Bikes, cyclists, routes and locations. Throughout the summer I have undertaken an assignment on Le Tour De France as it passed through Yorkshire this was particularly inspiring as it was close to home. It was a historic event and being able to focus on all aspects was very educational.
At the start of this project I undertook a lot of research mostly primary and secondary but I did do some observational drawing as well. For my primary research I went to the Bike Show Exhibition at the Civic in Barnsley and I also went to Meadowhall in Sheffield where Le Tour would be passing to look at a display that gave information about Le Tour and also sold memorabilia. For my secondary research I looked at magazines, newspapers and also took images/research from the internet (pinterest, google and other websites). Then for my observational drawings I looked at a set up of bike wheels and made drawings in a range of media on a variety of backgrounds. They were also done in time limits ranging from 5 to 15 minutes.
I was definitely inspired by the Bike Show Exhibition and found that I was mostly inclined to look at the jerseys, old and futuristic bikes and Eliza Southwoods prints. I particularly wanted to look at these because they are attractive aspects to focus on. I loved Eliza Southwoods bold and colourful prints as they captured Le Tour De France in a very striking way.
What I disliked about the Bike Show was that there wasn't much modern Tour De France bikes and jerseys that I could photograph. I thought that it would have been good if they had more recent things to display that had featured in more recent tours.
The artists I have looked at were Miki De Goodaboom, Alister Colley, Eliza Southwood, Anita Bowerman, Janet Browne, Louisa Crompton, Janice Arnold, Linda Banks Hansee, Moy Mackay and Rafa Jenn. Most of these artists use different techniques so I researched them to get some inspiration. Some of the techniques they look at are screen printing, felting, needle felting, lino printing, knitting and weaving. I enjoyed looking at the screen printing artist Rafa Jenn as his work is bold and he sometimes only uses 2 to 3 colours like in my own prints. I also took forward Louisa Crompton's knitting technique that uses two colour yarns and Moy Mackay's needle felting that blends colour wools together.
During this project I covered a lot of techniques most of them I enjoyed doing and found them very useful. These techniques were knitting, wet felting, needle felting, screen/pigment printing, weaving, heating/melting knitting, drawing on tissue paper and brush-o inks with bleach, drawing with a range of media on colour backgrounds and dying material with procion dyes.
When doing these techniques I experimented with my Tour De France images that I had already used in my sketchbook to see what concepts I could take forward into my final pieces. I experimented with 3D wet felting ideas making swirled rolls that I could then cut into small circular pieces. I did a lot of sample prints for screen printing on materials like calico and cotton and dyed some of them with procion dyes. These are only some of the ways I have been experimenting with the techniques as I have tried to do a lot.
My artists linked to my work by the use of their colour, style and texture. I took the bold style of Rafa Jenn's print when designing my screen where he uses thick lines or shapes to make the colours catch the eye. Miki De Goodaboom's line work inspired me along with her use of colour particulary the black and white and also Janice Arnold with her plain felting.
I decided on my final pieces by looking back at my samples in a design meeting with my fellow students. They chose my top 4 that they wanted me to reproduce and advised me on what improvements I needed to make.
I feel that throughout this project I have managed my time very effectively and managed to finish my work to a good standard during this time. It was at some points difficult to keep on top of the work load and make sure everything got done but I eventually got the hang of it.
What went well in this project was my ability to think up a interesting screen print design that I was able to make into 3 seperate screens. I personally think that most of my project went well for me and I made a big effort to make a range of distinctive prints. I also think a lot of my accidental pieces turned out well for me.
At the beginning I felt inspired to do well. Especially knowing the Tour De France was going through my home town, Yorkshire. However due to the amount of time spent on the project, I lost motivation for the project in the middle. I regained my interest when it came to doing my print and feel they were some of the best work I have produced.
To keep the momentum I would have made the project shorter. I feel that too much was focused on the research rather than the end product. I also think I could have changed the amount and quality of my observational drawings.
Overall I am very satisfied with this project. I think I have made an excellent collection of work that I am happy with and would be delighted to put in my portfolio. I am making progress developing my skill and learning new techniques. And I have managed to get on with a project that I wouldn't normally think to focus on. I am satisfied with the outcomes of my project and everything within my sketchbook and technical file.
My 4 final pieces
I think I have used my blog effectively and to a good standard. However I believe that in my upcoming projects I should learn to keep on top of the amount I have to do by writing them as I do each technique.
My sketchbook has also been used very effectively and to a high standard. I have spent many hours making sure I got all my ideas and inspirations down and tried making each page visually engaging. To improve on this I would like to experiment with my ideas more with media and colour as I think it would make my work more developed.
Altogether it has been a great project and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I am now looking forward to my next project that will be on something completely different and I hope it will be to the same standard as this one.
