Baby Ganesha

Here is a pen sketch of baby Ganesha, a Hindu god with the head of an elephant.  I have copied the image several times and experimented with different colour combinations.  I used pages of an old book which I tea-stained as a background.  I then tea-stained over the Ganesha images to give it an ages appearance.

          

Above: placing of the images before I glued them to the paper and added a final tea-stain wash.

Below: my original sketch of Ganesha.  I have used fine-liner pen for the outline and Copic markers for the colour.

Above: A vintage print I found in an antique market in Bath a few weekends ago.  This was my source of inspiration for my Hindu Gods illustrations.

Below: Before sticking down the images I turned the paper around and realised that the ink which had seeped through the paper looked very effective, So I took a few photos..

Below: I like the way the light shines through the thin paper when I held it up to the window (picture doesn't show this very well).  It almost reminds me of stained glass.  Unfortunately when the images were stuck down to the paper they lost this quality. I thought I would take a picture  to document this and it also gave me an idea to further my project.  I am especially interested in the religious imagery on stained glass found in historical church architecture. 

Relief printing

For my Fashion Communication course at university I was required to attend a workshop in Relief Printing.

I smeared a special thick, black ink onto smooth surfaced board.  I then gently placed a piece of paper over the inked board.  I took a pencil and sketched an image, making sure the pencil was the only thing in contact with the paper.  I then peeled the paper away from the board and revealed my design which had been transferred to the paper.

Below are some prints which I made by placing textured materials such as bubble-wrap, string, netting and fabric onto the inked board.  I removed the items which left an imprinted image in the remaining ink.  Then I gently placed a piece of paper over the inked board and put it through a printing press.  I like the the effects that the different materials have created in my print.

London Trip

My university organised a trip to London to research into fashion labels and stores and also to visits museums. Our task for the day was to gather information, photographs, leaflets/flyers and  images to use as inspiration for our work and document in our visual diaries.  We were also required to research into two fashion brands for a presentation at a later date.  I chose famous fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the quirky, decorative footwear brand Irregular Choice as my two brands to present.

I had the opportunity to visit the Victoria and Albert museum, where I visited the Fashion archives.  There was a huge collection of garments from the 17th to the 21st century.

Above: A mens garment designed by Vivienne Westwood.

Below: A copy of a famous Sex Pistols zine featuring a photograph of a punk girl on the front cover.  This image was also displayed in the shop 'Sex' which was owned by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood in the 1970s.

Both displayed in the V&A.

Above: A beautiful striped dress by 1970s fashion label Biba.

Displayed in the V&A.

Above: Christian Dior camisole, shoe and paper fan, displayed in the V&A.

All images above were taken at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Below: I visited a huge shop in Camden which sells vintage clothes from the 1920s-1990s.  I took a series of photographs of the rails of garments.  I love the mix of brightly coloured and patterned fabrics with different textures and materials.

Below: At the end of the day I visited the Irregular Choice store in Covent Garden.  The store itself is beautifully decorated with colourful fake flowers.  The girl working in the shop kindly let me photograph the amazing tiger display on the wall.  Even the shop floor in covered in interesting patterns.
There was a large collection of footwear, also a smaller selection of clothing and accessories, including handbags and jewellery.  Irregular Choice is famous for its kitsch and quirky designs which feature fun and eye-catching cartoon images printed on the bottom of every shoe.  Each shoe also has an interesting name!  The staff were also very friendly, approachable and informative.

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Etching

In my Fashion Communication course at university I was given the opportunity to attend a workshop in Etching.  I was given a sheet of 1mm thick transparent perspex to etch my design onto.  I was also given an etching tool and sand paper to scratch the lines and patterns into the perspex.  

My chosen design was of one of my own illustrations of the Hindu elephant headed God, Ganesha.  I thought it would be an interesting illustration to use because there is a lot of intricate details in the original picture.  Ganesha wears a crown adorned in jewels and pearls, also several items of jewellery and is clutching a flower in one hand and an axe in the other.  I thought that these details would look very interesting and effective in my final prints.

After I had finished etching my design into the perspex sheet I was then able to print my design using a special ink, water-soaked paper and a printing press.

Below is a photograph of my final finished print.  I have used sand-paper to gently scratch a textured surface onto the perspex, this created the darker lines around the edges which frame the Ganesh image.

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Visual Diary

I have recently been working on my own visual diary.  I have been taking inspiration from places I have visited, including shops, museums, galleries, events, films, music, artists, books, people, images and I have found and photographs I have taken.  I have used different methods and media, including pen and ink, pencil, felt tips, collage, paint, coloured in photo-copied images and photographs to make each page look visually interesting.  

I have been taking my visual diary and my camera with me wherever I go so that I if I see something particularly interesting I can make a quick sketch or take a photograph it to document it and use as inspiration in my work.