Merry Christmas everyone

Hello!

Yesterday I spent the day putting the final touches to my studio in readiness for 2015 - I'm raring to go and intend to make it a really productive, happy, creative and successful year. The rug and some other bits arrived from Ikea... I know it's become a bit of an Ikea showroom but really they are so brilliant at doing great storage solutions and lovely textiles at great prices it makes it hard to resist.

After clearing the desks and moving furniture, assembling things, sorting out drawers and then making it all tidy again I was treated to a delivery of mulled wine and mince pies. Yum! It was pouring with rain outside but with Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald playing and my favourite scented winter candle burning, the atmosphere felt magical and festive and now I really feel Christmassy and ready to celebrate.

Bog Standard make such beautiful candles

This is my last blog post for 2014. So I wish you all the very best for the festive period and I will be back in 2015 with patterns galore!

Love
Frankie x

My work in progress this week...

Hello!
Today I'm sharing a some of my work in progress from this week. I rarely share my work and I'm not sure why, I just think I enjoy sharing and talking about other people's work more than my own!

I'm currently working on some single patterns for a trade show in China. This is the first time I have ever prepared for a trade show and I am really excited. I'm trying to do a variety of subjects but as there is no brief, it's really fun researching trends and experimenting with different styles. It feels a bit strange working on single patterns as I got in the habit of thinking in collections but it's always good to try new things! MATS Part A really helped me with this and I can't wait to be challenged even more in Part B!

So anyway, here are a few screenshots of some of the things I have been working on this week...

I adore the ogee shape - it's so nice to design motifs to fit inside it. 

My motifs were inspired by Scandinavian folk art.

Old bottles and ferns with a mid century modern feel...

These motifs were inspired by old Mexican tile patterns. 

Making patterns can take you on such wonderful journeys!

Hope you have a lovely weekend! 

Love

Frankie x

Essential Christmas Presents for Pattern Designers - Part Two: Creature Comforts

Hello again,

In the second part of my Christmas gift ideas series I thought I would share a few creature comfort gift ideas that you might want to treat a loved one, put on your own Christmas wish list or even just buy for yourself! 

White Stuff Christmas Bear Jumper

I love White Stuff! The patterns on their clothing, the graphic design on their website and branding is so quirky and witty. This bear was a motif that featured throughout their winter magalogue and I'm delighted to see it made it onto a jumper! I love this take on the Christmas jumper trend - it's really understated yet fun.

Ikea Vidstrup Rug

I would have loved to have this striking Ikea rug for my new studio but the dimensions didn't work. I love the mustard and grey colour combo - I think it would look great in a room with white white walls - just making it feel that little bit more cosy.


Tweedmill Purple Sage Mix Wool Blanket

I was given one of these Tweedmill blankets for Christmas last year and I love it - a really stylish way to add some warmth to chilly, winter nights. The hardest part is deciding which colour to choose as they do so many lovely variations. I love my purple sage one. Which one would you choose?

Hope you are keeping toasty warm today,
Love Frankie x

Essential Christmas Presents for Pattern Designers - Part One: Colour Fun

Merry Morning!

I'm feeling very festive today and thought I would share a few of my favourite finds for Christmas with you. Maybe you want to gift yourself for all your efforts over the last year or send this blogpost to the present buyers in your life as a little hint! 

Today I'm focusing on colourful gifts...

Ciate Mini Mani Manor

Ciate Mini Mani Manor

This beauty was a little early Christmas present to myself because I never had an advent calendar when I was growing up. Now I feel like a big kid rushing to open the 'door' every morning! There's a wonderful variety of colours in the calendar and I love the mini sizes - I don't think I've ever used a whole bottle of nail polish up so these are the perfect size for me. The calendar is still on sale and represents good value as a collection even if it's a little late for an advent calendar. It's a great way to have fun experimenting with new colours you might not have instinctively picked. And looking at all the bottles make great inspiration for pattern palettes!

J Herbin Inks

Feast your peepers on these colours... 

