Batik

Hey everyone!

I totally meant to post this earlier as I did this a while ago, but I learned how to do batik on rice paper earlier with Nikki. I was away on a college visit recently, so forgive me if this seems a little messy; I'm still a tiny bit exhuasted from the trip, but I'm ready to get back at it.

I have a very difficult time describing the process, but I will do as best as I can to explain it. It isn't too complicated, however it can be a little messy and it also depends on what the artist hopes to achieve from it. What we first did was get some sort of simple picture or sketch to be traced with a black marker onto the rice paper. Simplicity mattered in this case because the process would get extra messy if the design was complicated. At this stage, you could also add certain details like a border or a signature, which is what I did. I then painted wax over all the places where I had drawn something over the wax paper, so I had wax traced over my drawing, the border and my signature. I also spattered the wax all over the paper to give it a cool affect, but this is also not necessary. After finishing with the wax, I water-colored the paper to suit the drawing and when I was finished, I used a hair dryer to dry up the whole paper. After this, I painted a few layers of wax (Nikki explained that more wax was better) over the entire paper. When finished with the wax, the paper had to be placed somewhere cold, so I left it in the fridge for a while so that the wax would solidify. After a few minutes, I took the paper out and crumpled it up a few times (and this gets really messy, as the wax falls off of the paper). Since the paper was still covered in wax, we sort of had to iron the wax off by placing the paper between newspapers and ironing it that way, as the newspapers pick up excess wax. When all of the wax is completely removed, the batik is finished. Below is my finished product (the process was really messy, so I didn't get a chance to take many pictures while I was making this).

Nikki was kind enough to get a frame for it, so I'm very grateful for that. Doing batik on paper is very different from doing it on fabric, and so I have been looking into this since I was planning on trying this out for a scarf. However, there is the possibility that this might be too complicated for this project, so I have been looking into other simple DIY projects to do instead. I have also been working on the photograph pattern as well and am waiting to get some advice from another expert that I know. I will probably be posting again soon, so thank you for reading!

Larissa :)

Marbling: I Figured It Out

Hello once again

I'm here to update on my second tryout with marbling. To my satisfaction (and also a little to my annoyance), this second time around was much more successful! I tried a few different methods and made some basic designs (I'm not planning on getting too complicated) on some pieces of construction paper and scrap pieces of fabric (torn from a t-shirt). Below are afew of my samples, the last one being some fabric scraps.

This time ended up being much more successful, and I honestly don't know how, but I'm grateful for it. There's some special techniques that one can do to get the paints in a specific, reproducible pattern, but I prefer to just swirl them around a little. I like how no one pattern looks alike, and Nikki agrees. Conveniently, I've found that the red and blue paints work best on fabric, so I will start a massive fabric project to create a simple hobo bag. Now that I've mastered using the complicated marbling paints, I'm pretty confident with them and I will soon report on my recent batik experiment with Nikki.

Larissa :)

Latest CAbi Show: My Realization

Hi everyone!

I have lots to update on, but I've been really bad about posting all of my new information on this blog. First, I'll start with my discovery at the latest CAbi show from earlier this week (and I will be sure to update on my success with marbling very soon!).

This show was pretty typical; Kris did her presentation, we recommended styling ideas, women would try on clothes and complain about their bodies (in regards to their heights, etc.), I would help the women to try on the clothes and try to keep things organized on the rack. As I was helping Kris set up the show and put the clothes on the rack, I realized that after all the time that I've been working with her, I actually still don't know exactly how the clothes are supposed to be organized. Within this "Spring 2015 Collection," the clothing is organized into different sections, all of which have titles. Not only that, but each of the individual pieces have names, and while this is pretty cool, it's really hard to keep up with. Each article also has a "control number" that is used when a consumer wishes to buy a piece, and while this isn't necessary to memorize, it would definitely be helpful to do so. It's strange how even some of the costumers will know the name of an item and I will be clueless as to what they are talking about because there are so many names to keep up with.

