Saturday 24 December 2011

Pattern board Opt 2 ........

As promised ,please see below my alternative colourway option , inspired by my Singapore colour board ! I quite like where this is heading & think the option on the right is my favourite !




& here is the Colour palette again for easy ref.


See you all soon x

Thursday 22 December 2011

Little pattern exercise...........

To follow on from my colour boards post from last week, I thought I would show you a few of the designs I had been working on ! All work in progress but I couldn't resist adding them onto here !
So as a reminder please see the inspired colourboard below. As mentioned previously this image was captured when we were in Dubai. We went in a four by four landrover trip across the dessert & got stuck ( short term tank goodness ) at the top of a sand dune ! It was a amazing experience & one to remember.

I am liking the colour option on this pattern board & of course S.T.R.I.P.E.S. I am a big fan of stripes !


& here's a little close up of my random placement print idea ! I think this could work really well on a jotter or folder  ! Just a thought ! x


Stay tuned as I also worked on another colourway for this print board & I was quite pleased with the overall look ! I plan to post this later today to head back if you get chance.

Enjoy your day, it's nearly Christmas x





Tuesday 20 December 2011

Pattern adore continued........

To follow on from my 'adore' boards I posted on here yesterday I thought I would have a little rummage around on the internet & see what prints are currently in store that really catch my eye ! So for today, have a good nosy at the options I came across at Asos that really intrigued me .....



I am liking these cutsy bows ! It has a very hand drawn feel to it as well ! Thumbs up from me x


Then we have this little number ! While I do try & move away from the flower power designs myself, I do love the colour usage in this option !



The highlight electric blue & bright orange really work here ! I could imagine this print on a large selection of stationary options too ! I personally would like to see this as a long scarf ! Would work really well me thinks !




This is a quirky little option. With a bold orange background & outline drawings there is something about this that I really like ! The actual design of the man with the big hat isn't my cup of tea but I do like the way the thin black outline works on the print ! Interesting .......

Then last but not least ! This t-shirt is quite cute ! I like the lettering used here  but would have prefered to see it used on some pj's ! With an AOP option for the bottoms. But again just my opinion !


Talking of Pyjama's, I hope to show you a selection of design garment boards I produced a few years ago now when I did some licensed design work for 'Hello Kitty' & 'bubblegum'. Stay tuned ! x

See you all soon x

Monday 19 December 2011

19th of December ? Yikes...........

Hello All.

Good weekend peeps? We had a wonderful family day on Sunday, taking my gorgeous Spencer to see Santa Claus at the Windmill animal farm! We even got to go on a little cute train ride to Santa's grotto ! Spencer is still a tad young to know what's going on but we really enjoyed spending time with him together as a family ! Just think this time next week it will be Boxing day !

So to go off the Christmas track for five minutes I want to show you a little bit of what I got upto last week ! I am still enjoying developing my print & pattern style for the Surface pattern ecourse I am currently registered on & got the chance to develop some Mood boards which will help me going forward when developing my own style of work in the future !


It's an exciting time on this road of discovery into my own style of pattern design !! MY 'adore' boards are just that, snippets into the styles I 'dig' with descriptive words of the work I hope to achieve in the future.
This ecourse has been inspirational & has pushed me forward into a direction that will truly reflect my personality ! Taking elements from what Rachael has taught us in the course & hopefully making it my own, I have designed the way I know best. These boards sum up my way of working & ideas going forward & will be my focus point in remembering that ! Watch this Space...........


Do you like ?

I hope to do a few more posts for you this week as I am on a little working mission today ! I am also in the process of completing a few children's commission prints so will take a few photo's of these for you later in the week !

 Stay tuned  & enjoy your Monday x

Tuesday 13 December 2011

I couldn't resist.......

Me again ! 

As quite a few of you had an ickle nosy at today's post,  I thought I would share with you one of my placement print developments inspired by the colour palettes ! I have a lot of questions going around in my head at the moment about where my work is heading & the direction I want to go in ! So I decided to work with the question mark for this ickle print below !

Can you guess which colour board this has been inspired by ?




Do you like ? I would appreciate any feedback ?
Spk to you all soon x

Hello All,

As you can see the posts are a little sparse at the moment. With Christmas not too far away & a few projects I am trying to complete, unfortunately this isn't at the top of the list ! I do however want to share with you a few of my experimental colour boards I have been working on  for ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design featuring Rachael Taylor.



Module one consisted of four week's worth of daily & scrumptious posts that included design exercises & interviews  with some amazing industry experts. This course has really inspired me ! The first Module is now over but you can still register for 2 & 3 & they also plan to re-run Module 1 in 2012 which is good news.

While I have really enjoyed reading the daily updates, I haven't had enough time in my day to develop the ideas further. This has been very frustrating as I have a million ickle things running around in my brain & I need to dedicate some time to develop these ideas further. I think the Christmas break will be one of mince pies, mulled wine & doodle overload ! Love it x x he he

I did however get chance to experiment a tad with some colour palettes over the weekend & here are a few boards in progress.