J Herbin Inks

Oh la la! These have to be the prettiest inks I've ever seen! I recently purchased Poussière de Lune (Moon Dust Violet!) and it's just so lovely I can't stop using it. Even the shape of the bottle is lovely with it's little pen/brush rest on the front!

Rusty Anchor, Tea Brown, Indian Orange... Such yummy colours and they even do a scented range which I'd love to try! Hint hint! 

Jessica Swift Prints

If you're looking to inject a little bit of colour into your home or studio, take a look at Jessica's beautiful prints. I'm absolutely bowled over by her stunning use of colour. Here's a small selection of her work taken from her website...

Jessica Swift Prints

Swoon! Look how well they read so small too! A testament to her understanding of colour. I love! Imagine having one of those to look at every morning when you wake up - just so cheerful and pretty. I've got one of Jessica's lovely phone cases and it's gorgeous too. 

So I hope that's given you a little a colour boost on this cold and grey Monday morning. I'd love to hear about your colourful Christmas gift ideas! 

Love,

Frankie x

My new studio!

Morning!

I thought I would share a few pictures of my new studio for fun. I'm so grateful to have such a beautiful room to work from at last. For the last couple of years I have been working in a very dark basement room which although lovely and cosy in the winter time was damp and so very cold in the summer - so much so that I had to move out and work at a tiny desk this year until I moved house. 

I always try to be tidy but a lack of space and storage meant that my old room was always a mess and it got to the stage where I didn't want to paint or draw because it just always felt so cluttered. However since I moved house and got my attic room, Ikea came to my rescue! I opted to get a few KALLAX shelving units and I'm so glad. They're really versatile and fit perfectly. 

I also got a chest of drawers called ALEX - which is lovely but disappointing as it's only just A2 size and could have done with being oversized slightly so that you can get paper in and out more easily or comfortably store A3 folders side by side.

I bought 2 MALM desks, one has an extending panel and I wish I'd taken both like this now instead of the cupboard on the other one. The pull out unit on it gives a great bit of extra space when you've lots of stuff on your desk.

As you can see, I went crazy for cactus plants too. I just love them. My plan is to create some terrariums with them some day...

If you're wondering about the candle tins, they are from a company called Pintail and they do the most gorgeous fragrances. One of my dreams is to have my own candle range one day or to have a company use my patterns to decorate their tins. 

The glass baubles in the jar are from Paperchase from a few years ago. It's the first time I could bring myself to take them from the packet!!! I loved the way they were organised in their colours and every one of them is a different colour/finish. But they do look yummy in the jar and it's my take on a Christmas tree for the time being.

I also now have a view out of my window which is a real treat. I'll try to get a good picture of it soon and share it. I love to see where people create and so I thought I would share my space with you! Hope you enjoyed it!

Enjoy your day,

Frankie x

Essential Resources - Jessica Swift's Goal & Intention Kit

Good Morning!

On Monday I woke up really early after a fabulous weekend of fun,  feeling really ready to get cracking so what better way to start the week than with a great big plan for world domination  design delight!

Working for yourself is REALLY hard, especially when you are new to it. Spending many years at school and then working for the man doesn't really prepare you for being your own boss and I find the balance between being really disciplined and losing control of everything is a cause of constant anxiety. I often push myself really hard but don't always remember to reflect on the good stuff - you know, the stuff you did that made you feel brilliant and might give you the confidence you need? So here's a little rescue remedy in paper form.

If you've read my blog before, you'll know what a huge fan I am of Jessica Swift's work. She really switched me on to wanting to make patterns because not only is her work beautiful but she writes in a really nice, encouraging style that says, "you can do it too". And it's not just a touchy feely gesture from one artist to another - here is some actual, practical help in the form of a kit. I used her Goal and Intention Kit in 2013 and I don't know why I didn't use it this year as I feel I would have been way more productive - but anyway I've already started again for next year so no matter.

The kit is a home printable resource costing only $15 dollars - that's less than a tenner in sterling right now. WARNING: my printer is not working properly and my photography skills are not top class so don't be put off by the muddy colours - I'm out of blue! Here's a screen shot of what it should look like:

Mine is more of a crimson and khaki affair but I still love it!

