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This page is full of my experimental sketches and representations of the different plants and organic structures I took interest in at the gardens. I decided not to stick heavily to one theme on this page as it was the start of a new project and year, and I was happy to begin it by just finding my feet after summer. I decided to try quite a few of these drawings incorporating a Biro pen as I always see amazing images and pieces that have used Biro but I can never seem to utilize it effectively myself. I think this is because my work takes some time to perfect, and pen is such a harsh material that I can't quite keep up when I'm using it, or it doesn't flow as softly as I would like. Although I feel these did turn out quite well I'm still not convinced that they are my strongest images on this page, let alone through the rest of my work so I probably won't return to this style of drawing.
There is also quite an amount of felt pen used on this page as I wanted to try a more abstract way of portraying what I saw, for example the bottom right corner's image is the section of a tree trunk I photographed while there. I really like the use of line that goes in different directions because I feel that it worked really effectively to show a change in texture. This was also shown by the varying distance between the lines, and I feel that this all compensated well for the use of only two colours and no shading through the drawing.
If I went on to explore in this style again I would definitely try to incorporate more 3D elements to add depth and texture, which would open doors for also exploring more colour.

See photos attached before post 'Page 2-3 - Experiments Extended' for a comparison.

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Over these pages and one acrylic insert, I have continued my experiments using plants from NBGOW to present a few of the photos I took. On the paper pages  I have created backgrounds in keeping with the theme of 'Organic vs Structure' for the photographs mounted on the acrylic to sit above. For the first one I covered part of the page with another blank sheet of paper to protect the section it was covering from the acrylic paint I had picked up and mixed using a sponge for a softer and more organic-feeling effect, and then printed onto the page with the objective of leaving a solid, structural line cutting the paint off. This worked well so I then filled in the blank space with solid black lines with marker, but they are slightly wavy rather than fully straight to show a small battle between the natural wavy, and the disciplined straight.
The second background was made more creatively in class, using a wooden block completely wrapped in string and then rolled onto with an ink colour which I made then to keep with an organic feel. I then pressed the block,  inked side down, onto the page to explore what outcomes I could find from different pressure and placement.
I feel that these more thought out experiments did what I needed them to but looking back, there are probably better-looking options I could have considered more before committing to these techniques.

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This page was really interesting to do for the first time, as I didn't realize how effective it would look once finished when I was only beginning to draw the shapes to be cut out. Once I had marked out the definitive shape of a leaf, I began to dig in with a scalpel, fracturing the image in the process but making sure there was a strong frame remaining to keep the shape that I needed clear and obvious. Once that was finished, I turned to the page underneath and used acrylic paint again on a sponge with different colours blended together, to create a blurred image underneath the stencil that, is visible through where I cut out. I really feel like this worked well and I would definitely like to try and incorporate this in something else along my project.

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On pages 9 and 11 of my sketchbook, I made an attempt to replicate O'Keeffe's style but with my own photographs which I took at NBGOW, indicated by a viewfinder on each section I drew on pages 8 and 10. For the colourised image I used coloured chalk pastels all over, and for the black and white image I used charcoal with grey and white chalk pastels as they replicate the softness often found in her work. Although I really enjoyed experimenting with a view finder to zoom in on the image I drew, I found that I didn't  respond to the materials as well as I did last year, maybe because I was copying another image rather than drawing originally straight away as this limited me and took away some of the freedom that comes with using chalks and pastels. Although I think the viewfinder is definitely an effective technique, I think if trying this again I would use a different medium to create with, such as watercolour or since my images were quite sharp and structured, layered pieces of fabric and appliqué.

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Before starting these pages, I created various brushes using materials such as old crisp packets, flowers and leaves, tied and taped to sticks and dipped in black ink to be dragged across pages and cuts of fabric. I then tested them on plain paper, cut up and collaged on page 12, then onto cuts of fabric. I have found that although there were very different results on fabric when adding water and white acrylic paint, the shapes of the brushes really made no difference in the marks - some just held more ink that others. I decided to sew on top of these fabric pieces just to add a little extra line work, then finished off with tipex to make them more interesting. I did find it interesting on page 13 however actually making the different marks and shapes with a marker pen and fine liner on top of differently colourd papers for contrast. If I did this again I would probably use different coloured inks, especially on page 12, as this may make each piece more interesting and give them more depth. Overall however I do think this task was still a valuable exploration into different ways of making patterns with simple marks, formed in ways I hadn't tried before.

