Concept Forming. Imagery Sourcing. Palette Production.

Every print from every collection has my recurring style, naturally. As a designer I do get directly inspired from my surroundings and consequently my mood. At the end of practice unit my colour palette for this progressional collection was based on WGSN forecast of 'BLOODLINES'

On reflection from seeing the previous graduates alternative portfolios, It is important I show a range throughout my work.  My previous collections were autumnally themed, especially the lead collection 'Alpine' was tonally specific to AW trend. I thought I would play with my comfort zone for spring summer, the brighter tonal variations of red and orange I have visually never enjoyed, but working with an intenser, brighter colour palette I think is important to my concept for this unit. It is my last opportunity to enjoy exploring my decision making process, and explore and test myself thoroughly before being set briefs in the outside world. Working with a totally opposite colour palette makes my prints transferrable into a broader market, my last collections Alpine and Lucent Voiles in particular were for a higher end market. This group eventually will have a more fun yet affordable and high street feel to it. 

It has always been an interest to me to play with aesthetically pleasing and stereotypical imagery. Whilst collecting my sources, drawing and getting responses from fellow peers I began to realise to the outside eye I was drawing, cute animals or fluffy bees or wasps. In Actual fact the insects I was drawing were dead. It was funny to acknowledge the response I was getting from peers on essentially dead specimens. Seemingly uninterested in the reason of how it died or why. If it was a human it would have been a very different reaction.

Personal Image

Working closely with my photos and inspiration I used Pinterest to draw on further imagery. I came across Steve Poxton a wallpaper designer, he similarly plays with this idea of dead flies his work is more specific in the way he has worked with his watercolour imagery, the positioning, realistic scale and forms of the specimens directly reflect their state. In an obvious matter. However using these specimens is going against the grain of what is accepted within society. I enjoy the idea of placing something such as dead flies in a Kitchen, juxtaposing the ideal visual.

Steve Poxton

Pinterest Board Screen Shot

Just Kids Wallpaper tm. 

Looking at the imagery I was creating, In order to build on the collection I needed to break it up with different woodland creatures and equally something looser, holding bigger bolder marks. I started to play with the idea of how the specimens died? Was it a natural cause or was it purposeful. Using my fingerprint and red watercolour, this mark making was key in broadening this collection. From an outside perspective it adds light to the group, but with this underlying theme not many withh understand. Responding from Luli Sanchez's mark making skills (see boards) I used watercolour in a similar respect to how she has worked, adding fluidity, painterly qualities and depth to the group.