The first page gives you some instructions and then you can dive right in listing all your successes from 2014. Get a cuppa and make this a really enjoyable thing to do, dig deep and try to remember all your brilliant moments from the past year. There's also the chance to reflect on challenges and lessons learned before you embark on your big dreams for 2015.

And here's a small selection of some of the sheets you get to dream big on!

So if you're looking for a boost or just a really effective way of getting your plans in order, I can't recommend this enough. Thanks Jessica.

Have a great day everyone,

Frankie x

Style File - Some really valuable advice I picked up from MATS

Hello!

I recently completed MATS part A - Lilla Rogers' incredible course - I will be reviewing it soon on here but I just wanted to share some valuable information with you that I've found really, really helpful.

A lot of people on the course seemed, like me, to be very concerned about developing their own, unique style. Lots of people asked Lilla questions about this and here I am going to share what I took from the advice she gave. I can't recommend MATS enough if you are looking to up your game in the surface pattern/illustration world. 

Just keep making work

Seems kind of obvious but it does take a degree of confidence and a whole lot of determination to keep going. Making work means putting pen to paper, brush to canvas, stylus to tablet... Going off into your own world of invention and therefore you need to...

...Keep research time to a minimum

The procrastination trap that is 'research' - hundreds of Pinterest pins, trawling through magazines and websites, hours spent 'comp' shopping. Information overload, bored with the subject before you even start to create... Lilla provided a few photos as inspiration to whet our appetites when giving out an assignment and gently suggested that we could just use those instead of spending more time researching and better use our time to draw, draw, draw and create our own unique motifs. And this research rationing can also help you to...

...Stop comparing your work to everyone else...

This kills my creativity if I'm starting a new project. If I start looking at anyone else's work on the same subject I decide that they can do it way better than me and there's no point me even trying... Ouch! So I've learned that...

...Looking at the current work of your contemporaries is not really research

Whilst it's great to admire what other people are doing, keep in touch with current trends etc, I feel it's better to look at the work of others outside of time spent researching for a project. I peruse Print and Pattern etc outside of my working hours in a conscious effort not to let what I see directly inform my work. I feel this to be a really big step in getting to grips with who you are as a designer and developing your style. Look beyond the world of surface pattern for inspiration and that way you will bring your own unique view of the world to your work. So I came up with a plan to...

...Make a style file! Fun task! 

I prefer to do mine on my computer but you could have a scrapbook or journal if you prefer. I created a folder simply called 'Style File' on my desktop and whenever I see an image I like I add it to my file. I don't add anything to it from current pattern design - from designers websites or shops - in fact I try to steer clear of actual surface pattern design stuff altogether though I may look at fashion or vintage textiles. Instead I try to look to other areas for inspiration that interest me. I try to take myself on a little journey looking at things that are unfamiliar  - nature, architecture, vintage design... I also find Wiki Art is great - looking at art can be really inspiring and this app is great if like me you live far from galleries and museums. Look up your favourite museums online - many have searchable catalogues. Basically create your unique collection of images of objects, textures, fonts, colours that you can turn to whenever you need inspiration. Treat it as a journey of discovery and have fun collecting things that make you sing because as Lilla always says...

Thanks as always for reading. I hope this is helpful and I always love to hear from other surface pattern designers so please do get in touch!

Love Frankie x 

I'm back!

Hello! I'm back! And it feels GREAT! I have so much news and can't wait to start blogging again. I've moved into a beautiful new studio, I've been doing some courses and I've signed my first licensing deal! How exciting! 

I'll be sharing pictures of the new and very beautiful studio I feel so lucky to be working from, news about the exciting new company I have designed for, reviews of some courses I have taken over the last few months and I'll be sharing all that's gorgeous from other lovely surface pattern designers too. So I hope you will join me! 

Love

Frankie x

Progress...

Hello!

Crikey! Life has been a bit busy lately so here's a round up of what's been going on... I've no patterns to show on this blog... It's a bit brief and to the point!

