Emerging Design Talent: Lucie Duclos

Today I am introducing new and emerging design talent which has become a regular addition to Creative Sketchbook:

Lucie Duclos is a fun surface pattern designer and artist who uses vibrant colour palettes to express her quirky style. "I would describe my work as fresh, bright, cheerful and contemporary." I find Lucie's work very refreshing and her 'Sea Garden' collection is full of zesty greens, tangerine oranges and pale aquas.

I particularly love the hand drawn and painted effects in Lucie's designs, they remind me of little sea urchins and anenomies. "It's really important to keep having fun because people can feel it when they look at your work. If I make somebody smile, then I know I am going in the right direction!"

Sea Blooms

The Bookshelf: Print & Pattern by Bowie Style

Today I am sharing with you one of my favourite books of all time. Print & Pattern provides a never ending reference and source of pattern inspiration and is jam packed full of a wide range of very talented designers, illustrators and textile artists. It is certainly a 'must have' for all you creatives! I have included a few of my favourite pages but you must treat yourself to truly appreciate the vast selection of work published in this book.

Amanda Dilworth (pg 18 & 19)

Lovely Lucy Joy Oldfield's Decorative Designs!

Today I am sharing the work of a very talented illustrator called Lucy Joy Oldfield with you. Lucy currently works as a freelance print and pattern designer and lives surrounded by Georgian architecture in the beautiful UK city of Bath. Lucy's love of eye catching everyday objects and surface decoration is evident in her feminine hand drawn designs.

I love the simplicity of her line-work and beautiful decorative detail combined with floods of muted, tonal girly colour palettes. Lucy says "I tend to enjoy myself most when working in fine detail and try to approach drawing with an uninhibited and non mechanical technique. I like wobbly lines." Vintage tea parties spring to my mind combined with an enchanting birds garden party.

William de Morgan's Ceramic Tile Patchwork!

I am actually lost for words to describe how much I love the stunning, original ceramic tiles of William de Morgan. I got a little bit carried away when researching images so have included lots. I particularly love the combination of different imagery, scales and colour palettes and can only dream of having a scattering of these tiles in my home one day.

William created gorgeous ceramic tiles taking his inspiration from Persian patterns and medieval designs during the famous Arts and Crafts Movement. Experimentation with different glazes and exploring firing techniques made his designs distinctive and recognisable. I particularly love how his tiles, varying in design, look amazing when combined together. It is not hard to believe that William Frend De Morgan was a lifelong friend of the very talented designer William Morris.

A Perfect Picture Postcard from Venice!

Today I thought I would share a few of my favourite photos with you. I am currently planning a little cultural city break and could not help taking a peek at my photos taken last summer on a memorable trip to Venice, Italy and reminisce.

I instantly fell in love with venice the moment my flip flops landed on this truly amazing island. I cannot put into words what a gorgeous, cultural, romantic and stunning place Venice is. Every where you look and every photo you take is just like a perfect postcard. If you have not had the pleasure to pay Venice a visit yet then you must, I promise it will be a holiday you will never, ever forget!

The captivating Grand Canal, Venice

Emerging Design Talent: Suzanne Washington is Spellbound by Design!

Today I am introducing new and emerging design talent which has become a regular addition to Creative Sketchbook:

Suzanne Washington is a print and surface pattern designer who graduated from Loughborough University with a Ba (Hons) in Printed Textile Design. Suzanne has recently decided to explore the surface pattern world and set up Spellbound By Design from her home studio.

I love the feminine colour palettes Suzanne uses combined with her accurate natural imagery and pattern. Suzanne’s work has a quirky narrative quality and a magical sense of nostalgia. Suzanne says "I specialise in highly detailed decorative designs and retro inspired conversational prints inspired by vintage collections and eclectic treasures."

Spring Design

"My aim is to create for the love of creating beautiful things and inspire a passion for print!" Suzanne 

The Bookshelf: Victorian Goods and Merchandise by Carol Belanger Grafton

This is a fascinating book, filled with beautiful black and white illustrations of Victorian objects and ephemera from the everyday. This book contains a comprehensive collection of over 2000 illustrations of a great variety, that include fine detail and interesting textural details. It is a perfect visual resource, you are spoilt for choice of high quality copyright free images. Enjoy!

