Thursday, 16 May 2013

Unit X- National Trust Craft Fair- Reflection

Unit X this year has been an interesting experience. Being introduced to other courses such as 3D design and Interactive Arts was a great chance to see what other disciplines produced with the same brief as Textiles in Practice. It was also because of this that I experimented with ceramics- something I am very happy I learnt and intend to take further in to my own practice. The unit as a whole has been different for me from the beginning, as I have focused on Children's wear mostly throughout my 2nd year, so I am glad we were given a particular briefing to work towards and feel I settled in well with it. 

In terms of collaboration, I worked on this project on my own and was happy doing this, however I did engage with others doing this craft fair option both in tutorials and outside of them, giving and receiving feedback. I felt the Interim Crit was the most helpful example of this as we could all see each other's work via boards and presentations. 

The professional lecture series was a staple for my experience on Unit X, not only learning about other people's experiences after university, but also Paul Scott's Ceramics work inspired my whole project! 
(Paul Scott's Cumbrian Blue(s))

(My toile du joug designs on ceramics)

My sketchbook work developed a lot over the course of the project, and I feel this was a strength. Without my drawings I would not have been able to produce my abstract designs. In addition to this, I created my toile prints on photoshop, a practice which I am very familiar with. However had I had more time, I would have liked to create more designs, and perhaps do some work on Illlustrator- which is a skill I have learnt quite basically in my last project but should have taken further with this project. 

At the beginning I was a little lost with what to do with this brief. I gained momentum with only around 5 weeks to go, when I found my key inspiration from toile design. Then by the time I had printed on to ceramics and thought it would be a final design, I wanted to take that further too. Although I'm disappointed I only thought of ceramic ware and picnic ware within the last 3 weeks, I think it is a good sign of a working designer- that I show I can see when and where I should improve my practice. 
My concept board shows my final proposal of a picnic set, which I am happy with but didn't find enough time to explore materials properly. 
As mentioned earlier, I have been focusing on children's wear throughout my second year, however this project has shown me that I can always learn new skills and have been inspired to design some dinner/breakfast ware for children at some point. I also feel it has been a great brief and final outcome to add to my portfolio. 

Maid's Quarters at the National Trust:

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