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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 1

The International Journal of

Visual Design __________________________________________________________________________

Digital Imaging and Design Experimentation in Textile Printing Education NAHED BABA

designprinciplesandpractices.com

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF VISUAL DESIGN www.designprinciplesandpractices.com First published in 2014 in Champaign, Illinois, USA by Common Ground Publishing University of Illinois Research Park 2001 South First St, Suite 202 Champaign, IL 61820 USA www.commongroundpublishing.com ISSN: 2325-1581 © 2014 (individual papers), the author(s) © 2014 (selection and editorial matter) Common Ground All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the applicable copyright legislation, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. For permissions and other inquiries, please contact . The International Journal of Visual Design is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal.

Digital Imaging and Design Experimentation in Textile Printing Education Nahed Baba, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Abstract: Digital imagery plays a central role in the printing process for textile and fashion design. Teaching textile printing at undergraduate levels requires the presentation of various forms of experimentation and techniques like digital printing, intended to generate print designs for textile and fashion. Can the use of digital imagery of different forms and concepts to create reflection, illusion, and transparency as an experimental strategy for textile design enhance student skills and creativity in textile printing? This paper attempts to answer this question. A group of students from the fashion with textile design program of the College of Fine Arts and Design in the University of Sharjah at UAE was asked to look at the different use of light and its reflections on the surfaces. This was used as a case of study to create a dialogue between the artistic imagery, repeat patterns, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and textile design concepts. The result of this project was a print series of contemporary designs that reflects the balanced integration of the previously mentioned parameters. This author concludes that the method of both experimentation and expression with digital imagery enables undergraduate textile and fashion designers to expand their individual creative skills and to gain a concrete knowledge in textile design. Keywords: Digital Imagery, Textile Printing, CAD

Introduction

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ashion and textile designers have always sought inspiration from unexpected sources to create a new visual language for fabrics. In the contemporary fashion industry, designers have become adept at exploiting computer software and digital photography to open endless possibilities for innovation and creativity in the design of printed fabrics. The use of digital technologies has increased to such a degree during the past decade that it has become a fundamental aspect of our daily lives, and has radically changing our culture (Press & Cusworth 1998: 16). This is true of the fashion industry as well. These technologies are widely used in the designs of runway collections where, for example, in the use of large prints, the artwork is fitted for the structure of the garment. These digital tools are not only integrated into the artist’s and fashion designer’s studios, but have a dominant role in the curricula of undergraduate courses to assist the creative processes and prepare the young textile/fashion designers with the skills needed for the workplace. This paper is an examination of an experimental instructional strategy using digital technology for the undergraduate students of the Fashion with Textile program at the College of Fine Arts and Design in the University of Sharjah (UOS). This instructional strategy was implemented with the aim of increasing student skills and creativity in textile printing. The objective was to develop a four-stage practical process of enhancing creative thinking skills of students of textile and fashion design who work with digital media tools. The conclusions are based on the observation of related student activities during the 10-week long study program, and extensive discussions and comments students made in relation to their design thinking processes and practices.

Digital Imagery and Creative Process Recent developments in graphic software such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), inkjet printing and transfer printing technology open endless possibilities for innovation and create new challenges for designers to work with different material. Technological advances allow rapid translation of designs onto fabrics, the ability to print complicated details with unlimited colors, The International Journal of Visual Design Volume 8, 2014, www.designprinciplesandpractices.com, ISSN 2325-1581 © Common Ground, Nahed Baba, All Rights Reserved Permissions: [email protected]

