Sub Cultures - Mods

Mod is short for modernism and is a subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and continued into the early to mid 1960s. It was developed and created by working class teenagers who were interested in the Italianate style as well as being art students who were part of the beatnik coffee bar culture. Mods were interested in fashion, music and motor scooters. 

When looking back at when the Mod sub-culture was developed it is essential to look at the social and economic climate at the time. The second world war left Britain in financial debt with Britain having to lend vast amounts of money from the USA as they had entered the world late and it didn't really effect their finances. Money was scarce in Britain during the 50's and compared to the American's wealth, the youth seemed to be enjoying Rock n Roll music, driving large Cadillac cars, it is easy to see why the British youth longed for happier times.

During the late 50's Britain's youth longed for their own identity, to be different and change their post-war image, and shake up the world a little by being heard. The rocker's wear all in leather motorbike gear with their Teddy Boy inspired greased back hair came revivals with the Mods who took a far greater care in their appearance. To be a Mod depended on your views, what you stood for, how you dressed and what music you listened to. The colour of your skin didn't matter as long as you were a Mod which allowed them to disregard the old racial stigma which is was really 'modern' concept compared to how previous generations had thought. 

Many of the early Mods were Jewish youths whose parents had settled in London after the war. These Jewish immigrants were renown for their excellent tayloring skills and they took great care in their appearance and that of their families. Jewish youth therefore wore tailored suits made from fine fabrics such as mohair. This stylish well present look was completely opposite to the Rockers style and was quickly adopted by the mod scene. 

During early 60's Britain the Mod youth movement began to gain momentum and exploded 1963/64. The famous film Quadrophenia was produced in 1979 by the Who. The film helped inspired thousands of more youth to the Mod culture movement and gave the movement international recognition. Even today the Mod movement remains strong in USA, Germany, Japan and of course still the UK. It is a youth subculture which has no intention of dying out and its very popular among fashion conscience youth today. 

Style:
Mod's tend to wear fishtail parka's to protect expensive Italian mohair tonik suits. Navy pea coats and Monkey jackets were some of the items of clothing also worn by mods.

The key to Mod clothing was being individual and wearing unique item of clothing that noone else would be seen wearing. The boutiques along Carnaby Street were excellent for this as they only had one or two pieces which were not created in mass production. Cult sixties bands such as the Rolling Stones, The Who and The Small Faces were seen buying their clothing buying mod clothing from boutiques on Carnaby Street.  

Mods used to get their clothing to have their clothes altered and tailored on a regular basis as well as adding something here or changing something to alter the appearance. This was all about being a mod and wanting to stand out of the 'norm'. 

Modern Mod Clothing
There are many British clothing institutions that have adopted Mod fashion within their clothing ranges. Brands such as Ben Sherman, Original Penguin, Lambretta and Fred Perry are included. Even Liam Gallagher member of the band oasis has a clothing range called Pretty Green which are known for producing mod style clothing.

Mod Music:

Mod's listened to music such as The Who, The Kinks, The Action, The Troggs, and The Animals. These are still bands which are regularly played today and are still easily recognised. 

Final Evaluation of the Digital Sketchbook Project

I have found learning about the different types of digital software really interesting as I think it is definitely a good skill to have.  I think that being able to use Photoshop especially is quite important as it is used through-out loads of different artistic styles and jobs. I found using these programmes quite difficult as I think it takes a lot of practice and playing around to really get used to using the programmes.

 I have recently been using Photoshop to create fashion illustrations along side illustrator, I have created my final print on Photoshop and edited my final images for little black dress as well. Although I have done this I am not very able when it comes to using Photoshop and still have a lot of practising to do but my skills on the programme have definitely develop through each unit. 

Looking into fashion photographers and illustrators was fun as it was nice to see the differences that their artwork both had but the both used the same programmes for their final outcome.This just shows the completely different effects which can be achieved when using these programmes and it really opens your eyes to what you can do with these programmes.

I found looking into digital illustrators inspiring for my own digital fashion illustrations as this allowed me to see how they produced their work, the techniques that have used to create this imagery, and also more about the artist and their individual style. It was also interesting looking to fashion photographers although we don't have a photography unit this term so it was less inspiring but it was nice to see the way artists used the programmes to enhance images making them look more professional compared to those who don't.

