CHAPTER 4: DRAWING PATTERNS FROM ANIMAL MARKINGS

In this section I have selected a few photographs from those collected for each animal I mentioned in the introduction and then copied them in black and white to study further. Selected parts of the photos have been drawn, some after enlargement on the photocopier.

1. Budgerigar: A clear photograph of the bird is shown at the centre bottom of the page. Another view of the back is shown at the top right. The top of the back and the back of the neck have been enlarged and rephotocopied. The drawings show different aspects of these areas. These effects really remind me of pieces of shibori dyed fabric and I am keen to explore this further in Chapter 6.

2. Tiger: I decided to focus mainly on the heads of the tigers as I was intrigued by how the stripes merged into interesting shapes. Three selected photographs (column in the centre of the page) show enlargements of tiger heads from photographs from the Introduction.
The photograph at the bottom is an enlargement of one patterned area in the centre of the head. The drawings show these striped patterns as well as sections around the nose and upper jaw. I also drew the underside of one paw, simplifying the rounded blobs in the picture. Some of these shapes could be interesting to consider for dyeing or embroidery, especially if you wanted to create a bold effect.

3. Ulysses butterfly: Although these butterflies look beautiful in colour, I found them far less appealing as a subject in black and white. The shapes of the wing segments were interesting, but there was too great a contrast between the outer parts of the wings (black/brown) and the inner blue panels (very even, little shade variation) to create much interest in the drawings. In view of these observations I do not plan to take this subject further in the later design exercises because I think it is more suited to a colour project.


Frilled neck lizard: The photo at the top right of the first page shows the lizard in all its glory with its frill raised. This reveals a lot of interesting flecked contrast as well as the different texture on the head and legs of the animal. There were many intriguing sections to draw and lots of possibilities for translating these patterns into embroidery, such as the scales, the frill itself or the texture due to the arrangement of the scales on the head and legs. The second page shows an enlarged side view of the lizard's head, and above it, a further enlargement of the scales on the skin to the left of the jaw, showing their hexagonal shape. The scales around the mouth are distorted and become more like irregular rectangles so that they can pack into the area. The drawings attempt to show some of the different shapes. All of these have possibilities for further work.

CHAPTER 3: TONAL EFFECTS IN MACHINE STITCHERY

Note all stitch numbers refer to the Bernina Model aurora 430 machine.

3A: USING ORDINARY MACHINE STITCHING
Several samples were produced using standard machine stitches and standard tension, where tonal effects were created by varying the stitch length and width and the placement of the rows of stitching.




Sample 1: standard straight stitch with the position/direction of the rows of stitching varied to produce tonal variation.
Sample 2: zig-zag stitch with rows a similar distance apart, stitch width constant (5.1) and varying stitch length between 0.2 and 5.0.
Sample 3: : zig-zag stitch with rows a variable distance apart, stitch width constant (3.4) and varying stitch length between 0.5 and 3.5.
Sample 4: triple zig-zag with stitch length held constant and width varied along each row to change the tonal darkness. Some rows were overlapped for a darker tone at the top, but stopped part way along to further lighten the tone at the bottom of the sample.
Sample 5: decorative stitch No.100 with stitch length and width varied from the centre (smaller) to the outside (larger) to vary the tone.
Sample 6: Hemming stitch No.7, with stitch length and width changed as well as the spacing and direction of the rows to achieve a variation in tone.
Sample 7: zig-zag stitch with the position/direction of the rows of stitching varied to produce tonal variation.
Sample 8: Honeycomb decorative stitch #23 with stitch length reduced from 5.0 to 0.8, and rows gradually worked closer together from left to right, to produce a darker tone on the right.
Sample 9: Decorative stitch #54 similar to fly stitch with the position/direction of the rows of stitching varied to produce tonal variation.
Sample 10: Decorative stitch #139 with stitch length increasing from top to bottom and rows worked in pairs gradually moving further apart to produce a lighter tone at the bottom.
Sample 11: Decorative stitch #96 with stitch length decreasing from top to bottom and rows worked closer together, to produce a darker tone at the bottom.

3B: USING WHIP STITCH
Whip stitch is produced by reducing the bobbin tension a little so that the thread slides through very freely and increasing the top tension to (e.g. between 5 and 7). The stitches are machined on the right side of the work. The bobbin threads are brought to the top surface of the fabric because of the changed tension. The photos below show firstly the right side of the work and secondly the underside.


