Two great things about Spoonflower is that I'm continually learning something new (like fat quarters can be used for more than just throw pillows!) and that the designers are generous with their tips and information about how to improve designs. One designer, Phoebe, has a shop on Spoonflower which you can visit here: http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/feebeedee. One day while on Spoonflower I saw that Phoebe had mentioned Texture Maker to help in making seamless repeats. I messaged Phoebe and asked for more information. She told me what was involved and how to get started using it. She also gave me several tips. Thank you so much, Phoebe.
What is nice about Texture Maker created by Reichart Software Engineering is that you can get a 30 day free trial. When looking for it on line, do a search for Texture Maker 3.1 using the years 2012 or 2011. There are older models out there, but Texture Maker 3 by Reichart is the most recent that I could find. Thirty days of a free trial is a good deal.
An example of what I've done with Texture Maker so far can be viewed here: Circus Ribbons.
So, Spoonflower -- it's really about more than fabric design!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
A Field Guide to Fabric Design by Kimberly Kight
As I've mentioned before, there are many talented designers on Spoonflower. They can work absolute magic with the designs they upload. Someday I'd like to be like them!
Kimberly Kight has written "A Field Guide to Fabric Design." Her blog is www.trueup.net. The softcover book, 160 pages in length, is divided into three sections. I'll get my only criticism of the book out of the way first: there is no index. Even if the Contents page is comprehensive, I find an index is always helpful. Now on to the good stuff.
The book's first section deals with the basics of design and color, i.e., how to develop a style and the use of color. There are four different kinds of patterns: one way, two way, tossed, and four way print. When designing on Spoonflower, designers can automatically put their uploaded designs into a basic repeat pattern, a half drop repeat, a half brick repeat, or a mirror repeat. My goal right now is just to achieve a seamless repeat. Kimberly mentions that the eye is naturally attracted to a one way print; however, the disadvantage of a one way print is that more fabric is wasted in cutting out a pattern. A tossed design, one that has no up or down, is print in which less fabric is wasted because pattern pieces can be cut any which way and the finished product will still look great. The section also covers set layouts as opposed to random layouts. There are excellent tutorials for designing repeats by hand and also by computer and why we need to PROOF!
Under the heading of "Know Your Color," there are ideas for developing color palettes and how these schemes can be applied in Illustrator and Photoshop. The upsides and downsides of following trends are included as well as where to go for inspiration.
Another important part of Section One is the Copyright Primer. It covers how important it is to do your own work and it also talks about protecting your original work. Public domain designs are discussed. Also this helpful web site is included: www.copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm.
In Section Two, printing the design is addressed. There is an excellent tutorial on fabric construction and the different weaves that are involved. After a discussion of weaves, there is a discussion of knits. There are lots of illustrations and photographs. She goes into fiber types and weights and yarn qualities. There six pages devoted to which fabrics are conducive to digital printing and hand printing among other methods. Kimberly also goes into lino block printer and rubber block printing. Again, her instructions and illustrations are extensive. Inks are also covered. There is a section on digital printing. Spoonflower is covered as well as other digital printing services.
Interspersed with the tutorials and basic information are discussions with designers about the various topics covered in this book.
The final section covers the world of fabric design: building your brand, going pro, design school? There are also three pages at the very back of the book devoted to resources such as reading material, software, digital textile print services, supplies, websites, design programs, and trade shows.
This book is well worth the price. I have marked and highlighted many of its pages. In the evenings, when I'm tired of sitting in front of the computer, I read and re-read its pages. Kimberly Kight did a great job and I highly recommend this book.
Kimberly Kight has written "A Field Guide to Fabric Design." Her blog is www.trueup.net. The softcover book, 160 pages in length, is divided into three sections. I'll get my only criticism of the book out of the way first: there is no index. Even if the Contents page is comprehensive, I find an index is always helpful. Now on to the good stuff.
The book's first section deals with the basics of design and color, i.e., how to develop a style and the use of color. There are four different kinds of patterns: one way, two way, tossed, and four way print. When designing on Spoonflower, designers can automatically put their uploaded designs into a basic repeat pattern, a half drop repeat, a half brick repeat, or a mirror repeat. My goal right now is just to achieve a seamless repeat. Kimberly mentions that the eye is naturally attracted to a one way print; however, the disadvantage of a one way print is that more fabric is wasted in cutting out a pattern. A tossed design, one that has no up or down, is print in which less fabric is wasted because pattern pieces can be cut any which way and the finished product will still look great. The section also covers set layouts as opposed to random layouts. There are excellent tutorials for designing repeats by hand and also by computer and why we need to PROOF!
Under the heading of "Know Your Color," there are ideas for developing color palettes and how these schemes can be applied in Illustrator and Photoshop. The upsides and downsides of following trends are included as well as where to go for inspiration.
Another important part of Section One is the Copyright Primer. It covers how important it is to do your own work and it also talks about protecting your original work. Public domain designs are discussed. Also this helpful web site is included: www.copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm.
In Section Two, printing the design is addressed. There is an excellent tutorial on fabric construction and the different weaves that are involved. After a discussion of weaves, there is a discussion of knits. There are lots of illustrations and photographs. She goes into fiber types and weights and yarn qualities. There six pages devoted to which fabrics are conducive to digital printing and hand printing among other methods. Kimberly also goes into lino block printer and rubber block printing. Again, her instructions and illustrations are extensive. Inks are also covered. There is a section on digital printing. Spoonflower is covered as well as other digital printing services.
Interspersed with the tutorials and basic information are discussions with designers about the various topics covered in this book.
