Chickens

Handstitched samples of chickens in different settings. The surrounding space affects the composition of each sample and the relation between the images. The smaller sample I feel works better in terms of composition and narrative as the chickens work together and tell a story. The colour blending and shading of the chickens gives them a realistic feeling, a suggestion that they have been taken from real life and captured in stitch.

Moorhens, Pigeons and Wheelie Bins...

More black work samples, which are very time consuming. The stitched birds seem to work better than the inanimate objects; the wheelie bin seems to be missing depth and texture which I could add through applique of hand painted screen print. I have been playing around with these images in compositions and patterns for commercial designs for childrens interior fabrics or wrapping paper... pictures to follow!

Blackwork has begun...

Experimenting with various methods of reinterpreting the same image in fabric. The 'blackwork-ed' bird has more appeal than the appliqued one, however I do like the handpainted silk screen leaves which add depth to the otherwise flat image. From these samples I have realised that scale and detail of the image is an important factor in my work, and in the next weeks I will revert back to my original style of drawing and capturing images.

Watercolours...

I enjoy working with watercolour as I can layer the various tones and shades. These two images are contrasts of the country and urban environments and from these I intend to interpret them into stitched pieces. In the next few weeks I would like to experiment using different techniques with the same image to see how it changes the perception and reading of the illustration.

A Selection of Work for Assessment

My 3D fabric microphone in action. Captured in black and white, it is seeminlgy unsuspecting but a closer look shows the cross-hatch stitched detail of the mouthpeice and reveals it as an imitation object.

The installation display of my individual leaves for assessment. The artificial light casts unusual and beautiful shadows on the wall; the hanging leaves create varied definition of shadow and add depth to the display.

My time with the trees...

As part of my Uni project work I am looking at making artificial objects from everyday life and placing them back into the environment. This is my experiment dressing bare trees with my cut-out foam and paper leaves. The leaves go almost unnoticed, but a closer look or double take reveals they are unnatural.