Using Your Digital Camera As A Design Tool Part 1

After each dye application in the process of achieving my WholeCloth Banners, I display the work on my pin-up board in the studio and take a digital photograph. This gets saved into a Document File Folder specifically for this piece. By the time the work is finished I may have up to 20 images in this file which also means that I have worked through the same amount in various dye applications. Viewed as a slide show this makes a valuable record, and a resource for future works as I can re-visit the processes at any time. This is something that cannot be done in a sketch book. I do however keep a brief written diary of what I have done, in particular design ideas etc and the dye colours/mixes I have used, with a smudge of the colour beside the notes.
Here are three, albeit small, images from a series of 20 taken while working a piece called LAYERS. They are images #1, 7 and 14. The completed work (155cm x 115cm) is not shown.

In most cases the topics I cover in this blog are quite complex. I will be releasing these as individual blogs over a period of time, and not always in sequence. You will however be able to identify them because they will have the same title plus Part 1, 2 etc. You will be able to re-visit previous Parts in the Archive segment of the Blog whenever you wish.

The image of the yellow door was taken in Spain. Don't you just love the forged hinges? They are very old and damaged, but look again and you will see that the main shape of each hand forged hinge is different. Don't you think these have a lot more charm and interest than anything achieved by modern precision engineering?

Next Blog: Publishing images of completed works, when and when not to.