Design Challenge
This month’s trend focuses on line work and how some of the most “simple” patterns can make a tremendous impact. To make these patterns marketable and attractive to buyers, try adding interesting textures to your line work, layering line work or even combining with other motifs or trends for those buyers looking for more complex patterns. With its sophisticated palettes featuring lots of neutral tones, the Linear Dimension trend lends itself easily to home decor, but to give yourself an extra challenge you might try fitting this trend to an unexpected market like children’s apparel, stationery or swimwear. Whatever market you choose to design for, make sure it’s one that inspires you to take the simplicity of this theme and put your own unique spin on it. Remember, pattern buyers shopping from freelance designers and studios are seeking designs that are unique enough that they would not be able to easily re-create in house, so while simplicity can be a wonderful thing, see how you can take your patterns one step further to ensure they are something special. Members can get started here.
Monday May 8th – backbeats due on the forum (more info about backbeats can be found in The Sellable Sketch, Lesson Three.)
Monday June 5th – finished collections due on the forum! Collections should consist of 3-5 prints (one “moneymaker” print and 2-4 coordinates.)
Upcoming Event: Art of Portfolio Curation Group Study
Deciding what artwork to show isn’t always easy, but having a system enables you to make more confident decisions.
In the Art of Portfolio Curation the Textile Design Lab team shares the exercises and techniques that they use to curate their artwork and see the “holes” in their portfolios.
The course is already posted to the Lab, but signing up for the group-study gives you access to bonus emails. It’s a fun way to stay motivated and work with a supportive group of TDL members!
This event is FREE for all Textile Design Lab members and the first email will be released on Monday, May 22nd. Members register here.
Weekly Art Critique
Don’t forget to join us for our live art critiques held every Thursday at 1pm Eastern. This is a fun event where Lab members come together to review artwork and ask questions about pattern design, marketing and sales. Registration links are emailed out every Thursday morning and a link can also be found in our Weekly Art Critique forum.
Textile Design Lab members can watch past critiques here.
Psyched for UC eating times. Because of for the heads up, UWishUNu!