Tangled Weave – the start of a mini collage collection

The long, lazy days of summer are here.
Hours to laze around and work on my art ~ Paint outdoors, sketch by the lake and maybe try some new techniques.
Now that’s some Wishful thinking on my part…

making collage papers

You would think I would be getting lots done over here, but truth be told I am accomplishing little.

It is sweltering hot, the lake is calling,the dog needs to be watered, the kids need to get to camp and work and all the visitors need to be tended too.

Do I dare say I have having a lot of fun despite the compelling urge to sit down and work at my art?

intuitive collage – working with what is presented

I have just recently finished Mati Roses Daring Adventures in Collage.  It really helped inspire me to start working with mixed media again.

I just love the combination of paper,paint and ink. There is something about it that makes my heart pitter patter.

I love all the texture and pattern, with a little this and that peeking through. I love getting my hands dirty.

I am not sure which is more fun – making handmade collage papers or creating the actual collage itself?

I have approached this round of work a bit differently than before. I am now working on paper -Borden & Riley sketch vellum – which is a heavyweight, rather indestructible, paper for mix media. This allows me to cut, paint, spray and stamp to my heart’s content without stressing over another unfinished canvas.

It’s only paper and can either be recycled or cut up for another collage project. If I like it then it is easily affixed onto a wood cradled panel.

 

collage – lots of layered paper. Adding paint next!

This time around I am also working small. Very small for me.
All pieces are 8 by 8″.
I decided to go this route because I find them easy to complete in a day and easy to have many on the go at once.

I have a plan for all of these pieces, but that will be unveiled later.I am not trying to be secretive, just deciding what the best route is for these. A plan is in the makin’..

What I do know about these is that they are a part of my everyday creative life. They keep me playing and trying new techniques which only help spark my imagination and creativity.

I am hoping to be back here soon, but not making any promises. I am just a passenger on this free wheelin’ ride called summer. (even I am rolling my eyes at that one 😉

Enjoy every moment of yours!

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Saying YES to Daily painting!

There is a crazy part of me that is thinking that I need to start painting everyday. I am not sure where this desire has come from, but with each passing day this need grows stronger and I am now  thinking that maybe it’s not such a crazy idea. There is a small part of me that gets a wee bit nervous thinking about it, let alone coming right out and saying it, but then I just have to remember that it doesn’t have to be a big deal.

It doesn’t have to be a finished, ready to hang, kind of anything.It can be simple, something abstract and it definitely can be small.It doesn’t have to follow all the rules. It can be done in an hour and it can be done on paper. I do not want any unfinished canvas staring at me guiltily. It can just be….

I have no clue where this idea started. Well, that’s not entirely true. I have a small inkling where it all came from. A passionate group of creatives that I hang with got me thinking about it! A new e-course, Daring Adventures in Collage, offered by  Mati Rose got me really thinking about it! I couldn’t help myself, I signed up for it. I know I promised myself I was done with courses for a while. I need time to absorb all I have learned in the past year,. BUT the thing is, I am soo excited for it to start. Counting the days kind of excited.

I think it is  just the combination of this excitement and the freedom it offers to just create for the sake of creating that inspired me. I think I am just craving some time to making marks, ripping up some paper and playing with colour. Intuitive painting, my style.No plan and definitely no preconceived notion of what I am suppose to be creating. It’s the summer so why not!?I want to play. I promise I will get all of my other work completed before I start.

This painting  was a work in progress for some time. A mark here and there, a splash of ink and a whole lot of experimenting!

It was fun and definitely a learning experience. That, my friends, is exactly what I am hoping for with this crazy idea!

If you have any thoughts, suggestions or maybe a support group you can recommend, please do not hesitate to contact me. Or  maybe you want to join in? The more the merrier.

I will keep you posted on what I decide to do!

Finding inspiration~Back to basics!

