Guru for advent (5): Michelle Fifis... and penguin development

A few years ago when I first started getting into this Surface Pattern Design thing one of the first blogs I tripped over was PatternObserver, written by Michelle Fifis. It also seemed back then that there were two main online surface pattern design courses: Michelle's 'The Sellable Sketch' and the 'Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design' courses run by Beth Kempton and Rachael Taylor.

Of the two possible routes I chose the British one (ABSPD) - in my ignorance I felt safer with home turf and it was a little cheaper. Both companies now run a range of course levels and content. As with any text book, different styles suit different people; I believe the main difference between them maybe that you get more individualised feedback from the course leader via Michelle's courses - which may account for the higher cost. Also sometimes I feel I see higher quality art based work on Michelle's site. But I could be wrong.

Despite not taking her course, following Michelle has still been immensely valuable. From time to time she offers free 'mini-courses' (eg 'Artwork Preparation: a freelancer's guide') and webinars (eg Marketing can be beautiful') on aspects of the business, which are like 'tasters' for the full courses. This allows you to sample her style of teaching at the same time as learning a new skill or gaining insight into the business. Brwosing her website just now I also came across other options and useful help eg the opportunity to have Artwork Critiques and a page of helpful design resources.

I'm not looking for another course at present; I have just done ABSPD Module Two but was in fact too ill over several weeks properly to engage with it. I feel also that I need to allow myself a good long while to squeeze all the goodness out of what I have learnt so far and work on consolidating my style. I sent Michelle a feedback email after the 'Marketing can be beautiful' webinar and was delighted to receive an email back:

Hi Catherine!

Thank you so much for this kind and thoughtful email.

When looking for your style, I recommend sketching a little bit everyday until you find "your groove". Maybe focus less on what's on the internet and more on your sketchbook!

Much love,

Michelle

I do find Michelle's style helpful; I do find the idea of personalised feedback from the course leader attractive. And I believe I'm right in thinking that Ellie Cashman (one of my favourite designers as you know) also took courses from both sources (particularly praising Michelle's 'Ultimate Guide to Repeats'). So if the time comes when I'm ready to invest again I may well be looking in that direction.

And so to penguins. I'm chickening out of Faye Brown's actual challenge today: snow creatures, because to be frank, I am inspiration-less on that front. Instead I'm taking yesterday's work further.....and in doing so it's becoming less obviously penguin-y (which means it wouldn't recognisably fit any penguin trend....).

Original from yesterday

Indexing the colours of my rock-hopper (as per the 'Artwork Preparation short course mentioned earlier). If I wanted to work with a screen printing company as opposed to a digital printers and if I'm not using images that have been created purely using Illustrator, then I need to know how to reduce the number of colours in the image to match the number of screens being used (a different colour for each screen).

Masked first then indexed to 12 colours
with a customised palette - interesting!

Using my rock-hopper's monstrous head-dress as inspiration I develop line work that is more adventurous.......

......more of 'me' in this......

'Lifted' the belly and wing of penguin,
indexed, mirrored and then placed line drawn icon

Not being sure I like the colours I try variations:

Greener....

Warmer.....

Of course, people responding to my post yesterday liked the cute penguins and the dancing penguins. I'm really not sure what anyone is going to think of this.... Christmassy, it ain't!

Let me know, someone!

Catherine

Icon for Advent (4) Laura Ashley - 'nuff said?

What do we all think we know about Laura Ashley?

Roses? 'English'? Classic? Florals? Frocks?

Think also:

• self taught (to support husband's change of career)
• started small - in the (London) kitchen after the children had gone to bed
• actually she was Welsh
• actually she always prefered the home furnishing side
• it wasn't just Laura - husband Bernard designed the printing machines and turned out to be a natural 'colourist'; their children also became involved in the business
• they lived above the shop in Machynlleth, Wales for six years
• supporter of the 'local' economy; philanthropist

May I recommend her biography? Lots to be inspired by and to learn from.

