Odilia Bird FDA

 Prototype tapestry:  I decided to create a prototype tapestry so that I could figure out sizing include the length and width that I wanted my pieces to be and came to the conclusion that 2 metres would be a good length for the three wall hangings. I sewed this piece together using a sewing machine and created seems that ran across the back of the work. I struggled a little bit with getting the seems to be neat and tidy and sometimes there would be gaps where I could poke my fingers through, I think that moving forwards I need to get some advice or look at some tutorials on how to do this properly.  Overall, I think that this was a successful development that has allowed me to move forward with a clearer picture in my head of what I want for my final body of work. when looking at this work I noticed that the edges seemed uneven and frayed, the more I look at it the more I realise that I want the outside edges of my work to be uniform and tidy. I like the idea of the work ...

 Printing photos onto acetate: To get these my images onto acetate I needed to alter them on photoshop first. To do this I inverted the image, changed it to black and white and then adjusted the contrast and shadows on curves to get the right degree of dark and light. I then sent these images to the print shop to get them printed out to a more professional degree.  I have alway thought that this process creates a very eerie image on it's own, without even needing to turn them into cyanotypes. I think that the black and white tones are effective at creating this uncanny atmosphere within an image, it not only makes the work seem old but also slightly unnatural. The quality of these acetates are good, better than when I print them from the studio printer and if possible this is how I will have them done from now on if possible. 

 Natural UV cyanotypes: I wanted to have another go at using the acetate images to make cyanotypes after my failed attempt last time. This time I made sure to place them in a very sunny spot in my back garden and weigh down the corners of the acetates with some small rocks to make sure that they don't blow away. I then left them out for about half an hour, took them inside, washed them with cold water and left them to dry in the attic.  I believe that this attempt was very successful, the images came out so clearly and the detail is visible. Another thing I did that I think improved these cyanotypes was not scrunching them up to get the extra water out of them after washing them. When I used to scrunch them it would cause the calico have creases and wrinkles that were very hard to get out, even with and iron and this then caused the images to be obscured and ruined the details of the work. By laying them flat to dry I have managed to get past this issue and I am left with...

 Learning how to use the sewing machine and some more practice stitches: Yesterday afternoon and this morning I decided to take the time to figure out how to properly use the sewing machine that it available for us to use in the fine art department. My course mate was kind enough to show me how to thread the machine properly as well as put thread onto the bobbin, we then managed to work out how to select the correct stitch on the machine and from there I was able to start stitching with no problems.  I tried out a variety of different patterns, however, there are definitely more that I would like to try as this project goes on as well as different thread colours. Possibly a neon pink or green, and after speaking to my tutor they suggested using thread similar to the lighter sections of the cyanotypes and using that to embellish sections of the work and then contrasting that piece by using the neon colours on another.  I think that these experiments have been very suc...