Tag Archives: fabric printing

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 9

Snippets’. Chats with Creatives. Here at Digital Fabrics we love everything print, pattern and colour and we love to know what makes designers tick. This series is all about asking some fun and different questions and learning about the inspirations and ideas behind the artist and their work. We hope to inspire others by sharing snippets of these creative stories. We gave the artists and designers featured a varied list of questions to choose from so we will learn something new from everyone involved, should be fun!

Today on Snippet’s we are talking to Sara Johnson, the artist behind ‘Travelling Alice’ a printmaker based in Sydney who designs and prints her own fabric before making it into unique accessories.

The Snippety Snips:

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your creative practice is, how and when you began:

Travelling Alice is a range of hand printed travel accessories, made in my Sydney Studio.

I studied Fine Arts just out of High School as I just wanted to Draw, while there I learnt Printing (wow ) I could turn my drawings into prints.

At nineteen I got the opportunity to volunteer in India for three months, and this is where my love of fabrics and Crafts came from and of course my travelling obsession began, seeing all these amazing artist, crafts people. Traveling Alice Started from a need to make light weight and colourful travel accessories for myself and friends. I am such an organised traveller I like to pack things so they are easy to find but of course they have to look good as well.

Which part of the creative process is your favourite and why?

Drawing drawing and drawing. My Mum is a sign writer so I have always been around pencils, pens and brushes my whole life so it feels as natural as eating. By the way I have the worst hand writing, so I did not get this talent.

How would you describe your work, and what influences your style?

I design fabric that I can sew into accessories. Travel definitely influences my style and my life. I became obsessed with it when I first travelled to India when I was 19. This was also where my love of Fabrics and pattern came from, you get exposed to colour and patterns, it’s a feast for the eyes.

If you could have your portrait painted by any artist dead or alive, who would you choose?

Louise Bourgeois, that would be amazing and fun, she was known for her Sculptures but I love her printmaking. Louise Bourgeois was also known for her dry humour so we could have a laugh at the same time.

Love your Locals:

City/Town/Village where you currently reside:

Sydney South

Favourite spot for a bite:

I am a Coffee lover so food is a second thought so my favourite place to get coffee is White Horse Coffee in Sutherland

Secret Inspirational spot:

To be honest I find inspiration anywhere and anytime of the day or night. I have numerous note books so I can quickly write the inspiration down.

You can follow what Sara is upto: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Check your artwork repeats seamlessly with Offset Filter in Photoshop.

Open your file in Photoshop. Main menu > File > Open
Check size of your image. Main menu > Image > Image size. Take note of the pixel dimension (PX) at the full resolution size.

Change the resolution to half of its value and take note of the changed pixel dimension. Keep these numbers handy as you will need them to offset your artwork. Don’t click OK at this stage, as you don’t want to change the resolution size, you only need the pixel information.

Once you have pixel dimensions noted you can offset and check your file for seamless repeat. Go to Main menu > Filter > Other > Offset. In the open box enter that half pixel values that you have noted down. Select option Wrap Around and tick the Preview option, so you can preview what is happening to your artwork. The side edges of the artwork will now be visible in the middle and the middle will become the sides. In other words the artworks sides got folded into the middle.

If your artwork in not in seamless repeat, you will see it in the middle of your artwork, through vertically and horizontally missed joins and miss matched lines. In some artwork this will not be obvious and you will need to zoom right in to the joining pixels to spot the issue.

When your artwork repeats seamlessly, there is no miss matched lines and elements of the artwork flows seamlessly.

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Need help with your textile design?

Seamless repeats can be tricky, but getting them right is key to a flawless custom fabric print. If you’re unsure about your artwork setup or need expert guidance on your design, we’re here to help!

Contact us for advice, file checks, or textile design support. Let’s make sure your designs are print-ready and looking their best!

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 8

Today on Snippet’s we are talking to Anna Hayman, a UK based print designer who creates fabrics, wallpaper and other homewares from original lino printing and ink drawings. Her work is influenced by the art and craft era as well as the sixties and seventies which is clear in her current work.

The Snippety Snips:

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your creative practice is, how and when you began:

I am a British print designer specialising in printed lampshades, wallpapers, fabrics and cushions. I create my designs from linoprints and ink paintings. I began trading in February 2016

Which part of the creative process is your favourite and why?

