Friday 30 January 2015

Spotlight: Rachael Taylor

Hello,
Winding up this week's focus on layered prints and patterns I thought I would look at Rachael Taylor's wonderful work which features lots of layering of motifs and texture. You can purchase items featuring Rachael's designs from Deny or via her online shop. I LOVE these trays!

Wheel of Wonder available at DENY
Rachael Taylor is a designer well known for her quirky hand drawn style. Her motifs are playfully doodled and her patterns are bursting with colour. Layering seems to feature more and more in her recent work...

Motifs made up of lines (as opposed to the solid shapes I featured last week) work well when stacked up on top of each other for obvious reasons: they create interesting textures, nice areas of negative space and give a pattern a feeling of depth. The pattern above is made up of only one motif but it's a really nicely designed motif. It's delicate, irregular and interesting to look at - it is indeed a 'wheel of wonder'. So despite there only being one motif in the pattern, the considered way it has been handled means it doesn't look repetitive - there's rhythm without monotony. Rachael has recoloured, inverted, rotated, resized and then placed the motif in an interesting and exciting arrangement.

Festive Party tray available from DENY
Here's an example of Rachael layering simple coloured shapes under motifs to break up a solid background. Some of the line drawn motifs slightly overlap but for the most part they are just arranged on one layer with a little space between them. I imagine that layering such pretty and interesting motifs on top of each other would not allow them to shine individually. They're filled with pretty patterns and demand individual attention. Often with such motifs a designer might be inclined to arrange the motifs in a grid repeat or interlocking arrangement with equal space around each one. Instead Rachael has used circles and simple squiggles in different sizes and different shades of purple to add interest to a plain background and this also allows for the motifs to be placed in an informal and fun way. Using these simple flat shapes in the background gives a sense of depth and layering without it getting too busy. It's like they provide a little bit of rest for the eye without just leaving a gaping hole in the pattern, if you see what I mean.  It's also very lovely how these shapes show through the transparent motifs and soften the contrast between the very dark background and the very light coloured line work. I think this pattern shows off Rachael's understanding and experience of how to work with colour particularly well - it just seems such a clever thing to bridge the contrast gap.

Electric Stems tray available from DENY
Finally, here is an example of the two techniques combined to create a pretty placement print. Simple, solid shapes break up the background and there are some lovely doodled textures varying in colour and scale. The floral motif is repeated several times but treated differently each time so it doesn't look repetitive. Instead, the repetition of it makes for a cohesive design. Varying line weight and scale is a great way to use the same textures more than once in the same piece too and they serve to break up the solid pops of colour so that they don't overpower the piece.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at Rachael's work - I certainly have, there's so much to learn from looking at her work. You can find out more about Rachael at her website and as you will already know if your mad about pattern she runs the excellent Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course too. If you haven't taken the course, I thoroughly recommend it!

Thanks for reading!
Love
Frankie x


Wednesday 28 January 2015

Try It: Layered Pattern in Illustrator

The layered look is pretty simple to achieve in Photoshop, simply by drawing onto different layers or by scanning traditional work in and assigning it to different layers, playing with opacity and layer order. For me creating this kind of work feels much more intuitive in Photoshop than it does in Illustrator but my preference generally is to work in Illustrator. I just find it easier to move things around, recolour and stay organised. I end up with so many layers in Ps that I feel overwhelmed and I often end up abandoning work only to start again in Illustrator.

I have a few simple things I like to do when working in Illustrator to give my work more depth - I'm sure there are others and I'd love to hear from you if you wish to share yours!

I use opacity levels when placing shapes on top of each other. You can get some really pretty and subtle palettes working with opacity.




I use line work on top of blocks of colour - varying the weight of lines gives a sense of depth.


I love to use texture - created in Ai or scan in found/painted textures. I like to paint textures with black ink or paint and then live trace them and recolour.



Sometimes I feel my stubborn loyalty to Illustrator is a bit like cutting my nose of to spite my face. A lot of the qualities I strive to retain when taking work from traditional to digital are lost in Illustrator. I use Photoshop when it's absolutely necessary but I just seem to love the challenge of making things happen in Illustrator. I spent many years afraid of it and not understanding it (mostly a fear of the pen tool!) but now it's like a puzzle that I can't stop playing with!

Hope I've inspired you!

Frankie x

Monday 26 January 2015

Be Inspired: Deconstructed/Multi pattern/Multi Layer

This week, I'm looking at a style that I adore and am constantly striving to achieve in my own work.
Liberty
This 'deconstructed' look is made up a mishmash of patterns and motifs from a variety of styles, layered and blended to create an eclectic, relaxed feel. It reminds me of my art school days spent taking photographs of urban decay and layering canvases with collage and acrylic paint except it's more decorative. Here are some examples of this future and current trend. The example above is from Liberty's new fabric line inspired by Alice in Wonderland and is made up of check fabrics from their archives.

