I’m wrapping up my first semester in my Masters of Industrial Design program. While studying form, function, & user concerns I haven’t left my textile roots completely behind. This is a snap of one of my fabrics for Arcom in the Women’s Locker Room on NCSU’s campus. I also got the privilege of teaching at the Wilson School of Textiles. I enjoy learning with and from the future of the textile industry.
I got to spend a week learning to wood block print in the traditional Japanese technique. Penland School of Crafts is a beautiful atmosphere to learn and foster creativity. This beautiful experience reinvigorated my creative process and made me miss my college studio courses. I did several iterations with two blocks and made my own tools along the way.
Some of the tools of the trade....carving tools, leather for sharpening, and bamboo/horse hair handmade brushes. My nori scoop is also made of bamboo.
Straight lines are incredibly hard to carve...naturally I chose to do a lot of them.
Pre-wetting process is key to a successful print. Both the printing paper and block must be saturated.
I was recently looking through some of my old documented images from undergrad....I miss the value based, wet charcoal technique I often used to capture figures.