Every once in a while I sit down to a fresh piece of white paper and my mind goes blank. I feel like there  are no original ideas left! It has all been done before.

At times like these when my  rosy outlook takes a little detour I usually come back to basics – simple geometric shapes and marks. No color.. just black and white.

It is my hope that the wonderful combination of all these shapes will eventually come together and find their place somewhere in my surface pattern design.

The days have been busy here. The ski season is slowly coming to an end, but the competitions are still on. Travel to other mountains, school trips and spring break have left me with little time to sit uninterrupted to create. I have been trying to change my ways and create in clumps of time, but I still find that my best time is when I have nothing pressing or beckoning me away from my work.

There really is nothing better than a long stretch of uninterrupted time to sit and create. I think most of us can agree on that!

I am (slowly) working  on my next collection for Modern Yardage – MeadowBlush. Taking inspiration from my geometrics, I enjoyed combining different geometric shapes to make up the flowers and other elements involved in this design.

I can imagine them on outdoor pillows, children’s bedding, a sweet little summer dress…

I think some ladybugs are also in order for spring. I may  also throw in some butterflies and I don’t doubt that some seeds and pods will also end up in the collection. They seen to end up in all my work.

My MeadowBlush fabric collection will be coming to Modern Yardage month end, right in time for spring.

Have you had a look at my 101 projects to make with one yard of fabric pinboard? You can find it on Pinterest here
If you are like me and finding it hard to find long hours of uninterrupted time then this might be the answer to your sewing and crafting creations.

I am heading off today to one of my favorite places – the Big Island of Hawaii. Time to feed the soul and the senses. Pop back next week for some visual inspiration, or if you just need a hit of sunshine!

xox

Always inspired by Bloom True with Flora Bowley

I am at it again! Spaying, splashing and stamping paint and it feels oh, so good.

We are very fortunate to have the use of the Station house on Alta lake in Whistler to paint, sketch and just be creative. Beautiful views, the sound of the lake and wind through the trees, painting with like-minded souls. Pretty awesome!

It felt so liberating to just play with all my mark making tools ~ exploring different brush strokes and paint combinations. I didn’t produce anything, or I should say, I didn’t finish a painting, but I learned so much in the process.  All lessons  I can apply to my sketching, surface pattern and digital skills.

I love the intuitive approach to painting. No pressure to recreate a picture or get tight trying to represent something. The goal is to be messy. Create lots of layers. Surprise yourself with under layers peeking through.It adds so much depth to your painting.

I find the most interesting paintings are those that have a little something just waiting to be discovered.I love a painting I can come back to again and again, each time discovering something new.

Loose. Free. Big!

Time to get out your mark making tools!  Flora Bowley’s Bloom True class is coming to you!

I have written many blog posts on Flora Bowley. My admiration runs deep for this woman! I love her story.She has put herself and her art out there and it was not an easy task for her. I think she best defines brave and bloom. She has taught me how to let go and discover my own personal painting style and helped me along on my own personal creative journey.

Flora Bowleys next Bloom True ~ the e-course starts Monday Sept. 30th! Five weeks  painting in your own private classroom. No one critiquing~ just you, your paints and inspiration. You will have the added bonus of professional video, audio interviews  and a private, online community to discuss your process with.

This little promotional video sums it up nicely!

BUT this is my all time favorite video of Flora painting from start to finish

I have been lucky enough to take both Flora’s e-course and live class. While I loved meeting her in person, I found the online setting to be more conducive to me letting go and playing. No distractions from other classmates or being influenced by what others were doing. Lots of time to review the videos at your own pace and do what she does. I also felt I received enough critique from Flora and my online community as both were quick to answer any questions I had.

Put the music on, move and explore your creative side…

If you paint at night I would even suggest a few glasses of wine because it just never hurts!

