CSM - Childrenswear Design

At the start of lockdown, I signed up to do an online course with Central St Martins in Children's wear Design. I wanted a little project to do while I was on maternity - some dedicated 'me' time. I also (as you can see a few posts ago) designed and made my son a Wolf - Brave - Bold illustrated pair of dungarees and I LOVED creating it. It made me realise that I wanted to move into print design for Children's wear and I decided to spend as much time as my maternity leave affords to explore this area of illustration. At the same time (again, as you can see from my previous post) I started doing some freelance work for Lion & Leopard Print Studio which has been a dream - and where I am designing illustrated prints and characters for Children's wear - I'm so excited to see how that unfolds. 

So it was all really good timing - being inspired by my new son, my focus being on him, starting this course and producing freelance designs for Lion & Leopard.  

The course was really good to do during lockdown, it was nice to meet and chat to people from all over the world who had similar interests. We were encouraged to design our collections by extracting shapes from our moodbaords and inspirations. We could take our theme from anything we wanted. I decided to look at 'lockdown', 'pandemic' and 'social distancing'. Mainly because it was weighing heavily on my mind, and I thought it would be nice to address my thoughts and fears around the experience and be creative with it. 

I really enjoyed the idea generation, playing with shapes and concepts based around an omnipresent fear / thing in our lives (the virus) and how this could be translated to a creature. I thought about how there already are these creatures in our modern mythology - from the Loch Ness Monster to Japanese fairytales and mythological creatures. I included all of these ideas in my visual thought process. I also looked at more abstract shapes that came from the new signs and symbols of social distancing that are a big part of our environment now in this 'new normal' 

It was really good to learn how to use Illustrator in a more fashion - focused way. We didn't physically make any garments, but we learnt a really useful process to extract ideas and expand ideas so that in the future I could apply that approach to producing my own collection if I desired. But I discovered that my heart does lie in print design, placement and making characters, and that is where I want to push my own work further going forward. It allowed me to produce lots of ideas in a short space of time, with focus. I also really enjoyed drawing the little people illustrations for my clothing ideas. 

Lion & Leopard

Exciting news! I am so excited to share that I am working as a freelance designer for Lion & Leopard Kids Design and Print Studio. In my last post, I shared a pair of dungarees which I made for my new son! I drew the Wolves and made the elements into a repeat pattern, which was then made in to dungarees. I shared it on linkedin saying that I would love to move into producing illustration for kidswear and I discovered Lion & Leopard at the exact same time. Caroline, who leads the studio told me that she loved my work and now I am so happy to say that I am part of their fabulous team. 

They recently launched their AW 2021 collection at Blueprint which was virtually hosted this year. You can read more about that on the Print + Pattern blog here + watch this space for more exciting developments! Y A Y ! 

Brave - Bold - Wild - Wolf

I think all illustrators, when they have children want to create things for them. In fact, I'm sure everyone does! In between those milk coma naps at the start of my maternity I found it really hard to sleep myself, so I would just draw, inspired by my son. I created these Wolf characters - doing bad ass things - playing Gretsch guitars, riding motorcycles and skateboards and printed them on to cotton and made them into a one off pair of dungarees. How cool are these? I'd love to make more and move into print design for childrenswear in the future. 

Quilting

Last year, I screen printed these Owl's for the Hot Bed Press 20:20 2019 print exchange and exhibition. Each year they do a call out for printmakers to produce a 25 run of 20 cm x 20 cm prints - any subject and produced by any printing technique. As part of the Art House  print studio, where I produce my screen-prints, we formed a collective and I produced these owl prints. 

I really loved him and the square shape made me think how I could add other panels to it to create a big quilt. I was pregnant at the time and thought how lovely it would be to create a playmat for my son, or a wall hanging for his bedroom. I really enjoyed setting myself a personal project, and it was a big mathematical work-out, creating all the layers to print and working out the order of the colours, but super rewarding and fun to do. Here are some snap-shots of the process: 

I really enjoy printing on to cloth, building up the layers, seeing the patterns and characters come to life, but also the expectation that it's not the end once the final layer in put down - that it can be made into lots of new items - there's still lots of possibility! 

This week, I took the final quilt out to a local lake to take some photographs for my website . I love how it came together and I love that it is a completely unique gift for my son and that I've applied my illustrations on to a quilt. So much fun! 

The Commute

Since 2012 I’ve been commuting loads for work and I actually really enjoy it ! 🚂✨ I value the distance between work and home, I enjoy knowing two cities really well and getting involved with both and I find travelling by train quite romantic ~ the scenery, the time you get to listen to an album all the way through, time to read, write, draw, knit (or sleep!) I also definitely have one of those faces that people want to talk to, and like it or not I’ve met some right characters on my commute. Some joyful, some obnoxious, some silly, some friends even ! I started to draw the characters on and off during my long commutes south and back up north again - not a face mask in sight, unlike today. I have complied them into an illustrated 28 page zine printed by the awesome Ex Why Zed ✨ 

My plan was to pop some of them randomly back out on my commute - I liked the idea of some of them travelling around on their own journeys maybe brightening up a lonely journey for someone or cutting through the monotony of the everyday ~ but that’s unlikely now ! Who knows when we’ll be able to travel in the same way... Here are a few pages - see more here 

Plaques

Last year I used the laser cutter to play with bringing some of my characters to life on wood. At the same time I was really into collecting lots of different hooks to make an eclectic wall in a hallway in my home to hand coats and scarves. The odder the better really, I wanted each hook to be flamboyant and different.... and then, as I usually do - I think : let's make my own, and then, as it usually does, it became a mini project / production line in my studio, helped by my lovely boyfriend who enjoys a bit of woodwork and was keen to get involved. As well as creating to add to our wall at home, we produced runs of these chicken, zebra and dog plaques. All are completely hand-made, painted and varnished! You can see more and purchase your own here. 

Lucy + Yak / Black Cats

Over on the fabulous Luck + Yak instagram/website they have launched an awesome dreamy competition where you can design your own dream yaks! Click here if you fancy having a go during these lockdown days. My dream yaks would definitely be cat pattered ones. I wish they were real, I'd absolutely wear them everyday! Unfortunately they only available in my dreams... but they are based on my pink and black cat show pillows, pictured below and available in real life from my shop!

Illustrating Geography

I wanted to share an ongoing project - illustrating Geography for University Centre Peterborough in Cambridgeshire - these illustrations will aid the GCSE and A-level curriculum. You can see more on my recently updated website! 

Collaboration with Earthy Roots

Here are a selection of prints I illustrated for Earthy Roots. Bees are in decline and I wanted to create something where 50% of the profits go towards helping a sustainable company, like Earthy Roots nourish the bees, through their bee keeping on various sites in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. 50% of all sales will go directly to them which will help them to expand their apiary's and sustainable business. Check them out here. You can find my prints here.