Faye Brown Design's Advent challenge theme today is penguins. I fail to see what they have to do with Advent, really - cute and saleable maybe? Cute isn't something I'm ever that drawn to, so decided to just experiment with different media and some prompts from the internet.  Don't really like any of them yet and I'm definitely rusty with anything other than line drawing. More work needed I think.

Line drawn - plain and embellished - from inside my head

Rockhopper penguin - acrylics

Dancing penguin - pastels

Advent calendar guru (3) Andrew Taylor (author) and a discussion of style

I can be quite suggestible so when my sister says some of my designs are really quite upmarket, that's the way I think I ought to go. That's the way I develop my scarf designs and I'm very happy with the brand, logo and packaging ideas I have for them.

But just as some days my taste / requirement from music is classical (sometimes challengingly so) and on other days my need is to put Pharrell William's 'Happy' on repeat and dance madly around the lounge (whatever you think of him, that song just is 'happy'), so my pattern imperatives also vary.

I use photographic sources, sometimes as the main image, sometimes as background; I also use line work and original coloured artwork in various media. Sometimes I combine all these things in one design; sometimes not. And so a 'reason to be cheerful' about delaying the scarves, is that I can spend more time ensuring they have a more coherent 'house style'.

But I still chafe against the idea of limiting myself, of squashing parts of me that still want expression out in the world. And that brings me to my inspiration guru of the day, author Andrew Taylor. Andrew is an award winning writer whom some of you might know: he came to prominence particularly when his novel 'The American Boy' was chosen for Richard and Judy's book club (in that club's earlier days).

I ran public library events with Andrew a couple of times. He's very interesting to listen to and you don't hear the same anecdotes twice. My point about him is, he has not limited himself. His 'Lydmouth' crime series has many fans yet is for me at least, sturdily of its type (think Morse / Midsomer Murders) - comfortable crime, in this case set in a fictionalised Forest of Dean / Welsh border area for the added delight of us locals. In fact he hasn't published a 'Lydmouth' novel since 2006.

More recently his work covers much darker psychological and often historical thrillers like 'The Roth Trilogy', or 'Bleeding Heart Square'. His skill with the accurate historical detail and description give the reader a great sense of 'being there'. And, if you actually ever have 'been' there as I have have been (one of his novels mentions the London street on which my sister lives) then the book lives (dances, almost) doubly in your mind as you reconcile the 'now' with the 'then' being described. No expert, I would still put the word 'Literature' (with capital 'L') to Andrew's later work.

My second point therefore should now be obvious and can be underlined if you also read his very first novel - 'Caroline Minuscule'. Andrew has allowed his 'style' to mature over time (years).

And I conclude that I am running before I can walk! My scarves will stay on the back burner for as long as they need to and I will continue to experiment. Which is why I really am enjoying the Faye Brown Designs Advent challenge: achieving something (as we used to say in the library service) 'quick & dirty' - not stressing - just playing. Letting it flow.

Christmas trees worked up from yesterday

Christmas tree decoration for today

Advent calendar of gurus, heroes & icons (2) Sir Nicholas Serota....

... and I didn't even know his name till this week.

Watching the Turner Prize last night, it turns out that Nicholas Serota, director of Tate Modern has been instrumental in it for many years. And while I don't really remember the first Turner Prize, haven't always paid attention to it, and haven't necessarily at the time always understood or appreciated the art it offered, I have increasingly felt its presence in the national psyche. The Prize is an annual opportunity to raise art in our consciousness.

Why is art important? A complex and for some contentious question. There is of course, the economic argument:

'Businesses in the UK arts and culture industry generated an aggregate turnover of £12.4  billion 

in 2011, which is 3.5 per cent lower than its peak in 2008. The subsets of the arts and culture 

industry’s productive activities of book publishing, performing arts and artistic creation are the 

largest contributors to the industry’s aggregate turnover performance.  

