Paper Manipulation Research

As I know that I want to continue with a similar subject I revisited my previous 50 images to find related sources to the work that I'm going to be undertaking. Today I visited the library to search through the paper craft books to find some examples of artists that use continuous folding techniques to form shapes or items for the body. Artists like Richard Sweeney, Andrea Russo and Polly Verity are good examples of impressive folding patterns. I still have to research fashion designers for existing clothing displaying signs folds and linear lines. I know that Issey Miyeke is a good example of this as he uses the same process as me to creating folds and fixing them with heat.

Richard Sweeney

Andrea Russo

Polly Verity

Final Piece Idea Generating

I've been trying to figure out what to make using my folded forms. I know I want me make something wearable but I need to work out what it is, where it's going to be and how will it sit. I've been trying to draw some things but the best way to do it is to use my samples to place them upon a body form to see how they work. I've also used a bigger sheet of a paper form to test more outrageous ideas. The difference between the paper and fabric is that the paper is more strict to it's form and doesn't have as much give to moving. So I know that the fabric won't sit into some of the lovely structures that the paper produces. I have decided from playing with the shapes to make a skirt and arm bands both incorporating the tuck lines along with the folds.

First Cut Exhibition

Today I went to an amazing paper exhibition in Nottingham. The first cut exhibition showed a range well known paper artists. I had seen most of the work in books but it was so much better seeing it in person.

The most related thing to my work that I saw was Susan Cutts' and Violise Lunn's paper dresses as I'm looking at adorning items. These were amazing hanging in mid air. They looked somewhat haunting as they were shaped like they were being worn. The exhibition showed a range of was in which you can make and display paper art. There was cuts, sculpture, clothing, installations, short film, and wall pieces ranging for really small to a whole room.

It was so amazing to see work in real life that I've been inspired by and admired from inside books for so long. There wasn't a piece there that I didn't like. It was if the exhibition was tailor specifically for me. After looking at all this paper work it made me miss working in paper.

 

Susan Cutts

Violise Lunn

Andrew Singleton

Claire Brewster

Andrea Mastrovito

Laura Cooperman

Nicola Dale

Chris Jones

Manabu Hangai

Peter Callesen

Su Blackwell

Rob Ryan

Constructing the Dress (Part 2)

After gluing the top half of the dress together I quickly began on the skirt. The last part of making the dress ment I had to fold my printed sheets into my desired structure and glue them along their edge (which wasn't easy to get perfect joins) into a thick chain of folds to be wrapped around the dummy. I got a bit stuck with how I'd fix the skirt on to the dummy as the skirt was too heavy for elastic tohold it on, so my only option was to glue it straight onto the top half. For this I needed to have a flat part on the inside of the skirt that would then be fixed together. I folded out some of the top folds to form a semi-flat surface, leaveing a pattern of folds still at the top to keep the skirt shape. This flat surface was then glued upon the top half, completing the dress.

Dress Construction (Part 1)

Monday and today I've been working on the construction of my paper dress. I started on my pile of printed sheets and folded some big squares into my chosen folded structure. I also began with the top half of the dress. I wanted to have folded top half but nothing too complicated that would pull away from the skirt. From my drawings I had designed a dress with vertical folds and have deside to replicate this for my dress. I'm finding making this dress really complicated to put together as paper doesn't want to mold to the human form as easily as hoped but I seem to be getting along alright with test pieces first to figure out the shape and then translate it onto my printed paper. I worked out that I am going to have to make this in two pieces. I am glad to say finished shaping it into the form for the fornt and back parts as I found them (especially the back) rather frustrating. The bottom part isn't very nice with slits to bend the paper but hopefully the skirt will cover that up. All I need to do now is glue the top half together. I'm a bit reluctant to fit it right now as once it's glued it's not going to come off till after assessment when I'll have to cut it off (which is a shame) and if Kate askes for the dummy back before assessment I'm screw and will have to break it apart to give it back and I'm not sure whether I could fix it back together, especially if i've already dont the skirt. So fingers crossed I don't need to give it back.

Sample Enlargement

After testing out some different sizes I've came to the decision that I'm going to have A2 sized sheets as I feel they look best in proportion to the body size and with bigger folds I think it would be easier to fix and shape around the form.

Paper Tests

I've visited the college library to see what different types of papers they have there to see what I could possibly use as I think I should see if there are any better types of paper to use for my dress, maybe with an interesting texture rather than just the plain smooth look. I found that most of the papers were quick thick gsm's but I did find a nice water colour paper with an interesting texture that I quite liked so I bought a couple of sheets to play with. It was thicker than my usual paper but noot too thick that it'd be impossible to get a nice clean fold.

I found when I made my folded structure with it it was a bit stiffer to use but still good and also had a much nicer and desirable texture and feel to it in comparison with my plain smooth paper.

Paper Print Tests

After my feedback I felt like I knew exactly what I am doing and that I can completely flow with my ideas. I began with ideas of what to print on the papers to fold and considered the shapes I've produced with the structure. I thought that if I could covered the top of one of my paper samples with paint and I'd be able to print the zig-zaggy crosses onto the paper but as it is quite a flexible sample I struggled to get a clean print of the pattern so I recieved this scattered marks. I folded this up into the folded structure and I dont think this works as it I think it takes away from the folds.

When I applied the paint to the sample to print with it left black lines along the folded parts that I thought it could be interesting to see the lines more straightly painted on a sample. I folded a structure and unfolded it and painted black lines along the folds to see the outcome and I think It looks quite classic but I'm not sure it really gives the feel of delicacey or a lace like quality.

