Testing Materials
To begin with, we tested the materials we wanted to use. In my case I tried watercolors, to get familiar again with my color palette and keeping in mind that I wanted to intervene my illustration with embroidery, Mauro taught me some stitches to work the thread on paper.
Concept
During Mauro's presentation about what home is for him and with the references about what memories we could support, I began to write down all the ideas that came to my mind. After that brainstorm, I built a mindmap to organize everything that meant (or didn't) Home to me. To then select terms and keywords. Once my idea and concept landed, I built a moodboard as a reference to build my image.
Draft
I chose to interpret my physical homelessness throughout my life in an introspective way. I wanted to express that home is within me, despite the bad experiences with my family in the past. All this is part of what makes me flourish, like the pit of an avocado, that you have to stick it in and put it in water. Why the avocado? It is not only one of my favorite foods, but in my homeland, we had a large garden with a very old avocado tree, the first one my grandparents planted when they arrived in Ica. With my cousins we called him „grandfather avocado“ or „father tree“. Other elements to reinforce the idea is the embroidery treatment near the heart (avocado seed) and emerging to the surface in colors. And on the other hand, a large part of what I am is thanks to my grandmother, the „chaucato“ bird, helping or proudly observing my growth.
Pencil Sketches
Process
Embroidery composition
Before starting to embroider, I did an investigation of possibilities on paper, together with the embroidery stitches learned, it helped me to sketch the composition digitally, taking a photo of my work and putting together the strokes. In order to be able to make holes in the paper that allow me to embroider it exactly where I needed it.
Final Illustration
Mixed media (Watercolors, black pen and embroidery).
Product application
I think this illustration would be a good piece of merchandising, a Totebag: screen printing the colors and embroidering on it
Focusing on this project for a week has been great. A lot of nostalgia when thinking about the concept of home and everything that one leaves behind. Thank you