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF VISUAL DESIGN

an inexhaustible images palette, and the possibility of producing very large-scale images using inkjet technology (Bowles & Issac 2012,12). All this can be done without considering color separation or repeat pattern techniques as these are applied in traditional textile processes. Any form of artistic media can be transferred into the digital media either through digitization or through the use of computers in a specific aspect of processing or production (Paul 2008, 27). This ‘high tech’ application is expanding the visual language of textile design and creating aesthetics and motifs that have considerably increased the design repertoire (Treadaway 2004, 2; Clarke 2011, 64). The use of photographic imagery, the digital layering of images and the complexities of color and tone require both knowledge and practical expertise with the requisite software. However, digital tools such as CAD have their own aesthetics and vocabularies which are forcing us to re-examine the creative design process. As Treadaway (2004,3) explains, “any creative enquiry or task demands fluency in the use of knowledge in the domain in which the action takes place”. The use of various graphic software and digital imagery to enhance the creative process has become a fundamental aspect of most college and university fashion and textile programs. This technolgy requires a learning process which demands ‘a learning curve’ (Watkins 1995, xxix) to learn how to control the meduim with a high “degree of aesthetic sensibility and technical textile or surface pattern 'know-how'” (Treadaway 2004,3). Despite the ease of using these tools, expertise is required to control them for the purposes of stimulating creativity. As Black (1994, 24) notes, the most innovative work results from an open-minded and experimental approach that can lead to possible unexpected results. At the same time, Paul (2008, 27) argues, there is a type of digital design that presents the “distinctive features of the digital medium and reflects on its language and aesthetics”. Another type of digital design shows how the use of this medium is “so subtle that it is hard to determine whether the art has been created by means of digital or analogue processes”. Throughout the process of teaching textile design or any related art medium the normal aim is to “build and value creative beliefs, attitudes and actions” and to “promote the growth of perceptual awareness, observation” and “personal confidence” (Tudor 2008). The processes of creativity requires “…a dynamic activity that involves conscious and subconscious mental processing” (Lumsdaine & Lumsdaine 1995, 14). Creativity also depends on elements “such as the environment, one's culture, and individual abilities” (Smith et al. 2013,1). The program at UOS was designed to encourage and expand the students’ creative explorations, research skills, thinking, and other skills, in order to promote idea synthesis and constructive judgment using creative problem solving skills that are essential to adapt “different thinking skills and thinking tools” required to “use the whole brain” (Lumsdaine & Lumsdaine 1995, 3). The students, before being influenced by the medium, should know the main technical details and decide what they need to achieve with their design. According Vallender believes they need to accept the peculiarities of this medium and states in particular about the learner (1994, 116): [The learner] should possess a general overview of functions and limitations. When the learner knows what the functions are and is familiar with what can be achieved with a system, he or she is likely to be more efficient and be effective when learning its use. …In other words, I am suggesting that successful learning is fostered if the learner approaches the task with a realistic conception of what can be done with a system and what to expect of it.

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BABA: DIGITAL IMAGING AND DESIGN EXPERIMENTATION IN TEXTILE PRINTING EDUCATION

Teaching Strategy The group of eight students involved in this project are in their third year of study. Within the group there is a range of abilities in terms of design and computer skills. Students still need to practice and develop their knowledge of digital imaging and design processes. They were encouraged to be more artistic, more creative and more expressive, particularly as few of them seemed willing to scan images or to capture photos for experimentation. Introduction to Digital Printing is a 10-week long course that is taught for 6 hours per week. It is a part of the unit for year three of the Fashion Design with Textiles program at UOS. There are eight students, all from Gulf countries. The aim of this part of the unit is to create a dialogue between the artistic imagery, repeat/non-repeat patterns, CAD and textile design concepts. It also focuses on production of new aesthetic designs suitable for textile and fashion production without directly reflecting the characteristic features of the digital medium. The students were asked to look at the work processes of fashion designers and study how they choose their patterns. After gaining understanding of the complete process, they were asked to select their own patterns and create a new aesthetic for different types of garments using digital imaging. They were also required to look at the quality of the printed digital design using direct printing or by-transfer printing and become aware of how this medium can open options in designing without being controlled by traditional textile printing techniques such as color separation, as was the case in their previous experience with silkscreen and repeat patterns using CAD. Although students have some skills with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for repeating patterns, refreshing and expanding their skills is still necessary. During the 2002-2003 academic year, and for this unit, students were asked to research and define the following theme: ‘reflection, illusion and transparency as an experimental strategy which can be related to the different use of light and its reflections on surfaces to produce digital designs’. Instead of focusing on collecting different images of nature, objects, or buildings, etc. to create different designs (as was done previously), this time students focused on the aforementioned parameters to foster their creative thinking through research and to expand their creative problem-solving abilities, which involve “all three types of thinking: analytical, creative, and critical” (Lumsdaine & Lumsdaine 1995, 15).

