We have absolutely loved sharing these beautiful floral designs by Brisbane-based designer Amanda Laing and hope you’ve loved her designs as much as we have! To coincide with Amanda’s “Garden of Memories” collection 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 one of a kind approach to creating surface patterns and what inspires her work.
Keep reading to find out more about Amanda Laing and her stunning designs!
Amanda Laing
I’m Amanda Laing, a surface pattern designer from Brisbane, Qld. My inspiration comes from my surroundings whether they be the natural world or the built environment. I am always finding things that catch my eye and love to express it visually through colour, form and pattern.
“Rosie – Watercolour Painting”
With a background in Interior Design and Art teaching I design surface patterns for both paper and fabric. Paprly is my small business designing for wrapping paper, gift cards and tea towels.
“Eloide + Pink Petal Gouache Paintings”
I teach art workshops in primary schools and just completed a graduate certificate in visual arts. I also have a background in commercial Interior Design and Art Teaching. When it comes to surface pattern design, I’m pretty much self-taught and constantly being driven by the need to design and make things.
“Daisy Drop – Fabric Design”
Personally, I prefer hand drawing to digital and use a wide range of media from pen, watercolour, gouache and paint. Experimenting with textures and layering is also something that I love, as well as experimenting with different mediums. As a result, my style is wide and varied. My designs are both naïve and realistic prints but always with the aim of trying to create unique and original work.
You can check out more of Amanda’s work via her Instagram @mandalouau or view all of her lovely products on her website https://www.paprly.com.au/
“Lace Mimosa – Fabric Design”
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!
What a fantastic start Michaela Burgess’ feature has been for what’s now our third year of The Designer Project! Michaela is a multidisciplinary artist with a teaching position that enhances her professional design work with fine art practices. We’re so excited to have not just one, but two of her collections, “Bombay Mai Tai” and “Jungle Blue” available in our Fabric Shop. These designs are available to all of our customers as print-ready designs which can be printed onto any of our fabrics. We adore Michaela’s beautifully detailed designs and hope you’ve been as captivated by them as we have. As part of this feature the designer herself has put together a guest blog which we’ve posted below!
Michaela Burgess
Hi my name is Michaela Burgess and I’m really thrilled to be working with Digital Fabrics as part of The Designer Project and making these collections available for fabric printing. My early studies were in Object Art and Design, in both ceramics and glass and I’ve been teaching Visual Arts and Design for almost 20 years now. I balance teaching with creating my own work and have continued to exhibit throughout my career.
“Indigo Magnolia” cushion cover mock-up
I ventured into surface design in 2014. I love the process of surface design and seeing my work on a range of surfaces, especially fabrics – continually thrills me! One of my earliest memories is diving into my mother’s scarf bag, it was full of fabulous prints and fabrics from the 70’s, and creating wonderful wrap around creations for myself with her beautiful scarfs before going to a friend’s birthday party.
“Marigold Teal” blouse mock-up
I draw influence from the world around me and find that nature is a huge influence on my process. I use a range of techniques; hand-drawing, etching, printmaking and painting, to create the bases for my designs for fabrics. I then use Illustrator to bring the elements together and place into repeat.
“Taj Mahal Nude”
I’ve shown work at Premier Vision in Paris and Surtex in New York. From experiencing both of these events I truly believe Australian design is in a unique position on the world stage, in that it is fresh, dynamic and informed by Australian aesthetic sensibilities that allow it to hold its own in a first-class arena.
“Indigo Blue Vine” dress mock-up
After completing a Master’s of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design in 2015 with studies in Textiles, Fashion, Interior Design, Urban Design and Community Projects, I’ve got several projects coming to fruition over the next year so keep a look out for the updates. A hint on what’s to come: I’ll be using Digital Fabrics and having several designs printed on their gorgeous Dilly fabric! The print and fabric quality that you are able to access through Digital Fabrics is incredible.
You can find updates on Instagram @_michaelaburgess or my website!
“Bombay Mai Tai” collection day bed mock-up
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!
