Postscript to drawing of a textile

I can’t resist showing you a few more ideas so here are some ways of developing your drawings based on your textile study which I’m sure you’ve been busy with over the last couple of weeks!

The first two ideas are only for the brave!

First idea – Take a rubbing or an area of your textile. Arrange a single layer (if possible) of the textile onto a hard surface. This not quite such a risky operation if you choose a strong paper such as tissuetex which is a reinforced tissue paper used in brass rubbings (available for Art Van Go). The rubbing below was made over the border area of my child’s dress, using a candle and then inking over with black ink – after the dress had been moved far away!

Second idea – take a print of a relief surface of your textile. This needs a lot of care and perhaps shouldn’t be attempted if the textile is precious. My print below was done by holding my breath and I’m pleased to say that I didn’t get any marks on the dress, only on the paper.

To see how this printing process was done, please continue over onto the Distant Stitch website.

This print was used on the inside cover of an exhibition brochure by the Textile Study Group called ‘Not What it Seams’. You can see this brochure on the TSG website.

Judith Aylett sent me this link of the work by Mandy Pattullo. She presses textiles into thick, damp paper – and this looks such an interesting idea, I must try it, but, oh for a proper printing press.

http://mandypattullo.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-07-10T04%3A09%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

Another brilliant idea from Judith is the work of Ruth Lee. Take a look at the incredible knitted structures on this link. - http://www.webs-of-intrigue.co.uk/gallery.htm. You can see Ruth, some of her work and buy her super book at her stand at the Knitting and Stitching Shows. If you are reading this Ruth – “looking forward to seeing you soon at Ally Pally”.

I also remembered the work of Susie Needham, a Somerset artist whose work I admire and thought you might like to take a look at some examples here. She calls her process ‘photograms’. She doesn’t seem to have a website but is included in many other website so you should be able to find more of her work.

Just for fun, inspired by Susie’s images, I decided to change my dress print into a negative and created even more ideas for drawing from this!

See you in October with a brand new drawing theme. In the meantime, continue enjoying your textile and be encouraged to try some of this less conventional drawing ideas. I’m looking forward to seeing exciting stuff on your blogs – please leave me a message there to let me know. www.stitchloop.blogspot.com

Come and have a chat

I shall be at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally next month, so if you’re going to be there, please find me to introduce yourself and have a chat.

You will find me mainly at the Textile Study Group exhibition space. The show plan isn’t available yet so I can’t give you a reference number for the space, but it will be big, bright and called ‘Individual and Collective’. As well as stewarding at this exhibition, I shall be doing some teaching workshops in the ‘Learning Curve’. You can come and chat at either place so if I’m not at one I’ll be at the other.

You can book a place on one of my workshops, called ‘Letting Your Stitches Flower’ on the Knitting and Stitching Show website. This image might give you a clue as to what the workshop is about -----

 

Dates at Alexandra Palace, London

Thursday (6th October) from lunchtime onwards

All day Friday and Saturday (7th and 8th October)

Looking forward to seeing you if you can make it!

A pleasurable few days

Distant Stitch students who met Susan and Eila at Summer School last July will remember that they only just got to the UK from New Zealand in the nick of time to join us after a flight change due to ‘volcanoe dust’. They have been travelling throughout the UK, Eire, Germany and France during the summer and we met up for a few days when they passed through Somerset this week. We visited the spectacular gardens, designed by Edward Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll at Hestercombe and enjoyed a jolly steam train ride to Minehead.

Susan and Eila have now continued their journey with a walk around the south west coastal foot path, a canal boat trip over the famous viaduct at Llangollen and finally a few days at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ali Pally. How many of us will have done so much or seen so much of the UK since Summer School!

Susan, Eila, Siân at Hestercombe Garden

A close-up of one of the wonderful clusters of Gladioli, placed at each angle of the formal border shapes – to send best wishes to from us all at the Distant Stitch Summer School to cheer Evelyne who is poorly at the moment.

September Drawing Project – Textile Detail

This drawing project is a study of a textile; all the little details rather than the whole piece – that will come later.

I chose to study two textiles - the details on this little dress (see 20th August , titled ‘Drawing Project Plan’). The stitching is done by machine so perhaps dates it at the end of the 19th century (Anne, you might be able to correct me?) And my second choice is an old silk fan (given to me by Constance Howard as I had just made my piece – ‘Fan Fair’ way back in the 1980’s.

 

This project will be divided into two sections and posted separately. The first section is called ‘Slow Drawing’ making controlled, careful study drawings. The second section will involve development of these detail drawings, using other media to convey the effects in your drawings – a bit more of a free spirit!

The start of this Project is posted here on my blog – then continue by looking at the Distant Stitch website.

Enjoy your weeks of drawing textiles. I’m looking forward to seeing your drawings on your own blog. Keep a look out for ideas for developing your drawings in a few weeks time. Happy drawing – remember that a small something each day will build up a large body of wonderful work!