Agate : The Powers of Healing the mind and Soul.

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Agate and its healing properties

Agate is the name given to stone quartz found inside stone and pebbles found on beaches.It is usually formed in laid lines a bit like tree bark. Bands in different colours are formed over thousands of years and it comes in a multitude of different colours and patter-nations. Found in the natural world coming in different facets it was formed by microscopic crystals and is used frequently in crystal healing.The properties of agate help cleanse and calm the soul. It is said that it can increase concentration and perception and can help with honesty and truth.

Promotional leaflet idea for Sleep Project.

Natural Agate Image

The image above is a close up of natural agate semi precious stone. It would work really well as a surface design. A fabric or a feature wall in an interior.

Fallen Tree: Wood detail

    Pebble Sleep Theory
Ideas for a Gadget to help you sleep.

Agate  has similar structures inside wood pattern-ation, reasons evolution from rotting mud forna to rock. The coloration of wood is muted and neutral. I have used this pattern when cutting my second Lino which links to the swurling pattern I added to the pebble warmer gadget I designed and draw via research for an RCA sleep project which I am currently developing through lino printing and other printing methods.Presently I haven't added more detail to this gadget.I would have to collaborate with someone who understands this sort of manufacture.

The wood on this agate would be super curved in a retro 60's style similar items with this sort of finishing can be found in kitchen goods. Agate is currently very fashionable and can be used in furniture design and large mural wall art.
Evaluating this particular project, I found it interesting, however designing a gadget was
a bit out of my comfort zone. The initial drawing would need to be completed into technical drawings for manufacturer with detailed sizing and construction processes. The electronic device would need to be designed by someone with a particular technical skill which I don't possess.

Sketch book doodles used to inspire direction of design processes.

Wood detail were I found the idea for a wooden gadget.

Project Brief Natures : Evolution Pattern-ation and Armour

MA Major Project Brief

­­­­­­­­Term1 @ 2 Autumn/Spring

Natures Armour– Scheme of Work

‘Natures Evolution’: Pattern and Armour

Project Brief

 Research into the eco conscious values and design principles including Psychology based interests. ie  Colour Blue.
Heritage and Artisan beliefs are a continuing aspect of my working practice in corpora ting Art and Design Philosophy akin to Arts and Crafts movements of the 19^th and 20^th century. 
I am looking at various influences in order to home in in a few months so I am currently researching the following points.
Vintage retro/romantic fusion inspired, deconstructed weathered patinated faded ancient archaeology.
 Hybrid mixed traditional and modern technology creative textile and haberdashery (hardware for accessory concepts Fashion/Textiles)
Researching artefacts within curated collections within Ancient historical stately homes and castles.
Time-Scale/ Duration  - Two Terms for initial developments , followed by capsule collections of fabric development including illustrations to show there possible uses within selected themes and contextual research.
Resources

·         Sketchbooks

·         Adobe Cloud applications

·         Print room, lino printing, screen printing, photographic printing

·         Examples of metal work, Lazer cutting (wood metallic sheets.)

·         Examples of decoupage and layering.

·         Reference material research, mood boards.

Materials

·         Sketchbooks

·         Pencils, pens, water colour and gauche

·         Cartridge paper

·         Printing inks

·         fabric

Design methodology
Week 1-4

·         Introduction to the project; concepts of design, including changing scale, surface and context

·          drawing exercises; cut out screen printing ,  lino printing , photographic printing

·         Create a series of finished art work, using hand techniques and CAD.

Week 1-4 Spring/Term

·         Complete mini capsule collection in lino including up to date log book work.

·         Consolidate images taken for processes and photo graph work achieved for look book (final project portfolio digitized)

Week 5-8

·         Continuation professional practice development inside research and project themes created through project developments.

·         Add to blog and reflect practice. Evaluate.

Initial photographic research while hunting and gathering wild chestnuts near to my home. The spiked shells I have drawn and annotated to create ideas for 3D moulded fabric or detail hardware for home or fashion.

Water colour of observational photograph.

One sketch a day sketch book, natures details.

Sketch book ideas.

Horse chestnuts collected from landscape. 

Printing Techniques And Application

 Pebble Project

Volcanic rock and Seascape:Mallorca Spain.

Initial Lino printing technique I have chosen is a sketchy organic style of cutting. I have used an image initially created in pencil taken from an initial project brief created by the RCA in regard to improving sleep . I have designed a number of ideas within a sketch book and decided on looking at organic forms those forms sent me thinking about what I wished to create I therefore to initial images while walking in my local countryside, however what I found was mainly green or brown these colours and the natural items I was looking at wasn’t fitting for the project I was pursuing. I thought about harmony and tranquility and remembering were I always feel calm and relaxed I remembered days on the beach ambeling along the beach. I thought of lazy days, however I kept thinking about nature landscapes and seascape seemed fitting. Sand wasn’t tactile enough and the imagery wasn’t compelling , shells were too bathroom based for an image to calm within a sleepy lounge or bedroom. I used to collect shells and I love drawing them, however I needed something else as I was sat roaming the internet which isn’t necessarily the best choice as it’s too fast a space to contemplate , I looked past the computer and picked up something that was decorated in paint to mimic a lady bird. I shot out of my seat looking for more of these found objects from nature’s landscape. I had found my ureaka moment. The object with a calming tactile equality that inspires the minds of nations around the world. An item used for tranquility, contemplation, relaxation and harmony. The Pebble Collection had been formulated within concepts. 

While researching I found a number of interesting points and within ancient sociology links to homage to live and death which I will link in to the blog moving forward. As I was researching and creating an idea for an object which could warm up a bed, warm hands, and warm feet . It’s purpose was to relax and help sleep, however it needed to be opened and in doing this I became reflective of what might be inside a pebble. This is when I reached another pathway of elaborated decoration created by nature’s adoration of the colours of the rainbow . Agate was know part of the pebble collection.I will add images moving forward. Fabrics and details of interest to create a collection of interlinking concepts and ideas.

The Blue Effect: Theory of Colour

The blue effect of water,the psychology of blue. Humans are distinctively drawn towards blue water and not muddy water. We know this because scientists have worked on the theory many times. Blue is a cool colour and can relax the mind.

Within the principles of design, the blue effect via research by Jill Bulter a lagoon type of water hole in Derbyshire via industrial mining created a lagoon style lake in the hills. Unfortunately it was highly toxic, this was not stopping people trying to swim in it, calcite crystals from limestone rocks contaminated the water making it highly toxic. i have swam in a blue lagoon and it is an amazing feeling within its turquoise dynamics which are emotionally intoxicating. In general it is known that blue decreases anxiety. 

Due to the number of people repeatedly trying to swim in the pool. The local authority changed the colour by adding dye which stopped peoples interest in swimming there.

The instinctive values of living creatures to find and be drawn to clear blue waters via ancestral links and natures evolution makes the colour blue more interesting than brown. Those selecting blue water processed through evolution and those that didn't choose effectively would eventually be selected out through survival of the fittest.

Considering using thought processes against instinct, instinct usually wins. The psychological effects of the colour blue and all the contextual meanings of the colur water and sky.

These are generally contextual, social context and productivity contexts.
One experiment that was carried out to prove this theory included a task in regard to creating as many different usages for a brick within a short period of time. These instructions came with different coloured backgrounds. The participants that choice a blue background more ideas and there work was more inspiring. Red background or red in general context is a hot colour and increases anxiety. Neutral colours generally have no effect.
Social context- perceptions of friendly feedback versus aggression.
In one study, 700 participants were asked to rate the officers on different attributes within a number of different attributes including honesty, approach-ability, friendliness.
The police officers in blue had the best feedback. It's not a co-incidence that the united nations has a blue logo. 
In terms of productivity a number of experiments have been carried out one was the changing the colour of light in an office and test the productivity rate of individual people. Some floors had plain white and some had white light enriched with blue.
What happened was blue enriched white light and increased general alertness, concentration mood and performance.
"It's been repeatedly demonstrated that blue light blocks production of sleep hormone melatonin and activitates parts of the brain responsible for alertness. But what's good during the day is bad during the night. Blue enriched light experienced a night disrupts our circadian rhythms and has linked to serious health conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular problems and cancer" (Lyda.comBlueeffects from universal Principles of design 19.02.2018 12.21).
When considering designing for food in blue for example plates detour the desire to eat, however this could help people wanting to diet. People per sieved food on blue plates less interesting and not as appetizing as a white plate. 
Inside of advertising blue aligns well with positive thinking and is used a lot in toothpaste and healthy products and also nurse and doctors uniforms. Blue can also signify peacefulness like a calm landscape within a blue sky.

Seas have been the holiday locations of the world, humans have been influenced by the shores of our seas for centuries. They are important parts of human society and also for nature and the habitats of many sea mammals and fish. The sea is being polluted by plastic pollution and it is destroying a lot of our natural world. We need to make fundamental changes within our own life style choices before we loose the beauty of our world. I have selected a clip from my families holidays from the 1960's just to evoke an understanding of what our shores used to be like in terms of nature and human developments within our shore line and were it is today.

Cornwall Saint Ives.

Influences Created Through Research

Drawing developed from researching old interiors magazines.

This old Indian Palace interior has influenced me because of its ancient peeling decor which adds a sense of nastaligic and traditional meaning to antiquity imagery.
This ancient Indian interiors has an opulent feel, however faded and worn it still has a feeling of nostalgic references.


