 2 is after the 3 hours*

[mollyingramart]

Free Machine stitching. I have recently started another Mria Wigley inspired piece at a slightly larger scale, inspired by her work that sort of flows and cascades from an envelope. I began by writing in a calligraphy-style 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' by William Wordsworth, a poem that explores the elegance of flora (especially daffodils). I then joined the words together so that, when the fabric dissolves they will stay together (I will also be joining them at the edges and possibly stitching loops throughout the piece).

This piece is taking me a while and I want to add a lot more, however I really love how it is looking and the fact you can read it yet it is still flowing!

[mollyingramart]

Monoprinting and typewriters!

At the beginning of the week I experimented with inking dried flowers and then pressing these (similar to lino printing) to achieve these almost biro-like imprints. I preferred pressing onto dry paper, as there was a more delicate look which I thought matched my project really well. I used flowers such as lavender, as they are a little more compact and were less fragile so not as prone to breakage.

To develop this, I then used some of these prints within a typewriter, typing poetry such as 'Auguries of Innocence' (from my previous study into poetry). I realised that I really liked the method of typing on a typewriter, as every word felt so deliberate (you can't go back or rub it out) and so the words almost had more weight to them. I also made some spelling errors and the ink was slightly faded, however I actually really like this element of it as it felt more natural!

To develop these into Maria Wigley inspired pieces, I began to layer the mono prints and typewriter sheets onto a light box, along with pages of asemic writing and photocopies of flowers onto tracing paper. I also included some of my stitching that I have recently started! You can see where I used inverted images of the flowers the lighter sections almost revealed some of the writing underneath it, as if it was blooming.

I am really enjoying playing with the composition and layout of my work, and developing the stitched pieces to hopefully be the forefront of these! :)

[mollyingramart]

Free Machine embroidery! Above is the beginning of my free machining I have been conducting on dissolvable fabric, using a quote from Hamlet: 'Pansies, that's for thoughts'. I do want to move into maybe more abstract handwriting, possibly stitching some asemic writing too, however this was a really good practice at using the machine and being a little less neat with it to achieve a Maria Wigley sort of style! You can see I have also left some threads loose and stitched little circles and lines to connect the words (I added more of these but I don't have a picture, unfortunately).

At first I was a little cautious to be so abstract with my stitching, however by the end I really liked the style and it also sped up the process slightly. I am so excited to combine these pieces with my asemic writing on tracing paper, as well as possibly some dried flowers or bits of fabric! I also want to attempt stitching a poem in a long line, similar to Maria Wigley and then experiment with different compositions. :)

[mollyingramart]

Asemic Writing!

I have already experimented with this in college, asking my friends to write whatever they feel about flora and fauna, however I thought I would also see some of my family's perspective on it! I also asked them to write some of the poetry however they wanted, e.g. spelt incorrectly, random capital letters; whatever it made them feel, essentially. I asked them to write onto tracing paper as it would give a similar effect to Maria Wigley's layered pieces.

I really love these experiments as I think the handwriting and sizes etc convey a lot of emotion on how flora is viewed, especially when some of the words were even associated to things I hadn't thought of, like 'Romeo and Juliet' (my sister's idea). I think these experiments would look really beautiful with either stitch in them or stitched lettering placed over the top (using the dissolvable fabric), as there is almost a raw, natural feel to these pieces because there is so much emotion.

[mollyingramart]

Unfortunately I don't really have any new things to post on my blog this week as I have spent the last week mounting my final pieces, doing some bookwork, and writing my essay! I am really happy with where my project is going at the moment and tying these loose ends has been really helpful so that I can now just focus on Maria Wigley inspired pieces and my final work! :)

[mollyingramart]

While gathering my photos to get printed,I thought I would experiment with the Layout app and my ice photos from the beginning of the project! I knew I wanted to put some in my book to show further development, however I really like these so also printed some in A4. I actually think these could make beautiful fabrics and even possibly backgrounds for my stitching - when looking at Maria wigley further I found out she often layers text with imagery and fabric, so these could be used within this. I am slightly annoyed as I think I forgot to print the top image, which I really like, however I can always print this another way. I kept flipping and mirroring the images until they didn't look like the original ice photos and more like wallpapers. I really love these and I am excited to put them on mount board and in my sketchbook. :)

I have also been going through my contact sheets and I am going to continue with this tomorrow, just getting my sketchbook up to date.

