Drawing - who knew?

As one of my many fans has reminded me, it is 17/11/17, so I need to blog.
Actually, it would be better if it were 17/11/71 (I like symmetry) but I don't see me living that long - thank goodness.
So ... what to think about.

Well, I have been throwing out some old stuff lately, trying to make room for new stuff, of course.
I have been going through old class notes from my course at RMIT. I started in 2006, which doesn't actually seem that long ago.
I came across the artist's statement for a piece I did in about 2011 and I am very glad I am not still in that headspace! My statement was about how people are putting on endless (seemingly endless) art shows about the environment and how we are (and still are, unfortunately) ruining it.

I was OVER IT. I felt like I should feel guilty for being alive, for using up precious resources.
Fortunately, I don't feel that bad about it now. Maybe it is closer to despair about what people are doing and not doing, about the amazing number of deniers who seem to get so much air space. But I am hopeful that it is more to do with the fact that I am doing what I can and so are others and that is all we can do. And there seem to be plenty of people who do care, despite the politicians.

Whatever the reason, I think I am in a better mental space now.

Now to my header: Drawing - who knew?
I often go to workshops and say that I don't draw. (I attended a workshop with Kathryn Harmer Fox earlier this year and she said that we shouldn't say we can't draw, just that we don't, hence the don't draw, not can't draw.)

Then I came across these old visual diaries and discovered that, when I am made to, I can draw. Who knew??

These were for a screen print assignment, base on insects. Once upon a time, I knew how to do repeat patterns.

I was quite surprised by some of the images I had come up with.
Maybe that person saying that we should draw every day had something going for him. But I don't see a revolution coming upon me - yet.

Trying to draw every day leads to rather mundane subjects.

These were from a trip to Turkey. I couldn't bring myself to draw in public (still can't) so I have quite a few drawings of my feet and fingers. And one of my roommate (which I actually recognise as her!)

It was fun going through old visual diaries and folders of notes. I threw out some techniques that I am definitely never going to do again. I discovered some that could be useful now, in a slightly different way. Then there were the ones that totally relate to what I am doing now.

But the drawings I did were a bit of an eye-opener.
Perhaps I will try to draw more often - one day.

Working hard on design assigment

I have not posted for over a week - not good.  I have this pointless aim to post once a week.
My excuse is that I have been working very hard on my design assignment and have been doing a lot of learning with Photoshop and Illustrator.  It has been a case of wanting to do something and then messing around trying to think of ways to do it.
They are fantastic programs but there is just too much to know!!
I have been practising repeat designs for screen print.  We have been learning about a technique called 'swiss repeat', which gives a multidirectional design that will repeat in a block print (one that is repeated side by side on all four sides).
I have also been trying to devise a spot repeat - it seems to work like a logic puzzle.  (I love logic puzzles.)
You have a grid and when you fill in a space, that row and column are unavailable again.

The motif does not have to fit exactly into the space, however, so that you can vary the size and direction of the motif, giving a more random-seeming effect.

Here is an example I have played with, trying to work out how this design repeat works. It is a 7 spot design. (Ignore the grid in the background, it does not relate to the 7 spot grid.)

Repeat patterns

Oops, I nearly didn't manage to follow my resolution of posting at least once a week. Fortunately, our teacher pointed out an interesting website for us today.

We are learning to use repeat patterns in our Integrated Design class. We are developing designs to use in our Screen Print, Knit and Weave classes (slightly different criteria for whichever is our focus). Today we were shown a free download program that produces repeat patterns. It wasn't designed for this purpose but gives endless play with the concept. It is called Escher Web Sketch and was developed for students studying chrystallography.

I have just downloaded it and quickly produced these patterns. I will have to have a better look at the program and see if I can come up with some pleasing designs.