MY PROCESS
INSCAPE
There is physical sight and inner sight.​
When I plan artwork I close my eyes so I can see my Inscape more clearly. Perhaps because I started as a watercolorist, I am used to choreographing my moves through an artwork with
deep visualization.
In watercolor this was necessary so that white paper would be preserved as my "light" and color washes would speak true and fresh from the start.
For Digital art, I start the same way.
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1. Quiet time with eyes closed to plan my ideas.
2. Sketching. I always draw better when quieted first.
3. Color Palette. Choosing colors for message and mood.
4. Vectorize the Drawing. In Affinity Designer for IPad.
5. Develop layers of line, shape, and texture.
6. Test and adjust. View the work on mock up products.
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THE SPICE OF LIFE
"Variety is the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor" - William Cowper
My creative process cycles through a variety of productive endeavors that allow me to rest from one and come alive anew in another. If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen this pattern happen in real time. I may follow each for a few weeks to a few months, but all creative projects inform and inspire each other.
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Digital Pattern Design
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Piano Performance Study
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Landscape Painting
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Apparel and Craft Sewing
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Travel planning
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Watercolor Card Design
While studying a new piece at the piano, the crescendos and pedaling work inspire the style and techniques of a painting - which forms in the mind during the music. When traveling, an idea for a new pattern design is born from experience with cultural symbols. Creation is continuous and comes from activity and study.
TEST AND TRY
My digital patterns do not just live on your computer screen. For me to thoroughly experience my creative process, I include a review and test of the physical fabric. I want to personally translate the design into another form and test its value on simple goods that I use daily.
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bags and wallets
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notebook covers
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pillow covers
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scarves
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jar openers
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skirts
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Sewing and crafting with my own designs makes me more sensitive to other crafters and the way they use fabric. It also allows me to evaluate the potential of my own art to teach, inspire, and remind.
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​When I look at my design "Japanese Windflowers" I remember how tough and resilient these delicate blooms are. They are hardy, lasting long into fall and early winter after blooming all summer. I want to be that way as an artist. Resistant to changing winds but ever aware of how storms impact my growth. Now I can carry that quiet message with me as a bag or scarf and it keeps me inspired.
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"The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." - Aristotle
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