I will definitely be using this programmes again in the future to create my own work, but I need to get more able when using the programme so I will have to practise a little more. I am glad we have learnt how to use these software's as I think it is a very good skill to have not only for my own personal use but also for if/when I get a job in industry as the ability to use Photoshop is a very useful and wanted skill. This would make me stand out more over more candidates.

Fashion Illustrations

I decided to create a fashion illustration using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to put my new learnt skills to the test. I created one model but played around with her appearance to created two images of fashion illustration. Here is how I did it.

I firstly found a template on the internet which I liked and traced around it on Illustrator using the pen tool.

This is the process that I did on Adobe illustrator. The first image is the template which I traced around and the image below that is my template. This is the starting point for your fashion Illustrations and this is where you start to create your own design. As you can see from the top image and the one below have created a dress which has a split up the seam this is where I will be adding my own print design to reveal my dress design. 

I then transferred the image into Photoshop so then I could add my print into the dress. I found this print on Google but I intend to make more with my actual print on, as I hadn't designed my print at all when I created this fashion Illustration.

I selected areas with the magic wand tool to highlight certain sections which I wanted to have the dress print on. I also added the print design I had found into the patterns on photoshop selecting this and using the paint box tool to fill this section leaving the garment on the template  I repeated this for all the other sections such as the hair and skin. 

Here is the final print design. 

I experimented with my designs by having the same templete but I changed the hair colour and got rid of the outline. 

I am really happy with these fashion illustrations. I think it has really helped develop my Photoshop skills and opened my eyes to another way of design things. I am happy with my outcome as I like my design, I think it really simple and effected and by using these two programmes I have created a really smooth outcome which looks flawless. I am really happy with the outcome. Although it was a lot to learn as I went and really think it has helped me. 

Mark Making and Colour Development

I decided to see what my print would look like on my garment by layering my print on top of my fabric samples. I did this by scanning in my print design as well as my fabric samples and the rest I completed on Photoshop. I did print on my flat print design as it made it easier to colour in each shape to see how the colours go together and what colours I could use for my final print. This was along side real trials down stairs in the print room. 

This is the first print I trialled with colour. I think I looks effective with little sections of colour but it isn't practical to do as I would need more than one silk screens to achieve this look as each colour would need another screen so than I could do them individually. I think this would look cool but I also doesn't work with my chosen dying effective. This is not practical and I won't be using it.

I decided to develop this idea though but using the larger print design to see what it would look like individual colours I think this look effective but I would need a plain coloured dyed fabric else I think it would be too busy. This doesn't work with the fabric colours I wanted to dye. I would also have the same problem with needing more than one silk screen. I don't have to make this design but I am glad I experimented. 

I decided to experiment with block colour print design and a busy background as this is what I am aiming for in my in my final print. I think I want it to be white, grey or black. I did this experiment to see how my designs would look like for my final print. This is my favourite print design but obviously my print its self has been developed further and it will still be different from this slightly but it is basically the same as it will be with the same ideas.

I think this design looks really effective even though it is in colour I think having only the larger shapes in colour actually looks quite interesting. The only problem is this would take long to do as I would need 2 screens or I would need to section it off and I don't enough time to do this so I think I would end up cutting corners and having less of a crisp finish. 

This print is really effective and is probably one of my favourite designs from this experimentation, I definitely prefer it too my chosen image, but I believe this is because I like the colours and it is really different. I didn't like is as much when I created it but looking back it is really effective. I would need 2 screens for this print which would restrict my time more and making it harder to stay on target as I have already over set myself work by having 3 times as much fabric as others. This isn't practical. 

I think this print works really well together the colours of both the print and background are really similar which compliments on another. I think this print looks really effective, it is really close to what i want for my final design but I want the background colours to be bright and more pink and  purple based. I do want the print to be light like this and this experimentation has inspired me for my own print. 

