Amazing Things Are Happening

SQUEAL!!!!

I may have been M.I.A. for a while but Ive certainly not been hiding. I decided to make sense of what I am doing, what styles I am honing in on and what my next professional goal will be (I have several).

I have immersed myself in course after course after course. Not because I'm lost in the medium but because there is so much more to learn that can only improve, embrace and grow your business. Sound exciting? well I'm excited!!.

I have recently completed a Yardage Course and Photoshop/Illustrator essentials with Steve Woods  Print Classes at Arcade Screen Printing This is a very real and confronting course that will get your screen printing mojo working to unexpected extremes (and good ones at that). During this class I was able to design (or at least attempt to design) two new fabric ranges. I tried and tested several, mind you failed at many, but I ended with two that I felt would work aesthetically. I'll reveal only one today.......

Testing my new Rain Drop design

Rain Drop design release late 2013

 I am currently enrolled in a Surface Pattern Design Course with Do What You Love For Life. This UK born website offers AMAZING e-courses for all stages of your creative lifestyle. This is a course not to be sneezed at....or snoozed at because its filled with daily exercises, fantastic interviews, and most importantly a support network designed specifically for your group to share and encourage. I have learned a lot about my aesthetic design and have found a whole new world of untapped interest and talent I didn't know I had.

Learning about identifying patterns within our everyday life and converting them to art!!! What fun! Its so simple its right there in front of our faces. Check out some 'scribble' exercises I did and how I converted them through Photoshop and Illustrator into layered designs (something I could not do before).

Sketched leaves.

From a drawing to a repeat pattern

Singular Motifs coloured (Bloom 2013)

Motifs repeated (Bloom 2013)

Even more daring is taking it into greater depths... literally. I have always struggled with multi coloured designs both traditionally with screen printing and now digitally. But alas this current course has shown me how to colour and layer in the same space..... YAY for me. I'm now totally addicted to Surface Pattern Design. The potential is refreshingly overwhelming!!

Voila!!! (unnamed 2013)

PS: Can I just add that prior to this course I hated drawing flowers. Never really liked them as a subject matter in my own style. Now I've learned how to take something I am not fond of and turn it into art.

Would love your comments on my latest adventure and progress. It's all in its initial stages and very experimental but the journey is incredible.