It’s been an absolute blast sharing the playful work of Lillie McDonagh for our current instalment of The Designer Project and we hope you’ve fallen as in love with her designs as we have! The Sydney-based designer creates illustrations and print designs which feature quirky hand-drawn motifs which celebrate everyday simplicity. We’re so thrilled to have Lillie’s “Lil’ Bit of Sunshine” collection available in our Fabric Shop and are keen to see all the inventive ways our fabulous customers will use them! As part of Lillie’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! We’ve shared the blog post below so keep reading to find out more about Lillie and her charming designs!
Lillie McDonagh
Hello! I’m Lillie, or Lil’ Designs – the designer behind the new Digital Fabrics collection “Lil’ Bit of Sunshine”. I am super excited to be sharing these print designs with you. I hope they add a lil’ bit of sunshine to all sorts of amazing DIY projects!
“Summer Sunset”
“Summer Sunset” Tote Bag Mock-up
The pattern designs in this collection feature warm colours and playful illustrations that all started as small sketches and doodles I made of little things that I think bring joy – sunsets, stars, flowers. I love creating simple line-drawings and turning them into fun designs for greeting cards and print designs, and even just to share on Instagram to spread a little creativity!
Lillie’s pen and marker illustrations
“Autumn Leaves” Cushion Mock-up
One of my favourite creative exercises at the moment is drawing something in as many different ways as possible. Whether it be flowers or stars or rainbows, it really gets you thinking and experimenting, finding ways to draw these things in a way that’s unique to you and your style. Then I’ll see what I can make them into! These patterns are pretty much a product of this process, with “Spring Blooms” featuring all different types of flowers, and “Autumn Leaves” lots of different leaf motifs. This is my favourite way to work as it creates nice variation and adds that hand-drawn feel to the finished pattern or design.
“Spring Blooms”
“Spring Blooms” Tote Bag Mock-up
My designs always start out as pen on paper. I find it’s the easiest way for me to feel free to experiment and make mistakes as nothing has to be perfect right off the bat. I have about a million different weights of felt-tip and gel pens, and lots of different brush pens and markers that I like to experiment with while I draw. Then I’ll scan them in and clean them up a bit, and that’s where the patternmaking begins! Personally, I really like patterns that are random and fun. Not so structured or repetitive, and have a really hand-made feel to them. I think it adds so much character to the final product!
Lillie’s marker illustrations
“Golden Moon”
These designs are perfect for your fashion and interior projects, bound to bring some warmth and add a little bit of joy. I hope you love them as much as I loved creating them!
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!
It’s been such a joy showcasing the incredible work of our current feature artist in The Designer Project, surface designer Cass Deller and we hope you’ve adored being introduced to her gorgeous style. Cass creates stunning surface pattern designs which relies on the perfect pairing of her professional graphic design skills with her exceptional watercolour artistry. Her designs are beachy, playful and simply elegant, and we’re so thrilled that Cass has made a selection of them available in our Fabric Shop online. To coincide with this the designer herself has also written a guest blog which we’ve featured below! The blog shares Cass’s background and inspirations before taking you through her typical process when creating a collection. There’s also plenty of snaps of her beautiful studio and designs. Keep reading to find out more about Cass Deller and her work!
Cass Deller
Hey fellow fabric lovers! I’m Cass, and you may have seen my new collection released with Digital Fabrics, inspired by my love of design, colour and coastal living here on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
Cass’s watercolour paintings
I have been a watercolour artist and graphic designer for over 8 years. For me, seeing my designs on fabric being used in beautiful unique ways is definitely the most rewarding aspect of being a designer. I have collaborated with hundreds of brands over the years and the excitement never wears off.
“Mango Floral”
The process of creating art for fabric is so unique to each and every artist, which is the beauty of each collection. My inspiration has always come from the ocean and that coastal, holiday vibe that we all love. I grew up in Brisbane, however our family holidays were always spent in Noosa. For three weeks of the year we would leave our “real” world behind and soak up the sunshine, sea breeze and sandy beaches. I didn’t realise at the time how much those days would influence me in the future, but they are infused into everything I do now.
Cass painting
When my husband and I both started working for ourselves in 2013, it was a no-brainer to move up the Sunshine Coast where we could build a self-paced life of freedom, and daily beach walks. It’s so easy to be inspired when we are surrounded by this beautiful lifestyle every single day.
