picasso

Picasso Exhibition

On Wednesday I visited the Picasso exhibition in edinburgh, I was excited about going but not about the long trip there. Once I got lost a bit I finally found it the grounds are lovely and was quite excited to see all Picassos work. The museum is split into different time periods in his life and with artist that have been influenced by his designs.  

The first gallery I went into was a lot of his work from his blue period where he was depressed due to his friends death, he painted a lot of depressing subjects such as hungry looking woman. The first painting I came across was " Girl in a chemise",  it was painted in his blue period I liked it because I feel it shows how he was feeling at this point in his life. Madeleine the model was a married lady who became pregnant by Picasso in 1905, the year this painting was done. She depicts the kind of subjects he liked to paint at this time as she looks very unhealthy as she's so skinny the colour palette is also very blue due to the time in his life.

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/

Trend -Cut out

This trend has been on the go for a while now but I think its here to stay the cut out look is dresses and tops with parts cut out to show flesh. Its a very sexy club scene look. Cut outs can make you look slimmer and are good in circles, square and coming out from the side seams.

Things to watch out for with this look:

1. Don't have white bits and the rest of you tanned, make sure you either fake tan the cut out parts or go for the pale look.
2. Don't look cheap, you want it to look classy. The ripped looking cut outs look cheap and tacky.
3. If you wear tights make sure you cant see the tights through the cut outs, its just embarrassing for everyone involved!

All images from www.asos.com

Cheap student living

Love my clothes shopping and have found some amazing bargains on ebay but I also really love the website miss rebel. Even though its not as high end and fancy as topshop or anything I think its great for casual clothing they are good quality and the delivery prices are great £3.50 for uk.  I bought recently a blouse, leggings and top and with delievery it came to £17.89.

Website link: http://www.missrebel.co.uk/

Glasgow Print

This print is from college and I just found it the other day even though it is very simple it was one of my first prints but it's one of my favourites. I think its because its so ruff.

It reminds me of what glasgow is really like, it dull with small elements of splattered colour.

Heidi Seeker

I love this website it has loads of kitsch styled stuff. They design there own bags, jewellery, clothing and other accessories. They personalise some of there item aswell for you. I got a personalised necklace from here and it was gorgeous, still in good condition after a year of wearing it all the time. They have a unique style of work, I have also bought gloves and a scarf from here and always get complimented on them.

http://www.heidiseeker.com/

Eduardo Paolozzi

I have been studying the work of Eduardo Paolozzi, he is a sulptor, graphic art producer, made pottery and was a writer. What I am most inspired by is his pop art styled work. He uses alot of colour and pattern in his pop art. He also studied at the college of art in edinburgh.

1924-2005



Contextual studies

I have just started my new course at Heriot Watt and in 2nd year fashion. Its a completely different way of teaching from college although I am really enjoying it. I feel I do a lot more on my own now and have no limitations on what I can do with my work.

Monday's I had contextual studies and although people said it would be boring I actually really enjoyed it. We where talking about the impact art has on fashion. So I have started on the reading list.

I have looked at a book called "Fashion Designers sketchbook" by hywel Davies, where I found quite an inspiring designer I liked. "Eley kishimoto", designs are quirky and unique with a lot of pattern. It relates a lot to work I have done in the past and things that have inspired me.

Eley Kishimoto does amazing prints with bright colours and beautiful patterns.

Galashiels Textiles and Fashion

Heriot watt university

I have just moved from busy glasgow to a small town called Galashiels. Things are very different here from Glasgow, very quiet. Hopefully I grow to love it. I have moved into my new place and I will be studying a BA in Fashion at Heriot Watt university. I had my first tour of the university, the facilities are amazing and loads of different places where I can study and do my work. As I was at college for two years I managed to get into second year.

Galashiels

History

Galashiels is going to be a great place to study I think, its so quite which I think will make me get on with my work better. Galashiels is very well known for there textiles, By 1788 there where ten employers in town engaged in textile manufacturing and had risen by 35 in 1825. Galashiels is way out the way of any other town so there textiles where expensive and superior quality. This industry rapidly increased the population of the town. They then lost a lot of men and contacts at the time of the first world war. The textiles industry remained a major employment up to the second world war. Although the town needed a more balanced economy.

Present

Galashiels now is still very well known for its textiles industry. The Heriot watt university does a lot of courses in textiles and fashion. I think it really helps the learning process when the town has a bit of history.

Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane is a very enspiring SCOTTISH designer. He studied at saint martins for six years. He loves detail and says " It's always good to move out of your comfort zone each season".

I love his collection from Spring 2007 Ready-To-Wear even though this dates back abit I love the way he uses colour and the dress silhouette is very flattering. The fluoresence colours where a big risk but I think he pulls it off very well.

katy perry and inspiration

My inspiration from my childrenswear came from the music video "california gurls". This is where my intial idea came from. I loved the idea in the video of a candyland. I then wanted to look at different shapes and coloured sweets to photograph and draw.  I also made a colour palette and made some intial samples, which helped me along into design development.

Katy Perry

Even though Katy Perry is a singer I find her style and attitude inspiring. She loves everything to be fun, loud and colourful. Katy's songs are also very inspiring to me she expresses the way every teenager feels but I think she can also relate to an older audience aswell.

Final college graded unit concept sample.

This final concept piece was from my college graded unit we got the brief of the traveller. I chose to take my inspiration from hippie travellers, traveling in American in the 1960s. I wanted to still give it a girlish feel. Hippies love tie dye so I decided to experiment with this and made some fantastic designs with this technique. I used cotton and shiffon fabric. Cotton was best for tie dye and the shiffon gave that free floating feel, that reminds me of hippies. I stuck to a bright colour and concentrated on drawing flowers and all things hippie.

Handmade door hangers

I started making these with scrap material I had. At first I decided to machine stitch them but then I hand stitched one and decided that was the look I wanted to go for as it looked more vintage.

jewellery designs

 jewellery designs

some of my faviourite jewellery pieces I have made.

Introduction to Alex Black

Hello, im Alex I live in scotland and am about to go to heriot watt univesty in galashiels to study fashion. For a couple of years I have been making jewellery I really love it, it's a great pass time. I have just finished my studies at cardonald college where I studied fashion Textiles. One of my faviourite projects was one we worked with Mc naughtons to Design and make a cushion for them to sell to john lewis. I got into the final 15 with my cushion and was interviewed. From my 2 years at cardonald I found I loved designing kidswear as my designs and colour palettes suited this. So for my final fashion show I designed two kids dresses with shoes, with the theme of sweeties.

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