Talking colour/ Talking pattern- Nanami Maeda
Talking colour
pattern
Reflection
Talking colour
As soon as I started exploring London for this task, I realised how full of colours the city is. Even in the station, I found a lot of colours, all of which I had never paid attention to before. This experience brought me to think about how important colour is in our lives. It could be symbols or signals and make things more straightforward. For example, we all recognise the red circle as an indication of the central line. I had not been aware of how colour provides us with a lot of information and messages. When I was drawing, I thought about how I could provide information and visualise my message through colour. For instance, I used brighter and soft colours when I wanted to create a warm atmosphere in a piece of work. To finish the drawings, I often added dark colours, such as black. I felt black was useful since it brings contrast to the drawings and makes vague objects more vivid. Colour combination is another interesting theme for me to focus on.
Talking Pattern
For this theme, I started working on the task by using different mediums and drawing styles in order to connect the drawings to textile patterns. Looking at things at the surface level inspired me a lot, I simply zoomed in on the pictures I had taken when I drew. It was interesting to draw abstractly by observing the details of the objects’ surfaces. As I finished the drawings, I observed their features to think about how I could develop them into textile patterns. For example, when I drew two same drawings but finished them with different colours and combined them by collaging, I could create patterns from them. It was easy to cut things out and combine them or just change the colours or the background images when I used digital tools. I enjoyed the process of experimenting and seeing how the original drawings would turn into totally different pieces from such experimentations. I enjoyed playing with my drawings and testing how the outcomes can vary.
3rd November 2024 @ 10:13 pm
Your drawings are awesome I love the way you use color , really grabs attention, and your patterns are super fun.I really like how you focus on transport and signs and how colours suggest and sends a message. I like the variety you used of mixing oil pastels, watercolours and colouring pencils gives your work a cool texture that makes it feel alive and inviting. It’s so satisfying to look at, and it really pulls people in.
I love that you’re adding a modern twist with Photoshop. Combining your drawings and taking them further is a smart move and opens up so many creative possibilities. Perhaps maybe try messing around with contrasting colours and different effects in Photoshop to make your pieces pop even more.
The patterns are a highlight and do a great job of guiding the viewer’s eye. Maybe think about changing up the size to create some focus points and spots where the eye can rest. This can help emphasise the coolest parts of your art.
Also, consider using different backgrounds for your drawings. A unique background can really enhance your main subject and make the whole piece more interesting. It also adds depth and helps your colours and patterns stand out even more and even create texture.
Your color choices really evoke feelings, which is a big strength of your work. You might also think about telling a little story through your colours and patterns to connect with your audience even more. Overall, you’ve got a fantastic start it was great looking at your work 😉
13th November 2024 @ 9:41 pm
Your creative drawings are absolutely beautiful! For me, the striking use of colour is particularly successful with a large array of complimentary colour schemes. The most successful to me is the quiet presence of various values in the separate hues you’ve used: In your needle and thread repeat pattern there is a collection of different blues working in tangent with smoky lavenders. The increase in value to a pink tint for the thread creates a more striking appearance which draws the eye to it. The thread colour appears to vibrate more on top of the dark blue value of the needle as opposed to the lighter value of the background, creating a lovely contrast which cuts through even though the colours aren’t exactly opposites. The pink hues in particular allow the green shading in the needle to appear more proudly in the piece. Overall an amazing method of creating light and depth instead of just using a white shade!
My personal favourite is the circular pattern using yellow, red and green. The marks made through oil pastel are so special, and I can see them being interpreted as textiles already. For example straight stitches back and forth on the juki, the centre portions could be french knots. Or you could even look at other hand embroidery techniques such as a bullion stitch. Your lines when sketching have a unique strength and boldness to them, it gives your piece a sense of confidence which is refreshing to see.
The advice I would give you is to try and stay away from white backgrounds. Try working on coloured papers and cards to uplift your gorgeous use of colour further. Mark making on the background first would create interest and be easier to translate into textiles. Also expand on media, try resist work by first making marks with oil pastels and glue then doing a wash of ink or gouache. Or drawing in gouache and doing a wash of ink. I would recommend ‘Creative Drawing’ by Josep Asuncion. It’s got some amazing ideas for mixed media.
To finish I just wanted to say your work is really amazing and thank you so much for sharing it with us. ☺️