My Favourite Photo on my Phone Right now. Theme Lemons

This is my favourite photo on my phone camera roll right now? Why? Because it says so much about what is left.

Everything about the yellowness of the lemons, the orange of the juicer, the hinted at violet in the carafe and the way the morning light caught the screen left from the night before. It was a good night...

And a previous print from my spoonflower shop called That 70's Lemonade Party....

New Year Has Begun: a Perspective on Resolutions

With the New Year beginning it is time to check in once more and see where I was a year ago and where I want to be a year from now. I don't feel like my resolutions are in fact the life altering go from zero to a hundred type but more like am I on track?... What can I do better? ... How has what I've done fit into my goals and are my goals still the same... What can I do to move forward

Warning! This shit is going to get personal.
I want to be a Surface Pattern Designer and Illustrator...

The Next few Images are chronological order to give you some idea of where I came from!

One of the very first handmade Repeats I ever made, uploaded to Ai
and loosely put together. Late 2013

Original on vellum (Still a favourite drawing surface).

What have I done this past year to make that happen? I have developed mad Illustrator Skills- I never believed that I could learn such a complex thing. For 2016 I want to make it part of my daily routine... Practice Practice Practice. My family has been priority number one and often I use that as a distraction to not practice, so developing my skills has been a tad slow and I have not seen the results I always want. So in 2016- make more time for myself. Yes kids that means more chores!

Figured out how to clean it up early 2014

And turn it into a repeat!

By 2015 it was a matter of practice!

Early 2015

Spring 2015

October 2015

Style is another area I felt that was lacking- I have a personal style but had not had an illustrative style- I have always been here there and everywhere picking up on on different mediums, trying new techniques, in truth my drawing style has always been more lifelike renderings... I have had in the past wanted perfection- I have a personal mantra: If you can do it right then don't do it at all. Meaning don't do a job half assed (for me it is all about craftsmanship) but somewhere I started using it as a cop out to not do things I was not good at and I was limiting myself to only doing what I knew. So this year I started playing around which led to doodling and letting go. And it turns out I was still doing the best job I could do but it was different. Through experimentation I discovered I do have a natural drawing style that feels somewhere between a doodle and accurate representation, that is both slightly quirky and realistic. It also reflects my interests in food, drink, travel, minimalism and abundance. In 2016 I want to see that grow and turn into a solid body of work that I can call my signature style.

Turns out I love black and white!
I also love color but that is for another post.

In 2015 I said I want to be a Surface Pattern Illustrator, this year I am declaring this is who I am. I need to present that to the world. By honing my in on my strengths, skills and developing my style. My outward goal for 2016 it build my brand, sell myself and get a gigs... Personally I want to pay for a house cleaner and buy a Shasta camper, but hey I will take doing what I love, feeling fulfilled and contributing to my family, being a positive role model and good example as a job well done.

PS... I added the images after I wrote the post and I can see that I have had a slightly similar aesthetic all along!

Today is the BIG day and I find out how my Patience and Persistence Worked out.....

And the Results are:

Well I did my best and better than I thought I was capable of, unfortunately I did not make it to the next round of Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search. I am disappointed but not discouraged and this experience has given me the confidence to keep going. It was the nudge to finally speak up about my dreams and goals. I now know I have a 100% support of my family to follow and pursue this dream. I know everyone who entered also did their very best work and I hope making it or not to the next round keeps us all engaged and inspired!

Some of the proactive things I have done this week while I waited patiently for the results were to register my business name Scrappy Carp Illustrations (LLC), start the LLC process and business planning. I also on a complete whim submitted to the Print & Pattern Nature Book which I would never had done before the GTS experience!

I am truly excited about this journey and I am really very thankful for all of the support from my family, friends and strangers... Thank you.

10 Things the Global Talent Search taught me (thus far)....

What I have learned from entering Lilla Roger's Global Talent Search thus far.

1. I want this: I want to be an illustrator.
2. Patience- it is not going to happen over night.
3. Plan-set realistic goals for yourself.
4. Do research- before I am even sketched a thing I researched.
5. Collect inspiration- it is everywhere use it!
6. Doodle, listen to music.
7. Refer back to 3, are you on target?
8. Setbacks are only setbacks if you let them be- use it as an opportunity to learn.
9. P.U.S.H. yourself: Persist Until Something Happens.
10. Be yourself.

My Final Submission.
I hated everything about it the day before because I was stumped.
I persisted, had a breakthrough and now I love it.

As of writing this I am practicing patience- As I am still waiting to find out if I made it to round 2 but even I don't I have made my best work yet which brings me back to P.U.S.H.

Where am I going with this? A sneak peek into my lastest design.

You would think after two weeks of research, collecting inspiration and living and breathing as my latest muse I would have more of an idea of where I was going with this... But here it is and what I have been working on. It is sneek peek into my latest design.... 

Process before it is coloured in.

as a tiled repeat... 

What do you think- don't be shy!

Doodles and Illustration

When I was in Art School, I was told by more than one painting instructor "that's too illustrative", that was a critique not a compliment. For years I tried to change that and go against my natural tendency for strong lines.

Mushroom Illustration

Illustrating and Doodling were looked down upon and frowned on by some in the fine arts department, and I took that to heart, after wall I was there for an art education and these people knew better than me...

Girls night Out Illustration

I don't know if it is the internet, social media, a broader global reach but I honestly feel like that is changing with access to platforms (Skillshare, Spoonflower, Etsy, Society 6) meetups and workshops such as I am participating in now (Build a Freelance Illustration Business) I can see there is a large group of artists- yes we are artists and deserve a place in the fine arts community that have an illustrative look and as proof my old art school offers more classes in illustration, printmaking, textiles, paper and design than it ever did before.... It's kinda fun being on the cusp of an ever evolving Art Movement...

Cheers... PS, can you see the tile repeat?

That 70's Lemonade Stand

I am now taking the mid modern thing too far, yup I said it, the 70's. Garish colours, Go Go boots, flared outfits and all.

If I had actually been a teenager instead of a newborn in the summer of 1974 I may have worn an outfit like this... 

Check out my latest Spoonflower entry for the weekly challenge inspired by the iconic summer beverage- Lemonade. Voting starts Thursday!

Go ahead Vote- you know you want to!

You know what I love? Mid Modern century design

I started these little drawings over a year ago now (I have more to come) and they are morphing into quite the little characters.  They were another 'I don't quite know what direction they are going in, but I want to hang onto them and save them for later' category.  So here they are:

You can either get a set of two, A little mid century home and a tree or a multiple set with two colourways. I was being a little conservative with the first grouping but they went a little funky with the second one! Hope you enjoy.

Taking Billie's Cat to the next level.

I am not a cat person, but I can not deny I love Billie's Kitty Cat illustration! So much so, I made it into a regular repeat! 

Billie's  Kitty Cat on Spoonfower 

I am playing with this really simple but beautiful motif and taking it even further!  I want to use it to make a collection of simple fun quirky designs. Can't wait to show off the results of a little bit of free form experiment.

Gift Exchange

Well the Holidays are here and like every year I leave everything to the last minute... If I am honest it is because I am am kinda Bah Hum Bug... I don't like big fancy holidays. I like to stick close to home and do things that I/We love as a family. I am not huge about running all over town, driving here and there and then there is the commercial pressure to buy buy buy.... But the one thing I do enjoy is the gift exchange.

Hubs and I get one name each, but more realistically I get two names.  Jeff is usually paralyzed with fear about getting me a gift (remember how I said I am kinda bah hum bug- doesn't mean I don't like pressies) so it is up to me to do the gift exchange. I usually make something, it's my style, so people either love that they get me or hate it... depends on how crafty they are.

The kids are usually left out of the exchange, everyone wants to buy as many cute things as possible for them so it is generally agreed that my kids and the cousins are off limits.  But mine are getting older so I wanted to include them in a small way. So somewhere in the 12th hour I decided that we needed to print our own fabric using stamps that the kids designed. She did a cat, and he did a evergreen tree... then I decided that we needed pompoms, because I've never sewn with them before.  The end result infinity scarves with a festive twist (don't the pompoms look like snowballs?).

Walking Tree Infinity Scarf

Cat Infinity Scarf

Monday Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek 

What do we think of this for a nice spring design?

I haven't figured out colours or background yet, just playing around with pattern.

And what would I put it on? 

I love making creative whims!

I love making stuff and therefore am always happy to support my daughters creative whims... because really who am I to talk? Macrame, knitting, sewing, felting, printmaking, painting, ceramics,  illustration, fabric dying etc? well I've tried it all (most)... some have stuck and I continue to grow those skills and others (to my husband's relief) I have dumped... One thing I am happy to support is origami, it is more of Miss B's thing than mine, but I appreciate the tactility, folding and construction of taking a plain unassuming piece of paper and turning it into a thing. So perusing the internet one day looking for lettering examples I found a paper alphabet that intrigued me enough to file away in the back of brain/pinterest to use as reference. And this is what I did with it....

Alphabet

This is for a Spoonflower competition- Calligraphy... Would love it is you checked it out, maybe even vote for it...

Gather Free Printable Wednesday

The word Gather was floating around in my head and this is what I am came up with....

If you would like your own Printable version click on the bird.

The Other Woman

My Husband and I with our two children moved in our family home just over 2yrs ago. 

We had just left a very toxic relationship with out old

landlord and were ready to buy. We found a sweet little craftsman house

built in 1902 on a very nice street in a great neighbourhood.

We were beyond excited to have our own home again. Something that we could treat like home base; we are not the most settle people.

The new King Bed that inspired it all!

The house was perfect, it needed a new roof and and exterior paint job right away but the inside was done nicely and could wait. Well we waited two years. Two years of living with peach painted interior, camel coloured trim and brass and gold fixtures.

You could tell the other woman of the house had a style that was her own and things were thoughtfully done so why fix what wasn't broken? But it was broken, we were living a lie, the house was not our house, it was still hers... Slowly piece by piece, room by room I am becoming the woman of the house and injecting my own style into it.

A note on my style- I spend way too much time in hotels and that totally comes through in my personal taste...

My Kids want Halloween Cards!!!

Happy Halloween!

