Design Sketches Practice & Experimentation on Slashing Technique

 

This is my first sketch of the AP1 collection. For this sketch collection, I'm taking three nature's texture I would like to incorporate. To mimic the shapes of gravel, Shibori will be a good technique to use. I would also like to include tree bark texture using ruffle that are sewn very tightly together. One nature's feature that I found interesting is 'crown shyness', a phenomenon of when one canopy of tree branches avoids touching another's canopy which from below, the treetops appear to lock together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle (Gates, 2022). When browsing more of crown shyness, I found out about 'Nuno felting' scarf that has a green puzzle-like pattern which remind me of crown shyness phenomenon. Nuno Felting is a process of making a new type of fabric by combining a loose weave fabric with wool fiber (Ruthlane, 2013). 

In this collection I decided to include a puffy silhouette by adding bubble skirt and drawstring pants. The main concept of this collection is taking inspiration from 2019 trend of utility gears, parachute and green military color which reappear on 2025 trend forecast. The color board I used are military green, tan khaki, khaki and dark grey. I also added a lot of belts and pockets to this collection which I think are a great way to show the sporty and adventurous vibe. Despite the masculine mood that is shown in this collection, I tried to bring out femininity by showing off the waist and adding bubble or puffy silhouette on the sleeve and skirt. 

In week five, I plan to make 2 more collection sketches of both women and menswear which will be taking different texture and nature feature to incorporate into the design. I will also finalize the mood board concept and start to experiment with the fabric manipulation techniques that I will be using in my 3d outcome. 

Tree bark

Shibro technique (gravel texture)

Crown Shyness

Nano Felting (mimicking crown shyness)

Experimentation on Slashing Technique

For 3D colour theory task on 2d 3d processes module, I use this chance to experiment on slashing technique. At the beginning I had trouble to decide on one design for the shoulder bag because there are a lot of interesting design I saw on Pinterest that I would like to make, then I was thinking of using this opportunity to experiment with fabric manipulation and incorporated it on the bag. Therefore I decided to use slashing technique to create this unique 4 petal flower pattern which for me looks like a monster's eyes. I use 'Layered Cloth' book by Ann Small to guide me on experimenting with slashing technique. 

It was a straight forward process, and I didn't experience many challenges beside that I didn't expect that it will took me two days to finish the bag. Inspired by the pattern on the book, I decided to also use yarn to stitch the petal open so it would show the layer of different color fabric underneath. I was really happy with how it turned out, the neon orange colored yarn added a unique touch to the pattern. If I had the chance to re-do it again, I would use magenta fabric replacing the beige fabric on the outer bag because I think it would give more pop of colours whereas the beige fabric sort of toning down the colours.

References:

Small, A. (2017). Layered cloth : the art of fabric manipulation. Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Search Press. 

Gates, P. (2022). Crown shyness: what it is and which trees it affects. [online] www.discoverwildlife.com. Available at: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/plant-facts/trees/crown-shyness [Accessed 3 Feb. 2025].

Ruthlane (2013). The Basics of Nuno Felting. [online] Ruth Lane Art. Available at: https://ruthlaneart.com/2013/05/20/the-basics-of-nuno-felting/ [Accessed 3 Feb. 2025].