I looked back at my ICP module and considered the print patterns I made during this section of work. I thought about that I could use the paper cut out pictured prints as these were lace inspired print and would be best fitting with my current work showing a natural elegance to add to the structures of the dress. I dug out some old prints I had and folded them to fully picture the outcome. I felt these best linked to my work, combining something I previously made in print with my paper structures.

At the time I was thinking between the cut out prints and the painted folds. I liked them both that thought that I should see what they'd look like if I combined the print and the lines. When I finished I found that these really don't go well together and I definately wont be using this.

Paper Headpieces Samples

I started making head pieces with my samples. I made sure to use nicer paper than the basic paper i was using for sampling. I started simple to begin with and attatched a clip to one side of my folded piece. It wasn't as easy as I hoped to glue together. I had to glue the folded piece into the shape, glue a paper tab around the top part of the clip and then glue the paper attached to the clip onto the top part of the piece. I found while making these that I'm going to need a stronger adhesive, I'm thinking about looking into a hot glue gun.

Here is a nice picture of me wearing my first head piece attempt: 

After making one I looked at different variations I could do with this one piece. I layered two of them, one on top of another and glued them together before attaching the clip. I also tried layering three different sizes.

I also used one of my "fan" like samples I made with my Doilies into a head piece but instead of a simple clip I attached it to a piece of ribbon that was fixed to a piece of elastic ribbon that I measured to perfectly loop nicely around the head. I positioned it nicely to sit on the right side slightly off centre from the top of the head, creating a nice folded paper decorated headband.

Paper Tube Necklace Idea

I started another of Clive's paper jewellery ideas for the folded paper tube necklace. I looked at my sample and thought that if I elongated the paper length and repeated the folds along it that it would make one long part of the necklace. I did so and found that because it was longer it was harder to fold and form but eventually got one part made, unfortunately that because it was longer it struggled to get the folds as smooth and straight as previously.

New Paper Samples

After my Formative assessment I went straight back to work and carried on sampling, I'm still looking for new and interesting 3D structures I can fold and make out of paper.

Last week I found a book in the library 'Folding Techniques for Designers' containing loads of nets and instructions for creating interest folded pieces. I took it upon myself to flick through every page and anything that looked challenging I attempted, Leaving me with a pile of new and exciting samples to add to my others. These samples are different to my first lot as with these I created them using only one sheet of paper, whereas my previous bunch used a few sheets and were glued together to form structures. There are certainly some good ones in here and maybe even my most favorite.

My next plan is to start making head pieces looking at all of my samples. not completely sure that I should do my initial dress idea as it may be too much of a challenge that I can't complete in time.

Paper Samples

This week other than finishing writing my cultural studies essay I have been playing with paper and sampling. There are already some that are showing potential and that I am becoming drawn to than the others.
For most of my samples I have played with the Lotus fold Becky Adams showed us, which I have repeated, twisted and modified to create these grids of folds.

 

I found that by even turning them around and seeing them from different angles some of the samples can give a look so much different and give a different pattern.

After just playing with normal paper I moved onto making similar and new patterns using paper doilies. I think the paper doilies give it a more feminine delicate look compared to the sharp straigh patterns made with the normal plain paper. I think now I'd like to play with different papers, with different patters and textures.

I've also briefly used patterned papers to sample with to discover their outcome. I was interested to see if the technique would be lost if the paper was printed. I used graph paper for it's web like print and wallpaper to find out how the sample would look with pattern on one side of the paper and to also see if it was a usable material for this process.

Becky Adams Workshop (Part 2)

Another amazing day with Becky Adams, we had a day long workshop with her making more books. She brought us loads of things to play with, papers, fabric etc. even some old metal pocket watches she didn't want. She demonstrated to us how to make the lous flower fold book and a pocket book before we shot off to fold, cut, tear and glue again. Not knowing of what to base my book about Becky wanted to breifly look through my recent work to see what I was interested. While quickly looking through my sketchbook she instantly fell in love with my paper cut out designs and started me off with the idea to make a book with the pages all with cut up patterns. WIth my inspiration I began cutting away into many layers of pages making sure I repeated the patten to match the following pages. After cutting my paper I glued all the pages together and made a cover by covering some cardboard in fabric and sticking it either end of my pages. I added a little ribbon to the front corner to indicate which way to open as it is a very delicate piece.  At the end of the day we all got together to display what we had all been working hard on to everyone and becky. There were some very beautiful and inpiring pieces made and it was so interesting how different people had had changed and adapted their ideas to a simple piece. Watching everyone's reactions when they saw my finished piece put a smile on my face and really made all that hard work worth while.

I found making these books to be really interesting and that making my own books isn't as hard and complicated as I had imagined. The lotus flower old has certainly inspired me for patterns I can make and play with for my dress skirt. If I get layers and layers of them or make a string of these could work as the lotus fold makes my flat paper cut outs more 3D and sculptural.

Paper Dresses

After my tutorial and following from my paper dress idea I've done a little research into artist that have also used paper as their medium and I found that really you can use any type of paper to make clothing with, even toilet paper.

Jolis Paons

David Dixon

Sandra Buckland

Gary Harvey

Amila Hrustic

Bea Szenfeld

Test Shoot Gallery

Doberman

Susan Stockwell

Peter Clark

Jennifer Collier