Meet the Designer – Clare Martin

Introducing the visionary behind our current featured fabric prints – Clare Martin! In this blog post, we will explore some behind the scenes of her start in surface pattern design as well as what inspires her work. You’ll also get an inside look at her unique creative process and discover how she transforms ideas into stunning projects. Keep on reading to find out more!

Clare Martin

Hi everyone, I’m Clare, a surface pattern designer and illustrator living by the sea in Fremantle.

Workspace

Almost all my childhood memories involve either drawing or doing some crafty activity, so when I left school there was no question that I’d get a job doing something that involved art. After school I
studied fashion design and later went to uni to get a Degree in Graphic Design, working for many years as a graphic designer. About 5 years ago I discovered the beautiful, creative world of surface
pattern design and am so happy I did! I get inspired by interesting plants and animals, with their gorgeous colours, textures and patterns, everyday things, and vintage objects I remember from growing up in the seventies. My aim is to create joyful, colourful designs full of whimsy, texture and details that will make you smile; art that you’ll want to surround yourself with everyday!

Australian Wildflowers Layout

When I start a project, I’ll either search my photo library for images of what I want to draw or I’ll look for photos to reference on Pinterest. All my designs are drawn by hand, some start off as drawings in my sketchbook, or on watercolour paper, either with black markers or my trusty nib pen and ink. I love the quality of linework you get with a nib pen, ink sploodges and all. Depending on the type of artwork I want to create and how I’m feeling, sometimes I’ll paint on watercolour paper with watercolours or inks instead, and work over it with the nib pen or add some coloured pencil. Everything gets scanned and then digitised in either Illustrator of Photoshop, or a combination of both, depending on the materials I’ve used, the effect I want to achieve and whether it’s going to be a repeat pattern or an illustration.

Colour is a huge part of the design process for me, I love it, it makes me eyeballs sing, so I spend a lot of time getting just the right colour combination for each design. I love putting my designs into collections, using pattern, scale and colour to match it all together to create something interesting and harmonious.

Australian Wildflowers WIP

I’m really excited to be joining the other fab designers here who have a collection of prints available with Digital Fabrics. You can follow along with me on instagram @claremartindesign, and please feel
free to tag me so I can see what you make, I’d love to see your amazing creations!

My website link is: https://www.claremartindesign.com.au/
Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/claremartindesign/