Author Archives: Ella Mackay

Meet the Designer – Tamsin Smyth

Our next artist in focus for The Designer Project, with her groovy, fun loving prints is Tamsin Smyth! Tamsin brings with her TWO incredible collections ‘Sunny Side up” & ‘Carnivale Geo’ for this feature, which we are ever so grateful for. 

Along with that, she has also put together this blog which invites you into her creative studio to see the behind the scenes to her creative process and how she dreams her patterns into being. Keep reading to find out more! 

Tamsin Smyth

Hello you! My name is Tamsin Smyth, and I am a surface pattern designer and illustrator living on a creek near Byron Bay. I have always had vivid dreams about pattern and fashion and colour. I was fairly obsessed with the wallpapers of the seventies, and I can vividly remember the fabric patterns of my colourful wardrobe from my childhood and my glamourous Mum’s outfits. Thanks Mum! 

Designing Process

I was absolutely obsessed with rainbows as a child, and my Mum helped me collect rainbow EVERYTHING. My life feels most centred when I am creating with and surrounded by colour, and colour makes my heart go plippety plop! Colours that sing, chubby shapes and flowers with a retro twist, is how I might describe my designs. With a passion for folk art and the natural environment, my designs tend to come from my imagination, which is my favourite place to dwell. I like to create my own sunshine through my art, and then share it with others. I am always surprised and delighted when someone likes my designs! 

Rainbow Clouds Sketches

I am so excited to share my collections, Sunny Side Up and Carnivale Geo, with the Designer Project and Digital Fabrics. Woot! I quite often dream a pattern into being. I will wake up and scrawl a pattern I envisioned while asleep. That’s why my sketches are so brilliant! LOL. The sketches never quite match the dream, but I really love where they take me. 

Fabric Swatches

I tend to create bold shapes with no outlines, but I do love a bit of hand drawn line and texture too. I am also entranced by the rhythms of meadow flowers, and I have tailored a rolling meadow and some sweet snowbells for this collection. Once I have the sketch scanned into Adobe Illustrator, I can begin creating the vector shapes and playing with a colour palette. Often the elements evolve way past the initial sketch, but it’s a sure-fire springboard (the peekaboo rainbows sketch is a great example!). Quite often my designs end up large scale like my sunrise and sunset blooms, and my lolly jumbo gingham. I love a chubby check! 

Tamsin in her Studio Space

I hope you find something in this collection to bring a little fun and whimsy into your life. I’d love to see what you create with them, so be sure to tag me on Instagram @tamsin.smyth so I can share the love!  

Sunshine and rainbows, Tamsin x 

Bum Bag Baby Muse

Sunny Side Up is a curated collection with a little bit of everything that Tamsin loves. The sketch here called Bumbag Baby is the muse of this collection, and she encapsulates the sweet fun and playfulness of Tamsin’s 1970’s childhood. The Carnivale Geo collection is a retro rainbow of tumbling fun inspired by the Ballet Russes costumes and vintage carnivals. Both collections feature the soothing hues of the seventies: peach orange, yellow and pale pink with pops of purple and blue. These designs would be great for any number of applications such as fashion garments, swimwear & beach wear, cushions, beanbags, table linen, tea towels, hair towels and robes! Each of Tamsin’s designs are available to be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Simply head to our Fabric Shop online to view the whole collections and choose your favourite fabric! 

Meet the Designer – Laura Armitage Vella

Next up as our featured artist in The Designer Project is the wonderful Laura Armitage Vella from Monber and B Designs – with not one…but two textile collections ‘Sand in the Suitcase’ & ‘Winter Bunny’!  

As part of Laura’s feature, the designer has also put together a guest blog which details her typical creative process as well as the things that inspire her! Keep reading to find out more!  

Laura Armitage Vella

What a wonderful way to start the Winter Season, I’m so excited to be here to share some of my designs alongside the talented artist here at Digital Fabrics. 

Sometimes I get asked what I do for work and I think it’s not really work – it’s just so much fun! I have always worked creatively studying fashion and working as a fashion designer for over 10 years. Before that, I was the kid in high school who spent lunchtimes in the art studio classroom working on creations and in primary school swapping other kids’ fruit roll-ups for drawings of dolphins. So it’s no surprise that I’m here doing pattern design and illustration, it did take me a while to get the message though but I’m so glad I did. Now I’m thrilled I get to share two collections with you here, Sand in the Suitcase and Winter Bunny. 

