a NEW YEAR of Surface Pattern Designs!

Below are a few of my original textile or surface pattern designs---the top 2 are hand painted with watercolors, and the bottom left flowers on the black background are hand painted in gouache. The design on the bottom left was completely designed on the computer--in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Can you tell I really love creating floral designs and I love hand painting?

I usually do not create NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS because I have learned over the years that I rarely keep any resolutions I make. How about you? What is your success rate on annual New Year resolutions?

However these designs have been languishing in my portfolio----(stored under my bed!!!!)---for 2 years now and I have decided it is time I make a real effort to sell them and/or the many other surface pattern designs I have in my portfolio. So I am creating a plan for marketing my designs in 2012....is that a resolution? well not exactly. Which is good, as I want to avoid my usual failure---so I am planning for the NEW YEAR--how about you?

From my hood tagger t-shirt

I created this T-shirt for my son-in-law from my IN THE HOOD textile design. I created this design by walking around my (then) Berkeley neighborhood and photographing all the tags (grafitti) on sidwalks, stop sign, walls, garbage cans--once I started this process I began noticing tags all over the 'hood---quite amazing really. I lived in a rather upscale hood in the Berkeley hills--yet here was all this grafitti art everywhere!

Next I took my photos into Photoshop and played around with them until I created this design...

Then I had the t-shirt printed at Zappos.com....if you want one, just e-mail me! the price varies depending on the quality of the t-shirt. My son-in-law says he gets quite few comments on this t-shirt when he wears it.

Textile Design School

As some of you readers may know (and some may not...) I am a student at the California School of Professional Fabric Design in Berkeley, Ca. I am finishing up a design portfoilio that includes, among the many original designs, traditional textile designs--like this one...a traditional Jacquard design. This one is designed to be printed on fabric, rather than woven as Jacquards frequently are produced. This is the color rough for the handpainted design which is 18" x 24"---I am currently painting this in gouache; a lovely monotone in creams.

At the school we are learning many techniques for hand painted designs, as well as computer aided designing. The designs are surface pattern designs, and can be used on textiles, wallpaper, stationary, wrapping paper, rugs, dishes--any object that has an illustration or design on it.

In completing this school program I am following a dream I have had since I was in my teens----I have always wanted to design surface patterns for fabrics and paper goods, but never knew where to go to learn the process. Then, I discovered through a friend — this school right where I live---here in North Berkeley!

I plan to find work as a designer when I finish. I would love to work full time for a company who prefers me to create handpainted designs. I enjoy creating on the computer, but I love painting — it’s my ambition to get paid to design and paint all day

ah! and I also believe that ...way will open...when the time is right. Meanwhile, back to painting...

F is for Flowers

One hand painted watercolor textile design


and one textile design created completely on the computer in Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop

"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date..."

Working at home---I struggle with time management--do you?

There are those "time wasters" right here on the computer. For me, it is Facebook and my fave wordgame Bookworm...oh! and Stumble Upon.

It is just so easy to get sucked in----surfing and reading and looking at other's crafts, rather than creating my own stuff. Then, before I know it several hours have passed. What to do?

1) try using a timer? to limit my facebook and other net time?
2) allow myself to read facebook and post there as a reward for getting work done?
any suggestions--- are welcome and THANKS!

oh--and I don't count daydreaming or my mind wandering as "time wasted" because I know that is necessary for my creativity.

This design was painted in gouache and then scanned into photoshop for layout, colors and so on...(I call it: "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date...")

Gotta go--time's 'awasting!

'Nother textile design

Last winter I found this cool old book on cut paper designs at a thrift store which inspired me to create a design by cutting paper--using an exacto knife. This past week I have been playing with my papercut design in Photoshop to make it into a textile design....

I have been rather absent here on my blog---I had blogger's "block"---but I have vowed to find something to post about at least every other day from now on.....so now I have published this---that vow should keep me posting...

so, dear readers, whom ever you may be--do check back here....as the creativity is again flowing...I hope your creativity is flowing, also!

New Fabric Design!!

