Blog Swap - Welcome Decorque

New Year, New Blog Feature. 

Today I Welcome My First Contributor To My (Hopefully) Regular BLOG-SWAP. I Have Been Followed By, And Following Decorque For Some Time Now On Twitter, And Have Had A Lot Of Interaction With Them. Decorque Already Feature Other Designers On Their Blog And If You Head On Over There Now, You Will Find My Feature Today On Their Blog And That Of Other Talented Designers. 

Hello, this is Harriet R Stevens – designer at Decorque. Firstly we would like to say a huge Thank You to Jennie for having us on her blog and agreeing to a series of contributor posts & blog swaps with us, on all things creative! Looking forward to plenty more exciting posts!

So I guess you are all wondering who we are and what Decorque is all about? Well here’s a little bit our business and what inspires us!

Decorque is a family-run business which launched in September 2012 – comprising of a talented team of four that manage all areas of the business; from graphic design, eCommerce & SEO, social media & surface pattern design. We are pretty lucky to have such a multi-talented team with diverse skills!

Decorque’s founder & head designer Lesley Rudman Stevens has been working in the textile and fashion industry all her life, and decided to apply her unique and highly decorative fashion-led designs to home, wall art & stationery products through an eCommerce business. 

Decorque aims to bring new, different products to the market, such as our Cork placemat & coaster ranges. We digitally print our designs onto the eco-friendly, premium cork surface to create hard wearing, heat resistant, and practical yet warm & beautiful decorative items for the home. Bet you haven’t seen anything like this range before!?

We turn this……into this.

Alongside these, we also take our designs onto Opaline Plastic placemats, Art Prints, Greetings Cards & Tags, and we are now expanding into coordinating Office products.

We are always inspired, whether that be through fashion or interior trends, graphic design, things we find on Pinterest, artists or via other retailers, for example. The main thing you can say about Decorque is that we LOVE pattern! We also love to combine media – by mixing hand drawn & painted elements with Photoshop & Illustrator components to create that unique design full of depth & interest. We like to take surface pattern to a new level!

We have been working hard over the last few months to build our brand awareness and will continue to expand our ranges into 2013. Along the way we have had the opportunity to work alongside some hugely creative and inspiring individuals and small businesses, and have formed a strong network of creatives who inspire us daily! We’d like to thank them all for their continued support and look forward to more collaborations this year.

We currently sell on our website, through etsy and folksy as well as partaking in offline craft, gift & art fairs in our local area. We will be looking to expand our outlets over the next year or so, and welcome any creative & licensing opportunities, also if you fancy a creative read, please do visit our successful blog, covering all creative topics as well as features by other designers, like the lovely Jennie, whose post is live NOW!

Other ways you can contact us are through:

Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/decorque/

Twitter:

@decorque 

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/Decorque?ref=hl

Main site:

www.decorque.com

Blog site:

http://blog.decorque.com

I've been unwell....

....Thats my excuse for lack of posts anyway. 

I apologise for not doing Etsy Finds on Sunday, I just couldn't muster the energy to search the food cupboards for a snack, nevermind the wonders of Etsy for glorious eye candy. 

I'll make it up to you. 

At some point. 

Moving forward, maybe you've noticed the new layout? Its only a slight modification, but I wanted to share links to my fellow ABSPD ladies, and thought I best give them their very own column, they deserve it after all. 

I've also just added a YOUBLOG list to the left, as I will be regularly blogging over at Tigerprint's new online feature, where lots of lovely designers will join me in blogging about all sorts design related. Click the links to the left to see my first two posts. 

Also, I had a little feature on Print and Pattern yesterday, it was awesome and unexpected and hopefully you all saw it?

You did? Brilliant. 

Lets keep it moving. Here is this weeks Spoonflower entry. The theme was 'Under the Sea' and was to be placed inside a little girls T-shirt as part of a collaboration between Spoonflower and One Yard Wonders . See here for more info.

Finally, I have expanded my product ranges, There's some awesome new products, Courtesy of Awesome Merchandise. 

Pocket Mirrors: 

Mini Badges

                           

And some Products I have made myself, including Key-rings, Coasters and Fridge Magnets. 

All available to purchase Via My Etsy Store: 

www.etsy.com/shop/jlwillustration.com

Until Next Time

ABSPD FEATURED DESIGNER: Rosie Simons

Hi All, another day, another amazing Surface Pattern 
Designer, and another ABSPD student. 

Today I share the work of Rosie Simons. A recent Graduate from University and a fellow ABSPD Classmate. 

Heres a little insider information about Rosie:

Can you tell me a little bit about your background in Surface Pattern Design?

