“You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul” George Bernard

During my first 3D design session i experimented with the basics of glass making. This involved using thin square sheets of glass and trapping wire, copper and colouring between two. I chose to try an intricate and delicate design of a flower which became difficult when fiddling around with the sharp pieces of wire! Overall i think the wire was a sucess although if i was to use this in the future i would use tools and gloves to make this easier to shape and bend. I then added cut out pieces of copper to create the look of petals, i was happy with my design like this but also wanted to see what wiuld happen if i added colour. So i then used a powder based colouring to fill in a section this way i can see how different materials react inside the glass and therefore this will give me a better uunderstanding of working with glass. I would like to explore glass a little bit more on a larger scale but it's not really something i want to pursue during the rest of the course as i dont like the idea of not having control of your design. Once its in the kiln there's not going back! I think my first day went well and i look forward to the next few weeks.

sketchbook

final proposal

I know why the caged bird sings

The story behind my FMP is about hope; the bird in the cage represents someone or something being trapped and the feeling of wanting to be free. I would like my FMP to be a room display of a bedroom with a vintage, old/broken style to it. In the room will be a bed, an antique chair and a table, on the table will be a bird in a cage that will show where my idea originated. I will then design and make bedding for this room using my primary research of birds and flowers, as the flowers will represent happiness and freedom. To achieve this outcome I will research room displays, interior designers, and textiles designers and take photographs of birds and flowers. I will use my primary research to create a print design for fabric that I will then use to create bedding for my display room. I plan on making one single bed sheet, two pillowcases and two cushions.

To gather my primary research I will visit several bird watching reserves and take photographs of various types of birds and find a type of bird that inspires me the most for my final print design. I will then collect photographs of flowers from gardens and florists and look into the meanings behind different types of flowers, for example roses represent love. To gather secondary research I want to look into how different artists interpret birds and flowers that will inspire composition, colours and materials. I will also look into print designers and how they transfer their designs onto fabric.

To create my printed fabric I will explore different kinds of fabrics and how they create different effects when they are printed on to. I am also going to look into how I can create my designers sustainable and how they will effect the environment. I would like to create some print designs in a sustainable way to show that I am aware of the environment. Ideally I would like to print my design digitally or screen printed onto sustainable or recycled fabric.

To evaluate my project as I go along I will take photographs and document the printing stages so the journey of my final design is clear. I will analyse my design ideas talking about how they are successful and how I could improve them. I will also evaluate different layouts of bedrooms, which ones I like and which ones I dislike this will then allow me to create the perfect bedroom layout to display my final outcomes. The evaluation process will continue throughout the set up of my bedroom, as I will talk about the problems that occurred during the set up and how I overcome or changed these. I will then take photographs of the final look and present these in my sketchbook. I look forward to creating my FMP and displaying them in a creative way to tell a story.

Primary Research.

To gather some primary research on birds and flowers i visited the botanical gardens. During my visit i took lots of photos of plants and some flowers which i can use to gain inspiration for my prints i also came across a parrot which i liked the colours off and could consider these colours within my print designs. My trip was sucessful but now to gain more specific and relevant research i must photograph several types of birds and also photograph more flowers rather than plants. To do this i will visit a bird reserve and local florists.

inspiring bedding by urban outfitters

All of these print designs stood out to me as they are not the normal 'in trend' print designs that you see on a day to day basis. I like the use of colour and scale, i could try blowing up my design ideas and trying them on a bigger scale like the bedding above.

timetable.

Week Beginning 12th March

• Visit bird reserve to gather primary research and necassary information about birds.
• Start looking for antique bird cages and antiques chairs, find places which stock these.
• Complete at least 8 design ideas for my print design.
• Source fabric samples for final material ready for testing.

Week Beginning 19th March

• Sample 3 or more of my final designs, then chose my final design i will use on my bedding.
• Sample my final design using different printing methods, evaluate each method and choose the best one.

Week Beginning 26th March

• Test final print design on different fabrics, evaluate this
• Try printing design using sustainable inks/fabrics
• Chose final fabric sample this until confident with the design.

Week Beginning 2nd April

• Start printing onto final fabric
• Finish development stage in sketchbook and put all samples and testers into textiles sketchbook.
• Photograph stages of final printing process for evaluation.

Week Beginning 9th April

• Finish printing final fabric
• Make sure everything is found for display room
• Make sure sketchbook is up to date (complete just missing evaluation)

Week Beginning 16th April

• Create both cushion covers using my final fabric
• Buy cushions fillers for these
• Take photos of final outcome and evaluate these in my sketchbook
• Cut out fabric for pillow covers to start next week

Week Beginning 23rd April

• Create pillow covers and buy pillow fillers for these
• Take photos of final pillow and evaluate these in sketchbook
• Cut out fabric for bedsheets

Week Beginning 30th April

• Create bed sheets and buy duvet to put inside.
• Take photos of final duvet and evaluate in sketchbook.
• By now my furnature should be ready for my display

Week Beginning 7th May

• Tie up loose ends to bed sheets, cushions and pillows.
• Make sure all evaluations are complete in sketchbook

Week Beginning 14th May

• Set up final display for final pieces

FMP Proposal

'I know why the caged bird sings' This is the title to my final major project. I have decided to create an interior textiles based outcome for this project as i am looking into studying textiles within interiors in the future and would like a career within this. To achieve the best out of my qualification i am targetting units which i can improve which will then make my overall grade at the end of the year higher. I have chosen to target unit 119 (print design) this will be covered by the textiles side of my project as i am going to design and create my own printed fabric. I will also target unit 10 (design principles), to cover this unit i will need to look into how my designs are sustainable, functional and how they effect the environment e.c.t. I will try to create my final piece sustainably or design it in a sustainable way and also a non sustainable way as it might not be possible for me to create it completely sustainably. I will also cover unit 6 which is the FMP unit.
I am going to design and make bedding consisting of a single duvet cover, two pillow covers and two cushion covers. I will be creating the printed fabric which i will make these out of using my primary research to draw from and develope print designs. I will also use secondary research and designer references to influence the composition of my print and the position of it on my bedding. I would like to print my final design using digital printing to give a realistic and graphic effect but i will explore other printing methods to analyse the outcomes.
As our final major projects will be on display i am going to display mine statically in a realistic way. I would like to have a room layed out like a bedroom with a bed, chair and table in it. This will show my designs are functional and will show off the prints better. I will style this room in antique/old and broken way to match the story behind my FMP. I want people to look at the room and understand the concept of my designs and where they came from, therefore i want to display a bird in a cage to represent my inspiration and where my thoughts originated from. I would also like to scatter flower petals to represent the hope and freedom within the story.
To carry out this project i am going to use a sketchbook to record my thought processes and journey to my final designs, i will also use a additonal sketchbook to hold textile samples. To achieve this project i will need to follow my project timetable and use my time wisely to get everything done on time.