I hope this helps to give you an idea of what to expect during Flora’s course. I have many a blog post discussing my trials and tribulations with the whole intuitive way of painting. Just “search”  intuitive painting, Flora Bowley, Bloom true ,Brave Intuitive you or mark making in my “search” box (in the side column to the right) I think everything is there to answer any questions you may have. If you are still curious, please feel free to ask away, either below in comments or, directly at jules@bollah.com.

P.s. I have affiliated with Flora and Do what you love to help promote Flora’s Bloom True classes! This is as close as I could get to buying the company:) If you are interested in taking her class please mention me or click through my site here to register. Help me save up to take more Do what you love courses! I am a little addicted and need  help to pay for my art habit!

Playing with color

I have spent the past couple of days experimenting with color. Every once in a while I feel the need to step back to basics and  play with different color combinations.  I am in the mood to explore right now! I want to walk on the wilder side of analogous color combinations!

Why does that strike a note of fear in me?

I am definitely an analogous kind of girl.  This is not entirely by choice, but more often than not it is driven by fear. Fear of using too many colors!  Color scares me just a little bit.

Unfortunately, it does not come easy to me. I know what colors I want to use, but I find that when I combine them together they don’t always look as fantastic as my mind makes them out to be.

I love my work in black and white, but the moment I add color I start to feel frustrated and insecure with the outcome. In my painterly world, this leads to the demise of many a painting. I have many a canvas patiently waiting to be finished.

In my digital world,my art has a better chance of survival as I can play with color. Thank goodness for the command Z key. Adding color and playing with color has never been so easy.

Playing with new color combinations.

 Don’t get me wrong, I am head over heels in love with color. I get tingly, butterfly sensations when I see certain color combinations.My heart starts beating a little faster, I swoon and get all emotional. I want to whip out the paints and try to create the feeling right away.

….But, I am also fickle. One day I will be passionate about red, the next I am all over blue. I don’t even try to understand my fickle nature anymore.

Playing with photos, paint chips and a moodboard

My favorite color combination as of this week- watery blues,green and teal.

I think it might have something to do with my desire for all things summer as the weather here changes and is getting cool.

How do you keep color fresh? Do you have a secret way of collecting your favorite colors? If so, please share!

Here are a few of my favorite places for color.

Adobe Kuler app – take a pic of your favorite colors with your smartphone and let this app do the rest

Pinterest -Start your very own Color board on Pinterest and pin your fav colors to it for reference.

Design Seeds – An awesome site for color palettes.

Photocard Boutique

Paint chips from your local paint store. I love going through Benjamin Moores color magazines and seeing how they approach color for interiors.

Magazines (interior decorating home) See how other designers approach a room set up with different colors

Have fun with your art!

What does your creative process look like?

Do you ever wonder how other artists and designers come up with their creative ideas? I do!

I am very happy to have Femi Ford on the Creative Process pedestal today. I love her beautiful, bold and vibrant printed patterns.Femi is a mixed media artist with a background in art and printmaking. I have always been a bit curious as to how she incorporates her art into surface pattern design.

Today we get to see how her creative mind works!

What inspires you to create?

Inspiration usually finds me when I’m working in my garden or in my studio. Most often it is a natural pattern that gets my brain going rather than color.   Color excites me, but it’s usually the last thing I decide on.  My most exciting moments are when I don’t have a plan and I create a wonderful, accidental texture that I just know will make a great pattern!

Her mini assistant!

What medium do you like to create in? 

Printmaking is my favorite medium, followed closely by painting on canvas or drawing loosely with ink on paper.

Do you keep an art journal? 

My sketchbook is really a rambling, mess of experiments that are connected by a fine thread of inspiration.  I look back at it to remind myself of how I arrived at my current projects.  I use my phone to grab quick reference pictures while I’m out and, OH BOY, do I love Pinterest!  

Do you work on just one design from start to finish or do you have a number of different designs on the go?

I always have a number of designs going at once.  It’s a challenge for me to focus on one collection at a time, but I’m working on it!  My work is slowly evolving in style because I like to work in different mediums…but I’m happy with where I am.