White Stuff

White Stuff are particularly good at this look, combining patterns of different styles and scales to create a unique design. Here's one of their gorgeous Christmas jumpers...
White Stuff

Here's another example from Peter Pilotto...

Peter Pilotto
Many gorgeous examples of this style can be found at Carpet Vista - I find these rugs so inspiring and  would love to own one!

Carpet Vista

Carpet Vista 
Carpet Vista

More about this style on Wednesday!
Love
Frankie x

Friday 23 January 2015

Spotlight: Jessica Nielsen

To round up this week's posts featuring graphic floral art, I thought I would focus on the work of Jessica Nielsen a surface pattern designed based in Rotterdam. Jessica's designs are bold and bright and inspired 'by subject and shapes from nature'.

This shell pattern looks like it was so much to fun to create...
I also like her limited use of colour. It helps to create a really striking design, allowing the shapes to take centre stage... Notice how although the motifs are very simple in their shapes and construction, there is still variety - it's not just a case of copy and pasting the same motif over and over again. The same idea has been executed several times and this gives a better sense of rhythm to the pattern. 


This quirky floral was commissioned by the Dutch store HEMA. Again notice that the motifs are the same yet different. Considered, well executed design. 
You can see even more of Jessica's work on Pinterest and on her website or why not visit her Etsy shop here where you can purchase stationery items featuring her designs. 

I hope this week's features on bold graphic styles has inspired you to make your own designs in this style and please join me on Monday for more pattern inspiration!
Love
Frankie x

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Try it: Cut Out Florals


Following on from my post on Monday about Matisse inspired cut out style, I thought I might show a little bit of work in progress this week and share a few ideas.


I'm working on a floral pattern using this cut out technique. I made my motifs using scissors and origami paper. You could paint your own paper or use material or textured papers particularly if you work traditionally. As I am working digitally I didn't worry too much about the colour of the paper as I just want the shapes.



Unlike the current papercut trend for fine and intricate details, I'm going for simpler shapes with a playful feel. I tried using a scalpel but found that made me want to get too fiddly.  So working with scissors and large pieces of paper made the process more fun and expressive.

I then assembled flowers in a sketchbook. For more variety you could just scan all the elements in separately and then assemble a variety of flowers in Photoshop or Illustrator.



I scanned the flowers in and used the pen tool to trace them but there are lots of other ways to make them digital. For example you could trace the motifs using Live Trace or retain a more handmade feel by creating the repeat in Photoshop.

So I'm currently playing with palettes and layouts...




I really like this drawing technique. It's a fun and easy process and great for if you are not very confident in your drawing skills or are just looking to loosen up and be more creative in your approach to drawing. I also think it really lends itself well to vector art with its simple lines so works a treat in Illustrator.


I hope you've found this post useful/inspiring! On Friday I will be featuring the work of Jessica Nielsen whose bold graphic style caught my eye whilst researching this week's posts.

Love
Frankie x
 

Monday 19 January 2015

Be Inspired: Bold Cut Out Style...

Guy Bell/Rex
Morning!
Summer seems soooo far away at the moment, so I thought I would brighten up this week by taking a look at some really bold and colourful designs...

The Tate

Matisse's cut out art seems to be influencing both current work and future trends. This bold and colourful style would look great particularly on homewares and swimwear and is a really fun technique to experiment with.

The Tate

Bold colour palettes and simplified and stylised motifs on a plain background make for a crisp and clean look as can be seen in these classic Marimekko prints...

Print and Pattern

Print and Pattern

You can see more examples of Marimekko prints in this great Print and Pattern post here.

It would be impossible not to mention Marimekko's Unniko print at this point which turned 50 last year and there's a whole site devoted to it here. This iconic print still looks as fresh today.

Marimekko


Here are a couple more examples of this style from Kate Clarke and Aimee Wilder.


 Kate Clarke 
 Kate Clarke

Aimee Wilder
Aimee Wilder

Hope this burst of colour has brightened up your Monday morning!
Love,
Frankie x


Friday 16 January 2015

3 Things I Learned this week...

Morning!

Hope you had a great week... Here's what I learned...

1. Bureau Direct is awesome.


I am huge fan of J Herbin inks so I was really excited to learn that they produce a rollerball pen that takes ink cartridges. I bought mine from the very fabulous Bureau Direct who also do some great deals on Herbin inks...


2. We have a limited capacity for making decisions...


You can read more about it here. I'm all about planning this year!


