Perthshire Open Studios - Venue 37 - Kalamkari Textile Artists

A month of marks

a new post on my uni blog - I will be making marks for the month of may :)

my first movie

What a busy time its been lately - so much happening especially with uni work .  As you'll know I have to keep a separate blog for my design studies where I have to talk about the lectures I've been to and put up assignment work - my latest challenge was taking a video! thought I'd let you see my studio space and the screen prints I made - the film is a bit shaky and it was taken on my iPhone!

This week I've had reading week! But Monday saw me back up at Dundee as I'd been desperate to get back into the studio to print however its all very different to the screen printing I've done at DCA.  We're using acid and reactive dyes and to screen print we have to use a carrier either manutex or indalca. At present to create an image we're using stencils cut out of thin newsprint paper or by painting manutex onto the screen to create a barrier for the dye.  The dye lab where we have to mix the dyes has special extractor fans and we have to wear face masks and gloves for Health and Safety - no more guessing the dye quantities we have to measure everything properly and log the information!  But I do love it - every day I get there I cannot believe how lucky I am.  

In the afternoon I used the heat press this is great for using transfer dye that's been painted onto paper and then pressing with heat onto fabric - usually poly cotton or chiffon etc anything as long as its not a natural fibre.  Sometimes the painted papers are better to look at than the fabric!

paper protecter

painted image on thin newsprint paper

another protecter

layers of images built up on poly/cotton and  painted paper

  lightweight chiffon with different colours pressed while the fabric is scrunched up

painted papers

above and below layers of images on polycotton

these image were layered in photoshop and the levels were altered and blended

its all great fun :) must go now and do some course work xx

everything just now is nature and communication

Last weekend I went up to WASPS open studios in Dundee and saw some beautiful artwork, what really caught my eye was the table outside one of the jewellers studio - all kinds of bottles filled with flowers - so pretty.

Also saw my drawing tutors studio - Lindsey Gardiner, author, illustrator and designer - her work is just gorgeous.

Earlier that week I'd spent the morning at the uni's Hawkhill House - filled with museum pieces associated with D'Arcy Thompson and also amazing things gifted to the uni.  Below is just one of the D'Arcy Thompson slides

and following on from D'Arcy Thompson I'm photography anything with petals, swirls or leaves with the Fibonacci connection!

I did say anything!

Got a new post over at my uni blog on communication any kind of feedback is appreciated - Judy xx

have a great week

New art blog ........

.... while Im studying at Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee I have a new blog to share my journey, assignments and artwork - you can find it here.