I have taken inspiration from my travels for all these colourways ! Some images are a little bit random but it turns out they actually supplied me with some unique ideas & colour options ! See what you think !



I love this picture ! How can this petite guy carry such a large crate of boxes !! This was taken by the docks in Dubai & I find it really quirky & have been developing some prints based around this image so do head back in a few days for examples x


This glistening image above was captured from our hotel window in Singapore !


& last but not least this one really makes me giggle! When we were in Dubai we were lucky enough to be able to go to the desert ( is it desert or dessert ? ) for a four by four adventure road trip ! & I captured this when we were stuck at the top edge of a huge sand dune !

 What's also great about this course is even though the daily posts are no more, the course is still open to view by it's members for some time yet. This means I can keep heading back to be re-inspired & get my design juices flowing. yippppeeeeee x  

Don't forget to check out the course & Rachael's work further if you haven't already! Click here ! 

I hope to show you a few examples of the patterns I am working on over the next few weeks so please do head back ! x

Enjoy your day peeps x

Saturday 10 December 2011

A bit of Blog love........

Afternoon peeps,

It is a very brief post today as I have some work load I need to finalise before I pick my little boy up from Nana's & switch off for the rest of the weekend !

Anyone noticed a little difference in my header ? For some reason I have noticed it has reduced in size & now looks a bit lost at the top of the page with lots of white surrounding it ! I have also noticed when checking my blog out on my iphone my title name is in a very basic font & just looks bland ! Me not happy ! But as I am a busy bee at the moment with some commission work as well as finalising a few new ideas, I need to just deal with it !

 

So I thought I would add a more colourful & quirky option on this post for you to view & let you know that in a few weeks this blog will be getting some much needed TLC at long last x Expect some exciting changes

 
Enjoy the weekend peeps x

Thursday 8 December 2011

Exciting announcement.......

reveals the colour of 2012 !
So there it is guys ! Anyone already ahead of the trend & using it in their current collections ?!
Think I might have to play around with some of my print options using this new colourway ! Oh la la , excited just thinking about it x

Make sure you head over to the Pantone website for more information on the 2012 option :

P A N T O N E 17-1463 Tangerine Tango

Heres a snippet of info I have take of the webpage that will help you to locate it when working on Illustrator or photoshop !

A little swatch card treat for you too x

& look what else I came across on the post ! The vibrant pantone mug ! I am so in love right now ! I own quite a collection of Pantone mugs myself, which don't really sit in with our shabby kitchen. However with a new house move on the way ( fingers & toes crossed v tightly indeed ) I think a new & more colourful collection of pantone mugs are in order ! Right another thing to add to my wish list !


Oh I am in such an exciteable mood ! It's a mixture of seeing all these scrumptious colour picks & the fact I just went & viewed my daily update of the #surfacepatternecourse I am currently registered for ! More about that when possible ! oh & did I tell you I am also registered for Modules 2 & 3 ! Yippeeeee x so much to do , focus di focus !

Night all x


Wednesday 7 December 2011

Smile Peeps.......

Wednesday ? Again, goodness me,  I really can't believe how quick the weeks are going! It willl soon be Christmas ! yikes ! I better get organised ........


This beautiful phrase is taken from one of my many books :Happiness with love by M.i.l.k.

The design & layout has been created by me x

So Later today I plan to add on a few of my previous experience design boards for your review but until I get everything ready to post I thought I would leave you with a ickle phrase for the day .

Monday 5 December 2011

It's Christmas......

Hellloooooo.... me again with yet another selection of print ideas. As we are officially in December I thought it was only right to show you a few of my previous season print developments ! I plan to show you a few more in a couple of days so watch this space.








Friday 2 December 2011

Pantone Heaven.............

It's Friday peeps, which means the weekend has nearly started. So today I wanted to let you guys know about the Pantone & Mudpie pick a palette giveaway on the Pantone blog !!

Not only is this a great way to get your hands on the scrumptious Pantone Mugs ( I own quite a few of these colourful beauties ) but you also get to see a snippet of some of the AW12/13 boards created by Mudpie which is a bonus ! So here is a little insight in to the key AW12/13 trends taken from their blog post :






Now if you head over to the Pantone Blog you will see more of these colour boards for AW12/13 ! What a treat on this Friday afternoon. Why thank you Pantone & Mudpie x x

Enjoy your day peeps x

Thursday 1 December 2011

A few print ideas.....

I am working in the studio today exploring a few basic AOP colourways & design thoughts. So I thought I would show you a tiny snippet of what I have been working on......... Do you like my bold design line detail going across the print ? This is mainly for copyright purposes & of course isn't part of the design but I think it does the job !


On the above option I took a few colour options from one of my earlier post images referenced ' say no to flowers '!


These prints would work well for youth & also for a few stationary lines maybe ? What are your thoughts ?

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Commission Prints.............

