Monday 31 March 2014

I'm almost back.... In Progress

Hello, hello, I’m almost back!

Apologies for the silence lately - I’ve been away to the wilderness of home and had very little in terms of wifi access so it wasn’t possible to keep up with the blog. However as from next week I will be continuing my Studio Tuesday and Word Wednesday features and hope to bring more regular features to the blog. Please get in touch if there is something you would like me to blog about. I’m open to ideas as I want to continue to grow my blog as a resource and inspiration to other budding surface pattern designers. 

Whilst away I worked on my entry for the March Tigerprint competition which was all about black and white designs. I found this to be a really challenging task and I’d really recommend having a go at designing with a limited palette in this way if you wish to really focus on shape and line. 

My research for the competition can be found here on my Pinterest board. My initial thoughts where around: 
Mark making - using a variety of lines and textures.
Negative space - look at the space between motifs
Cross hatching and clipping masks
White on black - invert conventional, paper & pencil contrasts.

Damask, hand drawn geometrics, Fair Isle and optical illusion style patterns all seem to lend themselves well to this no colour, all contrast palette. I particularly like how hand drawn geometrics look in black and white - I think the formal palette really contrasts with the irregular shapes and spaces.


I ended up focussing on mark making and found myself utilising some new skills that I picked up on a Skillshare course in making brushes for Photoshop and Illustrator. Using a variety of media - charcoal, graphite stick, acrylic paint and pencils I set about exploring the different quality of lines and textural effects I could make. It really felt like Fine Art drawing class all over again and I enjoyed being playful and exploring different media. I took black and white photographs of my study sheets as I didn’t want to scan charcoal dust or wet paint and worked with Photoshop to clean up the images. I then traced my marks in Illustrator and created scatter and art brushes.  Warning: it’s addictive! Once you start making brushes you can’t stop and I also played around with scale using lots of different media to find out which ones work best. You could also photograph found objects such as twigs, coins, soil, etc to create brushes - I’ve some beach photos that I’m still to work with for this purpose. 


The circles and hearts were drawn with art brushes from my mark making experiments. They look so simple, casual and quick and are not what I would normally submit for a competition but I think (and hope that I’m right in thinking) that they work. Despite their simple appearance, a lot of technical effort and thought has gone into creating the marks and I think that both of these designs have a sense of rhythm, balance and style to them and would look great on gift bags/wrap, suitable for male or female. 


The geo stripes above came from some scatter brushes I designed  from marks made using a Derwent Onyx pencil. The Onyx pencil is great for thick dark lines - it’s perhaps my favourite pencil to draw with. 


My garden doodle was first drawn in Photoshop using my Wacom. I have a nice brush from another Skillshare class that I use for this. I find it very similar to a pencil and I really love the line quality I get when I trace it in Illustrator. This pattern is more in keeping with the kind of style I feel good about - busy, multidirectional repeats using lots of motifs. I think this design might be suited to gift wrap.



The geo poppy design just came from a doodle drawn straight into Illustrator. I felt this pattern really worked in black and white. When working in black and white I became much more thoughtful about the negative space - and I really like the negative space in this design.

On reflection I think there’s a lot of room for development with my designs and studies for this competition. I’ve realised that I rely on colour an awful lot to balance my designs and perhaps I need to pay more attention to the use of space, shape, line and texture. I feel more attention to such details would go a long way in helping me to hone my style and I’m keen to reintroduce hand drawn ‘signature’ elements into my Illustrator work. I wouldn’t say this competition boosted my confidence but it has certainly been great food for thought.  If I get shortlisted I’ll be surprised but either way I’m glad of the learning experience!

I know I say this every month but I think for any budding surface pattern designer the Tigerprint competition is an essential resource. It really has helped me to consider my work in a commercial setting, work to external deadlines and up my game by striving to learn new skills. It’s easy to get trapped in a little bubble of your own when you first start to work alone in a studio. This is a great way to take your first steps to going public with your work too and it’s a great confidence boost if you make it to the shortlist. 

Good luck everyone who has entered, now I’m off to get me some colour!

