No to the Nutcracker!

Back in October I started on a project, as one of the live briefs for ABSPD Ultimate Portfolio Builder course. This one was for Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine who asked for a set of Christmas stamps and papers. They were particularly interested in the theme of The Nutcracker ballet but were happy to look at other Christmas themed collections.

I found out last week that my work wasn't picked up which on one hand sucks because I really worked hard on this project...on the other hand I can now share it with you and do what I like with it!

Someone very recently told me that if you are going to make it in this business you have to be ok with 'No', people that you want to work with aren't always going to want to work with you, and that's ok too. I'm really happy with how everything came together...check out some of the sketches I did for the project below. I hadn't really drawn anything like this before so I'm quite proud of myself. It was an interesting challenge to work on characters and a seasonal motifs...



Working on poses for the Sugarplum Fairy

 

Most of the Nutcrackers I found actually looked quite scary
so I tried to make mine more friendly looking.

 



I ended up doing over 20 pages of drawings



Working on the Sugarplum fairy in Illustrator.

The final main pattern.

Snowflakes

 

 

Christmas Trees

 



 

I wanted to use a colour palette that was pretty and a bit different but incorporated those frosty, Christmas tones so I went with a mixture of teals, pinks and greens and tried to use both light and dark backgrounds to add some variety to the collection.

I'm really pleased with how it all turned out. I hope you like it too. Maybe next year some of the designs will make an appearance as wrapping paper? I might even start working on some cards to add to the collection...watch this space!

From May to December

Well, the last few months have just flown by...I promise I haven't been slacking, in fact I don't think I've worked harder creatively than I have over the last few weeks, and it's been tough, but I've learnt a lot and I've grown.

So let's play catch up....Since April I have:

 Attended my first trade show! I went to Pulse London www.pulse-london.com
 

 

Pulse is aimed at designers and creatives who are in the gift, fashion and homeware markets. Buyers from all kinds of businesses, large and small, come to see a huge range of products and hopefully place orders. I didn't exhibit this time, but I did take along my portfolio which I plucked up the courage to show to 5 different exhibitors. I wanted to know if people in the industry thought my work was any good....happy to report that I got a huge thumbs up from everybody! Yay! The feedback I had was really positive and I left on such a high I was totally convinced that I wanted to start manufacturing my own line and start selling! The best comment of the day was from Abi Meats of Rude (www.thisisrude.com) she very simply told me "You're ready, get out there and make it happen".

I completed Module 3 of the Make It In Design Course!

 

 

This module was tough, mainly because it is so jammed packed with information! I can't credit Rachael Taylor and her team enough, they really did an awesome job at putting it all together. I had to download everything because I know that I'm going to go back and re-read it all at some point.

 

 

Then summer came and I took some time out to focus on my family. My girls are growing up so fast that it scares me! So I spent the long summer days crafting with them, playing games and generally doing anything other than pattern work, in fact, I didn't pick up a pencil to draw anything...all summer! I did read...lots! I refilled my tank with words and other peoples imaginative outpourings and I loved it!

 

 

September rolled around and I knew I had to get back on the drawing horse because my last module with MIID was coming up fast. Module 4 has been given a revamp and is now called The Ultimate Portfolio Builder. This module, for me, was the toughest, bestest, most exciting, scary course I have done to date. The UPB is designed to push you, stretch you and basically take you out of comfort zone so that by the end you are creating work you didn't think you could. And I did...

 



 

 

There were several highlights for me on this module but the one that truly made me happy was a video review of my work by Rachael herself. In the first couple of weeks, students could submit work in a digital format, portfolio style for review by either Rachael or one of the other equally talented guest designers for review. I worked so hard to get everything together, the wait for the review to be posted was super stressful and when I saw my name on the screen, well, I don't remember ever being so nervous! I couldn't watch it alone, in fact I couldn't hit the play button for a long time. My husband had to watch it with me...I know...I'm a wimp! But that too was a pleasant surprise, lots of positive comments and reassurance that this is where I'm supposed to be.

 

Over the next few days I will be sharing with you some of the work I have made on UPB. Some of the best work has to be kept under wraps for now as it was made for the live briefs that the students can choose to participate in once the teaching part of the course has wrapped up. As the work has been submitted to real companies, I can't share until the reviews have been posted. Once they have, it will be on here...and I'm really excited to share it.

 

So, that's it for now....sketches to follow and some of the pattern collections that I have working on. I LOVE surface pattern design....I should put that on a mug, or a t-shirt....or a tea towel....

