Last few weeks

It is a hectic time so not a lot of posts!

Postcards and business cards (above) were printed today and self-promotion boards to do tomorrow. Finishing off all printing required and the last slog of technical notes (which takes a very long time).

I am in the process of creating two covers for textile art books and all the embroideries which are to be captured within them (doesn't sound much when you write it down.....) I am tired but I must say really enjoying the last few weeks of this degree process. Its 22.46 and I was up at 6.15 this morning and still working.

We have been given our spaces for the college degree show and I am getting excited - reality is lots more work to do before then. Keep you posted and photographs to follow.

Problems solved

Regarding exposing of screens and the drama - discovery today was that half of the bulbs had gone in the exposing unit. So it wasn't me................................ Poor Ian and all the hard work involved but you couldn't tell until the unit was actually opened.

A good day today as I have finally finished setting my typography, results will be shown in a few days. I need to prepare all my lovely paper, order binding materials and get on with making my book covers - oh and lots of embroidery.

I am just beginning to appreciate what I have actually learnt in my 4 years at Bradford College and how much it has changed my work from simple hobby craft to thinking wider and being an artist. It has being very emotional (friends will testify to that!) and tiring but also exciting.

Keep focused, keep ticking off the "to do list" and I aim to enjoy my last few weeks of finishing my final collection.

Happiness in Stitching

I just thought I would say......................... I love embroidery.

Another week over!

It has been a crazy week - very busy in the print room and finally got my last two designs onto screen. If anyone was jinxed on the screen development front it was me. My "boxes" design is hand drawn and very small boxes (monotype casting) and finally after the 4th attempt exposed correctly - not sure what went wrong as it came out in different patches on different screens! Poor Ian (in Print Room) will have had enough of me by the time I leave - a last resort was to get it exposed in the Printmaking Department (thank you Helen Wood). Will show all the results in a few days.

My other screen is "scratched surfaces" taken from a drawing of the Greygnog Press floor, but also inspired by the scratches on all the lovely machinery. It has been a week of printing samples in different colours with my new fabrics and I am very happy with the results. Just ordered more fabric as I need to print two 3 metres lengths from two designs.

The photo shoot was today for self-promotion and I was nervous - but also tired as days have been very long this week (what's new?) so I admit to be rather hyper (hysterical..... whatever.....). Anyway thanks to Hannah Lamb my tutor for giving advice on positioning for photography.

So it is another tick off the list. Because of all the hard work put in this week I finally see some of the end results I want. That isn't to say the "to do" list is nearing its end but I am beginning to get excited about the degree show and New Designers (she says with a very large glass of wine in her hand............................). Happy weekend.

Book Binding - 1st May

Had a wonderful relaxing day on Saturday with my good friend Fiona Wilson. We attended a workshop for basic book binding in Wakefield by Victoria Lucas.

www.victorialucas.co.uk

www.axisweb.org/artist/victorialucas

We made 3 books - concertina (hard back), Japanese stab binding and a hard back book. I can read lots of instructions but there is nothing like actually attending a workshop and seeing the procedure. Everyone learns in different way, I guess I am more tactile. This has helped me enormously with ideas of how to bind together my final collection of papers etc. My hard back book wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it highlighted to me the skills required to be a good book binder and why the apprenticeship is 7 years. It takes organisation, precision, patience and importantly - time.

Learning new skills is always exciting and all the better to be joined by a friend - and if your lucky you meet new ones along the way.

STUDIO SPACE

A sneaky peak at my studio space, obviously lots of drawers full of drawings etc you can't see! I am lucky to share a space (next to my desk) with Sue Geldeard who has travelled this degree journey with me.

On Friday we went down to London for the New Designers Prepare day. It was a lot to take in but interesting none the less. However it did make us realise what little time we have left until we are exhibiting there between 1st-4th July.

This week has been strange - lots planned and never enough time. I do have a schedule of things to achieve etc but you can never account for the time it takes to print out acetates, developing new screens (and redoing them when for whatever reason they have not turned out!). On the good side I now have my new lovely linen fabrics (www.fabrix.org.uk) and once I get all my 5 repeat designs finalised on to screens I will be printing in lots of colourways.

Have spent quite a lot of time in the printmaking department with the help of Barry and Brian Hindmarch (Graphics tutor) typesetting - It is very relaxing and I could quite easily spent a lot of time in this department. I have managed to complete some dry point samples but still have a lot of work to achieve the results I require. Next week I need to schedule time to start my embroidery samples.

My Mantra - keep positive, stay calm (!) and take one week at a time - I LIVE IN HOPE.

Good Intentions!

What a week I have had! My repeat pattern was incorrect but I didn't really discover it until the second day as I was busily printing different colours testing my dyes. When I went to test the repeat design realised a mistake had been made. Thankfully help was at hand and Ian Gilmour (Print Room expert!) helped me solve the problem. I had made 2 mistakes on different screens. It is sometimes true that you become slightly blind to faults when you work on something for a long time and therefore you should take a break/step back and come back to it.

I also placed an acetate the wrong way round when exposing a screen and my 'words' came out in reverse - New Screen. I then dropped the screen after printing (because it is rather large) and ripped it - New Screen! In total I have had 7 screens instead of 3! Big thanks to Ian for his patience. You can't see the design very clearly but it represents the lines/story across the pages of a book. It is printed on cotton for sample purposes but the finished results will be on linen.

All in all it was a good idea to come into college during the break and I have had the time to solve all these problems so I can start a fresh next week.

You live and learn!