May I Design

It's all in the colour..

Hey,

Isn't it amazing how much colour can change the look of a pattern? While I'm doing my A-Z patterns I'm experimenting more and more with the colours I use, as it can really change the feel of the pattern. For example the pattern below I've created in a really lively hot pink and lime. It is bright, fresh and zingy. I also did the same pattern in an earthy green and brown it looks natural, with more muted colours. I personally prefer the natural colour scheme.

It just shows how important it is to think about the colours your choosing when designing for different products and markets as it can really change the overall look.

Which colourway do you prefer?

See you soon,

F is for firework..

Hey hey,

So yesterday the sunshine must have inspired me. Last night while watching Saturday night TV I created a mixture of different patterns on my laptop. I was unstoppable!! The time seemed to fly and before I knew it it was midnight and I wanted to be up early today to watch the London Marathon! Oops!

So today F is for firework. I created a simple motif using ink and a paintbrush then scanned it in and manipulated the colours...

I really like the multi-coloured colourway I think it is lovely and summery. The more I worked with this motif the more floral it became which is fine... F is for firework (or floral!!!) I then thought this pattern would work well on a cushion so created a simple cushion visual in a couple of colourways to see how it would work.

Enjoy your sunny Sunday,

see you soon

Having a play with paper ...

Hello,

What a gorgeous day it is today the Sun is shining which automatically makes the day that little bit happier!

I have spent this week back in Lichfield seeing my friends and family, which has been so lovely. So I've not done too much designing. I have however done a little bit of playing using only black and white papers, which I have then scanned in and manipulated on Adobe Photoshop.

This is just torn bits of black paper on a white sketchbook page.

After scanning it into my computer I manipulated the colours and put it into a repeat

I am really liking yellow and grey together at the moment

I also experimented with different compositions

I really like how they have turned out. I especially like the yellow and white colour way and think that it could work as a wallpaper on a feature wall.

As for my A-Z challenge I have decided that I am not going to do the letters in order but mix them up. To keep it fresh then when I suddenly have an idea for one letter I don't have to wait until I get there and can just do it as and when inspiration strikes!!

Have a lovey weekend,
see you soon

A is for Afternoon tea

Hey,

Wow, I have managed to blog two days in a row, this has got to be some kind of record for me!

Today I chained myself to my desk to create my pattern for the letter 'A' and I'm pleased to say it paid off and I have completed it. I'm still not 100% on the colours but I have done different colour ways and these can easily be changed around.

This is my chosen composition in the four different colour ways.

The green design I quite liked and thought it was a bit different.

I then created a visual to show my design on a product. In this case a greetings card.

I also did a visual with a card and also a wrapped present in one of my co-ordinating patterns.

I have really enjoyed doing this first pattern. Beginning to work back in my sketchbook and experiment with media and composition has been really enjoyable. I think I will cover my experiments and developments for each of the letters in this challenge.

I would love to hear what you think of my designs/blog, so please comment with any feedback,

see you soon,

Ohh working in a sketchbook is fun...

Hello,

Well it's been years since I have worked in a sketchbook but for my A-Z challenge I have decided to work through my ideas in one.. and it's fab. I'm not being too precious and I'm just popping images I've found on the Internet and little sketches in it. It's only a small A5 one so not too scary and I'm having loads of fun filling it.

At the weekend I went home and had a flick through some of my old A-level art work. I was so much more daring and experimental back then. I'm not sure why I stopped but looking back through my work has made me feel inspired to try out new things and not worry so much (story of my life!!). Below are some images from one of my old sketch books. This one is from a collage project called 'Patterns in Nature'

Here I have done detailed drawing on skeleton leaves using pen and pencils

On this page I experimented with mixed media including papers, skeleton leaves and stitch

I used to do a lot of detailed ink drawings

Here I took pictures of some of the shells my Dad has collected over the years and used acrylic and pens to replicate them.

I used acrylic and cotton buds to 'draw' these shells

Here I even used plaster of Paris to replicate a fossil

I used broad brush strokes and thick acrylic on this one

So anywhoo back to the present, I'm going to show you what I have been working on so far and also tell you what theme I have chosen...

A is for ... Afternoon Tea

I created a digital mood board in Adobe Illustrator with a selection of photos from my current sketchbook

So I'm definitely underway with my first design. I now just need to do a little more experimenting and decided what sort of pattern I would like to create.

Hope you have enjoyed looking through my old and new work. Apologies for the rambling post tonight!!

See you soon,

Finally getting started

Hey,

Just a quick post to keep you updated on my A-Z challenge. Well today I finally got started. I spent a lovely afternoon sitting flicking through magazines for inspiration beginning with the letter 'A'. It's funny there are gazillions of words in the English language but as soon as you want to think of one beginning with a certain letter your mind goes blank!

I bought some slide sleeves off eBay and today began cutting images out of magazines and catalogues to begin to compile a visual list. I think I have chosen what theme I would like to do for the letter A (but I'm keeping it secret just now!)

I hope to have my 'A' design well underway by next week. So please check back to see my progress :)

see you soon

Oh I do love a challenge...

Hey hey hey,

So far so good, two weeks two blog posts!!

So as you know I love a challenge. Last year I set myself a 'Design A Day' challenge and completed a design a day for a month. That really started getting my creative juices flowing and got me creating all sorts of designs. This year I am setting myself the 'A to Z' challenge. I plan to create a pattern for each letter of the alphabet. This time, however, I want to not only create an initial pattern but also co-ordinating designs and include some visuals of the types of products my work could be used on. Initially I will chose one letter every fortnight and see how I get on. I don't want this challenge to be rushed, I'd like to take my time and really get inspired and creative.

I have already started to jot down notes on the types of things I could draw...

I have a busy week ahead next week working away in bonnie Scotland but I plan to get cracking with this challenge at the start of April. so watch this space...