Daniel Heath
Profile
Daniel Heath's background training at the RCA, where he studied Printed Textiles from 2005-2007, enabled him to broaden his understanding of the specialism and consider the many and varied applications for the skills he was developing. During his time studying at the RCA he worked on many collaborative and cross-disciplinary projects with designers from Fashion, Design Products, Industrial Design & Engineering, Ceramics and Architecture departments, adding a perspective on projects that was valued for a sensitivity to materials, surface, tactility, colour and pattern design.
Daniel teaches at Loughborough University School of the Arts where he is responsible examiner for the module content, planning, delivery and assessment of 4 modules on the Printed Textiles programme. A broad range of teaching experience has been gained in this role, including the delivery and leading of seminars, lectures and tutorials to students studying for Foundation, Textiles BA and Post-Graduate qualifications (MA).
Alongside his work at Loughborough University and other institutions he has a silk-screen printing studio based in Dalston, London. Daniel has created bespoke wallpaper and interiors fabrics for domestic and commercial environments, working with architectural firms and interior designers in London and internationally.
Daniel's other research interests are based around the concept of craft and the relationship it has with contemporary design practices. This interest stems from his personal practice where traditional silk-screen printing processes are enabled by CAD. The notion of ‘digital craft’ and the use of CAD as an enabler to broaden the application of design when used as part of a designer tool box is also of significant importance to his proposed area of future research.
Project
Drawing for Textile Applications
Daniel Heath & Kerry Walton
There is a strong history of drawing in the Textile context, and within Textile design education. However, recent research by the Fashion and Textiles subject association confirms a generally held view amongst textiles Higher Education staff that drawing as a subject has been given less of a priority in recent years than may have been the case historically, both in schools, at FE level in our feeder institutions and within HE programmes themselves.
It seems that students are increasingly applying to HE programmes with often poor drawing skills, partly due to the nature of some A level teaching, and partly due to the fact that foundation programmes are offering less drawing instruction due to its perceived high cost in terms of resources and staff time. The Textiles programme at Loughborough has an excellent reputation for drawing, it’s relationship with excellent practise in Textiles is clear and this view is endorsed by employers in the industry. Many prefer to employ design staff with excellent drawing skills. Much of the production of Textiles is overseas and consequently information is sent around the world for development in digital formats. Fabrics are increasing being produced or embellished via digital means – embroidery, laser applications, digital jacquard weaving and digital print. However, contrary to a popular belief that drawing is becoming less important, we would argue the opposite, and that the potential for application of good drawing is wide within the digital context. Once a hand rendered image has been digitised it may then be used in a whole variety of different ways – for example – digital print, laser work, graphic applications, and at any scale.
Students starting the Textiles programme at Loughborough are coming with a lower level of skill, enthusiasm and confidence in drawing and we are developing ways to counter this trend by starting to create a series of resources and projects which can effectively develop skills and fluency. Some of this information can reside within the virtual learning environment and is being developed with this in mind.
The fellowship will enable us to develop a range of workshops, resources and exercises to be shared across the sector. The outcome will be a web –based resource with on-line drawing tutorials, examples of work and video footage of activities demonstrating progression through a series of exercises. This material would be accessible by staff across the education sector and also by students, but specifically aimed at those interested in drawing and its relationship with textile design.
This would be supplemented by links to some of the excellent web pages that already exist. For example, Tracey: an access journal dedicated to the presentation of drawing and the discussion.
The workshops will encourage the students to engage through participation in group activities. The activities enable the students to show their creativity and force a level of interaction and communication within the group, enabling peer-learning and self-direction. These exercises also expand their ability to question composition and the function and tactility of the materials that later informs the choice and selection of drawing materials and marks to communicate this. All workshops will be recorded onto video cameras, edited and placed onto the online resource. Additional printable worksheets and a gallery of work produced in the sessions will also be available for students or staff to access as a guide.
Workshop Series:
Loosen the Hand
Aimed at increasing the participant confidence with drawing. Some students may need a drawing ‘refresher’- an opportunity to let loose with materials working out of the sketchbooks and onto a bigger, A1 format.
The Figure in Space
This will focus on composition and will use lighting and backdrops to accentuate shadows, form and the positive and negative space around the model.
Recording Texture
Students bring clothes and props to this session in order to dress the model. The focus of this session will be texture and surface so students are asked to think about that when choosing items to bring.
Fashion Illustration
This session will focus on fashion illustration and students will need to bring clothes and props for the model to wear. Students will be styling the model in groups and will be asked to create a theme. The creation of these themes encourages a level of engagement and helps the group to question materials and composition in order to evoke the intended mood.
Installation & Composition
Students will be divided into small groups and given 1 hour to create an installation that they will be asked to draw. Students must consider the mixture of materials and surfaces, where the light falls, positive and negative space and the composition of the set-up.
Multiples
This session will focus primarily on drawing using the layering of media. Students will be building up an image using a combination of collage materials and line. Students will need to bring items that you can build a structure from, so must think about multiples and how things can fit together, providing a better understanding of space through constructing in 3D. Students also benefit by gaining an understanding of pattern and how repetition can be used within drawing as a pathway to design.
Online Instructional Workshops:
Repeat
Digital audio-visual recording explaining various repeat structures, industry measurements and applications. Step-by-step instructional examples that will show the viewer how to create a repeat by hand in all-over, block and in half-drop structures. Recording will also explain the distribution of imagery, translation of marks, layering and cut-through for application to silk-screen.
Digital Repeat
A step-by-step audio-visual instruction explaining how to create complex repeat structures in Photoshop using scanned development drawings. Recording will instruct students how to create a tile for digital printing, and will explain how Photoshop can be used to create transparent films used for traditional silk-screen printing.
The resulting work from the following sessions will be placed in an online gallery with captions for each piece explaining the process used.
Mark Making- A Process Journey
Students will explore mark making, layering, copying, inverting and digitising of imagery.
Drawing with Marks
Using still life as a starting point, students will capture the information using a palette of marks created in the previous session.
Colour Analysis
An exercise designed to encourage mixing and matching of colour.
Colour and Composition
An exercise that explores colour relationships and composition using an analytical approach.