Part Two: Project 4 - Stage2

Looking for Shapes and Drawing 

In Stage 1 we learned to look at an image to see the different kinds of visual energy that was created by the placement of marks and lines.
Some were static arrangements, some were dynamic and full of energy.

In stage 2 we start to look through our collection of resource material to discover and develop our visual awareness.
We are asked to use a viewing frame to look for interesting arrangements of shapes.
We are asked to decide which of these arrangements are active and generate visual tension or energy; and which are dull and cluttered.

Instructions: 
Cut out a viewing frame, 5 x 5cm.
Choose two or three images from my collection of resource material.
Use the viewing frame to mask off areas to create different arrangements of shapes. 

Within the viewing frame we are to look at the important shapes, these may be:

• the edges of objects.
• the repetitions in the piece
• the negative shapes - the shapes around or in between things

I looked through my sketchbook and selected the following images:

This is a photograph taken in India, it is the railway museum at Ghum Station. 
Ghum is in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region of West Bengal.

Ghum Railway Station, India

Image 1:
I chose this area because of the lines and shapes that are created by the beams of the roof.

Photograph of an Indian railway station

The image has intersecting diagonals and areas of contrast, making a dynamic arrangement.

Image 1: Line drawing

Image 2:
This area is similar to the first, but has a different arrangement of interesting shapes and lines.

Photograph of an Indian railway station 2

This image has strong diagonals and areas of contrast. A dynamic arrangement.

Image 2: line drawing

This is a sketchbook page which was used to see what would happen to inks when mixed with bleach.

Sketchbook page using bleach and ink

Image 3:
By masking off this area an interesting image begins to appear.

Sketchbook work: Playing with ink and bleach

There is a strong diagonal and contrasts of light and dark, another dynamic arrangement.

Image 3: Line drawing

I thought this sketchbook page had some interesting shapes, textures and contrasts.
I drew seashells and used pastel and charcoal on brown paper.

Sketchbook page: Seashells

Image 4:
This area has a diagonal line and areas of contrast, it is dynamic.

Charcoal and pastel sketch of shells

The line drawing became uninteresting once the areas of texture had been removed.

Image 4: line drawing

Image 5:
This area is from the same sketchbook page.

Charcoal and pastel sketch of shells

The lines spiralling from the centre give the appearance of a dynamic arrangement.
The linear drawing is not as interesting, it is missing the colour and texture of the original sketch.
If the aperture had been bigger, it may have been more interesting.

Image 5: line drawing

Image 6: Using a different area from the same sketchbook page:

Charcoal and pastel sketch of shells

Although a dynamic arrangement, the line drawing lacks the interest of the original sketch.

Image 6: line drawing

This was a sketch completed while staying in a holiday cottage last summer.
The sketch was drawn on an old brown paper bag.

Sketch: Vase of flowers

Image 7:
Using the viewing frame I masked off this area:

Section of the vase of flowers

I really liked the placement of the shapes and the diagonal line in this dynamic arrangement.

Image 7: line drawing

Image 8:
Using the same sketch, I chose another area:

Section of the vase of flowers

A dynamic arrangement which has intersecting diagonal lines.

Image 8: line drawing

In conclusion:
I was able to select dynamic arrangements from my collection resource material.

Some of the images that I drew out were immediately interesting to the eye, they were dynamic and full of energy; for example, Image 3.

Some of the images were less interesting when drawn in a linear way; for example, Image 5.

The following exercises in Stage 2 take the design and development of these images further.
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Finished Pages:

Part Two: Project 4 - Stage1

Project 3 is mounted, labelled, photographed and put away.

I have recently moved a second desk into my work room
This should allow a messy place to work and a tidy area.
Previously I have been working on one desk, then moving everything off when I needed to mount things or use the computer.
I could only work on one thing at a time; if I was waiting for paint to dry, then I just had to go and make (yet another) cup of tea.
In theory, the second desk should make my working practices more efficient..

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Project 4
This project is concerned with two aspects of design:

• organising shapes within a two-dimensional space
• developing visual ideas from source material through drawing

By working through the exercises I should have:

• developed a visual awareness about how shapes can be organised within a space, to create different sorts of visual energy.
• found ways of working creatively and imaginatively from my drawings, in order to develop further visual ideas.

Stage 1: Introduction and Preparation.  
Stage 1 is about "making space move".
The object of the excercise is to: 

• create static and dynamic arrangements using black paper.
• divide the space with lines: in one create tension and energy, in the other create something peaceful.

I have drawn squares, 12cm x 12cm, on a piece of A3 paper, then cut out squares, 3cm x 3cm, from black paper.

Static and Dynamic Arrangements: 

A static arrangement is one that draws your eye into a space and gives it a centre of focus.
There will be nothing to distract the eye.

It is one that may stress horizontal and vertical accents, closure at the edges of the painting, and subdued colour and tonal contrasts - this gives an effect of orderliness and repose. Reference The National Gallery

A dynamic arrangement draws the eye into the space, but there will be a placement of marks and objects that will make the eye move about; this creates an energy within the area. 