While I was reflecting on the difficulties that I have with keeping up with all of the information and on the times that I struggle with the clothing oranization, I realized that this is actually something very common in the manufacturing industry. Having to deal with a bunch of tedious information is not something specific to CAbi; every clothing industry deals with this, especially those that utilize mass production techniques. All of this can make working in the fashion industry more difficult since each company will have certain things done or organized in a specific way, leaving very little room for freedom. With this realization, it also makes a good point for why one may reconsider the "handmade/DIY industry." By self production of goods or materials, one can have more freedom in what they wish wish to produce and work with, making the process much more stress free. Self creation of products also allows for more individuality instead of creating things based on the rules of a system that one would have to go by otherwise if dealing with a manufactured industry. All of this just provides more support for why it's important to maintain the ability, willingness and value to self create art.

Now that I've finished with that, I will soon update on my latest marbling tryout and I'll continue to go over the CAbi catalogue to keep all of my information organized. I'll also be working with Nikki again this week to try out batik on rice paper, and hopefully I can show some of her work as well.

Larissa :)

Marbling Experimentation!

Hello :)

My marbling kit came in last week (I had to order it online), so I decided to experiment with it a little bit on paper. I used some old sketchbook paper for this first experimentation, but soon I'll be trying it out on different mediums, including different types of paper and fabric (cotton). This first experimentation was mostly focused on learning how to use the marbling kit and seeing how the dyes worked.

I followed Nikki's instructions to use the marbling kit, while also reading what came with the package. The dye can be difficult to work with, so one must create a sort of system for using it. You need to attain a tub that's a bit larger than the object to be marbled and put some water in it (somewhere around 1-2 inches deep). After this, you can usually put the dyes on the water and swirl it around a little bit, but this makes it difficult if the dye drops down to the bottom of the water since the object won't pick up this dye. The kit comes with some "float paper" which is basically a bunch of little circles of cardboard-like material that will float on the surface of the water. You can then pour the dye on these to make it easier to control the flow and movement of the colors. You can also use a brush (as Nikki suggests) to sort of paint on the water to get the dye on the surface. The brush is also useful for creating the pattern, but you can also blow on the water to move more of the colors more subtly. Once the desired pattern is obtained, the object is then gently laid on top of the water to soak up the colors (but this object should not go beneath the surface of the water, as I learned the hard way). After this, the material can be set to dry and you're done, unless you want to create other effects, which I will discuss later.

During my experimentation, I used colors that I didn't plan on using for my final product (green, orange and yellow). Unfortunately, I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to and those that I have doon't have the best quality, but at least this was just an experiment for now. Below are two examples of how the colors look when submerged on the water.

In the first photo, you can kind of see how some of the dye dropped down to the bottm. In the second, I used the float paper to get the colors on the top. Below are a few marbled materials.

There's some white space in these since I didn't fully cover the paper in the dye, and also some "smudginess" that resulted from either dropping the paper in too deep or touching the paper before it dried. I started to figure it out more in this last example shown here, although this one is a little boring since I didn't stir around the colors. I had another example that turned out pretty cool, however it turned into a sort of brownish color since I accidentally dropped it in the water too deep and the colors mixed. I'm planning on working with this soon again and trying this out on some fabric as well. I'll discuss the other cool techniques that can be done with this in my next post before this one gets too long.

Thanks for reading, and apologies for the poor picture quality again.

Larissa :)

Gameplan

Greetings!

As I briefly mentioned in my inroduction, I plan on creating some garments of my own to get a look at the clothing construction and design process. Here I will outline my plans for each of the garments I intend on making. First, I want to mention that for this project, I am more concerned with the designing of the textiles and pattern creation than I am with the designing of the garments and the clothing construction. The reason for this is that I am completely unfamiliar with patternmaking and textiles, and because of my internship with Nikki (who has experience in these types of things), I want to expand my knowledge on these subjects as much as possible.

As for the graments, one piece that I plan on making is a basic "skater skirt" using the fabric that I will have printed with my photograph. The patterning process can be pretty difficult, so this may take up some time. As for another piece, I want to make a "hobo bag" using fabric that I will color with a marbling kit. Marbling is a technique used on many mediums for many different purposes; it can be used on paper and fabric and is often seen on wallpaper designs. It's also possible to create images or patterns with this technique. Below are a few images of marbling (courtesy of Google Images).

