PHOTOSHOP_ My experience

Having studied photography at A level, I had some basic knowledge of photoshop. But I've always known this- Sometimes its my enemy sometimes its my friend.  

Being reintroduced to photoshop resulted in mixed feelings. Producing the repeat pattern using simple shapes was fairly straightforward, and I soon got into a routine- duplicate layer, move, merge down, repeat. However the problems arose when scanning in my motifs was introduced to build up a print. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, it was trying to remember how to get the motif to a stage where I could actually use it (nothing is ever as simple as you would hope). And even once this had been done, I still became confused- I just found I didn't click with the software, that it wasn't easy to use. This frustrated me greatly as I wanted to be good at it, considering most people had got the hang of it. A massive step back for my confidence, I felt a failure.

Like everything in life, it wasn't all bad. When it was going well it really did go well and I saw some amazing results using the motifs I had created. Once teamed up with my colour palette, the prints began to come to life. I especially liked the contrast between the thick cut out shapes and the sketchy, textured florals (relating to my skulls and floral theme- print is a great way to suggest this relationship). Of course I found the studio way of putting together a print much easier and it suited me better as I had more control,  but it was valuable to be able to use photoshop. With more practise I can't see why I will not improve, producing better and better prints with the intention of printing them digitally onto fabric.

So was it a success? Definitely. Although I wasn't a natural, I did learn a great deal. With the ever evolving technology based work, its vital to be able to produce prints digitally as a designer, as a more drawn out approach will become obsolete. The main thing though, however frustrated I became or hated my prints, I still enjoyed myself and the process and was massively pleased with the outcomes of my prints.