It is one that may be based on intersecting diagonals, a lack of closure, vigorous contrasts of colour and light and dark accents - this stresses movement, activity and conflict. (refer to the national gallery link)

Static arrangement:
The black square is placed in a central position, the eye is drawn into that space and does not move, there are no distractions.

Static arrangement 1

 
The black squares are placed in a vertical column, which can be a soothing arrangement for a composition.

Static arrangement 2

Peaceful arrangement:
The lines are vertical and horizontal.
This is a static composition which is soothing, calm and tranquil.

Peaceful arrangement of lines

Dynamic arrangement:
The black squares are placed near to each other which draws the eye in, but the eye also wants to move around the space.
This arrangement of the squares is more dynamic and full of movement

Dynamic arrangement 1

The black squares are placed randomly at angles to each other, they are placed beyond the boundaries of the square.
The eye is forced to move around, as well as out of, the space.
This arrangement of squares is dynamic, it has movement, tension and energy.

Dynamic arrangement 2

Tension and energy:
The lines are diagonal and intersect in many places.

Dynamic tension comes from multiple diagonal lines that move away from each other in different directions; paths that move in opposing directions. (Reference: Expert Photography)

Lines which convey tension and energy

Conclusion:
The placement of marks and objects within a picture helps create the mood you wish to convey.
Composition is one of the most important aspects to consider at the design and planning stage.

This was a simple and effective exercise.
Using just the black and white squares in one part, and the drawn lines in the other; meant that I was able to "make space move" without the added complications of including colour and texture.
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Having completed these exercises I thought I would look for good examples of static and dynamic compositions in art.

I first looked for a static composition.
This is a painting by Liz Maxwell which has strong horizontal lines.
The composition is peaceful and calm.

Liz Maxwell: Horizon Series 4

I recreated the work using lines:

Liz Maxwell's picture in line

I then looked for a dynamic composition.
This is a piece by Henri Matisse which has diagonal lines and forces the eye to move around, and out of, the space.

Henri Matisse: L'escargot 1953

I recreated the work using black squares:

The snail by Henri Matisse in black and white

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The second desk is a welcome addition.
I also moved a different chair into the room, it is better for my posture, more comfortable for my back.... oh wait, yes the cat thinks so too.

Difficult to sit in the correct position when my cat gets there first

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Finished Page:

Part Two: Understanding the Textile World

In an earlier post I mentioned that my love of textiles came from family memories and inherited embroidery silks.
These inspired me to stitch and to make.

I have been using some of these beautiful silk threads in some of my samples, it's amazing to think about when they were last used and whose hands they were in.
It's a real inspiration to touch and use them.

I recently found this in amongst some other threads, there is something wonderful about the old packaging that is missing in the products that are available today.

Rediscovered threads

I thought about which textile piece I would choose from my home and I have settled on my textiles from India. Although I will make sketches and drawings from the decorative elements of the pieces, it is really the history and story behind the technique "Kantha" and the women involved in it's production today that makes these pieces very special to me.

We went to India just over a year ago, "let's go to India" we said, "let's experience the culture, the colour of the country, let's go by train... it'll be fun"
To be honest it was an amazing trip, the country was incredible, the sights were, at times, fantastic, the people were friendly. There was so much history, a country with people that have experienced so much in the last century.
We went to Kolkata, Darjeeling, Varanasi, Shimla, Agra and Delhi, and yes, we travelled by train.

Our first stop in India was Kolkata, and it was everything we had prepared ourselves for, from the sheer quantity of the human population who live and work there, to the crazy driving and the busy roads.

Our tour guide took us to all the sights in Kolkata during the days we spent there, and we persuaded him to take me to somewhere with textiles.

I had wanted to bring back two things from India, a piece of Khadi cloth and a piece of Kantha embroidery.
I will have to go back for the Khadi cloth.
(Note: Khadi cloth is a coarse homespun cotton cloth. It came to symbolise the movement started by Ghandi, the freedom struggle, which led the people of India to boycott foreign goods and promote those manufactured in India. Reference)

He took me straight away to a centre which made and sold Fairtrade products, Atisana CCWB (Crafts Council of West Bengal)
This centre supports women from the region, training them and selling their goods at a fair price.
It also aims to revive, preserve and support the traditional crafts that would otherwise be lost in a modernising society.

With the Kantha I was lucky although we nearly ended up without any money...............

We bought many things from Artisana: textiles: woven and embroidered; puppets and objects made from wood and palm fronds; paintings....
We met the artistsans that created some of our purchases:

Beautiful artwork that tells a story in song

This wasn't the painting we bought - but one quite similar.
The lady broke into song to tell us the story of the fish that are depicted in the artwork.

I chose two pieces of Kantha work, 1, a small single layered piece, and another, a larger more traditional piece, with three layers - it had possibilities of being a tablecloth or a bedspread, or just a piece of treasured textile that I would lovingly handle and look at from time to time.