Sample 1: White thread on top and black in bobbin. Top tension 5. Zig-zag stitch length varied between 0.5 and 4.0 to vary the tone.
Sample 2: White thread on top and black in bobbin. Top tension 7. Zig-zag stitch width varied between 0.5 and 4.5 to vary the tone. This produced a more subtle pattern effect than the variation sin sample 1.
Sample 3: 3 step zig-zag stitch (#25). Top tension 7. Stitch width varied from 5 to 2 (centre to sides) and rows placed wider apart, to vary the tone. This effect was more interesting and pleasing than the standard zig-zag.





Sample 4: decorative stitch #97 with stitch length and width increasing from top to bottom (length 2 to 5, width 2.7 to 5.5) and rows gradually moving further apart to produce a lighter tone at the bottom. This effect was quite reminiscent of animal spots.
Sample 5: decorative stitch #23, with stitch length decreasing from top to bottom to produce a darker effect at the bottom.

3C: USING CABLE STITCH
Cable stitch is a technique for creating effects with a wide range of “non conventional” machine threads on the fabric surface. The top spool is a standard machine thread and “non conventional” machine threads, such as wools, silks or embroidery threads of variable thickness are wound onto the bobbin. It is machined on the wrong side of the work, with very loose bobbin tension. The following samples were produced by experimenting with various threads and stitches to see what effects could be produced.


Sample 1 Straight stitch with black machine thread as the top spool and white Perle 5 thread wound onto the bobbin. The stitch length was varied between 1.5 and 4 and then reduced again.
Sample 2: This sample was produced to examine the effects that could be achieved with various decorative machine stitches, using white machine thread as the top spool and black tapestry wool wound onto the bobbin. It was concluded this technique did not suit “busy” stitches (e.g. nos 26 and 96) and it was more effective with simpler stitches which produced clearer lines and allowed more of the bobbin thread to show through (e.g. nos 101, 131).
Sample 3: Hemming stitch (#25) with black machine thread as the top spool and white Perle 5 thread wound onto the bobbin. Stitch width varied from 5 at the top to 1.5 at the bottom.
Sample 4: Decorative stitch #101 with white machine thread as the top spool and black tapestry wool wound onto the bobbin. Stitch length varied from 4 at the top to 0.8 at the bottom. The proportion of white which was visible increased as the stitch length decreased.




Sample 5: This sample was produced to examine the effects that could be achieved by varying the thickness of the threads used in the panel as well as the stitch length. White machine thread was used on the top spool and black tapestry wool, Perle 5 or Pearle 8 wound onto the bobbin. Stitch length was varied between 1 and 4.5, with the longest stitch lengths used for the thickest threads.
Sample 6: Decorative stitch #101 with white machine thread as the top spool and black Perle 5 thread wound onto the bobbin. Stitch length and row placement was varied from the outside to the centre of the sample to create a denser effect at the edges.
Sample 7: This sample was produced to create a pattern by varying the types of threads used in the bobbin. Three different threads were used: white Perle 8 thread, a bobbly wool and a silver thread unwound form a black and silver flecked wool (the whole wool strand was found to be too thick to machine properly even at the loosest tension). Black machine thread was used in the top spool. Straight stitch was used for the white wool and 3 step zig-zag for the other threads.
Sample 8: This sample was produced with plain white wool in the bobbin and black machine thread in the top spool. The stitch used was #64 and various stitch lengths and widths were tried for different rows. However the effect did not vary greatly and probably a single combination would have been just as good.



3D: SAMPLE STRIPS INSPIRED BY ANIMAL MARKINGS
This section shows some initial experimental patterned samples and strips which were inspired by the pictures of animal markings shown in the Introduction. Some of these ideas could be developed further in later chapters to arrive at designed strips for use in the final samples/pieces.

Sample 1:This sample was inspired by the markings on the budgerigar. Black sewing thread was used in the upper and lower spools. The length of the chosen stitch (# 141) was varied to create wavy lines of different density. By doing so, a variation in tone was also achieved. Although simple, I think this creates an effective and decorative pattern which could be explored further.



Sample 2: This piece was inspired by the wings of the butterfly. A white silk thread and a black variegated wool were used in the bobbin, with black thread on top. Straight stitch was used throughout. The white thread worked well, but the black did not stand out sufficiently. It may have been better if it was lighter - perhaps a bleach discharge technique could have been used to do this. overall, I think this pattern would be more suitable for a larger panel rather than a strip and I probably will not take it further.

