pattern mad...

Making patterns is like a bug and once you start it takes over and you can't stop!!!  but it is a fun addiction.  We have finished our first module and have a few weeks break till the next one.  If anyone  is interested in joining me for the next one click here!

here are some of my latest patterns...

{these ones above were inspired from a problem I have... forgetting to water my plants}

{and these are some birds that were inspired from the wrapped walnuts}

I went to Auckland last weekend with our design students to the Semi Permanent design conference... I was totally inspired by Kelli Anderson, she was an amazing speaker and I really like the way she thinks and approaches her work.

Here is a link to her TED talk where she talks about similar things to the talk she presented us.

and here is a picture I took outside the Auckland City Gallery... the blossoms were an amazing red, it almost hurt your eyes looking at them.

something a little different...

I have been unhappy with my 'painting' style for a while now it leaves me feeling really unsatisfied and unfulfilled, the whole process has become mechanical and unfun.  In fact when I say paining it is a bit of a lie, they have become more collage than anything else.

After starting the Surface Pattern Design course it has really bought back my love of drawing.  I have been thinking lately of getting more drawing/illustration into my work and less collage.  So yesterday I played around with the idea of total drawing, the first one was from an idea I found on pinterest... I must say I had so much fun!!!  I made a lot of mistakes and some of them turned out to be happy accidents!  I am excited again!!!... and I can see something like these above might even be able to be used in a pattern design?  Maybe for a little girls night gown fabric or something?

crazy obsessed...

{steampunk fairies}

A few months ago I had never heard of the term surface pattern design... now it completely fills my mind.  I want to turn every single thing I have drawn into a pattern, I am crazy obsessed.  Every pattern I have done so far has been from an image where pattern was not the intention.  But I think next I am going to try and design something specifically for a pattern design.   We have been talking about colour this week in my Surface Pattern Design course, something which scares me a little... But I have started a folder with some 'moodboards' that I can go back to for inspiration or make up a new one for a project.  They are really great for getting all the elements you want in a design together before you actually start designing. 

What are your favourite colour combinations?

3 good things and some bad news...

I thought it might be fun to wrap a few things and then draw them, so I half wrapped a walnut with some thread... from my drawings of the wrapped walnut they kind of turned into fish. The little cross on the outside of the circle was because I was mad at my connection point, the circle never joined perfectly. But that little cross became a part of my little motifs. I then experimented where I started the circle and the cross became a mouth or an eye. I like the cross as a mouth with a little the fish in his belly, like he is a bit naughty for eating the wee fish... which I think might have been his little brother.

I took these fish from above and used them to make the pattern below

Good things... 

1.  I have been having so much fun the last week with pattern design... seeing patterns in everyday items like walnuts and feijoas and then doing lots and lots of drawing from these discoveries which is leading to some interesting stuff {see above pictures}.

2.  I recently purchased a Intuos5 tablet and I can see it's going to be a valuable tool in my studio practice. 

3.  I have got together with a dear old friend {he is not old, we are old... if that makes sense}? and we are going to work together to design a website for me.  I am so super excited about this and will keep you updated!!!

The bad thing...

1.  My little pirate girls, garden bugs and steampunk girls didn't get accepted for the card company... they said they were not their style.  A small part of me had a feeling that they might be a bit left of what they would be after butthere was a large part of me that was hopeful that they might like them... oh well.