Inspired by Surtex 2013

Posted on May 23, 2013 by artistically afflicted

Well NYC has officially beat me! I have escaped to Central Park for the afternoon. Sitting here on a rock under the trees,I can still hear the dull roar of the city behind me. It’s mayhem out there! I love the energy and inspiration NYC provides but,after 3 days, my thoughts drift back to a more peaceful way of living.

My trip here to visit Surtex 2013 has been a great one. I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions-super excited,starstruck,overwhelmed,relieved,anxious – just a few emotions that have swept over me the past few days of Surtex. All of this accompanied by some very sore feet from all the walking!

I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to walk the show for my first time this year. I followed all the rules of etiquette but discovered quickly that they are just guidelines. Everyone is super friendly and very helpful. I took pictures with permission, spoke to many of the artists, handed out a few business cards and generally made connections with others within my community.

I had the opportunity to meet up with many of my virtual-world designer friends. I loved spending time with them, they are always full of enthusiasm and good advice! Many exhibitors I spoke with during the show commented on the importance of working within a community. Many of us sit at home daily designing and need to have designer friends to reach out to in times of need. These are your people!

julie hamilton designs, artistically afflicted blog

Some of the girls from our love of print & pattern group
Kim Andersson,Suzie Tremel,Julie Hamilton,Deborah Velasquez,Mary Tanana, Maeve Parker

I still don’t have enough trade show knowledge to answer the question that everyone keeps asking ” Are you going to show next year?” Many thoughts are running through my head and they may be off kilter. All I do know is that Surtex isn’t something one takes lightly!

You need to have your style and your brand down and it needs to be different and uniquely you.You need to stand out – even before you get to the show. I believe a lot of your connections have to be made beforehand. They need to know you are out there. I also believe you have to commit to the show for a few years and slowly develop your connections. You need to have a 3-5 year plan of surtex attack. As with any brand you need to be consistent and present. Lastly- Know your market.

Sarah Watts of Wattsalot – my favorite booth! http://www.wattsalot.com

I do believe that it is a great community and place to make connections.The show is super organized and well presented.Everyone is happy, helpful and supportive.If you need a little break from pattern then you have The National Stationary Show and International Contemporary Furniture Fair right next door. I spent hours walking the aisles in awe.Home furnishings, paper, pattern,typography – it was my little piece of heaven.

Caleb Gray – http://www.calebgray.com

Some delightful designers I had the opportunity to meet and chat with.

Cindy Lindgren – http://www.cindylindgren.com

Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of some of my other favorites – Jessica Swift, Elizabeth Olwen, Alex Columbo, Monica Lee, Pink Light Studios, but they were all there. I felt like a bit of a surface pattern design groupie!

Kim Gann- http://www.kgartstudio.com Karen Reeves- http://www.karenreevesstudio.com

I was very fortunate to have some chat time with Lilla Rogers of Lilla Rogers Studio. Lilla is a leader in the art and illustration industry.My first impression was wow-now that’s a teacher!

Lilla Rogers, Deborah Velasquez, Julie Hamilton

Lilla is a teacher and it becomes most apparent when in discussion with her. She loves to talk and her enthusiasm for art and willingness to share is limitless. I was lucky enough to bump into her on three separate occasions (I may have been stalking her just a wee bit…) and each time she was engaging and fully present, asking all the right thought-provoking questions of me and providing me with thoughtful answers of her own.

I still haven’t signed up for her course. Make Art that Sells, which she thought was quite funny, but I really want to now. Fingers crossed!

If you have any questions about Surtex please don’t hesitate to email me at jules@bollah.com.

Goodbye NYC! Next week this time I will be camping ,with no power or running water, in the middle of Vancouver Island in B.C.. Talk about extremes!

Have a great weekend!

Seed and Pod Inspiration

Posted on May 16, 2013 by artistically afflicted

Looking for a little seed and pod inspiration? I have some for you!
These are courtesy of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Interesting shapes and shapes within shapes. Great texture. Lovely ,earthy colors. I wish I knew the names of some of these as I am very intrigued by them and curious to know more.

For more seed and pod inspiration you can visit Pinterest. I have started a board Inspired by Nature where I pin my images of objects found, in real life and in my virtual one too.Lots to see there!

Sketching ~ my take on seeds and pods. I have my most fun drawing objects found in nature. I love playing with organic shapes and adding in my own textures. I have no patterns made with these to date, but they have found their way into alot of my paintings and collage work.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with! If you would like to share, post to #shareyoursketch on Instagram.