I've always had a passion for art, design and crafts. I remember as a child 'Art Attack' being one of my favourite TV programmes and spending hours painting, drawing and making things. In fact I was the one child who LOVED wet play time, because when it rained we stayed inside and I got to play with pens and draw and colour in. This stayed with me through school, taking art GCSE and then 3 art A-Levels (fine art, textiles and graphic design) followed by an art & design foundation diploma and then a degree in Graphic Design.

Surface Pattern Design has always been my dream but for years it was something I looked at in amazement from afar, however in the second year of my degree we were given the opportunity to take a unit with the head of the surface design degree. I was so excited and worked really hard to impress the tutor and was so pleased when I received great feedback. This unit led me to realise that it was possible for me not only to incorporate surface design projects into the final year of my graphic design degree but to reach my dream and become a Surface Pattern Designer. I have only just graduated so I am just beginning my surface design story but hope with lots of hard work my dream can come true!

What made you apply for the ABSPD course and what you gained from it so far?

I follow Rachael Taylor on twitter as I have been an admirer of her work for a long time, I saw it and wanted to do it as soon as she announced it however at the time I was in the final year of my degree and too busy to juggle the course on top of my university work. When I found out the course was running again I jumped at the chance to join for Module 3 and learn the business side to add to all the practical skills I had learnt at uni. The course has not only taught me so much about how to run a business but also how to present yourself and your work and given me so many gateways into the industry. It has been a brilliant experience, helping me to develop my style and confidence as freelance designer and it is great to have built a community with other likeminded designers.

Can you describe your style and methods you use to create your designs?

Graphic and surface design have always run parallel in my interests and I have developed my style to incorporate both these passions, a simple and clean but colourful aesthetic; combining simple graphic illustrations and typography. I am naturally inspired by things around me, from day to day items to nature. I automatically visualise how imagery and objects will translate into designs, motifs and patterns. I am a keen and proactive designer, I love to go out and find new inspiration, taking photos of flowers, forms, shapes, textures and typography, reading blogs, collecting printed and tactile matter, wrapping paper, labels, to inspire motifs and creation of new work. I love to explore, see and experience new things. Colour, texture and shape are some of the most important aspects of both my personal life and my life as a designer. I generally work using my Wacom tablet, hand drawing motifs from photos or my imagination. I love the freedom and organic lines this creates and then develop the designs in illustrator.

Where do you see your work progressing in the next few years, and what industry would you say you are aiming at?

Right now I'm working on developing my portfolio and looking for representation, commissions and licensing so please contact me via my website for more information. I have just started an Etsy shop selling my own designs as cards and hope to branch out further to other paper goods and perhaps my fabric designs too. My dream is to have my designs 

licensed across many different surfaces all over the world!

Please visit the lovely Rosie here:

Website: http://rosiesimons.co.uk/

Blog: http://rosiesimons.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @rosie_simons

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RosieSimonsDesign

Society6: http://society6.com/rosiesimons

Etsy: http://rosiesimonsdesign.etsy.com

ABSPD FEATURED DESIGNER - MajoBV

Hello and Welcome to Mondays installment of FEATURED DESIGNER. Today, I am happy to share the work of the lovely Maria, of Majo BV.

Maria began the ABSPD course with me way back in spring. I've shared a journey with her unlike any other, she is not only insightful, but helpful, and amazingly talented. Here is a little information about MajoBV.

Can you tell me a little bit about your background in Surface Pattern Design?

Since I was a child I've always felt attracted to fabric and textures in general. I was (and am) one of those people that like rubbing surfaces (my dog's fur, a rough wall, the bed sheet while I fall asleep, etc). As a Fashion Designer I believe a simple silhouette can be GREAT if the garment is made up of a wonderful print and/or precious fabric, so when I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, I also knew I wanted to be a textile designer. At uni I was able to study textile printing and dyeing and also a little bit about designing repeats. It wasn't until 2 years ago though (when I discovered the wonderful Spoonflower) that I decided to take my passion and love for textiles seriously and started creating and selling my designs through their website, but only when I started the ABSPD e-course I was able to open my eyes and realise that what I was actually doing wasn't only textile design, but surface pattern design and that I could broaden my range of products to much more than fabrics and fashion products. 

What made you apply for the ABSPD course and what have you gained from it so far?

When I decided to really work on my other passion and career, I knew really little about pattern design. I mean, yes... I knew what I had learnt at school ('cause my BA is in Fashion and Textiles) but it wasn't enough. I bought a lot of books on the different types of prints (placement, repeats, borders, etc) and how to create them. I also attended a great summer short course in Central Saint Martins (Creative Portfolio in Textile Design) and learnt more about dyeing, silk screening and hand-painting fabric. I then started taking private lessons in the wonderful school of a great Textiles Professor I met last year (with her I discovered my passion for knitwear too, and even got my greatgrandmother's home knittingmachine refurbished and bring it all the way from Colombia to Milan to keep practicing). In all this time I had also been looking for a more complete e-course that could teach me more than just the technical stuff, but didn't find much. It wasn't until Dawn (a fellow designer I met through Spoonflower) emailed me to tell me she was very busy with her new ecourse, and I was like: "WHAT?! what e-course?" I immediately went to the ABSPD web page and knew this was the kind of course I had been looking for so long, but the course had already started. I emailed Beth and almost begged her to let me be part of the course even if I was late, and promised her I would have catch up with the rest of the class. 