Frankie x

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Studio Tuesday #5 - Anna London

This week’s Studio Tuesday features Anna London, originally from California, Anna recently relocated to Berlin, Germany. Her roots are evident in her sunny, cheerful patterns and I can't wait to see how her new surroundings will influence her future work. Anna predominantly works in Illustrator and her work is clean and graphic, yet doesn't lose its hand drawn quality. Her motifs are elegantly simple and her patterns are beautifully balanced. I'd love to have a toiletries bag with her designs on it. Read on to find out more about Anna...



Name/Company or Studio name: Anna London
Location: Berlin, Germany. I just moved here this month!

Where and how did you start your surface pattern design journey?
I was always interested in art and design growing up. I became interested in industrial design and graphic design in high school. After doing more research I discovered the field of pattern and surface design and realized that it was the perfect mix of art and design! I love to work with my hands and but I also love the practical side of design. 

How do you approach a project/piece of work or collection? 
I’m always sketching and painting as much as I can. Sometimes I have an idea of what I want but more often I just doodle. I scan my drawings and put them into Illustrator. Once I’ve played with them a little in Illustrator, I can tell which sketches will work and which won’t, and I go from there. Sometimes sketches that I had no intention of using end up becoming my favorite patterns. When I first started creating patterns I would go about it without a plan. I made a lot of single prints that way, but now I’m starting to focus on designing collections of patterns that are more cohesive. It’s not the easiest thing for me, but I’m realizing the importance of doing a little planning before I start sketching.


Favourite pencil/pen?
I love to switch it up, but a couple of my favorites right now are Staedtler Permanent Lumocolors and Fineliners.

Sketchbook or loose leaf?
Spiral bound sketchbook. I like to keep it all together and the spiral bind makes it easy to scan.



How do you keep yourself on track/organised when working on a project?
Luckily I’m pretty motivated and passionate about what I do so it’s easy for me to spend hours working on a project. I also make a LOT of lists, and I love to check things off once I’m done. When I get sick of staring at a screen or when a pattern is frustrating me, I get up and work on something else or take a walk. I think it’s important to know when it’s okay to stop, because fresh eyes can really help you figure out what you need to do next.

What are your creature comforts in your studio/workspace?
Nothing too specific. I like a nice comfy chair and a cup of tea.



Music, radio, stories or silence?
Music or movies. I don’t focus on them, so it needs to be a movie I’ve already seen but I like the background noise.

Night owl or early bird?
I do my best work in the morning.

Illustrator or Photoshop?
I LOVE Illustrator. Photoshop definitely has it’s place, but I primarily work in Illustrator.



What size art board do you design repeats on?
19 inches by 13 inches. I started creating designs for a company as a freelance designer and that was the art board they required so I’ve just stuck with it since then.

Design heroes?
Julia Rothman, Leah Duncan, Elizabeth Olwen, Maria Montiel of CayenaBlanca, Heather Moore of Skinny LaMinx, and so so many more.

Dream clients or design goals?
My dream job is to design a line of fabrics. There are so many great companies that I admire, but a few of my favorites are Art Gallery Fabrics, Cloud 9, Riley Blake. I’d also love to see my designs on home decor products or stationery. There are so many possibilities out there!



Dream design destination for inspiration?
Berlin was a dream destination and I feel incredibly lucky that I live here now. I hope to travel a lot while I’m here in Europe and have such easy access to other amazing places. Greece is high on my list right now. I’d also love to travel around Sweden. I spent two months studying there while I was in college but I didn’t travel very much. I’d love to see more of the country because I’ve been really inspired by Scandinavian design.

And what are you working on at the moment?
I’m designing some patterns on a consignment basis for Wendy Ford Design Studio. I’m also focusing on creating new work for my website, but this is a constant process. And I’m looking for a new job in Berlin!



Any tips or advice you want to share with us?
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.


