Chloe Bea Designs: Previous Collections

For my new project, I've decided to focus on architecture, particularly Parisian architecture. I've drawn from images on the internet, but mostly photographs I took myself when I went with my boyfriend nearly 2 years ago now.

Hope you like them! :)

Working out the desired pattern for the warp

All my yarns ready to go on the loom!

Just before threading it through the needles

I will post again soon when it has been finished and I have started weaving!

\ I just wanted to give you a brief look at my final prints for the last rotation before I pick print to specialise in at Christmas.

I have just given these prints in to be digitally printed. They will come out darker than this, so to compensate I have put the brightness and contrast up so you'll have to use a touch of imagination!

The inspiration behind these was originally Karl Blossfeldt with a small influence of Japanese floral designs. This has spanned into looking at vintage 1930's wallpaper design, using Cath Kidston's pretty designs as inspiration of how she has made it current.

I'll post again once they're printed, steamed and washed! :)

Here's a sneak peak at some of the prints of designed for my print rotation at University. The majority is hand drawn, besides the second image which is a photograph I took and manipulated.

For those who don't know, my project is based on Karl Blossfeldt with a small influence of Japanese floral design, combining that with any other plant or floral forms I wanted.

For the first image, my inspiration was the more than well known Cath Kidston prints and the whimsical quality they have. Throughout my whole collection, I am combining multiple patterns subtly.

The second takes influence more so from Karl Blossfeldt's photographs as it is more structural in form.

The third and final image featuring in this post is inspired by vintage floral wallpapers, using a symmetrical drawing of a leaf, mirrored again to make a frame around the floral design.

I'm loving some of the trends shown in Printed textile design at Premiere Vision recently! I thought I'd share a few of my favourites on here.

Firstly, the microfolk trend! Folk prints are often large, so it's a refreshing change that they have been scaled down, creating an opulent feel, backed up by the luxurious colours a lot of them are in.

SET Societa Europa Tessile

Concorde

Societa Europa Tessile

The Arts and Crafts period has always been a firm favourite of mine. I couldn't even tell you why, maybe its the intricacy combined with the sheer simplicity of techniques. At Premiere Vision, original William Morris designs have been manipulated to make it more current, for example just mirroring the pattern in different ways which makes an eye-catching centre point.

Societa Europa Tessile

Color Textil

Cataguases

Overlaying patterns makes for an interesting effect, but can often be overdone. I really like the idea of printing over a weave (and may coincidently steal this idea for my upcoming weave rotation haha!)

Delago

Aspesi Federico

Top Project

All information sourced from WGSN

Left: based on architecture
Right: butterflies and flowers

Based on insects

Close up of the architecture Dulux paint card

After doing some machine embroidery of pansies (previous post), I decided to make it into a pattern to put into my sketchbook.

I scanned one in, selected it using the Magic Wand, and transferred it into an A4 size piece, which I then duplicated and put in the right place. I converted the first 3 of the pansy motifs into a 'Smart Object' to make it easier to place the others. I also made some smaller to fit into the gaps, again converting to a 'Smart Object' to make it easier. And tah-dah! One pattern finished!

The first photo is the original, the second is a simple invert (with tiny alterations using levels and curves), and the final photo is invert with hue alterations.

Despite it being very early to be thinking about my final project as I am only just going into the second year at University, I have always had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, purely based on interests.

After my visit to Paris, I completely fell in love with the place, so I have always wanted to do something Parisian, but I have always thought this might be a tad generic. But then being commercial is often good for selling.

My second idea is architecture, grand architecture to be imparticular. But I feel I'd need to narrow that down a little, maybe only covering grand architecture in a certain area.

(I realise this is Paris as well, but it's the grandest architecture I think I've got a picture of)

Also, me and my mother are considering visiting Barcelona next year as we've always had an interest in Gaudi architecture. The lines involved are lovely and I love the colours involved.

Another passion of mine is flowers, it was something I always used to draw as a child, and personally, what I think I'm best at drawing at. But they do say you always draw better when you love what you're drawing. However, floral patterns are something that are covered time and time again in textile design. It depends whether you can bring something new to the subject.

My last idea which I've recently discovered, is ironwork. It sounds somewhat boring, but when you really look at gates (especially in places like London), there is some wonderful detail involved which would translate so well into design.

