Problem solving with my 2nd baby clothes piece

This video documents around four to six weeks of development and problem-solving. In the early stages, I was trying to create enough contrast for the face-to-face figures to stand out, but I realised the background had become too harsh and was competing with the forms. My intention was always to create a softer, subtle tone, similar to the gentle shadow behind an object, rather than a strong graphic contrast. I initially experimented with lilac and pink tones because I wanted the background to suggest the feeling of a baby blanket, but the colours still felt too intense.

The breakthrough came when I decided to cover the entire surface with fabric. Using calico around the edges and a baby blanket through the centre immediately softened the piece and gave it a more cohesive feel. The dusty mauve-grey tone of the blanket then became the inspiration for the final background colour. Mixing this shade was surprisingly difficult because it sits close to an off-white and required only tiny amounts of lilac and ochre yellow. Achieving the same balance in larger batches was especially challenging.

I'm pleased with where the piece has ended up. The background now has enough texture and depth to support the baby-clothes figures without overpowering them, and it has made me want to develop the work further for my final piece. Looking back, I only wish I had worked on a larger scale.

This project also taught me a great deal technically. I spent a lot of time refining the PVA-and-water ratio, learning how to project an image accurately, and understanding how projection can distort proportions. In this piece, the figure on the left became slightly stretched because the projector was angled onto the floor rather than projected straight onto a vertical surface. For future pieces, I will project onto a wall and trace the image first before applying the clothing, which should give me a more accurate foundation and speed up the process.