The course has given me SO MUCH! Besides all the amazing technical and business secrets I've learnt so far, it has made me regain my confidence as a designer (that was a little crumbled after so many shut doors in the past years), find my own style (still working on it, but now I'm on the right track), be brave enough to decide to just finally start my own brand inspite of all my fears and of never feeling ready (my very strong perfectionist being can sometimes be a real pain), meet so many great designers, and build a wonderful support community.

Can you describe your style and what methods you use to create your designs?

 My style is whimsical, fun and bright. I usually hand draw my designs and then digitalise them on Ai or directly draw on Ai with my cute mini wacom tablet. I also like working with different mediums (collage, stitching, etc), but I do it less. 

Where do you see your work progressing in the next few years, and what industry would you say you are aiming at?

 I have a lot of goals for me and my work in the near and long term future. I'm currently working on developing a stronger personal style and building my portfolio. I would love to be signed by an agent to start collaborating with different brands and markets and also to get my work licensed. 

I also see myself succeed with the sustainable, eco-friendly and handmade brand I've always dreamt of creating. I've already started to work on that and I hope to launch it next Spring.

One more thing....

Dont Forget to Check out 'Mani Sunday', Maria can do amazing things with a bottle of Polish. Just Click here and check them out.

Contact MajoBV here: 

email: info@majobv.com

web: www.majobv.com

blog: www.lapatisseriedesidees.blogspot.com

FB page: www.facebook.com/muymajobv

Twitter: www.twitter.com/muymajobv

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/muymajobv

Until Tomorrow.

ABSPD FEATURED DESIGNER: Carrie Tasman

Welcome back everyone. Today I share the work of Carrie Tasman. Carries creative abilities are amazing. She is an amazing painter and I am in awe of her abilities as a Surface Pattern Designer as well: 

Can you tell me a little bit about your background in Surface Pattern Design?

I've been a painter for the last 12 years or so. I paint still life and interiors and have always put lots of patterns in my paintings leafing through home design mags for inspiration! I've painted my dogs into my paintings often and this turned into doing commissions, custom paintings of people dogs and cats, which has helped me stay afloat during the last few years as my painting sales dropped a bit in the economy slump. I've been selling my art on the road at outdoor art fairs and I'm also in several galleries on the west coast us. About three years ago I developed what I consider a crafty collage technique with polymer clay, and that's what got me really interested in surface pattern design because I designed all my own stamps and silkscreens to lay down swathes of patterns on the clay. I loved designing my own patterns, and have used some in my paintings too, and realized I found pattern making most satisfying. 

What made you apply for the ABSPD course and what have you gained from it so far?

This last year I just burned out on the long summers of travel and art shows so my husband and I talked it over, and figured I had enough commission paintings to get me through the summer, so I could take some classes I'd been interested in for a while. I took The Sellable Sketch with Michelle Fifis, which just got me started, and then I found Rachael Taylors course, and they were just ready to begin Module 3, but I signed up anyway, and have been obsessed with designing, sketching and everything pattern since then. I have a background in computer graphics so the computery part is easy and fun for me, and Rachel gave me just enough tech lessons to get me going, plus tons of industry info so I can begin to see how this might work as a profession. It is a perfect combination of my college background in graphic design and my passion for art and painting. 

Can you describe your style and what methods you use to create your designs?

I love bright bold saturated color, I love nature, flowers, damask patterns (which are complicated but fun to do). In my art and design I work from my sketchbooks, same for pattern design. I have these ideas in my sketchbook, which look fun and playful to me, but when I get them into the computer and refine, they come out looking a bit more traditional than is my intention, but with a super modern color palette, so I think I'm still discovering who I am as a designer. More to be revealed.Where do you see your work progressing in the next few years, and what industry would you say you are aiming at?

I am interesting in licensing my design and my art to companies. Initially I thought I was interested in home goods, but once I started putting patterns on things, I can see how they would work on a lot of different products. After my fall art shows and a trip to Paris (so lucky me) I'm going to concentrate on portfolio building and look into tradeshows for fall/winter 13/14. The trade show format is familiar to me, I love talking to people in the business and making connections. Meanwhile, I'm sketching like crazy, and designing while preparing for my art shows! A fun and very busy creative life!

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TASMAN STUDIO:

http://www.tasmanstudio.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tasman-Studio/134901142375