Deconstructing patterns and LIFE

So I'm in week 2 of my surface pattern design course and I'm sketching quite a fair bit.  Looking at patterns and gaining inspiration from everything around me.   I need to spend some time now on re-establishing my artist space as I'm a bit all over the place at the moment.  

I noticed these PUKKA teas in the health shop and how they had taken the same design and used different colours for the various flavours.  Interesting stuff heh?!?! It's amazing noticing that we have patterns all over the place.

 I have been playing around and see what I can see in the papers I have around the home.  I realise that I have done this ALL MY LIFE. Creating flowers, faces, and deconstructing things.

Pages from my sketchbook

I am feeling a little overwhelmed with things at the moment.  I seem to be scattered.  I'm deconstructing my life (again).  I have so many splits in what I do that it's a challenge sometimes to know if I'm doing the right thing. Trying to work through my week and siphon off time.

Creating Art Canvases, Creating Calendars, Writing my 2nd book proposal, Working as an external marker, Careers Coaching, Health Shop Advisor, Workshop designer and facilitator at a school, Student of Surface Pattern Design. 

Do I need to stop and just focus? Do I need my own coach?  

Much Love

Jules xx

Patterns patterns everywhere

Out walking first thing with Miss Lucy Russell... now I generally like taking photos when I'm out with her, this morning I was looking at patterns ... and I found quite a few.  This is the first start to the course I'm doing over at with Rachael Taylor at Do What You Love.  I'm getting inspired. Hopefully to translate into some sketches.  There's a wicked bunch of people from all over the world and everyone seems so experienced! Yikes! Not overwhelmed.

I'm always drawing leaves like this

Love the swirls in this gate

Amazing & Natural

Rhodedendrum before flowering

I often draw these leaves too!

Even Miss Lucy was checking out the patterns

But then she wanted a TREAT! 

Will post more when I get with the sketchbook.
Much Love
Jules

I'm getting seriously serious

I took the leap - and that leap is towards The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design with Rachael Taylor Designs.  I have deliberated and dabbled about beginning this course for such a while now.  I have been pulled to applying my designs on surfaces but I really have not been sure where to begin.  I have lacked confidence that my work is good enough.  With no tuition, formal training or guidance, it can sometimes be a mind boggling place.

So when I saw that Rachael Taylor Designs had joined forces with Beth Nicholls from Do What You Love to create a 3 module course all about SPD, I just thought "yep this is it".  So after much dowsing to confirm my intuition I decided to enrol on Module 1.

Kick off is tomorrow, Monday 14th so I'm really excited to not only meet so many creative spirits from around the world, but also to learn and apply the course to my life.

With this and writing my 2nd book I'm going to be a busy lass.

I'll post often to show you what I'm up to....

Much Love
Jules xx

Do What You Love - Bloom Postcard Swap

I have been really slow on this postcard swap, mainly for 2 reasons:

a) I was getting married early September in Gibraltar and when I signed up to the swap, I realised that I still needed to buy my dress (yikes) and organise various elements so I didn't allocate time for the postcard making : (

b) I tried something different and it took me a while!  I decided to take an original painting of mine and transfer it to a piece of material, then enhance it with paints and add some stitching.  I felt it went a tad wrong and I beat myself up about it.   I spent a good few weeks having internal dialogue meetings - can I send it, should I send it?

Anyway, I decided to just do it.  I sent it to my lovely contact Briana in Canada and I was so delighted to hear that she received it and she really liked it.  I decided to decorate the envelope as I have been into doing that lately.

All of this was brought about by Beth Nicholls, she's the lovely lass over at Do What You Love and she's pretty amazing.  Check out her website and ecourses that she's offering, "Do What You Love E-course" (which I did back in the spring -Can't recommend highly enough.)   The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design which starts on Monday (I'd love to do this), and Hello Soul Hello Business which begins in January 2012, with author, artist and possibilitarian Kelly Rae Roberts.