Sand in the Suitcase Collection Sketches

My style of creating and coming up with ideas grows mostly in a very predictable order, I think after creating so many clothing ranges I find creative freedom in the predictability of order. I’m sharing a photo of both collections’ brainstorming pages – can you make sense of them? They are messy but the ideas come fast so I quickly jot down the feel of the collection, print ideas and names of each print. 

‘Look Up’ design Original Sketches

I love working with photoshop but first I feel more flow working with pencil and paper and I like to play with the texture of paint and watercolour paper to get some saturated colour onto the page. I scan these into the computer and by this stage, the final print is really coming together in my mind and I wish sometimes I could work as fast as my imagination. 

‘Shell Treasure’ design Original Sketches

As I work on the colour and scale of the elements I’m thinking about what the fabric will become, and what will it best be sewn into. ‘Sail Away’ print I have always imagined this in a skirt or a shoestring cami. I’m really looking forward to sewing this idea up though I’m a very slow sewer it may take me a while but I’ll share this with you as soon as it is done. 

One of the most rewarding aspects of working in the creative industry is seeing how others interpret the patterns and what they will be created into. I would love to see what you would create with these prints or an idea you have if you would be ever so kind to share too. 

Winter Bunny Collection Sketches

I’m always creating and sharing little ideas and projects through my instagram account and newsletter and would be super excited to see what you do with these beautifully printed fabrics so please share with me @monber_and_b and Digital Fabrics @digitalfabrics it would make my day! 

Laura in her Studio

The Sand in the Suitcase collection is a trip down memory lane for anyone who has holidayed by the sea. Laura’s childhood was filled with holidays by the beach, waking up and going straight from pj’s to swimmers in the morning. Time was lost in the sand, creating games, building sandcastles and looking up close at all the small pieces of broken shells. Walking along the beach collecting shells only to look back to where you came from, and it is just a blurry dot in the distance. Eventually, the time comes to go home and on unpacking, there are always grains of sand in the bottom of the suitcase. 

The Winter Bunny collection is inspired by the winter season – floating in the dreamy innocents of our little cherubs. This season is full of excitement and discovering pure joy for our winter wonderland. Crisp mornings delighting in finding the last of flowers. Winter Bunny, our elusive furry forest friend. If you are lucky, you’ll see a glimpse of his fluffy tail running across the field as the first light glitters on the dewy grass. 

These designs would be great for a range of both Fashion & Interior projects! We’re thinking sweet pyjama sets and flowing dresses, or perhaps some cute cushions for your home? Each of Laura’s designs are available to be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Simply head to our Fabric Shop online to view the whole collection and choose your favourite fabric! 

Naomi Robinson – The Designer Project

We’ve absolutely adored sharing the beautiful work of Queensland-based designer Naomi Robinson and hope you’ve loved her designs as much as we have! Naomi’s designs bring a playful, fresh Spring-time vibe.
And reflects Naomi’s charming, organic and whimsy style.

To coincide with Naomi’s ‘Follow Me Sunshine’ collection being made available to all of our customers through our Fabric Shop online, the artist herself has put together a guest blog which we’ve shared below! The blog takes a closer look at Naomi’s creative process, detailing every step from initial sketch to final design. The blog also includes gorgeous photographs and process images which really help tell the story of Naomi’s work and the ‘Follow Me Sunshine’ collection. Keep reading to find out more about Naomi Robinson and her stunning designs!

Naomi Robinson

Hi, I’m Naomi a watercolour and mixed media artist based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. A place that is rich with natural beauty, and very tropical! I have been a visual artist for over 10 years, taking to watercolour only a few years ago. And recently beginning my career in surface pattern design, an aspiration I have had since 2012. I grew up 40 acres of bushland, close to where I live now. Spending much of my childhood playing outside; pondering, observing and interacting with the natural world. This sense of wonder and excitement has impressed my soul, and greatly influences my arts practice today.

Naomi working on her Dandy Wishes print

You may have already seen my curated selection of designs ‘Follow Me Sunshine’ available here at Digital Fabrics, I’m super excited about it! They are intended to reflect my organic, whimsy and delicate style. As well as being a stand-alone collection offering a playful, fresh, Spring vibe. My process for creating a pattern collection begins with inspiration from the environment around me. I go on to ask myself a series of questions; “What specifically is intriguing or inspiring me? Shape, form or colour..?” “What feelings arise from that? I.e. imperfect, playful, tropical”.

