Unit X- National Trust Craft Fair: Ideas Development

Since my last post, I have gone back to my initial drawings and used Karisma coloured pencils to refer to the colours I can use in the Toile de Jouy I will design, inspired by Paul Scott's ceramics. 

 I feel these drawings have become much stronger and had brought my theme together more already. Using a variety of blue shades will also give something more to my Toiles as often they feature only one or two shades of blue. I have also continued to create more images in my sketchbook based on the gardens. Featured below, a flower drawing over layered by plants and branches. I used black ink to draw the thick outlines then used a scalpel to cut out the spaces, I then used this stencil to colour in the spaces using my new colour palette:

By creating this stencil, I have created 2 effective drawings, one with the outlines featured to create a graphic tone, and the other which is much more toned down and soft. I can't decide which I like better as i feel they are both effective in different ways.

I was keen to begin my Toile designs so developed a drawing of a kitchen scene from one of my photos from Dunham Massey:

I want the feel of my Toile designs to be modern and slightly abstract, compared to the detailed images on Toiles I have seen sold in the National Trust gift shops, as i would like to bring something different to them. I have used my colour in a way that it represents details and portions on the initial drawing I have done. I have used this image to base my Toile "scene" around, therefore used minimal colours. I also thought it was effective for my first design so I could include plenty of kitchen ware.

The theme of this Toile de Jouy is the Gardens from the windows of the Maid's quarters. I feel it is an obvious setting,  however have tried to use my kitchen ware drawings in quite an obscure way, repeating them, blending them and using composition carefully. I have also used the "garden" in this Toile as a sort of border around the scene to encapsulate the Toile, rather like the Maids were encapsulated in their "Quarters".

I am happy with my first design, especially how it looks in repeat. I will keep in mind to create designs such as this which can be effective as a scene by itself, or as a repeat pattern.

I have had a successful interim crit with a peer group where we discussed our work so far. I feel confident to carry on my work and have began to organise ceramic printing to create some coasters and perhaps table ware. 

These are my boards which I have presented my research and ideas on so far:

 I have included the idea of blue and white Toiles throughout each board to keep the theme strong, as well as using relevant contextual research of the National Trust Gift shops and Ferm Living, who create designs and sell them similar to how I want mine to be.