lots of lovely newness!

i'm finally ready to share my new ranges with you! up until now i have just been sharing some sneaky peaks into what i've been working on but now...here it is... 

Mel Smith Designs' take on the wonderful Moroccan life!

you may have guessed i was working on something along these lines from all of my recent pinning! i visited Marrakech in 2010  and it was amazing! an absolutely amazing if not bonkers place and i (as you can imagine) got quite snap happy with the camera! i would highly recommend a visit to anyone and would love to go back one day.

an obvious starting point for the project was looking at the tiles and architectural mosaics ('zellige') and i had a LOT of photos to work from! i read up a little on the history of zellige and it get a wee bit complex when you get into stars with 96 points! i'm not quite that skilled to tackle a pattern of such complexity...not yet anyway!

you may recall the 2 Moroccan prints i did for last seasons collection. blue and orange with an off white. i decided to keep these prints and have a play around with the palette so they could fit in with my new look . and i'm so glad i did...look how they came out:  

as mentioned in the blog last week i have been working on illustrations as well as good old repeats. i have a thing about 'scenes' (again you may have seen my pinterest boards already) and wanted to pursue this route. much like with my christmas card range. 

i couldn't resist a camel.

so what made me choose Morocco as a theme? well, it's not just Morocco, this is all part of a much bigger project, an ongoing collection that will be added to each and every year. i am documenting all of my travels and sharing my experiences through pattern and illustration. Morocco seemed like an good place to begin as i had already created those couple of Moroccan prints last season and it is on trend. 

you might also be wondering where i got my palette from. well, this is also part of my documenting - i am choosing palettes that link to either a place or event in that location. for Marrakech i absolutely loved the YSL Gardens. so peaceful yet full of colour and life. plus they were a nice little escape from the mental souks!

so where to next?

well, there will be a post on my facebook and twitter pages on Monday explaining the next stages and i need you to be involved. i hope you can join me there :)

April - round up!

well i don't know about anyone else, but for me i would say April has been pretty bloody awesome. i've really started to feel things gathering speed this month and i have lots of new plans for the next few months. all very exciting and here's why...

it's mainly about this one thing ... i now have stockists! it's such an exciting thing. you work and work and work and then you finally get t see your things (YOUR things!) in shops...best feeling! my first orders finally went out to those that i met at Top Drawer and i also had a chat with the lovely Kay of Carried Away (a cute little boutique gift shop in Deal) whilst i was on a weekend away.

another successful month in We Make London Camden and they now stock a large collection of my lampshades. the full range is now available in my Etsy store. 

i was approached by City Showcase to take part in one of their markets - Soho Flea Market to be precise. his takes place on the Sunday 25th May, as part of the bank holiday weekend. there will be 100 stalls featuring jewellery designers, interior products, accessories, food, ceramics...i think there's even some bands playing too! so it should be fantastic. which means you should all pop along and say hi!

two more Creative Hub workshops this months and lots more info and advice. plus i get to spend time with Jess (Rosa & Clara Designs) and Poppy Westwell which is always fab! and i can't forget to mention that after months of trying me and Wendy Flynn (Doris & Fred)

i continued work on my project with Muckboots and started on my new 2015 collection. i have 2 ranges i'm working on and can't wait to really get my teeth into it properly! some initial sketches at the moment but ideas are a-brewing!

and last but not least i'm preparing to start my newsletter. you can sign up HERE to find all the latest news, events and even some cheeky offers...don't miss out!

my own smart creative style. BOOM.

last weeks post was short and sweet so i'm afraid to say i'll be back to waffling this week!! :p  this week is about the latest e-course i took part in - Smart Creative Style by Monica Lee. it's a touch late i'll admit (i completed the course in at the end of last year!). it was a great little group and the steady growth of the classes really made you assess and dig deep into what you and your growing business is about. 

throughout the course there were tasks to complete and videos to watch. lots of notes taken covering a lot of different areas, but as the title suggests the main aim was to find YOUR OWN CREATIVE STYLE. everyone was having their 'wow' moments, their realisation of what they should be doing, where they should be heading, and it was great to follow their journey. but i hadn't mine. well, why the hell not?! this was not fair! i wasn't having a sudden 'BOOM, this is it!!'... not even just a little bit. {sad face}.