I am heading off to NYC to walk Surtex this weekend. I still can’t believe I am going.

I have been hearing about this show for the past year and am super curious as to what it is all about. I get the added bonus of a trip to NYC and the chance to meet up with lots of art and design friends that I have met over the years.Will keep you posted on my adventures there!

Have a great weekend!

Inspired by mark making

Posted on May 9, 2013 by artistically afflicted

Some weeks are just harder than others to create. Last week was one of those weeks.

Some weeks I just get brain overload ~ I want to draw and create too many things. This usually happens when I am pressed for time and have other priorities looming. A definite form of procrastination. I call it productive procrastination no time is left wasted.

I started seashells,sailboats and surfboards..but nothing was catching.Not even flowers which are always my go to.

So,in search of simplicity, I finally decided to do just that ~ keep it simple. I lay my journal and black pen out on the kitchen counter and dedicated the week to mark making. Whenever inspiration hit I doodled some marks…Drive by doodling.

I often find myself needing texture and backgrounds in my work. This applies to both drawing and painting. I find it quite handy having a reference list of marks that I can refer to in times when my mind goes blank.I also need more coordinates for my patterns. Interesting marks and textures make great coordinates. They also make great geometric patterns.

I love black and white. There are no restrictions, no complementary colors to think about and absolutely no worries if they go well together. If your design doesn’t look good in black and white then there is a very good chance color is not going to be able to save it!

This is not the first time I have done this! I like to doodle and love my black pens.I am still waiting for my Sharpie pen sponsorship…
Remember to come and #shareyoursketch with me over on Instagram.

We have been hit hard with long, glorious summer-like days. We always like to say that we have our own little piece of heaven here in Whistler, B.C. and right now it’s definitely feeling that way.The mountains are full of snow, the sky bluebird and the flip-flops are out!Very unusual weather for this time of year and not to be missed.

Next week I am heading off to NYC to Surtex. Eek! I will be walking the show and just trying to get a feel for this industry that I have thrown myself into it. I am expecting to be overwhelmed.I am ready for it! Will keep you posted!

Have a great week everyone!

There is something about the poppy

Posted on April 30, 2013 by artistically afflicted

I have a bit of a strange attraction to poppies. I love their whimsical ways, all their different colors and their podlike sidekicks.There is nothing quite like a field of poppies swaying in the wind,especially when it’s a field somewhere in the french countryside.

I must have 1oo’s of pictures of poppies in all their glory .

A 4 month sabbatical in the south of France and it was hard not to come home with a picture, or two, and a sketch. That is a whole other blog ago which I have never even mentioned here! (If you feel like an afternoon escape you can follow my family of 4 through a 4 month adventure, full of mishap, in Europe at http://www.lifeinaoncetime.blogspot.com. It seems like a lifetime ago.

I have started to incorporate my poppy drawings into the pattern world, but I have yet to do them justice. They are not BIG enough or whimsical enough yet. I find I am much looser with them in paint. In the digital world I am finding the pattern part a bit restricting.

I am starting Michelle Fifis The Ultimate Guide to Repeats today and I am definitely hoping for some insight into this.

For now I will continue playing with positioning and different ways of representation for my #365 pattern project.It is easy to whip up a pattern, but it takes lots of tweaking to get it just right. #365patterns is a good starting point, but I have to remember to go back and continue to work on my daily patterns.

And a coordinate just for fun! There is a small part of me thinking that I may start to create some digital download scrapbook pages and clipart so my mind is all about coordinates these days. I will keep you posted.

Have you had a chance to check out Skillshare yet? Skillshare is an online global community centered around creativity, collaboration and learning by doing.

I have two colleagues teaching there next month and I think you may be interested. The first is Faye Brown of Faye Brown Designs. She will be teaching Typography how to communicate effectively through the power of typography – starting June 14th, 2013
The second course is Reign Repeats learn how to create perfect repeats in Illustrator taught by Majo Bautista. Starting June 7th, 2013 she will teach you everything you need to know to create a design to submit for a Spoonflower competition.

These women are both knowledgeable and passionate about what they do.

Never stop learning!

Inspired by some sketchy sunday behaviour

Posted on April 23, 2013 by artistically afflicted

I am always amazed at how my mind can wander when drawing. I should sit and write down all the crazy ideas that run through my head just for a laugh, but I cringe to think what I would sound like.