Pg 5 - Cups and Saucers

Christopher Marley's Mesmerizing Metallic Bugs!

I am rather excited to share with you, as I would call it 'the striking art of the insect'. Christopher Marley creates mesmerizing arrangements of jewel-like creatures that include real insects, butterflies, bugs, beetles and fossils. I cannot take my eyes off the array of iridescent and metallic colours captured in his collections. Amazingly Christopher does not digitally enhance or alter any of the images, they are just as nature intended.

Christopher goes through a meticulous creative process of choosing and arranging his insects for maximum visual effect. This exotic exploration of shape, size, colour, texture and pattern successfully results in almost seamless pieces of art. He must have to travel the world to far out locations to discover such jewels.

Little Doodles by Kate Wilson!

I am thrilled to share with you the intriguing and fascinating work of Kate Wilson, a London based illustrator and founder of the blog 'little doodles'.

Kate clearly has a passion for drawing and loves to capture some of the beautiful aspects of life through her doodles, including delicious pastries and birds with character. "She likes to think of her birds as having secret lives no one knows about...they can get up to mischief too!". Sourced

Cathy Miles's Metal Magic!

Today I am showcasing the delicate wire creations of Cathy Miles. I find her work rather quirky, enchanting and in contrast, humorous. Cathy creates delicate line drawings that are brought to life into 3d wire sculptures. "I’ve always loved drawing and using wire is like drawing in three dimensions." Sourced Wire is combined with other materials and found objects to depict everyday objects and creatures. "I’m always on the hunt for different bits and pieces, I use things I buy in pound shops, on ebay or in car boot sales.

Kaffe Fassett's Flowery Fabrics!

Today I am featuring an old favourite of mine. Kaffe Fassett is the textile designer behind this selection of bright and vibrant printed fabrics. I think this extensive range of naturally inspired surface patterns speaks for itself. I love the rich and summery colour palettes he uses and the vast range of motifs and shapes within his designs, from ditsy florals and filigree patterns to polka-dots and stripes. 

Kaffe Fassett's "unique sense of colour and drive to create, combined with his desire to encourage others, has led to his reputation as a guru in the world of colour and textiles." Sourced

Mesmerizing Moroccan Ornamentation by Jill Ricci!

I have got to say I was absolutely blown away when I came across the amazing work of Jill Ricci. Once I took my first look, I could not take my eyes off her intriguingly layered mixed-media artwork. "I hope that the person viewing my work will linger, trying to discover hidden imagery and text and depending on their life experience, find their own meaning or interpretation." Each time I revist her pieces I interestingly find something I had never noticed before.

I love the vintage, aged and rustic effects in Jill's work, reminiscent of Morocco and ornate tilling. "One of the most arresting visuals for me is an old wall layered with papers, graffiti and text- our modern hieroglyphics. I try to re-create this beauty in my work, the layers of time and decay are what interest me."

Decadent

Emerging Design Talent: Femi Ford

Today I am introducing new and emerging design talent which has become a regular addition to Creative Sketchbook:

I love the bold simplicity of Femi Fords designs combined with interesting mark-making details and delicate line qualities. Femi's unique surface pattern designs incorporate lines of symmetry and remind me of eagerly peeping inside a kaleidoscope. "I like to make a mess and then turn that mess into something special. Most of my pattern designs start off as ink drawings or marks on paper and are later manipulated in Adobe Illustrator."

Nature is clearly a source of inspiration for Femi and her tonal colour palettes are fresh and feminine. "If I try to work in silence I am paralyzed! I think listening to music while I draw helps to add movement to my work."

The Bookshelf: Birds Of The World by Paul Barruel!

I am excited to share another vintage beauty with you that my Mum found in a charity shop whilst away for the weekend. I instantly fell in love with the soft, delicate illustrations in 'Birds of the World: Their Life and Habits by Paul Barruel' and couldn't resist sharing it with you.