My favourite part is transforming artwork – in my case a Lino print or an ink painting – into a pattern. Pattern is my utter obsession so creating repeat designs from artwork is a really exciting point for me, often there are literally endless possibilities of how it can be repeated, mirrored or formed, and seeing that take shape is completely thrilling. That comes just before the worst part, getting the pattern to repeat, which can take forever and is truly boring! Luckily I’m a bit of a geek 🙂

How would you describe your work, and what influences your style? I would describe my work as half hippy, half traditionalist, intricate, relaxed and colourful. I’m influenced by old English styles, I visit a lot of old places, and 1920’s places, but also love Bohemian 70’s style. Creatives I’m influenced by are Celia Birtwell, Biba, The Bloomsbury Group, Olaf Hajek, Aubrey Beardsley and many more.

In another life what natural talent would you wish for?

Writing! I have been reading a lot about the lives of writers recently and I must say it does seem an appealing occupation. I’ve always told myself I am terrible at writing, especially copy, but really I just haven’t had the space to explore it. I would love to take a summer learning how to construct a book, for instance.

Which other Australian designers, artists or creative people are you enjoying at the moment?

Estelle Briedis, for her exacting palettes of colour, Nine Lives Bazaar for their beautiful brand building skills and photography, and Instagram legend @labohemehouseofthewishingtrees for her inspiring and abundant use of brights with white, and layering of textures.

If you could only use one colour in your work what would it be?

Hard question! But I’m crushing hard on jade at the moment, a sort of greenish turquoise, a colour which can be hot and cool, and quenching somehow. I’d find it hard to live without orange though, deep vibrant orange, warm and fresh at the same time.

If you could have your portrait painted by any artist dead or alive, who would you choose?

Lucian Freud, not just because I love his work (I love flat looking paintings with a lot of detail) but because I feel I have the right sort of face for his portraiture.

Which five words best describe you?

English, rebellious, clever, arty, fun.

Love your Locals:

City/Town/Village where you currently reside:

Ringmer in Sussex, England.

Favourite spot for a bite:

Any good seafood restaurant, or sushi place.

Secret Inspirational spot:

Charleston farmhouse, the Bloomsbury group country house hotspot of the 1920’s, which is 15 minutes from where I live.

You can follow what Anna is upto: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Textile Collection Memphis Summer

Here at Digital Fabrics we have a very exciting textile collection to launch just before the end of the year, with a really fun range of fabric prints to get you through Summer. The designs are inspired by dynamic and quirky Memphis design surface patterns and uses contrasting colours, shapes and textures to create playful designs that can be used together or on their own.

All of the print designs started out on paper! By using different mark making processes with a variety of materials such as markers, paints, pens and sponges, graphic shapes and surfaces began to emerge. These were then dissected and collaged together to create interesting designs with lots of energy.

Colour is such a key component of this collection and it was really important to get them right. We combined very on trend pastel shades, with timeless neutrals, and whites to contrast with bold blacks and splashes of electric warm colours.

The Memphis Summer Collection is perfect to get those creative juices flowing over the next few months! Whether it’s making something in time for an event over the festive season or it’s because you’ve finally some free time to work on a DIY project, Digital Fabrics can help out with your fabric printing needs. We see these designs working for both interiors and fashion, with statement cushions and fabulous Summer dresses being the first things that come to mind!

The Memphis Summer Collection is available for purchase in our Design Library!

Holiday Break

This year Digital Fabrics will be closed on 22rd of December and re-opened on 8th of January with a skeleton staff, production commencing on the 15th January 2018.

How about if you still want to order fabric? Don’t worry, we will be accepting all online orders during holiday to be printed when we are back in action in 2018.

After the holiday first orders will be due to dispatch on Wednesday the 17th January.

Stay smart during pre-holiday rush, don’t rely on couriers services, they are busy! If possible, arrange a pick-up of your order from our Marrickville studio, we will be happy to say Hi.

CREATE YOUR OWN FABRIC CREATE YOUR OWN CUSHION COVER

To avoid pre-holiday stress and to receive your fabric before Christmas please note super important dates below:

Cut off times, if you require shipping

· 4th December – for Print and Make orders such as cushion covers, banners, scarves etc

· 11th December – All fabric printing orders that needs to be shipped and delivered before holiday. As much as we would love to, we cannot guarantee that orders submitted after this date will reach to you on time before Christmas.

· 12th December – last Express order for fabric printing or Print and Make orders

Orders for delivery, submitted after 15th December more likely to be printed and dispatched in New Year unless it’s an express order.

Pick-up orders cut off time

· 11th December Print and Make orders such as cushion covers, banners, scarves etc

· 15th December fabric printing orders

· 18th December last express order for fabric printing or Print and Make orders.

