ATV3 Exercise 3.1 Gouache studies

 Exercise 3.1 Gouache studies

This exercise really excited me; I was going to be able to explore colour which is not really something we have had an opportunity to delve into yet. The first challenge I came across was yet another lockdown!

I had a look through the fabrics I had but did not feel inspired. As I was unable to go to the shops, I start looking through the internet for printed fabric and neutral fabric. What I found difficult about not going to the shops and getting to see and feel the fabric. Its hard to work out the size of the print if the colours are accurate from a picture. With the textured fabric, this was a real disadvantage as it was difficult to see if it was the texture of the fabric or actually the print on the fabric.

I managed to purchase a good selection of fabrics to choose from, finding a bag of offcuts the most profitable for interesting prints. The textured was not as successful I one of the samples I had purchased thinking it was textured turned out to be more patterned than textured. As seen in the image below.

I first began by counting how many different colours where in the print I had chosen. I began by picking a similar paint colour then painting a small test sample and holding it up to the sample to see what needed to be added to colour. I was surprised with the red that to make the correct tone, it needed burnt amber. 

The blue tones were a very similar in tone, it took me several attempts to reach the correct, using 3 different tone of blue and adding differing amounts of blue or white to get to the correct tone. I was surprised at how many attempts it took to get the correct shade. Even though there were only 2 main colours to work from red and blue I had to break the colours down into 3 different shades.

This sample was all shades of blue, I can't decide if it made it easier or not. I was surprised by how many different shades of blue I could create using 2 different shades of blue and just mixing different amounts of blue. When you see the samples there in a line you see how well the shades work well together and create a beautiful selection of samples. These were my favourite selection of samples, although not a vast variety of colour. They just appeal to me, I'm not sure I can explain why.

With the next pattered I broke it down into 4 different colours with pink being 2 different shades. What surprised me with this print was although they were pastel tones they still need a small of black to dull down the tones. The colour I found most difficult to capture was the green, I thought I had achieved the correct colour in the lighting I was in, but in another light it was clear that the shade was not quite right. I found this had been the case when look at the fabric samples as well. Viewing them in different lights created a different tone of colour.

I also found if the paint was not fully mixed the paint it could alter the tone when the paint was applied. The other thing I found that effected the samples of paint was how the colour changed once it had dried. I had to take this into consideration when creating my colour squares.

I then moved onto my neutral samples, this was certainly going to be more difficult. I chose a piece of woven beige fabric to observe. If the light changed slightly it changed the colour. To capture the different shades was literally altering a cream base colour and adding browns, yellows and black. what I found the most difficult was if I had actually created a new shade of colour as some were so similar. This was definitely a lot more trail and error, continually holding the painted sample up to the fabric and evaluated what colours I could add to change the tone of the colour.   

My next sample of fabric was again was a neutral beige colour. In refection I wish I had moved away from the beige and tried a grey perhaps. I chose a looser weaved fabric, what I found with this sample was that due to the looser weave it created less variants in colour. Which resulted in only finding 6 colours.

Of course I was going to start on the patterned fabric, this was going to be the most fun to create. I chose I nice bright coloured fabric with colour variations, with a white background. I began by painted the background white. I left that to dry before I began painting the pattern. After the white had dried it looked more cream, in reflection I probably should not have painted it and used the white of the paper instead. 

I began with edge of the fabric completing the broken pattern to make it whole. Using the same technique I had used in the previous sampling. Holding the painted sample up to the fabric before committing to the picture. I found it really daunting after I had finished the edge, I now had to do my own pattern and work out where to put the flowers.

I chose to work on one coloured flower at a time, this meant I could ensure the same colour throughout as I would not have to remix the colour to achieve the correct shade. I filled the frame with flowers I then began adding the darker shade to the flower. I found this worked better when the paint on the main flower shape was fully dry, otherwise it mixed with the paler shade altering the colour. 

Once the flowers were completed I then went over and filled the gaps with leaves and black decoration. I felt the finished piece went really well and the painted pattern and the fabric blend together well.   

I can not say the neutral fabric was as successful. I can tried to match the colours for the fabric, but that alone was not going to cut it. I need to try and create the texture in paint. Once I had the colour I began trying to paint lines, which did not work. I then dashing lines as seen below, but again it was not quite right. I finally tried painting a beige background as base, these seemed to work better. 

I then used a mixture of 5 different shades varying from white to beige to dark beige. Trying to recreate the texture in the fabric, I kept going over the painted marks trying to add to the texture. Unfortunately it did not go as I had hoped. I do not think I captured the marking right or perhaps understood how to capture texture on a flat surface. Maybe I could have used a thicker paint to create the texture in the painted area. If I had time I would like to have redone this piece.