Textiles and surface pattern: drawing and design development
- Course Code: VX119
- Dates: 10/05/24 - 14/06/24
- Time: 10:00 - 16:00
- Taught: Fri, Daytime
- Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Janie Murphy
Course Code: VX119
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
You will explore drawing for textiles and surface pattern and the journey between drawing and design work. If you are unconfident or frightened about drawing, welcome to an exciting course where playful experiments can enrich your design work.
If you have experience with drawing, delve even deeper into this inexhaustible resource by picking up some new skills and diverse ways of thinking.
What will we cover?
You will develop a body of experimental drawings (applicable to textiles and surface pattern design) exploring texture, line, mark-making, scale, layering, surface and mixed media. These drawings will be inspired by a collection of your personal objects. You will begin working in black in white and progress to using colour.
We will discuss the importance of sketchbooks and investigate how to collect lively and imaginative research. For beginners you can start a sketchbook and get advice on what to put in it and how to keep it going as part of a regular practice. If you keep sketchbooks already, this is an opportunity to share your approach with others and reflect on what methods are useful for your personal development of ideas.
Lastly you will start developing your drawings and sketchbook work into design ideas. Using the photocopier you can explore placement, repeat, layout, scale and one-off motifs. You will use collage techniques and drawing to develop design ideas. You will be encouraged to pursue a personal direction, but the design process itself may help to lead you to surprising and exciting results.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
As a beginner:
- Explore a range of drawing techniques and media
- Start a sketchbook with drawings and inspiration references
- Experiment with mark making, scale, collage and layering
- Develop initial design ideas
As an advanced student:
- Build on existing drawing skills, developing imaginative responses to your starting inspiration
- Develop new ideas on how to keep and use sketchbooks
- Push use of mark-making, scale and layering in a personal direction
- Develop a range of design ideas building on existing areas of interest and ideas.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
For all levels, including those who wish to extend their skills.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion. You should be able to make basic measurements and calculations.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will be hands on, with a bit of theory thrown in to facilitate the understanding of why we do things in certain ways. There will be recommendations for books and information on contemporary artists and designers.
Group discussion is encouraged and you will receive 1-2-1 support in your development.
This course is supported by Google classroom as an e-learning virtual environment where handouts, and useful information will be stored. Details on how you can access the portal will be provided before the course starts.
You will need to login into our Google classroom before our sessions starts where all course materials will be stored.
Details on how to access this will be provided in advance.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Access to basic materials and resources are available as part of the course. You are encouraged to bring a collection of personal objects as inspiration for intial drawing. It is good idea if these objects have an element of texture or interesting surfaces.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
The techniques learnt on this course can be applied to many areas of Textiles. City Lit runs a wealth of courses in contemporary crafts and textiles for beginners through to advanced learners. Please browse the website for upcoming course dates.
General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 12:00 – 14:00 then 16:00 – 18:00.
Janie Murphy (b.1967 Leamington Spa, UK) studied an MA Degree in Textile Design at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, London (1993-1995). She has sold work through numerous retail outlets and galleries but more recently through The Artist Support Pledge via Instagram and The Dulwich Artist Open House. Janie currently lives in South London and works from a small studio (converted 1920’s garage) at the end of her garden. She loves drawing, painting and printmaking. Inspiration for work is taken from her environment and the garden. Her observational drawings are developed as Abstract artworks using bright colours, surface overlays, collage and prints. She has experience in teaching adults from all different backgrounds. At City Lit she runs short courses in textiles, recycling fashion and printed textiles. You can see her designs featured on: https://www.instagram.com/janiemurphy4/ https://patternbank.com/janiemurphy
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.