Development Ideas ~ Inspired by an image - Art Portfolio 2

    The development ideas for this project is inspired by an image. The image I got it while class time. Here, I will show the sketch of my ideas that based on that image; not only that image also I was taken inspired by the symbols that Connecticut have, which is sperm whale, white oak (leaf and tree), mountain laurel (flower), tartan plaid colour palette, and American robin (bird). 

    This is the image that I chose as my main inspiration.

The Many Faces by Antony Gormley

    The outcome of the inspiration image is that I made two different designs, each inspired by the American robin and white oak. The first costume was a fantastical jumpsuit and bird-based because I wanted to show a direct symbol, which is the American robin, one of the Connecticut emblems. Also, the design shows the multiplication of the feathers and wings, like the picture that has a lot of faces. And, for the second dress, I made mini and stiff; the design combines a white oak leaf and tree trunk motifs because I want to represent the transformation of Cromwell City from a broken down to a blooming city; it is symbolised by the leaves colour from the red to green.

    This is the experimentation of the leaves colour from red to orange; orange to yellow; and yellow to green.

    I sketched another six dresses I can use for the city costume for females. Firstly, the costume design is inspired by the mountain laurel and Connecticut tartan plaid. This costume will be a midi and jumpsuit. I used mountain and tartan as the combination to symbolise the blooming of the city because the tartan itself has its own meaning in every colour, which is "...large blue stripes representing Long Island Sound, large green stripes representing forest, medium gray stripes representing granite, red and yellow pin stripes representing autumn leaves and white pin stripes representing snow." (Connecticut's Official State Website, n.d.).

  The second dress that I sketched is inspired by the mountain laurel. It is a one-shoulder dress with an inverted flower on the hips. The flower is decorated with cascading anthers and combined with a long skirt.

  After that, the third dress is inspired by a sperm whale. This dress really shows the sperm whale because all of the whale's body is shown through the dress. Also, the dress shows the tides of the ocean to support the whale setting.

  The fourth dress is also inspired by mountain laurel, but it is mini. This dress just has an inverted flower and fabric hanging down. 

    The fifth dress is inspired by the American national costume, cowboy style, combined with mountain laurel and tartan plaid. This costume is a constructivism. The costume is not divine, a feminine style, but more masculine because the style uses long pants with long sleeves and a blouse combined with a vest, Connecticut tartan plaid fabrics, and flared long pants. I designed this costume with flared pants because cowboys are famous for this type of pants; I also used cowboys as my inspiration because I wanted to include American traditional culture. With Connecticut tartan plaid fabric and mountain laurel, they depict the Connecticut city, too. Moreover, the vest adds aesthetics to the overall costume and will also be asymmetrical.

    The last dress is inspired by the white oak leaf. The dress will be mini and stiff, with a combination of a mini cape Connecticut tartan plaid pattern. This dress will have 3 - 4 layers of fabric to make the dress wide and show space. 

    Overall, this is the designs that I have made in class. However, I will continue to design the city costume for men and kids, also for the school uniform for girls, boys, and unisex.

    Reference List

Connecticut’s Official State Website. (n.d.). The State Tartan. [online] Available at: https://portal.ct.gov/About/State-Symbols/The-State-Tartan [Accessed 12 Apr. 2024].