Sketching Barkcloth at the British Museum

 This weeks ' drawing Tuesday'  expedition was to the  Pacific Barkcloth exhibition at the British  Museum ( which as the main  print /drawing gallery was closed, involved going up  through the Japanese gallery and then down again).  As I've already visited twice  before ( see here)  I already had an idea what I wanted to draw but  looked at it in a new perspective.
I settled on trying to capture the patterns of this loincloth  - through a very quick fine pen sketch  for a rough overall layout and then some details in thicker felt-tip.  The more I looked and drew, the more I felt a connection with the maker - the unevenness of the ink and line,  the variations in the surface,  and the riffs on  what seemed initially like the same  pattern.

 Concentrating  on the  patterns painted on the cloth , my attention kept being drawn to the fringe at the bottom and it's shadow, liking the  positive and negative shapes  so I   then attempted drawing this in 2H and 2B pencil. Lots of counting and rubbing out - it's still not quite right.  The light was so poor I didn't realise until I looked at the photos on the research pages that  its constructed  with 1  strip 'stitched' through the edge to leave 2 strands dangling - makes more sense than cutting into the edge.   

  I then turned my attentions  to this headdress  of barkcloth with bound feathers, drawing it from some distance   from a convenient bench then looking closer at the details of the bindings.  The feathers I particularly enjoyed drawing - pressing hard with a 2H pencil from the base and using my whole arm in a 'whoosh' of lighter pressure to the tip. Very satisfying to engage with materials - for years I've shunned pencil  wanting to dive straight into colour  but the City Lit drawing course   challenged my prejudices.   

 

 I  was trying  to remember what the feathers ( and the action of drawing them ) reminded me of , then looking through my photos from my first visit  to the exhibition in April I remembered- the etchings of paintbrushes  by Jim Dine which were in the next  gallery. I was then about  to start my printing course and look on them now with even more awe knowing what's involved. 

 

Indigo Shibori at CQ Winter School

 I had a very productive weekend at Contemporary Quilt's first Winter School at Missenden Abbey, producing lots of indigo shibori with Janice Gunner. Our improvised indigo drying using scaffolding and a washing line between 2 trees was much admired and  photographed.
It was the first time  that I'd been to Missenden - rather classier accommodation than I'm used to for such events, good food and excellent company. Lovely surroundings too, very atmospheric in the early morning mists.

 I'd come well prepared for restocking my arashi stocks, sewing around 20 tubes of fabric beforehand on the machine - I left my  stripey 'socks' out overnights then unpicked them in the morning!

 I was determined to crack 'mokume', my previous attempts not being tight enough and it was worth the effort.  My indigo stash is currently drying in the conservatory - there will be lots of photos when I return from Weymouth but I couldn't resist bringing this piece with me to stitch on - I'll be looking again at the 'magic feathers' tutorial. These wonderful marks were achieved by wrapping fabric around a bath outlet tube left when our bath was being repaired, inspired by the results of Edwina's 'breathing tube' at Summer school 2 years ago.