My latest hand painted textile design....

It's all about texture.....with subtle colors.


Quote for today:
"Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future." — Robert L. Peters

Ghana Kente Cloth #2

After visiting the Craft Market, we went to another small village and visited a facility with numerous Kente cloth weavers, and glorious colorful Kente cloth covering all the walls. Here is one corner of the room.



The colors and variety of patterns were stunning--and admidst all this vibrant Kente cloth we began to bargain with the men selling the cloth.






Here is one weaver--weaving a Kente cloth strip on a loom



We could purchase the strips of handwoven cloth or a large piece with the strips sewn together





I couldn't quit taking photos of all the different colorways and patterns...


Among the handwoven Kente cloth--the vendors were also selling some printed cotton fabrics...and sometimes the Kente cloth was sewn together with the printed cloth, like this piece



I snapped a few pics of some of the printed cloth, also




I find myself wishing I had taken a few more close-up photos of the Kente cloth, but came home with one beautiful strip and a larger piece--for some reason, I was attracted to blues that day...

Applied Product Design: Foxyarts Shop

In between working on my fabric designing, I am trying out placing a few of my designs on products at Cafe Press. So far, I am testing how they reproduce with one design---I call this design "Meow!"

You can purchase these or take a closer look at the blank journal and mug at my Cafe Press shop Foxyarts.

California School of Professional Fabric Design

• Many thanks to Kim at the excellent and always interesting blog TRUE UP ("all about fabric, all the time..") who interviewed me about my life as a student at the California School of Professional Fabric Design. You can see her excellent interview here, and you can check out the school online here. Thanks Kim!

also here are some links to my own blog posts about my fabric design(ing):
Jungle Surface Pattern Design
Creative Every Day!
Painting Flowers
Plaids
Toiles de Jouy

Today's Quote: "You don't have to see the top of the staircase to take the first step." -- Martin Luther King

NEW HEADER

Well, I decided it was time for a new header for my blog (see above)--what do you think? I used some small portions of 2 of my own textile designs....feedback welcome! and thanks!

Creative Every Day: San Francisco Book Fair Weekend

I'm off this weekend to work at this:


you can find more info on the Book Fair here. I 'm working for Roger Wicker of Turtle Island Books---a small antiquarian ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers of America) bookstore about 2 blocks from my house. Turtle Island Books specializes in antiquarian and scholarly out of print books in the Fine & Decorative Arts, Literary First Editions, Architecture, Photography, Fine Press Books, Book Arts and Printing History and is located at 3032 Claremont Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705.

If you are new to my blog then you won't know that books--especially antiquarian books--are my other love! after creating art---then comes the books! I once owned a Used and Out Of Print Bookstore, Morningstar Books, in Bellingham, Washington. I always find working at an antiquarian book fair fun and stimulating, with interesting books to see and many fascinating people to meet.

For those who may be wondering what "antiquarian" means---an antiquarian book is one that is at least 100 years old--(that would make a book published in 1908 an antiquarian book), but many book sellers at the Fair also sell Modern First Editions. However, many if the books at thus fair will look like these...
Nowadays I'm mostly on the look out for interesting design and art books----or anything I can use as reference for textile and surface pattern design. I usually find some item in this genre that really interests me. I will also be on the look out for older knitting and needlework books and ephemera---but mostly I will be working---which means showing lovely old books to potential customers....if you live in the Bay Area, come on by and say hi!

Creative Every Day: OWLS

Today I'm working on a new fabric design in gouache with a bright palette and owls....here is the work in progress:

Creative Every Day!

I've joined an online "challenge"---to be creative every day--and to post my daily creative endeavor on this blog. I may not post an image every day, but I will be CREATIVE EVERY DAY.
So, here is my creative piece for today---postage stamps from Zazzle.com with one of my flower designs. I originally created this all-over flower design for my textile and surface pattern design portfolio, and now I am using the design for postage stamps to promote my design business. The original design is painted in gouache. And yes, these are actual U. S. postage stamps which I can (and do!) use to mail letters.