Definition of a star: a figure having rays (commonly 5 or 6) proceeding from, or angular points disposed in a regular outline about, a central point, and considered as representing a star in the sky (Macquarie Dictionary). A star does not have to be symmetrical, but must have the key elements of a central point with marks radiating out from it.
The attached sheets show some pictures of stars collected during my research.
Page 1 particularly features pictures of starfish, which is the star shape I am considering using for my embroidered samples. Starfish characteristically have 5 radiating arms, highly textured surfaces, intense, often bright, colours and regular or semi-regular, patterns. These characteristics make them interesting subjects to use as a starting point for embroidery. As well as examples photographed from nature, I have included samples of jewellery, gift cards & wrapping, and mosaics (by Gaudi, seen in Barcelona in May 2007), to show how the basic starfish shape can inspire the creation of other objects.
Page 2 shows some varied star shapes which also interest me, including examples of tiled stars used in Moorish architecture (seen in Granada, Spain in May 2007), the star shape from the John Lennon memorial in Central Park, New York, seen in April 2007, and some textile and embroidered examples collected from various textile magazines durng the year.
Page 2 shows some varied star shapes which also interest me, including examples of tiled stars used in Moorish architecture (seen in Granada, Spain in May 2007), the star shape from the John Lennon memorial in Central Park, New York, seen in April 2007, and some textile and embroidered examples collected from various textile magazines durng the year.
Line Drawings of Star Shapes
These sheets show line drawings of some of the star shapes from the collages of inspirational images shown above. The starfish shape offers possibilities for creating interesting curved & twisted shapes (a little like some of the mosaics created by Gaudi).Colour Circle
Although this colour circle was created with Reeves Watercolour Paints, it was difficult to get an even spread of colour in the painted segments. The full colours were mixed first, and then white added to one aliquot to create a tint and black added to another aliquot to create a shade. If I was doing this again I would add a bit more white to get a greater contrast with the tints, and experiment with adding a little more water. However I decided to move on to the next set of exercises rather than spend more time on this at present.The six base colours which were used were:
- Brilliant red
- Crimson red
- Medium yellow
- Lemon (Citron) yellow
- Ultramarine
- Phthalo blue
Complementary Colour Selection: I have decided to use the complementary coloursof BLUE and ORANGE for my paper and textile exercises in this module because of their relationship to the colours of starfish in nature and because they evoke memories of the sea and the sandy shore.
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