Mark making and print development

I had to embrace my art movement which is Bauhaus when creating my first mark making sheet. At this point I slightly different inspiration for my print design I was still interested in colour but I preferred more pastel colours. I also looked into the Bauhaus alphabet as I thought this could work really well on a print design. I was also inspired by war and the weapons used when at war as Bauhaus came around after WW1. This is why I chose to create a gun which was made out of lipsticks as this is a weapon but it has been made up out of more interesting materials and lipsticks are feminine which is something I knew I wanted to portray in my garment. I chose mac lipsticks mainly as I think they have a very interesting shape as well as resembling bullets. 

The block colours 'samples' on the page were inspired by the the use of colour within Bauhaus which is a key factor within this art movement. I thought about this more deeply and when thinking about paint I thought of the samples that you can get from Dulex which is what give me this idea. I also played around with blowing ink as I think this looks really effective and would look good on the a print design.

This was just my starting point and was mainly experimentation.  This helped me develop my final designs and get to where I am. 

I decided to develop my print further as I didn't think it fitted back to my art movement very well and I didn't get any further inspiration for my print design. I decided to focus on Geometric shapes as well as the running ink as I thought this would look pretty interesting on a garment. I trialled with 3 different types of print designs to see what they would come out like, these designs are on the left. 

The first design is on the left hand side of the top image. This is my running ink effect. Although I really liked the idea of this I didn't like the effect it achieved once dry and I thought that doing this through the screen printing technique wouldn't look how I wanted it too so I have decided to ditch this idea. 

The second print design on the right of this picture is my favourite print design out of all of them is the starting point for what I used as my final print. I wanted to embrace Bauhaus' use of geometric shapes as I thought this would look really effective as a print design. I really like this print design but the only thing I would change is I would develop it further by playing around with scale and making it more sketchy when it is printed. To do this i must leave some white areas on the see through paper. I like the way it is slightly repetitive. 

The third print design I wasn't too sure of as I think my second one was stronger. I tried to add circles into this print as I had them in no other print, as well as adding lines. I don't like the effect that the lines have achieved and if I were to use this for my final garment I definitely would  have used a ruler to make them with. I think it definitely shows strong influences from my art movement unlike the first print design. 





I want to develop the second design for my final print design as I think this one is my strongest print design. I will develop this print by making it more scratchy by leaving more white on the coditrace as well as playing around with the scale of the shapes as I think this could look really effective for my final print design. 

PRINT DEVELOPMENT AND MARK MAKING USING PHOTOSHOP

This the print design which I came up with from the original print design I had chosen, it is sketchy like I wanted to be and although on the computer it looks really fades once it has been printed on the fabric the effect is exactly what I wanted it too have looked like. This geometric shape goes really well with my art movement and I think I will be able to make it suit my target market. 

I decided to play around with the scale of my print and have some larger shapes and smaller ones. I think this makes my print design more interesting. I wouldn't want my print this large so I needed to play around on photoshop until it is the size I want it too be. I also need to scratch into this print until it is the desired sketchy look which I wanted to achieve. 

This is an image of the print after have worked into it and scratched out the unwanted matte effect. I tried to keep a bold outline of the geometric shapes but also get this sketchy effect that I wanted. I am happy with the outcome and I now want to play around with the scale and see if I can create a nice repeat print as I think would look interesting on my final garment.

We learnt about repeat print on paper and played around with the different ways of displaying the print and laying it out. I chose to have mine like this as I think it looked the best out of all of the repeat print designs. My print is quite repetitive so I this simple repetition looked really effective. I firstly trialled this on paper and then played around with the rotation on photoshop to see the outcomes here is my final print design. 

I am really happy with my final print design. I am glad that I chose this style of repeating it as I think it has made more of a definition of the rectangles which before just blended it with the other geometric shapes. I think this will look really effective on my final garment. 

Sub Culture - Teddy Boys

BRITISH SUBCULTURES

Teddy Boy is a British subculture which was popular during the 1950s. It is mainly young man wearing clothes which were inspired by the Edwardian period with the main focus on the styles worn by the dandies. It was this style which Savile Row tailers had try to re-introduce in Britain after the second world war. 