so what had i discovered along this journey then? well, through my pinterest boards (above) i found that despite me thinking i wanted beautiful wallpaper dressing my walls i actually liked my interiors to be white with splashes and layers of colour. and this was just how i would lay out my lovely boutique shop. my fashion style was similar - more block colours with just a little pattern. the illustration and artist inspiration that i was drawn to was always fairly graphic-y. that is it was simplified shapes and characters in (yup, you guessed it) block colours with subtle texture, but always with a hand drawn feel... 

so ok, looking back it was all there and i could see a vague kinda link, but then about a month ago i think it all came together. i had just bought two books - Olle Eskell (above) and Charley Harper - and was flicking through. at around the same time i did a blog post on how i wanted to get into illustration a bit more an featured some other designers (Peter Donnelly (bottom) and Angie Lewin) and things started becoming clearer. i must have just become blind to it before, a common thing for designers to go through when they've been working constantly on a project. fresh eyes are a joy!

i did a blog special on Mad Men graphics (by Malota, left) following a Mad Men themed hen do, and finally i had a tidy up of my pinterest boards and took out any designs i didn't really, really like. and then...

BOOM!

it all came together, all my inspiration and styles i am drawn to and what i know i WANT my own stuff to look like but isn't quite there yet (close, but not quite). i had discovered Lucienne Day back at uni and have always loved her style, and that has led me to these other mid-century artists, more from the 40's right through to the early 60's its seems. i even had a comment that a lot of the fashion i selected was quite 40's. again, not something i'd actually picked up on.

so all this time i thought i was all about pattern, pattern and pattern. turns out i'm not - it's the colour, pattern is secondary. and i always love it when someone compliments me on my colour, much more than when they compliment me on the pattern. huh, who'd've thunk it.

this course really made you dig deep and it covered everything about you as a brand - style, branding, logo, website, social media persona... the variety and just outright amazing-ness of the videos covered absolutely everything in an easy to follow - and fun to follow (who'd've thought that for marketing advice?!) - way. and what has made it different to the other e-courses i have taken part in is the variety of creative areas involved - it wasn't just surface pattern based - and although chatting to other surface pattern designers is invaluable you can get some really different perspectives when talking to crafters, artists, illustrators...

i've just completed a small xmas card range and homed in on this style more, added texture and doodled more to get my character style right, or at least started. still a lot to do and work on to really get what i want but  it's getting there and i'm really excited to be starting my new collection for release 2015!

we make london and co.

monday was the start of my 6 weeks residence in We Make London based in Camden Lock. i went in to set up the products they will be promoting (and hopefully selling!) for me and also help man the shop alongside Mary. whilst there i also had a good nose at some of the other designers work and here are my fave pics of other surface pattern and prints:

funky purses and bags - miesje chafer

awesome plates - para sites cermaics

2 of my favourite prints - alfamarama

great gift sets - victoria eggs

just made me laugh - benjamin rothery

fun! - lightboat jewellery

love the breaking bad RV! - kate rowland

me...well i had to share one pic didn't i?!

work in progress from illustrator linda skoglund. she has been commissioned to complete 7 maps around Camden and was just starting today...next time i go back they should be complete so i can post the final pieces!

from the Design Library . . . Charley Harper

i cannot believe i only discovered Charley Harper last year. where have i been?! i thought i'd discovered a new genius...but no. he was born in 1922 and produced an amazing body of work from the 40's right to the new millennium. and there is a book out there that captures all these years across a whole 400 pages - 'Charley Harper - An Illustrated Life'.

i love his use of simple geometric shapes to create quite intricate scenes. he called his style 'minimal realism' and described it as:

" when i look at a wildlife or nature subject, i don’t see the feathers in the wings, i just count the wings. i see exciting shapes, colour combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behaviour and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures... i don't try to put everything in, i try to leave everything out "

i like this way of thinking. i shall adapt this to my work. less is more.

