My Colour Palette! :)

I have created a colour palette to help me with my designs, based on my research. The colours that have most caught my attention were the very bright, bold one's associated with Jeffree Star, Gay Pride and Cross dressing. I feel that these colours are reminiscent of celebration, which I like. I don't feel that anybody should be discriminated against for their sexuality or what they choose to wear.

My colour palette page, sorry it's not the right way round.

Unit 7: Design Methods in Art and Design.

For this Unit I have been researching into Equality and Diversity. I created a mind map and have been looking more closely at different topics within this mind map. I have used shape development through out, which I feel has helped me to not limit my imagination.
From looking at Equality and diversity, I was given the topic 'Sexuality' to research into. I started off by getting the dictionary definition of Sexuality.

Sexuality;
-The condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex.
-The quality or state of being sexual, one's need for closeness, caring and touch.
-Concern with sexual activity.
-Sexual identity.
-Sexual character or potency.

From this, I created a mind map, and researched in to and used shape development fo different aspects of sexuality, such as sexual orientation, sexualised images, transvestites, androgynous dress, etc.

Below are a few examples of my shape development and research.

Shep development for Sexual orientation.

Shape development for Grayson Perry.

Page for Transvestites.



Shape development for Nan Goldin.



Page for Gay Pride.

Page for Jeffree Star.

Unit 4: Communication through Art and Design

For this brief I have looked at Brand's ways of advertising. I have looked at Chanel's No 5 television advert, I like the way it is made as a short film, and imagine they would have spent a lot money to create it. I feel that this advert is very effective, and portrays the brand image well.

I think that using television to advertise a product is often a lot more effective than advertising in a magasine or on a billboard. I believe that this advertisement creates a sense of longing and desire, the colours used are rich and warm, and the song they play 'Billie Holiday- I'm a fool to want you' sets a classy, soft and elegant mood.
I feel that Chanel have taken every aspect of this advertisement in to consideration so that it accurately reflects their product and persuades viewers to buy it.

The making of my final design. :)

I started of by creating the actual choker, I hand stitched a zip together, so that the teeth were facing outward, I then stitched green embroidery thread down the middle of them, and I attached a press-stud on each end so it would fasten up.

Once the strap was complete, I began making the flower out of zip to attach on to it. I used a cream zip, and stitched green embroidery thread the centre of it.

So that the zip would keep it's shape, I stitched copper wire to it, as shown below.

I then manipulated the zip to form a flower, I found this bit quite tricky and fiddly as the wire was harder to bend than I thought it would be, anyway, eventually I managed to bend it to the shape I wanted it to be, and I put a few stitches in to help hold it in place.

I then stitched the flower onto the actual choker in the place I wished it to be.

So yeah, here is my final product. I don't feel that the colour scheme worked as well as I would have liked it to, however I am happy with the way the strap turned out.

My chosen design.

We have created 20 designs for our accessory that must incorporate our YKK zip, we had to also take inspiration from our observational drawings, and try to include a technique from one of our workshops. 

This is my chosen final design, a choker. I took inspiration from various nature inspired surface pattern (images below, Primary sources). The actual chain will be of a zip taken apart, and put back together so that the teeth are facing outward, I will hand-stitch them together. The 'flower petals' will be made from a zip which I will manipulate to create the shape I want, and I will stitch it into place, I may need to thread copper wire through it to hold the structure and shape. In the centre of the flower I will have the slider. I may also place a lace type effect, which we learnt in one of the workshops, in the centre.

Hopefully my design will work the way I want it to. :)

Current Unit: Surface Pattern

Karen Nicol

Fred Butler

Antoni Gaudi

Elsa Schiaparelli

Alison Willoughby

Fleur Schell

So our current unit is focusing on surface pattern and the decorating of an object for aesthetic value. So far I have researched into a variety of artists such as Fred Butler, Alison Willoughby, and Elsa Schiaparelli, I have thought about surface pattern around me and taken pictures of what I believe to be surface patterns, I have done observational drawings from primary sources using a variety of media and techniques, taken workshops and began my designs for an accessory that will be created incorporating a YKK zip.


This brief has got me thinking, what would life be like if we never had such thing as surface pattern, and adding a feature/detail to something to make it look nice. Would fashion or art even exist? I have never really taken into consideration the importance and how influential surface pattern truly is.

Broken promises.

Well I don't know about anybody else, and I understand that this doesn't really relate to Fashion, but isn't David Cameron a let down?

They have broken their Pre-Election promise, that there were "no plans" to scrap EMA, which a lot of students depend on, and many other promises that were made. Okay, so their not exactly promises, but they are as good as.

Below is a youtube link of David Cameron before the election, saying that he supports EMA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek1hOZs81B4

I don't like the fact that the decisions that effect us and our future, are in the hands of a Government based on Broken Promises.