The subculture started in London during the 1950s and spread rapidly across the UK as well being associated with American rock and roll. The name was originally Cosh Boys by the name teddy boys came about when a Dailly Express newspaper headline shortened Edwardian to Teddy in 1953.  

The Edwardian style was mainly adopted by wealthy young men especially Guards officers. At that point in history, the Edwardian era  which meant that their grandparents wore the style the first time around so there was a lot of borrowing vintage clothing from your grandparents much like today. 

Although there has been youth groups (scuttlers) in the UK before with their own dress code in the 19th century, the styles mainly stayed in larger cities such as Manchester and Liverpool. The Teddy Boys were the first youth group in England to differentiate themselves as teenagers which then created a youth market. 

Some Teds formed gangs which they had violent clashes with rival gangs which often would be exaggerated by the popular press. The most notable was Notting Hill race riots in 1958 which the Teddy Boys were present in large numbers and were against the West Indian community. 
300 to 400 white mainly Teddy Boys were seen on Bramley Road attacking the houses of the West Indian residents.  This disturbance and rioting and attacks continued every night for over 2 weeks. During these 2 weeks 140 people were arrested, mostly white youth but also many black people found carrying weapons. 108 people were charged with crimes such as grievous bodily harm (GBH) affray, riot and possessing offensive weapons; 72 were white and 36 were black. 

STYLE

The style consists of American zoot suits which were worn in the 1940s by Italian-Americans, Chicanos and African-American communities. The suit drape jackets and high-waisted 'drainpipe' trousers were worn, which usually exposed the socks. The outfit included a high-neck loose-collared white shirt and a narrow 'Slim Jim' tie or Maverick tie which they overlaid with a brocade waistcoat. The clothes were mainly tailor-made which were extremely expensive which they would have to pay for through weekly installments.

The popular footwear at this time were either highly polished Oxford chunky brogues which were made of suede with a crepe-sole. These were known as brothel creepers and are in fashion today but the brothel has been dropped and they are just known as creepers. 

The hairstyles of the time were long, strongly-moulded greased-up hair with a quiff at the front and the side combed back to form what was known as 'aduck's arse' at the back of the head. Another popular style was the 'Boston' which the hair was greased straight back and squared off across the nape of the neck. 

TEDDY GIRLS

Teddy girls are also known as Judies. They wore drape jackets also but they wore pencil skirts, hobble skirts, flat shoes and tailored jackts with velvet collars, straw boat hats, cameo brooches, espadrilles, coolie hats and long, elegant clutch bags.  Later they adopted the American fashions of toreador pants, voluminous circle skirts, and hair in ponytails.

These girls were collectively rejecting post-war clothing. They were from working-class family often irish immigrants who had settled in the poorer districts of London such as Walthamstow, Poplar and North Kensington. They tend to leave school at the age of 14-15 to work in factories and offices. Teddy Girls spent much of their free time buying or making trademark clothing inspired by the Edwardian period. 

MUSIC

Although Teddy Boys were associated with rock and roll music prior to this genre the Teddy Boys mainly listened to jazz and skiffle music which is when they adopted 'The Creep' a slow shuffle that was so popular it created their other nickname, Creepers. From 1955 rock and roll was adopted by the Teddy Boys which is when they started listening to artists such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and Eddie Cochran. 

INFLUENCES ON THE CATWALK

By the 1970s the look had been revived again by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in their Kings Road boutique, Let It Rock. However, this time they brought in more elements of Glam Rock influenced by the music of this time; David Bowie, Marc Bolan, T. Rex and Lou Reed.

The trend was ground-breakingly shocking for its time and it has appeared on the Winter 2011 catwalk. Obviously it doesn't have the same rebellious meaning on today's catwalk as when these clothes were worn but Bottega Veneta has taken strong influences from this 50s Sub Cultures style. As a lover of the Teddy boys rebellious style I can only relish in their beauty and admire the work of today's designers work. 

You can see strong influences from the Teddy Boys sub-culture in this Bottega Veneta menswear catwalk. The tailored style of clothing is a modern twist on the Teddy Boys rebellious style. This is a clash of a modern style of clothing with this subculture as they have made the jackets more fitted than they were in the 50s and added more denim. Although they have took inspiration from the cut of the garments - the long draped coats and high waisted baggy trousers with the loose fitted shirts. They have also kept the theme going with the very teddy boy inspired hair styles - greased back like they would have in the 50s. 

