About Me

Recent Graduate from Textile Design student at Nottingham Trent University. My work consists of a combination of manual and digital print processes. Drawing is the key element throughout all my Textiles practice. (ALL the images posted on this blog are my own work and should not be used elsewhere without my permission. Thank you.) ©Yashmin Siraj 2012

Monday 26 March 2012

Second Year Textiles (Live Project)

These are some of the resolved designs I created for this live brief. 


These fabric designs were used for the final group collection. I focused upon graphic imagery juxtaposed against a muted background. I used the more sombre colours in my colour palette as backgrounds and the more vibrant turquoises and greens for the motifs and imagery. I used a range of print processes and pigments such as flock, puff binder, metallic and regular pigment. I wanted to create a contrast of textures and colours within my designs. I also collaborated with the embroiderer in my group to add another element to one of my samples through the use of stitch. I also created different colourways with the aid of Photoshop, to explore different mood and colour proportions.


(Click images to enlarge)









I also created samples to be used within my individual collection, These samples are quite different from the ones i included with the group's final collection. I experiment a bit more with colour proportions and different print processes such as reactive dye monoprinting, which in turn creates a very different look and mood.




All images ©Yashmin Siraj






Saturday 24 March 2012

Second Year Textiles (Live Project)

The second project for the second year, was a depart from the self directed routine that we have had in the past modules, this was a live brief set by a textiles company. From the four companies that set us briefs, I chose to do a brief that was very interiors focused, the company Harlequin set a very open minded brief of which we had quite a lot of room to be creative, innovative and also experimental. However with this brief I did have to focus on the target market, the interior focus and also what the brand has already got to offer to the interior textiles market and how I could create fabric designs that would work within the established brand identity.


The concept that my group and I decided upon was a rural/woodland theme, focusing on birds, habitats and plants.


I decided to take a very graphic and illustrative approach to this theme, I looked particularly at birds and the feathers in particular. The visual research and drawings i produced combined very hard graphic, liners mark making with more fluid watery inky backgrounds. I also experimented with layering, contrast of textures and also combination and blending of colours.


Preliminary drawings,




Experimenting with colour and ink,





All images ©Yashmin Siraj

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Second Year Textiles (Man Made/ Organic Project)

I developed more refined design ideas with the aid of Photoshop, I created motifs and imagery using the drawings from my sketchbook. Using this imagery I created repeat and placement designs. I wanted to create  a organic, slightly chaotic mood, however the use of my imagery in my sketchbook (the ordered maps and grids) meant there is a certain man made element to my designs. Furthermore the use of digital technology and the fact I used digital print on silk habotai emphasised my theme of the contrast of man-made and natural. The flow and vine like qualities of both the motifs and silk juxtaposes greatly with the map/grid like lines within the motifs and the digital print methods I decided to use for my resolved final outcomes.


Below are the final design samples for this resolved project. (Click to enlarge images.)


© Yashmin Siraj

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Second Year Textiles (Man Made/ Organic Project)

Developing on from my theme of the contrast of man-man grids and natural textures, I developed my drawing through the means of Photoshop into developmental designs and compositions. I wanted to create a complex and fluid pattern with the imagery from my visual research.


Below are a few examples of the preliminary designs I created with Photoshop.










© Yashmin Siraj 

Second Year Textiles (Man Made/ Organic Project)

Going into second year I decided to specialise in Print. I felt my drawing skills and knowledge were best suited to this area of Textiles, and i wanted to explore the specialism further throughout my second year.


The first module consisted of a technical block, in which i learnt all the processes and skills needed for the rest of my degree. In this project i decided to look into the juxtaposition of natural and man made as my over arching theme. I researched into maps, aerial road maps, satellite road images, OS maps and also into natural forms such as trees, vegetation, fruit, and decaying organic textures.


I wanted to push my CAD skills further therefore worked heavily on Adobe Photoshop to create a lot of my designs.


These are a few of my initial sketches and visual research for this project.






© Yashmin Siraj