Patterns

Yep, my blog seem to have been abandoned for a good few weeks so I  thought I should update.  Recently I have entered a few competitions at Tigerprint as well as others such as Caroling Gardner and Joseph Joseph I thought it is time to do a designs of my own.  I have created a few repeat pattern designs which were developed from a few doodles in a sketch book. 

I used this excellent repeat pattern technique by Jess Volinski who is a surface designer and illustrator. 

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/?featureid=1675&pn=4

After a long wait the Caroline Gardner Christmas card competition has been selected - see below.  Congratulations to Pauline Grayson.

Floral doodles

Two weeks ago I drew  floral doodles that were inspired by the brilliant illustrations of Hennie Haworth.  http://www.henniehaworth.co.uk/  I developed them in Illustrator and Photoshop to create this design.

Tigerprint floral photography competition

I have been browsing through lots of my photos to find some nice floral images for the lastest Tigerprint competition.  It was difficult to decide which ones to pick but here are my five entries.

I have had two of my pattens published in pattern peoples ebook - repeat after me.  The designs they picked were both repeat Christmas designs.

Caroline Gardner Christmas card competition

Caroline Gardner set a competition to design a Christmas card for the UK charity Meningitis Trust.  The winner will be invited to for a months paid internship as well as have the card on the Menningtis trust website and in their catalogue.  100% of the money raised will go to the trust.

pattern people

I'm delighted to have had one of my repeat pattern designs selected for pattern peoples new e book.  Wonder which one they picked !

http://www.patternpeople.com/

Art for holmfirth

After the visit to Saltaire I was much more focused on what I was going to enter.  I had originally stated a illustrative drawing of a house on Victoria road but I decided to create a more painterly and colourful artwork.  I think this will fit in much better because it is more expressive, energetic and vibrant.  I did a small piece A4 of an house on Victoria road to pracitce my technique which turned out much better than what I had expected..

This ia a house in Airmyn, East Yorkshire which I am going to enter into the Holmfirth artweek exhibition.

This is Vicars cafe on Victoria Road, Saltaire and I am also going to enter into the Holmfirth artweek exhibition.  I hope they will sell.

Saltaire Arts Trail

On bank holiday Monday I met up with Hayley and Adele from uni and we went to Saltaire to do the Arts Trail. It include a craft market as well as artists and designer makers selling their creations from open houses.

http://www.saltaireartstrail.co.uk/documents/SAT2011_Brochure.pdf

Saltaire is an interesting place because as well as being a unesco world heritage site there is the brilliant Salt mill which a gallery of works by David Hockney.  Visiting Saltaire is always inspirational, we spent lots of time browsing greeting cards and books in the Mill.

Three cards I thought were inspirational - two from the mill and one by Clare Caulfield

Butterfly by Norman Adams RA.  I love the simplicity and colour of the butterfly

Love birds by Allan Drummond

 Monmarte by Clare Caulfield.  Work created by print artists has inspired me to attend a print class at Peters.  I haven't done any collagraph printing for over two years and I think a session is well over due.

http://www.peterpainterprintmaker.com/

Artwork

I have been doing lots more work by hand and created a few water colour and ink florals incling bluebells, foxgloves and ferns.  They were inspired by walking in the wood and plants in the garden.

I also want to create a layered paper cut out similar to Emma Blocs style and although my first idea did not work as well as I had expected  I continued and began an idea based on Saltaire.  Kate lycett has also had some influence on my work.  I lived in Saltaire for a few months while I was on my work placement from uni.  I loved living there and still miss the Salts mill and all the inspirational architecture that I took lots of photos of.

http://www.katelycett.co.uk/

work in progress

Out in the sun

Been out and about to gather some inspiration for artwork at the Holmfirth artweek.  I have collecting and drawing images of plants to create some pictures.

New pumps, the're all summery

Sketch book

A sketch from last night inspired by Sunday afternoons glass of Pimm's at the Barrel Inn and a floral sketch from Howard park. I have really enjoyed drawing over the last few days and as I have had a letter this morning to confirm a place at the Holmfirth art week exhibition I will be drawing much more.  I have absolutely no idea what to enter in the exhibition.

Holiday Monday

I went to Glossop to meet Hayley and have an afternoon drawing.  We went to the old Dinting railway shed and howard park to draw.

Sketch books and forget-me-not flowers with added shadows

Cute little bells that I didn't notice until the wind blew

Sunday Walk

Spent most of the holiday weekend outdoors in the sunny, windy weather and went on a walk around Eyam with around 60 other people.  I had a Pimms and lemonade with all the trimmings at the Barrel Inn, the highest pub in Derbyshire...... just the job after a good country walk. Refreshing

More competition designs

I have created six designs using hand drawn type and water colour pencil.  I am going to email them off to the monthly tigerprint competition.
Here are the other entries http://tigerprint.typepad.com/photos/hand_drawn_competition/

Brodsworth hall

I visited Brodsworth Hall for some inspiration last week.  The gardens are not in bloom yet but the topary trees were impressive.  They inspired  me to do a greetings card design.

I still need to play around with this a little before I finalise it.

Design competitions

Last month I created some pattern designs for two competitions.  Five for the design a sock and five for the Joseph Joseph work top saver. 

The Joseph Joseph winning mat designs will be on the market in August and I'm looking forward to seeing them.  Here are my designs........

Twenty five designs were short listed and here is a link to the winning sock design.
https://www.sockittome.com/cart/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=10