Module 1 Chapter 4

Cut and fold design shapes in black paper.
As a child I used to spend hours cutting ever more intricate patterns in folded paper. I can't remember whether I used to fold the paper the same every time or I used to change the way I folded the paper.
This exercise requires that, using one of your stars as the design source, you make a series of cut paper designs. I chose 3 stars, and found this whole exercise really fascinating.
All these sheets are A3.

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Then I had to produce a series of designs combining cut and fold shapes using 3 layers of the painted papers from Chapter 2. Once again these sheets are all A3.

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Module 1 Chapter 3

This chapter is about design development in a variety of ways from the source material. These working sheets are all A4 size.

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Design Sheet A

This first sheet, which is A3 size, shows counterchange, positive and negative, and symmetrical and asymmetrical designs. They are all cut from the painted papers made as part of Chapter 2.

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The next sheet, also A3, as are all the remaining sheets in the chapter, shows the distortion of a star into circle, triangle and diamond shapes. Then a series of repeat patterns using the star distorted into a triangle shape .

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Design Sheet B

The first exercise is to combine a large and small version of the same star into a single design. I chose to combine a small star into a larger negative unit of the same star, and then make a repeat pattern and a border and corner design.

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This next sheet is a series of linking borders. In the top design, the stars are woven together without being cut, whereas in the border to the left, I had to cut each star to make them interlink. The third design links two different shapes, a 4-pointed star and an 8-pointed star, asymmetrically, and then makes a repeat pattern.

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New shape from old.

I scanned an individual cut design from a previous page into the computer, printed it out, and then cut a new star from it. I then used it to made a simple counterchange design. In the lower design I rotated each of the corner sections of the counterchange so that the corners were in the centre.

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Design Sheet C
Complex counterchange using an 8-pointed star and a 5-pointed star. Interestingly, in both cases I only cut 1 star from 1 square of paper. Having made the counterchange with the 8-pointed star, I was able to repeat it with the bits I had left. With the 5-pointed star I was only able to make a mirror image. Not being a mathematician, I can only assume that this is because the 8-pointed star is symmetrical about both the vertical and horizontal axes, and I was able to rotate the pieces, whereas the 5-pointed star is only symmetrical about the vertical axis, and rotating the pieces would have resulted in a star on its side. I chose not to do that, and ended up with a mirror image.

Then I had to take a quarter of one of the complex counterchange designs and expand it. I then made a series of designs using all or part of the design.

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Module 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is about painting papers using inks and a sponge.

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I then had to cut a print block from a rubber using part or all of
one of my stars as inspiration, and then print a selection of my printed papers.

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Finally I had to select two of my papers, use one of them as a background and cut a series of stars from the other.

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Module 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 requires a collection of images of either stars or crosses. I chose stars hence the title of the blog.
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These next stars were generated using the kaleidoscope effects in Paint Shop Pro 10. The starting image was the colour wheel below, which I scanned into the computer.

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Then I had to make a series of drawings from the source material . . . .

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. . . .and some rubbings.

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The final part of the module is to create a colour wheel.

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Setting up!

Earlier this year I decided to take the plunge and start an embroidery City and Guilds with Sian Martin at Distant Stitch. Work gets sent to Sian via this blog.
Module 1 (of 6) has 12 chapters, and the first 4 are done, so over the next few days I shall be posting them.