Do you prefer to design for a brief/competition or your own personal inspiration?

I do like to work towards a particular trend but with the freedom to interpret it on my own.  For the most part I’ve stopped doing competitions because I feel like companies are trying to get something for nothing.  While the exposure might be good, I think it devalues our work as artists.

What time of the day are you most creative?

I’m most alert from 9am – 1pm.   But I do pull the occasional all-nighter if the kids are asleep early and the music is flowing!

Beautiful mock ups. I love seeing the patterns created on actual product. These beautiful designs are for sale on Society 6!

Beautiful work Femi! You have inspired me to try something new.

Here are a few places you can find Femi:

website::  http://www.femiford.com/

facebook:: http://www.facebook.com/FemiFordArt

twitter:: http://twitter.com/femiford

society6 ::http://society6.com/FemiFord

Thank you Femi!

Guess what today is? The last day of school-yippee! School out for Summer!
Bad parenting is already in full summer mode – late nights,missed meals,no rules.. I can barely get my son out the door this morning, late for school on his final morning!

Happy happy:)

What does your creative process look like?

Do you ever wonder how other artists and designers come up with their creative ideas? I do!

I am creatively curious! I love to see the process of how one’s mind works from start to finish.

Rosie Martinez-Dekker is a Mexican designer based in The Netherlands.Rosie graduated in graphic and textile design in the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City .After working several years as textile designer, art director and in the business side of textiles and apparel she decided, with her husband, to form Believe Creative studio in 2011. Believe Creative Studio creates prints & patterns focused on design for baby, children and teens products.

Rosie style is whimsical, colorful, playful and fun.She creates both digitally and hand painted.

Today, Rosie will be sharing with us the creative process behind the development of her logo and website.

Ta-da! Here she is!

What inspires you to create? 

My inspiration comes from my everyday life, what I am feeling what I am doing, what is happening around me. For instance the illustration of the cats below was created a night that my cat, named Prunilla, was meowing in the studio,she wanted to go out for a night walk.So I added a little bit of my own imagination  and a new design was born.

I also like to find inspiration in pinterest, magazines and design blogs in general.

What medium do you like to create in?

I love to create in watercolor and gouache, I love to design directly in paper and play with water and colors.

Just a year ago I started also designing in Illustrator, and use the drawing tablet (Wacom) for the free sketchy style that I love so much.

Do you keep an art journal? How do you keep track of all of your ideas and inspiration?

I have a sketchbook but I have to confess that I am not very disciplined in sketching every time I create a pattern. I am a right in the moment kind of girl, so if I need inspiration I look for it in the moment and if necessary I sketch something right before starting creating.

Do you work on just one design from start to finish or do you have a number of different designs on the go?

I  only go for one design, I do not do trials and colors ways, sometimes I just play with the background color, and that makes my design process easy and fast.

Color Moodboard for creation of logo and website

Do you prefer to design for a brief/competition or your own personal inspiration?

I prefer my personal inspiration and my own briefs and mood boards.

What time of the day are you most creative?

After 2pm. Is weird, but I do not manage starting early, I normally start my day sporting, walking my dogs, doing stuff, then after I had a nice lunch is when I feel more inspired and ready to create!

Thank you Rosie! Your branding totally suits you. It was interesting to see how it came about.

Please be sure to have a look at Rosie’s Look Book. The link is below. It’s very impressive. You will be very inspired to make your very own Look bBook.I want her to make one for me!

Links

website: www.believe-cs.com

lookbook 2013: http://issuu.com/rosiemartinez-dekker/docs/lb-1june/1

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/believecstudio

twitter: @BelieveCstudio

blog: http://believecreativestudio.blogspot.nl

linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rosamartinezdekker

I will be back again on Thursday with another What does your creative process look like? blogpost featuring Femi Ford!

Find New Designers Pin-hop!

