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xox

Turning Tricks

Having lived in Plymouth for about half of my life now, I don't think I've ever really appreciated its character and charm. When the sun comes out in Plymouth, it really is a lovely place and it makes me feel so happy and inspired! The other day, I though it would be nice to walk back from the studios via Union Street... Which is considered to be an absolute dive to be honest!

Do you know what I found? some really beautiful buildings!...

[Grand Theatre]

[Dance Academy]

[Dance Academy]

[the Malthouse]

[Dance Academy]

[The Clipper Inn]

yes, they're a little run down I'll give you that. But Union Street isn't really where the money's at.

I would really like to use these, and other broken down buildings around Plymouth, as inspiration for my next costume. I think that it might be quite a provocative piece as I've never done that before - it would definitely be pushing the boundaries. I think using he buildings on Union Street to inspire the aesthetic of something centred around sexuality would be highly appropriate.

I think my favourite is the abandoned Clipper Inn... Looked abandoned anyway.

You should know that I rarely ever edit my photos. So, unless I say otherwise, they're unedited. I like using improvised filters though, which tend to be clobbered together from sunglasses and organza. I just really like the look of them.

I also have twitter now, my ID is: @jessiewellie.... Feel free to follow.

It's not sunny anymore, its raining and miserable. I hope the weather is nicer where you are.

xox

Love Bug

Just need to sew it together now. It's looking completely different from the first one I showed you... Its completely silk now, fragile and vulnerable. I'm going to stitch it together with the minimal amount of tiny stitches as well to emphasise this.

xox

In a Progressive Key,

Here's a work in progress. I thought that the silk, canvas and thick net (its a plastic-like netting that you can't really see very well in the pictures) were a good mix as they all really contrast each other well. I wanted to base a dress on bugs, as I see them as a manifestation of fear and contamination - two things you wouldn't usually base a dress on. It was an idea that came to me from the silk really, and the idea of making something beautiful out of something repulsive. I think I've involved so many contrasts within this costume as I want to create something that'll provoke reflection and contemplation. Hopefully I will achieve that with the end result!

When I've finished it I hope that the top half of the dress will be covered in silk painted insects, and then I'm going to make some to crawl up the skirt of the dress and look as though they've been trapped in the netting.

I'm thinking about moving the panels around a little bit. I think I might try the bit you see with bugs already painted on as a hood possibly. I like having the huge hip detail on just one side as well, it makes the dress a bit jaunty and unpredictable, like a bug, whilst still looking very feminine and elegant in a way.

I think that canvas and calico are going to be base fabrics for the rest of my costumes, to reflect the 2D work that I've been doing... I'm contemplating doing something with paper as well, but I don't want it to seem like a cliché, so it's going to need a bit more thought yet.

I'm going to finish painting these bugs now!...

xox

Laid Back Chic

So... My beautiful friends Katie and Kat helped me out the other day by modelling my first two costumes. I don't think I want to show either of them as final pieces, but it was really fun to do it and good to see people wearing what I've made. Katie is wearing a dress based on camping and fishing. And Kat is basically modelling my thought processes. She started off by wearing just a plain black two-piece and I added something to it in each shot. Here are some of the final results, let me know your favourites as I'm undecided:

I like the blurry, hazy ones.

I don't really know what the hell I'm doing next with my project and I'm feeling pretty bad about it today. I'm going to go and eat a lot of crunchies and bagels. Maybe that'll help.

Hope you've all had a nice weekend?

xox

Laser Brain.

My friend Katie and I have been in the studio rather a lot recently. We cope by having things around us that make us happy, here is some insight into what we get up to when we aren't slaving away...

Here's an update on the shelf. We have spent a lot of time tidying and organising lately. I've found that I really can't be very productive at all with a messy desk, so I've vowed to tidy it at the end of every day. So far I have...
I've also gained a LOT of cotton threads in the most beautiful colours!

Having Star Wars on in the background and repeating everything they say at each other has kept us entertained, and put us in the right mood to work hard!
Some 2D work is coming up in the next post...
xox

No Words Left Now

Written my dissertation. Handed it in. Feels very good. I'm finding it hard now to string together viable... even passable sentences! The vocabulary side of my brain (I don't know whether that is my left or right side?) needs to have a break from essays now. Perhaps even for the rest of my life. This is how I presented my thesis:

(Yes, that is my cooker)

I chose to sew my own cover, which I did with black thread onto canvas, I wanted it bound by hand rather than professionally. I'd like to say thank you to my boyfriend Tom who talked me through bookbinding step by step > THANK YOU xx! I printed the essay on an inkjet printer onto 130gsm cartridge paper. I am very very happy with how it looks. And now I'm going to forget about it and move on.

I've got a silk screen workshop on Thursday because I've never done it before for some reason. So I'm hoping then to print up my own fabric to finish off a dress that I've got in my space, looking sad and dejected. That'll be the first costume of my show-piece then! I've got loads of other ideas that I've been trying to keep track of whilst I've been essay-ing, and now I just need to make them all! I think today I'm going to sort out and organise all of these ideas by doing some drawing and such like.

I hope you're all having a lovely week so far. Laterz

xox