Experimental Bodice.
For the first major project of the course I have been set a brief to create a experimental//extreme bodice, the brief is 4 weeks old, and has to have a running theme around a certain era. Due to me not knowing some of the smaller eras from the past i first did some research and uploaded it onto my Pinterest account (http://www.pinterest.com/bbhurlin/) so i knew what types of styles and had a general idea where i was going with the designs//moodboard.
For this project i have decided to explain and evaluate my work and progress page by page of my sketch book. (some of the things i did were not added to my sketch book but will still be explained as to why they were not helpful and why i did not choose to put them into it.)
Page 1;
Using the colour scheme that i had researched into, and using different coloured papers i created a primary source moodboard to get an idea of shapes, colours and patterns that i could potentially use within my project. i enjoyed using the metallic style paint as it gave a very different look to the page compared to water colours which is what i usually use within my word. also i really enjoyed the fluidity to the page and how everything flowed and the detailed drawings were on top of this so they looked more 3D.
On page 12/13/14 i have done some more sketches with materials that i am most likely to use but unsure within which way yet. i now know that i will be using wire, along with neutral colored materials such as hesien/cotton/calico ect. i really feel that these sketches within the next 3 pages have no limits and when i do design my final design, i will have several limitations and changes to the sketches and they may not be as bold as these several. i feel these few pages have really helped me look into the different ways i could add the bodice to a skirt and will help within the next few stages once i have created the bodice and need to photograph it with different outfits. it has also helped me develop the looks of different colour schemes.
Page 15;
my final design i have created isn't a fashion illustration i have created a very detailed drawing of what i want my design to look like at the end, i have chosen for the base of the bodice to be made out of the "chicken wire" i will create shape in the design by cutting and re-twisting where the darts would be to take in in around the hip area, along with on top of the chest so it creates a sweetheart neckline effect. Because obviously the bodice wont be skin tight so will need other support to keep it up on the body (as it will also be very heavy) using the weaved section in the front of the bodice i am going to extend two pieces of the material, preferably the strong types such as the faux leather to tie around the models neck. i feel like the way the knitting will lie on the bodice wont cover the chicken wire, as this is a strong feature of my theme, but to create ladders within the knitting and pull the knit so it stretches over the wire. i want it to almost look not finished as i will have strands of wool down the right side of the bodice, then whilst testing i left some over-lock slightly over handing so on the left side to balance out the design i am going to let some of that hang straight down. i am very please with what my final design may look like and i hope the finished piece comes out like this as i think it really represents my theme and different techniques.
Knitting;
Experimenting with the knit machine wasn't very successful for the first few times, the laddering of the wool was too weak and didn't look right on the wire base, because of this i then went onto a small knit machine with smaller yarns. i found this massively easier and the effect worked out better than what it did on the larger machine.
Finished product;
i am very pleased with how my bodice came out. i feel that all the techniques were tested well before i started to make and i had a clear understanding and idea of how i exactly i wanted my bodice to look and how i was going to do it step by, in my sketch book i created a 10 day step by step plan of what i was going to do day by day. although i had to do a lot of the work out of studio time for the bodice to come out how i wanted it to look, i had to do this. if i could change anything about my bodice if i was going to do it again i would just say make sure the sizing was more accurate, but apart from this i felt the project went very smoothly. i would take one key point forward from this project and that is that although testing takes the longest out of the whole project, the more that its done the better quality and smoother the making process with less things going wrong.
For this project i have decided to explain and evaluate my work and progress page by page of my sketch book. (some of the things i did were not added to my sketch book but will still be explained as to why they were not helpful and why i did not choose to put them into it.)
Page 1;
Using the colour scheme that i had researched into, and using different coloured papers i created a primary source moodboard to get an idea of shapes, colours and patterns that i could potentially use within my project. i enjoyed using the metallic style paint as it gave a very different look to the page compared to water colours which is what i usually use within my word. also i really enjoyed the fluidity to the page and how everything flowed and the detailed drawings were on top of this so they looked more 3D.
Page 2//3;
The secondary moodboard i have created had some primary images that i have sketched into the moodboard. i feel that this has given me the start i need and more of an idea of what type of colour scheme and types and styles of garments from the eras. i can now progress and develop this into sketches and i can come closer to my final design and i can start sampling.
Page 4//5;
Page 4 and 5 of my sketch book i have drawn/sketched basic designs using the colour scheme and blending a few of the themed eras together. i know this is not conventional but i feel that my bodice may benefit from it. By using my Pinterest pictures and research i am able to do this. from these sketches i like the contrast between the black and the goldy brown colours, and also the mixtures of soft materials and metals/plastics that could potentially be lazer cut. i am now going to take this further and start sampling from these sketches to see if the colours of materials have the same effect, along with if the lazer cutting is possible.
Page 6;
Both pages 6//7 have the same task, which is using the basic bodice pattern piece cut out of cardboard to my specific design and start my testing/creating another basic moodboard with materials. The first bodice piece i created was more 2D rather than a 3D style, it had some small detailed designs along with layering a harsh colour changes, i liked the layering onto the bodice but i didn't like the harsh colours in contrast, i feel that it was too much compared to the light delicate lacey colours. This has decided for me that my colour scheme needs a few more colours that are more nude and in the middle as the beige/cream against the grey/black isn't a nice effect and it seems the blending of two eras may not be possible.