Mark Making Artist

CY TWOMBLOY

Cy Twombloy was an American artist who's name is really Edwin Parker 'Cy' Twombly, Jr. 
He is well known for his large-scale, freely scribbled graffiti style painting which also have a slight calligraphic-style to them. These painting are mainly grey, tan or off white coloured canvas. 


Twombloy's paintings are just in between drawing and painting. Many of his best-known paintings of the late 60s are inspired by a school blackboard on which someone has practiced cursive 'e's'. Twombly had at this point discarded painting figurative, representational subject-matter. Making each mark have it's own story as its proper subject matter. He believed that mark making has a more interesting outcome then more traditional fine art.

Here are some images which Twombloy has created which have been looking at within my research.

This painting has been created on a large-scale white background. The medium he has used to create the drips is watered down acrylic paint which he has purposefully produced mark making. I like this image as he has a good use of colour and the marks he has made are really interesting. I like the way the paint has run and it looks like he has used ink for the running sections. The way that the paint has run in a straight line is really effective. The colours that he has used are really inspiring for my final design as they contrast but compliment each other which is something I want in my own work. 

This painting has been worked back into over the top. He has painted the acrylic on the canva thickly and then scratched marks into take away the paint and leave interesting mark making. This painting has used very natural and earthy colours which is different to the bright colours used above. I quite like this as I think these colours work well together and compliment each other. I personally wouldn't use these colours for my garment though and I don't think that this technique would work well for print screening as there would be no white coming through the screen. 

The colours in this painting have more of a sad feel about them with a more faded and muted mark making effect although the layering of paint makes this more of a thoughtful process to paint. There is more of a subject matter in this picture which are the little caveman style drawings - these are pretty basic but work well within this image. I personally wouldn't use this image as inspiration for print as drawings are very basic but this could like back to Bauhaus as they are child-like. Although I do like the colours in the background which could work well for my dying technique which I will use on my fabric. 

JACKSON POLLOCK

Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter and a massive figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was known for his unique style of drip painting. Pollock had an unique technique of how he created his abstract artwork. He was known for dripping the paint onto a high speed moving wheel which created random expressive splats of paint. He used lots of thick layers of paint which he kept adding to which added texture to his art work. He also dribbles the paint onto his work in random places. 

I love the idea and technique behind Pollock's mark making as it is very expressive and lively. I love the fact that he has lots of texture in his painting but I don't see any links to my inspiration with his work although again this artist is child-like. He uses very dull colours as well has bright which adds more depth too his art work but I personally this doesn't inspire me for my own mark making for my print design.  

I think the idea of him breaking the mould and pushing boundaries is interesting and I do like his work, but for this project he doesn't inspire my own. I do think that he has a certain style and doesn't seem to vary his work at all as it all seems to look the same. 

BRICE MARDEN

Brice Marden is an American artist. His work is generally described as Minimalist though it is hard to categorize his work. In the late 60's and early 70's gained international fame as the master of the monochrome panel. Over the course of his career Marden's work has developed to reveal a large range of influences which he has witnessed himself during his travels through out the world. 

Although Brice Marden's work is really basic I think that is simple but effective. I like the way that it isn't just random lines on a page and that it has a sense of flow with it. The vibrant colours immediately drew your attention to the art work. I like the way he used flat coloured backgrounds with crazy brightly coloured lines over the top of the background. I like the darker or lighter background simplistic ones. I don't like the bright red background. I think that the navy background is better as the colours stand out more and more vivid. This is inspiring for my garment and allows me to think about the positioning of the colours and how this can impact a garment. 

Print Design Research-Book Work

I have been researching print design for one of my college projects. I have researched into contemporary and historical print design as well as print design from different cultures. I found this part of the project really interesting and inspiring for my own final print design. Seeing the difference between all three different types of print design was interesting as I learnt a lot and I could see the difference over the different cultures and time periods. 

