From time to time it is a good idea to challenge your artistic and creative skills. As designers, we need to meet challenges, whether from a boss or when starting a new project. For example, having to illustrate someone else’s idea on a deadline or having to go over another’s Read more…
Paging all design wannabees — this is your moment! Amateurs only, please! Spoonflower and Robert Kaufman Fabrics are hosting another design contest this year and the rewards include designing a whole collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Last year’s winner was a mom working in Columbus, Ohio and look at her Read more…
At the botanical gardens where I work, spring wedding season has begun. The gardens are spruced after winter blahs, the floors buffed, wedding planners and various staff traipse through with tape measures and happy brides go dewy-eyed, standing at the bay windows while their troupes flock behind them. My favorite Read more…
Since I have an art background, I like the feel of gliding my ink pens on a piece of thick paper. The touch, the visual aspect and the time involved in pondering the line itself are all rewarding to me personally, but some designs can only be done in your Read more…
I work with a print lab that uses reactive dyes not pigment printing, which means I can get my colors to match the original intent 9 times of out 10 and is quite an improvement over most online digital printing services today. With those services you have to focus more Read more…
Spring is a time for change. Not only do we throw open our doors and clean house, but all over the northern hemisphere we are taking the time to bond with our neighbors and friends after a harsh winter. Our community building can lead to political change as we decide to address various issues together. It is for this simple reason that spring is a good time to think globally, not just domestically. Larger changes do affect us, whether we realize it or not. From product shortages and available goods to technological innovation, global change is in our grocery store and our clothing store every day. When it comes to design, this is a good time to experiment with these concepts.
As artists, we need to interpret what we are seeing and feeling around us, which makes spring themes come out of our pens and tablets naturally this time of year. A good challenge for us right now is to not think just about housewares and flowers, but to pick up on global vibes. (more…)