W is for windmill...

Hello,

Hope you had a lovely weekend. It's Monday again so that means another letter of my A-Z surface pattern challenge! Today W is for windmill.....

 

I love the little garden windmills. They are just such a happy shape! I think these could work on gift wrap and cards as well as stationery.

 

See you soon

xx

This week I am featuring surface pattern designer and illustrator Yaz Raja. I met Yaz when I studied several surface pattern modules at Staffordshire University. Her designs are all hand drawn and painted using watercolours, she then uses Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to edit her work. Yaz's designs are inspired by both nature and fashion.

 

She sells an array of products with her drawings on such as t-shirts, tote bags and phone cases they can be found in her Etsy shop and her Society 6 shop. It's really worth having a look.

 

 

If you like her work please check out her illustrated fashion blog or you can follow her on twitter here . 

 

See you soon

xx

 

If you would like to be featured please email me with some images of your work and a little bit about yourself.

 

 

 

T is for telephone

I am now motoring through my A-Z challenge! This morning I've been experimenting with a telephone motif. 

 I like to experiment with background colours and the use of text.

 

 

 

Out of all the designs I have done this morning my favourite is the black and white telephones below I like the regimented quality and the burst of red at the bottom.

 

 

I could see these patterns being used on address books/notebooks and even a 'just to say hello' greetings card.

 

See you soon

xx

P is for Perfume...

Good morning,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and the sun shone where you were. 

Today I am on to the next letter of my alphabet challenge. I entered this design into the Tigerprint female surface pattern competition and although it didn't win it got through to the top 100 out of 700 which I was chuffed with.

 

To see all the top 100 designs click here.

 

See you soon,

 

Meg

Before I went away I mentioned that I wanted to start a little feature on my blog every Friday to highlight other surface pattern designers who inspire me. The First Designer I would like to feature is the lovely  Gabrielle Treanor of The Green Gables.

I have only recently come across her work, but my what a find! Her work uses everyday objects to create quirky and eye catching designs. Not only are her patterns gorgeous but she also ensure all her stationery is printed on planet-friendly papers too.

I really love her simplistic drawing style and her use of colour. Gabrielle was lovely enough to send me an email (along with some other very kind designers who I hope to feature in the coming weeks)with some fab pointers for getting my own pattern design business started and telling me how she herself had started up
The Green Gables.

 

Gabrielle is celebrating The Green Gables 2nd year birthday this week by offering 20% off everything on her website - for more details click here.

 

Do go and have a nosey at her blog and website, it will put a smile on your face, I promise.

 

See you soon

xx

 

(if you would like to featured email me here)

B is for Baby

Hello,

Long time no speak. Sorry I have been so quiet, I went on holiday to Tunisia for 2 weeks on a bit of a last minute break away. While I was there I took over 300 pictures a lot of them were of patterns both man made and natural (with a few taken of 3 unexpected visitors a snake, a scorpion and a lizard!!) I will do a blog post about my little break away later in the week so stay tuned ... (it is more than likely that T is for Tunisia!!)

Anywhoo, lets get back to today's post: B - is for baby (I am promising myself I am going to finish my A-Z challenge even if it kills me - I will get all 26 letters done!)

I originally did these designs for the Hallmark design competition which was to create a design suitable for a new baby range. However, I thought I would use them towards my little A-Z challenge too.

 

 

 

The 'A Brand new mini you' placement prints I would use on a new baby greetings card. The four star designs I would use on co-ordinating gift wrap and gift bags. I wanted my card design to be a little bit different and quirky. I really quite like these designs and may get some sample cards printed to see how they would look as an actual product.

 

See you later in the week,

xx

A lovely few days in Peebles

Hiya,

Last week I spent a few days away in the gorgeous Scottish borders town of Peebles. My Uncle, Auntie and lovely Scottish Gran live there, it was brilliant to go and visit and explore. The town itself is so picturesque with the river Tweed running through it. My Auntie and Uncles garden actually backs on to the river and the views are just amazing.

 

Peebles is full of beautiful historic buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

While I was there my Auntie suggested that I visited Moy Mackay's local art gallery. Moy creates the most stunning pictures using felt. They are just incredible, from afar you would think they had been intricately painted but on closer inspection you can see they have been beautiful crafted using felt and stitch. It really is worth taking a look at her work. I bought a couple of her greeting cards as a memento of my visit:

 

 

I absolutely fell in love with this quirky sheep.

 

 

And I loved this characteristic picture of The Crown Hotel that is on Peebles high street.

 

 

To round off a wonderful trip I also saw my first gold painted post box in honour of the show jumper Scott Brash, that really made my day!

 

 

I will be posting again soon, I am thinking of starting a 'Feature Friday' post where I highlight the work of other surface designers and artists. So if you would like to be featured please email me with a little bit about yourself and a link to your work for me to have a snoop at! 

 

See you soon,

 

xx