Patterns I have made from a small piece of machine embroidery I did (featured in previous post)

I thought I would share with you a few bits that I have done so far for my Summer project on Karl Blossfeldt. Feel free to comment below :)

Biro drawings of Karl Blossfeldt's photographs.

Graphite drawing of Karl Blossfeldt's photograph.

Ink seeped through from another page so I made it into a foxglove...

Machine embroidery representation of Karl Blossfeldt's photograph.

Above is a pattern I made using the embroidery sample on Photoshop.

Since buying an iPad, my blogging has took a hit, mainly due to the poor design of the app, so apologies!

But I have also finished my 1st year and have been relaxing a little. Of course, this is disturbed by getting the brief for my summer project. It seems like only a couple of months since I got the email about the last one, which was a about the Alphabet and using different techniques to fill each letter of the alphabet. I really enjoyed doing that project and am hoping this one will be just as enjoyable.

Filler: Polymer clay - lace imprint

Filler: Lino printing

Filler: French knots

Filler: Stamps and Envelopes

My new project is based primarily on the work of Karl Blossfeldt, a German photographer who took photos of the form and structure of plants and flowers in black and white.

So far, I have researched in depth what paths to take with this project, and have only completed two pages of my sketchbook. For the first page, I wanted to do a detailed drawing of my favourite of his photographs. And for the second page, I wanted to show the same plant using different techniques. I even went back to my childhood and folded the page to make a symmetrical print.

This is only the beginning of my project. So far, I am really enjoying it, I have always loved drawing flowers even from a small girl. Hopefully this will turn into a lovely textile design as I will be transferring this into a print upon returning to University in September.

The deadline for the last project of my first year of University is tomorrow and I thought I'd show you what I've done in my knitting rotation. I had to make a final piece, which could be whatever I wanted. At first, I thought about making a (pillbox) hat, but through lack of time (because the domestic knitting machine decided not to play), I opted for my second choice, a necklace. And if I'm honest, I'm glad I did the necklace, mainly because I think it's more wearable than a hat.

I am really happy with my necklace, I experienced new machines and ways of knitting, mainly the linker machine and the dubied knitting machine. After a slight bit of hesitation with the dubied machine, I got the hang of it quickly and really enjoyed it. I found it was much less temperamental than the domestic knitting machine!

Finally, here are the pictures of the final thing - I hope you like it! :) I'd love to know what you think so feel free to leave a comment!

I have recently finished the last print module of my first year of University. It was based on paper cutting and mottos. My main influences were Rob Ryan, and doilies. I created two screens and used methods such as discharge (25% and 100%), procion dyes with manutex, indigo dying and pigment dyes.

For those that do not know, discharge takes away the colour from the areas you wish. It can be used on most fabrics, however it is useful to know what colour the fabric has been dyed from as this is the colour it will most likely go when discharged.

Like Rob Ryan's paper cuts, I aimed my designs to tell a story and to involve people. In the photographs below, you will see I chose a motto which was emotive for personal reasons. Briefly, I based my project around the distance between me and my boyfriend (because we both attend different Universities now). Therefore, in my design, I drew me and my boyfriend with the motto in the middle.

I hope you like them anyway, even if they don't relate to your lifestyle completely. I'm always happy to hear feedback or comments :)

Sorry they're a little creased!

Some of my first year weaves are mounted ready for the next (most likely hectic) deadline. These aren't all of them however, two have been submitted into the first year Bradford Textiles competition for weave.

These weaves are inspired by Hornsea pottery. My designs included mainly a (very) simplified flower motif. I was restricted by the set up of the loom as we were learning techniques. It meant I couldn't do a full flower motif.

So now I've started back at University again after the Christmas break, I have tried my hand at weaving - something I have wanted to try for a long time.

It was easier than expected, even if you haven't really got a maths head like me. Here are my first bits of weaving, simply experimenting with different patterns.

The colours are totally irrelevant to my project so please excuse them! :)

The above photo won't add unless it goes this way, apologies haha

So here's another of my final samples from the first term of University. Knit was my first rotation, I loved it, despite never even touching a pair of knitting needles in the past. I suppose that background knitting knowledge would of helped but it shows what you can do on a knitting machine without any background of knitting.

I thought it'd be fitting as it's nearing the end of the year/term (and the gloomy deadline), to show some of the work I've done throughout the rotations.

So here's my print work. The title was seed heads, flowers and geometrics. The main aspect I took forward which the majority of my prints was the flow of them. The idea arose from the way seed heads float in the wind

Enjoy :)