Ashley Livolsi - Nature of Love

NATURE OF LOVE

During December of 2019, I did a one-off clothing series based around the nature of love and the healing power of physical touch. I believe that in human contact, there is an extra level of vulnerability and communication that words simply can't achieve. One thing that physical touch can express is love, so I really wanted to create illustrations that were not only reflective of human touch, but also various types of love that can be expressed. Ultimately, I ended up creating three illustrations that featured hands touching. Ivy and vines surround the hands, further connecting them and representing the nature of love.

Initial Sketches

I knew very early on that I wanted to use hands as the focal point for each design, because a majority of the touch that we feel is through the hands. Using my own hands as well as my friends' hands as references, I began to sketch 3 different instances where two hands are touching and connected. As the two subjects connect through touch, ivy vines entwine them, representing a spiritual/supernatural connection; similar to the Chinese mythological story of the "Red Thread of Fate" which is the idea that there is an invisible red thread connecting two people that are destined to meet [soulmates].

Design 1 - Touching Hands

Design 2 - Dancing Hands

Design 3 - Embrace

Digital Iterations

Using the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator, I reproduced my illustrations. As I did this, I had to be mindful of line weight, image size, and limiting detail as I prepared them for them to be turned into silkscreens.

The colors used are representative of different types of love; Lavender represents new love and an eagerness to grow in one’s relationship, yellow represents friendship as well as expressing joy in one’s relationship, and peach represents a deep appreciation for the other person.

"New Love" - Hands Touching

"Appreciation" - Dancing Hands

"Friendship" - Embrace

Pre-Press Files

After preparing the line work and halftones in Adobe Illustrator, I printed the designs onto film and went through the process of exposing my silkscreens.

I screen printed the designs onto white t-shirts using plastisol ink. I ultimately chose to print the halftones in the assigned colors and print the line work on top in black.

With some help from my Aunt, I also embroidered a couple of hats using her Brother embroidery machine.