Monday 17 March 2014

Progress

Happy Monday! 
I’m doing a little progress update for today’s blog - I’m away at the moment and have very little internet access - so apologies if you have sent me anything and haven’t yet received a reply. I am working through things when I can. I’ve also become aware that some people are having trouble sending submissions to my ilovepattern@yahoo.co.uk address. If you are having problems, please try my alternative address: frankielovespatterb@gmail.com

Last week was quite a short week - I packed and started my journey on Wednesday and then once I’d arrived on Thursday have had lots of lovely things to do so have not done too much work since then. The week started off really well though, I had been shortlisted for the Tigerprint February competition - I had two designs in the top 68 and whilst I didn’t win or make the runners up, I have been invited to submit work for their Designer’s Spotlight on the Tigerprint blog which I am really happy about. I’m aiming to take part in every Tigerprint competition this year as I’ve mentioned before because as a new designer I think it’s a fantastic way to broaden my portfolio and hone my skills. So, this weekend I’ve been having a look at which designs I might choose for the blog feature.

On Tuesday evening I was browsing the Skillshare website (I really like their courses) and I came across a course by Jenna Frye called Intro to Surface Pattern Design: Creating and Mixing Patterns. I’m just mentioning the course briefly here but will do a proper review of it soon. I was so taken with the course that I watched every lesson back to back! There’s some fantastic tips for using colour which I can’t wait to try out. I really do recommend it if you want a bit more theory under your belt - I’ve been stuck with a couple of collections and I think I’ve found out why now, thanks to this course. I’m also very much looking forward to revamping my blog with the help of Jo Klima’s blog design course The Darling Tree and will post a review of this course too.

My latest project is a collaboration with Postcards for Peace. I’ve already produced one postcard for the organisation and am really looking forward to doing more work with Martin Rowsell, the founder. I’ll be telling more about this soon. I’ve also started thinking about my next collection and have posted a Pinterest board for March. And, of course, I will be working on my designs for the Tigerprint ‘Black and White’ competition which is currently open for submissions. 

Good luck to everyone who has submitted to the ABSPD testimonial competition - I believe the winner will be announced today. The winners of the Print & Pattern scholarship were announced last week and the standard was phenomenal. There are so many wonderfully artistic and skilled designers out there - it’s just so inspiring to see such diverse and exciting work.

Have a lovely day,

Frankie x

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Word Wednesday Guest Spot - Jen Whitham



Greetings! 
I'm so excited to have my first guest for Word Wednesday. I've been doing this feature since I started my blog and decided a couple of weeks ago that it would be great to open it up to other designers and use it as a platform for showcasing their work and to find a little bit more out about them and the way they use text/typography in. My first guest is Jen Whitham, a one woman whirlwind in the world of design! Running toddler groups, bringing up 4 babies and running her own design business, Jens Little Treasures, and she still found time to answer a few of my questions!

I really love Jen's clean and bold designs. Her love of children is certainly evident in her work through her choice of colour and playful motifs. Jen will also feature in an upcoming Studio Tuesday feature here. If you would like to be featured on my blog, please do get in touch.

Read on to find out more about Jen! 





Name - Jen Whitham
Location - Leeds, UK
Where can we find you on the web?
Currently only running on Facebook www.facebook.com/jenslittletreasures

Design background 
I have a background in surface Pattern Design. I began creating prints for family members and they encouraged me to start selling to others. I opened JensLittleT in 2012 and have been running from Facebook exclusively ever since. 

5 random facts
*I began my degree with one child, and graduated with 3! 
*I run 2 toddler groups a week locally with a group of mums in my area!
*I married my high school sweetheart, having met at age 13 and still happily together. 
*I have appeared in a Mother & Baby magazine
*I hate drawing with pencils
Your influences 
I'm totally in love with P!nk. I have seen her 4 times in concert, and took my eldest to see her when she was 6yrs old. she is so inspirational and honest. 
Any story behind the quote/words you chose?
I am big on Family. I have a large family myself, with 4 children running around, and 2 siblings too, between us we have 10 children and I think this quote is very fitting.

Where would you most like to see your quote/words? 
Hung in peoples homes. I create prints for people everyday, and I love knowing that each print i post out will be hung proudly in someone's home for may years to come. It's quite a satisfying feeling. 

Do you have any favourite words?
hmmm, I don't know, I love words with the letter X in it, its quite masculine. My son is called Alexander but we call him Xander and it just sounds nice on the tongue. 

What word do you use way too much?
Absolutely - I'm not sure why, I say it way too much. 
Not a problem - again... i'm not sure why. 