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About halfway through my project I was presented with the Verblist created by Richard Serra between 1967-1968 to keep himself inspired. When looking at my work over these few pages, keeping this verblist in mind will help in making my work make a lot more sense. Page 20 was inspired by the option 'to knot' where I simply folded some knots out of white cartridge paper, chose my favourites and arranged them on a blank page. I really really love the effect of this piece when you're not in full light as the blank whiteness of the page and the knots together hides the fact that they are 3D, and you can see them from a 2D perspective using only shadows of the knots to aid you. Following on page 21 is my take on 'to tear' as again with a very quick and simple process, I tore a piece of black sugar paper from end to end, then stuck it on top of a piece of white cartridge paper to fill in the missing section; I also like the simplicity of this piece but I feel it could have been developed a bit more, and would have benefited from having more time spent on it. Page 22 was inspired by  'to repair' as I again, ripped a piece of black sugar paper but this time straight cross the portrait middle rather than randomly, then taped it back together, but leaving a gap and turning it over to reveal the split and the tape keeping it together. I'm really glad with the outcome of this piece as I feel it is quite simple but effective because of how minimalist it is.

Pages 23 to 25 I feel are much less interesting as rather than being stand alone pieces, they are quick, not-thought-out sketches with the verb or action noted next to them. Some of them I think are quite cute and have worked well, for example 'to curve' and 'to mark' on page 23, 'to light' on page 24, and 'to spill' on page 25. Most others however, seem really childlike and uninspired, which they were. Page 23 was created with white cartridge paper, ink and marker pen; page 24 was created with black sugar paper and chalk, and page 25 was created with again, white cartridge paper, ink and marker pen. Page 26 was inspired by 'to collect', because after I painted the white acrylic onto black sugar paper, I used a small clay ribbon cutter tool to scrape and collect some of it back up, leaving line marks behind. I'm quite happy with this piece as although it is still simple, there's a lot of detail to be found in the visible brush strokes and removal lines which add quite a lot more depth to it.

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Pavel Tchelitchew was a Russian-born surrealist painter, set designer and costume designer who created the piece “Personage”. The coffee grounds and oil on canvas piece was completed in 1927 and is 51” x 34 1/8”. This piece is full of rich colour and I am in love with it and the contrast of the white human frame. I think it works incredibly well, however, I can’t find any emotion in it - but maybe that’s the point. The composition and execution I think are amazing but the thourough dampened-looking blue makes me think this is a depressive piece, and due to the invisible face of the subject, perhaps represents is due to a lack of identity, self expression or emotional freedom. This piece really really inspires me to consider the structure of things more, and consider the construction behind softer layers. Looking at this piece makes me feel cold but not in a depressive way - in a way that makes me want to feel as cosy and comfortable as Tchelitchew has made the jumper on his subject look. It feels weird to me that a piece of seemingly sad art could make me feel so content, and that confusion is what I think makes this piece so unique and beyond successfully effective.

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(5,6,7) As part of the build up to my final piece I also explored the idea of cubes and the ways that they can be built, constructed and formed together. I created a few different forms out of materials including acrylic, wooden blocks and metal strips, and learnt different ways of molding and joining the materials together. I am pleased with a few of my outcomes including the one strip of green acrylic which I bent, using a heat strip, corners into but never joined . I feel this was a successful outcome as although it's not technically a cube, I really prefer the simplicity of it compared to the othes (for example 11) which were compiled of more layered materials. (1,2,3,4) While exploring cube work I came across Antony Gormley who alongside other looks, has used cubes to create multiple human forms. I decided to experiment with this idea by repeatedly recreating a croquis I found online , photocopying it, and then testing different designs, patterns and concepts on the body. For example in one experiment (1) I drew abstract-looking bricks around the figure, but on another (4) I drew a cuboid around it and shaded in the body as if it were a human-shaped mold. However I don't feel that these were very successful as the idea of cubes doesn't really interest me, and so there was nothing behind my work, making it ineffective and boring. I probably won't come back to this type of work as I feel I can put much more expression into other concepts that I properly connect with.