The Stages Students went through four stages of experimental instructional strategy and they gradually became more curious about the potential of CAD , digital printing and its relation with fashion trends. They also interacted more with each other by discussing and sharing images and ideas. At the beginning of the unit there was a discussion about the definition of the selected theme and how students could apply it. The students were encouraged to consider two different aspects. The first was to look at the effect of various types of light on different surfaces to examine the reflections and shades that could be suitable for textile design. This inspired the majority of students and challenged them to find something new. The second direction, more suited to those not interested in capturing photos, was to collect photos of different types of objects, surfaces or textures from books, the internet or from their personal experiences and collections. For their final design most students used different types of repeat patterns, and played with colour, textures and layers. As an example of achieving reflection, the majority focused on using the mirror-repeat after manipulating photos using filters, or changing the color and the density to achieve reflections, to present the reflective surfaces or objects, and to capture images.

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Figure 1: Different Interpretations of Light

In stage 1 the students defined the context and meaning of the requested theme that related to light such as: reflection, illusion and transparency by research and planning. At the same time, they started exploring the potential of Adobe Photoshop to develop methods and to synthesize their tactile language for producing designs without being captivated by the power of graphic software. Despite the fact most of these students used CAD software for repeat pattern courses in the previous year, refreshing their skills and memories was required. Adobe Photoshop basics and features to edit and manipulate or change the colour and textures of the images were introduced. For stage 2, the students after searching for and defining the meaning of each theme, started collecting images and took photos of different surfaces with the intent to capture the different reactions of light. In this part, students looked at light sources such as fire, candles, or light bulbs and their reaction for creating a direct reflection and transparency/ translucency. Some of them studied direct reflections of light on mirror, metals, water, and glass, while some explored different tools in the graphic program for idea generation. Even though this stage was more about experimentation in capturing photos and finding directions for their ideas, the students continued in their class to explore the potential of software by focusing with specific tools (for example, ‘stamp’, ‘burn’, ‘cut’, etc.), and using different layers for duplicate and to rotate the images. Overusing the filters was not desirable and therefore was discouraged. During this stage a few of the student became more enthusiastic about experimentation with reflections of light on different surfaces. They became more focused on capturing photos to create expressive images rather than manipulating the software for effect, even though manipulating the photos through the software was considered a ‘progressive’ method to stimulate and create design. At the end of this process, most of the students began classifying and creating visual keys of repeat-patterns and non-repeat patterns by resizing the digital imaging and using the free transforming option with layers to present their theme.

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Examples of Student Outcomes

Figure 2: Generating Design Ideas

Stage 3 required the students to employ flexible, critical, and creative thinking skills to cope with design problems and find solutions (Lumsdaine & Lumsdaine 1995, 4). As a result, students became more focused on generalizing final designs using Adobe Photoshop and exploring the complexity of the layers and manipulating them with different tools related to the editing of colour, textures and filters (Figure 2 above). In this stage, they became more assertive with their techniques and color, and also more daring with their designs (they were asked to develop more than thirty (30) final designs for scarves by the end of week 10). In this stage, they considered alternative ideas, analysis and judgments. The various designs for scarves they came up with are illustrated below. Stage 4 involved confirmation, or evaluating outcomes and choosing the final design for printing. In this stage students were asked to choose one design to print for a scarf, as well as another design for a jacket lining by using digital printing (transfer printing) on chiffon (Figure 3 below). Also, in this stage students faced the challenge of choosing their final design for printing using transfer printing, which can be very different from screen printing. They valued their printed fabrics so highly that some of them expressed their intent to use them in another project which also required the use of the printed fabrics. Below are examples of the final products as well as some photos of the presentation of the scarves at the end of the unit (Figure 4 below).

