Hello Friday
Today I get to feature a little something different. Todays featured designer is a Graduate of the ABSPD course, and I am happy to showcase her paintings, as well as some surface Pattern.
Sonal Nathwani's paintings are a delight for the eyes, just take a look for yourself:
Can you tell me a little bit about your background in Surface Pattern Design?
I decided to leave my career in finance after my second son was born, in order to live “the creative life” and I can now happily say that I am a painter. As well as paintings on canvas, my home is full of objects which I have “hand-patterned”. I have a tendency to paint on any surface that I feel needs to be livened up. I have always loved pattern and over the last few years, my mixed media pieces, in particular, have increasingly included an element of pattern within them. I have been teaching myself and dabbling in pattern design on and off for a couple of years and have produced designs for a local design studio for sale in various trade shows.
What made you apply for the ABSPD course and what have you gained from it so far?
I applied for the course simply because I wanted to learn how to create designs professionally and I wanted to know the ins and outs of the surface pattern industry. The course has provided the foundation pattern design skills and knowledge and has given me the confidence to continue to design as I do. I am really happy with what I have learnt so far and to have an insight into the commercial and professional aspects of surface pattern design.
Can you describe your style and what methods you use to create your designs?
Aah, the question of style.....I am still a bit hesitant when it comes to describing my style. Generally, my designs use bold colour combinations and strong shapes. I am often inspired by ethnic
art and textiles, especially from Japan & of course, India. Flowers make me happy and you can see a lot of them in both my paintings and patterns. I use mainly hand drawn motifs as a starting point and then have fun with them using Illustrator. At the moment I am exploring how to use motifs from my paintings directly in my pattern designs.
Where do you see your work progressing in the next few years, and what industry would you say you are aiming at?
Right now my main aim is to develop a strong portfolio of designs which reflects my true personal aesthetic. I would love to see my paintings and patterns on stationary, cards or home furnishings.
This is just beautiful:
All images provided by ©Sonal Nathwani 2012
Happy Friday All.
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