Sample 3: Again, the budgerigar markings were the starting point for this sample. Starting from the left, the rows alternated with white or black wool in the bobbin and black thread on top. Decorative stitch # 71 was used, and the stitch length was varied in different rows to reveal more or less of the underlying wool. Overall I liked this sample, and think it could be developed further. The variation in effect, with the different wools and stitch lengths, added quite a lot of interest to the strip.

Sample 4: This sample was done with black sewing thread and zigzag stitch, with variations in width. The design was based on tiger stripes. The starkness of the pattern is quite effective, but overall I found it a bit boring.However it might be OK if used sparingly in conjunction with other patterns.


Sample 5: This sample and the next were inspired by the skin of the frilled neck lizard. A decorative stitch, number 135, was used for the filling. White sewing thread was used in the bobbin and black on top. However on its own this was a bit bland, although the stitch choice was good, so I decided to add some all black zigzag lines to try to outline hexagonal shapes over the filling. This improved the sample, but there was not enough tonal variation to make a great impact. I felt I had done a lot of machining without achieving a good effect at the end.

Sample 6: This was a follow on sample to number 5. The rough hexagonal shapes were outlined first and then I tried different fillings inside each shape. The top one was honeycomb stitch with all black thread, the middle was whip stitch using stitch #135 and white in the bobbin. The third shape also used stitch #135, but had black in the top and bottom spools. I also deliberately used overlapping stitches in this shape to create a darker effect. Overall I was more pleased with the result here, especially the tonal interest achieved by using the different fillings. I think this idea deserves more consideration later in the module.

Chapter 2: Tonal Columns in Stitching

2A: CANVAS WORK

Sample of a stitched tonal column worked with cross stitch on canvas (10 count) using a range of black and white threads. Wool was used to give the dense black and white areas at each end. Note that the colour gradation could be varied by using more or less white thread, varying the thread thickness and stitch size. The effect also varied depending on whether the white or black thread was on top.






2B: BLACKWORK
Drawings showing pattern development: Five simple pattern units were gradually built up with pen lines on graph paper. This illustrated that a lighter effect was achieved with a sparser number of lines in the pattern and a darker effect achieved with more complex patterns with many lines .Some of these patterns were then selected for the blackwork stitching exercise which follows.

Three blackwork tonal columns were worked to explore different effects.

Tonal column 1 (left): This was started with a few stitches to give a light pattern and then adding more stitches to develop a pattern which became more complex and increasingly darker in tone, using the same thread for all stitches.
Tonal column 2 (centre): This shows the effect of repeating the same pattern but varying the spacing between motifs and between the rows of stitching, using the same thread for all stitches. A denser, darker effect is achieved by stitching the motifs and rows closer together.
Tonal column 3(right): In this example the tonal darkness is increased by working the same pattern in increasingly thicker threads. In the end the embroiderer reached a point where the design could not progress any further because it was impossible to work with even thicker threads on the selected fabric.

Module 2: Pattern, Tone and Proportion

Well I have finally got to the stage where I can start posting my work for Module 2! I am aiming to get to the end of it by the end of this year (2009), so we will see how I go.

Introduction

I had decided to focus on patterns in the skin or feathers of Australian animals for this module. But then I had a holiday in Thailand and had the opportunity to get close to some tigers, so I just had to add the tiger to my list of animals for study. The Australian creatures I selected were the budgerigar, the frilled neck lizard and the Ulysses butterfly. A selection of photos and some word associations are shown here. Drawings derived from this collection are included in Chapter 4.




I like the budgerigar because the rings around its neck and the markings on its wings remind me a lot of the sort of effects you can obtain with dyeing techniques such as Shibori. The skin of the frilled neck lizard is more motley; again this could be achieved with some dyeing techniques, especially using discharge approaches. The lizard's frill is superb and could lend itself to a 3-D design (perhaps combined with Shibori). The butterfly wings are interesting because of the bold areas of colour and the clear patterns in the wings. The lines could be reproduced with some printing techniques. However, at this stage of the module it is probably the one that I am least attracted to for a black and white study - I think it is the superb blue colour which really draws me to this one. I love the boldness of the tiger patterns and the interesting shapes that are found, especially on the heads of the tigers.



Chapter 1: The Study of Tone
Tonal Columns: Different types of marks were made with a variety of pens, crayons, pastels, paper and fabric, arranged to show a tonal progression from black at the top to white at the bottom of each column.




