Subject : Surface Embellishment

Unit 4 Application of Surface Embellishment

Quadrant 1 – e-Text

Learning Objectives

The learning objectives of this unit are:

 Define the meaning of concepts.
 Translate the details from inspirational sources to paper.
 List the alternative/ non-fabric mediums and materials.
 Simulate the patterns and textures of the source of inspiration on paper using
appropriate mediums and techniques.
 Select appropriate materials and combination of techniques keeping in mind the look
and quality parameters for translation on textiles.
 Analyze the advantages and limitations of using a particular technique over other
methods.
 List the repeat patterns in textiles.
 Define the meaning of Lay outs.
 Explore lay outs on different fashion and apparel products.

4.1 Preparing Concepts

Meaning of Concepts

A concept is a mental representation, which the brain uses to denote a class of things in the
world. This is to say that it is literally, a symbol or group of symbols together made from the
physical material of the brain. Concepts are mental representations that allow us to draw
appropriate inferences about the type of entities we encounter in our everyday lives. Concepts do
not encompass all mental representations, but are merely a subset of them. The use of concepts
is necessary to cognitive processes such as categorization, memory, decision making, learning
and inference. Everything starts as an idea. Some ideas are minor and not worth much effort to
accomplish. Some ideas are so important that generations have not been able to accomplish
them.

The concept is the most important part of the design process. All that follows is directed by and
must answer to the concept.The results are only as good as the ideas that originate them. This is
where you give form to your concept and the work gets done. This is the physical part of the
design process.
Content

Only when the form meets the expectations of the concept, the process is successful. The content
is checked throughout the designing - each step of the doing or making must validate the
concept. If the process strays and the results are at odds with the concept, the form must be
modified or the project may fail.

If the process inspires the designer to a new or better idea, the concept can be modified. In most
designs there is a continual give and take between the concept and the form. Which one gives
depends on the situation.

Sometimes, the concept is so specific that it cannot be changed. At other times, a better idea is
found along the way, and the concept is changed to take advantage of the new discovery. A
design concept is the idea behind a design. It is how you plan on solving the design problem in
front of you. Your design concept becomes the framework for all your design decisions.

4.2 Creating Patterns and Textures using different Mediums and Techniques on Paper

Once concepts are created in mind from the source of inspiration, the concepts are to be
transferred on to the paper. The concept starts taking a form at this stage. The ideas, on the
method to be adopted or the design are to be rendered on paper to depict the final look of the
fabric embellishments. Rendering is to be done using appropriate mediums and materials to show
the overall appearance of the work. The rendering has to effectively show the aesthetic appeal of
the embellishment on the final look of the work. So, the medium has to be chosen wisely.

4.3 Selecting Materials and Techniques for Translation on Textiles

Fabric representation is an important entity of fashion illustration. Understanding the textures
and properties of different fabrics and embellishment materials and how to render these
accurately can add authenticity to an illustration. This section will focus on the alternative and
non-fabric mediums and materials.

Suitable Materials

The following materials can be used to effectively to render the surface ornamented fabrics.
Certain materials can be used while rendering to achieve a realistic look.
Cartridge Paper / Pastel Paper / Tracing Paper / Water colour Paper / Card, Pencils – ranging
from 9H – 9B, Coloured Pencils, Paper Stumps / Eraser / Sharpener, Graphite Sticks, Water-
soluble coloured Pencils, Charcoal, Soft / Oil Pastels, Ink, Paint: Water colour / Acrylic, Fine
Liner Pens, Felt Tip Pens, Metallic Paints, Glitter Pens, Beads, Sequins, Threads and Woolen
Yarns.

Texture
Texture describes the tactile quality of a form. Accurate rendering of an object's
texture is the key to very realistic drawing. The textures of some objects can be particularly
challenging due to movement, fine detail or their ethereal quality.
The texture in a drawing is also a product of the support, such as paper or canvas.
Some papers, particularly those for pastel and water colour, have a textured surface due to the
fibres or the mold used to make the paper. Different mediums will show up the inherent texture
in the paper.

