Looking at the body language I began drawing from the human figure, exploring different poses and positions, using simple line drawings and mixed media. I love drawing and exploring different media, I feel it is important as it is the starting point of each project.

Through exploring body language, I discovered how it relates to confidence. I began thinking about how people adapt to different things, to makes themselves feel more confident, thinking about hair makeup and clothing.  Experimenting with real and synthetic hair extensions, exploring different techniques such as paint, machine embroidery and paper manipulation.

Through exploring with drawing makeup and drawing with makeup I began experimenting with used makeup wipes, weaving, smocking and embroidering them, to highlight the natural marks and stains left on them

Having researched why individuals wear makeup through a simple questionnaire, I decided to create a series of personal responses representing certain individuals. Knitting, weaving and smocking each individual’s makeup wipes and weaving false eyelashes and hair extensions back into them, representative of what each person wears.

I also created a second series of responses, weaving, knotting and embroidering around my used makeup products, representing that people use makeup to cover up and ‘hide’ what they don’t like.

Developing the responses from the questionnaire I wrapped wire words selected from the answers i received in makeup wipes, showing again that people use makeup to hide what they don’t like. This idea was inspired by Joseph Havel’s ‘Sam can’t sleep’.

Being given the brief ‘Back Yard’ I decided to look at my Grandad’s back garden, thinking of all the memories i have there. I began drawing some of the tools in his shed, focusing on the rust and marks left on them through aging. I embroidered a handle of one of his spades, which was covered in rust and really interesting to draw from.

Through looking at how my Grandad’s tools had aged it led me onto think about how he had aged. I began looking at and drawing from his wrinkles and the folds created in his skin. I experimented with representing these through knitting, using ribbed and drop stitches, creating texture, lumps and folds similar to his flesh.

I experimented with looking at the folds I could create in my own skin, scanning my hands and face, creating interesting images and folds. I love this image of my hands and drew them super-sized (A1) using graphite and chalk.

I loved Waltraud Janzen’s stitched portraits of his uncles and decided to create my own version of my Grandad using machine stitch. I love the simplicity of this.

I came across an image of an old man in Bloom magazine and loved his overgrown eyebrows. I zoomed in on them and focused on the individual hairs capturing them through painting and experimenting with hand and ribbon embroidery.

After studying Rachel Gomme’s ‘This is how long’ I loved the idea of creating a timeline of my Grandad’s life through knitting. I created a piece, 5ft 10 in size, the height of my Grandad, changing the stitches representing his skin aging, starting with a plain, tight knit and progressing into a loose , ribbed knit. This represents his skin becoming loose and wrinkles forming over time. I later decided to subtly embroider my Grandads face into the knitting. I love this piece and my Grandad’s reaction to it.