BLOG HOP TROPICAL FUSION

Once again I am forced into the blogging world. I am actually dragging myself back to the blogging sphere. My friend and pattern collegue Mary Tanana gathered us together to form a blog hop so when you know you have been a 'non poster' for a while, what better opportunity.

If you are following on in the Blog hop you have probably come from the lovely Jennie at J.L.Illustration blog here.. and will probably know all about it by now so I won't bore you with details.

Lets just get on shall we...

Here is what I made (I hope you like it) and below that is how I did it..!! For the most part people read blogs to find stuff out, nitty gritty stuff about how things are achieved, how they did them, was it drawn or photographed, did the person take an age to do it, or whether they just threw it together. I'm not ashamed to admit I started these patterns and completed them in around 4 hours.. (you can tell, can't you?)

I began as usual with my friend and obsession Pinterest. I made up a board of all the things which I feel relate in some way to the theme tropical fusion. You can see (and hopefully follow my boards here).

After a good root around and lots of diverted pinning (about 300 pins worth of non related stuff actually) - not the best idea when you are sofa surfing with chocolate at hand.  I started drawing a few shapes in pencil, an idea etc. I think Pinterest is quite clever, it's sort of like shopping on the cheap, you pin it, and it's kind of yours some how.. weird.

I work in Illustrator for the most part, but if I'm feeling brave I might finish in Photoshop and below I added a couple of subtle brushes to complete the effect - gives it a bit of mood I think. The pattern above has quite a big brush of a dead rose head..

Here are a couple of shots of work in progress within Illustrator.

I tend to gather all my motifs and a few besides together in my file and start adding colour. My patterns can go either way at this point and are often dragged to the rubbish bin if they refuse to come together in say 15 mins max. I like to work quickly but with an idea of what I want in my head before I begin.

So I hope you liked them, please pop over to the next blog - lovely work by Joni Barriere at Studio Lulu Designs here. 

Or if you just joined me, and think you might have missed something jump back to the beginning blog Mary Tanana of Groovity Designs here. 

Thanks for visiting - and come back soon.

I HAVE A PLAN

Well, a very quick post - as it's better than no post at all.. here are a few things I've been working on for the last day or so. I'm trying to have a social media break in an effort to get more work done. 

I hope you like them, please feel free to pin etc.. 

I'm thinking of making these into note books, what do you think?

Thanks for looking

Trina 

DAYS OUT - CALKE ABBEY DERBY

Well, had a little visit with the family last week. Mainly to get a break from the kids, or at least try to off load some of the telling off to my parents in Derbyshire. 

Whilst there I took the opportunity to visit Calke Abbey in Ticknall. A wonderful place - lots of things for the kids to do and a big old house for the grown ups. It helps if your Mum is a volunteer.. (Does that mean I'm middle aged - when your Mum is volunteer at the NT?)

(image credit National trust)

I took a few pics whilst I was there of the patterns in the house and quickly dropped them into a collage for you. Hopefully some of them will inspire me to make something great in the future. (or you) - It amazes me how they made such wonderful intricate patterns without photoshop or Illustrator.

I'm finding it quite hard at the moment to get going - which direction etc. I have opened an Etsy shop selling printable downloads in an effort to get some of my patterns noticed, alas this is proving more difficult than expected.. the market is quite saturated.

So - do I now get a few things into Spoonflower? - but a friend suggested that sales are so low, (I guess because the site is so big) - that it's quite a lot of effort to get them in there, plus are unlikely to make a fortune. (glum face) - Perhaps it is better to look at it as more of a notice board to getting noticed..?? But, I'm not totally away with the Fairies, I do know you have to start somewhere.

Talking of notice boards - I'm starting to fall in love with Pinterest. To begin with I thought well, what is the point of it, but now I see why it is - it's kind of addictive! I see so many things I'd like to try, paint, draw - redecorate etc. Here is my page if you would like to see it. I've noticed quite a bit of traffic too from there to here - so that is good.

Well hopefully I will have more time to devote to my project once the kids go back to school. 

I hope you like the pattern above, I made it supa quick one morning - out of necessity more than anything as I needed something fresh for a directory.. shhh... more about that later.. !

Bye for now..

COLOUR FOR THE MASSES - AM I 12?

Of course I'm not 12, but I might be.. I might want to be 12 again. Given that I feel 12 when I see this new book sat  on my desk. Yes, what kind of book is that I hear you say, some kind of picture book.. er no.. it's a colouring book. Not just any old colouring book, a book for people to colour in - yes, but why the hell would I want one? Given that I'm now 40 (cough cough)...???

Well I'll tell you peeps, it's because I'm still trying to draw each day, I'm still trying to draw something of reasonable quality and yes I want to be good at colouring in. Especially on those days when I can't draw a flippin circle even. You see my patterns need colour and where do you get that from? No, not from years of slaving away in the back room of a colourist, or taking a textile degree, or from dyeing peoples hair.... its by experimenting with your own colours. I'm not talking those 20 pencils ya mam got you in Wilko when you were 10, (because you'd been good all morning and not taken any of the plastic square toppers from M&S coat hangers honestly Mum... ) I'm talking about Copic markers, Sharpie markers, Faber -Castell and Zig loveliness.  If they were shoes, we're talking Jimmy or Vera here. (perhaps not quite so expensive, but really quite good) 
I was listening to this the other day and I just love the way Khristian A Howell can use colour.. she is amazballs. I mean she has the full package, colour, pattern, everything, and looks like a super model too.. ! Darn it.

So my intention is to grapple my way through the hell of his Tax Return, (why do men seem to be able to do big things, but none of those little hit you in the eye this is a crap job for Monday) jobs??? - Not that I will add any colour to THAT but at least at the end - I shall be able to colour something in. 

Haven't started yet, but that the fact that I'm writting about it, means that 
A) I will in due course, 
B) If I don't I will have wasted an hour writing this and 
C) I will look a ninny). 

The book is called Secret Garden - by Johanna Basford and here are few more pics for you..

Hopefully after I've done a few pictures I'll let you see them. (I recently got aquatinted with Instagramenes (that's Instagram) for those failing to keep up - I'm Surface Hug if you want to follow me.. and maybe I'll follow you back.  

So what have you been colouring in lately? 

Currently I'm listening to The Potato Factory - which is a sort of historical fiction book about a real life pick pocket in London in the 19th century.. some say is the character Fagan in Oliver Twist. 

On the T.v.v.. I'm still watching and waiting each week for the next episode of The White Queen. I have to say I didn't really like the what I'd read about the Woodvilles but I am now warming to them (and I love the name Jacquetta) I would pay the BBC dearly if they made the drama of Mary Queen of Scots.

Bye for now.. 

(ha 2 posts in 2 weeks - getting better)

Trina 

x

PATTERN COURSE ON SKILLSHARE

Hello dear readers, 

Well, here I am again - I'm still here, hurrarh. 

I've been reading a lot recently about blogs and if my blog or your blog for that matter, will simply just drop off into a blog drop abyss. You know there must be a place somewhere for all these blogs which people start and never get on with. Sort of like a blog heaven.. no that's wrong because you can't really come back from heaven (well, that's what I have been told) so that wouldn't be correct. Anyway - my blog has just been brought back from blog heaven.. and here I am. 

So what is Skillshare? I hear you shout.. Well, it's a platform for learning, where individuals who have something to teach can well, basically, teach us in a virtual classroom. Pretty nifty it is too. You sign up to get an account, (don't worry this is free) anyone can do it - and then choose a course to take. As my intention is to design something spectacular one day I went straight to the design section. There are courses on all kinds of things, painting, drawing, computers, lots of programs, writing etc. The course I chose, wait for it - was a Pattern making course called Reign Repeats. 

I found the course through FB (that's short for Face book- keep up) - it was to say the very least amazing. Not only can you go at your own pace, (perfect if you are anything like me) but you can view other peoples projects too as they are working through the course and give feedback too. Don't worry it's not in any way competitive, I mean I have no intention of comparing my work to an Illustrator based in New York for example (as clearly that would throw you off the edge) - but still it is nice to know you are not alone with the lights off. 

I won't go into detail as you can view the course here - but it was 4 weeks and the amount of information Majo (that's teacher) gave was amazing. There were a mountain of videos, and lots of tips, tricks and pattern skills throughout. I highly recommend it. 

(so you fell down a hole on week 1 and got lost - don't worry, because all the course remains at your disposal for ever - that's right, gone on holiday, no problemo, gone to ground, no problemo, you can just come back to it later - when ever you wish.)

I'm also completing another course on Typography - more about that later. !! 

Here are a few other bits I've been messing around with during the course too... because I know we all love a good look at other peoples stuff.... 

This is me when I can't decide if I'm painting or drawing or colouring - 

This pattern I made for my Etsy shop (gasp shock horror) you didn't know that did you?.. well, more about that later. 

So that's all for now - I've had a few more books delivered... damn that Amazon 1 click order button.. which I will tell you about soon... 

Take care peeps and get drawing - (oh sorry that's to me).

Trina x