Sleepless Night

I hate it when you do so much of something and it still seems never ending.

This is exactly how I'm feeling right now as i sit painstakingly cutting out my illustrations.

On a brighter note, I've come up with a name for my collection and I'm pretty sure on how I will be presenting it!

The collection will be called 'Liri-ma' which is used by aboriginals as the word for 'swim'.

All the designs are based on the intricate and fluid lines in Aboriginal artwork. I found these to be more inspiring than the symbols and dots that are so regularly incorporated in this art form.

After doing the technical drawings for my designs on monday I'm still putting together the illustrations and the final presentation album, as well as fixing my journal up so it makes sense to people other than me. I'm not sleeping tonight.
love Phoebe

Collective Reflections

Two days, countless drawings, and way too much caffeine later and I can finally come up for air.

I have finalised my collection and I love it!
It was so hard trying to decide which design features to discount and which were the most effective, hopefully I have succeeded.

The designs mainly feature piping and wadding to represent the simple, bold lines in Aboriginal artwork.

Along with my design breakthrough i also have a layout idea!
(my journal breaking was a good thing it seems)

Stopping in quickly at a tourist store, i was lucky enough to uncover a hessian photo album which will perfect for displaying a bit of mood board, my illustrations and tech drawings. Before I start all that though I need to just come up for air and breathe.

love Phoebe

Lost and Found

I've spent my whole weekend cutting, pasting and drawing. Fashion is not glamorous. Unfortunately my journal is starting to break , hopefully this means i will hit a break through.  Although I'm still unsure of my final designs i am pretty clear on my concept, so here it is: (excuse me if this feels a bit like deja vu)

Australian Aboriginal artwork is the longest traditional art form in the world. For a nation like a Australia who still doesn't possess a strong identity, its pretty amazing the esoteric culture that has been disregarded. Through the use of bold lines, abstract symbols and rich colours, Aborignal artwork is unique and immediately recognisable. Aboriginal's use art as a way of connecting the past to the present and it is deeply ingrained in their spirituality. The themes of Aboriginal artworks are usually homogenous, however no matter the subtleness of the details, every piece possesses a strong legacy.

After looking at countless pieces of aboriginal artwork in order to develop this concept I've been able to design a lot of swimwear. The hardest part now is deciding where i want to take the final collection and what the main design features are that i will use. At this point in time I'm leaning towards a lot of padding, rope detail and cups. However this changes everytime i open my journal. Sampling different parts of the designs has definitely helped me think about my designs and how they will work, so I'm continuing to try and create samples for things i'm unsure about.

For now, The end is not yet in sight.

love Phoebe

The drawing board

I've spent the last week trying to further develop my concept and have looked at so many aboriginal artworks I've lost count.

The lines and shapes in artwork are so unique and have inspired me so much i can't stop thinking of new designs. I'm looking at using rope detail, cutouts, piping and padding. This project is so exciting at the moment!

I've also started doing fabric samples to get more of an idea of how my designs are actually going to eventuate. I'm still at a bit of a loss of how i should present my work as there are no guidelines, i'm thinking of maybe doing a big poster or even A4 cards. There are so many things going through my mind in relation to the project its crazy, whoever knew a little piece of lycra could be so complicated ?

love Phoebe

An elusive identity

I have the makings of a concept!

After endless thoughts and brainstorming I've finally come up with something! (strangely enough it has nothing to do with what I've spent the last 3 weeks researching)

oh well if that's what it takes right?

After flipping through countless magazines I've seen the constant theme of Australian beach culture reoccur. I also looked at a book on Australian Style by Harper's Bazaar which got me thinking about what Australian identity really is.

Because Australia is a relatively young nation, we lack the history and culture that European countries and older nations possess and celebrate. But is this really true? Maybe our identity has simply been lost.

I want to focus on Australia's identity crisis and how we use superficial stereotypes to promote our nation's character instead of focusing on the deep history and culture that has been lost. Searching through a book on Australian Aboriginal artwork I found this quote that inspired me to go forward with this concept:

'Art is a means by which the present is connected with the past and human beings with the supernatural world. Art activates the powers of the ancestral beings. art expresses individual and group identity and the relationships between people and the land'

Wally Caruana in Aboriginal Art 1993

I think the concept fits in really well with the brief as well as with 2011 swimwear trends. I'm going to keep looking at Aboriginal artwork as the lines and detail are simple yet are so distinct from any other type of art.
Its going to be challenging but also effective (fingers crossed).
love Phoebe

A short breath

This semester I want to be in love with my concept and designs.

I've gone from looking at mosaic and shells to skeletons, insects and hollywood glamour.

Could someone please tell me how my eratic brain goes off on these tangents?

Journal research - insects and thread

Even though i've researched all of these concepts i still haven't connected to any of these themes .I really want to keep looking

until i find a unique idea that can get me thinking and inspire me to create some intriguing and original designs.

Until next time,

phoebe

Endless Inspiration

Currently, my mind is going crazy because of the many ways i am trying to explore the brief!

I started by taking the brief name of Woolen Mermaids and looking at the mermaid tail and the effect of fish scales. Consequently I'm now conscious of every type of tile work in Brisbane that is reminiscent of scales and believe me its quite a lot. These observations made me think of mosaic tiles and the beauty of being able to put a puzzle together from a lot of disjointed pieces to make some thing whole again.
Then my chaotic mind thought back to the whole idea of the ocean and what mysteries, such as the mermaid that lie beneath. Hence my exploration of sea urchins, coral and sea creatures began. i was particularly fascinated by the sea shell, it's textures and the amazing unique detail that even a tiny shell holds.

Excuse me if it feels like i'm going off on tangents but at this early point of my design development i'm trying to start looking at simple things that will hopefully end up leading me to my end concept.

My journal is quite incoherent as i try to search through trends recent collections to gain an understanding of what is being done, and predict what will happen for summer 2011.

I've just looked at my journal and seen a picture of a wave that has compelled me to design some hooded swimmers.

so until my next ramblings, keep your head above the water

love phoebe