A Different World

Yesterday we were sent across to the High Mill for a little workshop revolving around textiles. It was nice to get out and try something different but I can't really say that the later techniques were something I enjoyed. The tutor was really nice and the people were very friendly. Stacey was a great help and it was interesting hearing about her own projects. 

I first tried screen printing, which having done it before came naturally. I liked the idea of combining nails and the "Peace Sign". For some reason I was thinking of Pink Floyd at the time. It didn't turn out so bad but the colour scheme was disgusting, hence sticking the image in black and white through phone image-processing.

The second technique was by screen printing a substance (can't remember the name) over the material, waiting for it to dry and then going over it with an Iron. The point of this was to puff up the material to form a raised surface. I did this over a dried screen print, thinking it'd look cool but in the end it just looked like one of those really cheap t-shirt prints that cracks after 2 washes. The black and orange gradient I had previously printed pretty much disappeared completely.

Lastly, the same process was used as before but instead of it puffing up the surface, it removed fibers in the material and left a semi-transparent design. A different type of material was used due to the structure of the cloth, it wouldn't work on the previous type of material. I didn't like this technique but I can see how it could be used for table cloths or similar.

One thing I did notice when first entering this building was it's sheer size and the equipment. They had huge working spaces per person and everything you need to screen print. For example: An exposure machine, quick drying racks and even a spray room to quickly clean the screens. I was actually annoyed with how much resources this place had in comparison to our art department, which practically has nothing. I know there is a difference between University and College, but this big? Unfortunately, that's how the system goes and is unlikely to ever be changed.

So that's basically how that morning went. While I did have insight into some otherwise unknown processes, I personally didn't find the workshop to be that beneficial. I did however find it interesting what another girl was doing, using a magnetic technique of spraying metallic fibers into a design. 

Overall, it's definitely a wonderful place suited for Textile and Fashion Students.