I've been on Beth Kempton's amazing Do What You Love course.
We're in the final week and I've really thrown myself into the course and spent a huge amount of my time on it and I'm really feeling the benefit. It arrived at the perfect time for me as there were a couple of things that I really wanted to tackle. With the structure and support of this course I feel like I've really moved forward. If you're feeling a bit lost in life or have a dream but aren't sure how to move towards making it a reality, I strongly recommend this course. It really is very special.

I missed this month and last month's Tigerprint competitions...
As you will know if you read my blog, at the start of the year, I had made it my intention to enter every single Tigerprint competition this year. However due to currently being a bit snowed under, I've decided to opt out for now. The last couple of briefs have been particularly challenging (Mother's Day Florals and human character for kids) and I just couldn't give them the time needed to create something I would be proud of. I am disappointed about this so I hope that I will return to it later in the year.

I've enrolled on Lilla Roger's MATS course...
I'm so excited about this, I can't describe! I've seen how other people's work has developed as a result of taking this course and longed to do it. I love Lilla's book and can't wait to start in October,

Thanks for reading,
Frankie xx

Word Wednesday - Claire Brennan aka all the adorables

It's Woooooooooord Wednesday! 

Good morning peoples! 

Today we have a bit of gorgeousness from York from Claire Brennan aka All the Adorables. Loving her delicate watercoloured gemstones and subtle repeats. I'm glad she was brave enough to take the leap into design and wish her continued success!
Read all about Claire here and why not think about joining in a bit of Word Wednesday fun yourself? It's good to talk... 

Frankie xxx

Claire Brennan

Name   Claire Brennan

Location   The lovely City of York, UK

Where can we find you on the web? http://alltheadorables.com 

twitter https://twitter.com/alltheadorables 

Pinterest www.pinterest.com/clairevbee/

Design background 

After having my first child I found my mind tick-ticking away, and realised I had an opportunity to change my career, I got myself Photoshop and threw myself into the world of graphic design, something I'd considered as a possible career for years, but always put it in the 'too hard to make the jump' box. I opened an Etsy shop 2 years ago now, selling my digital designs and started doing freelance work shortly after, where I focus on logo & website design for photographers and creative businesses. I've always been an avid consumer of greetings cards, wrapping paper and suchlike. It's my dream in the next couple of years to launch a greeting card and social stationery line. 

5 random facts

1) I had orthodontic braces on my teeth for a couple of years at age 30. One of the best things I ever did.

2) On honeymoon in California, my husband and I stayed at Mission Ranch, owned by Clint Eastwood. He showed up for dinner and we were the nearest table to him (in the spirit of disclosure - had my husband not pointed this out, I would never have realised!)

3) I harbour secret ambitions to be a voice artist.

4) I like to think of many many (affectionate) nicknames for those in my family. Particularly my children, who both have probably 20 different names each. Poor confused children.

5) Neighbours. Everybody needs good neighbours - I love the TV soap Neighbours! I watch it every night.

Influences  

Ideas flow, my mind never really switches off, I can be inspired and influenced by virtually anything! In particular, I love browsing the seasonal fashion collections, and interior design. I'm really inspired by nature, particularly flowers & plants. 

Any story behind the quote/words you chose? 

It's a quote I first came across only a couple of months ago (thanks Pinterest!) which really resonated with me, as I'm sure it does with a lot of creatives. I've actually been planning to get around to illustrate it since then, so getting involved with Word Wednesday has given me a little shove do to something creative. 

Where would you most like to see your quote/words?   

Framed, in a nice sunny corner of a family home :) 

Do you have any favourite words? 

Mint. Ace. Mega. Not all said at once though, that's just overkill ;)

What word do you use way too much? 

Hmmm, probably "Like". Used in the same way Shaggy from Scooby Doo might.

Favourite fonts 

Current faves - Didot is my go-to classic font. Serifs are where it's at folks! Script fonts, I love Lavandria at the moment, plus anything by Emily Lime. I'm a sucker for slab fonts right now too. 

Any wise words you’d like to offer? 