1: 0.5mm Uniball pen
2: Fine Eye Uniball pen
3: 0.8mm Uniball pen
4: 0.6mm Artline felt tipped pen
5: Oil pastel
6: Water soluble painting crayon rubbed in a circular motion and then painted with water
7: Pieces of cut/torn newspaper. Note the pictures of textured surfaces that have been incorporated to help achieve tonal change.
8: Indian ink dots created with a satay stick.
9: Patterned fabrics photocopied and arranged to reflect tonal progression.
10: Example of a black and white patterned fabric where changes of tone have been achieved by varying the distance between lines. This was a gift from Robin Kaltenbach,a member of my embroidery group in Australia.





Addendum
After assessment by my tutur I was encouraged to make a few tonal columns using wet media. Here are some examples using ink blobs dripped from a syringe and allowed to run down the page.

Chapter 11: Resolved Sample - Growth & Disintegration

Sheet 1: Examples of Methods to Make Paper Disintegrate

Clockwise from the top: a)cutting a fringe, b)cutting & slicing, c)making holes with a punch, d)momigami - crumpling paper softened with vegetable oil, e)poking holes with a skewer, f)tearing holes and edges in an uneven manner, g) burning the edges.








Sheet 2: Cut Paper Shapes Showing Disintegration


Series showing disintegration of the chosen starfish shape by enlarging beyond the edges of the square, distorting and echoing the shape. This approach was adapted for the final resolved sample.









Sheet 3: Different Ways of Disintegrating Fabric Starfish Shape

These samples used a loosely woven fabric which could be frayed, twisted, have threads withdrawn from it or holes poked in it. In some of the samples, threads were withdrawn or holes made in a random manner. In others the threads were withdrawn to form a more orderly cross or grid shape. The sample at the bottom left was adapted for the final resolved piece.








Experimenting with Fabric & Stitching to make a Shape Disintegrate

Piece "Opal #1" started at Summer School workshop with Cas Holmes, with momigami paper, collage and stitching. The momigami technique learned at the Summer School was then applied to the resoved sample in this module.





Sample 1: Stitching: Using machine stitching on painted momigami paper, the number of rows of stitching around the edge of the starfish was varied to see how it affected the appearance. With a single row, the edge of the shape provided the contrast and gave a definite border, three or four rows gave an impression of layering of shapes, but the shape became less clear and more muddied with extra rows of stitching.I did not like these effects very much and decided not to pursue this for the resolved sample.


Sample 2: Effects of fraying and stitching over a foiled shape
In the sample on the left the background shape became indistinct due to its variation from the central shape, and the frayed eges added to the sense of disintegration.The blue shape in the centre had gold foil added by attaching Vlisofix to the shape then ironing the foil on with a slightly warm iron. Different types of stitches were added to see if they would enhance the impression of disintegration achieved with the foil. I experimented with both the blue and tan colours and the stitches used were French knots, detached chain, straight stitch and buttonhole stitch. The tan stitches were more effective than the blue because they implied that the blue fabric on top had eroded.


Sample 3: Stitching on a foiled shape combined with reverse applique
In this sample (right) a multicoloured foil was applied to the brown background with Vlisofix. Part of this shape was stitched and cut away to reveal a much stronger starfish shape represented by the fabric underneath. This was enhanced further with a couched outline. Various straight stitches were worked on the edges and surface of the foiled top layer to see if this would enhance the sense of disintegration. The stitching on the edges was the most effective because it gave a sense that the edges were being nibbled away. Another interesting effect was achieved with the flecks of gold from the foil, which gave a sense that the surface of the fabic was uneven or weathered. This gave me the idea of trying to get a more flaky effect with the foil in the resolved sample.

Combining momigami & applique
Sample 4(left): Experimenting with momigami paper applied and cut, with a second star shape layer on top. The top layer was hand-dyed open-weave cotton, which could be distorted and frayed easily. This effect was adapted for the final resolved sample.


Sample 5(right): A second experiment with momigami paper with various stitches added (running stitch, detached chain, French knots). A layer of orange fabric was appliqued on top, then the second star shape outlined with stem stitch. The fabric was cut away on both sides of the outline, with the residual edges frayed. A few starfish beads were added as a central embellishment. From this sample I concluded that the outline was mostly suited to a top layer in the final piece, whereas the orange cheesecloth layer (from sample 4) was more appropriate for fabric in an intermediate position. The stitching on the momigami had possibilities, but it was clear that careful choice of colour was necessary to add the right amount of decoration, without the effect of the stitches detracting from or getting lost in the background.