Original Sketches

Once I have my descriptive words I go on to collate images together to create a mood board and gather any other images that can help me further tell the story. It’s a very intuitive process. Colour is the next step, and again it is done intuitively and in response to the feelings I experience from my descriptive words. When I’m ready to sit down to paint, I begin by quickly and roughly sketching the motifs on paper to practice their form and build some muscle memory. So that when I go to paint I’m able to retain a ‘loose’ style. I assess the painting as I go and ensure it’s in alignment with my key words.

Designing in Progress

Once I’m ‘in the flow’ (a few watercolour pages later!) I start to see beautiful and organic shapes arise. My painting technique allows the magic of watercolour to take centre stage. I work quickly, and try not to fuss or overwork it, as I believe the natural and earthy pigments of the paint mixed with water imbue the artwork with an aliveness, imperfection and beauty much better than my conscious mind ever could!

Creekside Maiden Motifs

I’m really looking forward to seeing my patterns live a new life on your gorgeous products! Please tag me @naomirdesigns and @digitalfabrics in your projects on social media. And if you’d like to see more of my artwork and designs, head on over to my Facebook or Instagram page @naomirdesigns, I’d love to connect with you there!

Patterns, Love and Nature. x Naomi

 

If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!

‘Follow Me Sunshine’ Textile Collection by Naomi Robinson

We’re super excited to announce that our next featured artist from The Designer Project will be ever so talented, Naomi Robinson!

Naomi is a watercolour and mixed media artist based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She works in a way that allows the mediums innate beauty and imperfect qualities to shine through. In doing so, reflecting nature’s charm and uniqueness and helping us re-connect to the truth of who we are. The ‘Follow Me Sunshine’ collection brings a playful, fresh Spring-time vibe; and reflects Naomi’s charming, organic and whimsy style.

Keep reading to find out more about Naomi’s wonderful floral designs!

 

Creekside Maiden enchants us with her earthy tones and delicate leaves. Softly hand-painted to create a timeless, sophisticated minimal print, practical for many uses. Keep a look out on your next rainforest walk and you may be charmed too!

 

Indoor Paradise is inspired by the lushness of a house full of plants and features wonderful tones of green and pink! Bring the feeling of an Indoor Paradise into your homes with this sumptuousness, alluring and refreshing pattern.

 

Circles of Allure is a flirtatious, fun and bright take on Banksia flowers, viewed from above. These gorgeous watercolour blooms range in size from 5-8cm diameter. A super versatile design that could be made into many lovely products; think tablewear, home decor, tote bags, baby products or women’s clothing.

 

Sweet Leaf is a cute, versatile coordinate pattern of hand-painted daisy leaves. Inspired by the profusely flowering wild daisies found along the roadside. Which burst to life after a Spring time shower! Perfect for women’s apparel, cushions, accessories and an array of home decor.

 

Dandy Wishes is a playful and delicately painted pattern, that would be ideal for making dresses, skirts, children’s clothing and even homeware items, like cushions and tea towels. Inspired by Dandelions with their bright golden pops of colour, that beam through the foliage in early Spring, reminding us of hope, rebirth and the end of Winter days.

 

Diverse Devotion features alluring watery effects and texture, which are a lovely display of the wonders of watercolour. Creating an alive and unique story of tropical rainforest leaves.  Ideal for use on cushions, baby clothes, homewares, skirts and dresses. We are looking forward to seeing what you make with this beautiful design!

 

Peach Gingham is a quaint, charming and nostalgic Gingham design, which reminds us of the warm Spring days of our playful childhood, where possibilities were endless and days were long! A timeless print, perfect for use on tableware, napkins, cushions, dresses, skirts and baby wear. And would pair beautifully with the Strawberry Days pattern!

 

Bee Mine is cute and irresistible; childhood vibes of something sweet! Bee Mine features hand-painted strawberry vine flowers and would look great paired next to Strawberry Days and Peach Gingham. Could also be a loveable stand-alone print! We can see this sweet pattern on Summer dresses, baby’s clothes and kids clothing.

 

Who doesn’t like quirky hand-painted strawberries!? Strawberry Days offers a playful, fresh, Spring-time vibe, and conjures up childhood memories of picking and eating fresh strawberries from our mother’s garden. Did someone say Garden Tea Party?! We think it would look super cute on picnic ware, tableware, tote bags and fun bold clothing!

