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!