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

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

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
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 

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.