 

All of our project ideas above are suggestions only as the sky’s truly the limit with Naomi’s stunning collection! Each of Naomi’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop, so head on over to be inspired for your next DIY project! 

LeAnne Payne – The Designer Project

It’s been amazing sharing all of the wonderful designs by textile designer LeAnne Payne with you! We hope you’ve loved them just as much as we have. To coincide with LeAnne’s ‘Spring Picnic’ and ‘Australian Flora’ collections being made available to all of our customers through our Fabric Shop online, the artist herself has put together a guest blog which further explains her creative process, what inspires her designs as well as bit more about herself. 

Keep reading to find out more! 

LeAnne Payne

Hello! my name is LeAnne and I am the designer for Leanne Mary Designs. It is wonderful to be here at Digital Fabrics, an Australian owned and operated eco friendly fabric manufacturer. Digital fabrics have selected some of my stand alone designs to bring to you first, a collection of fun, whimsical designs.

LeAnne Sketching in Studio

At Leanne Mary Designs our focus is to bring designs that provide the solution to your project needs. If you have an idea, let me know and we can collaborate to bring it to life! I am blessed to live in the most beautiful part of the world, Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, where I live with my husband and one four legged friend. Our home is a peaceful haven from the busyness of the world and a place that I can create and enjoy my art, while getting inspiration from the bushland and lake. You will often see me stopping on our daily walks to pick up a twig or leaf because it has a great shape or colour, I find inspiration all around us.

LeAnne Sketching at Lake

I have always been an artist, dabbling away at watercolour, acrylics, digital, I even love coloured pencils. When I discovered Surface Pattern Design it blew my mind. I had never before thought of how the patterns on items came into being but once discovered I now see patterns everywhere! The moment I made my first repeating pattern is right up there in ‘Best moments of my life” I may just have emailed that pattern to everyone I knew I was so chuffed. And that was to be the start of an artistic obsession to make repeat patterns.

Watercolour Paintings

My process for making a pattern can start in a variety of ways but they all finish up the same way. With lots of refining in either illustrator or photoshop. I love the process of taking the motifs and making them into a repeat pattern but this is also the part that I take lots of time with. Going over each element to make a well balanced pattern. Why? Because I am passionate about art and illustrations and producing work that is quality and perfect for the project that you have in mind.

WIP Designs

I would love to see what you make with my designs, it is a buzz that never ends. Tag me on instagram @iamleannemary or send me a message: leannemary6@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/iamleannemary
https://linktr.ee/leannemarydesigns

‘Spring Picnic’ & ‘Australian Flora’ Textile Collections by LeAnne Payne

It’s come that time again to introduce our newest featured artist of The Designer Project…introducing the wonderful LeAnne Payne and her textile collections ‘Spring Picnic’ and ‘Australian Flora’!  

LeAnne is the designer, and everything else, behind Leanne Mary Designs. She lives, works and creates in the beautiful Lake Macquarie area of NSW. Her style is all about texture, water colour layers, chalky pencil drawings or a combination, all brought together in digital form. LeAnne takes inspiration from the beauty of Lake Macquarie, the lake and the bushland. 

What’s more fantastic is that the whole collection has been made available in our Fabric Shop online, meaning each of the designs can be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Below we’ve shared a bit about each of the designs and the types of projects we think they’d be great for so keep reading! 

 

Spring Picnic Collection

Blue Floral with delicate White Leaves is a versatile design of complimentary blues, teamed with bright white. We love the combination of blue floral motifs against the white foliage and think this would be the perfect print for a mix of both Fashion and Homeware projects! 

A Riot of Wildflowers, the name says it all! This design showcases a collection of wildflowers in an array of colours, which are sure to inspire you to go and pick some flowers from the garden. Although a very busy print, the muted tones of the colours create a calm vibe to this design. This is a divine print for Fashion projects such as sleepwear or a lovely summer dress! 

Wobbly Check features a light grey base with pink and peach stripes, that cross over to create this wonderful check pattern. Checks are so on trend right now, but why have boring when you can have hand painted ones with a bit of a wobble! We think this print inspires Homeware and Fashion projects, such as fun cushions or a cute matching set. 