“Mediterranean Palette” baby romper mock-up
With each collection, they always start with a feeling or a vibe. The feeling of summer, or of motherhood, or of the simple things in life. I then take these feelings and thoughts and relate them to a subject matter or theme that I’m inspired by at the time. This could be anything from palm trees to lines in the sand.
“Beach Sesh”
I will usually collate a moodboard to gather my thoughts and ideas. The moodboard can consist of Pinterest imagery, photographs and real life elements. I love that each collection can feel so different. From the mooboard I start to sketch. This sketching stage is usually just elements and ideas which I then form thumbnails around how the pattern could be formed. This really helps me when it comes to the process of creating the pattern on-screen.
Cass’s watercolour paintings
Once I have a general idea and direction for the patterns I will start to illustrate and paint the elements – my favourite part. Once I’m happy with the elements, I scan them into the computer where I edit them, experiment with colour palettes, and turn them into repeat patterns.
“Miami Palms” baby blanket mock-up
Being able to intertwine the traditional art of painting and the more modern techniques of design is such an art form within itself, and I love that I can integrate both into my work. I also love that I can teach my process to other creatives through my online courses and coaching offers. Seeing other designers dive into the world of textile and surface design is such a joy for me.
You can find more of my work at www.cassdeller.com.au or on Instagram @cassdellerdesign.
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!
We’ve absolutely adored sharing Shelley Lee Steere’s designs with you all and hope you’re all enjoying this instalment of The Designer Project! Shelley is a primary school teacher turned surface pattern extraordinaire who provides gorgeous designs through her studio label Motif Manor. The designer’s “Australian Flora” collection has been made available in our Fabric Shop and features a stunning range of designs inspired by native flowers. The designs each stand on their own or also work beautifully when used together. What’s more is we’ve been so very fortunate to have the artist herself put together a guest blog which is shared below! Keep reading to find out more about Shelley’s work, inspirations and typical creative process!
Shelley Lee Steere
Hello!
Hi, my name is Shelley and I am owner and designer behind Motif Manor, where I share my passion for colour and pattern. I love creating patterns and designs to adorn textiles and products that bring added joy to a person’s day. I am so excited to be working with the fabulous humans at Digital Fabrics through The Designer Project, and to share my “Australian Flora” design collection with you.
Some of Shelley’s current sources of inspiration
Marker illustration
About Me
I have a deep love of learning and surface design. In fact, creating patterns was something I even did as a child where I developed an eye for detail. My professional life began as a primary school teacher before focusing on my family, made up of an amazing husband and three fabulous children – including twins! Imagine my delight, years later when I discovered I could design patterns for a job!
The “Banksia” design coming together
“Banksia”
My Work
My work has been described as detailed and intricate. I am inspired by nature, cultures from around the world and the Arts and Crafts Movement.
My current focus for design (or should I say obsession) is the amazing native flora we have right here in Australia. My process starts with collecting inspiration from books and my own photos. All of my work begins as hand drawn motifs using just the humble pen and paper. I like to capture the shapes and details in my line work before sitting down at my computer.
The wonders of digital technology allow me to take these black and white drawings and transform them into colourful, layered patterns and placement prints. The joy I feel at seeing a pattern come together lights me up.
Marker illustration
“Golden Wattle”
Why Surface Pattern Design?
There is something special about designing that fulfils my need to be creative. I love the challenge of making perfectly seamless tiles and the possibilities of what they can used for. I believe that everyone deserves to have nice things and that beautiful surface design can bring us back to the present moment.
Thanks so much for taking the time to learn a bit more about me and my work. I can’t wait to see what you clever people create with my designs!
Head to Motif Manor and Instagram to check out more of Shelley’s amazing work.
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!
It’s been an absolute pleasure featuring the work of surface pattern designer Lauren Powell, and we hope you’ve adored her designs as much as we have! Lauren is a self-taught artist and designer who creates designs inspired by the everyday and rural living. We’ve felt very fortunate to have Lauren make her “Home Sweet Home” collection available in our Fabric Shop online, with each of the designs available to print onto any of our gorgeous stock fabrics. To coincide with Lauren sharing her delightful range, the designer has also written a guest blog which we’ve showcased below! The blog invites you into Lauren’s background, inspirations and creative methods. The blog also includes some fantastic snaps showing Lauren’s home life, process and printed designs. Keep reading to find out more about Lauren Powell and her charming designs!
