Tanya Freitas – The Designer Project
2021 for The Designer Project has been truly incredible, and being just the second year for the initiative, we cannot wait for all the amazing artist features that will be in store in 2022. To wrap up this year’s series we’ve been sharing the gorgeous work of Surface Pattern Designer Tanya Freitas and what a showcase it’s been! The Sydney-based designer creates beautifully rich and detailed designs, and has made a selection of her unforgettable florals available in our Fabric Shop. As part of Tanya’s feature, the designer herself has written a blog for us which we’ve shared below! The guest blog covers off Tanya’s workspace, background and typical design process. Keep reading to find out more about Tanya and her captivating designs!
Tanya Freitas
Hey everyone, I’m Tanya and it’s so exciting to be part of this The Designer Project! A textile designer by trade, I currently own and run Wild Coral Design, a boutique studio specialising in contemporary print and surface design. I live in the beautiful harbour city of Sydney, with my hubby and two little kiddos who keep me super busy but are also my reason for pursuing my dream of working freelance so I can be there for all the drop-offs, pick-ups and tantrums in between!
“Parkes”
Today I’m excited to open up the (virtual) doors to my studio and share with you snippets of my creative process, inspiration & workspace as well chat about my collection of prints now available with Digital Fabrics. Yay!
Tanya’s home studio
I work out of one half of the spare room in our home (my hubby has the other corner)! It has the best natural light and I’m forever grateful for this space! I keep my work area pretty tidy, however it often features several notebooks, planners, reference books and multiple cups of tea I’ve been drinking throughout the day. In case you’re wondering – I’m a 100% English Breakfast with milk kinda girl!
One of Tanya’s works-in-progress
I like to think of my creative aesthetic as ‘Contemporary with an Ethnic Heart’. I grew up in India so the art, architecture and colour of that part of the world is a constant source of inspiration when it comes to my designs. I often like looking ‘back’ on Art history movements to draw on motif and pattern inspiration and of course you’ll rarely see a print without a floral in my collections!
“Rosetta”
My process is 100% digital these days. My beloved iPad pro, iMac and Photoshop are my creative best mates and I love that I can use technology to create art that still retains that imperfect, hand rendered quality I’m always aiming for.
Tanya designing
The ‘Ditsy Boheme’ collection of prints is a reflection of my love for florals, warm colours all featuring that ever present, ethnic flair while ‘Nowhere but Home’ is a project born out of the pandemic lockdown, inspired by neighbourhood walks and my 5K surrounds we were allowed to explore.
“Carlotta”
As much as I love prints and fabric, I’ve never really persisted long enough at a sewing machine to master it but it’s always my dream to see my prints made up into beautiful products for fashion or home. Thanks to Digital Fabrics, I’m hoping this collection finds its place in the hearts of many talented sewers who can give life to my little drawings and create products to keep forever. So, with all these prints ready to be snapped up from the DF Fabric Shop and with minimums of only 1m, you can’t go wrong! I can’t wait to see what you create.
“Ditsie”
It’s been a pleasure to chat with you and I so appreciate that you’ve made it to the end of this post 🙂 I’d love to keep in touch and see what you do with my fabric, so please feel free to tag me and Digital Fabrics in all your sewing adventures! Instagram is home to all the latest in the Wild Coral world and you can follow along here @wild_coral or head over to my website, if you’d like to see more of what I do and get to know me a bit better!
See you around soon,
Tanya x
“Floral Bokeh”
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!