(21,22,23,24) I then looked into life drawing with materials such as marker, pencil and watercolours. This was a whole new experience for me as it was my first attempt, and found it quite refreshing to just sketch with a pencil (21), but much harder blindly working with marker (23). However I feel that my blind attempt turned out much more effective and stylised than the others as proportions and positions weren't planned out beforehand. If I came back to any techniques I used in this process it would probably be the marker, as although I found it difficult, I prefer the outcome. After finishing these images, they were used as a base for wire sculpting the face and body (12,13,14). I did enjoy using wire as although it can be difficult to work with, even if it doesn't go to plan or shape perfectly you can still get an idea of the design, and if it goes totally wrong it can make it look more quirky and abstract. I think that I can definitely do better than these first attempts with more practise, so may return to this for future work.
We also had a first attempt at modelling figures out of clay from life (15,16,17) rather than the drawings, which was very difficult with no prior experience. Even though drawing correct human proportions can be very simple, it becomes very difficult once you're using limited clay, as unless you do it correctly before doing anything else, you have the trouble of trying to alter and stretch out your model while attempting to preserve features that you not only may already be happy with, but are also using up clay you may then need. Although it's a skill I would like to practise and develop, I don't think I would choose this technique when making more work as I didn't find it as expressive as using wire or pencil.

(8,9) After looking closer into line and mark making work on pages 34-36, I had a go at creating some more sewn samples which I really really enjoed. I used both the freehand and regular machine, sewed by hand, and used an embellisher on watercoloured cuts of fabric. Although my samples don't have much meaning or direction, I am really happy with the outcome as it looks quite detailed and thought out due to the layers and colour schemes. For my first time trying these I think they went really well and I definitely think I will be bringing sewing forward into my final piece for the project.

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Experiment 20

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Experiment 21

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Experiment 22

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Experiment 23

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At one point we walked into class and our lecturer had set up a string sculpture for us to study and base material experiments from. These few pages are my studies of the strings and experiments with line and material. Page 27 includes a photograph of this sculpture for reference, as well as the scrap pieces from my other studies which I feel worked well as a little impromptu series. I actually used more scraps again on page 28 by developing them into a small 3D work with small wooden pieces stuck on top of the solid black lines. I really like the abstract look of the piece, and how the wooden pieces give it an extra clarity and sharpness. I also like the way that the wooden pieces stick over the edges of the black lines and even the white backgrounds which brings them even more forward like they're coming out of the piece.

Page 29 and 30 hold much closer studies of the knots in the strings, made using tipex, white chalk and white pastel on black sugar paper. I really enjoyed these as I think they although don't look amazing are still really nice studies. I also was glad I got to explore the contrast in pigments of each material side by side, which also made it more of an abstract piece as the same thing was being represented multiple times in different ways.

Page 31 is probably my most detailed study from this session as I carefully took time to sit down and draw out the composition of the string exactly as I saw it with white chalk onto black sugar paper. I really liked the detail that came with this but wanted to make it more abstract to go with the other studies in this series, so I decided to cut down my drawing, stick it onto some contrasting white cartridge paper, and carry on the lines with black marker to show a sudden block change the whole way around the piece.

I found this exercise really valuable as through the whole experience I found that my work turned out quite effective and I have found a lot more inspiration from working with line than in other sessions I have participated in - such as on pages 23-25 where I was totally uninspired and so my work suffered - and so I would definitely like to bring line forward into my final work, whether it's small mark making detail or simply line drawing.

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“Ancestal Myth” by Greek-American, abstract-expressionist painter Theodoros Stamos is an oil piece on Masonite which is 24 1/8” x 30” qnd we completed in 1947. Some of the sections of the piece have quite a rough texture, but at the same time look like they could be fuzzy and soft to the touch depending on your mood perhaps. He has used quite dark colours throughout but cut out some pastel sections, and seems to have pressed on some lighter areas with white paint to give this texture. The shapes in this piece are quite odd and unrecognisable, but seem to have an effect of sliding down the page along the darker green background.

At a glance, although I don’t understand this piece very well, I do like the composition and use of varied but closely related colours. I think the colours work really well with the cut lines between them that manage to show depth even with little to no shading anywhere on the piece. I generally really like this piece but it’s weirdly unexplainable why, as if I just click with the energy and balance throughout it. What I also really like about this is that you can see through the layers of paint to lines underneath in some parts.

If I were to create this piece myself however I wouldn’t look so much at pastel colours as the yellow especially feels quite out of place, and it could be more effective with richer colours to match the luxurious green in the centre. Overall however I feel that this piece is really successful and it has made me consider how I use colour much more carefully.

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I have noticed that throughout my sketchbook, line work has been a reoccurring success in each medium I have tried, and since line is already quite structural, I decided to look for line markings specifically in organic settings, such as in an onion or grapefruit, or in stretchmarks and fingerprints. I also looked a little into art pieces that specifically look at line technique and found that they all seem very effective, so I would definitely like to produce this myself and work deeper with a relatively new concept to me. I think this all ties quite perfectly together and in my final piece I would really like to blur the lines in nature such as ocean waves and fruit structures with lines in human nature such as stretch marks and finger prints.

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From my brief mood-board I went on to look at lines in mushrooms and bought some myself to study. Pages 38 and 39 show the photographs I took of them using a wide angle lens, which I then produced drawn sketches that were more abstractly styled to focus on the actual lines. I then used the same mushrooms to produce prints using black ink on cartridge paper to reveal an even better effect than from the photos as they appear Andy Warhol like. I also decided to copy this process with my fingerprints to also look at the mapped lines there. I liked the shapes created by this and potential for line work on top, so decided to enlarge some of the prints, which I then copied onto transfer paper  and ironed onto scraps of fabric. I worked on top of these by gluing yellow thread in one long line to highlight the movements of lines around the head and outside of the mushroom, then the fingerprints which I love all the outcomes of as I feel the smooth yellow on top of the broken black print is really effective. I repeated this but using tipex in broken lines to figure out which one I preferred
- which turns out is the continuous yellow.

Just to make sure I wanted to go down the route of utilising thread in different ways rather than any other material, I went on to make air-drying clay and wire samples of the mushroom images and finger prints (See next five attached images). Although I feel that these did go well, it has only affirmed my choice in using thread on fabric as the wire and clay don’t have anywhere near as much depth in colour or line potential.

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“Psychic Sensitivity” which is a 18” x 13 3/8” graphite on paper piece created by Emil Bisttram in 1947. Bisttram was an American artist who lived in New York and Toas, Bew Mexico. Although it is hard to tell from the image, it looks very much like a pointillism piece so the shading throughout is clear to see but doesn’t quite make sense in the background as it doesn’t follow the shapes in the foreground. I recognise elements of the piece partially as it seems to show an eye, alongside little planets floating around a planet’s ring. There is no colour in this piece as it was all created with grey graphite which I think is a shame. Since this is a modernist piece, of course it wants to break the rules and not be typically appealing, but I feel it could work so much better, and be much more expressive with colour. Considering it seems to have been made using pointillism, it is a very clear, sharp image and I think would have worked really well using college to give it depth, as well as a different style and feel. However I do quite like this piece as it feels very quirky and unique, and think it is very well executed. I really appreciate this work but more for the shapes used and overall composition rather than the general look, as it doesn’t feel like anything is missing, it’s just not as vibrant as I would have chosen to make it.