Lauren Powell
Hi Everyone! I’m Lauren Powell from LozzieElizaDesigns based in the beautiful Southern Highlands, NSW, surrounded by stunning rural bushland and heritage towns. I am overjoyed to be a part of The Designer Project by Digital Fabrics.
Lauren’s orange tree
My collection “Home Sweet Home” is inspired by life on a semi-rural property, where I have lived since I was little. At a young age, I was often covered with paint, outside in the garden planting flowers with my family or around all of my animals including my chooks, horses and dogs.
Wild grass in the Southern Highlands, NSW
Some of my patterns start as a simple drawing in an art book, painted artworks or can even be parts taken from my photography. I love to scan parts that I bring into Illustrator to vectorize and I love to draw parts on my iPad Pro in either Procreate, Affinity Designer or Adobe Draw.
Watercolour sketch used for Lauren’s “Painted Tartan” design
In my studio I love to display all of my interests in my workspace. A range of bright colours in the objects around me from the lights in my gaming computer, inspiration by other artists who I look up to and even past artworks that I have created over the years.
Lauren working on her “Wild Grasses” design at her home studio
My pattern “Folksy Floral” is created in honour of my grandmother who was a big part of my life growing up, shaping my love of a range of crafts. She created beautiful folk art when I was young and I wanted to give her most loved style of art a modern feel via a pattern. She also loved to sew clothes, so it was fitting to feature her art as a part of my collection.
“Folksy Floral”
My style of design is influenced by all the stunning wilderness around me. From our grown native flowers around our 5 acre property to all the changes of the seasons. I have a love of trying new ways to create my art. One of my favourite mediums on my iPad Pro is gouache brushes by a fellow Australian artist and I can’t wait to explore more of this medium traditionally for future designs.
“Folksy Floral” printed onto our London fabric
I can’t wait to see what beautiful projects you create with my collection! If you want to show me what you are making you can find me on Instagram @lozzieelizadesigns!
“Folksy Floral” baby onesie mock-up
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!
We’ve had so much fun sharing the incredible work of Sydney-based designer Susanna Jarman of surface pattern label Elm Road and hope you’ve adored her current showcase! Susanna has a lifelong passion for beautiful fabrics and it really shows through her mid-century inspired, crisp graphic designs. Not only has Susanna made a range of her wonderfully statement designs available in our Fabric Shop as part of The Designer Project, but she has also put together a guest blog which we’ve featured below! The blog offers insight into Susanna’s background, inspiration and the process through which her stunning creations typically take shape. There’s also plenty of product visualisations to help you imagine all the different ways you could use Susanna’s designs. Keep reading to find out more about Susanna Jarman and her iconic designs!
Susanna Jarman
Introduction
Hi there! I’m Susanna Jarman from Elm Road. Being totally elated to hear from the lovely Ella at Digital Fabrics, I’m so excited that they have chosen several of my surface patterns for “The Designer Project”. So… the journey has begun! Digital Fabrics’ model of promoting and supporting surface pattern designers like myself is an absolutely amazing opportunity. Just the thought of having my patterns printed on beautiful natural textiles for you to use, is an inspiration in itself!
Thank you to the Team at Digital Fabrics!
“Rocks Skandi” cushion cover mock-up
My Background
Since I can remember textiles, print and surface patterns have played a huge role in my life. I’d say my biggest influences were definitely my parents, both keen homemakers in the 70s. My mum’s passion for homemaking, involved hanging wallpaper and sewing curtains, cushions, and fabric wall-hangings from gorgeous fabrics designed by Marimekko, Marion Hall-Best and Florence Broadhurst.
I recall Mum taking my sister and I to many beautiful fabric shops like Finlandia in Woollahra. I’ve no doubt this is where I developed my passion for fabrics and patterns!
