Highlights and Low lights...I'm not talking about hair either!

Designer mom hard at work!

Good evening. It's getting flipping dark isn't it!

Kicking off this weeks (rather late blog post) is this iPhone shot of me in action because I don't just sit around at college for 3 full days drawing, looking through magazines, playing with textiles and generally having a good laugh with my tutors and studio buddies.

Drafting my garment pattern from scratch!

A lot has gone into getting me at this stage in the photo....Design development-20 pages of inspiration and my own development and interpretation on the words Stripped, Striped and Strapped. Our brief for this term. Then came customer profiling and market profiling and a client/creative muse. Who can I see wearing my garments? Where can I see them in the market? High end high street? Boutique? or cheap and cheerful? In between all of this I touched on my colour palette and initial ideas for fabrics and then designing a collection of garments.This is just a very brief overview of what we've been doing and It's really opened my eyes up to what goes on behind the scenes of fashion. You don't just make clothes..There is a whole 'science' and process behind it of which I'm learning and very much appreciating!

With my initial garments drawn...I've now selected a few to delve into a bit more and further develop for my collection and selected one garment to make! Eeeeeekkkkkk...We are making in this brief. Now this is what I came on this course for..to construct and make garments. It's so exciting! Although it's not all been singing and dancing...I've been very frustrated too and had some great highlights but also been feeling rather low and useless and I'll admit that perhaps I just can't do any of this...Studying full time, all the work we have to do outside of college hours and all my parental and home responsibility too. It was really getting on top of me last week but with some organisation put in place and a good chat with my tutors, I'm in a good place and have a more positive attitude. I don't give up easy and I'm having to remind myself that it's been 14 yrs or so since I was in education..Go easy on your self, girl!

Manipulating on the stand

In the photos here, are just some initial ideas regarding details to my garment designs...We are encouraged to physically 'play' and manipulate with the fabric on the stand and this has really helped me with my initial concept and determine some details in regards to our stripped, stripped and strapped theme for the brief. Can anybody see a relation to the theme?

Free motion embroidery

Over in textiles I had a go at some free motion embroidery and loved it. It took some getting used too and I lost my thread 4 times and broke a needle twice which quickly escalated in me wanting to throw the machine out of the window but finally I was happy to have produced this piece of textile art. We were asked to collect white items only and visualise a landscape so here is my all white, free motion landscape...TADAAAAAA      

In textiles we are also linking up our fashion brief I've talked about  and exploring pattern ideas. I know at this stage my pattern is going to be a naive, crude, distressed stripe so I had a go using dispersed ink with different items...For this one I used a cheese cutting wire, dipped into the ink and dragged along the paper. It's created almost the stripe I am after.  Using the dispersed ink means that I can test this out on some fabric on the heat press and see what It will look like as a print. Watch this space!

      
 Well as always I do a lot of talking. Thank you again if you read this to the bottom and following my journey. For those who follow my photography, my latest self portrait is up and can be viewed here.

Thanks my loves. Abi xxx

Inside all of us is a winning, bestselling novel..Could this be true for artists too?

Hi lovelies..Is it just me or Is Christmas....(YES I SAID THE C WORD) only around the flipping corner. Jeez, it only feels like yesterday we were celebrating Christmas 2015 and this year I am just not on the ball, completely unorganised with unorganised being a very key word in my life at the moment. If anyone out there can give me a few homelife, parenting, student organisation tips that would be great *kiss kiss.

Hmmmmm..So what ave I been up to at college this week? Digital Art on +Adobe Illustrator This was my first ever time doing this! Last Tuesday I had a meltdown and could not get to grips with Illustrator at all AND then I had to draw, manipulate images and put my own creative stamp on them. Easier said than done. I think I had a defeatist attitude before I started and had told myself, You are going to be shit at this Abi my dear. It really was downhill from there. This weeks digital art session was a whole different kettle of fish and I smashed it, found my groove, different attitude and rewarded myself with chocolate for being a good girl. I'm pleased with what I produced and they've been pretty popular over on Instagram #Happydays

  

It's been a week of ''firsts'' this last week, so exciting! Screen printing and watercolour painting. Kerry really pushes us in fashion illustration and I do really need that. I feel so silly saying this but I'm so flipping scared of making a mistake. I'm fearful of doing it wrong but slowly learning and trusting that there is no right or wrong when it comes to creativity, when it comes to fashion and illustration. In the illustration we have been doing, it's about impressionism and our interpretation. I just need to harness a little bit more self confidence and let myself go with the paintbrush, felt pens and fine liners.  I read somewhere that inside all of us is a winning, bestselling novel..Could this be true for other forms of art too? Do we all hold deep inside of us an inner Picasso we are just to scared to let go and give in too? Just a little thought for you.