Now, let us move on and learn how to simulate the patterns and textures of the source of
inspiration on paper using appropriate mediums and techniques. As well as creating the illusion
of texture in drawing, artists often use the inherent qualities of a medium combined with various
forms of mark-making, such as rough shading, smooth blending, hatching or scumbling to create
interest within an image.

Using Appropriate Mediums and Techniques

Mediums

Appropriate mediums are to be used to create illusions of beads, thread, wool, silk or wooden
texture along with the appropriate rendering of ground fabric.

Templates
As mentioned each of the embellishment methods are to be depicted on paper using specific
rendering techniques to achieve the required look and feel of the work.

Embellishment

Every medium may not necessarily be applied to render all the methods. Each embellishment
gives a different type of texture. Few have a smooth finish, whereas few give a rough
appearance.

Materials
Materials such as glass beads will have a glossy finish, which are to be rendered with lead
pencils. Lace fabric can be rendered with mesh fabric and pencils. Metal parts can be rendered
using gel pens, metallic and pearl paints.

While working out the design on actual fabric, various combinations of techniques can be used to
bring out a manipulated look on the fabric. Pleasing aesthetic appeal can be created via wise
usage of combinations. Suitable materials are to be incorporated in the design for the successful
final output. A designer can experiment unconventional methods and combinations to add value
to the product. One of the conventional combinations created, as an example, is creating quilts
with Kantha embroidery worked out on it.
Unconventionally, quilting can be combined with other techniques. Quilt embellishment can take
many forms, but the most common are beaded embellishment, including beaded fringe or beaded
trim; found objects; metal and foil; and sewing embellishments such as trims and silk ribbons.
Extreme fabric embellishing involves sewing embellishments on fabric so closely that often the
fabric cannot be seen, atleast in some areas. Objects are more than just a way to hold the pieces
of your quilt together. Stitching lines, swirls and motifs add dimension, depth, meaning and
interest. Another technique is to combine patch-work and applique or patchwork with quilting.
Many other combinations can be tried out to create interesting outcomes. Also keep in mind the
quality of the fabric and the embellishment materials that are to be used on the fabric. The
embellishment material has to satisfy the quality parameters of the fabric and other requirements
as well.

4.4 Repeat Patterns in Textiles

Motifs
A motif is an element of a pattern, image or part of one, or theme. It may be repeated in a design
or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. It may be an element in the
iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other works. Ornamental or
decorative art can usually be analyzed into a number of different elements, which can be called
motifs. These may often, as in textile art, be repeated many times in a pattern. Repeat patterns
are also known as translation patterns and are rigid elements where the motif is simply repeated
over and over again along a horizontal and vertical line.

Repeat Patterns
These elements normally repeat in a predictable manner. A repeat pattern is the area of an image
that repeats along vertically and horizontally and where one section flows into the next. It is a
design which has been done more than once in one area. Types of repeat patterns include mirror
repeat where patterns are reversed. Sometimes, in mirror repeats, spots repeat where the fabric
appear to give random effects of the pattern.

Prints and Patterns

Ornamentation of fabric with the help of prints and stripes inherent on fabric or with the help of
superficial adherence has evolved over the ages. This generally forms the grooming up of the art
of design. Different kinds of prints and patterns are used to evolve a design pattern.

Kinds of Motifs
Ethnic

Prints such as the bandhej, batik, paisleys, chitons, Egyptian, Persian, French provincials and
other country prints evolving from folklore and influenced with traditional customs are termed as
ethnic prints.

Floral
These motifs are also known as natural motifs. They basically depict inspirations derived from
nature such as flowers, animals, landscapes and similar inspirations.

Geometrical

The use of geometrical figures such as dots, stripes both horizontal and vertical with other
geometrical motifs and their combinations are termed as geometrical patterns.

