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MODULE HAND IN

My concept board
Last week was a busy one so I thought I'd share some imagery of what i handed in. I'm pleased with the samples i experimented with. There's no rest for the wicked.. I'm now cracking on with a new project that steams from my previous one, the outcome will be 6 A2 finished designs that will be taken to Premiere Vision, Indigo Paris (trade show) in February and hopefully sold! Every year students from my degree programme travel to Indigo along with other international studios to present their collections of designs, whether that be fabrics, knits, embroideries etc. We sell our work to leading buyers from as far afield as China, US, and the Netherlands. It's a massive trade fair that welcomes professionals from around the world to exhibit their work and gives up and coming designers a chance to be seen.

Also in my spare time, I am designing a few prints for an ongoing Surtex brief we've been given. This month the topics are Christmas and Conversational. I'm superrrrr excited about these topics as there making me feel festive. I've been drawing camels and stars for my Christmas print.

Surtex is a global trade fair based in New York, similar to Indigo Paris. It's a marketplace for sourcing original art and design, where artists, art agents and licensing agencies connect with manufacturers and retailers to create the next best-selling product in every category imaginable. Wall coverings, patterns, accessories, bed linens, stationery, giftware and so much more! The designs we submit will be taken along with two students chosen from our programme to sell at our stall in May! It's a big anniversary for Surtex as it'll be their 30th year running in 2016. Once I've finished my designs i'll upload a sneak peek.

There is a lot going on, i think i may drown in work however i find it motivating and it makes me giddy just thinking about it. So many opportunities one cannot turn down, this is also the reason i have closed my online shop for a couple of months.

One of 5 A2 sample boards 
One of 5 A2 sample boards

Deadline morning - soooo relieved!

Ceramic Workshop

Hello! Me and a friend from my course organised a ceramic workshop for everyone on our row. It was nice to spend a day out of the studio learning a new skill. It was really fun and i am keen to finish my ceramic makes. I made a few tiles using (i think) stoneware clay and then decorated them with embossed papers, smashed sea shells and mark making. 


I also made a vase and with left over clay, i made a food bowl for Ruby! I didn't add markings on my vase as i wanted it to be smooth. For ruby's bowl I used lasor cut wooden letters and pressed them into the clay. I aim to paint them both after firing.



My ceramic makes will now dry out over the couple of days and then they will have their first biscuit firing at 1000 degree celsius!!

INNOVATION SAMPLES


My work space
Lately for my Innovation project I have been busy in the print room experimenting with techniques such as Direct and normal Screen Printing with Binder FF and Puff, Natural Dying, Foiling and even hand painted back into different fabrics such as Calico, Cotton, Silk, and furnishing fabrics. I have just began to fuse my samples together using bondaweb and a touch of embroidery.
Furnishing fabric samples
Colour samples are coming together nicely 


Natural Dye workshop
Natural Dye samples, dried and cured


Natural Dying fabric with Conchineal - Female Bugs!
Direct Screen Printing
I am yet to experiment with Devore, Ceramics and working back into my prints using the Lasor Cutter. Reflecting on my attitude - i think i have been more organised, positive and have put extra effort in. I truly hope it shows and pays off!



PRICELESS AND WORTHLESS - MINI EXHIBITION



Priceless and Worthless is a mini recycling exhibition where students from my course take something worthless and upcycle it so that it becomes priceless. There was no set brief really, we just had to find the beauty in something that needed a new lease of life. It's really fun and we all ate cake, drank tea and socialised with students from all levels of my course. My piece was a rosette that i put together using applique with odd sorts of fabric and embroidery thread i had collected from charity shops.



Lasor cut wooden flowers and upcycled bottles by Jodie Smith


Screen printed coat upcycled by Amy Hodkin




Train tickets upcycled by Katie Punton


A mug, sauce and plate upcycled by Megan Read


Notebooks handmade from raw materials by Isabella Solito


A sloth made from a pair of socks by Emily Pearse
There were so many innovative ideas, these were just some of my favorites. It'll be fun to see what next year's exhibition brings.

