Digital Repeats

Alongside the fabrics I created for the final pieces for my project Ornate Obscurity, I also created a collection of digital repeats to work alongside the main designs as simpler all over patterns, using some of the drawings used in the fabric design and a similar colour palette to tie it all together. Here are a few snaps of the digital prints in my portfolio.

I'm very excited to take all my recent designs along with the rest of my portfolio down to New Designers next week, more on that soon!

Printing- sneak peek!

So I've been very busy in the print room printing my repeated lengths- 3 in total of 4m each! After all the hard work of designing and kodatracing, it's great to see my vision come to life. Heres a few photos taken during printing...

Strike off- testing out my colours and checking the design

This length was printed on fabric I dyed myself- it took a while to get just the right shade of yellowy green! Really pleased with how it looks in repeat.

This length used the same yellow/green shade on a black cotton this time, with the second screen printed in glue, ready to be foiled.

and here's a close up of how it looks finished, it took a long time to cut out the pieces of foil and press by hand in a small heat press. I love this beautiful multicolour iridescent foil, I'm hoping it will catch the light well when it's hung.

There's also a rather lovely purple/pink silk length with a black flock print, but I'll save that to show you later!

Repeat

After all that test printing, I've been working hard on the layout of my design repeat. I've been looking at a range of inspirations from Joanna Basford to timorous beasties, and have resolved what will hopefully be a successful design. It's going to be a two colour print, with the majority of it in one colour and small highlight areas in a second.

Here is my kodatrace in progress, I can't wait to get printing!

Test Printing!

Last week I have been in the workshop, experimenting with my test screens and lots of exciting processes, here are some of the results...

Initial strike off in purple pigment print

Discharge print with overlaid foil highlights

Discharge print using pigment in the paste to replace colour

I had hoped to use discharge printing for my main printed length, but this would mean lifting the fabric off the table to steam and wash it to set the discharge paste, however I wouldn't then be able to register my second screen to add foil highlights. So instead I worked on alternative options for colour ways and experimented with more processes....

matte grey foil on yellow/green fabric with lasercut leather overlay

Iridescent foil on black fabric

My favourite samples, which will inform my colour palette and processes when printing my final fabric lengths in a couple of weeks time!