Paper compositions with the Disintegrating Shapes
For my resolved sample I was interested in exploring how the starfish shape could disintegrate by distortion so that it ultimately became almost unrecognisable. I began by drawing a few ideas based on this concept and then experimenting with paper layers to develop these. The two sketches are shown below. I decided that I preferred the one on the left.

















In the paper experiments I tried various combinations of papers and colours to simulate alternatives for the design of the resolved sample. I tried up to 5 layers of paper and also looked at options of having single or multiple starfish in the top layer, as well as how much to rotate each layer relative to the one below. In the end I concluded that I preferred the deep blue background with the painted momigami paper on top of it, followed by the golden orange and orange brown layers. I thought that a single starfish on top, but set off-centre, was more effective than two or three starfish. These conclusions aided my decisions when I began the resolved sample.







Resolved Sample
This sample was constructed from five layers of fabric. I began by preparing the aqua and deep blue background, then applying the momigami paper followed by the two orange/tan layers.I decided that a deep blue background was a bit flat on its own and therefore used a painted aqua layer as the base (with Lumiere paint applied through a strainer to give the droplet effect) and a deeper blue sheer on top.The basic deep blue shape was applied to the base layer and then extra pieces cut away to give a balanced effect. This was the most distorted shape and barely recognizable as being derived from the starfish.

In the next layer I incorporated the momigami (oiled & scrunched) paper technique with couching and stitching, then the orange layer was formed from some of the loose-weave fabric I had dyed some months ago. This layer has pulled and frayed threads as well as little starfish stitched on the surface (could be interpreted as the original shape). I experimented with various paint colours and patterns for the paper layer and selected one which matched well with the base fabrics so that colour of the the aqua paper echoed the base fabric layer and the deeper highlights echoed the deeper blue sheer. The detached chain stitches on the paper complemented the droplets on the background. Irregular lines of deeper blue silk strands were couched onto the paper to emphasise the radiating star effect.

The top starfish, which was the most defined shape, was outlined with couched Jap gold and the surface raised with Trapunto filling to emphasize its form. The stippled effect on the top starfish was achieved with copper foiling attached with sprinkled bonding powder rather than Vlisofix.

Chapter 10: Inlay Applique

Sample 1: Insertion Stitches

From top to bottom: a)Cretan stitch; b)Squared Palestrina- refer to Enthoven Fig.423,p.155; c)Beaded insertion (Cretan) stitch; d)Stitch from a Roumanian blouse-refer to Enthoven Fig.580,p.223; e)Knotted insertion stitch (also called Knotted Cretan) - refer to Enthoven Fig.587,p.226.





Sample 2: Simple Counterchange

Blue fabric was made from blue felt with painted sheer bonded to it with Vlisofix.
Peach coloured fabric was made from peach felt, then blue glitter and copper Angelina fibre trapped under a bonded pale sheer. Shapes were inserted with antique faggot stitch, then stem and running stitches added as decoration. Edges were joined with Chevron stitch and outer edge finished with buttonhole.






Sample 3: Interchange



Painted and bonded fabrics were cut in the two different outer star shapes and bonded to the indigo-blue felt background. Then the common starfish shape was cut from the centre of each one and moved in a clockwise direction to the adjoining shape. These inserts were attached with antique faggot stitch, then beads, sequins and decorative stitches such as running stitch, stem stitch and feather stitch were added. The felt squares were joined by feather stitch using the sewing machine.





Sample 4: Complex Counterchange



The piece was created with 4 squares made using painted bonded sheers or painted Vlisofix bonded to the felt and covered with a sheer. Each square was cut into 4 segments. Moving from the outside to the centre, the second shape cut from the outer colour was rotated anti-clockwise (large curved star) and the third shape (small pointed star) was rotated clockwise. This resulted in the small stars being the same colour as the large curved stars in the opposite squares. The pieces in the middle were also rotated clockwise to match the small stars. All segments were joined using antique faggot stitch and then the squares joined with zig-zag using the sewing machine. Beads and sequins were added in the centre for decoration.



Sample 5: Mock Insertion Stitch

The 5 diamond shapes were cut by dividing the star shape (with Vlisofix bonded to the back) and moving the pieces slightly apart. These were bonded to the blue felt and then stiches added to give the appearance of an insertion stitch, as well as for decoration.