2 fabulous days at Art Van Go 10th and 11th June - Creating Original Designs


 The two Valeries getting stuck in to their 'Journeys'.

 The life of a freelance tutor can be fun, exciting, tiring and a bit of worry as far as earning a living is concerned - but sometimes a course and a teaching venue come together to create such an amazing energy that all worries are forgotten.

 The venue was Art Van Go - I love teaching there, it is always good to see Viv and Kevin and their team are always helpful - nothing is too much trouble. 
The course was Creating Original Designs. We had seven in the class, enough to have fun as a group but small enough for me to be able to work with each student individually. Creating Original Designs is a course I have developed over the last twenty years while I was teaching my four year version of Experimental Textiles.

 Lynda painting her Journey . . .

I use three design exercises, The Journey which is my own, and an expanding and and a flipping out exercise that come from a book my tutor gave me when she retired. I use the same three exercises every single time I teach this course, and each time you get totally different results. I like to show how very simple creating designs can be.

 The seven Journeys laying side by side on the floor. As colour hasn't been introduced, they all merge into one.

The expanding exercise is a great one for looking at 'spaces in between'. . . . .


 . .  and the 'flipping out' exercise  - all interesting designs in themselves, but also great to take sections from.


Jill working on her 'flipping out' exercise.
 
 Hannah's 'flipping out' exercise.
Sharon taking a section from her Journey that will become a fabulous printing block.
The 'positive' and 'negative' blocks from the above design have been overprinted.
               Then colour washed with yellow procion colour wash.
Little Valerie transferring her designs into her sketchbook and experimenting with colours.
 Tricia working on her two colour designs.

 
The positive and negative printing blocks taken from Tricia's design.
Tricia's sample page of over printing with both of her blocks.
 Making the printing blocks.
We used self adhesive foam and foam core board to make the printing blocks.


Lynda's over printing, the bottom one has been colour washed with red procion.
 Hannah very intently measuring the foam core for her blocks.
 Jill over printing her stunning block. . .


 
 Different colour combinations of the same block.


 Hannah printing with her first blocks.

Then starting to over print.
The finished over printing. This design was taken from Hannah's Journey.
 . . . as was this one.

Another one of Hannah's over prints.This design was taken from her 'expanded' exercise.
 Val's over prints - just fabulous.
 A table full of gorgeousness . . .


Lynda got so carried away, she made mirror image blocks so she could 'flip' and 'mirror' her prints.

I hope this all makes sense? I have tried to make the process clear. It is amazing what can be achieved in just two days.  

*


There are chocolates served every day at three o'clock - it's tough, but some how we manage to eat them . . . 


The next Creating Original Designs workshop will be at Art Van Go on the 9th and 10th of June 2015. This kind of basic course is suitable for any kind of artist or craftsperson, from stained glass and ceramics to textiles and stitch.

My next workshop at Art Van Go is the 2nd - 4th of September. Transforming Transfer - working with disperse dyes (transfer paints) and synthetic fabrics. Working up designs that we can use for applique and can also be layered up and heat gunned - Yeehaa!!! 

***
I am off to West Dean College today to teach a weekend workshop for the East Sussex Embroiderers Guild. The gardens will be glorious now - I will make sure I take lots of photos - both of the work and the beautiful grounds.
The workshop is A New Starting Point which is newspaper based and we are looking at making making boxes and maybe book covers. 
What a fabulous way to spend a weekend.
x


Comments

  1. Turtlemoonimpressions13 June 2014 at 23:52

    very cool! Love the flipping out pattern!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim Thittichai14 June 2014 at 13:35

      It's great fun, easy to do and you great results. x

      Delete

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