CRTICAL APPRAISAL_ Introduction to Textiles Applications

Critical self-appraisal:

Textiles was an area I had never explored, so I was eager to learn how to work my way around the print room. It all seemed very scary, with hazardous chemicals all over the place- I felt out of place. However that alienation didn’t last long as I got to grips with some amazing print processes.

The first thing I learnt- there was so much you could do to a piece of material, from dying to discharge to printing pigment, then on top of that add a bit of foiling. But it didn’t come easy to me, and I became frustrated at my seemingly lack of ability. Although that wasn’t the case, I often compared myself to others which made me put myself down.

I wanted to fully immerse myself in the world of print. My heart longed to be there, but my head was telling me I couldn’t do it. However with a little bit of reassurance, I produced prints I was happy with. They aim of this module wasn’t necessarily to produce outstanding prints, but to learn about the way in which they are put together and the processes, also how to mix up some of the dyes.  The use of a file was helpful to record the processes and to refer back to. Guest speakers such as Bridget who collected a wonderful array of vintage prints added some historical and contextual research and background to the module, which was then applied to the prints produced.

I really enjoyed working with the silk, we seemed to click. I loved the vibrancy of the colour it took on when acid dye was applied, and the finish when printed with a screen. These regained my confidence, and allowed me engage and produce print samples to my high standards.

The area I enjoyed was creating a print to be exposed onto a screen. It included mark making and transferring them into motifs, to make up a pattern. I excelled in this and ended up with two contrasting prints that work well independently, or could be layered up which I was very excited about. A series of print processes I was especially pleased with that used the screen was a strong background, then printing one pattern in a contrasting pigment. I would then use the other pattern and print this over the top with discharge, so it was subtle. This worked incredibly well and a collection soon built up. So it wasn’t all bad.

It was a bit of a roller coaster of emotions; sometimes I was positive sometimes I was adamant I could not do it. Overall I achieved a lot. Looking back, the processes alone were something to be proud about knowing how to do. But my final print sample collection was something that was pleasing to look at, with bright bold colours and playful prints. I didn’t allow my stubbornness to take over this time, hopefully this will be a new me. Considering I hadn’t much experience in the textiles field, I was pleased at how far I had come.