My initial expectations of this project were in a way worry and excitement, as the project was to be split into two halves and I’d never done that before. However, I was really looking forward to the opposites brief as I chose to look at young/old and thought this would work well in my print workshop. I chose to do screen printing as my workshop for this project because I wanted to try the different techniques and I was hoping to get weave as my second option and thought the two would go well together. I personally think my sketchbook has improved from the last project as it is more organised and better set out.  However, I also feel I could improve aspects of my sketchbook like including more artist and designer research to influence my own work. I have used my sketchbook to generate ideas and to make notes of my thought process throughout, a lot more than my previous project. I feel like it really helps me to write down what I’m thinking alongside drawing and designs, and photographs.

The main change I made in my project was due to struggling with what to draw, other than microscopic images of skin and hair found in the library. When I went home I decided to use my family and all the different ages and generations in my family to inspire my work. Focusing on hands, I tried to show the different ages though a series of hand prints from certain family members of very different ages. I liked the different sizes and lines captured. I feel like my print workshop has helped me to capture these elements through drawing and screen printing different lines and wrinkles. I have enjoyed learning the techniques, although I missed a few lessons I feel I have still tried out all the techniques and experimented with my favourites. The samples I would like to develop in my next workshop at the procion dye samples, as I feel they represent aging well. Some of my prints have been uneven, blotchy and almost look worn due to not doing enough pulls. I like this effect and would like to experiment more with it, using my weave workshop to create interesting fabrics and backgrounds.

I have realised in this project that I prefer working on a smaller scale and I think my sketchbook shows that. I feel like I could learn a lot from looking more often at other designers work and comparing it to my own, understanding what techniques and ideas they use in their own work. If I were to do this project again I would have liked to have found out more about the scientific side of aging and why it happens. I might try to take this approach in the second half of the project.