Botanicals

I'm slowly starting to develop my new line of prints for 2014-2015, and I've been looking a lot at old botanical prints for inspiration. I love the way they are highly detailed but still have that bold, 2D look to them. I stumbled across the Biodiversity Library and found these prints that have inspired a few sketches so far.

All images from Biodiversity Library

Inside the Sketchbook

Today I thought I would share some of the sketches I did while working on the new line of prints, from preliminary drawing to final print. Some designs take several tries to get them right, and some go straight from first sketch to final carving with no revisions. Below are some original sketches and the prints they turned into:

 Half of the watercolor painting that was the basis for the 2013 Calendar

A few sketches that haven't yet made it to print form.

The sketch and final print of this card

The preliminary sketch for this scarf, this card, and these journals

The sketch for this card, these journals, these coasters and this tea towel

A second sketch for this scarf

The first idea for this card

The final drawing for this tea towel and this tote bag

Minted 2012 Holiday Cards

Minted is currently hosting voting for their new 2012 Holiday Cards, and this year I have ten designs in the running. Voting ends in just a few days, so head over there and vote! You can find a selection of my designs here, or click here and go to "designs submitted." The results will be out in a few weeks. Thanks for your votes!

Painted Ferns

I had a great time seeing everyone from Minted at the Stationery Show, and came back with a lot of new ideas for Christmas designs, which I'll be working on in the next month.

They just launched a line of Art Prints, including my Painted Ferns from this invitation. It's a limited edition print and is available right here.

 

Back in the Studio

Yesterday was my first day in the studio in over three months, and also the most productive day I have ever had. The reason: no internet. We are living at my parents' house in Vermont for the summer while I get ready for the Stationery Show, so that we can have some time to work and save money before looking for a new place to live. I'm using a spare bedroom as my studio, and while most of the house has internet, this room does not.

I would have days in DC when I would try not to use the internet, but I still had my phone and would occasionally check email or Facebook. There is no cell service here, so I spent the entire day yesterday working with no distractions. It was incredible. In one day, I finished a big order that came in last week, half of the new designs for the Stationery Show, started working on my new business cards, and still had time to go for a walk after lunch.

While we were in India, I made a lot of sketches and took a lot of photos (so many that my hard drive is full and my computer is now going at a snail's pace) but I didn't do any complete designs. So yesterday I went through all those sketches and photos and got my actual designs down on paper.

At this rate, I'll have hundreds of new designs to share in the next month.

Inside the Sketchbook

In order to make one new design a week, I am going to spend a lot more time sketching. When I come up with a new design, I usually spend time looking through books on textiles, painting, and motifs to get ideas, and make a lot of little sketches while I read. Then I put the books away and do something else, and let those images mix around in my head for a bit. Then I'll come back and draw out some of my new ideas. This rarely happens when I'm near my sketchbook, but I'll have a great idea in the middle of the night or while I'm at the grocery store, scribble it down on a scrap of paper and tape it into my sketchbook, so it ends up looking more like a scrapbook.

You might recognize some of these designs from finished products, and hopefully there will be a lot more to show in the next few weeks.