Susanna’s home studio
I work under the name of “Elm Road” which is the name of the road where my grandparents’ beautiful home was in a small village in UK. I have fond memories of playing in their huge garden – a typically lush English style garden with gorgeous lawns, flower beds, lots of places to hide, and a huge fishpond full of Koi. Both my grandparents with the greenest of thumbs planted and nurtured the most amazing array of flowers, including English Stock, Hydrangeas and Geraniums.
Process work
Susanna’s fur babies
Inspiration
For me, I take my inspiration from nature and the beautiful surrounds of the Northern Beaches of Sydney where I live, as well as from memories of the beautiful gardens at Elm Road.
“Hibiscus Orange & Lilac”
When out walking I always have my camera on hand taking many pictures of flowers, leaves, nuts, berries etc. Without even realising, this really is the beginning of the design process – ‘research’. Upon taking these pictures, I then can’t wait to get back to the studio in order to start drawing. All the way home I’m visualising how the pattern design and colour will come to life!
“Hibiscus Orange & Lilac” tablecloth mock-up
Favourite Designers:
Maija Isola, Orla Keily, Henry Matisse, Florence Broadhurst, Marion-Hall Best, and Elizabeth Olwen
“Hydrangea Lacecap Steely Blue”
What drives me?
My passion for home-making, along with my interest in Mid-Century architecture, and love of 1960s/70s design. These, combined with my experience as a Studio Manager in a Graphic Design, Wide-Format Print Company.
“Hydrangea Lacecap Steely Blue” apron mock-up
Design Process
Firstly, I have to say, when designing I get so lost in my work – time becomes irrelevant. It really is my happy place!
The design process usually starts by drawing and doodling away in my sketch book, either in pencil or pen, or sometimes just straight onto my iPad.
“Hydrangea Cream Moptop”
Once I’m happy with the initial sketch, I take a photo of the drawing, upload it to my Mac and trace over the drawing in Affinity Designer. I work in vector as most of my designs are simple, and large scale, sometimes up to 1000mm in width.
I strip-back the original traced sketch in order to create thick, clean lines to give a contemporary flat-lay look. This is where the fun begins as the design can easily morph into something quite playful and different – I love this freedom
“Hydrangea Cream Moptop”
Once the layout/framework of the design is complete, it’s then time for colour. For me colour is an intuitive thing. I seem to have a go-to palette in my head. That’s what really drives/excites me. The thought of those colours, and visualising the finished pattern on fabric, wallpapers, dinner/homewares, anywhere – sometimes even before I’ve begun the sketch!
Once I’m happy with the overall design, the next step is to create the repeat tile. This is truly when magic begins.
“Hydrangea Cream Moptop” bedding mock-up
Wrap-Up
The last few years I have enjoyed being part of the local Christmas Markets utilising other designers’ beautifully designed fabrics to create hand-made soft furnishings, tote bags etc. Now that I’m working alongside Digital Fabrics I really look forward to my next Christmas Market, as it will be a dream come true showcasing Elm Road’s own, Australian Designed & Manufactured textiles made into an array of soft furnishings – amazing!
“Hibiscus Lime”
Elm Road’s patterns are somewhat versatile making them suitable for a variety of surfaces such as soft furnishings, homewares and wallpapers to name a few! I’m really looking forward to seeing what you can create when using these fabrics!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog 😊 To keep up with my latest designs follow Elm Road on Instagram, Facebook, or jump online.
“Hibiscus Lime” sofa mock-up
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!
We’ve absolutely adored sharing the beautifully detailed work of Sydney-based designer Ianny Munari Bastos and hope you’ve loved her designs as much as we have! Ianny’s designs are rich, intricately illustrated, and feature warm muted tones that are sure to delight. To coincide with Ianny’s “Jasmine Bloom” 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 Ianny’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 Ianny’s work and the “Jasmine Bloom” collection. Keep reading to find out more about Ianny Bastos and her stunning designs!
Hi there! It’s Ianny here from IMB Design, hope you’re all great. I’m so excited to say that I’ve created an exclusive collection of artworks for Digital Fabrics, which is now up and running in their Fabric Shop!
Click here and you’ll find a compact line of original prints suitable for fashion or interior items. I’m thrilled to present beautiful unisex designs that are perfectly suited to shirts, dresses and as well as homewares items such as bed linen and more.