My latest idea to keep my creative juices flowing freely is to be computer free on Sundays. No web surfing, email, or.. gasp…no social media. I want to spend the day focused on the here and now.

My hope for this time-out day is to be creative. I don’t have a problem being creative,I know that starting is the key to my success,however, I do find that I am more creative and productive when my mind is free and open. I tend to be easily distracted by the computer and I find it can be very disruptive to my thought process. I am learning to love the feeling of being disconnected.

So, my latest idea is to spend Sundays sketching and sharing on Instagram and, of course, here on my blog.Please join me here on Instagram – I will follow you back.

My original plan to hashtag sketchy sundays(#sketchysundays) unfortunately will have to be changed. For a laugh you can check out my floral doodles amidst some other sketchy sunday behaviour. I swear those other photos were not there when I originally posted to it!I am having my own laugh about the extent of my ‘sketchy” behaviour – maybe if you are lucky I will pop out a nudie for you instead of my usual floral doodle.

After some more careful research I have decided to call it #shareyoursketch.

A creative space to share your sketches,inspiration,mindwork and even your finished product! It doesnt have to be on Sunday!. I love to see how other minds work and what they are inspired by. I also love to see what they can produce from all their inspiration. You have to admit we are all a very talented bunch so please…share away!

#shareyoursketch …now on Instagram and twitter too.

Have a great week. It’s beautiful and sunny here and hopes are high that it is going to stay this way.

p.s. Thank you for the great response to my shout out for “creative process” submissions. I am looking forward to featuring others in my community here. I am just in the process of figuring out the details and just the right questions to ask. I will keep you posted!

From paper to pattern ~ a creative process

Posted on April 16, 2013 by artistically afflicted

Late night doodling. This kind of doodling makes me happy. Pen in hand with absolutely nothing to do, but patiently wait for the clock to strike midnight.

The joys of parenthood and late nights, waiting to pick up my daughter and friends from a party.Trying to think happy thoughts instead of fretting about the next 3 years ~ late night pick ups, boyfriends, and general lack of sleep. I may be a bit envious too- I want to got to parties!

Sorry,off topic – mindless doodling. I think what I love best about these drawings is their imperfection. They are downright crooked!I also love the childlike feel to them.I feel like getting the crayons out and coloring.

Scanning my black and white drawings into Illustrator and back to the computer.Deconstructing my work on paper and reconstructing into lots of different motifs on the computer.

I am slowly learning to love playing with my drawings on the computer.I haven’t spent as much time drawing directly on my tablet/computer as I should, still preferring the feel of paper under my pens. I know it just requires some practice, but, for me, drawing is also my opportunity to be away from the computer.Time to sit in the garden or in a sunny spot by the window.

Playing with colors and forming ideas ~ putting together the pieces of the story. I can imagine these flower motifs on a wide variety of products.

Wouldnt you love to be sporting that colorful umbrella on a gray,rainy west coast kind of day?

Pattern making time.

There you have the start of Butterscotch Berry- a new collection , coming to you soon!

I would love to see your creative process and feature you here on my blog.It doesn’t have to be about surface pattern ~ mixed media, black and white sketching, photography~ it’s all good! I want to show what inspires and motivates you to create. If you would like to share please email me at jules@bollah.com.

A happy week to all!

From inspiration to pattern making

Posted on April 8, 2013 by artistically afflicted

Finding inspiration on morning runs on the Big Island of Hawaii. So many unusual shapes and textures native to the Island all begging to be picked up. I almost tripped a few times on my own feet.

Sharing my inspiration ~ journal page

Playing with shapes, colors and different textures found and finding inspiration for pattern making.

Playing with ideas and having some fun. I am not sure how the paint chip pattern came into play, but why not! I try not to think too much, but just have fun putting together the pieces of the puzzle. These patterns are all a work in progress, left to sit and be tweaked upon later.

For me , finding inspiration is all about starting and getting the creative juices flowing. Some patterns I will love, others, not so much. It is all part of the pattern making process.Sometimes they just need a few days to sit and wait to have fresh eyes upon them.

All patterns contributed to #365 patterns on Instagram. Come on over and join in.

I am always in need of more visual inspiration so click here to follow me on Instagram~ I will be sure to follow you back!

Finding inspiration in the spirit of aloha

Posted on April 2, 2013 by artistically afflicted

Very happy to be spending time in one of my favorite places, the Big Island of Hawaii.The moment my feet hit the ground here I feel a sense of coming home.

