Beyond Vintage
Mary Jane Russell in Chinese silk pajamas, Vogue 1953
My project began to develop by looking at different styles and designs that were created by various designers at the time. I started looking for fashion magazine covers and designers that were iconic at the time and how they have influenced modern fashion. This picture in particular caught my eye because of the use of different colours and textures within the photograph; from the models clothing , the furniture, and the items in the background of the photograph.
Mary Quant (born 11 February 1934)
Mary Quant is a Welsh fashion designer and a British fashion icon that dominated fashion in London during the 1960’s. She became an instrumental figure or youth fashion movements because of her use of striking patterns and colours that encouraged people to dress to please themselves and to express themselves in the form of fashion. She was one of the designers who took credit for the miniskirt and hot pants, and by promoting these and other fashions she inspired people and other fashion brands to be daring and take a risk in an artistic way.
I started to explore Mary Quants work by looking at spots and stripes to create a similar response to the designer. I used various colours to create my responses because Mary Quant is primarily known to explore colours, shapes and materials when creating her unique designs.
In response to Mary Quants designs I created a two prints that explored a range of techniques. The first print I created was made using various materials to laminate onto denim underneath a stiped layer of plastic ontop of denim. I chose to use orange, green and silver because they are bold colours that compliment and contrast with eachother.
For my second sample I appliqued various shiny fabrics onto a piece of fabric in circular shapes to create texture. I then laminated green circle stickers and layered black embroidery thread onto the fabric to create stripes across the sample. Finally I laminated a piece of plastic ontop of the sample to create a shiny texture and to add more lines ontop of the sample. Forthis sample I used various colours that compliment and contrast with eachother to make certain colours stand out.
In response to Mary Quants work I created various prints based on first hand photographs of daisys. I started by looking at the colours that Mary Quant uses for her fashion designs to inspire my colour scheme that I would later on use for my prints.
I started by taking first hand photographs of daisys in response to Mary Quants daisy prints. I decided to create a tonal drawing of the daisys to create a draft for a print, I then created a colour scheme using the colours peach, pink, green and yellow based on the colours that Mary Quant uses in her designs. I developed this further by creating two printed samples using the colours and used gold and black gutta to outline the daisys.
I went onto creating a series of designs based on the print that I created based on my first hand research to explore a range of techniques and colours. I created this sample in response to Mary Quants daisy prints. I used the colours green, yellow, pink and gold because they are bright and bold colours that would compliment eachother. I printed the colours onto fleece and used gold gutta to create an outline for the daisys.
For my second sample I created a similar print but instead used different colours to create a different affect and to make the pink stand out against the black background. I then hand embroidered green thread for the outline of the daisys to create a pop of colour in response to Mary Quants bold colours.
For my final response I printed black and pink transfer paint onto satin to create a different texture compared to my last responses. I then outlined the daisys using black gutta and created light and shadow by creating black dots.
In conclusion to exploring Mary Quants designs I achieved using different techniques and used different colours to create similar responses with different textures and a different outlook that was abstract similar to the designers work. Completing this study will guide my ideas into a different direction by using nature to create designs in an abstract style.
Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987)
Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned and sometimes controversial artist.
Andy Warhol - His "Flower" Prints from 1964 – 1983
In 1983 he produced the “Kiku” flowers. These were three screen-print images that he published in Japan. The image is based on the Insignia of the Royal House of Japan.
Andy Warhol took nature as his main source of inspiration and decided to make a bold floral print. He made limited edition prints labeling 'Flowers' as his collection title. In 1964 he produced the “1964 Flowers” based on a photo of a Hibiscus. These were printed from a flat surface treated so as to repel ink except where it is required for printing.
In response to Andy Warhol's daisy prints I decided to create two block prints that explored a similar idea based on my first hand photographs. I began by creating my stencil using a polystyrene block to carve my daisy print into, I then printed orange fabric paint onto cotton to create the basic print. After I decided to carve line shapes into the polystyrene to create texture, layers and extra detail to the daisy in which I printed using yellow fabric paint in response to his daisy print.
For my second block print I used the same technique but created a different response by carving into thye background of the block to create a different texture, I also chose to use the colours red and brown to create light and dark areas onto the print. To develop my ideas I created a fashio design using both prints to visualise what they would look like if creted into a garment.
Raoul Dufy (3 June 1877 - 23 March 1953)
Raoul Dufy was a French Fauvist painter that used vivid expressionistic and non-naturalistic use of colour throughout his artwork and textile prints. He developed a colourful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramics and textiles. He is also a draftsman, printmaker, book illustrator, scenic designer, a designer of furniture, and a planner of public spaces.
Raoul Dufy, Roses, printed cotton, 1929
Raoul Dufy made practical use of the theme of floral patterns to create this design while using fauvism to create a sumptuous palette of bold colours against a dark background. Dufy adventures into creating geometric patterns by using blocks of opposing colours that would complement each other. Raoul Dufy was my main source of inspiration because of his use of simplistic designs that used bold colours that compliment or contrast with each other. Similarly Raoul Dufy and I tend to use nature as our main source of inspiration while adding unique shapes, colours and textures to make bold patterns.
In response to Raoul Dufys rose I created a silk painting based on my first hand photograph. I began by using black gutta to create the outline of the background and the roses onto satin to create a repeat print. I then used turquoise to fill in the background based on the colour scheme that I created for my project. Finally I used various shades of pink silk paint to create tonal roses that looked more realistic than Raoul Dufys that are abstract. I was inspired to create a repeat print based on his prints that used limited colours that made his work stand out.
For my final piece I decided to create a mini skirt based on Mary Quants well known garment and the design elements from Raoul Dufy to conclude my theme based on vintage fashion.
To develop this idea I created my final piece in response to Raoul Dufys abstract rose print and is similar to a print that I previously created. I began by choosing the colours pink, green, purple, yellow and peach based on my colour scheme that I created. I then printed onto chiffon using similar colours and used abstract rose shapes onto the fabric in response to Raoul Dufy to create a bright trail for the skirt.