Page 7;
My second sample bodice, was the same shape but much more 3D and by using the Hessian material, i feel that it linked my colour schemes together, also i used leather which i think has a very nice effect and the theme of my bodice is now heading towards contemporary Tudor. Also using neutral and brown thread and using the sewing machine sewing on top of the materials really linked them together. Another key material i used within this sample was the "chicken wire". i really like the metal effect of the wire rather than using lazer cutting as that can be very expensive and time consuming. also i cut into the bodice and sewn across. although it is difficult to see in picture b. it created a very nice effect that i will also test further.
On my bodices' i created a sharp large bodice piece and i feel that it doesn't really fit into the theme and and will need to be looked at further when it comes closes to my testing and final designing.
a.
b.
b.
Page 8;
As mentioned previously, i needed to research more into the shape of the bodice and all the different types of designs that would suit my bodice and theme, i have researched the shapes by looking into catwalks and bodices' on them and how they are all shaped in haute couture and how i could simplify them so it was possible for me to make them. I feel that the best bodice shape for me to go into would be the simple sweetheart strapless bodice. i feel it would be best due to the limited time i have and then i could add more detail to the bodice rather than having just a plain simple large extreme style. But it all depends on what type of material i use to make it. and this will be the next step by designing and sampling the materials for it.
Page 9;
After sampling the wire on one of the previous pages, i feel like i want this to be a key part of the bodice. so i need a lot of my sampling to be with the "chicken wire" so i can come up with ideas of how i would use it. i have sampled weaving the material and i think this look is brilliant. i feel the look is not really in the style of my theme but the colour scheme certainly is. also using 3D medium adds an old feel on such a contemporary look.
For the next several pages i have sampled all different styles of wire and how i could weave into it and what materials are best to be weaved. i have added some of these samples into my sketch book, but not all as some of them looked very shabby and were not really in my style.
Page 11;
After the Hessian material being so successful i have pulled it all apart and tried weaving the strands of that. this is very much in my theme and has a very rustic look to it. also by adding acrylic paint and quink ink onto it it creates a very different yet nice style. i feel this testing has been very successful.
I have started the testing process seriously now, going further and on a larger scale of what i have been sampling within my sketch book. i have tried different ways of creating the base of the bodice along with potential embellishment and fastening ect. One style of testing i have come up with is using knitting on my bodice. i feel that it creates a real contrast between the metal with the soft wool. i have tried several colours and i feel that a dark grey/green really works well and i feel that i am going to progress this further.
Page 12/13/14;
On page 12/13/14 i have done some more sketches with materials that i am most likely to use but unsure within which way yet. i now know that i will be using wire, along with neutral colored materials such as hesien/cotton/calico ect. i really feel that these sketches within the next 3 pages have no limits and when i do design my final design, i will have several limitations and changes to the sketches and they may not be as bold as these several. i feel these few pages have really helped me look into the different ways i could add the bodice to a skirt and will help within the next few stages once i have created the bodice and need to photograph it with different outfits. it has also helped me develop the looks of different colour schemes.Page 15;
my final design i have created isn't a fashion illustration i have created a very detailed drawing of what i want my design to look like at the end, i have chosen for the base of the bodice to be made out of the "chicken wire" i will create shape in the design by cutting and re-twisting where the darts would be to take in in around the hip area, along with on top of the chest so it creates a sweetheart neckline effect. Because obviously the bodice wont be skin tight so will need other support to keep it up on the body (as it will also be very heavy) using the weaved section in the front of the bodice i am going to extend two pieces of the material, preferably the strong types such as the faux leather to tie around the models neck. i feel like the way the knitting will lie on the bodice wont cover the chicken wire, as this is a strong feature of my theme, but to create ladders within the knitting and pull the knit so it stretches over the wire. i want it to almost look not finished as i will have strands of wool down the right side of the bodice, then whilst testing i left some over-lock slightly over handing so on the left side to balance out the design i am going to let some of that hang straight down. i am very please with what my final design may look like and i hope the finished piece comes out like this as i think it really represents my theme and different techniques.
Knitting;
Experimenting with the knit machine wasn't very successful for the first few times, the laddering of the wool was too weak and didn't look right on the wire base, because of this i then went onto a small knit machine with smaller yarns. i found this massively easier and the effect worked out better than what it did on the larger machine.
Finished product;
i am very pleased with how my bodice came out. i feel that all the techniques were tested well before i started to make and i had a clear understanding and idea of how i exactly i wanted my bodice to look and how i was going to do it step by, in my sketch book i created a 10 day step by step plan of what i was going to do day by day. although i had to do a lot of the work out of studio time for the bodice to come out how i wanted it to look, i had to do this. if i could change anything about my bodice if i was going to do it again i would just say make sure the sizing was more accurate, but apart from this i felt the project went very smoothly. i would take one key point forward from this project and that is that although testing takes the longest out of the whole project, the more that its done the better quality and smoother the making process with less things going wrong.
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