Evening All,

With a few things pencilled in for the rest of this week it is more than likely that the posts are going to take a little back seat !
I have a few things on the go & need to take the time to really concentrate on them to make sure I do the best job possible ! I did however want to leave you with a snippet of a commission print I completed recently that might be of interest ! This particular design was printed on to canvas paper & I loved the grain effect created. I have taken special words that best describe Gemma to develop a one-off print for her 30th birthday! 


Stay tuned as I hope to show you more of these commission prints I have been working on some time soon x Another thing to add to my never-ending to do list x
 he he x

Monday 28 November 2011


Hello peeps,

As some of you may have noticed I have had a few days away from the office but am back & ready to get designing again! I have been away to Poland & had an amazing time ! We went to Krakow & it really is a very pictureque city & I got chance to capture a bit of it all . So stay tuned over the next few weeks for a few colourful images to inspire. But for this very brief post I leave you with my buy of the month !!! At a bargain price of around £12 this amazing treat was purchased at one of the market stalls in Krakow & I love it !! It somehow managed to fit in the case on the way home too so even better ! It's a sewing box that opens up so you can add all your sewing threads & any other delights you fancy !! I'm easily pleased ! he he x

Stay tuned for more inspiring posts later this week !
di x

Thursday 24 November 2011

I must interrupt...........

Sorry to interrupt my Thursday morning post today but I came across an amazing article that was very inspiring & I must share !! Fiona Jenvey who is the CEO of the most fabulous Mudpie posted a link this morning on the Mudpie group via linked-in that I went & investigated further. It's left me feeling very inspired & excited for the day ahead !  woheeeeee............

Click here to view the amazing article ! Brought to you by the amazing Businessoffashion website.


Now to go back to Mudpie a little bit, this website is mainly for subscribers, which is upsetting for the likes of me but it would take too much out of my pennies budget to be apart of it at the moment. But everythings good as they also have a trend journal that anyone can view which gives a little insight in to the fashion world free of charge ! 

Oh & look what I noticed ?! The SS13 Trend forecast colour image above is very similar in appearance to my Italy photos I posted on Wednesday ! How funny's that ! It's all about being inspired by everything that surrounds you & capturing colours & design ideas from anything that catches you creative eye !



 Right I really must get back to the real work ! x


More designs................

Thursday all ready ? How did that happen ?! So I received my Asos Jan12 Magazine yesterday & what a treat ! I am not quite sure how I started receiving this free mag but I'm guessing as I am a regular shopper at the site , I must have got added to the mailing list ! I am certainly not complaining though as this is a great mag & not just for the latest trends from the very influencial website. It has allsorts of interesting articles.



So as I was reading through it , I came across 'an essential guide to the 2012 new trends, inspiring faces, film, music & fabulous beauty'


So the first thing that stood out for me straight away was the mention of the Olympics !

Titled in the Asos mag as 'Olympic fever' I think that is very apt ! I have already noticed a lot of design takes on the british flag out & about on the high street & this is set to continue for 2012. I personally think it is going to be really on trend for practically everything ! Clothes, accessories, homeware, stationary etc...... etc.......... 


It also mentioned how the catwalks from this August / September (S/S 12) had a lot of Sports references happening which again is surely influenced by the 2012 olympics!


I actually designed a quirky print idea inspired by the british flag when the Royal wedding took place with Wills & Kate. I made it my own by playing around with the teardrop shape & then added it to some bag templates.
                          Do you like ?!

Now this particular design hasn't been selected, however all work on here is still subject to copyright. If you are interested in a particular design please email : ms.diane@hotmail.co.uk.


Now......after my travels post I did yesterday I thought I would mix up the colourways a little bit further & have a bit of fun with the palettes! See what you think !



There are so many vibrant colours visible in this image & I have only taken a small selection but had a little play around with shades.



Which is your favourite ?

I like the one below which I think is a little bit funky!
My eyes are actually going a little blurry from looking at these for far too long ! x


Oh & do head back tomorrow as I have a bit more information to add in from the Asos mag which might interest some of you !


Wednesday 23 November 2011

My travels.............

Well helloooo.

You know when you are having one of those days, where you have tons of ideas & thoughts going on in your ickle brain & just not enough time to develop them ! 
I am having one of those months actually ! I have so , so ,so ,so much I want to get on to here to showcase my style of work & experience but I can't quite get it all on here quick enough ! 

Today I decided to look through all my photography files & see what sources of inspiration I have hiding away on my computer ! I have been fortunate enough to do a lot of travelling since finishing Uni in 2005 !! I have been to some amazing places & captured very colourful & unique images that I really should be using as inspiration for my colour palettes & pattern ideas.

So for today I just wanted to show you a few photos that I am going to try & use some way or another in my next line of print designs ! Here goes :


These where taken when I went travelling around Italy. We went to a little Island off from Venice & the colours surrounding us were amazing !!

I was planning on cropping this picture below to be the same size as the other two but love it just as it is ! Even the brick work underneath the pavement is full of colour.
I'm looking forward to trying some ideas out on these! Stay tuned & enjoy your day x