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My Design Process
When it comes to create, nature is always
an amazing source
Nature is endless, right? It is everywhere! and it has this overwhelming beauty I cannot explain.. It is the obvious that comes to my mind when I want to feel inspired and I think this is a very human feeling.
It is also easy to everyone to recognize nature in designs or objects and to relate it with something possitive or pleasant, therefore creating something from nature shapes and colors is more likely to be something that will touch more than a few hearts!
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Nature is not the only source of inspiration I found of course, I feel inspired by so many things that the list would never end! But I want to use it as an example now, because it is what I use more often to start my designs. I am specially inlove with flowers :)
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So, first I feel inspired by something I see around, not always going outdoors to meet nature, it can be simply by seeing a beautiful illustration on Pinterest, or a random picture of a dreamed paradisiac island in an old fashion magazine that just fell in my hands by chance..
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With that first, fast and emotional sense of "feeling inspired" is when researching starts.
I usually google that flower or landscape, trying to find something I can give shape to. Sometimes it takes minutes, hours or I just leave it right there for days if I feel I haven`t got enough to start.
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When I am ready, I start working on my digital brain side
With enough material in my hands (pictures, colors, etc, like an inspirational board), I then decide what object I will make and the technique I will use, in terms of format, complexity, etc. Because it is easy applying a flower design in a tapestry crochet cushion, but quite difficult doing so a 4x4" pin loom.
So I usually have templates I have made for this purpose, or I make a special new one. I use mostly Adobe Illustrator to design this nature inspired new pattern, also a bit of Photoshop when necessary (change colors, re draw something missing).
Again, sometimes I get it easy, sometimes there are hours and hours of work involved. Using pictures is quite useful, but you need to simplify them by taking the more relevant or representative aspects of the figure you chose to make it recognizable. Because you are not just making a flower, you are making a certain flower, right?
When I am a 90% convinced of the design, I try out the pattern on the loom, to see if it works in terms of scale, details, color palette, etc.
Then I go back to Illustrator to make changes if necessary.
Then it is time to see if I am too crazy or I have too bad taste or if.. this pattern will definitely rock!
So I upload the photoshoped pattern to Instagram (mostly) and ask my friends and followers if they like it or not, I use 2 color options sometimes, so they can help me choose the best one.
With the feedback received, I make decisions over the design: change it, publish it is in my shop, bury it next to other bad ideas I have had, etc.
So what I like the most is to take advantage of the best of two worlds: the digital and the handmade
The truth is, most of my pattern designs don`t even exist. Giving them a digital life first allows me to try them really fast, to make as much changes as needed, to experiment a lot with color combinations and to finally deliver a design I am 99% certain it will work (I give that 1% to fate).
Then the personal taste comes to place. I cannot guess which everyone will like, but.. I will sure touch a few hearts :)
The most great thing is later on, when I receive pictures of new versions of my design from my most enthusiastic clients. It is amazing to see the twist they give to each design and how they turn into something greater than I imagined.
So, are you ready to start your creative journey?
I invite you to learn more in the FAQ´S
Flor
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