Studio Tuesday #1 Frankie

Hello there! 
Welcome to my new feature: Studio Tuesday where we take a sneak peek into the lives of designers both new and established from all around the world. The intention with this new post is to share the variety of ways in which designers work and to showcase their work too. 

As this is the first post I thought I would set the ball rolling just so you can see what it's all about. If you would like to be featured on Studio Tuesday please email me at: ilovepattern@yahoo.co.uk.

Enjoy!
Frankie x

Q&A with Frankie@ilovepattern

Where and how did you start your design journey?
I've a background in Fine Art but always had a curiosity about surface pattern - just didn't have the confidence to venture off into textiles or fashion as I would have had to for a degree. I couldn't do any of the sewing side of things and wasn't that interested in learning so stuck with paint. After my degree I dabbled in other artistic ventures and teaching. I had a career change to consider in the last couple of years and thought about graphics but once I discovered Print & Pattern I was hooked. I then found the ABSPD course and knew it was for me. I've been building on those skills since and tentatively sticking a toe in the water. 

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

I just have to start. Once I decide that I'm going to make something I have to just go for it and figure out what I'm doing and where it's going along the way. The more I think about something in the first instance, the less likely I am to finish it. I sometimes jump straight onto the computer or sketch ideas on paper, depending on how I am feeling.

Favourite pencil/pen?

I use Derwent pencils almost exclusively. Their Inktense pencils are lovely I love the Onyx pencils for sketching - lovely and dark and soft. They make lots of other lovely products too like Artbars which are fun and inspiring.
Pens I struggle with. I love my Rotring fountain pens but always come away with an inky index finger! I think I grip too far down the barrel. I've bought so many fine felt tipped drawing pens but I don't get on that well with them for some reason, perhaps because I press on too hard!

Sketchbook or loose leaf?

Tricky. I love the privacy of a perfect bound thick A4 sketchbook. I'm not very confident in my drawing skills and like to work in secret in the developmental stages, embarrassed by my mistakes. Having said that, I am soooo precious when it comes to sketchbooks and I hate ruining them with bad work so recently I've started working out ideas on copier paper which is much less stressful!

How do you keep yourself on project?

By having folders and documents named and waiting for the end product - spaces there ready to be filled by the completed work. It's exciting seeing an art board divided up ready for a completed collection it makes me want to work to see the finished product.

What are your creature comforts in your studio/workspace?

My sheepskin boots - I get REALLY cold feet no matter the temperature.
Lush lip balm
My iPad - when I'm doing the laborious, mind numbing stuff I'll watch a bit of Love Film on it. 

Music, radio, stories or silence?
I enjoy audio books and radio drama. I'm taking a meditation course at the moment so I've started practising working in silence too. It's nice but not for too long. If I'm feeling a bit lacklustre I put some music on - anything goes cheesy pop, folky stuff...

Night owl or early bird?

I'm becoming more and more of an early bird, especially in summer.. Does this mean I'm getting old? 

Illustrator or Photoshop?

I HATED Illustrator when I first started out on it. I would cry with frustration every time I opened it! Now I easily spend more time on it than Photoshop and have really got into taking online classes so that I can get the most out of it for pattern design. I started with Lara Coyle's course and I've done some Skillshare classes.

What size art board do you design repeats on?
I currently work at 24cm square which is probably excessively big. I just made it up really...

Design heroes?
Lucienne Day
William Morris
Cath Kidston
Orla Kiely
Jessica Swift 
Rachael Taylor
Lilla Rogers
Marie Perkins
there's too many contemporary people to mention!

Dream clients or design goals?
Monsoon/Accesssorize, Paperchase, John Lewis, I'd love to be part of the Make it in Design or MOYO team or have a work placement at Tigerprint!

Dream design destination for inspiration?
Somewhere north of here. I'm a teeny bit obsessed with the idea of travelling really far north - Northern Canada, the Scandinavian countries... I'd take the northern lights or the midnight sun...

And what are you working on at the moment?

I've 3 collections on the go - one is called Midsummer, one is based on the film Vertigo and the other is Indian inspired designs - paisley and florals. There's also my website to design next month too.

Any tips or advice you want to share with us?

Don't wait until you think you're ready to launch yourself, just do it! You learn way more putting your work out there for everyone to see than waiting for the perfect moment.
If you work alone, schedule a meeting with yourself once a week. It's a great way to keep track of your goals.
And finally... back EVERYTHING up! EVERYTHING!!!