So, Bonnie gave me some feedback on my Look Book, which I agreed with and have changed! 

As far as researching contacts, I've gone ahead and made a PDF of a bunch of different places I would like to approach, although at this point I feel as though I'd rather have two more completed collections so that the companies have a better idea of my "style"!

I'm in Florida right now, after having visited my boys out in California, and am headed home next week. So, will get busy then on making more patterns for both my "Empress" collection and also "A Tennessee Morning". Those are the two I plan on finishing before I go ahead and start calling places.

I am meeting with a woman next week - a friend of my mom's - who used to be in art licensing, which is neat :) I sent her links to my website, and a link to the Moroccan Fairy Tale look book I created, and she actually went ahead and sent it on to someone she knows over at York Wallcoverings, so that was pretty exciting! Even feedback from them both will be super helpful, so I'm looking forward to that lunch next week. We'll see!!

I know I've said it so many times, but thank you again Bonnie for all your guidance these past few months. I NEVER thought I would be where I am right now :)

Here is the link to that list I made:

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/e1efce53-bc7a-4b1c-aed8-2b21fa47ab5f

My Moroccan Fairy Tale Look Book. Such a wonderful learning process, this past few months. I am so grateful to you Bonnie for sharing your knowledge of pattern design in such an encouraging way :) I know I still have so much more to learn, but feel as though I'm really headed in the right direction! Thank you.

Here is my digital version through Issuu :)

Well, here is the start to my online portfolio for Moroccan Fairy Tale. I found as I was working on the pages that I was pulling patterns from one colorway, so that the book would have a more cohesive look. I'm thinking that I will add the other colorway to the book? Or should I maybe have a whole separate book? 

So happy to have figured out how to FINALLY do a mockup! Still need some more practice, but at least the first one has been accomplished :)

Hi Everyone!

Well, I'm going to be using my Moroccan Fairytale for my online portfolio. I went ahead and purchased the items to make my handmade copy, but will wait until after this class ends to do so, as I am right now in California visiting my boys!! I'm so excited to be able to spend some one on one time with each of them - it only happens once a year - so I have to soak it all up :)

But, I will be working as hard as I can on this class during my time out here. I'm thinking of the following:

1) About Me

2) Moroccan Fairy Tale "Story"

3) First Colorway

4) Mock-ups using first colorway designs

5) Second Colorway

6) Mock-ups using second colorway designs

7) Contact page - with social media links

I have been working on two other collections, but not ready at this point to do an online version. That's my next goal!!

I thought I'd use the elephant in my Moroccan Fairy Tale logo :) And I gave names to my designs - first time I've done that!

This was hard - to describe my work! I wrote to all my kids - and my mom - and asked them for how they would describe my pattern designs :/ We're also in the middle of a move, so my studio is basically in boxes. Wondering if I should take a different picture -  maybe outside? Anyways, comments will be very appreciated :)

Here is my Moroccan Fairy Tale collection, done in two different colorways. This was SUCH a learning experience. Especially with scaling and deciding to pick a second colorway. I've just splurged and gotten myself the Pantone books - the colors I chose just don't seem to print out the way I've designed them. So frustrating :(

This is the first colorway (the original one!)

And here it is in the second (new) colorway

Here are the focal prints in the new colorway - just to see the colors a bit better:

Well, I've decided to go with what I'm now called "Moroccan Fairy Tale". It started as "Suzani Stiches", then went to "Great Silk Road", but I feel that this title suits it the best. When I was looking for inspiration, the beauty of what I came upon was such a visual feast ~ it almost felt unreal, hence the new name! I hope I'm not the only one who goes through changes like this :/

I've also been working on some new patterns to go along with the two that I designed so far. 

Here are my final three patterns, along with some others that I've either recolored or created in order to work on three collections. 

For my Empress collection, I went with watercolor motifs. Honestly, I like working more digitally with the ipad pro and the blob brush, but I wanted to "push myself" to see what I could come out with, especially since I'm trying to balance the collection with watercolor vs. digital illustrations :)

This is "Chrysanthemum" and the repeat is really large - 34". So, I imagined it being really big flowers on a bright white background.

And the other patterns I've been working on for Empress:

Here is my new focal print for my "Great Silk Road" collection:

And here is one of the co-ordinating patterns that I've recolored a bit:

And, my "Tennessee Morning" focal print:

And a co-ordinate:

So, I've been discovering so much about how much I've actually learned over the past year! (Thank you so much Bonnie :) Sometimes it seems like I'm spinning my wheels and I'm never going to get to where I'm trying to go. But this week, when I went to go over some of my older illustrations, I actually saw all the mistakes that I wouldn't be making today. Truly a work in progress! I'm sure the same will happen months from now as well!

Here are my sketches for my Suzani Stiches collection:

My Tennessee Morning collection. (The colors here in the boxes are of the collection - not all of them will be in this focal print. Hope that's okay?

And one more for my Empress collection. This one was a bit of a challenge. I really really like working from my ipad pro, but felt that a more hand painted design might be nice to do. I have a vision in my head of what I want it to look like, so we'll have to see if I can get it to actually look like that!! Also, not quite sure if a focal print can be one color?? 

Busy, busy week this past week, what with traveling to see family for spring break. Most of the work I did was on the ipad pro, with a little experimentation with some brush pens! Will be busy this week coloring them all with the proper colors  :)

I'm going to continue to work on 3 different collections I've been trying to add to over these past couple of courses. 

They are Empress:

Suzani Stiches

and A Tennessee Morning

Well, my goal for these five classes was to work on a full collection, so I'm trying to accomplish that by adding to my Empress design collection. I changed one of the patterns from last class (the very detailed bouquet design) and have added a few more designs. 

Here is the one I changed it to. Made it a bit simpler and added a geometric design to the background. 

A re-colored design I did from a previous class using the Empress colorway:

A co-ordinate - made from ink splatter dots :)

A floral focusing on the greens in the color palette:

And here are three patterns made from my watercolor motifs:

So, I've been working on three different colorways. The first is my Empress colorway, as I'm trying to keep working on that collection by adding some new patterns. Here are the illustrated watercolor motifs for this collection:

The second one I'm calling Springtime. Here are the same elements colored using this color palette:

And the third colorway I got from the bouquet of flowers that I took at the beginning of this class! Here's that one:

Here are some more watercolor sketches. Barely made it today! It's my birthday and we've been celebrating all weekend :) They haven't been recolored yet in the colors I'm going to use, but it's a start!!

Below are some of the sketches I've been working on for this assignment. I still haven't recolored the watercolor sketches with the correct colors. Have to watch that video again to learn how!! 

Here are some photos I took to be inspired from and a color palette idea :)

Here is my final pattern. The repeat on it is 30" x 30".  (Not sure why it's sort of blurry. I've tried everything!) :(

I've learned so much - even after this being the second time I've taken Bonnie's course. I look back at some of my older designs and see so many little mistakes! I know I still have so much more to learn :)

And here is a geometric co-ordinate that I did to go along with it. It's repeat is 18" x 18".

Here are some more illustrated sketches I've done. I probably won't be using these on the design below, but will be using them in the collection I plan to make around the Empress Theme. I figured out how to do some on the Ipad Pro, which was exciting! 

Here is a picture of an old sketch that I'm working off of for my Empress Collection. Way back when, when I was at Syracuse University studying surface pattern design, everything we did was by hand - no computers! So we would come up with a design we wanted to put into a pattern, draw it out, show some of the repeat, trace it onto paper, and then paint it in gouache. I've found some of my old drawings, and decided to work off of one of them for this project. It was a bit frustrating at times, and continues to be a work in progress!!

ORIGINAL SKETCH I'M WORKING FROM:

And below are the sketches I've been working on:

My first Inspiration Board is called A TENNESSEE MORNING. I had no idea just how beautiful the Tennessee countryside was until I moved here two years ago! The sunrises off my back porch are glorious, and driving along the road while taking my daughter to school is like looking at artwork itself. All this has been my inspiration for this collection of designs. 

My second inspiration board is called EMPRESS. When designing this collection, I turned to the art of the kimono. I imagined an empress, wearing the silk robe with its lush chrysanthemums, cranes, butterflies, and rhythmic geometrics and the elegance that would be!

And my third inspiration board is titled THE GREAT SILK ROAD. The Great Silk Road played an important role in the development of the Uzbekistan culture and was the inspiration for this bohemian collection of florals, paisleys, suzanis, ikats, and other exotic motifs!

This challenge was really fun. I've never created a calendar before. I found myself at the bookstore the other day looking at just how many calendars are out there! And I really liked when I would turn them over and find a surprise on the back :) Thank you Bonnie for your wonderful teaching and inspiration.

Here is the front of my calendar:

And here is the back:

Hi there!

Well, I FINALLY learned how to create digital mood boards, and I must say that I think they are really going to help me a lot when I go to create my three focal prints! 

My three collections are:

BUNNY TALES

I'm imagining myself walking through a fairy tale forest of sorts, with magic all around me. Bunnies frolic amongst the delicate blooms, while sunlight streams in through the treetops. There is a rainbow of hues before my eyes as I step into a garden of delight, where nature's boundless beauty surrounds me.

Here is the finished Bunny Tales pattern:

Here is a co-ordinate I worked on:

Here are the illustrated sketches for Bunny Tales. It really helped having the mood board when selecting my colors!

SUZANI STICHES

The decorative, pretty detail of the Suzani method of embroidery has always fascinated me. The richness of the cloth, infused with such character, tells a story all its own. The lovely patterns of this textile art, with graceful leaves and vines and graceful floral motifs is a treat for the senses.

Here is the finished Suzani Stiches pattern:

Here are my Suzani inspired illustrated sketches:

FAR EAST SPLENDOR

The exotic influence and symbolic motifs of the Far East have brilliantly inspired many gorgeous designs. The pretty pagodas, delicate cherry blossoms, embroidered kimonos, and prismatic beauty of the flowers of the orient are all rich treasures from which to pull inspiration from.

My re-colored 1st co-ordinate pattern:

Here is the finished Far East Splendor pattern:

Here is a co-ordinate I worked on for the Far East Splendor design:

And, my Far East Splendor illustrated sketches: