PDF Process Book

Process Book

readings / viewings, Whitney's presentation

So i will talk a bit about branding, but i've added a couple things about Christien Meindertsma's work. She's been able to do what i've been trying to do on a much larger scale and is much better at talking about it! you don't have to read/watch it all but it's good stuff if you do.

branding —
Adrian Shaughnessy. Why designers should give branding back its soul
creativeblog, October 29, 2013

Christien Meindertsma —
Christien Meindertsma: Act Local
dwell. interview. August 2, 2012

Design for a Living World - Christien Meindertsma
YouTube, uploaded June 5, 2009

Christien Meindertsma: How pig parts make the world turn
TED Talk (YouTube), September 20, 2010

rummaging for growth, objects, and inspiration.

 


 

rum·mage

1. search unsystematically and untidily through a mass or receptacle.

Unsystematic is how I'm feeling about this weekend's work. I'm exhausted and nauseated from the smell of boiled down plant matter (really need to get on the out door fire pit) but I'm excited about the dye achievements which i'll bring in for show and tell tomorrow.

John and I transferred briefly about the poetry of the crocheted brick and the possibility of incorporating more unusual found objects rather than practical products... so I went on the hunt. Down at Pavilion beach beside the decaying fish factory is where most of these photos were taken, and i found a few great objects... although i must say i'm a little bit lost on why these things are inspiring to me or how they relate to naturally dyed material but i thought i would explore regardless. Another fun adventure was pruning some Golden Rod from the field behind my house (in the pouring rain), it was hard to find any without a cluster of bees but all in all... it was a success... and the bees were unharmed.

East Coast Colors // Color Guide Book (Draft)

Here is a mock-up of a possible way to document my color experiments and derived plant info. It's a work in progress. I also played around with a new title. I thought East Coast Color was interesting because it emphasizes the environment i'm working from. It also reads as "eco color" which is an equally important point to my thesis. Thoughts? First impressions? If anything the mock up is a starting point for any questions/concerns/crit.

Sumac, Poke Berries & Great Horned Owls

This was an exciting weekend of color exploration, revisiting Staghorn Sumac and playing around with Poke berries, which may contain the most potent pigment i've come across yet. The Sumac did not react the way it did a few weeks back, and i'm thinking it had something to do with blooming stages. This time around, i got a much muddier orange/pink, whereas last time around (when the blooms were fresh, and ripe) i got a pale pink. I'm happier with the new color. It's much more fun.

I also entertained the idea of raw eco printing, The swatches to the far right of the photo's were my favorite. By allowing the Sumac to simmer on top of the Lokta paper, it began to burn a sort of dark red grunge texture into the swatch, which i find to be super intriguing. The poke pattern happened  by letting the boiled down stems of berries drip onto the swatch. It was starting to look like a Jackson Pollock painting, and i hope to work with the technique on a much larger scale... like maybe a few yards of fabric for example. I'm hoping to find other materials that behave in a similar fashion as the Poke.

And finally, some weird symmetry... while rummaging for Sumac up in the Magnolia woods/ soccer fields, scissors in tow... i happened upon the most beautiful bird I've ever seen in my life (in the wild at least). The Great Horned Owl got himself caught in a soccer net overnight and was clearly exhausted and stressed.  We were so happy to be there to cut him loose and get him the help that he needed. It makes me appreciate the point of this project, finding the best in what happens naturally in my environment and appreciating the land for what it's worth. I only wish we didn't need to encroach so heavily on the wildlife. http://instagram.com/whitneychin47

Fashions Inspired by Nature/ Growth of a Small Business

http://gaiaconceptions.com/ContentShow.php?topicID=18

I love Gaia Conceptions. The founder, Andrea, started out working by hand from her home and has since expanded enough to employ her own help. Her products are expensive but the customer appreciates the work behind it, as well as it's eco friendly production. There is an obvious human element behind the work that i've always been attracted to.

Latest Dye Specimen // Unknown

These are my latest dye specimens. I find these shrubs growing all along my travels. After soaking them for 1 hour and simmering for an additional hour they created a rusty orange neutral color in the water. I'd like to experiment more with this plant and see if less boiling time will create a less muddy orange. I'd also like to identify this plant and research its history of uses.

Over the weekend I hope to revisit all past dye experiements with staghorn sumac, goldenrod, virginia creepers, acorns, and lichen, to experiement with fabric or cotton paper. The color may or may not change but i feel with the addition of mordants and the process of fixing the textiles, there may be less of a fade as the material dries.

I'd also like to try fabric as a side project for a future bride-to-be. She is hoping to add throw pillows to hay stack seating areas in her wedding next fall. I know that acorns can create a range of brown pigments, and they'd be perfect for her brown/teal organic wedding theme. I've bleached typography into fabrics in the past and I am hoping to play with similar techniques to add customizable imagery to these textiles. She is trying to create a sustainable wedding so this process is a perfect match.

This would be a great example of future product possibilities as well as the sort of clients/ demographics I would be looking for.

Natural Dye Experiment on Lokta

I spent some time labor day weekend walking around collecting some material that has grown in abundance around Gloucester forever. For this experiment i used Goldenrod, Staghorn Sumac, and Virginia Creeper berries/ stems. The different values happen during the process, whether it is the potency of the dye bath or the amount of time the material is left to soak, changes are bound to happen. When i begin using fabrics, the color may be much more subtle due to washing and setting.

I've noticed that interesting things happen to the Lotka paper when you leave the plant material soaking on the page, leaving a sort of organic pattern/ eco print. I would like to explore that technique later in the project, it would make for interesting wall art, throw pillows, or even quilts.