Tree Line Gold is a hand drawn design, full of whimsical and quirky shapes that form tree lines, filled with all forms of doodles. We love the mix of Teal and Red, with that bold pop of Gold. This unique print would work so well for fashion garments! Think fun dresses or even kidswear. 

Terracotta & Sage Tile Petal are classic prints that feature hand drawn petal motifs in an off-white shade. The petals are rotated to form a four-petal flower, as an outlined version with a Sage Green background or a solid version with a Terracotta background. These prints have a retro feel, making them a great choice for Home & Interior DIYs! Perhaps some designer Cushions or Tea Towels for your home.  

 

 

Australian Flora Collection 

Bottlebrush & Wattle features hand painted water colour motifs with ink details, that bring the Australian bush alive. We love the pairing of the Red and Green with the pops of that Wattle Gold! This design would work wonderfully for any fashion or homeware project! Personally, we would love to see it featured on a range of stunning summer garments.

Wind Blown Gum Leaves Terracotta & Darkest Blue showcase delicate line drawings of leaves and gum blossoms in what appears to be white but is actually a wonderful soft grey. It pairs perfectly against the Rust and Dark Grey Blue backgrounds. These beautiful prints would be the perfect choice for any Home & Interior projects, such as Cushion Covers, Tea Towels or even Table Linen!

Australian Gum Leaves & Blossoms is another design full of delicate line drawn leaves and gum blossoms, which cascade over a textured light blue back ground. We love the simplicity of this design, as it makes it a fabulous choice for a range of projects – both fashion and home related!

Nicole Wilton – The Designer Project

Our current feature artist as part of The Designer Project is the wonderfully creative designer Nicole Wilton and we have been so fortunate to have her talents on board!  

Nicole has offered a range of her hand-painted, watercolour designs as print-ready artwork in our Fabric Shop online, with each being available to print onto any of our stock fabrics! What’s more exciting is that the artist herself has shared with us a guest blog which discusses her primary inspirations and creative processes.  

Keep reading to find out more about Nicole Wilton and her ‘Spring Harvest’ Collection! 

Nicole Wilton

I’m more surprised than anyone when I tell people I am a watercolour artist and designer. I was previously studying medicine – true story, I was going to be a surgeon! And before that, I’d studied and worked as a medical scientist. Safe to say, I’d never really thought of myself as much of a Creative. 

Painting in Studio

Completely self-taught, both in painting and the digital side of surface design, the learning curve has been steep to say the least. My designs all begin on paper. Sometimes I start by sketching out ideas, elements or whole patterns. And then I paint. A lot! All my designs are hand-painted in watercolour. I love the delicate honesty of watercolour. It is so beautifully imperfect, and captures the glorious forms and features in nature.  

Painting at Desk

The whole process of painting – with an actual brush and paint and paper – it’s part of the joy of it all. Once scanned in, I can easily get lost in editing and creating patterns for hours. Seeing my paintings realised into patterns and ultimately products is such a thrill. I sewed an apron for my eldest girl using Heirloom Carrots – it brings a lot of fun and joy to the kitchen. 

Painted Elements for Snow Pea Toss

As mama to three little people, I do most of my painting and design at night while they sleep! Our wildlings love to be involved in the process though too – we gather and forage together, sketch and paint. We’ve even collaborated on a few patterns. 

Inspiration for Loads of Lemons

I’m never short of inspiration (just time!) – home-grown lemons led to Loads of Lemons, while veggies from the garden and our dinnerware set inspired Tossed Snow Peas and Wilton&Co Posy. I like to use neutral tones and simple forms to capture the striking beauty and understated elegance of Australian flora. While vibrant colours and playful patterns celebrate our delightfully ordinary days filled with gardening and honest joys. 

Painting Elements for Heirloom Carrots

Born and raised in the country, my love of all things rural is reflected in designs inspired by everything our home paddock has to offer. Alongside my wonderful husband, we’re raising our three little wildlings in our home among the gum trees. It’s simple. It’s honest. It’s joy. 

You can follow along @nicolewiltondesign 

Nicole Wilton

If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!

‘Spring Harvest’ Textile Collection by Nicole Wilton

For our latest installment of The Designer Project, we’ll be featuring the wonderful work of artist Nicole Wilton!  

Nicole Wilton is an Australian artist and surface designer. Born and raised in the country, her love of all things rural is reflected in hand-painted watercolour designs from her ‘Spring Harvest’ collection, inspired by everything the home paddock has to offer.  