I have included a selection of my favourite illustrations, that highlight the natural beauty of not only every day little birdies we are used to seeing but other more exotic and unusual birds.

Reed Danziger's Jewelled Clusters of Lace and Colour!

I am thrilled to showcase the densely patterned, mixed-media paintings of the talented Reed Danziger. Reed's work reminds me of pearls, jewels, vintage lace and cobwebs all meticulously clustered together. I love how organic shapes and patterns inspired by nature inter-twine together to express a sense of movement.

Delicate and detailed layers are built up to create overwhelming explosions of colour and complex compositions. Stenciled patterns and free-hand drawing are incorporated into these labour-intensive paintings that are unlike anything I have ever seen before. I could spend forever exploring each aspect of her almost astrological mixed media paintings.

Beautiful Birdies and Delicate Lace by Ashley Thomas!

I am excited to share the utterly gorgeous and feminine work of Ashley Thomas with you. I spotted Ashley's work whilst browsing Print & Pattern (an insanely inspirational blog) and fell in love with her work. I have got to say, it instantly appealed to the obsessive bird and floral lover in me.

Ashley's work is playful and curious, yet it captures accurate detail with beautiful birds, delicate lace and fine fauna silhouette structures. I love how she builds her designs with simple and graphic polka-dot, graph paper and solid backgrounds. "My work incorporates a range of techniques including silkscreen printing and collage, focusing on trend lead themes and using sophisticated colour usage."

Ashley's love of nature is clear, "my childhood has had a significant influence on my work, I was always surrounded by animals and this is probably why I draw, and are slightly obsessed with them." Sourced

Anna Higgie's Geometrically Edgy Fashion Illustrations!

I thought it was time for a more quirky post! Anna Higgie is a contemporary artist and illustrator based in Bristol who captures beauty through her edgy fashion illustrations.

Anna's illustrations contain fragmented sections of the feminine form combined with harsh geometrical lines and repeating graphic patterns to give an overall quirky result.The monochrome colour palette Anna uses is very effective and the contrasts in her illustrations make them rather intriguing. I love the multi-directional textural mark-making qualities with hatching and cross hatching in contrast with her solid areas of block colour. Her work is almost like an optical illusion, where she has deconstructed it and then reconstructed it to create interesting compositions.

The Whimsical Works of David Weidman!

Today I am introducing David Weidman, someone a little different to my usual posts I think! I love the vintage yet modern look of his retro serigraph prints (similar to silk screen printing) and poster art that reflects the contemporary work of designers today.

David's work possesses interesting graphical qualities by the organic and stylised shapes that he incorporates, and builds upon. I love the transparency and depth to his work, imagery is cleverly revealed from layers below to create further unusual and statement colour palettes.

David's vintage serigraphs and posters have become highly collectable and would certainly provide character and a statement to any interior.

'Flower Forms'

'Bridge II'

Claire Brewster's Delicate Paper World!

I am thrilled to share the intricate and detailed cut out three dimensional pictures of Claire Brewster. Discarded papers, vintage maps and old atlases are Claire's media of choice to create her fascinating and delicate hand cut outs. I love the simplicity of the technique that contrasts with the complicated structures and shadow silhouettes her paper creations cast.  "I capture the souls of birds in paper."

Nature is a clear source for Claire's inspiration and her work includes a variety of stunning birds, florals, bees, fauna and insects. "Spring is a very inspiring time, I walk through a park every morning when I go to work and the new life is so exciting to see." Sourced

'Save Us' - Hand cut out of a map of the British Isles

'We are Feeling a Little Blue'

Emerging Design Talent: Bonnie Christine

Today I am introducing new and emerging design talent which has become a regular addition to Creative Sketchbook:

I was blown away with Bonnie Christine's beautiful and extensive range of surface pattern designs, and am delighted to share her work with you today, certainly a talented lady.

Bonnie describes her work as "modern, feminine, sweet and summery". Each design is unique and offers something intriguingly different, whether that is colour palette, imagery, composition or creative flair. Bonnie Explains “I love to weave parts of my life into each pattern, with each one you see you will have seen a little piece of my life and heart. There’s something so meaningful in the way we decide to color our worlds.”

