Scruffy owl

My owl is a little unkempt, but I must admit I do like him better now he has some colour, he is slowly growing on me. This is just a preview of one of the illustrations I am preparing for my new porcelain mug collection. I have been experimenting with new plants, animals and colours which I hope will enrich the series and extend the collection to 12 designs. I think the colours may still change although I really like the lilac tree with yellow leaves!

Back in the office...

Did anyone enjoy themselves as much as me at the 2011 Spring Fair International in Birmingham?... don't think so. Great to see so many talented people promoting their work and successful companies continuing to grow in this dull economic climate that we have at the moment. Nothing short of totally inspiring for me in every way. I loved the Creative Britain tag which highlighted the best of contemporary British designed products.
My excuse for going there was to source selected design-led gifts and home products for our shop in Turin and hunt out contacts for Card Design and Illustration work for me. I managed to do both with ease as it was all so well organised. Am I saying the obvious? but as it was my first ever visit to the Spring Fair I was I truly amazed and impressed by it all.

So thats where I've been for a week... now its back to work with a whole new frame of mind and energy. Watch this space.

Patchwork Bags

This is a preview of what I am doing at the moment. I have been playing around with repeat patterns which are inspired by the lovely wallpaper borders found in dark dusty cellars (you might recognise them from my December post). Although I love the original colours of the borders I have been working on different colour ways, and it is early to say but there is a wealth of small print elements waiting to be explored.
Of course I imagine all my patterns ON something, I find visualising a finished product and helps me work better. So here are two bags, one using the original borders and colours in a patchwork repeat pattern, and the other experiments with modern colours and some of the lovely elements I have just mentioned. I will post more patterns as they evolve.