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Drawn to Stitch - The Open College of the Arts

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Drawn to Stitch

Mark-making in Textile Art by Helen Parrott, published by Batsford.
Drawn to Stitch: line, drawing and mark-making in textile art by Gwen Hedley published by Batsford.

Mark-making in Textile art & Drawn to Stitch

I’m aware as a textile tutor that it is not always clear to textile students of the value and purpose of drawing and mark-making. For this blog I am looking at two books written by established textile practitioners that I believe clearly illustrate how to use mark-making and drawing to inform textile work. Both books offer a guide to taking primary sources like photographs through an element of drawing onto a stitched application. This three-staged approach of collecting a primary image that is used to stimulate drawing and mark-making that leads to textile artwork is the bases of most creative textile output. And is a method of creativity strongly embraced by the OCA textiles department.

Mark-making in Textiles takes the reader through a series of stages that develop into final textile outcomes. They are, an introduction to what marks are, ways of observing, recording and collecting marks. Progressing onto mark making on paper then making stitched marks. Each stage is beautifully illustrated with the author’s own work in progress. These steps can inform and inspire the textile student at any stage of their creative journey. The book includes a chapter called ’making it real’ where the creative process as a whole is explored in developing a finished piece. It runs through materials and equipment you may need, linking practical application to creative thinking. It illustrates the use of sketchbooks and sample making to inform the direction of a project and includes strategies for keeping your work moving, useful for any student.

Drawn to Stitch: Line, Drawing and Mark-Making uses the work of a wide range of textile practitioners to illustrate how drawing, in particular line drawing can be translated into a piece of textile art. These are explored under a number of headings; Raised and Relief, Recessed and Incised, Crisp and Hard, Soft and Ragged and finally Interrupted and Implied. In each section a number of artworks are examined. The reader is taken through the 3 stages of observing, drawing and stitch that have led to each textile outcome. This should be useful to students as it explicitly demonstrates how exploring an image through drawing can prompt innovative textile work.

Both books have a strong emphasis on creating texture and form through textile materials and techniques. That composition and form are integral to creating a strong piece of artwork. But the beginning of the journey starts with observing and documenting a subject matter with playful marks and drawing.

When working towards a degree in textiles it is important to explore the topic as widely as possible. Gaining insights and techniques from a large number of different sources. These include exhibitions, archives, television documentaries and magazines. Books have a particular importance because they often share skills and knowledge that will assist you in your own creative development. I think these two books are especially good at showing how to use drawing and mark making in your creative process.


Posted by author: Rebecca Fairley

6 thoughts on “Drawn to Stitch

  • Hi Rebecca,
    I’m studying Drawing 1, and really enjoy the textile posts that you and others publish. I was inspired to get “The Subversive Stich” after your critique and am enjoying reading it in stages.
    Thes two books sound very inspiring, but maybe not an avenue for me to take just now, being on a very sharp (whoops, that’s an interesting slip) learning curve with Drawing 1.However, I’m interested in the use of stich and thread in Drawing, and wonder if these two books would be helpful/interesting for that, or if there are other books you can recommend?
    Thanks,
    Alison

  • I regularly dip in and out of these books and find them very inspiring. They have given me good ideas for sketch book work as well as sample making for assignments. Lots of ideas for practical application. I would also recommend these.

  • Rebecca
    It’s nice to see you promoting sensible texts, I have had the Drawn to Stitch for some time and it’s good to dip back in and out although I feel more at ease with my own work now. I found when I started ACA all those years ago, the first projects were all about mark making but had no explanation as to why, no wonder I couldn’t join the dots so to speak. I know the course has been rewritten and revised in the intervening years so can’t comment on the current content but it was only when I did Understanding Western Art (my fifth course) did the penny truly drop. I have read several texts by Johannes Innes and Josef Albers and suddenly understood why I did all those exercises back in ACA. I never was particularly good at drawing, but persevered, did some short courses and now understand scale, line, form, tone etc. Perhaps it would be worth putting in pointers such as suitable texts or clarifications for the reasons for the exercises in future upgrades so my colleagues do not have to flounder for several years before finding the all pieces of the jigsaw.
    Thanks again. Sarah

  • I have just bought Drawn to Stitch and feel it has opened a door for me as a way in to moving from drawing to stitching. So far I have only really looked at the idea of preparing grounds and want to make time to explore this thoroughly before moving on. Looking at some of the author’s samples, where she moves from line to stitch, I particularly like the way she uses say hand stiiching in one interpretation and then machine stitching in another and has placed the samples side by side to enable easy comparisons to be made.A really useful book. Interesting to read of Sarah’s journey which is heartening for me since I thought I was the only one who has been doing OCA courses for such a long period of time!

  • I bought Helen Parrots book and it arrived just before going on holiday to Toledo. I decided it was worth its weight in my hand luggage and tucked it in amongst a small sketchbook, pencil, eraser, fabric swatches & threads. She encourages the reader to take a distinctly personal view of the world. Her background as a geographer informs her work, with contour marks, boundaries and odd things like pavement marks, amongst her other varied interests. This attitude made me consider my own interests (archaeology, old buildings, religious symbols) and my trip to Toledo was infused with Helen’s sound advice. It is beautifully illustrated with her work and the book helps the student deepen their own knowledge and strengths with simple exercises. It also offers practical aspects with ‘how to’ sections. It was like having a knowlegable holiday companion and a workshop all in one.

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