3 pm is our daily production cut off time, which means, if you placed an order after 3 pm, your order will be rolled over to the next day. Be that just an extra little careful when planning your fabric printing orders.

And as always, if you have any question, we are only a phone call away.

CREATE YOUR OWN FABRIC CREATE YOUR OWN CUSHION COVER

Palm Springs – Fabric Design Competition

Exciting news! We have a new competition for all Textile designers out there, budding or experienced. The theme is ‘Palm Springs’. We know, fun right?

Create a fabric design for ‘interiors’ or ‘fashion’ inspired by ‘Palm Springs’ using any method you want. This could be photograph, paint, collage, sketch and could be based on colour, texture, architecture or landscape, there are no boundaries. Let your creativity GO WILD!

There will be 3 winners:

1^st Prize will receive $250 worth of custom printing on a fabric from our stock plus a 45cm x 45cm cushion on waratah with their winning design, insert included.

2^nd Prize will receive $100 worth of custom printing on a fabric plus a 45cm x 45cm cushion on waratah with their winning design, insert included.

3^rd Prize will receive $50 worth of custom printing on a fabric plus a 45cm x 45cm cushion on waratah with their winning design, insert included.

All top ten designs will receive a strike-off of their design.

How it works:

Create it. Design it. Share it! Get your friends to share it too.

Why?

The top 10 designs will be voted for by the public, so share your designs with your friends, get them voting for you!

From the Top 10, there will also be one public voted winner, this will be the design that gets the most likes and the prize will be one 45cm x 45cm cushion with their design. Yay!

The competition will open on Saturday 21st October and close on Thursday 16^th November at 9am Eastern Standard Time. All voting will close at 9am Eastern Standard Time Monday 20th November.

Top 10 will be announced on Monday 20th November on social media and will be featured on our website.

Winners will be announced on Friday 24^th November.

Rules:

Upload your design onto your Instagram account.
Add the tag: #dfpalmsprings and tag us: Digital Fabrics @digitalfabrics so we can find your entry! If you don’t use the correct hash tag we may not see your design.
We love to know the story behind the design and what inspired you so tell us everything!

All designs must be submitted by Thursday 16th November 9am Eastern Standard Time to be included in the competition.

Just a little inspiration for you to enjoy:

Terms and conditions:

This competition for Australian residents only.

Please use the correct hashtag to be included: #dfpalmsprings and tag us @digitalfabrics to ensure we can see your entry.

Only entries with the correct hashtag #dfpalmsprings will be in the running of the competition.

Unlimited entries allowed.

The team at Digital Fabrics will choose the finalists.

The winning prize can be used for one fabric type only from our stock fabric collection.

The 45cm x 45cm cushion will be printed front and back and mailed to you.

We can’t wait to see all the designs!

DF Team

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Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 4

Today on Snippet’s we are talking to Gabby Malpas, an artist with a flair for painting detailed still life of Australian grown flora and fauna with a hint of what Gabby calls ‘chinoiserie.’

The Snippety Snips:

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your creative practice is, how and when you began:

I’m Chinese, I was born in NZ and adopted into a white family of 9 children making me #10. I trained as a potter in Dunedin, after Art school I started using inks and watercolour on paper – as it is very much like liquid glaze. I left NZ in 1988, lived in the UK until 2003 and arrived in Sydney later that year. I’ve been a professional artist since late 2014 but exhibited and painted the whole way through since leaving art school.

I’ve been a digital project manager in agency and corporate since around 1992 – girl’s gotta eat and pay for holidays! These days I license my work, exhibit regularly, work with clients on creative stuff and get involved in a lot of adoption and community causes.

I am still learning how not to be a dick.

Which five words best describe you?

Most can’t be repeated in public but how about: scary, mad, loyal, loud, and dependable.

How would you describe your work, and what influences your style?

My work is figurative watercolours. It has been dismissed as purely decorative but a lot of my work actually communicates my life experiences as a trans racial, Chinese adoptee. Some of the messages are a little hard to swallow – which is why I temper these with lavish and engaging imagery. I am influenced by a lot of artists and things: from Paul Klee, Matisse and Elizabeth Blackadder as European artists, to Japanese woodcuts and traditional SE , Central and West Asian imagery, textiles and ceramic designs.

What would your dream creative project look like?
Anything that gives me free rein to do what I like and I get paid for it… hang on – that’s a lot of what I do now.

Which other Australian designers, artists or creative people are you enjoying at the moment?

