OCA Textiles 1 is (obviously) a textile course, but a significant proportion of the exercises involve design work on paper – I’m still not sure what I think about this or whether I’ll continue to work that way – it’s a big change for me since my previous method was basically to get out the materials and see what happened. It feels good, though, to be challenged so fundamentally. I did enjoy this exercise very much – to isolate interesting parts of an image using a frame and represent them, focusing on the shapes.
seeing shapes
I love the drawings you’re doing. I’ve just started a drawing class as I’ve found lots of textiles artists start on paper and I’ve got no confidence with working that way. Like you I tend to get the materials out and just go for it. I do think the more you do the less frightening it gets. I’m enjoying seeing how you are getting on with the course.
Sounds a brilliant course, Fiona – I love those drawings. Finding interesting things using a frame is something I find hard to remember to do, so the practice would be good for me!
I always started the same way, so I found it a useful course to teach me the way to use source material. I got some surprising results from this exercise.
framing is great exercise, nice results.
I remember that my Textile Arts program also—and hate working on paper first as well! Thumbnail sketches and a few scribbles are usually enough of a notebook record for me–i’m a hands on type. I may work out a few problematic areas, but often find mocking up in paper helps with form and sometimes seaming.
The framing excercise is a good one; i use “templates” with holes cut out to find areas that are more interesting. Saves cutting time (which i LOATHE) *and* fabric.
I have just done a similar exercise on my course but it invloed cutting/ripping a larger composistion and a random way to come up with new ideas. I think I will trying the framing thing next.
Lovely lovely work