Abstract

Abstract ideas that are used to depict the unknown have always caught the fancy of people and
are often used for design based ornamentation.
Stylized

It is an abstract floral pattern that has a stylized depiction of floras. It is a very common motif
used for textiles.

Types of Repeats
Such motifs are repeated in various arrangements called patterns. The common types of repeats
used are: Block Repeat, and Brick Variations.

Block Repeat
A layout in which the repeating unit appears directly on a horizontal line to the left or right of the
original design unit. They are also called square repeat, straight-across repeat and straight repeat.
Block repeat pattern is formal, organized and symmetrical. Its images are snapped to a grid and
perfectly aligned both vertically and horizontally.
For this type, the motif, contained within a square or rectangle, is repeated in straight lines across
and down. The design can be spaced, with the background completely separating the motif or
motifs, or packed or connected together. There are very simple variations to the basic block
repeat that add interest and flow. Overlapping the repeat unit, flipping alternating motifs, or
making it continuous (think flowers connected by sinewy vines) might be all that’s needed to
make a pleasing design. Diamonds and ogees are considered subtypes of the block repeat.

Types of Drop Patterns

There are two types of drop patterns. Full Drop Repeat and Half Drop Repeat.

Full Drop Repeat

The simplest of the drop patterns is the Full Drop. In this pattern motifs are repeated along the
horizontal and vertical axes. This is the most common type of patternedfabric. The pattern is the
same on both sides of the fabric roll, and aligns perfectly when side matched.

Half Drop Repeat

The repeat of the motif is staggered by 50% by row or by column. Each unit of pattern is
designed to match halfway down another unit of pattern. A half drop fabric usually has a large
pattern. The pattern doesn’t match exactly on each side of the fabric roll, and matches half a drop
down instead.

Brick Variation

Brick repeat pattern is similar to Block, except instead of being perfectly aligned vertically and
horizontally, the image layout is staggered, like a brick wall. Meanwhile, onto the brick repeat,
which is similar to the half drop repeat – one rotated 90° produces the other. The main difference
is the brick repeat forms a horizontal emphasis, while the half drop forms a vertical one. It can
also affect two-dimensional pattern by creating diagonal movement, which can be emphasized or
subdued using colour and tonal effects that are visually linked to particular elements in the
repeat.

The most common variation is the striped horizontal mirror, which creates directional changes as
the eye moves over the pattern. If the grid structure is used as an element within the design, it
creates a more stable and solid pattern when repeated.
Various types of embellishments – be it embroidery, appliqué, quilts, patches or any other form,
can be worked out on textiles in the form of motifs which is the most basic form of design. These
can be repeated over and over again in various repeat patterns and can be produced all over the
fabric in specific layouts.

4.5 Layouts on Fashion Products

Textile design types may be categorized by layout as well as by motif or style of pattern.
The term layout refers to the arrangement of motifs in the framework of the design plane. Unlike
a painting or drawing, which is designed in relation to its boundaries or edges, the elements in a
textile design are designed in relation only to each other.
There are no boundaries when the pattern is printed, it will continue over yards and yards of
cloth. For a textile design to be reproduced on fabric, it must eventually be developed into one
standard unit containing a specific arrangement of the desired motifs. This one unit called a
repeat will be repeated across the width and length of the fabric in a continuous manner. Any
specific motif will recur on the fabric at measured intervals because each motif holds a specific
location within the repeat unit, and the entire unit is printed over and over again, above itself,
below itself, and beside itself, thus covering the fabric.

Within the repeat unit itself, however, the motifs may be of any density; and a variety of density
is both more natural and more dynamic. Within the repeat unit, motifs do not need to be evenly
spaced. Whether close together or far apart, they must have a consistent relationship to each
other. When the design unit is continued over the fabric, one motif or space viewed as distinct
from all the others will look like a mistake. It is the subtle differences in motifs and spacing that
will make a design interesting.
4.6 Layouts on Fashion and Apparel Products
These are the different fabric layouts.