Welcome to the first ever Print and Pattern Pin Hop! I dare say it may be the first ever Pin-Hop on Pinterest.

The Pin-Hop is hosted by Find New Designers, a collective of International Surface Pattern Designers.

Pin-Hop (defn)~ similar to a blog hop, but using Pinterest to pin our designs to a group board. The reader can then easily view each design and click on the image of choice to be directed to their favorite designers website/portfolio to see more.

Each designer has created a collection of designs based on one of Patternbanks A/W 2013/14 trend forecast themes showcased over on the Find New Designers Pin-Hop board. Over 50 designers world-wide are participating! A big thank you to Tina Olsen of Fyllayta for organizing!

The Pin-hop will take place tomorrow, Saturday June 15th! Please be sure to visit all of the other designers and feel free to comment, share,like and do what you do best – Repin!

The link to the Find New Designers Pin-Hop board is here 

My designs are loosely based on the Bauhaus/Op art theme of the 1920’s to 60s. I spent a bit of time researching the period and had some fun exploring in black and white.

I took a bit of creative license with my design process.My thoughts were around retro, geometric shapes intersecting with each other. I really did try hard to stick to my theme, but unfortunately I can’t always predict the end result of my creativity.

I have to say I am loving this color palette! I never use pink in my work, but here I am getting a bit carried away with it. I always love red and orange.

I was having quite a bit of fun with my geometric shapes so I thought I would try to stretch my style and create a design of geometric style flowers. This is very different from my hand drawn style, but I enjoyed the process and can see myself using more of this style in my design work.

There you have it! A great exercise designed around a theme, a few more designs to add to my portfolio and an interesting experiment being involved in a Pin-Hop.I must say, so far, I am quite pleased with the results.

I will be back early next week for two(!) Creative Process blogposts! If you have a moment please check out Majo Bautistas design work on the Pin-Hop. She was featured two weeks ago on my Creative Process series. You may be interested to see how she interpreted her theme.

Have a great weekend!

What does your creative process look like?

Do you ever wonder how other artists and designers come up with their creative ideas?

I am creatively curious!I love to see the process of how one’s mind works from start to finish.

Welcome to …

This week we have the lovely Majo Bautista, a fashion and surface pattern designer from Milan, Italy. I love how she describes herself and her work – whimsical,bold,colorful and free. Majo is all and more!

She is a  passionate, hardworking and a very supportive member of our surface pattern design community. Today, we get to find out how her creative mind works!

What inspires you to create?  I’m inspired by everything around me; daily life is filled with exciting ways and forms that light my creativity-bulbs! I’m fascinated by colours, shapes and textures found in nature and am enchanted by children’s drawings and handwriting.

Where do you look for your inspiration? I keep my eyes opened wherever I go… you never know when inspiration is going to pop. I also use internet, books and magazines 😀

Brainstorming…I love how Majo’s process starts with words!

What medium do you like to create in? I usually start my work with pencil or fine-point pens, then scan them and work with them on the computer. I also use my old but very handy and portable bamboo wacom.

( I am super impressed with Majo’s animated pics below – did I mention she is very talented!? Click on the picture below to see.)

Do you keep an art journal? How do you keep track of all of your ideas and inspiration? I’m not very good with journals even if I’ve tried to keep them since I was little… I’m not even good with keeping an agenda, hahaha. I do have sketchbooks, but I also use loose paper sheets. oh… and my iPhone is for sure a great tool to keep my ideas saved, either with a picture or with a quick note 😀

( Click on the picture below to see It’s also animated!)

Do you work on just one design from start to finish or do you have a number of different designs on the go? I usually work on a project from start to finish, but sometimes start sketching many and then choose one to complete.

Do you prefer to design for a brief/competition or your own personal inspiration? I like both… Coming up with a theme to work on isn’t always easy because there are many ideas in the air, but whether I choose the theme or it is given to me, I always try to come up with my own personal concept to work with.

