Over the last 2 weeks, I've been working mentally hard to get loads of stuff made for Pexmas festive market, which happens just outside our studio. I actually do the branding for the Pexmas Ltd company since it started 3 years ago, but never thought of having stall before. Anyway - so all of a sudden I had to brainstorm how to make commercially viable products while running with the current ideas for my art stuff.
I made clothes and cards mainly. Clothes are all designed and handmade by me, using reclaimed fabrics and dyed with vegetable dyes from kitchen by-products (so NO food wastage in the process) - i used onion skins, avocado skins and stones, and the water from soaking black beans.
The cards are all printed (lino, woodcut, mono and screenprint) with toxin-free inks onto a special card (v.expensive!) that is made from an algae which grows in the Venice Lagoon - it has to be removed otherwise it pollutes and poisons the local ecosystem. Cool huh!? And i ordered 100% recycled envelopes. Unfortunately cellophane wrapping seems to be a harmful product, no matter how you look at it, so i didn't buy any. But i think for professional reasons - i ought to, otherwise people might not buy the cards. I'm gonna keep researching to see if i can find recycled cellophane wrapping pockets.
*
Below are some studio shots from the mad making process... I did the stall with my friend Rachael who I share a studio with also, and i think we didn't sleep properly, or eat a proper meal for a week. Consequentially, I am now ill!
 |
| Black bean dyebath |
This is a bedspread i'm making from reclaimed fabrics - linens and cottons. Some are naturally dyed, the others (the grey and brown) are already like that.
I'v realised I need to make an online shop and website for the clothes I make - I have at least 15 different garments i've designed and handmade and dyed with veg dyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment