Chala Jamison
May 9, 2021
Final Essay
Dr.A
SBS 3201
The shirt represents me because I’m a natural person. I love to be creative and design items from scratch. I chose to use a shirt that I naturally hand-dyed because as a fashion student I am learning about the importance of sustainability and caring for the environment. One of my main roles in society is as a student. As a student at the New York City College of Technology, I have been taught by my professors to use my original work and be my authentic self in order to express my creative work in a professional way. I’ve also learned that in the fashion industry, it is better to be original than copying other people’s designs. Being original allows others to see who you are as the creator of each piece of fashion. In college being original allows professors to see each student’s work and shows them their creativity. When a student does use work from someone else original there must be credit in APA style when writing. A knock off is a copy of an idea or brand that sells for less than the original. The outcome of the knock off is that it looks similar to the original but it is not the same quality as the original. I want my creation to be an original, not a knock-off.
I chose to use my hand-dyed shirt that I created using tea as a natural dye. The process of the project was a lengthy process. First, I had to boil the water and then add tea. I then removed the tea bags from the water and left the t-shirt in tea water for 31 hours. After one rinse, the shirt was lighter than when I took it out. Next time, I would like to try green tea and other colored tea to see different colors on the T-shirt.
Prior to the 1850s, natural dyes were used on various types of fabrics, “most commonly from vegetables, such as plants, trees, and lichens, with a few from insects” (Abrahart 2019). Although several natural dyes are unstable, some have been successfully used to color fabrics for decades. Tea-dyeing is a natural system that produces fabric with a gentle coloration, just enough to smooth out a blotchy surface or soften the look of a fresh, special material (Stewart, 2001). It’s a time-honored technique that most likely extends back to the beginnings of fabric dyeing.
Next I added black flowers , red marabou feathers to my shirt. The element that I added to this shirt is the flower . Flowers to me mean growth, that’s why I added flowers . Flowers grow with water and so do I with knowledge there is growth that I get . The boa represents that I am fun , fashionable and luxurious .
The color of the shirt is beige, black, and red. The use of black is very bold and stands out.The flowers on my shirt is black and the marabou on my shirt is red . In psychology and fashion black shows sophistication. The red is a powerful color; it is a small amount that shows a little of assertiveness. The base of the dress is beige, a natural color. The beige is a warm tone that balances the shirt.The other color used is black, which is also neutral color. There is shading in this piece because the tie dye pattern is darker in some sections and lighter in others. This effect created the spiral pattern. The last color that is used is red which is a hue. The color of this shirt is lighter rather than darker. There is more beige used in the shirt than any darker color.
Composition is the organization to make visual displays as a whole. Composition of the visual design also affects the balance. Composition means that a design is successfully arranged and has balance. This shirt seems to have good composition because each line seems measured and exact. The left and right portions of this dress are a mirror image. The sides hold equal weight. The space and colors are distributed evenly and are organized. This connected to the flowers added on my shirt .
Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. “In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced (Dewy, 2018 Pg 3). “In radical balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar. There is asymmetrical balance in this shirt. When creating a tie-dye design nothing is exactly the same or asymmetrical. The spiral is different on either side, but it appears balanced. This makes the shirt have asymmetrical balance.
This creation was a fun process. I did not know that my shirt would come out so beautiful. I am very proud of myself for the creation I made. I plan to make more T-shirts and apparel this way. This was a very fun assignment .
CITATION
Dewy, J. (2018, March 21). Elements of design: Design defined. Retrieved May 9 , 2021, from https://www.invisionapp.com/design-defined/elements-of-design/
Abrahart , A. (2019 ,August 3) Kent Edu : Retrieved May 9 , 2021, from https://www.kent.edu/museum/resist-world-resist-dye-techniques
Stewart , E ( 2001, March 1) Shop : Retrieved May 9 , 2021, from
The Making