[mollyingramart]

Experimenting with dissolvable fabric! My water soluble fabric has arrived and it has been so interesting to experiment with - I realised it is quite plasticky and needs a couple layers to make sure the thread doesnt completely rip it (almost the texture of a low quality polly pocket). I have just been testing on a little embroidery hoop, as I didn't want to waste any! I was hoping for a more material type of fabric, but this actually seems to work really well when you layer it a little! Obviously, these test pieces aren't good at all, but that's okay because these are just tests. Some words worked really well such as 'even', and I didnt dissolve it all completely as I wanted some structure. On the other hand, some words are illegible - I think the key is just practice. I actually really liked this method, as I found it felt a lot more like writing because the fabric was so easy to cut through, instead of the restrictive elements of something like cotton or polyester. I am just going to continue practicing, possibly more in college so I can get some advice. I think I want to spend a lot of time on bookwork, just getting it up to date with all of this. But I am really happy with the direction of my project, and I think I have found my final focus. :)

I am going to see what these look like tomorrow once they are dry and cut off the random threads, and test their structure etc.

[mollyingramart]

I have been continuing with my machine stitching - I am still struggling but I know it takes time! You can see where the threads got caught in the bobbin and therefore there are some holes, but I think I am making progress. I also attempted a typewriter style, which wouldnt work on dissolvable fabric unless I connected them - I think I much prefer the calligraphy font anyway, however I would also be interested in researching handwriting and letters from writers such as Wordsworth, Blake, Shelley etc. And maybe have a go at making letters (in the style of Maria Wigley) or doing some embroidery in their handwriting. I want to continue experimenting onto fabric, as well as my dossolvabel fabric which I now have to see how many layers I need for it to be structurally sound and keep from falling apart!

I think overall it is going really well, I am just trying to not get too frustrated at the sewing machine!! :))

[mollyingramart]

Machine stitching!! Today I managed to attempt free machine embroidery, inspired by Maria Wigley. It was a little trickier than I expected, however I think I am improving with each attempt - you can see in my first attempt I made it too big for the hoop so the needle either got too close to the side, or the hoop it hit the sewing machine so it wouldnt move! I was also finding it extremely hard to control the hoop. I managed to fix the spacing problem in attempt 2, as well as overlapping the thread more and using a black pen so you couldn't see the template (I will use pencil eventually). By the third attempt, I was getting a lot better at controlling the hoop and knowing what speed to go at, I just centred it slightly wrong.

With this practice, it was time to attempt a poem in stitch (look at previous poems used). Of course, it is not anyway near perfect, however I was really surprised how well in turned out for a practice piece! I managed to space it correctly in the hoop and it didn't take me quite as long as the others!

I am going to continue practicing and then hopefully move onto using dissolvable fabric tomorrow/the day after and experiment with that - eventually I would like to incorporate dried flowers, other colour fabric etc but for now practice makes perfect! :)

[mollyingramart]

Some more hand stitching and handwriting experimentation before moving to machine and dissolvable! Once again, I drew out what I wanted the handwriting to look like, and in this one I used a lot of different styles.

Instead of using a dark navy, I used a dark green embroidery thread, continuing to use a mixture of split and back stitch, as well as using longer and shorter stitches to create different thicknesses!

This and my two previous experiments have given me really good ideas of what I want the handwriting to look like in my final developed pieces. Hopefully the rest of the week will be spent stitching on my machine and then incorporating dissolvable and playing around with that! I do need to work on making the backs of the hoops a bit neater, however this wont be an issue when I use dissolvable of course - overall I think you can see Maria wigley influences in this, however by using my own handwriting and chosen poetry that resonates with me, I have adapted and developed to my brief and AOs. :)

I also think you can really see how I have developed my stitching compared to the first one I attempted, learning how big of stitches to do and what kind of stitch works for each font. I hope this is the same with my machine stitching and experiments with dissolvable!

