Well that's the end of Part one..

Hello all,

Well, where to start... my lovely Surface pattern course has now ended for a five week break between modules..... :( feeling like I've really learnt a lot every week. Sorry for not blogging earlier, but I got quite far behind at one point - and sometimes life just takes over.. anyway, here is a little idea of what I've been up to.

So Pattens, where do they come from?  what types are our there? which do you like etc... its a big learning curve, but I did really enjoy it...
Earlier on in the course, we were making up pattern books.. collecting photos, mag clips, cuttings etc and gathering them all in a pattern book.. seems a very basic exercise but its well worth it. It really gets you to notice what you are drawn to and what you find appealing... Obviously there is no point is trying to make patterns you wouldn't put on your own wall is there...

At this point I'm starting to miss the odd exercise, but one I did manage was to complete a mood board, either on paper in the traditional manor or in Photoshop. I chose the computer option - this is me in board form...
I picked up pictures from all over the internet and resized them to fit.. It was great fun and well worth the effort because you really can tell at a glance what you like and don't like.. interesting..
I think it would be beneficial to redo it in the future just to see if my tastes are changing..

So the next thing I find myself induced by colour - I've always noticed colours, but now I really do look at them. Part of the course is to engage with colours more, so how do they make you feel. Personally I hate lilac with a vengence, I think it came from that time when everyone painted their bedroom Lilac and purple with a moave border. Pink I love, Red, I love, Lilac I hate..

What do you do when you hate something.. hit is hard and try to work with it.. so I find a purple flower and get painting... now I'm back in my comfort zone...

Here's a bit more purple just so you know I was trying..

So - now the course is moving into Pattern creation.. This is where I started to fall behind with the excersises. Fortunately the classroom remains open for some time, so in the next five weeks break between modules I should have plenty of time to catch up. 

One of the briefs was to make Mock ups of rooms with 'your' wallpaper design or cushions. This is my next task when I've mastered Photoshop.  I did however manage to complete a presentation of my designs. This shows how it might be changed slightly to compliment a range or just simplified to show how the design was created.

So I now have lots and lots of things to catch up on. I'm reassured by the other students that I'm not the only one catching up during the break. 

Well here are few pictures I've been playing with  - and the placement print I made with them. Unfortunately when your using your own paintings it does take up quite a lot of computer power.. but I'll worry about that later.. 

So thats it.. Module one of The Art and Business of Surface pattern design completed..

Thanks for following and please like my Facebook page above, because that would be fabulous.

See you soon 

xx

STARTING TO MAKE MORE PATTERNS

Hello followers... 

Well I seems to be getting slightly more confident at the pattern making process.

I've just got to try and learn to have a plan before I start.. problem is if this was a motorway, there are literally thousands of roads which you can take, no right or wrong.. so you just keep clicking until something more important comes up.. 

Usually a child needs feeding, driving or changing.. 

Below are a few efforts from today.. 

Hope you like them.. are at least are noticing a bit of an improvement... 

xx

I'm a happy lady

Hello again honeys.

Here I am on the 'confuser' again - although some of the grey mist is clearing with Illustrator and I do feel more confident. I can now get my own drawings in and honestly get in the pattern groove... the one above I just made, still can't work out how the colour the background... (Gfaw!!! I hear, well I'm sorry but its really not clear to me) I can do it, but I've got extra boxes, very frustrating...
Will keep picking at it, besides I've got loads of photos and mags to go through and gather gather gather that inspiration..

Hopefully I can pick up the pace with my drawings and get down to some fine art work soon... Somerset Art Works is coming up - so I shall be doing the rounds soon.. might just add in a few extra blogs for you to see...
For the most part the standard is pretty high - so might be a few nice things to see (and buy)

More importantly - I've only got a few days to wait until the start of my course ABSPD .... so I'm better get my ass in gear and start getting ready.

Below are a couple more paintings I'm rolling out, which is crap because I need to be rolling out patterns, not paintings...
Bye for now

xx

Steep

Well, here I am, still alive, still working and not having thrown my Mac out of the window - I have been painstakingly (the hint) going through some photoshop tutorials...
It's not that easy, but my guess is that it's not that hard either - if you know how.

Why doesn't it come with a big sign which says, by the way - you fools, you Scan into photoshop and save it as a Photoshop file BEFORE you attempt to get it into Illustrator..
If someone had of told me this - my life would be 10 hours ahead. It seems that if you need to get your own stuff into Illustrator you need Photoshop..
I've not yet learnt how to isolate things - but I will. (I mean I must if i'm not going to crash off a cliff soon)

Before you take in the pics below, I'd like you all to know that these were achieved like this :-

Open file, change nappy
Place object, answer door - deal with post, (which usually comprises of my husbands 'gift to himself' each day in the form of a Jazz cd)
Trace picture (which i've just stamped on the scanner to get going) - make dinner
Move about and stuff - finish pots - sort washing - change nappy - go to bed.
Take kids to Alton towers, use credit card unjustifiably.. just so you have a better picture... 

On another note - if your still reading, I'm just going to post a couple of pictures i've been working on recently - very quick things, only fill a couple of hours
(you should know that I do all my paining in the 'wash room' with the washer - with no chair - leaning over the work top - well, cus the light is so good at this side of the house of course..

Mad, formal, Mad, Photoshop, crazy colours, Illustrator..

bye for now and thanks for reading..
xx

Those Blooming Lupins

Those blooming Lupins

Don't laugh my honey buns, I know its not much to shout about, but I took the picture from the garden of the Lupins (see previous post) and made myself a little painting. I quite like it and if my intention was to sell cards or something it would be fine. (with perhaps a bit more work) However, what makes a good card?

Anyway reluctant to waste my paint (and to get on with the washing, finish Ironing - which is the most unrewarding job ever) I did a couple more a bit looser, but I did get myself less hung up on detail and more focused on the fact that I now need to get these into the dreaded Adobe Illustrator. Dreaded because I don't have a flipping clue who to change the background colour, how annoying is that.. 

I'm sure I will be able to if I spend a bit more time on darn thing.. It is still the best thing on this Mac so I'm not knocking it

The one above is of the Peonies which were also in the garden. Yes I know it doesn't really look like it but to me its more fluid and shows more movement, I think the bigger brush helps...

Now if I can I want to see what sort of surface pattern I can get from them -
I've been looking at a wonderful website recently, can't keep my eyes from it. It's called Bluebellgrey and I think i'll have to put it on the list for 'Next purchase'..

Anyway back when I've done a few more drawings and put the paints away...