They Draw & Travel

Last week I received the exciting news that my map of Portsmouth, NH is going to be published in They Draw & Travel's first book of illustrated maps! The book includes 100 amazing, artist-designed maps of American Places.

You can find out all the information here!

Botanical Sketchbook Collection

In August I created a pattern for the Fabric8 Spoonflower/Moda Fabrics competition. I was thrilled when my design made the Top 100. I recently designed some coordinates to accompany the original pattern. These will be available in my Spoonflower shop soon.

Goodnight, Moon

I couldn't resist creating a sleeping moon pattern for this week's Spoonflower Challenge. Aren't they so dapper, snoring away in their little hats and bow ties? Check out the cool variety designs based on Moon Phases here. Coordinates to come…

Making Spirits Bright

Ah, November. Before you know it the snow will be right around the corner. And judging by all the acorns in my yard, it's going to be another whopper of a winter. Here's a jolly little collection to ease into the proper spirit…

Make it in Design Interview

The fantastic folks over at Make It In Design interviewed me about the scholarship I won last year to the amazing online course, The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design. I can hardly believe the last of the three modules is wrapping up this week! Eek! Where does the time go?

You can read the interview here. They are gearing up to launch the scholarship again, so all you aspiring surface pattern designers out there should give it a shot! What have you got to lose?

Watch the Birdie

Getting all my birds in a row… I'll be adding them to my Spoonflower Shop shortly.

Spotted in the Studio...

Lately, I've been playing with color palettes and cute wild animals. I've loved giraffes ever since I was a little girl and took a field trip to the zoo in kindergarten…

I submitted this giraffe repeat design to Minted's Children's Fabric Challenge. Voting ends today. If you hurry you might be able to squeak in under the wire here. I also think it would make an adorable gift bag or wrapping paper for newborns.

A Day for Dandelions

Some days you just feel like making dandelion patterns…

Fabric8 Competition

I was thrilled to have my design, Garden Sketchbook, selected for the Top 100 in the Spoonflower / Moda Fabrics Fabric8 Contest. Today is the last day to vote and then the top 8 will move on to designing a collection for the final round. There are so many gorgeous designs. I don't anticipate moving on, but I was honored to make it into the top 100 from almost 800 entries.

If you haven't voted yet, here's the link: Fabric8

If Converse Made Bird Shoes...

I decided once again to enter Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search, because what did I have to lose? A professional-level brief, an amazing group of talented artists and the opportunity to push myself and showcase my work.

This year did not disappoint. The Round 1, 22-page brief was full of inspiration from a day in the life of a fictitious character who needed a pair of sneakers. Based on her quirky and sophisticated tastes, what would she want to buy?

I designed her a pair of celestial sneakers. Birds, clouds, sky, constellations. And of course she would wear Converse high-tops!

I had a hard time choosing between the blue and the chocolate patterns I designed.  But in the end, robin's egg blue (her favorite color) won out. Perhaps she would break out the brown for autumn? 

So far, the entires I've seen are simply stunning! So many talented individuals. How she will narrow it down to just 50 is beyond me. Best of luck to all who participated this year! And sneaker manufacturers take note: there are some show-stopping designs out there ready to sell your shoes….

'Tis the Season!

A couple of my designs from last year's Advent project made it onto cards for Minted! They're available for sale now if you're super organized and want to get a jump on your holiday shopping.
You can check them out here (snow globe) and here (hot chocolate). Of course, they'll also be available later, if you're like me and don't even want to think about snow yet…

Lemonade, please!

What could be more summery than a cute little lemonade pattern? Today is the last day to vote for this week's fun Spoonflower theme. This design will be available to purchase as fabric, gift wrap or wallpaper as soon as I approve the color. Wouldn't it make a darling dress for a sweet little girl? If only I could sew! Check out my Spoonflower shop here: Shindig Design Studio

MATS Bootcamp Month 5 - Digital Nomad

I'm sad to say, it's the end of Make Art That Sells Bootcamp 2015 with Lilla Rogers. For our final assignment we had to illustrate an article about succeeding as a digital nomad—that is someone who works remotely from anywhere in the world. Editorial is a bit tough for me. As a logo designer, I tend to edit everything down to simple shapes and ideas. I find the editorial market a place for lush illustrations that are complex, layered and conceptual.

As always, I had lots of ideas. But in the end, I decided to illustrate what I would do if I were a digital nomad. And that is, surround myself with flowers, the outdoors, and friendly wildlife.

A second concept I began to execute was a woman trekking around the globe, as she is plugged in to the digital world. I think collage or a different style would have strengthened this idea, but it was fun to try.

Dad's Day

Inspired by dads everywhere! Ties and fish. Work and play. I'll be sending this pattern to my Spoonflower Shop shortly. Perfect for wrapping paper or bathing trunks, don't you think?

MATS Bootcamp Month 4 - Marine Mash-up

This month in Make Art that Sells Bootcamp we tackled crustaceans and patterns. And married them together. A marine mash-up for plates. I didn't have as much time to experiment as I would have liked, but I managed to pull-off a kiddie version with some cute and crabby characters on seaweed backgrounds.

I'm thinking these critters would be perfect for kid's beach towels or beach bags…?

Mermaids

This week is all about the sea! First up, a mermaid illustration and repeat pattern. I couldn't resist entering the CWDKids and Spoonflower competition. The winning design gets printed on kids pajamas—how fun! So head on over to Spoonflower and vote for your favorites...

Next up will be my MATS Bootcamp assignment, which is also sea-themed. So pop on back in a few days to see what I come up with!

Antique Garden

As part of my ABSPD Module 2 course we get a few sneak peeks at several trend reports. I spotted this beautiful muted palette for Spring 2016 and created a new collection called Antique Garden.