WEEK 2: DAY 1

Today I continued with my research by looking Alma Woodsey Thomas, African Prints and Queen Latifah.

I made a colour scheme from some of Thomas' painting which I really love but it could be too summery for an Autumn/Winter collection. Lots of her paintings look like mosaics so I did a blind drawing of the mosaic pattern. I'm not sure how I want to incorporate her work into my designs (maybe through color?) but I think it could also be really cool to use the mosaic pattern as inspiration for seam lines and structure of a piece of clothing. Or maybe for layers?

I briefly started to look at some African prints, mainly engravings that are used on designs and crafts such as pottery. I love the intricate patterns and I definitely want to develop these more through collaging and eventually turn it into a print of my own which I will then print onto fabric or laser cut. I definitely want to try both of these techniques then decide which or both will fit best with my designs. 

Finally I looked at Queen Latifah, in particular the lyrics to her song U.N.I.T.Y. I love the lyrics because they talk about the disrespect towards women particularly through catcalling and unwanted sexual attention. I find it interesting that this song was written in the early 90s yet a lot of what she raps about is still completely relevant today. I think I want to use some the lyrics in a print that I will be creating and it could look really interesting to mix it with the African symbols and prints. 

I started to think about the way that I want my woman to be portrayed and came up with some interesting ideas. I definitely want her to look strong and powerful and confident so I think I'll look into stereotypical clothes that fit these words such as suits and armor. However, I also want her to look strong if she's wearing a pink lacy dress. The clothes are obviously very important and I somehow want to find a way for them to look powerful even if at first glance they are stereotypically extremely feminine. I think casting could also have a big part to play in this concept but it will be something that I think about later on in the project.