First Year Evaluation

P & E   T A S K   T W O

I have really enjoyed my time this year. Moving to Manchester and doing this course was definitely the right decision for me. The course has given me new skills in two different areas of textiles as well as expanding the ways in which I have worked. This I feel has made me more adaptable as an art student as well as more open minded. This year I have specialised in print and embroidery. I love pattern and surface designs and manipulation however coming to the end of the year I feel as if my work has developed a lot and I am still desperate to explore construct and learn how to put my prints onto garments. I am truly disappointed that I could not learn construct in particular as i’ve always loved woven textiles particularly from more cultural backgrounds such as Ecuador and more of the south american countries. I would really have liked to learn construct in some way whether it be out of contact time or a quick induction and watching youtube videos in order to teach myself. This is probably one of the main downfalls and real disappointments of this course as I came into TIP in particular to really explore everything. Although I do feel Unit X has been beneficial, I also feel like it would have been just as beneficial to have learnt the other areas of the course and I definitely would have liked to had I been given the choice. 

I have found myself being thoroughly busy this year which I have really enjoyed as I am naturally a hard worker. I prefer creative processes which I can really get lost in and things I can do by hand. The more involved in my work I am; the better it is. My mood, emotion and attachment enable me to make my work more personal to me. I have realised that although I love bold designs I really have a passion for intricate details. Whilst doing embroidery I was so shocked at how much my work developed. I became really selective about the choice of yarn that I would use to create particular tiny details and really visual work. I found that the outcomes of embroidery were far more satisfying and I had a greater sense of achievement than that of my outcomes in print. This is why I really feel strongly about learning construct as I feel that I would love to pick out particular yarns and colour combinations in order to create beautiful textures and patterns. 

One of my machine embroidery samples which inspires me

In reference to what area I am thinking about going into next year, I am still very unsure. I love print and pattern as I am very visual and have obsessions with colour. However I really enjoyed embroidery, probably more than print which was very unexpected as I came onto the course not wanting to go near embroidery and avoid it at all costs. I think I need some help/advice in order for me to decide what direction I want to go in as an artist/designer despite having actually been thinking about this for most of the year. I love looking at different cultures in order to gain inspiration. All I know is that my designs are very bright, very colourful and both textural and patterned. 

Inspiring woven textiles from Peru

I came on this course hoping to develop my knowledge more on the different opportunities there are out there and so far I only feel like I know a little more in this area than I did before I enrolled. I also feel like I would really like to know more about career opportunities in terms of what jobs there are in each area.