The Bookshelf: Bugs In A Blanket by Beatrice Alemagna!

I spotted this little children's book when I was looking in the Tate Gallery Shop, Liverpool and decided to buy it for my niece, well ... and a copy for myself too!

This is a funny story about a group of little bugs that live in an old blanket. Beatrice Alemagna approaches individual identity through the inclusion of little bugs in a simple and comical way.

It is the unique, visual style of this book that captured my attention. Beatrice experimented considerably to capture the hairiness and dustiness of the little creatures and decided upon felted wool with appliquéd fabrics and hand stitching to illustrate her story so beautifully. This creates a textural and cosy world of wool within an old blanket.

Fabulous Fun Florals by Caroline Gardner!

I have always been a lover of the colourful work of the talented Caroline Gardner since I was fortunate enough to receive one of her postcards, from Paperchase several years ago. I am instantly drawn to the simplistic lines and shapes with in her designs, combined with her fun and fresh use of colour. Caroline's choice of colours show vintage inspirations with mustard and chocolate combined with modern flashes of raspberry pink and lime. I love her range of greetings cards and they are usually my first choice due to her quirky and British choice of imagery, including florals, sweetie jars, watering cans, baskets and cupcakes.

"Caroline's quirky yet sophisticated designs are brought to life by employing little used traditional printing techniques, such as letter press and die stamping, but interpreted in a very modern way." Sourced Caroline Gardner

Enjoy!

Jubilee Celebrations by Avery Tillmon!

Continuing to showcase 'Royal' inspired artwork to commemorate and celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee, today I have chosen prints by Avery Tillmon. I love the rustic and vintage effect he creates and these beautiful embellished crowns perfectly represent our royal celebration. 

“I approach drawing and painting like a very shallow sculpture. I build and take away until I’ve achieved what I envisioned at the outset.” By painting onto wooden panels his work shows interesting textural and natural qualities and richness is created by the inclusion of ruby reds, emerald greens, sapphire blues and amber stones.

Her Majesty's Crown

Jubilee Celebrations by Natalie Adams!

I thought it was only right to showcase 'Royal' inspired designs to commemorate and celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee. Today I am sharing with you the recent designs of Natalie Adams. I love the simplicity of Natalie's delicate monochrome drawings of ornate crowns combined with simplistic surface pattern repeats. "I have developed a unique skill for combining both traditional and new techniques while never losing sight of my roots."

Queen Damask Cushion

Prince Stripped Cushion in Boy Blue

Passion 4 Pattern 'Blog Hop'!

I am delighted to promote the 'Passion 4 Pattern Blog Hop' created by over 20 students from 'The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Designs E-course' who have grouped together to celebrate the end of Module 3 ' Monetising Your Designs'. The Blog Hop will start here!

Spread the word pattern lovers!

A Vintage Botanical Garden by Devon Ross!

Today I am showcasing the unique work of Devon Ross, a fairly unknown artist who I stumbled across whilst researching. The beauty is in the fine and detailed line work that captures ornate, architectural features combined with floral illustrations, tilling, insects and typography. Devon effectively builds layers with transparent qualities in interesting compositions. I particularly love the vintage effect created by using a subtle and complementary colour palette of ochre, olive, turquoise, teal and magenta. Colour is used to provide specific highlights and it draws my eye to particular delicate details in Devon's work.

I am unable to find any specific information about Devon, however personally I feel the work speaks for itself!

Architects Estate & Antique Garden Plan

Emerging Design Talent: Bethan Westran

Today I am introducing new and emerging design talent which has become a regular addition to Creative Sketchbook:

I am delighted to share the stunning work of Bethan Jane Westran, I fell in love with every single one of her designs as soon they caught my eye. "I'd say my style is quirky, fun and pretty", I certainly agree! I particularly love the delicate line work and attention to detail in Bethan's surface pattern designs. Bethan's colour palettes are varied and the introduction of a quirky olive green, mustard or coral adds an interesting contrast and highlight. Bethan is strongly influenced by nature and loves nothing more than sitting in the garden with her sketch book, "my favourite things to draw are birds and butterflies."