MARK MAKING

Thinking of ways in which to incorporate tribal imagery into my collections, I decided simple mark markings, like the ones painted onto the bodies of the Surma tribe in clay, would create a complementary contrast to the smooth, painterly floral designs I had been working with thus far. I used scraps of discarded wood with a variety of wet media to create a quick, vast range of marks which I could then take into Photoshop to create patterns and repeats with. This technique proved to be successful in creating the contrast I wanted. Moreover, this exercise has clarified to me that often, my faster, more spontaneous drawing are often the ones I chose to develop in the design process. Had these marks not been created so freely and in such an imprecise way, it is likely they would not have the same look of movement and energy.