As for the last garment, I plan on making a simple scarf and batiking it to make its pattern/print. Batiking is hard to describe, but it's a process where cracks and spots can be created on an art piece. I've only seen it on paintings and didn't even know it could be done on fabric, so I'm excited to get to try this. For this technique, hot wax is used on the surface and then painted or dyed over. The wax is then taken off the surface, showing the patterns created and displaying the the cracks that can be seen. I am a tad concerned with doing this process since it can sometimes get complicated with the colors, so I am working on a backup plan in case this doesnt work out. Below are some examples of batik (again, courtesy of Google Images. I'm sure I can get some pictures of Nikki's paintings soon to give some better examples).

Larissa :)

Welcome back

Hello once again

I apologize for this late post to the blog. Last week was a little hectic as I was sick once again, had some technical difficulties and had received some really awesome news that made me go a little crazy, but I'm back and am happy to update.

While I unfortunately do not have much to share on my own handmade product progress (patterning is quite tedious, especially for those perfectionists out there), I do have a little to update about the latest CAbi show and the "homework" I have been assigned. This last show was interesting because I noticed that the women were very concerned about their body types and how they could find the right clothing to suit them. Once again I heard women speak about their heights, but the girls also discussed their "curvy" and "straight" bodies, which is a common concern for women these days. It was interesting to see how the clothing fit both of these body types; some things were easily able to flatter both types of figures, while others seemed like they were specifically made for one body type. Another interesting thing is that the women seemed to blame their own bodies for the trouble they had with the clothes, something that women commonly do when they go shopping. This accentuated one of the major problems of manufactured clothing, as it often seems like it is made to fit a mannequin, not a natural woman's body.

As for my assignment, Kris has asked me to some up with some information for her. I first have to find some styling techniques for her to use at the shows, and next have to find a few "wardrobe solution ideas." These are things that can help add to a person's wardrobe, personalize a wardrobe or just make more outfit possibilities. I also have to find her a few resources for her to look into, including fashion blogs, books, shows and anything else that can help her keep track of certain trends and ideas. I will be sure to post this once I find all of this information.

I will be back soon to update on my individual research. Please enjoy these two pictures from the show, one of the clothing display and the other of the incredibly adorable dog (named Gizmo) who was at the show.

Larissa :)

2nd Show

After working my second show this last Friday, I'm happy to say that it was a lot less exhuasting than the first and that I was able to hear a lot more of what the clients had to say about clothing. Like most women, these girls were concerned with how the clothing fit their bodies. Many spoke about their concern of their tall height and how it was often difficult for them to find clothing to suit this. This all highlighted the issues of manufactured clothing, and reminded me of times when I myself would wish that I could make the clothing myself to better fit my body and not a standard mannequin.

Aside from their tall heights, the girls also talked about how they felt that they had so many clothes that they hardly ever wore and had a hard time figuring out what to wear. I similarly face a problem where I will stand in front of two full closets and feel that I have absolutely nothing to wear. Interestingly, one girl mentioned how this would not be a problem if one just kept certain basic and statement pieces in his/her closet, as then one would have multiple different outfits made just with different combinations of clothing. This could easily solve the problem, but also had me think back to the purpose of handmade products. While you could make something yourself to give it certain details the you might not find on something manufactured, you could also make it so that it will be stronger and last a lot longer. A problem with manufactured clothing these days is that while it can be easily produced and bought, it may not be made very well.

Another interesting side note to make is that while on my reular weekend commute to the Humane Society, I spoke with a fellow volunteer about my project. I told her that I was looking at fashion and how we look at things differently when they are handmade versus when they are manufactured, and she told me that she has been sewing ever since she was a little girl. She also mentioned how when she was younger, it was a lot cheaper to make your own clothing items, as the manufactured items would be more expensive, but in recent times she has found that it is now cheaper and more convenient to go out and buy clothing. She also told me that it is actually quite expensive now to make your own goods, and even buying thread can be pricey. I found this interesting and completely true; buying fabric and dyes can get very expensive, and this often prevents me from making clothing for myself. I plan on looking into this a little more this upcoming week, and will give further updates when I run more shows.

Larissa :)