Tigerprint

The art and business of Surface Pattern Design E-Course

You may recall a little while back we blogged about the fantastic collaboration between the lovely Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholls, founder of Do What You Love to create "The art and business of Surface Pattern Design".

Well I am thrilled to be able to feature a small selection of the gorgeous work of the students of part 1.

Module 2 of the course"Creating your professional identity" launched on the 30th of January and Module 3 "Monetising your designs" will launch 16th of April.

The great news is that you can now register for the next course which will commence 23rd April 2012. For full details see here - I'd highly recommend you do!

Meanwhile congratuations to all the students so far your work is amazing!

  Luscious layering & depth from Helen Billett

  Stunning detail on these illustrations from Beth Hewitt

     Striking motif details from Maike Thoma.

                         Quirky style & colour palette from Stephanie Nance

 

We will feature some more gorgeous work by the students in the next few days.

Lindsey Freestone

                         © Lindsey Freestone

                           © Lindsey Freestone

                                               © Lindsey Freestone

 

Wiggie Woo is the creative home of surface pattern and textile designer Lindsey Freestone. Freelance designer Lindsey's main areas are gift-ware, graphics, illustration, furnishing and art.

Lindsey is a regular contributor to our on-line competitions and she was one of our runners up in the Fun Pet Photography Competition with this entry of Freddie.

As well as using Wiggie Woo to showcase her latest creations Lindsey also use the blog to share inspirational and quirky finds with her readers.

In addition Lindsey also refurbishes old furniture which is for sale at Stones Creative Furniture - worth checking out.

Pattern People

  © Pattern People

   
Claudia Brown and Jessie Whipple Vickery of surface design studio, Pattern People recently launched a New E-Book : Pattern Design & Beyond. With how-to pattern design guides, a thorough break-down of how the print industry operates, and loads of helpful resources, this publication provides a wealth of information for the burgeoning surface designer. The book also showcases over 80 international artists whose work illustrations the many print styles found in the market. Pattern Design & Beyond is an inspirational guide for students, professionals or anyone else with an appreciation for pattern design.

Pattern People is a Portland, Oregon based surface design studio founded by Claudia Brown and Jessie Whipple Vickery who came together with a shared love of pattern and adornment. Bringing a modern touch to the rich history of surface design, the studio creates prints and illustrations for fashion, beauty and interiors clients. Projects range from hand painted murals to beauty packaging for companies such as Estée Lauder, Stussy and Nike.

 Their work has been featured in publications including Simply Pattern by Viction:ary, Monocle Magazine, and Print & Pattern by Laurence King.

 For more information about Pattern People and the e-book, please visit:

www.patternpeople.com


   

Shiny orange dreams

 

  © Amy King

Amy King of Shiny Orange Dreams, grew up in London, England but has been based in New York City for many years. Designing for a range of childrenswear and bedding companies including BabyGap, Martha Stewart, and Oshkosh B'Gosh. Amy's work has been purchased by companies including Gymboree, Carters and Paperchase UK.

Her style wonderfully captures colourful and enchanting characters and her use of fresh and exciting colours really brings the designs to life. Find out more about Amy and her work below.

Name: Amy King

University/College: Fashion Institute Of Technology, New York

Course: AAS Textile Design 

Current Occupation: Textile and Surface Designer.

 

  © Amy King

  © Amy King

What three to five words would you use to describe your work?

Whimsical, fun, and colourful.

What medium do you work with?

Generally I work in a digital format with some hand embroidery accents.

    © Amy King

What inspires you?

I am inspired by everything from films, music, art, retro and Scandinavian design, to colour- especially orange! The television series ‘Mad Men’ has also been an influence and I am always sure to have a notebook and pen on hand while watching it so that I can note some of wonderful color combinations of the clothes, furniture and wall colors featured on the programme!

 

What was your first job? When/how did you know you wanted a career in art?

My first job was working for a small textile company in New York. Most of my work included doing tons of re-colouring of designs. Not very exciting, but it taught me a lot about matching colors and creating new color combinations- something that was, in retrospect, an invaluable experience.

 

Both of my parents were artists and I was surrounded by creativity during my childhood. I think that it was inevitable that I pursued a career in a creative area.

 

Design books/blogs you can’t live without 

The Print & Pattern book is a fabulous book to have in my library. Also, I am enjoying the new Orla Kiely book- so full of wonderful images and history of her work. I have a few books on Scandinavian design including one by Marimekko who is one of my favorite designers. Some of the blogs that I look at most days are Print & Pattern, Helen Dardik’s, Sandra Isaksson’s and How About Orange.

 

What’s next?

I’ll be continuing to sell my fabrics on Spoonflower and hope to open an etsy store in the near future to sell tea towels, bags and toys made from those fabrics. The greeting card and gift wrap markets are ones that I would like to continue to branch out into. I will continue to work for my design clients and am always open to accepting new commissions from new contacts. 

 

  © Amy King

 

Take a look at Amy's work here and enjoy.

 

Emma Shipley

  © Emma Shipley

Emma creates simply beautiful botanical drawings which she then translates to wonderful wallpaper designs and fashion textiles. Emma is currently studying for her MA Textiles at the Royal College of Art but has already received alot of attention through her work from winning the M&S Limited Collection project and featuring in a recent WGSN trend report. I am sure you will agree that Emma's incredible grasp on textile and surface pattern design will ensure her continued success.

Name: Emma Shipley

University/ College: Royal College of Art

Course: MA Textiles - specialising in Print

Current Occupation: Postgraduate Student / Freelance Designer

Blog/ website link: emmashipley.carbonmade.com

 

 

What three to five words would you use to describe your work?

 Botanical, intricate, mathematical, 'hyper-nature'

 

What inspires you?

 Patterns in nature: their beauty, irregularity and the mathematical principles behind them.

What mediums do you work with?

 Initially, pencil drawing and photography (digital and analogue), then Photoshop and computer programming/scripting to develop designs, and finally a combination of hand and digital printing processes to transfer images onto fabric.

 

What was your first job?  when/how did you know you wanted a career in art?

 My first design job was at a fashion print design studio after graduating from BA - otherwise, at a hairdressers aged 14 - I hated it.

 I've wanted to follow a career in art for as long as i can remember - I've always LOVED to draw.

 

Design books/blogs you can’t live without:

At the moment I'm obsessed with American artist Walton Ford - his book Pancha Tantra is stunning. I'm also interested in traditional print design - Lewis F. Day's Pattern Design from 1903 is essential reading if you're into repeat patterns. I also read anything and everything by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins - his descriptions and explanations of the evolutionary process are inspirational.

 

What’s next?

I'm currently in the final year of my MA in Textiles at the Royal College of Art. We have a Work-in-Progress Show from 12th to 20th January that I'm working towards, and after that I'll be concentrating on my final project: An exploration of irregular patterns inspired by those found in nature. The outcome will be a collection of printed garments for Womenswear.

 © Emma Shipley

  © Emma Shipley

  © Emma Shipley

 © Emma Shipley

 

 

 

 

Printsource: Top Ten Print Ideas

  © Printsource

New York, NY – December 2010  – Printsource New York, the leading textile and surface design show in the USA, announced its list of the TOP TEN PRINT IDEAS FOR SPRING/SUMMER 2012.

 

The list, compiled by Claudia Brown and Jessie Whipple Vickery, of the Portland-based textile design studio Pattern People, highlights some of the most directional print and pattern ideas for Spring/Summer 2012, both for the fashion and home textiles markets.

 

“Printsource provides the design community with a venue focused exclusively on surface design” said Massimo Iacoboni, CEO and Producer. “The show is a Mecca of creative inspiration, and its aim is to help companies develop directional products by bringing together textile and surface designers from all over the world under one roof” he added.

 

The Top Ten Print Ideas for Spring/Summer 2012 are:

 

1. Abstract Elements – tie-dye textures that take inspiration from the earth such as minerals and other organic matter.

 

1. Baroque Opulence - rich, ornamental, embroidery inspired designs with an antique feel.

 

1. Bohemian Folk - geometrics, paisleys and floral designs influenced by Ballets Russes.

 

1. Eastern Color Block - influenced by Bauhaus and Mondrian with a hand painted feel.

 

1. Ink Blot Camos - watercolor and ink spots create an organic update.

 

1. Photobased Prints - 3D and chromatic aberrations.

 

1. Pop Art Conversationals - bold, outlined shapes take inspiration from Roy Lichtenstein's technique.

 

1. Shanghai Florals - stylized Asian florals with a slick nighttime feel.  

 

1. Tribal Wash - ethnic prints that are hand-painted yet look as if rain has washed part of the design away.

10.  Under the Microscope - science and design collide with detailed images shown in overblown scale.

 

Printsource’s next event will be held on January 10/11/12, 2011.  As the hub for the world’s top creative talent, Printsource showcases hundreds of collections by international surface and textile design studios. The Show, held three times a year at 7 West 34^th Street in New York City, is the main surface and textile design resource for thousands of apparel, paper goods and home textile manufacturers, retailers and catalogs.

 

LIST OF IMAGES

 

1. Abstract Elements, Emma Schonenberg for Theo & Hugh, El Salvador.

 

2. Baroque Opulence, Studio L2 Design, USA.

 

3. Bohemian Folk, Gather No Moss, UK.

 

4. Eastern Color Block, BG 2770, USA.

 

5. Ink Blot Camos, Studio L2 Design, USA.

 

6. Photobased Prints, Oaffi, USA.

 

7. Pop Art Conversationals, Pattern People, USA.

 

8. Shanghai Florals, MLD 0039 by Margherita Leonardi, Italy.

 

9. Tribal Wash, MLD 0039 by Margherita Leonardi, Italy.

 

10. Under the Microscope, Ana Romero, Portugal.

 

For additional information please contact:

Massimo Iacoboni

Email: Massimo@printsourcenewyork.com

Web: http://www.printsourcenewyork.com

Jonna Saarinen

  © Jonna Saarinen

  © Jonna Saarinen

  © Jonna Saarinen

  © Jonna Saarinen

Jonna is an artist originally hailing from Finland and specialising in printed textiles and illustration.

A lot of Jonna’s work takes strong influence from her Finnish roots, as well as her love of Nordic nature & architecture. Sustainability plays a big role in the design process - Jonna’s whole final year at Central Saint Martins was dedicated to researching into and designing with organic & sustainable materials. Find out more about Jonna and her work below.

Name: Jonna Saarinen

University/ College: Central Saint Martins (BA Hons, Alumni), Royal College of Art (Masters, current)

Course: textile design, specialising in printed textiles

Current Occupation: full time student and founding member of Pyttipannu Studios, London

Website/ blog link: www.jonnasaarinen.com

 

What three to five words would you use to describe your work?

Fun, colourful, nostalgic, Nordic

  

What inspires you?

 I take a lot of inspiration from the nature and also old Finnish folklore tales, but what always brings me back to the drawing board is all the happy summer memories from seaside, my own childhood and adventures in my beloved campervan. Also picking up any Tove Jansson book is truly magical for me.

What mediums do you work with?

My first love has always been screenprinting, but I cannot resist a good quality fine liner, my good old Pantone pens and the occasional dabble with watercolours, along side some mixed media work including some fuzzy felt.

 

What was your first job?  When/how did you know you wanted a career in art?

My first job was actually in a coffee shop, but after a while it became clear I had to return to drawing, which had been my favourite subject at school when growing up in Finland, so in a way I have always hoped I would get to work in a creative environment.

 

Design books/blogs you can’t live without:

“Maija Isola – Life, Art, Marimekko” is a truly inspirational book for anyone who loves any kind of surface design. I do love following many blogs to keep up to date of what is happening in the world of design, currently in my top list is for example the colourful world of Tschau Tschuessi (http://tschautschuessi.blogspot.com/)

 

What’s next?

I will be graduating from the Royal College of Art next summer, and I am currently planning my next venture of launching a print studio with some fellow RCA and Central St Martins graduates.