Favourite font
I LOVE Cooper Std. I think i over used it when i first started using fonts. Its quite big and bubbly, with unusual curves. I use it less now I've discovered other fonts. 

What would your handwriting be called if it was a font?
Happy Hobbit - it would be swirly and bold with a flick of attitude. 

Any wise words you’d like to offer? 
Make the most of Free font downloads, and practise combining and layering fonts. Have fun with it. 


Tuesday 11 March 2014

Studio Tuesday #4 Celandine Designs - Lidija Paradinovic Nagulov

Good Morning. 
Tuesday is fast becoming my favourite day of the week, thanks to all the lovely patterns appearing in my inbox for my Studio Tuesday feature. I'm particular enjoying seeing so many different styles and approaches to pattern making, from Nik Griffiths' clean and coastal text based screen prints, through to Sophie Honeybelle's stylish geometric gems to today's wonderfully complex, enchanting and colourful repeats by Lidija Paradinovic Nagulov

I was instantly taken by Lidija's work - on the one hand there's an enticing element of playfulness through her choice of sweet animal motifs and on the other, there's serious complexity within the branches and stems that weave the image together . Her ability to create seamless patterns as intricate and balanced as those created by the likes of William Morris is something I find fascinating and really am in awe of. The marriage of traditional and quirky makes for some truly original work. 

You can find Lidija on Facebook or via her website

Read on to find out more about Lidija's work...



Name/Company or Studio name: Lidija Paradinovic Nagulov - Celandine Design

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Where and how did you start your surface pattern design journey?
I'm a Japanese Language and Culture major who works full time in administration and finance :) I've discovered design very late in life - I used to draw a lot as a child (as I suppose we all do), and I stopped somewhere in high school, only to pick it up almost by accident about four years ago. I discovered Threadless, a company that crowd-sources design and lets anyone try and compete for a chance to be printed on their t-shirts. It took me about a year to land my first print, but that initial success gave me a lot of enthusiasm to keep drawing. Then some time later Threadless announced a pattern competition, and I made my first ever seamless repeat - the Singing Forest. I was hopelessly hooked. Now I'm obsessed with creating seamless repeats that are as complex and as natural-looking as possible.  



How do you approach a project/piece of work or collection? 
For the longest time I had no idea that patterns needed to come in collections, so my focus would always be on the main print. Usually I just doodle and play around on the sketch pad until something starts to look cute, or I browse through the beautiful work of all the designers that I love until something they did gives me an idea. I have a bunch of go-to subjects like flowers and plants, sea life, and cute animals, that are always fun to play with. My pieces are complex and time consuming so I always have a bunch of ideas queued up and waiting for execution. That's a good thing I guess :) I don't do too much sketching in advance, I sketch out a piece of the pattern and immediately ink it, then I sketch another segment next to it, and ink that. So in the end the sketch has been erased and basically it looks like the first step in my process is the final inked linework of the entire print tile. That gets scanned into the computer and then I patch up the seams and decide how I want to treat it in terms of colors and style. I post a lot of process pics on my FB page, so anyone who's interested can look them up there.

I have recently started to work on developing each individual print into a collection, and that consists of a lot of pain and suffering, because simplifying doesn't come naturally to me. Once the most complex piece is done, I'm usually already itching to move onto something new and more challenging. Hopefully in time I'll learn to be better at making complementing patterns.

Favourite pencil/pen?
I'm not particular. I don't have any fancy art supplies, I use whatever pencils and notepads I get for free in hotels during my work travel and whatever micron pens I find in the local stationery shops. I do get the best erasers I can find, those are super important.  

Sketchbook or loose leaf?
Loose leaf is way easier to work on when I'm doing the actual pattern linework, but for playing with ideas and practicing and experimenting I usually use little notepads that I carry around in my purse. You never know when you might have some free sketching time.  


How do you keep yourself on track/organised when working on a project?
I'm pretty obsessive by nature, which means that whatever gets me excited has my full attention until it is completed. Conversely, whatever doesn't excite me gets procrastinated into oblivion. When I start a new piece and I like where it's going, I can catch myself working on it for ten to twelve hour stretches, taking only bathroom breaks :) I won't even stop to make proper food, just grab whatever can be chewed on with one hand while working with the other. Sadly since my life also includes a day job that isn't in any way related to art, a two year old who loves playing with mommy, and an assortment of other daily activities, I seldom get to just draw for hours and hours on end. But I guess loving what I'm working on is what keeps me running back to it whenever I find any spare time. 

What are your creature comforts in your studio/workspace?
I sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair. I don't know if it counts as a comfort, I took it up because my husband needed the office chair we had, and new ones seemed prohibitively expensive. But it's really cool because if I'm listening to music I can bounce along on the ball and feel groovy. I often have a cup of tea next to me, sometimes a couple at various stages of emptiness. I also have my Cintiq, who is like a family member by now. Without him it's like I have no hands. 


Music, radio, stories or silence?
Sometimes music, usually one song on repeat. As I said, I get kind of obsessed with things. I often listen to TED talks on various subjects, which I find fascinating, and at other times I'll listen to random art and design tutorials, or online courses on random subjects from places like Coursera. Although that's trickier because usually I can't give them as much attention as they deserve while I'm drawing. But I like the feeling that someone is presenting me with new information while I'm working. 

Night owl or early bird?
Definitely night owl. Baby Luka wakes at seven, and I work from 9 to 5. After I get home it's family time until he goes to sleep around 8.30, then I'll spend some time with my husband and it's usually around 9.30 already when I start drawing. Then before I know it it's 2 am already and I'm kicking myself for not going to sleep earlier and imagining what a zombie I'll be at work the next day. But somehow each night it's the same and miraculously I'm still up and running :) I catch up on some sleep on the weekends. 

Illustrator or Photoshop?
I started out in Illustrator and for some things, like lettering or geometric repeats, it's still irreplaceable. But since I've switched to Photoshop my work has gained a whole new level of life and energy. A vector line forever looks like a line made by a computer - pixels will mold to your hand and can look almost like you drew on paper. 


What size art board do you design repeats on?
My art boards are not always the same size, it really depends on the pattern. But I never work on anything smaller than 6000x6000 px. Sometimes I'll even make it 10.000x10.000. Alternatively I'll draw out the whole tile on a piece of A4 and then scan it in at 600 dpi, and see how big that ends up being. The final tile will usually be two of those initial drawn tiles, with one reversed or offset, and some details adjusted. I work in sizes much larger than necessary because I always think of the possibility of needing to print on large formats someday, like maybe wallpapers. 

Design heroes?
Ooooh too many to count. From the classics - William Morris, the Alexander Henry studio, Annesley Voysey, Murakami Takashi.... In terms of modern designers, Society6 designers ChiChiLand, Sofia Bonati, Yetiland...  Also designers like Linnéa Puranen, Bob Collins, and the amazing Dan Fundenburgh. You can get a good feel for the stuff I like by looking at my Pinterest inspiration board. I've recently joined Behance and I'm finding a slew of wonderful talented illustrators there, like Leire Salaberria, Julia Cejas, and my good friend Chris Wharton. Another dear friend of mine who is also an amazing artist is Tiffany Ambrose, you can see her stuff on Threadless or on her Tumblr blog, Polite Yet Peculiar.


Dream clients or design goals?
My dream is to make wallpapers. It's probably still some way away but that idea just excites me to no end. It's such a major way to be present in someone's home, to make their space unique. I have a really long list of dream clients, but for starters I'd be happy with just developing my business to the point where it can stand on its own. If one day I manage to sell a pattern to Liberty's of London, I'll consider my life a success :) 

Dream design destination for inspiration?
I've spent some time living in Japan, and I've found it incredibly inspirational in terms of visual arts. Asia in general has a very loving relationship with the aesthetic that we can't fully match in the West. Nepal and India have a magical relationship with color that always excites me. Also I imagine that places like Mexico or really any part of Central and South America, neither of which I've ever visited, would fire up my imagination with a flurry of color. I've recently traveled to Istanbul on business and was very impressed with the prevalence of color and pattern everywhere in the city. I made an album of Istanbul Patterns and Textures you can take a look at here :) 



And what are you working on at the moment?
I've just finished the Garden Party pattern, and I'm doing a few simpler patterns which may end up being supporting patterns to one of my existing collections or might branch off into collections of their own - one never knows these things :) Also I'm doing some potential illustrations for a children's book, but that's not a done deal yet so I can't say much.

Any tips or advice you want to share with us?
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.


Thanks once again to Lidija for taking part in Studio Tuesday. If you would like to take part in this or my Word Wednesday feature, please email me: ilovepattern@yahoo.co.uk.

Have a lovely day,
Frankie x

Monday 10 March 2014

Progress

Good morning!

I generally use Friday on my blog to talk about my own work and progress but this week it's on a Monday! I do have a new feature in the pipeline for Monday posts which is coming soon but in the meantime I hope you will enjoy reading this post. It's a little bit of a ramble but I hope that other new designers might find it helpful/interesting.

I had some lovely news at the end of the week - I'm starting a course to help me make my blog look prettier! I'm so pleased. I love to blog but I don't know a thing about templates, layouts etc. The course is called Your Darling Blog and you can find out more about here. I will let you know how I get on with it... And of course, if you're a regular reader, you will see the results at some point!

It's been an incredibly productive week - I finally finished my Rubiya collection and I am so pleased with it. I think it is my favourite collection I've made so far. The idea for it was sparked by entering the January Tigerprint competition for Everyday Surface Pattern. One of the suggested motifs for the competition was butterflies. Here's the original print that I designed for the competition.  


Since then, feeling it was a bit too pink, I played with the palette and I also made into a multi directional print - you can see it here, top left in the collection, below. I felt the one directional layout was too formal looking and limited its use. Studying this pattern and the palette I felt I wanted to take the collection in an Indian textile inspired direction and that led me to think about one of my favourite shops... Monsoon. So I set about creating a collection with their 3-13 girls' range of clothing in mind. I thought about how the patterns could be applied as trims as well as all over patterns. I named the collection Rubiya - a Hindi girl's name meaning Spring.


I'm still working on my Midsummer collection - I've made some changes to the main print and finally done my teatime pattern justice by giving it some details. 



I was really pleased with my original outline drawings but as it stood in all its minimalist glory, it just didn't fit the collection and looked a bit too bare. I'm so happy with it now.  As with Rubiya, I thought about where I envisaged seeing these patterns and I thought about outdoor dining - melamine crockery. tablecloths, picnic hampers etc and it helped me to move beyond simply creating a main pattern and a couple of co-ordinates. I learned this strategy from Steven Pressfield's book Do The Work where he emphasises the importance of the theme in a body of work. Whenever I'm working on a collection in progress I take a moment to remind myself what the theme is. With this is mind, the work just feels better... if that makes sense!

In other news I was really pleased to be shortlisted for the February Tigerprint competition, The Colour of Love.  I submitted five patterns and had two shortlisted which I am so pleased about. 



I'm aiming to enter every Tigerprint competition this year - obviously it would be great to win but it's just a great way of generating new work and I'd recommend it. It's helped me create two collections so far this year.

So, that's all for now. This week, I am looking forward to heading home which is always a thrill. I'm planning on getting out and about with my camera to collect some images for creating my own set of brushes, but more about that soon! 

Have a lovely week,
Frankie x

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Word Wednesday #10


Today's Word Wednesday is my testimonial for the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design. There's still a few hours left to get your entry in for the competition where you can win a free module on the course. Head on over to the Make it in Design blog to find out more.


I took an afternoon off just to play around with lettering to make this piece of work. It's something I really want to get a better grasp of as I really love hand drawn lettering. I'd really like to design some fun fonts too!

I've decided to open Word Wednesday up, just like Studio Tuesday, to act as a showcase for other designer's work. Each week will feature a piece of work and a Q&A with the designer. Don't worry if you're already taking part in Studio Tuesday, you can still contact me and have a Word Wednesday slot too.

Thanks to everyone who has contacted me so far and to those of you who read my blog. I am so happy to be sharing my love of pattern and it's really lovely to connect with other designers.

Cheers and have a great day!
Frankie x




Tuesday 4 March 2014

Studio Tuesday #3 Tinker and Faff

Happy Studio Tuesday!