Happy that I had chosen my embroidered pieces, I browsed through the other rooms of objects and artifacts. My husband appeared, he was agitated, "The bill is 120,000 rupees!!!!! That's all our money, forever."

We quickly realised our mistake, we hadn't noticed the last, but crucially important, zero. The one that took the bill from hundreds to thousands of pounds.
There was no decision to make, it was heartbreaking but true, we had to face the lady who had made the bigger of the pieces of Kantha work and tell her we had made an error.

She was resigned to our decision, but without looking closer we knew we had just elevated her earnings and bought her a comfortable life for a time.............and then turned around and taken it all away again.
We bought another, smaller piece. It has two layers of cloth, it is beautiful, it is intricate... I still think about the piece I left behind and the lady that made it.

The first piece:

Kantha 45 x 42cm

This was the first piece I chose, it is approximately 45cm x 42cm.
It is made entirely by hand by a lady from the Bengal region.
It is a modern piece made for sale, traditionally kantha was produced for use by the family.
It is made from a single layer of cream fabric decorated with colourful patterns and designs.
Kantha's with patterns and designs worked on them are known as Nakshi Kantha

Detail of the cloth

The colours of the stitching are vibrant: oranges, greens, yellows, blues and pinks.
The picture depicts a tale of everyday rural life for a boy growing up.
He may go to school, but he will also tend to his animals.
The stitches used are the running or Kantha stitch, but also, satin, stem and herringbone.

Closer detail of the stitching

Traditionally the thread used to stitch the kantha would be those pulled out of a sari.
However this is a modern piece and is stitched with 2 strands of cotton, the base fabric is also cotton.

A sketch: My sketch from an image in the kantha cloth.
The outlines are drawn in black permanent marker, the 'stitches' drawn with a fine paintbrush and acrylic inks.

My sketch, using inks and marker pen

Using a viewing frame, I selected a small area from the drawing.
I then repeated and rotated the image on the computer:

Repeat design of the Kantha work

The second piece:

Kantha 90 x 100cm

This was the second piece that we bought.
Again it is modern and made for commercial reasons.
It is made from two layers of fabric with decorative Kantha stitching done by hand.

Detail of the cloth

Unlike the last piece, the stitching between the motifs was done in white thread.
Because this fabric has been created with two layers of fine cotton, the fabric begins to ripple with the kantha stitching.

Detail of the stitching

This piece was worked in stranded cotton, and you can see where the design had been drawn on as a guide to work from when stitching.
Today the patterns are drawn on, tracing the design onto the cloth.

Originally the design would be outlined using needle and thread, then the focal points would have been worked and then the filling motifs.
In a design like this, the central motif would have been worked first, from the centre out, followed by the corners. (link look under "Kantha making" in the link).

The sketches:
I drew two sketches of the motifs that are featured in the kantha cloth.

The first is drawn using black permanent marker pen and acrylic inks.

Sketch drawn with marker pen and acrylic ink

The second is outlined in black permanent marker and coloured using watercolour paints.
The watercolour paints were softer and more subdued in colour than the acrylic inks.

Sketch drawn in marker pen and watercolour

The third piece: This was a piece of kantha that I bought in Saudi Arabia, it has been crafted in India and uses some of the more traditional methods of making kantha.

Silk wrap with kantha stitching, 85 x 215cm

It has been made from two layers of sari silk.
The original sari fabrics have been recycled to make my wrap.
The kantha stitching is made up of bands of orange stitching, next to bands of black stitching.
The fabric is rippled from the effects of the kantha work.

Detail of the stitching

The front and back of the wrap are not identical, but the wrap is beautiful, soft, lustrous and warm.

All three of these pieces hold a special memory for me, the wrap introduced me to the beauty of the work, the other two pictorial pieces introduced me to the lives of the women from Bengal  and the stories that they tell in their stitching.

I bought the bedspread in India too... I may have not been entirely truthful when I said that I just wanted two things from India.

My love of stitching came from my childhood, my mother taught me to stitch and in turn I have taught my own daughter.
We have a shared history with these women from Bengal, although their expertise has a longer history than mine.
 

During our travels across northern India I kept a diary, the kantha work inspired my pages. Along with the written word I made notes using images of the world around me. Here are some of my pages:

Leaving Kolkata for Darjeeling

I started to stitch between the pictures that I drew. Just looking at these pages takes me back to the holiday.

Tiger Hill, Darjeeling

The train tracks of the famous "Toy Train" make the stitches on this page.
This was also the day I met the women from Tibet, refugees who were busy spinning and weaving.

Darjeeling to Kolkata

I introduced more stitches to the page.
This page shows the bustling city and the incredible Kolkata train station.

Shimla

More stitching and elephants from the bedspread. 

Although I chose three pieces, their lives were intertwined by a common theme, that of the women who made them.
The stitches I make are for my enjoyment and my education, the stitches these women have made are to feed, clothe, and educate their families.

An addition to this post is made here following my tutor's report.
I have featured the work of Jean Draper and Dorothy Tucker who are contemporary artists using Kantha as a source of inspiration in some of their pieces.
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Finished Pages: