from the Design Library today...THE PRINTED SQUARE

so i'll be the first to admit that i've got a bit of a soft spot for books...i shouldn't be allowed into book shops really, especially when there's pretty design books to be ogled over! i always find it rather frustrating when you look online but can't actually SEE the book so i thought i would start sharing with you some of my favourite purchases from my ever expanding bookshelf...

first up is my latest purchase - THE PRINTED SQUARE, a gorgeous book full of silk scarves and handkerchief designs. there was recently an exhibition on at the Fashion & Textile Museum showcasing a small collection of silk scarf designs...

organised by colours this book features over 200 hand-drawn, painted and printed designs...anything from geometric to organic, retro to folksy...just page after page of fantastic prints!

4 designs from the 'brown' chapter

i adore the quotes for each new chapter, so cute!! ...

"mauve? mauve is just pink trying to be purple" - winston churchill

there were so many gorgeous designs i had a tough time picking just a few... this book is so inspirational, there really is something for everyone.  and to make it even MORE appealing you can buy it here on amazon for under £10...bargain!

Sunday Showcase - Sian Elin

This week on Sunday Showcase we have the very talented Sian Elin...


Sian Elin is a fun, enthusiastic, and creative surface pattern designer and illustrator, who has spent a lifetime seeing the world through pattern and colour; and how shape and form interact. 

yum!

She worked as a book designer for 6 years but then decided to leave and do what she truly loved - surface pattern design!  She loves to hand draw everything and then colour digitally.  

She likes to draw patterns from everything she sees around her; cities, signs, and buildings; 

I love these 2 designs from her 'Places' collection...London and New York - fab!

...to hand-drawing typography; 

...and to creating more abstract patterns:

Sian's style is quirky, fun, and stylish!

2 designs based on this years 2 huge British events - the Jubilee and the Olympics

Even some old bottle and jars look fab in her unique illustrative style!

Sian has recently launched her own card range which can be found in her Folksy shop which is shipping all over the globe!  Enjoy!

QUICK LINKS:


WEB:       www.sianelin.com
BLOG:     www.plumpyplum.wordpress.com/
FB:           www.facebook.com/sianelindesigns
FOLKSY: http://folksy.com/shops/sianelin

Pretty things are happening!

so i've been spending most of my weekend - oh ok, ALL of my weekend! - making lots of goodies to put on my new Etsy and Folksy shops!  notebooks, giftcards, magnets, buttons...all will soon be available for purchase!

i'm excited about releasing my new Paisleyscope range - i've had lots of great feedback and it seems to suit stationery products really well so i have created lots of notebooks and sets of giftcards...

matching notebooks and giftcards

also getting ready to release my Bold & Beautiful design in a range of products...

preparing the magnet and notebooks

i'll let you know when they are available...hopefully next week!

Sunday Showcase - Veronica Galbraith

Hi guys and welcome to week 2 of the Sunday Showcase! Up this week is Veronica Galbraith...


Originally from Columbia Veronica has grown up surrounded by creative minds - a family of architects, designers and painters set her well on her way to becoming a designer! Now living in Cornwall she has been in the industry for 15 years.

Veronica has a really inspirational story - she took a break from design for motherhood for a whopping 7 years.  A friend introduced her to the wonderful Print & Pattern blog, and as she says 'it all clicked, all fell into place. This is what I was supposed to be doing!' ...and she hasn't looked back since! 

Her graphics design background certainly shows.  This coupled together with her love of folksy design styles as shown in her Pinterest boards really shines through in her work.  She is currently working on building her portfolio - here are some of her latest pieces created during her time on the ABSPD course... 

Veronica's Bold Honeycomb design (above left) has been entered into the Spoonflower Geometric competition - vote here!

QUICK LINKS:


W: www.verogalbraith.co.uk
B: www.pitter-pattern.com 
F: www.facebook.com/verogalbraith
T: www.twitter.com/vero_galbraith
P: www.pinterest.com/verogalbraith
S6: www.society6.com/verogalbraith
SP: www.spoonflower.com/profiles/verogalbraith
LI: uk.linkedin.com/in/verogalbraith
www.behance.net/verogalbraith

Sunday Showcase - Schatzi Brown

hi guys and welcome to the first of my Sunday Showcase features!  here i will be showcasing some of the amazing work from my fellow classmates of the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design course...

todays designer is the wonderfully talented Schatzi Brown (otherwise known as Tanya Brown).  based in New York she has a background in Surface and Textile Design.

she has a beautiful blog where you can follow her work. i love her pattern story feature, it's like a growing look-book, full of so much inspiration! ...the same with her pinterest collections...gorgeous mini-moodboards of all varieties...i could stare at them all day!

Tanya incorporates so many elements into her designs - hand drawn motifs, painting and digital elements - it gives her a totally unique style. i absolutely love her palettes - just so rich and yummy!

if you want to own some of Tanyas work she has a number of her designs available as iPhone cases, laptop skins, and canvases on society6, and she has prints for sale on etsy:

QUICK LINKS:

W: http://www.schatzibrown.com/ 

B: http://schatzibrown.wordpress.com/

F: http://www.facebook.com/tanya.z.brown

T: https://twitter.com/#!/Schatztibrown

P: http://pinterest.com/schatzibrown/

E: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SchatziBrown

S6: http://society6.com/SchatziBrown/cases

ABSPD graduate!

yay me...i graduated!

i can't believe the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course is over...it has flown by! it has been the most amazing course, and it could not have come at a better time.  created and run by two hugely talented ladies - Miss Rachael Taylor and Miss Beth Nicholls - it has been such an incredible few months, i never thought i would get nearly as much out of it as i have.

my ABSPD first range: Breezy Stars

they shared such a wealth of knowledge, far far more than i ever expected to get out of the course to be honest. i really feel like things are starting to happen... i've had some amazing feedback on the work i have done throughout the course and privately, which has done nothing but boost my confidence! i have 'found my style' and have so many projects planned i just don't know where to begin!

stationery range: April Petals

i am currently freelancing with an agent under a studio name, but now that i am loaded with all this new information i feel like things could start changing and i could actually become my own name...Mel Smith Designs will be unleashed! one step at a time but i really think things will soon start to pull together and one day i will get to my dream - i'll have my own little boutiquey shop on a cutesy high street, with my adorable little dog by my side selling glorious pattern on every surface imaginable!  [sigh]!

so all i can say is thank you so much to Rachael and Beth for putting their heads together and coming up with this most incredible course, it really has been the most inspirational journey (overwhelming at times, but in a good way of course ;)  and thank you to all my classmates! we have been such a great group and so supportive of one another...i can't wait 'til our meet-ups and to see where we all now go...it's all so very exciting!

blog hop special!

hello, hello, hello and welcome!  you've probably just joined me from the wonderful Tammie Bennett on todays blog hop.

it has been an amazing few months for me all thanks to joining the incredible Art and Business of Surface Pattern designs e-course run by Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholls.  so much information has been shared and so many doors have been opened...

my website is up and running and you can follow me on my facebook page.  i have had the opportunity to enter some amazing competitions:

i was a semi-finalist with this Summer Burst fabric design based on watercolours for Fabric8; my Spring Fresh paisley design for the Beta Fashion and Topshop scarf competition; and i have received great feedback for my Wallpapered design entries.  

i now have some products for sale on society6 featuring designs from my new Black Border range...

...and i will have a new etsy shop opening very soon with lots of handmade goodies from notebooks, to ear-rings, recipe cards to magnets, all featuring designs from my brand new Bold & Beautiful ranges, as well as my Zinnia, Kaleido, and Henna ranges. please do pop along!

the course has been so inspiring - i would highly recommend it if you have any interest in surface pattern and want to pursue a career in the field, whether it be freelancing, studio work, or self-employed. visit here for full details.

i have so many exciting things planned for the upcoming months, i can't wait!

so why not visit one of my fellow e-course classmates - the fabulous Michelle Drew...and if you want to see the full list visit Claire Smillie back at the start...enjoy!