3. That I really like this song a lot...


Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
Love
Frankie x

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Getting my blog together... FABULOUS AND FREE RESOURCE



Morning...
So every once in a while the universe hears ya and you get a little bit of what you need landing in your lap... or your inbox.

I really like the idea of having a blog. I have blog envy when I look at some folk's blogs - they're consistent in style, tone and posting. Me? I'm a little bit all over the place but I'm enthusiastic.

The big buzzword for me this year is PLANNING since I've heard a lot of people talking about individuals only having a certain amount of Decision Juice. What you use up deciding what to wear and what to eat each morning you don't get back... so you might have run out by lunch time if you're anything like me and suffer DECISION FATIGUE!!!

Therefore, planning is bang on trend. Schedule a time to plan your weekly wardrobe, or whattheheck: be like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama or Albert Einstein and get your own uniform wardrobe. I don't think I can bear to wear or eat the same thing everyday but I can spend one moment each week planning it. And I can simplify lots of other things in my life by not having to make a series of decisions about them every single day.

So how does this relate to my blog? Well I'd started back with enthusiasm a few weeks ago with a new schedule of 3 times a week. On Monday I missed my post. I just couldn't think what to write and I have so much design work to do at the moment that I just couldn't spend the time deciding what to write about. Then I saw THIS... I can't quite remember in all the madness of trying to get stuff done if the offer for it just appeared in my inbox or if I clicked through some links in an email about something else but whatever happened it appeared without me searching for it at all.

It took me no time at all to read through it and fill in the plan and oh what a plan! Themed weeks and scheduling stuff will really help to keep me enthused and organised and get the blog that I really want for you, dear reader (I love that phrase!!!).

So, Beth Kempton - cheers, you really are fab.
Love
Frankie x


Friday 9 January 2015

Progress...

Morning,

Just thought I would share a little bit of the work I've been doing this week. I am preparing for my first trade show and trying to add lots of one off patterns to my portfolio. 


Hand drawn geometrics with a floral twist really are my most favourite patterns to make and the reason I started making patterns in the first place. This one reminds me of looking through a kaleidoscope a little bit and I really enjoyed creating it. It was inspired by some drawings of Edwardian brooches I have done this week and I can't wait to make some more like this one. 



This culinary inspired repeat is something that I created whilst on Lilla Rogers' MATS course. I spent some time improving the repeat, polishing up some of the motifs and recolouring it. I still think I might try tweaking the colours further. I'm spending this month reviewing the work I did on the course and further improving it so I can add it to my portfolio. 

Also this week, I've been looking at Islamic art and tiles for inspiration. And I'm loving this book that I got for Christmas...

Marnie Fogg

...so expect some 1950's inspired doodles soon! 

Love 
Frankie x

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Back to work/school...

Hi everyone,

Hope you are breezing through the beginning of the year with lots of energy and excitement for whatever you might have planned for 2015. I've got a rotten head cold which has slowed me down a little but I'm pushing through with lots of tea and paracetamol!

At the moment one of the things I am working on is a daily task sheet design. Here's a screenshot of it and once it's finished I'm going to put it up as a free downloadable resource here on my blog.



I'm testing it on myself at the moment and when I am happy with the format I'm going to jazz it up with lovely lettering and patterns! Basically, I just really wanted to make a daily to do list for myself that has everything on one sheet. I've lost count of the diaries and notebooks I have bought over the years and abandoned after a few months... I also used Evernote for a while but I've found that what I really need is something I can pin up in front of me and see in order to keep me on track for the day.

How are you getting organised and keeping on track? I'd love to know!
Love
Frankie x


Monday 5 January 2015

Hello 2015!


Hello and Happy New Year!

I've had such a lovely break and now that I'm set up in my new studio I can't wait to make this year a fun filled pattern adventure. What are your dreams, goals and intentions for this year? Have you planned and mapped your journey to success?

My work related goals and intentions include:

  • Seeing my licensed work on products in the soon to be launched Shibumi store.
  • Redesigning and updating my website with my new work
  • Launching some own brand products
  • Writing my first ebook
  • Getting my work seen at trade shows
  • Finding an agent
I have some other bigger goals and dreams that I feel a little afraid to share on here right now so I guess I need to practise telling them to myself a little bit more first. Recently I've really started to realise just how important it is to believe that you can do something in order to get on with doing it... Or as Mahatma Gandhi so wisely and eloquently put it: 


“Your beliefs become your thoughts, 
Your thoughts become your words, 
Your words become your actions, 
Your actions become your habits, 
Your habits become your values, 
Your values become your destiny."

Wishing you all the best for the new year,
Frankie x