Lush tropical flora and fauna,dark streaks of lava rock, sun, sand, a warm breeze and the neverending sound of birds and crashing waves all come together to feed the senses and the soul. The Big Island is charged with tradition and culture that reaches deep. This island holds a very special place in our hearts.

I always love to do a post or two from Hawaii. Its a lovely place to share. Lots of inspiration and color.

Mother nature also has a very good sense of humour here. The shapes, color and texture of the flora and fauna are so unusual.I am constantly in awe of some of the crazy things I find.

My goal for this trip ~ lots of computer free time. Time spent observing, drawing and feeling present.

My sense of urgency to do it all ~ designing, blogging #365 patterns ~ slowly takes a back seat to simply living life.

I will admit I find it very difficult to switch off and it takes more than a few days. I continue to feel like I am missing out on something, but with time I come to my senses and realize that everything I need is right here ~ family, friends, love and life.

Most believe Aloha is just a greeting, but the word is a way of life for most living here on the islands. Here, Aloha is an attitude, guidance towards living a certain way of life ~ the Aloha spirit.

A, ala, watchful, alertness
L, lokahi, working with unity
O, oia’i’o, truthful honesty
H, ha’aha’a, humility
A, ahonui, patient perseverance

Inspired by Papercut Art

Posted on March 15, 2013 by artistically afflicted

I am happy to announce that my large-scale papercut art is almost done! 19″ by 25″.

I am really happy with it. I can see myself using alot of the shapes and patterns in my surface patterns.That’s next weeks post:)

I am still undecided on my finishing touches. There is quite a bit of detailed cutting I can do.I am debating whether to leave the birds as white space or more detailed. I am also considering leaving more white space around the edges.I think I will for now until I decide how to frame this. I quite like the white space leading into the intricate cuts.

I have found this great new paper by Canson Studio called Mi- Tientes Touch. It’s beautifully textured pastel paper and comes in a great palette of colors, perfect for placing behind papercut art.

My next step is to find a unique way to frame or display this. I am going to have to protect the paper so thinking a plexiglass type box. However, I would also like it to be very organic, so thinking wood and airplane wire. Hmmm…a visit to Pinterest may be in order. I know I will find some inspiration there. Any suggestions?

Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement on Facebook when I posted this on my page. I always appreciate the support and encouragement I find there.
March break begins today.Yay! We woke up to 30 com of snow yesterday! Just when you think it’s the beginning of the end, it all starts again.Whistler is hopping!

Enjoy your weekend!

A pattern a day – #365 patterns

Posted on March 8, 2013 by artistically afflicted

I am one month in to #365patterns and the creative ideas are still flowing freely! I have been building up my hand drawn motif collection and daily patterns are coming together as collections. My goal to be creative everyday has been accomplished.

#365 patterns is a fun project developed by Melanie Burk of Fifth & Hazel and Alma Loveland of Ollibird over on the Caravan blog.

The rules are easy – create a pattern everyday and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #365patterns. No one is keeping track! (you can create as often as you wish). I have taken my participation quite seriously mind you ,so prepare to see me there everyday. It is just how I like to roll. I am also really enjoying the Instagram community over there.

I thought I would share some of the work I have been creating. I am happy to say I have been learning lots from this practice.

My use of scale and repeat have all improved.I am trying to work with all forms of pattern making – block, half drop and random.I am working with florals,geometrics, abstracts and trying my hand at conversational prints too.It’s the perfect place to experiment and see what flies.

I have been trying to push myself out of my color comfort zone. It’s always easy to gravitate to color combinations that you love and find easy. My goal has been to try more and different color combinations together. I can tell you that there have been days I have created a fine mess! I am still at the stage where I work best with 2-3 colors and their tints. I would love to be more daring, but still need a bit more practice combining it all.

My daily pattern making has motivated me to approach my surroundings with eyes wide open – always on the lookout for new inspiration, textures, and motifs that can be applied.It has encouraged me to combine different motifs into collections.

What I have found most rewarding (and very interesting) about #365patterns is that it has helped me to discover my true style. When I stay true to my style, this pattern making process comes very easy to me.I feel happy and content with my designs. When I try to work with other styles that are not “me”, I feel uncomfortable, frustrated and always thinking…this is just not me. It has been an interesting discovery. Does this make sense?

Think you might be interested in joining us? You can start anytime!
Please come and friend me over on Instagram. I love a little bit of visual stimulation and would love to see your pics!

Artistically Afflicted

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