1. Tossed Layout
2. Packed Layout
3. All Over Layout
4. Foulard Layout
5. Bouquet Layout
6. Ogee Layout
7. Bayadere Layout
8. Border Layout
9. Engineered Layout
10. One Way Layout
11. Two Way Layout
12. Multidirectional Layout
Tossed Layout
Random Layout

This is a design in which elements are scattered randomly within the unit of repeat. They are also
called as random layout.

Tossed Pattern

A Pattern composed of motifs that do not recur at regular, measured intervals within one repeat
unit of the design is referred to as a tossed pattern. These elements may be spaced with ground
area between motifs.

Packed Layout
This is similar to tossed layout, but the motifs are packed close together so that they touch. They
are not separated by ground area.
All Over Layout
An all-over layout has balanced motifs that recur irregularly within the repeat unit; the difference
is that the motifs are connected in some way, that forms a network that covers the entire design
plane. These designs feature elaborate, embellished floral-like motifs that seem to grow and
wander across the design plane.
Foulard Layout
A small-scale pattern with basic block repeat, also called a set pattern or a tailored pattern.
Originally, the term foulard referred to a soft, lightweight silk cloth. Classic foulards are small-
scale, regular shaped geometrics, usually in set layouts.
Bouquet Layout
Flowers or plants can be arranged in what is called a bouquet layout, with identical or varying
bouquets usually repeating at regular intervals. A five-point bouquet is a layout arranged so that,
when the fabric is cut to cover a sofa cushion, one bouquet is in the centre and a quarter of a
bouquet shows at each corner of the cushion.
Ogee Layout
A once popular format rarely used today, except in wallpaper and traditional damask patterns, is
the ogee layout, which utilizes onion-shaped motifs. This type of pattern almost always features
floral forms on urns or vases. It also features birds as motifs.
Bayadere Layout
A horizontal stripe layout is called a bayadere. This need not be simply a geometric stripe
composed of straight lines, but may feature any type of motif arranged in a horizontal format.
While a bayadere is possible with any type of printing, vertical stripe layouts are not possible in
flatbed screen printing due to the difficulty of matching up the stripes from one screen to another
during printing. Diagonal stripes, common in home furnishings, are almost always at a 45° angle,
not only for ease in matching the design at the seams, but also for use either horizontally or
vertically. The diagonal usually runs from lower left to upper right.
Border Layout
In this layout, a border pattern is focused along one selvedge with a ground extending to the
other selvedge. A border fabric is used for garments (or draperies) with a border around the hem;
therefore, enough space must be allowed in the design for the hem of the skirt or dress to be
turned under without distorting the design.
Engineered Layout
Some home furnishing fabrics are designed with a border along each selvedge with the ground in
between, forming in essence a double border.
When one screen makes the entire, completely self-contained pattern, it is referred to as an
engineered pattern. Designed almost like a drawing or painting, engineered patterns are striking
in pillowcases, towels, area rugs and scarves.

One Way Layout

In any type of layout, whether it is engineered, ogee or bouquet the direction of the motifs must
be considered. In a one-way pattern all the motifs face upright in the same direction.
Two Way Layout
In a two-way pattern half the motifs face upright and half are upside down, so that the pattern
gives the same feeling in either vertical direction. Fabrics printed with one-way or two-way
patterns, however, must always be utilized in a consistent direction.
Multidirectional Layout
In a multidirectional pattern where motifs face all directions, the pattern looks correct from any
angle. Pieces of fabric can be used together in any way, and therefore the pattern is essentially
non-directional.
4.7 Conclusion

To summarize, in this unit, you have learnt the meaning of concepts. You learnt how to translate
the details from inspirational sources to paper and the different mediums and materials that are
used to embellish surfaces. You also learnt how to simulate the patterns and textures of the
source of inspiration on paper using the appropriate mediums and techniques, and how to select
appropriate materials and combine techniques keeping in mind the look and quality parameters
for translation on textiles. You learnt about the technique of repeating patterns in textiles. The
section on Layouts examined the meaning of layouts and explored the various layouts on
different fashion and apparel products.