All of the designs are firstly created by hand, in the ‘old school’ traditional media of pen, paper, pencil, watercolours, inks and markers. Since I love to draw, I thought it would be cool to take you through my process and show you a bit of the ‘behind the scenes’ of my home studio.
I am constantly experimenting in the realm of art and illustration and often find inspiration in all things vintage. Layered, intricate and elaborate artworks are key to most of my projects, and I have to say, black ink and detailed outlines have been my favourite ways of expression and are what I’m currently diving into the most.
“Jasmine Bloom” is what I named my collection, which is inspired by the scent of these tiny delicate white flowers. The dark, vintage, hand-painted designs were a way of registering on paper the comforting and nostalgic feeling I have just from smelling their perfume.
Let’s get to the point of how I designed these prints! As I mentioned before, everything begins on paper, and it’s one of my favourite steps. I spend some time drawing and painting the motifs, just making sure I have everything well-detailed and nicely painted. This time I used black ink to paint the leaves and fine liners to outline the jasmine flowers, which would later be re-coloured on Photoshop.
After that, I scan the motifs at 300 dpi, clean all the little marks and work on levels to get a nice, clear image. I also remove the background and re-colour the elements digitally. Here’s an example of the scanned and cleaned images.
Then I go to my computer and that’s when the magic happens! I play around with the motifs on Photoshop, just trying to find the right balance and harmony between the different sizes of flowers and leaves as well as the colours.
For this collection I envisioned a dark and muted palette, and below you can see how my screen looks when I’m in the middle of the process on Photoshop:
And that’s the final print. Voilà!
This design is called “Evening Jasmine”. With muted and earthy tones, “Evening Jasmine” has a vintage feel. I wanted to give it multiple layers of flowers to create a rich artwork, that could print perfectly on dresses, blouses and shirts.
Hope you enjoyed a little sneak peek behind the curtains and that it may inspire you and generate ideas for your next DIY project. How about a skirt or a new cushion cover? Don’t forget to check the Fabric Shop to see this collection as well as other designer prints, where you can choose your fabric and order online.
Thank you for coming along with me in this journey! I can’t wait to see what you make with my designs! Please tag Digital Fabrics and myself in any projects you create with these fabrics. Also, please join me on Instagram and Facebook, and have a look on my website www.imb-design.com to see my new adventures in the printed t-shirt world!
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!
We have felt so very fortunate to have the incredibly talented Beck Ng of label Fabric Drawer taking part in this instalment of The Designer Project and have loved sharing her creativity and designs with you all! Beck has a background in graphic design however the maker eventually found her passion for textile design and we’re so glad that she did! Not only has Beck made a range of her wonderfully playful designs available in our Fabric Shop online as part of The Designer Project, but the designer herself has also written a guest blog which is featured below. The blog details how Beck came to surface design, her inspirations and how she typically creates her quirky pieces. Keep reading to find out more about Beck Ng and her fabulous designs!
Beck Ng
Hello! I’m Beck and I’m a surface designer and maker from Melbourne who has a love of creating patterns and making things.
Beck’s inspirational books, sketch book and all important iMac
After working as a graphic designer for many years and yearning to create something away from the computer, I enrolled myself into a couple of screen-printing courses, which led me to become fascinated with pattern repeats and eventually to study textiles.
Beck’s sketch book
“The Meadow Strike” design
I enjoy drawing and find inspiration from my travels, nature and life living in Melbourne. Florals, animals and geometric shapes feature heavily in my work.
Beck’s sketch book
“Roar Neon” design
I start most of my patterns as sketches on paper. I’ll usually draw quite a few different motifs in my notebook before I bring them into Adobe Illustrator to digitise. This means I am often re-drawing them on the computer, which allows me to easily edit and re-colour later. I tend to gravitate towards busy repeats and lots of motifs for my hero prints, but I also love the simplicity of a simpler design (which is not always simple to create!). From a hero print I will develop a collection of prints using the same theme and colour palette. It can be a bit of a process building a collection, so nowadays I will often just work on a hero print and come back to secondary and basic prints if I want to later on.
