Introduction

Hi I’m Bärbel, a pattern designer and illustration artist from Stockholm, Sweden where I live with my family - Johan and our children Isac and Wilma. I work at home in my own small design business called Bear Bell Productions. When it comes to my designs I get most of my inspiration from old patterns and motifs, historic items, art, nature and books.

I’m a multi creative and there is not many art forms I haven’t tried out - painting, sculpting, music (used to sing in a band…), sewing (I always have a sewing project going on), knitting, writing… But my big passion is drawing. Two other things about me: I’m training karate and I have about 5 unfinished novels in my computer…

My Toile de Jouy theme: Scotland

Working title: ”Toile de Scotia”

Motifs and scenes:

Scene 1: The foggy view from the banks of Loch Lomond, trees hanging out over the water with roots and small rocks at their feet. You can only just sense the land through the mist on the other side. A few birds fly over the water surface.

Scene 2: The rolling munros and glens of Glen Coe - a piece of calm landscape, clouds in the sky.

Scene 3: An old castle ruin by a lake, backdrop of mountains.

Scene 4: An old stone bridge crossing a typical Scottish creek. A fence in the background, trees and bushes on one side. A man fishing.

Scene 5: Old buildings and closes along The Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Sand stone houses, nooks and crannies, cobble stone and people in 18th century clothing.

Complementary smaller scenes: a low rustic stone wall and sheep grazing, a majestic stag on the moor.

Fillers: Thistles, heather, oak leaves, acorns and branches.

Inspiration board:

My finished and vectorized illustrations:

My finished pattern repeats in 3 color ways: