Compose two styles
Rather than blending two styles into a middle, this assigns them roles: one carries the structure, the other appears as an accent. Where the two fight, it says so before you start.
How to divide the work
- Composition
- Follow Ikat: Derive the repeat unit backwards from the width of the cloth.
- Type
- Set in Ikat's manner (Use simple, large letterforms that hold up against the bleed.), and let Shibori's lettering (Choose heavier letterforms that survive the unevenness of handwork.) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in Ikat's material (Dye at the thread stage and weave without correcting the shift.); bring in exactly one thing from Shibori (Resist the dye by binding and pressure, and allow the dye to bleed.).
- Colour
- Build on #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615 and admit one accent from #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615.
Where they fight
- Both belong to Textile Traditions, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable.
- Two techniques rather than two looks. Decide which one runs last in the process, because that is the one that will show.
Caution
- Ikat Imitating the bleed in print will not produce the history of the thread. The order of the process is the meaning of the pattern.
- Shibori Reproducing the pattern in print makes it another thing entirely. The bleed and the unevenness are the record of the technique.
Image prompt
An original image that takes its structure from Ikat (Technique, ancient–) and its accent from Shibori (Technique, 8th century–). Structural cues: Pattern edges where the outline bleeds; Warp and weft dyed separately; Calculated placement of color; Wavering caused by shifts in the weave. Accent cues, used sparingly: The bled white left by binding; Regular grain from stitch resist; Geometric ground patterns from board clamping; A texture that keeps the relief of the cloth. Composition: Derive the repeat unit backwards from the width of the cloth.. Type and lettering: Use simple, large letterforms that hold up against the bleed.. Let one material quality come from the second style: Resist the dye by binding and pressure, and allow the dye to bleed.. Mood: Intimacy, Technology, Nostalgia. Color: build on #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615 with a single accent drawn from #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615. Constraints: do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. Produce an original composition in the general period languages described above.
Related entries
- Ikat ancient– / Technique / Textile Traditions
A technique in which the threads are bound and dyed before weaving, calculated so that the pattern appears only once the cloth is woven. A slight shift of the threads blurs the outline, and that wavering is the fingerprint of ikat. Design and chance live in the same process.
- Shibori 8th century– / Technique / Textile Traditions
A technique in which cloth is stitched, bound or clamped between boards before dyeing, so that only the parts under pressure stay white. The result is left to the strength of the craftsman's hands and the movement of the cloth, and no two pieces come out alike even from the same pattern.
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