“Roar Neon” printed onto fabric
“Roar Neon” t-shirt mock-up
I created my label Fabric Drawer to showcase my work on a small range of fabric and paper products. The range is evolving, but I love to see my designs come to life on products. I also collaborate with clients to license my work to feature on their products.
“Siesta Blue” printed onto fabric
“Siesta Blue” tote bag mock-up
I’m really excited to have a collection of prints available through Digital Fabrics. One of the things that I love about having my prints on fabric is the joy of seeing what people create. As a sewer myself I know the possibilities are endless, so I look forward to seeing what you create!
You can continue to follow my creative journey through my Instagram account @fabric_drawer, and please do tag me if you would like to share what you make with my designs!
You can also check out more of Beck’s work at Fabric Drawer.
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!
What a joy it’s been sharing the incredible talents of artist and designer Tina Dinte through our current instalment of The Designer Project! One Blu Eye is the recent brainchild of Tina’s, expanding her creative practice to develop the surface design focused studio. Tina has developed a unique method of pairing her fun illustrations with her detail rich paintings and has made a range of her gorgeously intricate designs available as print-ready artwork in our Fabric Shop online. To coincide with the launch of Tina’s designs the artist herself has written a guest blog which further explains her one of a kind approach to creating surface patterns and what inspires her work. Keep reading to find out more about Tina Dinte and her spellbinding designs.
Tina Dinte and her dogs
My name is Tina and I am a full-time artist based in the bayside suburbs of Brisbane. Traditionally trained as a graphic designer and with a true love of drawing that emerged as a child, I’ve developed a style of painting that throws out the brushes, instead ‘drawing’ with paint onto the canvas with squeeze bottles. Each set of bottles has different paint consistencies — thick / normal / thin. The metal nibs enable me to do all the fine detail, just like I would do with a sharpened pencil when finessing drawing. I can produce paintings with wonderful textures and depth using areas of solid colour, different line thicknesses, stippling and blending of paint.
Tina and her unique style of ‘drawing with paint’
The subjects in my paintings are inspired by my bushland property, daily adventures, conversations with strangers and my large collection of books. The intricate details in my work come from studying everything around me – patterns and textures in nature, the linework of a building, the squiggly lines of coral, the typography of landscapes, the flow of moving water and even the movement of animals running.
Tina’s creative inspiration
When I first set about creating a range of surface designs, I came up against the question ‘how do I turn my extremely intricate artworks into a repeatable pattern?’. Seriously, it was impossible! However, after over a year of experimentation (and lots of failed designs), it came to me in a dream that I needed to create a ‘vessel’ for my paintings. I set about developing a series of digital illustrations (aka. the vessels) and overlaid my artworks inside them. And voila, I can create a unique repeatable pattern that is a combination of hand-drawn digital artwork and bespoke painting.
Tina’s original artwork “Nourishment in the Sea”
“Dalia Dragonfruit Blooms” is the first in my exotic fruit series. The digital illustration isn’t meant to be realistic but representational of a dragon fruit with its seeds and deep red colour. I teamed the illustration with a close up of my abstract painting titled “Nourishment of the Sea”. The name of the design was inspired by the floral type bloom from the top of the dragon fruit.
“Dalia Dragonfruit Blooms”
“Pastel Blue Blossoms” is a pastel-coloured abstract piece inspired by a visit to the Queensland Art Gallery. The digital illustration was drawn whilst sitting in the gallery surrounded by amazing iconic artworks. The super imposed abstract has been taken from my original painting titled “Australian Aurora Burst”.
“Pastel Blue Blossoms”
I am super excited about my debut range of designs under the One Blu Eye umbrella. As time goes on more designs will be added as I am inspired to create different artworks every day. Please follow my journey on my new Instagram account @one.blu.eye! You can also check out my extensive range of original artworks at @tinadinte_artist.
“Cheeky White Cockatoo”
P.S. Why the name “One Blu Eye”?
This is an easy one to answer… my rescue dog Tully has one brown eye and one blue eye. Every time we go for a walk I always hear from passers-by “Oh look, he has one blue eye”. And because I love my boy to bits, I decided to call my illustration practice after his quirky feature, just like my quirky illustrations!
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!