Here is what I have so far... 

 Do you think I should do more?

Happy Halloween Free Printable

I worked up the Happy Halloween card I made for my kids, adding special touches and giving it  spook-tacular details.

While making it I day dreamed of a Halloween party for my kids!!! Yes I said (to myself- because I talk to myself all the time) we are going to do this!!! We are going to have a Halloween party (still talking to myself).

I am going to use the Happy Halloween Card to send to my kids friends... I still give out cards. Evites are handy but I like the real thing, I love something tangible. Tomorrow my daughter and I will find a printer... and hopefully by Monday we can have some cards sent out to friends & family.

Click here for the printable version of this, use it for cards or seasonal posters!

Cheers!

The More you use it, the more you have....

"You can't use up creativity,
the more you use it, the more you have"
Maya Angelou

What started out as a single drawing, kinda a doodle in the top right hand corner of my sketchbook as I was researching midcentury modern design motifs is starting to take on a life of it's own.

I asked the question in my last blog post "can you see it evolving?". 

"You need Help!" (with) Repeat Patterns.

I recently updated my illustrator going from CS5 to the Creative Cloud CS6 version. For the purpose of pattern and surface design I thought I had CS5 pretty well handled...  I could make repeat patterns, draw, live trace etc but then entered the Pattern Tool?! I am both in awe of it and and little scared of it. 

It Reminded me of a children's story book I use to read to my kids... Today I Will Fly by Mo Williams. The protagonist Piggie exclaims to his friend Gerald an Elephant "I can Fly".... Gerald always the downer says to Piggie.... "You can not fly, You will not fly Today, You will not fly tomorrow YOU WILL NEVER FLY.".... and looking at the new version of CS6 that is kinda how I felt... my inner critic whispering in my ear you Can Not Do This, You can Never Do this!...Gerald in a dismissive- this will never happen kind of way, says to Piggie "You Need Help". And that is What Piggie did, she got help and was able to fly with the aid of her friend a Duck that carried her through the air and over Gerald's head! Gerald was astounded and exclaimed- "You did it, You Flew" and Piggie (quick witted) said "No, I got Help".

Where am I going with this story and what does it have to do with Illustrator? Rather than using the Illustrator how to videos which are great but require a whole bunch of previous experience- I am self taught so my knowledge is geared more for simple illustration and surface and pattern design I turned to experts in the field. I follow a lot of aspiring and talented experienced designers in different forums and groups and someone linked to a free class from Pattern Observer The Ultimate Guide to Repeats. I shoved my fear and self doubt to the side and got help. The help came in the form of simple suggestions and tips... and much to my amazement and excitement I made a simple repeat using the pattern tool... So maybe I Can Do This...

The Three swatches show my progression using the pattern tool to create a simple repeat. As you can see I used the same motif several ways... I love the simplicity of the the first two, the third (not my favourite) was playing around with colour and texture just to see what could be done....

The Self critic will rear its ugly head again, I know that, but it helps know there there is large community that both support me and others like me... There are answers out there, you just have to know when to ask for help. As for where to and from whom, what are your resources?!

Have a Lovely Day!

In my Sketchbook inspiration for print and pattern.

In my Sketchbook, ideas for print and pattern. 

One of the best sources of inspiration can be found in your everyday life.

This summer we added a pond to our back yard with a few Lilly pads, 

lotus flowers and large fancy Gold fish.

The Best time of day was sitting around the pond in the evening, floating candles watching our fish catch the tiny bugs that would inspect the water. 

Scrappy Carp Card

  You can find my fish illustrations on simple blank cards in the Scrappy Carp Etsy shop.

Looking for your own inspiration?

Tomorrow I will be starting a new class... Seven Days of Paper Love!

Join me and share what you create!

Each Photo Represents 10 minutes Practice.

I am currently reading I Just Like to Make Things by Lilla Rogers. It was highly recommended by a classmate in the  Make it in Design Summer School I am doing. The book is full of prompts and exercises that both encourage and inspire you, filled with tips that steer you towards Making Art a Business. It is great for the the newbies (such as myself) that want to be Surface and Pattern designers as it is full of advise and interviews from professionals in the field. So far I am about half way through but the number one take home is message is .... be true to your style and number two.... Practise Practise Practise.

Here is a photo journey of one such practice prompt to see how you/I work.... Using a photo that was provided in the book you draw what you see.

"Only draw what's appealing. Stop when you are done and wait for the next bit of inspiration [...] you are to focus only on staying in a place of passion and creative motivation."

I gave myself 10 minutes of work time, between each step I moved onto something else. Maybe it was tidying up my work space or assisting my kids with a chore and or making breakfast, lunch or dinner and cleaning the kitchen. 

Each Photo Represents 10 Minutes 

I worked when I had time, it took me nearly all day but what surprised me is that I stuck with it. Flowers are not my favourite thing to draw. I don't have very much patience for them as I get frustrated that I can not represent them accurately enough. Because of the 10 minute cap I was able to keep looking at it with fresh eyes and stay on task. The time limit gave me permission to walk away and to be less self critical. 

What excises do you use to practice, how do you work? Is practice work or is it play, Can it be both?