‘Spring Harvest’ captures the abundance of goodness and joy we receive from our veggie patch and array of fruit trees. Vibrant, hand-painted watercolour, and playful patterns celebrate the hope and promise of Spring. There are loads of lemons, and carrots ready to be pulled. The snow peas are at their peak, with the happiest sea of green foliage. Planting out seeds, watching them grow, and then eating of the harvest straight from the tree – it doesn’t get much better than that! 

We think this collection would be absolutely perfect for a range of Fashion and Homeware projects! Think of stunning dresses and Tea Towels, Cushions and Table linens + many more – the sky is the limit.

What’s more fantastic is that the whole collection has been made available in our Fabric Shop online, meaning each of the designs can be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Below we’ve shared a bit about each of the designs so keep reading! 

Loads of Lemons is a fresh and fruity print, with a slight vintage feel. Hand-painted in delicate watercolour, Loads of Lemons is playful yet elegant. A timeless and versatile design, there is no limit to what this delightful print can be used for. 

Yellow Stripes is hand-painted in delightful watercolour. These stunningly simple Yellow Stripes bring all the joy of a warm Spring day with a gentle breeze and is bound to brighten your day. 

Wilton & Co Posy was inspired by a dinnerware set which was gifted to Nicole for her wedding, It’s a simple and delicate pattern, using a single, hand-painted motif in gorgeous blue watercolour. 

Tossed Snow Peas is a little bit quirky, but oh so fresh. Inspired by veggies straight from the garden and a dinnerware set. Delightful blue motifs are scattered amongst vibrant, green snow peas, all hand-painted in stunning watercolour.  

Green Check is fresh and simple, made up of gorgeous green watercolour squares to create a classic print. This pattern works beautifully as a co-ordinate print or as a simple print to brighten your day. 

Heirloom Carrots is another hand-painted design, full of vibrant watercolour. Pulled straight from the garden to your next sewing project! A playful tossed pattern, that pairs perfectly in the kitchen, but don’t let that limit you. 

 

We truely hope you love this beautiful collection as much as we do, and can’t wait to see what you create- the ideas are endless! Each of Nicole’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop online.

Jenni Rogers – The Designer Project

We’ve absolutely adored sharing the delicious ‘Blooms & Bakes’ Collection by artist Jenni Rogers for this installment of The Designer Project!  

As passionately described by Jenni, “When I bake the texture and colours consume me – there is never ending inspiration from these subjects. It’s life and it is a part of us all”. Jenni’s creative process starts with feelings that she gains from the observation of these subjects. Then her mind starts to envision how it could look, usually painting from still life, photos or real life as in plain air.

We hope that you have all loved Jenni’s beautiful collection as much as we have! Each of Jenni’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop online. Keep reading to find out more about Jenni’s work, inspirations and typical creative process! 

Jenni Rogers

Hi, my name is Jenni Rogers, artist, surface pattern designer and chef and I’m based in the beautiful Byron Bay Hinterland. I love creating paintings/patterns that combine two of my favourite things –  cooking and art. 

And I’m super excited to be included in the Designer project with Digital Fabrics, thank you!  

I thought I’d introduce myself by sharing a little behind the scenes look at how my patterns start, what my inspiration is and how my sketches and paintings evolve into the patterns you see here at Digital Fabrics. 

Almost all of my initial inspiration comes from food in some way or another whether it be raw ingredients, like how vanilla paste sparkles in the sun on a teaspoon (that may sound odd to you…lol ) or a messy table after a great meal shared with family and friends, with serviettes, plates stacked, etc. Yes these are the things that capture my attention!   

I find all aspects of food and cafes very emotional.  I often associate memories to food. I know when I bake bread, I think of my dad in the kitchen baking these enormous loaves for our family, my Grandma and I making little, sweet jam mushrooms with icing and pastry stalks and my mum and I destroying the kitchen through cake decorating, every bowl and appliance in the house was used. Our favourite recipes remind us of our loved ones – when we create them, in a way, it brings them back to us. My paintings and then patterns are a way of capturing those images. 

This is my initial process on how I create a pattern and it starts in the kitchen:  

1/Photograph whilst making the recipe – usually cake! 

2/ Eat baked goodies and share with family   

3/ Sketch out different elements within the baking process to see what looks good and to plan how the recipe will read and if its easy to follow. 

4/ play around with painting different parts of the process  

5/ This is the finished painting below.  I call it Recipe-art.