The final section covers the world of fabric design: building your brand, going pro, design school? There are also three pages at the very back of the book devoted to resources such as reading material, software, digital textile print services, supplies, websites, design programs, and trade shows.
This book is well worth the price. I have marked and highlighted many of its pages. In the evenings, when I'm tired of sitting in front of the computer, I read and re-read its pages. Kimberly Kight did a great job and I highly recommend this book.
Friday, July 27, 2012
We live in exciting times!
If you grew up in the times of mimeograph machines and remember the smell of the purple ink on exams handed out by the teachers, if you remember learning shorthand to take dictation or using a Selectric typewriter, if you can remember advancing your camera's film to the next frame and letting the film roles pile up in a drawer before getting them developed, then you can relate to my view of exciting times as far as the Internet, digital photography and Spoonflower.
I still find it difficult to believe that images we create can be uploaded and reproduced on fabric. And all the different image programs available to edit our creations is wonderful.
That I can do this
and it turns into this design on Spoonflower is still amazing to me. Now I just need to master the art of the seamless repeat or even better, a multi directional fabric design!
I still find it difficult to believe that images we create can be uploaded and reproduced on fabric. And all the different image programs available to edit our creations is wonderful.
That I can do this
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| Tiny bird done with acrylics and Q-tips |
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Meditation
There is a willow tree by our red handled water pump by the kitchen door. It planted itself and it appears to be a very intelligent tree having taken root next to a dripping water source. I enjoy watching it change through the seasons. In spring, its leaves take on that new green that only newly unfurled leaves can have, then the willow's leaves grow into their beautiful summer green until the blast of July. Now my willow is losing leaves. It isn't dormant yet but I can tell her energy is focused into just staying alive in these 100 plus degree days of high summer.
On Spoonflower there is a design I created to honor this wonderful willow. It's a photograph of the beautiful willow leaves taken into a posterized view. On top of the leaves is a poem called "Meditation." The companion fabric design can be seen here. These designs are part of my "Fat Quarters Collection" on Spoonflower.
I made a pillow using two fat quarter of Spoonflower Kona cotton.
On Spoonflower there is a design I created to honor this wonderful willow. It's a photograph of the beautiful willow leaves taken into a posterized view. On top of the leaves is a poem called "Meditation." The companion fabric design can be seen here. These designs are part of my "Fat Quarters Collection" on Spoonflower.
I made a pillow using two fat quarter of Spoonflower Kona cotton.
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| Repeat design of willow leaves for "Meditation." |
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| Pillow made from the "Meditation" fat quarter on Spoonflower. |
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Golden Lily
This morning I made two fabric designs available for sale on Spoonflower . They are part of my Fat Quarters Collection.
The two designs started out based on a photograph like this:
It's a "shaky hand" photograph taken of the yard light down by our sheep shed. I never intend the "shaky hands" effect. I'm usually intent on catching some image that never comes out. However, in working with this photograph, many colors were discovered as the "bumping" effect was used. I really had to work with the image, though, to get the design just right. At first, too many actual pixels showed up along the edges of my design giving it a rough edge. I had to work to get those rough edges to disappear. Sometimes the rough edges wouldn't be so evident on the digital image I uploaded to Spoonflower. It wouldn't be until I ordered a proff of the design that I would see those rough edges. I wanted the "Golden Lily" to be smooth. My plans were to size it for a fat quarter. Eventually, I downsized the design so it would be centered on a fat quarter, rather than stretching all across the fabric. The rough edges disappeared and the design looked like a smooth golden lily.
The Golden Lily designs can be seen here and here.
The two designs started out based on a photograph like this:
It's a "shaky hand" photograph taken of the yard light down by our sheep shed. I never intend the "shaky hands" effect. I'm usually intent on catching some image that never comes out. However, in working with this photograph, many colors were discovered as the "bumping" effect was used. I really had to work with the image, though, to get the design just right. At first, too many actual pixels showed up along the edges of my design giving it a rough edge. I had to work to get those rough edges to disappear. Sometimes the rough edges wouldn't be so evident on the digital image I uploaded to Spoonflower. It wouldn't be until I ordered a proff of the design that I would see those rough edges. I wanted the "Golden Lily" to be smooth. My plans were to size it for a fat quarter. Eventually, I downsized the design so it would be centered on a fat quarter, rather than stretching all across the fabric. The rough edges disappeared and the design looked like a smooth golden lily.
The Golden Lily designs can be seen here and here.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Thank you, Spoonflower
Well, the $1.00 a swatch days are over but I enjoyed them while they lasted. Because of Spoonflower's color change, designers on Spoonflower were offered the chance to purchase as many swatches as they wanted for a $1.00 each instead of the regular $5.00 a swatch or $1.20 a swatch if in a collection. Because of this offer, I was able to see a lot of my designs on fabric swatches. Thank you for the opportunity, Spoonflower.
The design "Midnight Swirl" can be seen here.
The design "Midnight Swirl" can be seen here.
Aviation
Spoonflower is having a contest I can relate to. Some contests don't appeal to me, but then there are others like the Extinct Animals contest or the Cake Collage contest that I find exciting. There is an upcoming contest about aviation which I knew immediately I wanted to enter. I have an old picture of my great grandfather's showing him and other relatives standing next to an airplane that had landed in my great grandfather's pasture in Cowley County, Kansas. The picture is from the first or second decade of the 1900s because my grandmother saw it when she was a young girl and she was born in 1900. I created a design using that picture and the pillow shown above is what I made from the fat quarter of "Look What Fell from the Sky." The designs can be viewed in my "Carson" collection on Spoonflower.
I made this video about a year ago built around the photograph featured in my "Aviation" design.
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