This led those businesses to contribute an estimated £5.9 billion of gross value added (GVA) to 

the UK economy, also in 2011. However, the GVA contribution of these businesses has grown 

since  2008,  in  contrast to turnover.  Closer  analysis reveals that  businesses  in the  arts  and 

culture industry have been successful in cutting costs and have thus, by increasing their GVA, 

increased their contribution to UK GDP even as the wider economy contracted.' 

The contribution of the arts and culture to the national economy, Report for Arts Council England and the National Museums Directors’ Council May 2013 

 And this is important. It allows the employed to earn their living and support themselves and those less fortunate to have a better chance of being supported through tax revenue.  But no less important is art for art's sake - because it enriches us, enlivens us, causes us to make connections both in our heads and socially.  Two personal examples: one from Tate Modern and one from Gloucester Cathedral near where I live.

Visiting Tate Modern one year I entered a gallery and high on the diagonally opposite wall hung a long piece of heavy blue canvas on a rail. Its drape could be adjusted in various ways causing it to be interpreted differently. Apparently one draping is likened to what I shall daintily call 'the male member'. That wasn't what I saw. For me it was a Katharine Hepburn or Lauren Bacall film star dress from the 1930's or 40's. Because it was my brain and my memories and my likes and dislikes and my artistic and fashion aspirations it was interacting with. Art as an individual experience. I bought a post card of it. I have it still. I'm going to dig it out and design that dress.......

Gloucester Cathedral hosts an annual exhibition of sculpture. It is one of the very best things that takes place in my city and people come from quite some distance. We get to see new works and older works, works from this country, works from abroad and from local artists. We also get Henry Moore sculptures and Damien Hirst's. We count ourselves very lucky. The event is a triple whammy of pleasure though.... We get to see all this imported art but we also get to remind ourselves of the beauty, art and workmanship that exists in the Cathedral day in, day out. And the third whammy is that people don't just view in silence. They talk about it. Even to strangers. 'That's amazing', 'oh, I love that', 'that was done by one of my neighbours', 'that's my favourite', 'I never would have thought to put that with that, but now they have - it just makes you feel...', 'it's good - you can tell it's good.....but ...I couldn't live with it.' 'couldn't you just take her home and have her striding across your house, looking out into the distance like that.'  And so on.

Life enhancing. And so, therefore, has Nicholas Serota been. Thank you.

A quick thank you also to my fabulous niece Michelle who told me her favourite fashion magazine was 'Red' and caused me to pick it up and read it in the dentist's waiting room. Serious business, this trend research.

Faye Brown Design's Advent Challenge today was Christmas Trees - it's been a long day so here's just a couple of quick sketches to be worked up properly tomorrow:

A personal advent calendar of heroes, gurus and icons (1)

I just thought I'd spend December paying tribute to people I admire and / or who have influenced me on my journey. 'Tis a time to be thankful.  Also gifted to you in the spirit of one of  'The 7 habits of highly effective people' - reading about other successful people. Although defining 'effective', like defining 'successful' is a relative exercise in itself, depending on you and your own values.

In no particular order, I present Muriel Gray.  Many of you will know of her as a writer, journalist and broadcaster and may recently have seen her on news programmes when Glasgow College of Art burnt down as she is Chair of the board of governors there. In researching this little piece I've become aware of so much more about her and of so much more I want to know.

I first became aware of her as an interviewer in the early days of The Tube. With her short dyed blond hair, her gangly figure and individual clothing style, she was very different from the people I'd grown up with. Obviously knowledgeable and with opinions, I took to her and her Scottish accent immediately, whilst also being slightly intimidated by her. The intimidation passed with the years..... I believe her to be a very warm and genuine person. There are two specific instances I want to mention: years ago I heard her interviewed on the radio about rambling (she is a great walker) and she talked about prefering that to spending Saturdays in the 'shopping sheds' that outlie all towns and cities. A comment that caused me to re-evaluate my own relationship with such sheds and the value of shopping as an entertainment in itself.