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Figure 3: Final designs on chiffon using digital printing

Figure 4: Final presentation

By the end of the experimentation students considered digital printing and use of CAD software as highly effective tools that allowed them to explore endless possiblities for textile and fashion design without needing to fall back on the printing room and use tradtional textile printing techniques. Also, some of the students became eager to use digital printing to develop their design and participate in a competition organized by Philips Lighting Middle East and Turkey. Below (figure 5) are two examples of outfits made by two students. One is a jumpsuit

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designed and printed with transfer printing, which shows the reflection of sunlight on water. The second design is part of an outfit and shows the use of mirror-repeat to express reflections.

Figure 5: Two examples of digital outfits

Conclusion Digital tools are being incorporated into several textile/fashion undergraduate courses to assist student creative processes and to develop the skills required for their profession. This paper presented an experimental study focused on the process of expanding student creative exploration, research skills, critical thinking, and other course-related skills. With the collaboration of digital media students from the University of Sharjah, the study demonstrated the process of developing creative thinking skills to create a new textile visual language. Knowledge of digital imaging and a specific level of skills and knowledge of creating complex multi layered images were required. To a large extent, this creative skill depends upon “…the degree to which an individual is motivated to learn to use it [the digital medium]” (Treadaway 2004, 3). The process of student reflection adopted through the teaching strategy described above, resulted in designs produced by means of digital media that reflect the innovative skills and ability of students to create new aesthetics while gaining a greater understanding of technical textile design. Some of the designed work is subtle and presents artistic and expressive values. It also shows how effectively students can build their technical skills and creative confidence to develop designs through the use of digital tools.

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REFERENCES Black, S. 1994. Scanning the Inner Fabric in Braddock, S. and O’Mahony, M. (eds.). Textiles and New Technology. London: Craft Council. Bowles, M. and Issac C., Digital Textile Design. United Kingdom: Laurence King, 2012. Cope, B and Kalantzis, M., “Design in Principle and Practice: A Reconsideration of the Terms of Design Engagement.” The Design Journal, 14 (2011): 45-63. Clarke, S, Textile Design. London: Laurence King, 2011. Lumsdaine, E. and Lumsdaine M.. Creative Problem Solving Thinking Skills for A Changing World. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 1995. Paul, C.. Digital Art. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Press, M. and Cusworth, A.. “A New Vision in the Making: Exploring the Value of Craft Education in the Information Age.” The Design Journal. Volume 1, July 1997: 12-29. Smith, Steven M., Thomas B. Ward, and Ronald A. Finke. "Cognitive processes in creative contexts." The creative cognition approach (1995): 1-7. Accessed December 1, 2013. http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/stevesmith/SmithCreativity/SmithIntro.pdf Treadaway, C., “Digital Creativity: The Impact of Digital Imaging Technology on the Creative Practice of Printed Textile and Surface Pattern Design”. Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management. vol.4. Issue 1( 2004): 1-5. Tudor, R.. “The Pedagogy of Creativity: Understanding higher order capability development in design and arts education”. Proceedings of the 4th International Barcelona Conference on Higher Education, Vol. 4. Higher education, arts and creativity. Barcelona: GUNI. Accessed August 10, 2013. http://www.guni-rmies.net. Vallender, J. H.. Training and Education’ in CAD in Clothing and Textiles, a Collection of Expert Views. Aldrich, W. (ed.). London: Blackwell Science, 1995. Watkins, P., “Computing the Value of CAD”. World Review of Textiles, Part II (1995): xxviixxxii.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Nahed Baba: Assistant Professor, College of Fine Arts and Design, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Ain Shams University, Egypt

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The International Journal of Visual Design is one of six thematically focused journals in the collection of journals that support the Design Principles and Practices knowledge community—its journals, book series, conference and online community. The journal explores processes and practices of representation and communication using the medium of the image. Areas of interest include communications design, visual arts, illustration, photography, film and video, graphic design, typography, interface design, internet design, animation and computer simulations. As well as papers of a traditional scholarly type, this journal invites presentations of practice—including documentation of visual designs accompanied by exegeses analyzing visual design purposes, processes and effects. The International Journal of Visual Design is a peerreviewed scholarly journal.

ISSN 2325-1581