Roisin Johns - Colours, Styling & Material Portfolio

My work is progressing a colour palette with the help from Wilko’s emulsion pots. I used what i learnt in a recent cad workshop to separate my CMYK and Spot colours from paintings and collages. This enabled me to expose painterly marks for possible backgrounds. I feel like a switch has click and i am now getting to grips with screen printing!




Roisin Johns from the University of the Arts London (and also from Leeds College of Art) was a guest lecture today. She spoke about her journey from BA to MA and how she took found materials from landfills, skips and factory floors and turned them into objects of desire. I am really fond of her concept of recycling and i particularly liked her colour palette of pink, purple and orange.






Manchester


Me and Adam were in Manchester over the weekend. We visited the art gallery and went to watch Fink and She Drew the Gun perform live at the Academy 2. It was a nice break for us but now it's back to cray cray at university. 

Manchester with Adam

Manchester China Town

Manchester China Town

Manchester China Town

Manchester China Town

Dream Home


Lucienne Day

Kitchen Set by Albert Edward Gray

Matthew Darbyshire

Matthew Darbyshire

Matthew Darbyshire

Matthew Darbyshire


Matthew Darbyshire

This was one of Adam's favourite pieces

Ed Atkins 

Grayson Perry



Fink

She Drew the Gun




Second Year at University So Far...


At the moment I am carrying on from my summer project which was originally themed around homeless people and their pet companions. However I decided to save this theme for a future project as I couldn’t draw from it observationally whilst in the studio. So in the end i chose to draw objects from the seashore (as i have quite a collection) in the style of fauvism. I chose this style for its expressive painterly qualities that have no colour resemble to their realistic values. I liked the idea of warm coloured shells..




Pink seems to be a default colour choice

A little bit of collaging with house paints

Painting with bits of card instead of a brush

For inspiration i have been looking at Britt Bass Turner, Katie Craig, Henri Matisse and Jenny Andrews.

Katie Craig

Henri Matisse

Britt Bass Turner

Jenny Andrews 



Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair



Lemon tart and a latte from Cafe Nero

Yesterday I went to the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair at the Old Granada Studios in Manchester. It was my first time attending the event and as soon as i had bought my ticket, i felt giddy and inspired! This event was named 'Tourism Event of the Year 2014' and i could see why!  There was over 175 designers and makers. I took full advantage of the event and networked like crazy. 

Two artists that really influenced me were Jasmine Simpson, an emerging ceramic maker and Claire Murray, a surface pattern designer. Jasmine Simpson is based in Staffordshire and i thought her pieces are enchanting, especially the paint splattered bear which i deeply regret not buying. She was really friendly and we had a good natter about university. Jasmine gave me some good advice - to use the facilities and support to their full potential. I guess it's what I'm paying for but i forget to ask for more. For more information, more guidance, more experience.. So now i've written a note on my studio wall to push for more. Thank you Jasmine!

Jasmine Simpson


Jasmine Simpson


I instantly fell in love with Claire Murray's work. There was a wallpaper called 'Flight' (it's the first wallpaper on the left, in the image below), it was so elegant and had a sense of life to it. As soon as i saw it, i was daydreaming about my future house with that wallpaper on a feature wall, along with a matching lampshade and cushions. It's truly a delightful design and Claire is lovely!

Claire Murray


Claire Murray
Claire Murray


I bought a card from Ruth Green (It's the yellow card with the sleeping dog on it, pictured below), her work is clearly inspired by the British countryside. At the moment i am overcoming my fear of using bright colours in my work, so it was refreshing to see Ruth's work at the Craft Fair. 



There were many artists that inspired me at the craft fair and to name a few, Sarah Cemmick, a lino print artist, Abigail Bury, a recent textile graduate from Hereford College of Arts and Emilie Taylor, a ceramic artist that reminds me of Grayson Perry's Turner Prize winning vase. 



My studio board featuring work from Ruth Green, Abigail Bury and a selection of business cards i gathered from the event. 
Sarah Clemmick


Sarah Clemmick


Juliettte Hamilton 


Juliettte Hamilton 


Anna Collette Hunt


Anna Collette Hunt

Without a doubt, I am saving the date for next year and taking a camera with me. What did you do this weekend?