Ever since Redbubble added the option of scarves I have been designing with this product in mind. I'm an avid collector of scarves myself, and thus when this product was added I was greatly inspired.
The Process of designing patterns is one of particular joy to me. 1. because it allows me to return to the freedom of playing with materials without too much worrying about the final outcome and 2. because it is, for me, a greatly varied creative process that teaches me something new every time I create a pattern.
My process of designing usually begins out in the world, where I am inspired by the different things I see around me, such as the formation of shapes cut into a grid in the ground. I often spend time taking long walks and really absorbing what I see. Sometimes I have a camera on me and will take various photographs but generally ideas come to me when I least expect it and I have to quickly get it down on whatever piece of paper I have, usually a small notebook that I carry with me everywhere.
When I get home those quick doodles will get transferred into a sketchbook, where I refine the idea and often work on different variations. After this the real fun starts, armed with my new refined ideas I will turn to a stockpile of leftover bits of watercolour paper, usually the product of unwanted paintings which have gone awry, and I will do some test pieces. I create test pieces of each variation of my design because, often, what looks good in a pencil sketch may not look good in another medium. So, I will play with all the different tools I have until I find what works best. Sometimes these test pieces become the final piece but usually there is still something I want to refine further and thus I then move onto another piece of paper with these refinements in mind.
I like the keep my designs quite simple, the reason for this is because the painting itself is never intended to be the final product. Once I have the painting I am happy with it goes straight into Photoshop where I will tidy up any unruly lines or accidental splashes but most importantly this is when my pattern comes to life. Either through tiling the design, manipulating it to form new shapes or simply repeating and flipping around layers. Though this process is quite simple it can drastically change the composition of my original little painting. It is this drastic change that becomes my final product.
Go ahead and check out the rest of my pattern designs right here
Especially my latest upload 'Sunsets Falling'
And if you enjoy seeing work in progress shots be sure to follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsaundersart/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/gsaundersartist