 

It's about time!

Ok, so I know I haven't been around for a while but I promise I have been super busy. I have been drawing and pattern making and designing day and night but I'll get to that a bit later so settle down with a cuppa and let me fill you in.

The first thing I wanted to share with you was this amazing array of wrapping paper that I recently brought from Paperchase...

 

 

 

Here are a couple of closer peeks at some of my favourites...



Beautiful patterns, I especially love the butterflies on Kraft paper.

The colours in this feather print just sing!

Did I mention that I'm also butterfly crazy!

I adore these tropical themed prints, one with a real vintage feel
and the other with a bright, modern twist.

Paperchase is one of my favourite stationery shops here in the UK, I visit regularly and pretty much drool over every beautiful, pattern covered object in front of me.

 

My local eye candy...Heaven!

 

 

Just so you know, I have a terrible weakness for stationery, I collect notebooks, sketchbooks, pots of pencils, beautiful cards and of course, wrapping paper. If I ever hit the big time sunshine, stationery is one place I want to be.

 

So shopping...Check!

 

Next I would like to share with you some of my own work. Over the Easter break I became slightly obsessed with drawing birds...I know not why, I just was. My style, which I have come to accept and am learning to love, is very graphic. I usually draw with black lines of varying widths, they are quite flat, bold motifs which I'm learning to adapt to pattern design using Adobe Illustrator.

 

Here are some pages from my little sketchbook...

 

 

Trying to loosen up by using brush pen instead of pen.

 

I love the cherry blossom...not sure where it came from.

I'm really liking that little flower blossom.

Cheeky chap!

 

 

 

 

Now I just have to figure out what to do with them...

 

I've also started entering some of the fabric design competitions that are run weekly on Spoonflower. If you don't know about this fantastic place, check it out here http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome

 

I have only entered two so far, but putting my work out into the public forum for strangers to vote on is HUGE for me. The first design was created for a competition where the colour palette was limited to Coral, Mint, Black and White. I went with a cloud theme...

'Nebulosity' and some variations on the theme.

 

 

The second had an open theme and was for those of us that had signed up to Creativebug to watch a series of videos all about fabric design seen through the eyes of three very different designers. The course was amazing, it gave me a clearer sense of real world design processes and I highly recommend having a look at it.

 

Learn the ins and outs of fabric design.

 

Unfortunately...I didn't win that either, the top 10 designs were all beautiful but I do really like the pattern that I made, what do you think?

Can you see the Bees?

So up next is the third project for the 'Make Art That Sells' Bootcamp. This is an online illustration course run by Lilla Rogers with a different focus for each of the six assignments, run over a six month period. This assignment was to design a poster to promote the MATS Global Art Gathering, a live event happening in Brighton, UK, this coming June. I've never done anything like this, especially using Illustrator, we had to include some hand lettering and had a very limited colour palette to use so this took me on a real journey of learning and I loved it.



My favourite project so far!



Ok, so you are up to speed. Whilst I wait for the next bootcamp assignment I am working on Module 3 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design which is all about figuring out how to actually get paid for making your art. Modules 1 and 2 were great, so I have high hopes for this one too...Watch this space!

If you like my work or just enjoy reading this blog, please leave a comment and let me know.

Have a great day!

 

Mojo required...Apply within!

Oh dear....what happened? Mojo...or rather lack of it! I was all ready to produce some awesome work, feeling totally inspired by World Book Day and then.....Nothing, nada, zero, zip...blank spaces filled my head instead and I couldn't even put pen to paper.

After 3 weeks of creative nothingness, technical misfortunes and the desire to eat my own
body-weight in chocolate, I finally managed to get my backside into gear and make a little
pattern that I actually think is ok...

 

I really like the background with its newspaper texture and although I wasn't intending on using pink at all, I think it adds a nice pop of colour.

 

I guess every creative person suffers with 'mojoitus' at various times...it totally sucks!

It's World Book Day!

So it's World Book day 2015 and I wanted to share with you one of my most precious and treasured books...If there was a fire, this is one of the things I would try to save!



'The Red Tree' by Shaun Tan

 

As an Ex-Librarian, I'm sure you can imagine how much books mean to me, but picture books are my 'thing' and I collect them like they are going out of fashion...which I hope they never do!
Thank goodness I have children, they provide me with the perfect excuse to buy beautifully illustrated books by some truly amazing artists, the only problem is that I want to keep them all for myself!

