freebies // The 2013 Designer Calendar :: December

A year ago I was brainstorming my 2013 Designer Calendar project, and now it is coming to its end (don't worry... I'm already brainstorming next year's :D ). The last designer of this year's wonderful freebies is Esther Cox. She's English and she works from her own magical kiosk. Her work is playful and colourful... just the best way to keep track of all of the events of the joyful season.

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About Esther:

"I am an illustrator and pattern maker. Mostly, I just love to draw, and I'm ecstatic when someone wants to pay me for doing that. If I ever manage to make a proper living from it I will probably expire from sheer joy."

Her quirky detail:

"I dare say there are too many to mention. My job is to roam in a daydream. To exploit my imagination. It all seems normal to me."

Her favourite Designer:

"I'm a bit of a magpie so choosing a favourite is tricky. I'm inspired by so much art, photography and graphics. More so than surface pattern design. I would say Robert Stewart and Stig Lindberg. They demonstrated their talents in so many fields. I find their inquisitive, thoughtful approach and the playful lines of their work just beautiful. I aspire to that."

You can download December here or clicking on the download link below the image above, and remember, it can be printed as big as an A3 format (42x29.7cm / 16.5x11.7in). Don't forget to visit Esther's website to keep up to date with her great work. 

freebies // The 2013 Designer Calendar :: November

I can't believe October is already over. It hasn't been a great month for me and my family, but we are doing our best to keep going so we can honour my dad's infinite love for life. I know all he wants is for us to be  happy, keep dreaming, fighting for our goals and live great lives in his name :)

Here is November's fun and quirky calendar (wow... just 2 more months till the end of the year o.O): I just love its movember style. It was designed by Tina Devins the happy Irish designer behind Dreaming on A Star who happily agreed to be part of my 2013 Designer Calendar project when I asked her. Thank you Tina :)

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About Tina:

Tina Devins is a surface pattern designer & illustrator from Ireland. Dreaming on A Star was created because she lives in her own little dreamworld but dreams big dreams! 

She creates cute characters and quirky doodles, all hand-drawn in a graphic style. She specialises in Stationery, Textiles and the Children’s market. She is inspired by Japanese kawaii, nature and fairytales. 

She’s a licensed designer with KekaCase, who create fabulous covers for smart devices, and her work will be published in an upcoming book on New Surface Pattern Design by Zeixs.

Her quirky detail:

"I'm a proud owner of a golden ticket and own several copies of the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory!"

Her favourite Designer:

"I have two favourite designers but one is a painter! 

I love Joan Miró. I love his graphics, bold colours, his childlike shapes, his sense of wonder, his poetry. His paintings are joyful and thought-provoking. 

I also greatly admire Helen Dardik. I love her stylizing, her icons and her playfulness."

You can download November here or clicking on the download link below the image above, and remember, it can be printed as big as an A3 format (42x29.7cm / 16.5x11.7in). Don't forget to visit Tina's website to keep up to date with her great work. 

teaching // Reign Repeats :: challenge 1 :: winner

Shelly!!! You are the happy winner of a $100 Spoonflower giftcard. Please email me your full name, postal address, phone number, and email :)

FIRST PLACE- pie bird song by Shelly Penko

37 people voted and the blogpost had almost 300 views this past week. (Thank you to everyone who stopped by, voted and/or commented!) I closed the contest yesterday at 9pm (Colombian time) and these were the final results:

results updated at 9pm on October 20th, 2013

PS. I'd also like to congratulate Shelly, Robin and Celia (3 of my Reign Repeats students) for being part of the Pies contest Top 10 designers. I'm really proud of you three. Great designs! 

one more thing…

 don't forget about my current sale and enroll Reign Repeats today! 

SPD RedCarpet // Emma Hawman

Good morning everyone!

Welcome to SPD RedCarpet Mondays, the series dedicated to surface pattern designers and their work. Today's guest is British designer Emma Hawman, the designer behind Emma Frances Designs.

Hi Emma, tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born and bred in the North Yorkshire countryside, growing up on a farm I was surrounded by tons of inspiration. My mother has always been creative and loves crafts so encouraged me from an early age to pursue my love for drawing, painting and making things. I studied Art and Design and Textiles throughout school and it came as no surprise to everyone that I went on to study Textile Design at the University of Leeds. Now I am freelancing and building my own brand up whilst working part time and looking for new work experience opportunities, so very busy!

What is it that you like about patterns? Which one is your favorite pattern style?

I am quite an organised person (well…my bedroom may occasionally look like a hurricane blew through) so I think the preciseness of technical repeating patterns appeals to that side of me. I honestly don’t think I could pick a favourite style, I love all sorts of different types of patterns, I do love a delicate floral pattern though!

How would you describe your style?

I’d describe my style as using hand drawn sketchy motifs mixed with delicate colour palettes. I try to make it harder to see the repeat in my patterns so you have to work to see the tile.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you follow trends?

I find inspiration absolutely everywhere, I constantly have a camera on me all the time and am always taking photos to draw from. I can’t wait to get back home for the summer and snap up all of the flowers in my Grandma’s garden! I try to keep up with trends and am interested to see what future trends may come about but I don’t often apply them to my work, I like to work freely and let my creativity flow in whichever direction it feels like at the time.

What color palettes do you prefer?

I love anything from pastels to bright contemporary palettes, often in my own home I like quite crisp and clean colour palettes with the odd dash of colour that stands out. In my pattern designing it depends on the feel of the design and what I am designing it for.

When you design, do you do it thinking of a final product? Which market would you like your designs to be on?

Sometimes it jumps out as soon as I draw the motif and sometimes it take a little longer to see which market the pattern would work best in. I absolutely love interiors and the thought of making my homes (and others) more beautiful by filling them with pretty patterns.

Which Design tool can't you leave without?

It has to be my pencil and paper, which is where it all starts. I love my Wacom tablet but much prefer the control I have when I’m drawing on paper. Oh and fineliners! I love the beautifully crisp lines they give.

What has been your greatest achievement so far? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

My first licensing deal has got to be my biggest achievement, it was such a heart racing feeling seeing the email in my inbox! It is such a huge stepping stone in the right direction and I can’t wait for more to come along. In five years I would love to see myself with plenty more licensing deals under my belt, having built my brand up I would like to be selling my own products, hopefully have exhibited at a show and most of all be making a living from doing what I love.

What's your favourite patterned possession? Why?

I have a weakness for pretty patterned summer dresses so have quite a few in my wardrobe (it’s hard to say no to pretty patterns!). Here is my favourite!

Who is your favorite surface pattern designer? Why?

Ah favourite designer! I honestly cannot possibly choose, there are so many talented designers in this industry with so many different styles, I’m awestruck by so many!

Where can we find more of your work and products?

I can be found on my website and blog, and you can contact me via email.

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Emma a bit better. Don't forget to check the other places you can find her (above!) :D to see more of her beautiful work! 

teaching // Reign Repeats :: challenge 1 :: top 6

Nine days ago I was working on my editorial content when I received the worst news ever: my Dad, the man of my life, was suddenly taken from our side. He was the most wonderful man, husband, dad, surgeon, friend, teacher I've ever met. Many came to say goodbye and to tell us how much impact my dad had had in their lives. We feel so proud of him, and knowing he'll no longer be around to make a difference in this world makes this loss more painful and inexplicable. It is so incredibly hard and I can't seem to know where to start or where to find the strength I need, but I know the best way to honour him is to keep going, achieve my goals and dreams and make him the proudest Angel up there. 

I'm taking a minute at a time to be able to get by… everything is so foggy now and planning isn't something I'm able to do right now. However, I set this challenge a while back and gave you all my word today was the day I was going to post my top 10. So here I am, keeping my word (one of the many things my Dad taught me.) 

I challenged my old and new students to create a design to enter Spoonflower's Pies contest, and asked you to follow the project guide and post the link to the design in Spoonflower in the challenge announcement. Not many did; which made my choice easier (although a would have liked a bit more engagement… maybe next challenge will be more inviting?) I originally wanted to post my favourite top 10, but ended up posting the top 6 that followed the guidelines. All 6 designs are great in their own unique way and deserve to win the award. I'm sure you'll agree with me once you look at them and read what I like about them.

* * *

I love Jane's autumnal colour palette and retro flair. The motifs are beautifully detailed and illustrated and overall the repeat is very appealing. It would make beautiful kitchen accessories.

A- unnamed by Jane Sanders

I love that Jenn's design isn't literal. Yes… it includes pies, but its folksy influence makes it very original and beautiful.

B- pie birds by Jenn Busch

Shelly's design has a lot of beautiful details that make it alluring and interesting. I particularly like the cherry background and the patterns used in the pies. 

C- pie bird song by Shelly Penko

I like that Katie's design is bold and graphic. Very modern and eye-catching.

D- easy as pie by Katie Lenius

Celia's is graphic and bold too, but what I like the most about it is its modern colour palette and use of textures. I also love the fact that it makes a great new geo pattern.

E- slice of pie! by Celia Forrester

Luciana's design is whimsical and bright… just yummy!

F- pies and apples (dark turquoise blue) by Luciana Haddad

Hard to choose just one now, right? Please vote for your favourite design below (only one vote per person allowed) and don't forget to leave a comment if you want to tell the designers something. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to know what you all think. The winner will win a Spoonflower giftcard of $100, and will be announced next Monday here.

VOTING HAS BEEN CLOSED