I visited the studio of textile designer Mrs A today in Mossley, she kindly agreed to look at my portfolio and give me some feedback . Pauline's background is in youth work but since she retired from her full time career she has focused on her art work. She pays £100 a month for her studio space which she can access 7 days a week and creates one off bespoke chairs and hats as well as painted canvases. Her work was initially a hobby but it has become a business as people have seen her work and commissioned her .She shows her work at craft shows and trade fairs and also sells via two local boutique shops
I explained to her that i was working on human shaped dolls with animal heads that represented certain people or situations that had either held me back or set me free. I told Pauline that i felt my work was too personal and 'dark' and was struggling with ideas to make it more commercially appealing. I told her that i felt the characters could be digitally photographed and the images placed onto mugs , plates or greetings cards but I was beginning to see that i needed to move away from the ugly animal images i had drawn an create more positive up beat imagery .
Pauline felt that i should decided on 10 to 12 animals that have personality traits that people could relate to ie a dog is loyal, faithful and obedient, they needed to be positive attributes that would make people smile . She suggested that I write a small explanation as to the rational of the dolls, why , where the ideas came from etc and how the project has developed. She also thought that each doll should have its own little book or card with its personality traits written on it. She thought that the dolls would be more sophisticated if they were not dressed then the focus was solely on the head. She felt that maybe a high quality fabric would work better as the dolls were very tactile and maybe to try different coloured fabrics but stay with black for the the heads. She also thought they needed to be slightly smaller so they could fit in your hand.
Pauline was very positive and enthusiastic about what I was doing , she felt the dolls definitely had potential and i should aim for the high end of the market. She feel they were quirky and playful and the focus should be humour and the feel good factor that would raise a smile and remind people of some one they know! Pauline gave me lots of advice re packaging and branding , she felt it made more sense to purchase boxes rather try to make them my self, she felt the art work was where i needed to invest my time and energy rather than the packaging.
She said she would be happy to purchase one ! Mrs A you were like a breath of fresh air , thank you so much for your input I will take it on board !
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