Now I’ve had the chance to study the Battle of Britain
commemorative lace panel, as well as the paintings the designer made from the
original tracings, I’m impressed by the way the design was simplified for the
lace panel. Harry Cross, the designer of the lace, would have produced his
design and then handed it over to the draughtsmen who interpreted it into the instructions
for the lace machine. Designers and draughtsmen always worked closely together
as the success of a design depended on their mutual understanding of the effect
the designer was trying to attain and what could be achieved using the lace
machine. This mutual regard is expressed in the panel as Harry Cross includes
his own name, as the designer, at the top of the panel, as well as the names of
the two draughtsmen, J W Herod and W R Jackson. Mr Herod began the draughting
of the panel but sadly died before it was completed so Mr Jackson took over the
task. I was particularly interested in the way the New Zealand silver fern,
pictured above was interpreted for the panel. The original design (based on the
painting by Harry Cross) is quite intricate and subtly shaded and includes many
overlapping leaves, which I thought would be difficult to transfer into lace,
but even though the draughtsmen have simplified the shapes they have still managed
to retain the outline and delicacy of the plant, which is a great testament to
their skill.
No comments:
Post a Comment