portfolio pages

I am attending a careers fair in Manchester tomorrow. After a group session with my course where we each showed our portfolios and gave feedback, I have found a few things i could change to get a better looking portfolio. I have also done some new pages from the current project. Below are the new pages i have created to give employers an idea of the work i am currently doing. 

designs

i feel like im finally back on track with my project, i have been lacking motivation. i have started to translate my designs into proper designs by drawing  them up in illustrator and photoshop, playing around with print. I generated more prints over the weekend which i think are more suitable to my theme. here are some of my favourites from what i have done so far:

research trip

today i went to manchester to research what details and components i wanted to include within my collection. i decided to mainly go to Selfridges and Harvey Nichols to appreciate the quality of fabric and components that go into designer garments. I also went to shops including Zara, Topshop and Coast to look into the ways they have interpreted the style i want to design.

this pintuck detail was part of a top from topshop, i like the texture it created, as well as the sheer fabric used. it has given me ideas involving manipulating fabrics to create different effects.

this dress sums up what i want my collection to be like. i found it in coast. i really like the way they have created 3D petal style shapes but still made the dress look delicate and feminine.

This i found in Selfridges, I am wanting 3D embellishment to feature quite heavily in my collection, i decided, while researching, i wanted to focus on different ways to create this.

This was in Miss Selfridge, i liked the way the sleeve fell, with delicate lightweight fabric.

This Victoria Beckham dress reminded me of the 'mural' print i plan on using in my collection. it also features the 'ombre' look, something which i also want to experiment with in a subtle way.

This was a top i found in Zara. i love the delicate lace and beaded collar. i wanted to use lace on chiffon, like seen here, i think i looks really feminine and would fit well in my collection.

this was my favourite piece i found today. this was a 'ra-ra' style skirt in Zara. I really like the way they have hemmed each layer, with a mixture of chiffon, lace and embellishment. the 'ra-ra' style is something i wanted to include, i like the multiple layer look.

this was a sleeve on a top i found in Zara. i love the flare. it would bring in a seventies influence. 

This Acne blouse included one of my already in motion ideas, print under a sheer layer.

the big picture

i have been asked to create an illustration to sum up what my collection is about. i already attempted this in an earlier post, but dont feel that explained my theme enough. i have decided my theme name of 'Bohemian Nature' doesnt quite sum up what i want for my collection anymore, as i feel my direction and customer has changed. i have been considering the name 'Fairytale Forrest'. i think this encapsulates my idea more and would be more suitable.

here is the illustration i have created:

i used the image below as inspiration and drew over it in illustration with a clear black outline. i then took it into photoshop and filled the dress with my original inspiration photo. i like the effect this achieved. i then went onto the shading on the hair and arms to make them more 3D and realistic. I then focused more on the face, adding subtle makeup and gentle shading to create shadows. i chose to use a pastel flower photo in the background to bring in some colours from my colour palette. i also used my colour pallete to colour in the ring and nail.

print

i have been creating potential prints for my spring/summer collection. i have decided i might want to include an ombre effect or some kind of subtle tie dye to bring in my the pastel colours of my colour palette. i like the effect this has created and will think about buying some dye to experiment with tie dye. i have also mixed the subtle colours with some of my research imagery and created some repeat patterns on photoshop as experiments. here are some of the prints i have created:

im not sure this one would be appropriate for my collection as i think it is too 'busy'

as a follow on from the first print, i changed the opacity and added larger, more focused roses on top, i see this print finishing on the hem of a maxi dress or skirt with the ombre changing subtly up to the top.

i also see this print finishing on a hem, and the flowers creating some kind of border along the hem.

i like the effect this print creates. i think it looks a bit eerie and  mysterious.

i  decided to experiment with my inspiration photographs to see if they could become prints. this one would be a placement print on maybe some form of tshirt and could fade out to the rest of the tshirt.