 

Once the painting is finished, I then use some or all of the elements within the painting to create patterns.  I start by scanning in my finished painting, basically pulling it apart on photoshop and then arranging them into repeat patterns.  I usually end up with at least 50+ patterns from each recipe, its actually hard to stop! 

High Tea Design WIP

And this is the finished pattern. 

“High Tea” and it’s available to use now within Digital Fabrics. 

I would love to see what you make with my patterns and I hope this has inspired you to get busy creating!  Please tag both Digital Fabrics (@digitalfabrics) and myself on Instagram or Facebook.  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetart_by_jenni  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetartbyjenni  

Happy Creating , Jenni  

  

This photo below is where I paint smaller artworks and working in photoshop.  

Jenni’s Art Studio

And this photo below is my art studio where I paint larger artworks and I can get a bit messy.  

Jenni Rogers

 

If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!

‘Blooms & Bakes’ Textile Collection by Jenni Rogers

We’re super excited to be bringing The Designer Project back for 2024 and can’t wait to share all of this year’s fantastic artists and their incredible work! To kick things off for the year we’re introducing you all to the ultra-talented artist and designer Jenni Rogers and her ‘Blooms & Bakes’ Collection!

Jenni is an Australian artist, surface pattern designer and chef, who is based in the beautiful Byron Bay Hinterland and delights in creating paintings that combine two of her favourite things – cooking and art. She bought her first cafe when she was just 16 years old – The Chelsea Teahouse in Avalon. It was only later in life that she discovered her love for painting. This love is what lead Jenni to go on to create artworks depicting beautifully presented food. Jenni is in her element whilst baking beautiful cakes, biscuits, pastries and turning them into works of art.

Below we’ve shared a bit about each of Jenni’s incredible designs from her ‘Blooms & Bakes’ Collection and the different types of projects we think they’d be perfect for!

Brunch is a fun colourful hand painted watercolour. This design has everything you need to bake lamingtons from the butter, vanilla , eggs and cocoa powder to the Kenwood chef mixer and not to mention my favourite Falcon oven.

Brunch would be perfect for any kitchen homewares such as aprons, tea towels and oven mits!

Sunset Poppy is a warm floral print with hand-painted watercolour golden poppies cascading over a deep rich earth red watercolour background.

Sunset Poppy would work great for table linen! Think Table Runners, Table Cloths and Napkins.

Sunshine Poppies, a floral print that has hand painted water colour poppies in various shades of red scattered over a golden yellow splashed water colour background. This multi-directional pattern is bursting with sunshine.

Sunshine Poppies is the sweetest print for any bedding or blankets!

Whisk & Spoon is a checkerboard style print with alternating hand painted whisk & spoons. Soft shades of pale yellow and blue make up this delightful kitchen print complete with a spotty background.

Whisk & Spoon would be perfect for any kitchen homewares such as aprons or tea towels!

High Tea is a hand painted pastel watercolour on a white background. Eclectic pink and blue tables & chairs fill this checker style print, with everything for a High Tea, complete with teapot, cups and lamingtons. This is a soft and delicate print.

High Tea would look wonderful as some sweet pyjamas!

Cream Tea is a hand painted pastel watercolour on a light blue pin stripe background. Eclectic pink and blue tables & chairs fill this checker style print, with everything for a High Tea, complete with teapot, cups and lamingtons. This is a soft and delicate print.

Cream Tea is the most perfect print for lounge wear garment projects!

Honeycomb is a patchwork style design with a delicate golden thread weaving in and around the honeycomb pattern. This is a multi-directional pattern with soft and delicate pinks and yellows.

Honeycomb is a fantastic print for any fashion project! We’re thinking a lovely springtime dress.

Let Your Light Shine is an abstract pattern created from one of Jenni’s oil paintings, “Red Table” and pieced back together with a delicate gold thread. Vibrant bold colours of deep reds, burgundy, yellow ochre, white and gold.

Let Your Light Shine is another amazing print for any fashion project!

Sunshine is a hand painted watercolour floral print in warm yellows, rich ochres and a touch of purple. Fun, bold and inviting is how I would describe the feel for this pattern.

Sunshine is also a perfect print for some custom bedding and blankets!

 

We truly hope you love this beautiful collection as much as we have, and can’t wait to see what you create- the ideas are endless! Each of Jenni’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop online.