Well I discovered Cressida Campbell when I got here and she’s my idol but there are a heap of fabulous designers I follow on Instagram and Facebook – I appreciate artists who just do their thang and are not worried about fashion or what’s hot. Oh and I’ve loved Ken Done since 1988 when I went to Brisvegas expo.

What has been your proudest achievement to date, creative or otherwise?

There have been a few: Getting some artwork into Liberty of London in the 90s, getting into the Affordable art Fair Sydney in 2009 was the first step to getting somewhere in Oz but finally calling myself a professional artist in Dec 2014 has got to be up there after nearly 30 years of slog.

In another life what natural talent would you wish for?

It would be infinitely cool to be good at math.

If you could have your portrait painted by any artist dead or alive, who would you choose?

Not one for portraits but would love to see what Robert Crumb would do.

If you could only use one colour in your work what would it be?

PINK!

Love your Locals:

City/Town/Village where you currently reside:

Alexandria Sydney – yep, a local

Favourite spot for a bite:

Fratelli Fresh, Mitchell Road or Tuki Kanuki Erko. Fave pho place is Phd in Marrickville

Secret Inspirational spot: can I have 3?

The Asian Galleries at the AGNSW, the lotus pond in the botanic gardens and Kinokunya bookshop though I wish they’d let you sit on the step stools.

You can follow what Gabby is upto: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 3

Today on Snippet’s we are talking to Darren Church, graphic designer behind ‘Raw Inc’ a street design division based in Australia. Inspired by graffiti and street culture they design and create unique apparel, cushions and accessories.

The Snippety Snips:

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your creative practice is, how and when you began:

I’m currently based out in Penrith in Sydney’s lower Blue Mountains, but personally I enjoy the days out into the city and other areas I have to go, walking between stores and checking out what’s new on the streets in the graffiti scene catching up with shop owners.

How would you describe your work, and what influences your style?

I base 99% of our designs around graffiti and the classic sneaker culture, and we’re all about bold clean lines with fresh colours, using illustrations and different elements in photographs to create for that next cushion design. It’s our little niche and very different to what is out there in the industry.

We find people can relate to our different types of cushions, by bringing out what they grew up with a twist and purely for the love of the novelty of the item. We get contacted all the time by paint companies asking when are we going to do a cushion of their design.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Always finding myself sketching up new designs and redrawing artwork ready for print for clients. And always hunting around Sydney fabric stores to find that perfect fabric to match artwork being printed. Cutting and sewing up fabric for those store orders.

It does get chaotic sometimes and a little stressful but very satisfying and it’s worth it in the end to see people loving the products.

What has been your proudest achievement to date, creative or otherwise?

After many years of Managing retail stores here in Sydney and while living in the UK for 10 years, I got to the point of having enough and had to do something I enjoyed. So I studied Diploma in Graphic Design and a quick 12 month course in Screen Printing and realized I had so much to artwork and ideas I could do.

Now I have people coming up to me here in Sydney and in other states, that don’t even know me and treat me with a lot of respect. When we get emails weekly from European and US stores asking for order forms, it makes your day.

Tell us something people may not know about you

I’ve been doing graffiti since the late 80’s and I like to combine the elements and influences into my work and whilst living in the UK I studied fashion and design for 2 years. It really opens up your eyes to how things are designed and so easily produced.

Love your Locals:

City/Town/Village where you currently reside:

Sydney West

Favourite spot for a bite:

I don’t really have a favourite food spot, I like to try new things all the time and sometimes catch up with friends for lunch or drinks and talk about new projects and ideas.

Secret Inspirational spot:

I’m always out and about in the city. I like to walk around the city and look at all the different graffiti, art, stickers, advertisements and t-shirts people wear, I carry around a little sketch book and I’m always stopping and sit down somewhere doodling ideas down.

You can follow what Darren is upto: Website, Instagram, Facebook

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Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 1

Today on Snippet’s we are talking to Shyanne Clark, the swimwear and textile designer behind ‘Printsea’ a print design brand who love to spread sparkle and magic and inspire others to do the same.

The Snippety Snips:

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your creative practice is, how and when you began:

I’ve been a textile fabric designer for the past 5 years. My style is very mermaidy and I love tropical florals, so my business PRINTSEA has naturally progressed to helping bikini designers find their signature style and launch beautiful labels.

I am such a cheerleader for people doing what they truly love, the things that make them all sparkly inside. I was always that kid that didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, I didn’t fit in one of the boxes. I think it’s because I didn’t know this job existed or how all my talents could come together to be something. I adore what I do so much and its always growing and changing me. I feel so grateful that I listened to my heart and followed its windy path, you learn so much along the way and I would love that for everyone. I get giddy just thinking about it.