* you can buy the mini edition book here on amazon for only £13! there's also the full size (it's enormous and weighs a tonne. oh and it costs about £200, although i did find it in Liberty for £70)

* and here's a shop full of Charley's stunning artwork (OMGoodness you can buy everything - jewellery, tiles, puzzles...!)

from the Design Library . . . Olle Eskell

i think it's time to reopen my library. it's not fair that all the pretty books on my shelf are not shared any more...there's too much goodness on there for just little old me!

so with that i'm going to bring this feature back every 3rd Saturday of the month. starting today with a brand new purchase - 'Olle Eskell - Swedish Graphic Designer'. i've chosen this one to start us off as last weeks post was about my desire to really start drawing again.

i stumbled across Olle's work, i can't quite remember how now though. i just loved the drawing style, but i think it was the colours that caught my eye. there's a bit of a palette that runs through one collection which is just 'mel' all over! 

it can be a bit difficult to follow the chapters simply because it's either written in Swedish or Japanese - neither of which i am fluent in - but throughout the book his illustrative skills are shown in  a variety of projects - advertisement, postcards, packaging, books...he pretty much covered all bases! 

my favourite collection is a 1930's range of illustrations (top right ad bottom left below) featuring city scenes. i've got a mega itch to do some myself, i have had for months, and i must must must do some! i have some beautiful photos to work from from my travels and i need to venture round London to get some of the local life snapped up too.

* the book can be bought from amazon for only £20 (sure it wasn't this much 2 weeks ago!!)

* and i found a bit of a shop full of Olle goodies!

this drawing dream all comes at quite a good time - i'm in Edinburgh this weekend which has some amazing architecture. lots of higgle-di-piggle-di housing and cobbled streets winding this way and that. should make for some interesting sketches.

let's unleash the doodle monkey!!

it's all about the doodle monkey

i've come to the conclusion that i need to draw more. i definitely need to draw more. i doodle. a bit. and then make it into a pattern but i want to do more illustrations and placement prints than repeats.

and so i shall.

i've bought a few design books recently and i can see a bit of a theme running through them. i think i'm getting more of a clear idea of the styles that i like to look at compared to the styles that i can actually do myself. there are so many talented designers out there at the moment i wouldn't know where to start on naming those i'm inspired by so i'm looking at some old skool faves. recent book purchases have included Olle Eksell (of which there'll be a more thorough looking at next week. top right), Charley Harper (how have i only just found out about him?! bottom left), and Angie Lewin (top left) who i just love (ok i've had her book for while now but it's still delights me like it's the first time i've looked at it!). and i've recently discovered a mr Peter Donnelly (bottom right) who is just awesome.

i started drawing last year and have aimed to do a #doodle-a-day. this did not go quite according to plan. at all! i managed about 9 days and then it just belly flopped. so i'm not going to be quite so outrageous with my own demands this time, instead i will aim to just 'loosen up' first, get into it a bit and see where it leads me. but i have set ideas in my head that i really, really wanna do so i'll end up going in that direction regardless!

i've also been inspired by Jo Clark (left) and Flora Chang (right) who both use markers so need to get some of these bad boys involved too.

i've seen some of other peoples so called 'doodles' on facebook and twitter. let me tell you - they are not doodles...they are amazing! so it's given me an additional kick to get on with it again and stop being scared at not being able to draw what i want and for it to come out how i want it. it's all part of the growing process and who knows what happy accidents i may stumble upon.

here are a few of my 'doodles' from last session that i hope to expand on, in particular the amsterdam architecture. hopefully the more i do the more my style will develop and this will inspire some new amazing collection of designs!

ps - i have no idea where 'doodle monkey' came from, but i quite like him. he can stay.

Top Drawer Spring 2014...the review!

what can i say? Top Drawer and Home London were AMAZING! they did not fail to impress - so many talented people on display launching their new ranges, some previous exhibitors and some newbies...like myself! it was my first trade show and i LOVED it! can't wait to do the next one!

lots of interest across the three days, every day was a bit different - Sunday was the smaller boutique-y shops looking for exciting new stock, Monday i had chats about commission work and some press came and took some pics, and Tuesday was a bit of a mix too - a few shops, as well as other trade shows and pop up shops offering chances to showcase my products.

one of the nicest things to hear was when someone said they had spotted my products in the pre-show mag or on the website and they had tracked me down. it took a few goes to get used to talking to people but then you realise they just want a bit of a chat and it's easy peasey, haha.