I think I touched on textiles in my last bog post but I'm loving textiles....It's just so hands on, touchy, feely. Sourcing, playing, testing and trying. I produced this screen print last week and had a go on the knitting machine, producing this beautiful sample of lurex and acrylic yarn combo. I'm kind of picturing it as the start of a sleeve of a jumper. What do you think? Again my first time and I was thrilled with what I had produced. Just great to have a play....Definitely not scared to let my inner Picasso out *wink

Well It finally happened, HE LOST HIS FIRST TOOTH!!! Bloody hurrah and about time. I thought he was going to burst with excitement and I think he did do a little excited wee in his pants. Bless him..All say Aahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I mentioned being unorganised at the top of this blog post but actually I am trying to gain some kind of organisation especially when it comes to birthdays as I've been rather crap of late. My lovely friend Sarah Allington from Sarah Ellen Designs Facebook and her webpage Sarah Ellen Designs Web makes the most amazing bespoke cards for all occasions so I commissioned a very very special birthday for one of my best friends whose birthday is at the end of this month. Sarah has nailed it and I'm so flipping excited to give it to my buddy. Not only does she do cards but also makes the most stunning silver jewelry and has recently won an award. If you're struggling with perhaps a special Christmas gift for somebody..Check her out.

Once again..If you have made this far, then I thank you for keeping up to date with my student journey and ramblings on. Abi xxx

PS..I think i'm getting the hang of this blogging business xx

So It turns out that I can kinda draw :-)

The love-bugs

Yo yo yo....Evening folks. Pinch, punch, first of the month! I missed a blog last week but it was half term and I was super poorly so this is going to be a 2-4-1. Yayyyyyyyyyyy.

What couldn't be better than spending a week with these 2 love-bugs on the left but I got a horrendous virus and kinda put me out of action for most of the break. Still on a  brighter note at least Ryan wasn't at school and we spent a lot of time, cuddling up, watching films. Bliss.

  

Fine Liner in one continuation

I was meant to do lots of collage work but that got left by the wayside. Nevermind..Lots of catching up for me.

Pencil designs on layout paper

Check out my drawings on the left and right....I did those *shock-horror. I couldn't draw 6 weeks ago and I'm not at all overly confident in this area and my skill set as of yet but I'm really flipping chuffed with these. I knew before I started that this was going to be an area of weakness for me. My dad is an amazing artist but sadly didn't pass on even half of the skill my way. Thanks for that Dad!
As much as I roll my eyes when Kerry tells us to get the pencils and sketchpads out...I'm enjoying it as I can see weekly improvement.

Something I have really learnt about myself especially when it comes to illustration is that I'm afraid to make mistakes or that I'm doing it wrong. I've been overthinking it so much that at times it has taken some of the joy out of the creative process. I've set a target with my tutor to work on my illustration skills but most importantly..I just need to work on my confidence and remember that there is no right or wrong when  you are a creative person. #peptalk

Can you guess what it is?

Gold star to the first person who can tell me what I was trying to imitate. This funny looking thing on the right happens to be my first time trying out wet felting and believe it or not but it was rather brutal and took the skin off one of my knuckles lol. 

The textiles part of my HND comes quite natural to me and I'm picking most things up with ease as its quite hands on and not a lot of ''academia'' involved...We are doing, making, feeling, touching and experimenting with all matters of materials, yarns and fibers. The best way I learn and I'm really enjoying textiles because of this. I guess, I enjoy it a bit more than the fashion element  as I'm a lot more confident. 

As always over on my photography page I'm doing a self portrait series..I've completed another 2 portraits since my last blog week 16 is here and week 17 is here..I'd love for you to take a look if you haven't already. 

A huge thank you if you have stopped by and had a read of my blog. Lots of love Abi xxx