Part One: Project 1 - What have I achieved

Wednesday 6th April - What have I achieved?

I am sitting surrounded by my work....there's alot of it!

I have inserted photographs where they were missing throughout this log - it makes it a lot more interesting to read through.

I have added to, or corrected my notes - they make more sense now.

But what have I achieved? I should be able to answer this by addressing the questions in the course book.

Have you ever thought about drawing in this way before?
Yes, but I forget to continue working in this way. I forget to develop and change from my initial work - so I end up with a drawer of pictures that rarely see the light of day.
This way of approaching drawing by mark making is more spontaneous and inventive - it could not be reproduced.
It is a more enjoyable creative process.

Were you able to be inventive about the range of marks you made?
Yes, but even with all the samples I made, I feel it is still just a work in progress. There must be many different ways to create marks, that I can only assume there are many more sketch books to fill with the results.
I did enjoy the freedom to make these marks... there is no wrong way. To record them in a log means that they will always be there to refer to.

Were you able to explore a wide range of media?
Yes, I have cupboards full of different art materials - it was nice to get them out to use in these exercises. It was good to have a purpose to creating and experimenting with them.

Are you pleased with what you have done? Do you think it will help you approach drawing more confidently?
Yes, I am pleased with the work that I have done. I enjoyed the whole creative process.
I liked the fact that I was producing samples - which are not only a useful reference, but, they didn't have to be 'good' or 'bad' - they were there to record textures, marks, colour, etc.
I think it will make my approach to drawing more confident - it has made me think more about the effect I want to produce with the marks, materials and media I choose.

Which way of working did you enjoy most?
I think I found making marks in response to an image my favourite.
Although, I look at the work and I like the pieces that I made in response to working from an object.
I had to think harder and experiment more - concentrating on the marks made, not trying to recreate a picture.

Which media did you most enjoy working with?
I have always enjoyed working with soft pastels, but I really enjoyed the mark making possibilites that there are with printing.
The results are unpredictable, it's a fun process and you are not restricted to using 'proper' materials. Although you can print with lino, buy printing blocks etc, you can achieve great results with bottle tops, bubble wrap, etc.

I think mark making will be an ongoing project. I can't think of any other technique that I'd like to try - just to work on and explore the ones that have been started in these experiments.
Also to continue keeping a reference to any new techniques that I discover in sketchbooks.

Do you have ideas about how this work will enrich your textile work in the future?
I think the work done over project one will enrich my future textile work.
By starting with the mark making process and developing my work, it should be more spontaneous and interesting.
By asking questions and trying out different techniques the process will be more informed.
This should lead to a truly unique and interesting textile piece.

At the moment I am looking forward to starting Project 2.... but will it be harder than Project 1?