The images taken using my camera equipment have influences how my  concepts for fabric designs have been generated. Colouration of the pebble collection has been select as I have previously discussed via colour therapy(theory via research) and also experience of colour value inside of previous and current working practice . Other areas influenced within the pebble project are numerous , I have however selected a number of links which are influential as discussed reflections creating through light and water have inspired me to look a pattern repeat structure, using the negative and positive of images created.Repeat pebble design.

Secondary influences within my home artifacts and images which I will discuss as and when needed throughout this blog will explain in more detail directions taken within different projects. I also have an archive of Interiors Magazines which I love to flick through to see what has been inspirational over the last couple of decades.
What I can say about my personal design practice? and how I create will also be discussed in greater detail. There is always a plan a mind map an initial direction mood boards and sketch books including primary and secondary research connected to contemporary and historical reasoning and artifacts.

While researching for my pebble project I spent time contemplating on the photograph of a  picture I bought from a junk shops soon after I moved to the countryside, the reasoning was the colouration matched the carpet without the house which is a biscuity melange effect. The other reason is that I liked the modernity of it and the use of design effects of changing the images from a negative to a positive and back again. Windowing the image in different ways and using an organic shape. Creating a repeat pattern from simple shapes.

Vintage wall hanging.

Reflections on the lake Kirklington Manor

 I gain a lot of inspiration from the landscape and I considering taking colours from the landscape in the form of ecology based inks and dyes which I have done previously with wool. I will be researching printed ink making within in ecology based production. Hand made without the necessary of buying plastic packaging to save the planet from climate change which is effecting habitats around the world.

Printed Screen Print

Folk Art Influence

This print was created via screen printing using a stencil technique. It means you don’t need to create a screen using photograph screen printing photo sensitive solutions. All you need is re cycled newspaper which hasn’t been printed on. Every newspaper company run very big printing machines and to save production time they take of the rolls before they are completely run out. They are then sold off cheap. I can remember buying myself some my moons ago from the Nottingham Evening Post. What I liked about cutting into the paper is it reminded me of lace or contemporary lazer cut fabrics. The paper cutter paper is on its own a lovely piece of creative indulgence. However I used it to print onto various types of paper. I am very interested in the Japanese papers in an off white or winter white colour. I am also interested in developing backgrounds to print onto to create more interest and uniqueness. 

Concepts for this screen print was to use vintage 50’s style influences with ideas taken through British based meadow plant life.The mood board below has some secondary research and some photographs of wild forna taken locally were I live. I usually create mood boards to help me with my creative direction. The sketch to the right has been created to add a bit of folk influence for the next stage of this design process. As it stands it needs to be made more formal ,using a compass and a ruler to map out design and make it repeat properly. 
I would like to create some repeat patterns.

Sketch book doodles used to design.

                                                                       

Printed Concepts for printed fabrics

Print Concepts on paper are to be recreated onto fabrics for either home-ware or fashion. I have enjoyed creating these initial concepts and I am currently working on adding these ideas to a repeat pattern screen print. I am happy with the archaeology style finish giving the patterns a heritage ,vintage ancient feel. I do think they can be improved in terms of finish , however I don't want to remove the mood and the naive feel which adds a relaxed homely feel. I am responding to a desire to create a contemporary and yet historical reflective design piece. I will need to research what printing ink or effect I will need to do onto fabric. I am thinking Cotton/linen, calico,and silks. 
I believe the vintage patine ancient elaborated de-constructed design warms and nurtures consumers to hold in their lives an understanding through historical visuals in a contemporary style which is akin to ancient antiquity artifacts giving a similar appeal and wow factor. Responding to an understanding that historical imagery transcends through history in the same way nature and the natural world stays with us in a world full of history and antiquity warms the heart and makes people feel part of the the never ending life cycle of natures evolution ,patern-ation and armour.
Responding to this knowledge and an understanding of respect for historical design and contemporary in order to add reasoning to time and journeys that our lives follow and of which our family transcend through.



Evaluation : These initial concept ideas have been created to look at the technique of screen printing and the ideas around negative and positive repeat pattern.Clearly they have been created to evoke a feeling of hand drawn ancient reflections. My choose of scale for these designs could be over sized. They are in fact small single motif images. For these images to work commercially they would need to be created with more refinement, however this could remove the element of free hand sketch appeal. The gilt adds an ancient equity mood, however again as a technique and a colour and gilt idea they work. For these to work I think photographing them and adding them to a more elaborate design my allow these images for life span, otherwise they are purely developments showing key colour ideas for forward designs.

Mark making effects using lino print and  silver gilt.

A variation on initial sketch lino print.