At the moment I’m creating a signature range of beautiful hand designed, high vibrational pieces. There is such magic in colour and creativity. My hope is that each piece will add a little extra sparkle to your day and that owning a piece will feel like a precious treasure that brings you many heart swelling, quiet smiles and inspires your soul.

What would your dream creative project look like?

I’ve actually got a bit of a fascination with creating a print that would cover a whole aeroplane. Could you imagine a giant bunch of gorgeous flowers flying through the sky. Instant happiness I reckon. I wonder if Richard Branson would let me print wrap a Virgin plane for fun?

In another life what natural talent would you wish for?

I’m pretty much tone deaf, sometimes I’ll sing + scare myself with how out of tune I am. I have always admired people that can make your heart swell with emotion from their singing voice. I’ve secretly wished that I could do this, but in saying that, I wouldn’t want to trade my talent of drawing flowers. Can I have two natural talents?

Which part of the creative process is your favourite and why?

I absolutely love the moment when the inspiration strikes + your imagination goes all bright + sparkly. You can’t wait to birth this creation that’s swirling around inside. It’s just such a rush of ecstatic excitement. I love that part. The finished piece is pretty amazing too, but the journey is the best.

Which other Australian designers, artists or creative people are you enjoying at the moment?

I adore Annie Everingham. Her paintings evoke so much feeling. They are so happy and beautiful. I could stare at their gorgeousness for hours.

Love your Locals:

City/Town/Village where you currently reside:

I live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, some people say, it’s like what Byron Bay was 20 years ago.

Favourite spot for a bite:

There is a gorgeous cafe at Rosemount called ‘GURU Life.’ The brother sister team roast their own beans + it truly is enlightenment in every cup, they have delicious raw treats and the staff are super friendly.

Secret Inspirational spot:

Well if I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret! … I actually adore the Noosa National Park, it’s a stunning feast for your eyes and soul (and a good workout if you walk all 8kms.) On a great day you’ll see turtles, whales + koalas.

Feeling inspired by Printsea to start a swimwear brand? You can buy her E book here. AND she is currently running a promo where you can purchase 1 print and get one for free with the code: PRINTME until August 17^th, then you can print it onto lycra here at Digital Fabrics and start YOUR creative journey.

You can follow what Printsea is upto: Website, Instagram, Facebook.

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Colourful Bunch by Sharon Wilson

Not going to lie it’s very nice getting sweet notes of appreciation from our customers, but more than anything we love receiving photos of makes and completed projects. We just love seeing what fabrics that we have printed has become. Sharon Wilson surprised us recently with images of her amazing colourful creations, box pleated skirt & boxer shorts, she used her photo to create this beautiful floral fabric. Her honest feedback and tips and tricks on working with Aerocorp fabric are truly appreciated and we are sure will be really helpful and inspiring to other sewers. Here is what Sharon wrote:

About 7 years ago I took a digital photo of this colourful bunch of flowers in Switzerland. After seeing what Digital Fabrics could offer with their range of fabric types, I couldn’t wait to order the Aerocorp fabric and make a knee length box pleated skirt with waist yoke. It turned out beautifully and there was even enough remnant to make a pair of boxer shorts .

I found the Aerocorp not difficult to work with. As the website said, it did have a soft handle and cotton look and feel, however it was resilient, as 100% polyester is, but with a good press, it is easy to tame into place or make a crisp line where necessary.
Aerocorp fabric has a tendency to unravel immediately after being cut. So don’t over handle it, and make sure that raw edges are tamed as soon as possible.
The skirt has a lovely drape and swing to it.
I probably would not make a top out of it unless it was for a cooler climate and a dressier look.
If the print is very busy (as this one was) you could even possibly get away with not ironing it – great for traveling.

The fabric order delivery was on time and well packed. Inside was also a sample pack which I really appreciated because sewers really need to feel a fabric to gain good judgement on what to use. I would definitely recommend this service and am tempted to order again some time in future.

If you are like Sharon have a creative project in mind and would like to print your own fabric, you can upload your design and start creating right away here.

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Tag Archives: fabric printing

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 9

Check your artwork repeats seamlessly with Offset Filter in Photoshop.

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 8

Textile Collection Memphis Summer

Holiday Break

Palm Springs – Fabric Design Competition

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 4

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 3

Snippets: Chats With Creatives – Series 1, Snippet 1

Colourful Bunch by Sharon Wilson

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