i got to meet lots of people from the ABSPD course - Suzy Washington, Wendy Flynn (finally!), Trina Esquivelzeta, Jess Wilde, Kathryn Pledger, Kathy Schicker, Poppy Westwell, Jess Williams, Esther Cox...i hope i haven't forgotten anyone...sorry if i have!

take down was fun. i say that sarcastically. all hell broke loose. 5 o'clock and everyone has 5 hours to take everything down and get the hell out of the building! our slot for packing up wasn't until 7 and we couldn't be bothered to wait so we decided (foolish or not) to walk everything to the car parked 10 minutes away. 3 trips between 3 of us (thank you to Alice who only came to visit but ended up helping with take down!). i think i speak for all of us when i say Wednesday morning lie in could not come soon enough!

but that wasn't all the work done, oh no. straight on to following up all the contacts made at the show and now we wait replies. some goods news to share very soon but i'll keep you waiting for that ;) 

i did manage to have a quick look round Top Drawer and Home and met fellow ABSPD-ers Zoe Atwell and Hannah Nunn, but unfortunately missed Cara Holland (Patternbooth) and Anna Dent. here are a few of my favourite stands and the lovely designers themselves.  feast your eyes on this little lot...

Sian Elin - pretty eye catching wouldn't you say? nothing needs to be said...

I Drew This - cutey character cards were my favourites

Blooming Briony - i went to school with her! small world :)

Jessica Hogarth Designs - new summery card ranges

Stitch and Story - was opposite this stand so could stare at the loveliness all day long...

Rocket 68 - retro style caught my eye walking passed. unfortunately Jill was a little camera shy :p

i would also just like to say a few thank you's -
Liz Smith (Elle Jane Designs) for helping me throughout this project;
Jess Hogarth for giving me so much advice it's ridiculous;
Jen Whitham for her advice too and also for introducing me to Jess in the first place when i was doing my first Spitalfields market;
Deb Velasquez for all her printing tips;
Sam Nesbitt for the photo shoot;
Quincy Lampshades for making the designs into the fabulous shades they now are;
all the ABSPDers for their support and encouragement;
and of course, friends and family.
i'm sure there are others but my brain still isn't back up to full speed so i apologise.

gosh, that turned into a bit of an awards ceremony speech didn't it?! sorry about that!! i just wanted to say thanks dudes, it means a lot :)

christmas delights

i was very lucky this christmas and was spoilt by my friends and family. i got lots of lovely things - some crafty items, some designer maker goodies and i even found some vintage treats for myself. i thoughts i'd share some with you...

...a couple of days before christmas i discovered a vintage shop and OMGoodness what a lot of finds! some fabric, a nice new blankie, belts, and a special war time edition of monopoly complete with cardboard counters and wooden pieces...awesome!...

...a lovely Charley Harper calendar to see me through 2014...

...my new Orla Kiely folder, my new Ellen Giggenbach cushion, and my secret santa gift - a bird whistle in a house to hold my keys which also doubles as a whistle!...

...but i think my favourite present must be my two Holly Sharpe prints...just need to get some lovely frames to put them in now...

...i also got the Orla Kiely 'Home' book, a tribal print scarf, and some flowery PJs from Thailand...love it all, so lucky - thank you everyone!!

...oh and pre-xmas i sent off lots of lovely cards from a selection of designers - Elle Jane Designs, Jessica Hogarth, Jo Clarke, and Hello Paper Moon...

i hope you all had a WONDERFUL christmas whatever you may have done and now looking forward to celebrating everything good from 2013 and are ready to welcome lots of exciting new things in 2014...see you there!

#dailydraw . . . week 1

as you may have read yesterday one of my recent challenges to myself is to do a doodle-a-day, or - depending how creative i'm feeling - a full drawing a day. here's how #dailydraw week 1 turned out... 

i didn't intentionally start out with a theme in mind but i have been wanting to draw from my Amsterdam photos for aaaages and this was the perfect opportunity to start.

day 1: amsterdam architecture

day 2: windmill

day 3: lilies from keunkenhof

day 4: bicycle (i gave up half way through as you can see!)

day 5: detail from a shop

nothing for day 6, tsk tsk...

day 7: window detail