These aren't my words, but here's another quote this time from Earl Nightingale, that I often think of: “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

Studio Tuesday #11 Genine Delahaye

Welcome, welcome, welcome! 
Studio Tuesday is here again and today we are featuring the wonderful Genine Delahaye, designer of all things cute and colourful. A winner of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design scholarship, Genine shares her journey and some of her working practices with us today. I love Genine's work - it's original and oh so colourful and cheerful. Genine proves here that if you have a passion and are willing to work at it, you can indeed do what you love.

Enjoy reading about Genine below. And don't forget, whether you are a beginner, or a more established pattern designer, you too can be featured on my blog, so do get in touch!
Happy Tuesday,
Love Frankie x

Name/Company or Studio name: GENINE DELAHAYE DESIGN

Where and how did you start your surface pattern design journey? 
It all came about when I made the conscious decision to leave my PA job for my local council. I had left school at sixteen and due to my circumstances at the time was forced to start work and earning money as soon as possible. As a result I started work as an admin assistant even though my wish was to go to college and study Art and Design. I became almost trapped in this career, with responsibilities piling up and only ever having qualifications in administration. I didn't have much choice but to stay on this path for the next few years. I became quite unhappy with my career choices and knew that this wasn't what I should or wanted to be doing. 

After a holiday to Jamaica in 2008 I decided life was too short, and on my return I handed my month's notice in to my current job, without having anything else lined up or knowing quite what I was going to do! A big gamble but one that luckily for me paid off. I found a position with a design studio based in London called My Sugarcube Ltd. I was still working in admin but I openly spoke about my aspirations of becoming a designer at the interview. In a way it was almost like an apprenticeship! I soaked up the world around me like a sponge, I loved the design industry and knew I had made the right choice in pursuing my dream! After years of watching, learning, developing I started submitting my own designs to the company's collection and to my shock and surprise at the time, started to receive my first sales! This was a huge confidence boost to me and it fuelled me to keep going and keep trying. The company unfortunately ceased trading in 2012 which left me in a bit of a pickle.

I didn't feel I was quite ready to go it alone and become a freelancer, but again the circumstances forced me to make a choice. I decided to give myself six months as a freelance childrenswear and print designer and if I wasn't successful after this time I would go back to my day job. I am so so happy to report that things really took off for me. I won the print and pattern scholarship for a free place on The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course and the rest is history. I started to win my first private commissions, sell more work with my agents, and make a living from doing what I love! I'm a very lucky and very happy girl to say the least. 

How do you approach a project/piece of work or collection? 
I usually have a rough idea in my head as soon as I hear the details of the project, if not I take some time out and research, research, research! Pinterest is a great source on inspiration for me. I also doodle and try not to take it so seriously or put pressure on myself to come up with something, I think its very important to keep the process as fun as possible! I find I can produce some of my best work this way but still keep things professional. 

Favourite pencil/pen? 
Love my ink pen! Failing that it's pencil all the way for me.

Music, radio, stories or silence? 

If it's a big project I tend to start with silence so I can get a good handle on it and get off to a good start without any distractions. Then when I'm in a good place with the design, I put some upbeat tracks on and pump up the volume. :-)

Night owl or early bird? 
I would say more of a Night owl.

Illustrator or Photoshop? 
Definitely Illustrator, it was the first programme I learnt and as a result it will always be my favourite.

What size art board do you design repeats on? 
I try to keep it standard A4 or A3.

Design heroes? 
Ohhh so many its hard to choose! I would say the big ones that stand out for me are Orla Kiely, Helen Dardik and Jillian Phillips. All have a strong, individual style which I very much admire.

Dream clients or design goals? 
Would love to work on some gorgeous stationery prints for Paperchase. I would also love to get more of my work into mainstream highstreet childrenswear brands such as H&M, Sainsburys, Zara I feel all have a great quirky range of childrenswear products. 

Dream design destination for inspiration? 
Jamaica! such a beautiful, inspiring place and the place where it all started for me :-)

And what are you working on at the moment? 
Im just getting back into designing after having two months off, so starting slowly and easing myself in nicely, preparing some prints for my design agents and working on some small commission projects. Im extremely excited about the year ahead.

Any tips or advice you want to share with us? 
Hmmm...any advice that I could share with designers just starting out would be to try not to doubt yourself and your work, stay true to your style and have fun with it. Your persistence will pay off. 

Studio Tuesday Round Up...

Good morning!

Today I'd like to feature a little bit of a best of round up of my Studio Tuesday feature which has been my favourite part of writing my blog so far. I've picked out some of my favourite tips and presented them all here. If you would like to see all of the Studio Tuesday features so far, just click on the tag to the right of the screen. If you want to see more from a specific designer's Studio Tuesday click on their name after the quote and if you want to go their website, click on their name under each image. Hope this all makes sense! Studio Tuesday returns next week with the wonderful Genine Delahaye. 

Happy Tuesday!
Frankie x

Sophie Honeybelle

"If this is advice for people new to surface pattern design or business, I’d say learn the basics of running a business at the same time as you develop your design work because you still need to know how to set a budget, how to write a business plan, how to sell and so on.

Think really, really carefully before buying Facebook ads. It’s a very expensive gamble.

Join LinkedIn if you’re not already on there, it’s full of interesting groups.

Be patient. In the world of licensing everything tends to take longer than anticipated or desired." Sophie Honeybelle

Tinker & Faff

"I do my repeats in a square, but no particular size. When I came runner up in the Ideal Home Wallpaper competition a couple of years ago they wanted repeats that were the width of a roll of wallpaper – then it was 50cm, so I just did the repeat 50 x 50." Nik from Tinker & Faff

Celandine Designs

"Lay your bricks for the day!!! Don't let the concept of 'talent' scare you, don't let the amazing work of other amazing artists intimidate you. If you feel the desire to create, nurture it, support it, and indulge it a little every day. You won't even notice the progress until you look back a few years later and think 'Holy moly, is this really how far I've come??' And I promise you, at that moment you'll be the proudest thing on this earth :) But you have to lay your bricks for the day, every day." Lidija Paradinovic Nagulov

Anna London

"Make as many connections as you can! I started e-mailing people in the design world that I admired, asking them about how they got started and if they minded sharing advice with me. I used to be shy about reaching out to people and thought they wouldn’t be interested in talking to me, but I’ve been constantly amazed by how kind people are. I also put a lot of effort into creating a social media presence and I’ve come into contact with so many wonderful people that way." Anna  London

Jennie Whitham

"Never give up, I've come close several times, but it is so rewarding when you reach those little milestones. The first licensing contract, the first online feature and even just receiving positive feedback is enough to keep me going." Jennie Whitham 

Ali Benyon

"If you are new to this field then I’d say design a lot and design in many different ways. We are told to try and find our point of difference, our signature style, but how do you find that if you design in one way only (your comfortable style, the safe place you go to when you get a bit nervous). If you love a drawn quality to your work, like me, then why not try doing some really perfect pattern repeats. You never know, you may love working this way, but if you don’t try it, you’ll never know. Oh and stop being such a perfectionist. If it goes wrong, so what, no one’s watching. I believe you have to make many mistakes before you can step out on to the right path that you can call your own." Ali Benyon

Jessica Swift

"Just keep making art. Make lots of it, try not to judge it, and keep moving forward. You'll be amazed when you look back years down the road at all you've accomplished and learned." Jessica Swift

Niamh Fitzsimons

"I still have so much to learn but when I first began I never gave myself a break. I was over worked, I pushed too hard and my work and my health suffered. I had to learn the hard way that there is only so much you can do and to take lots of breaks for yourself. It will all happen when it is meant to for you without breaking your back and not to stress so much or think about tomorrow, just do the very best that you can today and keep moving forward all the time - even 1 small step a day towards your dreams and goals. Don't worry or care too much if other people like it. It is a creative process and a gift that is from something beyond us here so how can we judge it? Just be happy and grateful to be able to do what you do :) My motto is 'Art to Make you Smile'... As long as I can create art to make people smile then I am smiling too. For the rest I try to be as detached as I can be. x" Niamh Fitzsimons

Jilly P

"Keep working hard on developing your own style- I see a lot of people copying other artists work. It's fine to be inspired by what someone else is doing but be sure to do make your work yours and not a version of someone else's." Jilly P 

Studio Tuesday...

Hello everyone! 

Surtex is on its way and in the run up to the event I've struggled to get designers who are available to take part in my Studio Tuesday feature. Please do get in touch if you want to be featured. My Studio Tuesday feature is not just for established designers - I'd also love to feature new designers too. 

Next week I will be featuring a round up from the designers featured so far! You can read my previous posts here.

Thanks for reading!
Frankie x

Word Wednesday: Always Yes

Hello!

Today's Word Wednesday was inspired by a comment I read on a course I'm currently taking. I mentioned last week that I am doing Beth Kempton's wonderful course,  Do What You Love  and it's really bringing some energy and fresh thinking to my life. 

Earlier this week we were talking about turning 'can'ts' into 'cans' with a simple but very effective exercise. There was a discussion about this exercise and this was one of the comments...

"When I was being under confident about my abilities a few years ago, my husband told me about a colleague who once said to him 'always tell yourself yes, let the others say no'. I remembered that when looking at this exercise. We just need to tell ourselves that we 'can' a lot more often than we do."

This really resonated with me. I've put so much off in my life because I've said no through a lack of confidence and a fear of failure. It's such a bad habit that I really want to let go of. I'm working on hard on making this happen! Fonts are Papercute and Eyes Wide Open

Enjoy your day,

Frankie x

Studio Tuesday #10 Jilly P

Greetings Pattern Addicts!

Hope you all had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. 

I've got a delicious helping of pattern goodness to share with you today from the fabulous Jilly P. Just like Niamh Fitzsimons last week, Jillian is inspired by Japanese illustration and Tokyo is her dream design destination. I first came across her work in the first Print & Pattern book and instantly fell in love with it. It's immediately clear when looking at her work that she is really good at working with Illustrator! I've been learning how to make brushes for Ai recently and I was reminded of this when I saw all the lovely textures and versatile mark making in her work.

I hope you will enjoy finding out more about Jillian and her work. I know she was very busy in the run up to Surtex but still found time to contribute this feature to my blog and I really appreciate her taking the time to take part. If you would like to feature, please do get in touch!

Thanks,
Frankie x

Name/Company or Studio name:  Jilly P Studio
Location: Dorchester, UK

Where and how did you start your surface pattern design journey?

My first job was working as a pattern designer for a kidswear forecasting company. I was studying Fashion Design at the time, and needed some work experience. I loved it so much I stayed on there while I continued my studies.

How do you approach a project/piece of work or collection? 

I like to have a really good read through the brief before I do anything. Then I compile a research folder, with ideas and things that inspire me, or I'll make a pinterest board. Once I'm happy with that, I spend time sketching and doodling ideas. Some projects come together quickly, whilst others take a bit more time and thought!

Favourite pencil/pen?

Pen.

Sketchbook or loose leaf?

Bit of both- but mostly loose leaf

How do you keep yourself on track/organised when working on a project?

I always keep a diary with deadlines for different stages of each project. I hate rushing things so I like to be organised and have plenty of time!

What are your creature comforts in your studio/workspace?

I always have a cup of tea (green or english breakfast), my radio playing, my dog Bertie near by and a candle burning (though not near the dog! haha!)- if I need to relax the stresses of a deadline looming.

Music, radio, stories or silence?

Radio- 6music..

Night owl or early bird?

Early bird

Illustrator or Photoshop?

Both but mainly Illustrator

What size art board do you design repeats on?

A4 or A3

Design heroes?

So many- Shinzi Katoh, Orla Kiely, Charley Harper & a long list of Japanese illustrators

Dream clients or design goals?

I'd love to design a homeware range for kids and extend my own stationery range.

It would be lovely to design for Ikea one day.

Dream design destination for inspiration?

Tokyo still remains top of my list, it's so inspiring and I'd love to visit Seoul next.

And what are you working on at the moment?

I'm designing kids clothing graphics and also compiling new work for Surtex in May.

Any tips or advice you want to share with us?

Keep working hard on developing your own style- I see a lot of people copying other artists work. It's fine to be inspired by what someone else is doing but be sure to do make your work yours and not a version of someone else's.