[mollyingramart]

This is completely unrelated to my project however I made a swiss roll with lemons on and just wanted to show it as I am very proud hehe :)

Actual art blog post will be up tomorrow morning!!

[mollyingramart]

Just a little update on some more stitching I did! I continued to use a dark navy embroidery thread, experimenting with hand embroidery in different fonts, sizes and stitches this time. For the sort of type writer style, I used a smaller size to add some variation and depth.

I began by drawing my font from scratch on a piece of paper so that I was happy with the style and placement, and then traced this onto the fabric. For the calligraphy style, I used split stitch, and for the type writer style I used a back stitch. This variation allowed for different thicknesses within the lines.

I actually really love this piece, and it will be interesting to see if I can replicate it on a sewing machine with a free machine foot. My artist inspiration, Maria Wigley, uses a mixture of hand and machine stitch, so that is what I want to experiment with but, overall, I am very happy!

[mollyingramart]

I have been experimenting more with different stitches, especially hand embroidery - as you can see here, I used a back stitch to hand embroider one of my quotes from previous researches poems about the power of nature over man. This piece took me about an hour, and I actually really like the outcome - it's extremely simplistic and could be combined with watercolour onto fabric, or stitching in more vibrant colours using free machine over the top.

I have been a little behind with art this week, so I want to spend the rest of the day cathcing up and doing different experiments with stitching in relation to my project! I may also experiment with watercolour on fabric, however initially I would like to see how hand embroidery combines with free machine stitch, as well as how colour and angle could overlay to add some dimension and layers to these literature based pieces - I will post these finished results on Friday! I am slightly nervous about breaking my machine needle again, so I am going to also change the tensions and my technique and see how these affect it!

[mollyingramart]

Exam piece! At the beginning of this week I spent an hour and a half drawing a pencil and charcoal daffodil as a timed assessment, in relation to my current work! I used the picture of the daffodil as previously shown on my blog, as I love the fact it has little water droplets over it and was originally taken in the snow. Daffodils are also often the first signs of spring, and thus provide a sense of hope and happiness as we enter a new season! They also heavily link to my research into romantic literature and the symbolism within flora.

I began by sketching my outline in pencil, and I had a black and white version of the photo in front of me, as well as the coloured version (top photo) on my laptop screen. After lightly drawing in my outline, I started on the stem with charcoal, as it was a nice beginning into the exam and the contrast of the colours of the stem in the photo made it a really lovely section to experiment with how much pressure I needed to apply to the charcoal to get different shades.

I then began at the top of the daffodil and started filling in with charcoal. Throughout this piece, I knew I wanted to smudge some of the charcoal and thus blend it, as it gives a softer effect. However, I still wanted harsh lines and to show more technique, so I mainly tried to use different pressures of the pencil to create a blend, instead of constantly smudging it. When practicing, I smudged it too much, so I think in this exam I really found a good middle ground! I mainly tried to blend with the pencils, then very lightly smudged, and then often went back over with charcoal to create some more definition.

I also used a rubber throughout, often cutting it to create angles, to add highlights showing where the light is angled and also for the water droplets and dew. I really like the water droplet in the centre of the daffodil, as I think it is quite realistic.

Overall, I am extremely happy with this piece as, even though it is not finished, I think it currently looks quite detailed and realistic.

To continue with this piece, I would like to work more on the bottom of the daffodil, as I did this towards the end and thus it isn't possibly as detailed. If anyone has any suggestions on how go improve please let me know :))

[mollyingramart]

I have also been experimenting with hand embroidery, however this is just something that might be able to be used later on in my project.

I just hand drew a photo of one of my daffodils and experimented with satin and split stitch.