I have done all of this work in my sketchbook previously so I thought instead of writing it out all over again it would be easier just to photograph it. Hopefully it is readable. 

HISTORICAL PRINT DESIGN

Hopefully my handwriting is readable and the photo quality isn't too poor. I liked these three artists work it was interesting too look at the older styles of print design as this is where it started. Not of the artists really inspired me as they were although I really liked the mirrored symmetrical prints which William Morris produced. I like the symmetry but also the flock style prints themselves I think they would still work today and the only real change I would be too make the colours more interesting.

 Ben Nicholson was the only artist which really link back to my chosen art movement which is Bauhaus as he used colours close to Bauhaus artist Johannes Itten as well as Geometric shapes but sadly I didn't find his work inspiring. 

CONTEMPARY PRINT DESIGN

Contemporary design was more interesting for me as there was more to research and it was more reliable as I was alive when these were around, so I can relate to certain things. The main reason why I liked contemporary artists was the bright and vivid colours used and how technology as impacted the production of it making the prints more digital. I really liked Zandra Rhodes print designs as they are very quirky and different, they look extremely unique and she has her own style of design. I like the way the she uses different contrasting colours which something that has inspired me for my own work as it looks edgy and vibrant. 

I also really like Mary Karantzou's designs as I find the mirrored effect of her print really interesting. I like the vibrancy of the colours which she uses as they are contrasting which I find inspiring. I like the fact that her summer collections are vibrant and bright with very floral inspired pattern designs and then in the winter uses more of an icy pastel colours less yellow and red and more blue and purple. I like this as her work is seasonal but still fits both times of the year and each season is a completely different printing style. 

I would be interested in creating a symmetrical design for my garment as I think it look really effective the only problem is I dont think it will suit my Bauhaus inspiration as well as it being harder to cut it from my fabric which could mean that I will waste a lot of fabric as well as money.

CULTURAL PRINT DESIGN

I also research into cultural print designs.  I focused on African designers as they use colours and shapes which could inspire me for my own designs. I looked at 2 different artists Deola Sagoe and Alphandi. This research is also in my sketchbook so once again they are photographs of my sketchbook.  I looked into African print as traditional in kente prints they choose colours which express your personally and I thought that was a very interesting way to express yourself through clothing. 

DEOLA SAGOE

I really like Sagoe's prints as they have traditional African influences but the cut and shape is very contemporary and has a very 'western' style/approach.  I really like the texture of her print especially the middle pink and purple on the right hand side as well as the top far left dress, they have amazing textured prints. I like the way Sagoe adds structure to her garment this is really inspiring for my own garment as Bauhaus is a lot of shapes which will need structure. I like the unique cuts that Sagoe has cut in her garments as they are really different. My favourite cuts are the pink and purple dress because of the structure and neckline and the bottom hem-line of both the top left and top right images above as it is very feminine which is inspiring for my own work. I also like the back-line of the typically African print on the top of the bottom three images as it is interesting and doesn't follow traditional African wear but keeps an African feel with the print.

ALPHADI

I love Alphandi's using of shapes and colours as well as panelling. The panelling is very Bauhaus as it is very triangular as well the bright colours which also really reminds me of my art movement. Even the shapes prints on the garments are very Bauhaus-esque and the evening gowns even have a bold use of colour.

The patterns and prints really interest me in this artists work. As well as the different culture which is inspiring as they just prove that any art movement can be put with any culture and fits really well with everything as they can link. This has inspired me not only in print and design but also to keep myself going and design my Bauhaus inspired garment.




I found researching both historical and contemporary design really inspiring for the production of my own garment as I can see the difference between more traditional forms of print design as well as contemporary designers work. I was inspiring as I can see the different styles and how they are formed together to create the final print designs.  I find the contemporary designs more inspiring as they are more quirky and unique. These are my personal favourite and I like the contrasting colours used I will be taking this inspiration for my own designs. Cultural print has really inspired as both the artists has different styles but also kept traditional views. The prints and structures of these garments have given me an in site to their culture which I found interesting but also helped me develop my own ideas further.  I think this research has given me the motivation to create my garment.