Today we are joined by the lovely Nik from Tinker & Faff - quite possibly one of my favourite names for a studio ever! Nik, was a runner up in the Ideal Home Wallpaper competition a couple of years ago, is a trained Graphic Designer and yet another proud graduate of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design which really is helping great surface pattern designers bloom. Just as a side note, there's only tomorrow left to get your entries in for the ABSPD testimonial competition. The prize is your choice of one module on the course! Get designing! 


A Sense of Seaside print
Nik's work has a really fresh, organic feel to it and I can see why Cornwall might be a dream design destination for her, there's definitely a coastal feel to things. Her work is also very playful too - 'The Book of Plans for World Domination' notebook really made me smile. I'd also like to thank Nik for reminding me of the iFontmaker app that you can buy for iPad - I've started using it again since we last spoke and I'm having fun with it. 

So read on to find out more about Tinker and Faff and don't forget to email me at ilovepattern@yahoo.co.uk if you would like to be featured on the blog.


Fabric Buckets

Name/Company or Studio name: 
Tinker & Faff (because that's exactly what I do – tinker with printing methods and faff about with what to print on to!!)

Location: Cheshire

Where and how did you start your surface pattern design journey? 
I only started getting into surface pattern design in the last 2-3 years, just as the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course started on Do What You Love (perfectly timed!!) and it's grown from there really. I then tried a screen printing course and just fell in love with it, the mess, the trial and error and the eventual production of a piece of work you love.

Notebooks
How do you approach a project/piece of work or collection? 
For ABSPD we had to put a lot of collections together – something that was VERY new to me, but then when I started thinking about it as a "brand" rather than a collection, I got it. I'm a graphic designer by trade, so tackle designing collections in rather the same way I'd tackle a brand design – getting into the nitty gritty of the collection – what it's about, what it's for and where it's going to be situated.

Favourite pencil/pen? 
I don't have favourites – there's too many to choose from. It just depends what mood I'm in I guess somedays I like a bic biro, other days it's a Rotring 0.5 :)


Cornflowers Fabric Bucket

Sketchbook or loose leaf? 
Oh loose leaf definitely – you never know where it'll lead to, although I do keep the loose leaf sheets in some sort of order.

How do you keep yourself on track/organised when working on a project
At the moment I'm only working on self generated projects for the Tinker & Faff shop, so I set myself deadline dates and put them on the calendar – then once they're up on the calendar I HAVE to stick to the schedule – I'm a bit of a sucker for deadlines and to-do lists!!

What are your creature comforts in your studio/workspace? 
My teapot for 1 and Minion Phil!!

Minion Phil!

Music, radio, stories or silence? 
Again, it depends on my mood – it's usually the radio, but can be anything from Kerrang FM, Classic FM or Radio 5 Live!!

Night owl or early bird? 
Hmmmmmm, I like being up and doing stuff first thing in the morning but it's usually a jog around the block or baking something, so work wise I'd say I'm better at night time! It would be good if we didn't have to sleep coz there's loads to do – but I do like my warm bed :)

Illustrator or Photoshop? 
Illustrator every time, although the red-eye reduction tool on Photoshop is a saviour!!

What size art board do you design repeats on? 
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.

Affirmations

Design heroes? 
Lotta Jansdotter, Rachael Taylor, Orla Kiely and pretty much any Scandinavian design – I love the style

Dream clients or design goals? 
John Lewis/Waitrose – I'd love a range of crockery in John Lewis (or Debenhams, or Liberty… I'm not fussy!!)

Dream design destination for inspiration? 
Probably somewhere in Pembrokeshire or Cornwall - St Davids/Saundersfoot or St Ives/Padstow.

And what are you working on at the moment? 
Working on new screen prints for the Tinker & Faff shop geared around loved ones. I've become a bit obsessed with creating patterns out of words.


I Love You Print

Any tips or advice you want to share with us? 
iFontmaker for the iPad – sooooo much fun creating hand drawn fonts.

You can find out more and get in touch with Nik here:

Cow Parsley Fabric Bucket

Thanks to Nik and thank you all for reading!
Frankie x