This particular book is one that sits close by me in my studio and has a very special place in my heart...it is a story, very simply told, about feeling small and overwhelmed by the world and finding light and beauty in even the darkest of shadows. So not only is the artwork inspiring but the message is too.




"...terrible fates are inevitable..."

 

Shaun Tan is an Australian author and illustrator, he has a wonderful style that is composed of

hand-drawn and found imagery. His work is also very textural and layered, it has real depth which is often complimented by Shaun's use of a limited colour palette.

 

"...without sense or reason..."

 "...just as you imagined it would be..."

 

Shaun Tan's books aren't just to be read, they are to be felt in the heart too, they truly do connect with their reader on a very personal level and if you haven't come across any of his work before I highly recommend visiting your local library and checking out 'The Red Tree' and some of his other titles.

Check out his website here...www.shauntan.net/ 

You can read a bit more about 'The Red Tree' here...http://www.shauntan.net/books/red-tree.html

 

Tonight is my fortnightly get together with some of my other creative friends and I thought I might have a go at making a pattern or two inspired by the imagery in this book.

Lets see where it takes me....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How I got to now

Hey, hello...How are you? I'm...nervous...and excited...I've been wanting to do this for so long now and here I am...with a blog!

My name is Jo and I have spent the last few months changing my path, starting a new journey...it's going to be a long one but my hope is that by keeping this blog, I can keep a diary for myself and maybe inspire someone (could it be you?) along the way.

In 2002 I completed my degree in Illustration...as it turns out I am not a very good Illustrator, it was a struggle and at the end of my course my tutor asked me if he could show my work to the Head of Textiles because he thought actually I might be more of a Surface Pattern Designer...she called me a few days later and left a message...I never called her back and I've regretted that ever since.

I've actually spent the last decade or so being a Librarian, it has been a great job, honestly I've loved it...but I just quit...I'm going to see if my  tutor was right...I want to be a Surface Pattern Designer.

Now I haven't just arrived at this decision, it's something that the powers that be have been gently pushing me towards for the past year. This is how I got to now...

It started whilst watching an episode of 'Liberty of London' on Channel 4 (Series 1, Episode 2), and seeing Emma Mawston, The Head of Design, being wonderfully creative and passionate about her career and her art, she reignited my love for pattern in those few minutes and planted the seed for a complete life change...I wouldn't be here without her, so thank you Emma, you were a total inspiration!

Then I had my third baby, my third daughter and the first time I saw my girls all together a very strange thought went through my head, "what will they say about me when I'm dead?"...I know, weird right? And dark...it was there and gone in a split second but it made me realise that I needed to change a few things.

Then came a conversation with Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas/ The Voice fame....a one sided conversation where I did most of the talking.
It was about 3am and I was doing the night feed with the baby, I was watching a Sky Arts programme which turned out to be a series of interviews with creative people from all areas of the arts and this one just happened to be with Will.i.am. Now, I'm not a BEP fan, I don't own any of his music but what he said in the programme has stuck with me ever since. He was talking about the idea that if you discover your gift, your talent, whatever that may be, it's your job, your duty to be the best you can be at it and to put it out into the world. I listened to him talk and sat there on my sofa and said "yes Will, you're right, life is short, and if I don't change things now, then when?" During the interview he was recording parts of his song , 'Mona Lisa', I downloaded it the next day and whenever I feel like I can't do this...I play it and reminds me to keep going.

I knew that being a Librarian was fine but it wasn't my passion and it wasn't where my talent lies...I'm an artist, there, I said it!

Next came a conversation with my husband. He was feeling rather lack-lustre about his job, it's pretty stressful and time consuming and he expressed the feeling that despite working all hours he wasn't feeling particularly satisfied and I very flippantly replied that I felt exactly the same, mainly to let him know that he wasn't alone in this. Later that night I really thought about that comment and realised that I actually did feel like that and that wasn't okay.

At this point, I knew that I needed to actually do something with these thoughts and feelings. I did some research and decided to do an online summer school course in surface pattern design...I loved it! Suddenly I was sketching, drawing and painting again, it felt like home.

And so here I am now, I have been teaching myself Adobe Illustrator...which has brought me to tears on many occasions, it's a beast and I've just finished the second module of a year long course in SPD. Don't get me wrong, it's great to be doing something I adore but I'm plagued by self doubt, creative black holes and mind-numbing jealousy at the skills and beauty of other peoples work...but I'm here, I'm doing it, I'm not giving up, I'm going to make this happen...Will.iam told me so!