What time of the day are you most creative? Night… I’m not a morning person and during the day I get easily distracted.

Majo will be teaching a course all about Repeats in Adobe Illustrator starting Friday June 7th. The course looks great and is full of information ,even how to prepare your files for Spoonflower!  More information below.

About the course: 

I’ve partnered with the awesome team of Skillshare to teach Reign Repeats: create perfect repeat patterns in Adobe Illustrator. The class is for surface pattern designers, graphic designers, illustrators, artists, crafters and anyone else who is interested in pattern design using Adobe Illustrator.

You’ll submerge in the wonderful world of patterns, and learn how to use the basic Illustrator tools to bring to life your ideas. You’ll learn how to create a repeat, both the old-school way and using Illustrator CS6 new Pattern Tool. At the end of the class you’ll be able to create your own designs for you to use however you want; for example, to sell your own fabric on Spoonflower. To help you get started with this, you’ll create a repeat for a Spoonflower contest as part of the final project.

I’ll explain you how to get your hand-drawn sketches vectorised (even if you don’t have a scanner), how to apply colour and then easily re-colour your design to create new colour ways, the different types of repeats and how to make them, and how to solve most of the common problems that arise when using Illustrator. I’ll also teach you how to prepare perfect files for you to get your best results on Spoonflower.

At the end of the class, I’ll choose the top 15 designs and will showcase them on my blog and Facebook page. For a week I’ll ask my readers to vote for their favourite designs and the top 3 voted will receive some fab prizes donated by Spoonflower.

This course will be packed with lots of useful info, helpful resources, and inspirational interviews from great designers that have come to reign repeats. If you can’t wait to get your ideas on to fabric or any other printed surface, don’t miss the class… enroll now! http://skl.sh/11jgtzb

I am off to the wilderness camping for the week. No running water or power. I am excited, but I have a sneaking suspicion I may have to escape to civilization for a wee bit. I have a few licensing deals in the making that I am excited to share with you and I believe they will be announced this week. Funny, how that works!

Hope your week is sunny. Please pray for sun for me.

Inspired by some sketchy sunday behaviour

I am always amazed at how my mind can wander when drawing. I should sit and write down all the crazy ideas that run through my head just for a laugh, but I cringe to think what I would sound like.

My latest idea to keep my creative juices flowing freely is to be computer free on Sundays. No web surfing, email, or.. gasp…no social media. I want to spend the day focused on the here and now.

My hope for this time-out day is to be creative. I don’t have a problem being creative,I know that starting is the key to my success,however, I do find that I am more creative and productive when my mind is free and open. I tend to be easily distracted by the computer and I find it can be very disruptive to my thought process. I am learning to love the feeling of being disconnected.

So, my latest idea is to spend Sundays sketching and sharing on Instagram and, of course, here on my blog.Please join me here on Instagram – I will follow you back.

My original plan to hashtag sketchy sundays(#sketchysundays) unfortunately will have to be changed. For a laugh you can check out my floral doodles amidst some other sketchy sunday behaviour. I swear those other photos were not there when I originally posted to it!I am having my own laugh about the extent of my ‘sketchy” behaviour – maybe if you are lucky I will pop out a nudie for you instead of my usual floral doodle.

After some more careful research I have decided to call it #shareyoursketch.

A creative space to share your sketches,inspiration,mindwork and even your finished product! It doesnt have to be on Sunday!. I love to see how other minds work and what they are inspired by. I also love to see what they can produce from all their inspiration. You have to admit we are all a very talented bunch so please…share away!

#shareyoursketch …now on Instagram and twitter too.

Have a great week. It’s beautiful and sunny here and hopes are high that it is going to stay this way.

p.s. Thank you for the great response to my shout out for “creative process” submissions. I am looking forward to featuring others in my community here. I am just in the process of figuring out the details and just the right questions to ask. I will keep you posted!