Hidden Composition

For the second assignment in my Design Theory 2 module I was set the task of designing and writing a two page article for a fictitious magazine called 'Visual Analysis and Synthesis'. The article was to be an informative visual analysis of a piece of art of my choice. I chose to analyse the painting, Las Meninas, by Diego Velazquez. I looked at the underlying stucture of the painting, fitting 'the golden ratio' and 'golden rectangle' into the composition. I explored how the use of the 'golden ratio' produced an aesthetically pleasing scene.

Junya Watanabe, Molten Vintage

For one my modules at level 2, Research and Design Development I was set the task to design an autumn/winter collection for the Japanese conceptual designer, Junya Watanabe. For the first part of the project, I worked within a team to research the designer and his typical customer. We put together the customer board below to give us an overall view of the 'Watanabe customer'.

We then researched the trend predictions for autumn/winter 2010/11, to gain an insight on the up and coming trends. We kept these trends in mind when designing our mood board (shown below), however, didn't stick to them completely as throughout our research we found that Watanabe's style was not completely led by current trend.

We then chose a range of fabrics and components to use within our collections and designed a fabric board to display them.


The team work ended here and we split off to design our own collections. A few of my initial ideas pages are shown below.

I then went on to choose a range of garments for my final collection. I was to design 10 outfits and show them as fashion sketches illustrating the feel of the collection. I first drew my illustrations by hand, then scanned them into the p.c and used Photoshop to add colour. I am pleased with how they turned out, as this was my first attempt at fashion illustration.



We then had to show each of the garments as professional flat drawings. I used the software, Lectra, Kaledo Style to draw my flats. I enjoyed experimenting with this new programme although it crashed too many times! The stress was kind of worth it though because I think the flats look really professional. Here is one of my flat drawing boards:

A blur...

Here are some pictures that I took, experimenting with movement and texture. I was happy with the blurred effect created because I was in motion when taking the photograph. I think the image is particularly interesting as parts of it are in focus and parts are blurred.

My interest in photography is steadily growing and I am hoping to get hold of a bargain vintage camera at the flea market on Thursday.

Seeing stars

For one of my first semester modules, Design Theory 2, I was to complete an assignment based on periodic tiling designs. The task was to split both a triangle and hexagon into a number of polygons and then use these polygons to create 12 periodic tilings. These tilings were to be designed to fit our chosen theme and end use, in my case, a Moroccon themed mosaic tiled patio table. I started by putting together a selection of inspiration pictures and creating a color palette suitable for my chosen theme. Using Photoshop, I then cut my polygons, filled them with my chosen colours and painstakingly created my 12 tilings. Finally, I produced a mock-up of what the final product would look like and a table of costs and method of production.

Ja Bitte........

Christmas, (along with many many Christmas deadlines!) is on its way and the German markets have arrived in Leeds! I love the atmosphere at the markets, with friends and families enjoying the food, drinks and crafts. The stalls are brimming with colour, sights, smells and tastes. I could spend every day until Christmas there, if only the student loan could fund it..............

Overgrown

This oversized park bench caught my eye while walking down Leeds high street. I wasn't the only shopper attracted to the fibre glass structure, whether it was to marvel at the piece, pose for a photo or simply take a rest. The project is part of an advertising campaign for Panasonic's new Lumix compact camera. The bench (complete with graffiti) and other magnified items around the country have been enlarged to demonstrate the zoom capability of the Lumix. I find advertising campaigns like this really interesting as they not only promote the company and product but entertain, amuse and leave an impact on the viewer, who is hopefully soon to be a customer.

For those who can't decide.......

So its getting pretty cold now...Ever opened your blinds and thought....HMMMMMM........Is today cold enough for a long coat or warm enough for a short coat? Well, this piece is your answer! The lower part of the long coat can be zipped off to quickly create a short jacket. Will this catch on? Well...this coat was in the sale section at Warehouse, but everyone to their own.

Her kiss.....Her smile........Her perfume

I am a big fan of Chanel and especially love their advertising campaigns. My favourite is their advert directed by Baz Luhrmann, featuring Nicole Kidman. At a cost of £18 million, this No.5 advert was described as one of the 'shiniest advertisements ever'. Chanel is known worldwide as a polished brand and their campaigns have to be memorable. This advert made me want to become part of 'Chanel', which I became (kind of) when I got my Christmas job working on their make-up and fragrance counter. Now all I need to do is work my way up to head designer! Karl Lagerfield.............watch out.

Favourites.....

This dress that I designed and made at A-Level is one of my favourite personal creations. I designed the dress to be sold as part of a wedding line at Karen Millen. The outfit consisted of a strapless bodice and fish tail skirt. Each garment was partly covered with cascading flowers, made by hand and sewn on individually. Why do I always set myself these tasks???