And I chiefly recall a wonderful BBC2 series she hosted where she gathered up a group of ordinary people from the North East who had never had much to do with art and artists. She took them on a tour of art galleries around the country, looking at all kinds of work, old and new, modern and traditional. At the end of the series they were each able to choose one piece of work they had seen, the one that had had most impact on them. That piece of work was transported to their own homes and hung there for a day. In the course of the programmes I and these people were introduced to artists and genres we had never heard of. Our eyes were opened and so (often) were our hearts, with that magical and somewhat unfathomable power that certain pieces of art have to connect with the individual. Curmudgeonly 'all this art's a waste of time' attitudes were transformed unexpectedly and while some people's choices were predictable (the woman who started out liking Constable's The Haywain still chose that to hang in her living room), others were much much less so. Fascinating to watch and feel and try to second-guess the transformations taking place. A series I'd love to see again; a series the making of which I'd love to see repeated on a regular basis.......A series I have tried and failed to find or name.  Reality TV at its absolute (& quite early) best.

So I think the thing I like best about Muriel is her great advocacy of the arts for everybody - for everybody to appreciate it, for everybody to 'do' it.

Two further gifts for you today: a photograph from today's walk - starry leaves for the Advent calendar (when I was a child, you didn't get chocolate - the picture behind the calendar door was the exciting thing in itself. Here's to re-instating that spirit! Not, you understand, that I have anything against chocolate.....).

Starry leaves for the 1st December

 and a quick Santa's hat - for the 2014 Advent challenge from Faye Brown Designs:

Milestones in self-belief

Milestone 1
Late 2013, on a quick trip to London, I finally visit Tate. A great admirer of David Hockney, particularly his Yorkshire paintings, I've only seen his earlier works in books and not been entirely convinced by them. 'A Bigger Splash' seems somewhat 'flat' on the page but up close, personal and 'live', I see the layering and detail of the brushstrokes and understand the whole piece in a deeper way.

The milestone moment really comes when I see 'Mr & Mrs Clark and Percy'. Not that interesting on the pages of a book (who cares about these people?), the reality is a large canvas containing a huge variety of texture and stroke and, most significantly for me, what could have been regarded as an error. I realise I've always thought true artists didn't make these. That this was what marked them out as true artists, truly gifted. Something to which I could never hope to aspire. But there, where the woman's hand meets her hip, you can tell Hockney changed his mind about the way it was shaped or proportioned. You can tell he has filled in his 'mistake' in colours that don't quite match. And yet he is (for me) the God 'Hockney'. His work hangs in Tate. And if he can change his mind about something and still allow his development, process and improvements to be visible, then what am I afraid of?

Milestone 2
The same visit to London. Quick breakfast at Giraffe with my sister and brother-in-law before returning home. My brother-in-law takes issue with my mealy-mouthed timidity in declaring my artist status.'Of course you're an artist,' he says, 'you do it, you create, you don't just talk about doing it.' And my sister added 'What makes someone an artist, I think, is when they constantly explore and try to develop and improve and question. And you do all that.'

Milestone 3
Though I still refer to myself as a librarian, I also talk about being 'in transition', being more open about having taken redundancy and accepted a part time role to allow myself to explore my potential. I admit to being self taught for two years before allowing myself to commit to (paying for) an industry based course. My self-concept is changing. I talk about my 'design colleagues'. I refer to 'my work' (meaning my design work, my style, what I'm hoping to achieve - not my paid employment as a librarian).

Milestone 4
Needing more more pointed feedback and sensing a trust in the opinions of my design colleague, Whitney-Anne Baker  (from the course) I bravely pick up the phone. Going through my work she points out to me that designs I think are terrible or hideous are not in fact so. They just are not my own personal taste. They are useable and probably saleable - it's just that I am not yet satisfied by them (see my sister's comments in Milestone 2).

Milestone 5
The response from fellow guests and the owners at La Grande Maison.

Conclusions? I think my personal dissatisfactions with my work can serve to indicate the paths I should be following next. I don't think I want to be a designer of stationery for example (though I love a beautifully covered notebook or sketchbook).