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This page is where I began my final designs with the samples I had created being used as a starting point. I knew I wanted to lean in a fashion-based direction, which works well with the fact I prefer my 3D textiles experiments, so I decided to place my designs on clothing and create a related photoshoot outcome. With this in mind I found an old plain white vest I don’t use now, as it is quite blocky so felt it goes well with line work, and is really easy material to work with and arranged the sampling designs I like most on top. (See photos on posts 31 - 36). I found that I preferred the three designs laid out next to eachother  and realised I could actually connect all of them together like one line drawing with thread rather than keeping them a separate three. I also made a conscious decision to glue the thread on top of the fabric instead of sewing it in as I felt the single line would be more effective if it were completely continuous rather than dipped in and out. After laying and gluing the thread down on each design I felt that something was definitely missing and so after a discussion with a lecturer I added watercolour paint with corresponding colours for mushrooms and skin which are the main subjects of this top. After completing the top I took headshot-style photographs of my model in a studio setting (see photo on post 38), but found that they came out boring and uninspiring and I realised  an outdoor setting would be best for this design. So I traveled with my model to Bryngarw Country Park so I could take photos of her in the vest, and found a flowing river as a background. I felt this worked well as my concept is all about organic lines which this was full of due to the miniature lapping waves. I found this so effective that I actually edited the background to be a wall of flowing water rather than having the river with trees behind (see photos on post 38), and continued to glue down thread along obvious lines in the photo to keep with my favourite experimental material, but was also inspired by work I did during my string studies on page 31 where lines ran over the seemingly bordered piece which I felt worked really well. I felt the physical outcome has worked quite well and I would definitely consider developing this further in other areas and projects.

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Through the project I have used relatively new techniques to me which I haven’t considered in past projects and experiments, such as mark making with both ink and thread which both worked quite well. Also clay and wire sculpting which although did go well, I feel I could definitely improve and work on more in the future. I also hadn’t worked properly with any concept of line before so found it really interesting discovering links between organic and human objects, seeing not only differences, but the interesting similarities too, such as the way the lines split both on your eyes and on leaves, or how they are continuous on your fingerprint just like on the inside of tree trunks. I’m really glad that I got to explore line work in such depth as the pieces in my sketchbook most related to line have been the most appreciated by lecturers throughout the process, and seemingly the most successful, so I will definitely consider working with this concept or theme in mind in the future.

Keeping line in mind I am really happy with the outcome of my project and the skills I developed by the end. Although I definitely struggled at times with direction I remained focussed and patient with myself; this is something new that I feel the project brought out in me. With regards to physical and technical skills throughout my work, I feel that I am slowly reaching places where I find not necessarily the hardest practises, but definitely more effective ones than I am used to such as wire and thread work.

I’m really glad and excited that within this project I had the opportunity to explore a designed photography side, as that is what I would like to go on to do in university on USW’s fashion promotion course, where a large part of it involves arranging photo shoots and designing the outcomes and stylings of the image. I feel this was a good starting point for that, especially while being able to use my own garment in the photo.

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•Page 4 - VISUAL PLEASURE (2018) http://dawnwoolley.com/visual-pleasure.html
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Page 8 - Georgia O’Keeffe (2018)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Georgia-OKeeffe
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Page 15- ABOUT (2018)
http://www.mtwashingtonpottery.com/about/
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Page 17 - Richard Serra Sequence, 2006 (2018)
https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/FC.795/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmITRBRCSARIsAEOZmr6XEPTJ3P74gDuKRz4Z-48CGLArKKl6G3NSeO9yS4uoP8H510TGP-MaAtEvEALw_wcB
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Page 18/19 - Orla Kiely (2018)
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/0919/994673-orla-kiely/
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Personage - Pavel Tchelitchew
-Pavel Tchelitchew (1898-1957) (2018)
http://www.michaelrosenfeldart.com/artists/pavel-tchelitchew-1898-1957/selected-works/3
Accessed: 6 December 2018
-The Divine Comedy Of Pavel Tchelitchew: A Biography (1967)  - Tyler, Parker.

•Ancestral Myth - Theodoros Stanos
-Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997) - 2018
http://www.michaelrosenfeldart.com/artists/theodoros-stamos-1922-1997
Accessed: 6 December 2018
-Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997) (2005)
London: Crane Kalyan Gallery

• Page 34 - Nigel Cheney - Manipulate, Construct, Embellish (2018)
https://www.textileartist.org/manipulate-construct-embelish-nigel-cheney
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Page 35 - Dionne Swift About (2018)
https://www.dionneswift.com/about
Accessed: 28 November 2018

• Page 36 - Mark Bradford (2018)
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/mark-bradford-9242
Accessed: 28 November 2018

•Psychic Sensitivity - Emil Bisttram
-Emil Bisttram (1895-1976) (2018)
http://www.michaelrosenfeldart.com/artists/emil-bisttram-1895-1976
Accessed: 6 December 2018