I am tempted by the idea of wallpaper having learnt to do mock ups and I think I will explore this avenue. And fabric, of course,  has long been a temptation. The need inside me to perfect the most beautiful patterns and designs for my scarves is so strong, though, I start to feel I don't want to be a designer of high street patterns. My style (still developing, a lifelong journey) is not, I think, a quick flash in the pan - this season - next season - have it now, reject it next week thing. I want my work to stand the test of longer time than that. It is seeping through me that I want to create a brand. I have not launched my scarves after all this autumn - for several reasons, a main one being that my personal sewing & finishing skills have proved inadequate to the task. Which requires re-costing and finding people who can do it and do it properly.

Which is fine, actually. Despite the title of this blog (I'm beginning to feel it's a bit misnamed), I realise it is a designer that I most want to be - not a maker. And my passion for perfecting the scarf designs is so strong that honestly, if the manufacturing quality and the total package and experience of buying receiving, owning and wearing them is not going to match up to the design quality, there is little point. I want people to love these scarves.

I'd feel the same about the wallpaper.... Can you have a brand that mixes wallpaper with silk scarves? (Insert winking smiley here!)

And talking wallpaper and to counteract the lack of visual stimulus in this post please,  please pay a visit to Ellie Cashman Design. I've never met Ellie; I'm not paid to promote her. I've followed her blog (see link to the right) and been inspired by her journey for several years now and I am a total fan. I'd love to interview her for this blog one day.

Enjoy...

Catherine

Pattern Design Heaven - as promised...

In truth, I expect there is a little bit of pattern design heaven everywhere. Even in the desert the light changes and the sands shift bringing new inspiration daily. But after two solid weeks of concentrated work refining my proofs ready to be printed, I was somewhat 'patterned out'. To have a complete change of environment was just what was needed.

First Rouen which, though I've only visited twice for overnight stops, is fast becoming one of my favourite places. A city of fretwork cathedrals, Joan of Arc, cobbled streets, and medieval buildings.

There is an abundance of wrought ironwork in France, from the elegantly simple to the very ornate (see a selection here). I confess to a bit of a thing for wrought iron. I think it stems from Sundays spent looking at the 'angels and leaves' altar rail in the Methodist Church of my childhood. Also maybe the toddler hours spent tracing the bannisters at home (followed by more, older, hours spent dusting them).

Although the patterns I create are not all 'traditional' in style, I do love looking at old patterns. One of my favourite resources is the book 'Pattern Design' by Lewis F. Day which I treasure for its old diagrams and inspiration, although rather less for its archaic (1880's) language.

Pattern design heaven really kicked in when we reached our home for the week. Billie & Ben, the owners of La Grande Maison, allowed me to photograph the old original wallpapers they found when they bought the house, some of which they have managed to restore and keep.

They also showed us the, as yet undecorated, old ballroom, a quite atmospheric and lovely room. If you look carefully behind the mirror you can still make out the words written by German soldiers stationed there during WW2.....

Nearby, Chateau Villandry provided another opportunity to gourmandise on period patterns:

This holiday was also heaven for the company we kept. Twice a week Billie & Ben cook meals served in the old wine press room - you don't have to go if you don't want to and if, like me, you can't eat what they are serving that night, they are very happy for you to take your own plate round. We met tree surgeons, industrial chemists, stone carvers, (all English), a teacher and an illustrator of children's books (both French). And we met Billie & Ben, actually both professional musicians.  Best of all, for me, was that I happened to have taken some of my printed designs with me. I showed them to a sixteen year old guest studying GCSE Textiles and told her about the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design course. And then other people showed interest in seeing them. The feedback was amazing.....I am an artist!


So, if you're feeling jaded and inspiration-less, leave the house behind and travel. Even if, for you, it can only be a walk around the block - go with eyes & mind open to what's hiding there. I promise you will either see something new or see the old in a new way.

Love

Catherine