Next up as our featured artist in The Designer Project is the super-talented Cassandra Feguson or better known as The Digi Dame – with her incredible fabric collection!
She has put together the most wonderful blog post, diving deep into her creative process and inspirations for creating these amazing designs. Keep on reading to find out more!
Cassandra Ferguson
Hi everyone, I’m Cassandra, aka The Digi Dame! I am thrilled to join the Designer Project at Digital Fabrics! I’m a brand designer from Western Sydney, who loves bold colour and joyful design. With a background in graphic design, I’ve recently delved into the world of surface pattern design; I am really enjoying the process of developing this new skillset and loving the freedom it gives me to get back to drawing.
From the time I could hold a pencil in my hand as a young child, I was drawing. In adulthood, this favourite pastime took a back seat as life got in the way, as it often does. I served in the Australian Navy, worked in Makeup Artistry and became a mum before finally finding my groove in graphic design in my thirties, by chance! It was then that my love for design, colour and creativity was beautifully reignited. Now, with my recent immersion into surface pattern design, my love for freehand drawing has been reimagined in digital format.
Sunday Funday W.I.P
My design style is colourful and abstract with an imperfect hand-drawn feel. I love creating bold patterns on a large scale for maximum impact. Some of my patterns can appear a bit folksy, but folk art is not where my influence lies. My favourite artists have always been the 19th century impressionists of France; particularly the thin brush strokes applied adjacent to each other. So perhaps that’s where the decorative strokes in my work come from.
When I’m not designing for a client and therefore not following a brief, I’m inspired by the colours, textures and diversity of the Australian landscape and Aussie icons. I will often refer to photographs of chosen subjects, rather than draw from memory, and in this way, I can find direction for colour palettes and design layouts. The process is pretty fluid and informal – I will usually draw the motifs and elements in black and white first, then add colour, then make placements to form the pattern layout.
Sunday Funday Moodboard
When designing for a client, my process is much more defined; beginning with the design brief and brand research, then developing moodboards and style direction before commencing any solid designs for the client. I work predominately in Adobe Illustrator – I feel most comfortable working with vectors. I love the scalability, and Illustrator best suits my drawing style and use of block colour. I draw digitally using a Wacom tablet, directly onto my laptop touchscreen or using my mouse. I don’t use any other device like a tablet; I like the simplicity of doing all my design work on a single device using Illustrator.
I don’t have a dedicated home studio; I’m always in awe of other designers’ gorgeous workspaces! But I make it work and love what I do. Oh, and one last thing about me? I work better with cake! Thank you for taking a peek into my creative little corner of the world!
Her design style is bright and colourful, hand-drawn and abstract, with Australian elements as a strong inspiration. She particularly loves to create wildly colourful patterns and collections that are based upon our Aussie landscape, flora and fauna (which is greatly reflected in her fabric collection)
Get ready to meet our next talented designer in the spotlight – De-Anne Strange! In this feature, we’ll delve into the creative world of our upcoming designer, showcasing De-Anne’s unique style and inspirations. Join us as we uncover the stories behind her designs and the passion that drives her artistic vision. Keep on reading to find out more!
De-Anne Strange
A change in creative careers brought a lifetime of experience and skills, to help make pattern designs unique and true to me.
Work in Progress Painting
I have always been inspired by people who are their true self and create their own unique path through life, whatever that may be. From a young age I have been able to see the beauty in all things, the tiny detail that is often missed and had a great sense of appreciation for this beautiful world we live in, and this now helps in my design process.
Colour Matching Designs
I’ve been fortunate to be a creative entrepreneur in various industries and share my art with others. Years of hairdressing showed me how much I love to help bring joy through my art and creating hair styles that helped make others feel good about themselves. Many Years in my Photography business brings the ability to look at any situation or subject, through a creative lens where anything is possible and problem-solving techniques to make that anything come to life! Completing a Diploma in Visual Arts with an amazing teacher has given me the courage to step even further from my comfort zone and give anything a go, you never know where it may take you. Also helps calm perfectionism without compromising best practices and quality.
Wheat Crops Inspiration
When I first discovered the surface pattern design industry, I was so intrigued and just felt so strongly that this was the direction I needed to go. I found that the professionals in the industry were the most welcoming and supportive I’ve ever known and just love to help others reach their goals. The saying ‘there is room for us all’ is used often and I’ve seen so many new designers flourish in this supportive environment. I love being a part of it too and helping others. I have participated in lots of different education and mentor groups worldwide, which has shown me how many talented artists are creating the life they want and supporting their families from their art businesses.
Collection Colour Palettes
When I am in the first stage of a new collection creative process, I use a mix of all the skills I’ve learnt and work in mixed mediums including Photography, painting, drawing and digital artwork on my iPad Pro. When creating art on paper or canvas, I love to work with Acrylic and water colour paints, inks, charcoal, calligraphy pens, pencil and more. I use my camera to photograph anything for inspiration, create my own textures and capture my finished.
Work in Progress Painting
artworks, rather than scanning them onto my computer. I use my professional photography skills to photograph my work with good lighting and keep the digital quality high. Once I have imported my original art works, I mainly use Adobe illustrator to create my designs but also lightroom and photoshop depending on what style I’m creating.
Photographing Inspiration
Currently I have released 6 design collections, all very different and I have my next 3 already in progress. I love showcasing beauty in nature and feel my style is unique, elegant and intriguing due to abstract composition. It suits most industries but looks great on fabric, clothing and accessories, wallpaper and homewares.
I hope to keep creating my art and finding companies who wish to licence my designs, so I can help inspire others to follow their dreams too.
De xx
Love of the Land, embracing Australian Agricultural Farming and Grain Crops. Living in the Central Wheatbelt Western Australia and jointly running a farming business, De wanted to showcase this industry in a new modern light, to show its beauty. This collection is full of life, texture and interest, with an abstract feel. Using her professional photographs taken on their farm of various crop varieties at different stages of their growing processes, she has created these unique illustration patterns. Colours are pulled directly from her photos and each pattern has its own unique story and meaning to her family.
Alive – a collection bursting with life! Bold, beautiful and striking, filled with stunning colours, layers and textures. This collection is timeless and will bring life to any project. Each design is a thoughtfully made, piece of art. Every hero design has her signature hidden butterfly.
She hopes to give an insight into this profession through her art and also show its possible to be a Farmer and an Artist at the same time! Through the constant support of her Husband Leigh and their 3 sons, she has been able to bring her dreams to life and they have always been there helping along the way. Head to our Fabric Shop online to view the whole collection and shop now!
Our next artist in focus for The Designer Project, with her groovy, fun loving prints is Tamsin Smyth! Tamsin brings with her TWO incredible collections ‘Sunny Side up” & ‘Carnivale Geo’ for this feature, which we are ever so grateful for.
Along with that, she has also put together this blog which invites you into her creative studio to see the behind the scenes to her creative process and how she dreams her patterns into being. Keep reading to find out more!
Tamsin Smyth
Hello you! My name is Tamsin Smyth, and I am a surface pattern designer and illustrator living on a creek near Byron Bay. I have always had vivid dreams about pattern and fashion and colour. I was fairly obsessed with the wallpapers of the seventies, and I can vividly remember the fabric patterns of my colourful wardrobe from my childhood and my glamourous Mum’s outfits. Thanks Mum!
Designing Process
I was absolutely obsessed with rainbows as a child, and my Mum helped me collect rainbow EVERYTHING. My life feels most centred when I am creating with and surrounded by colour, and colour makes my heart go plippety plop! Colours that sing, chubby shapes and flowers with a retro twist, is how I might describe my designs. With a passion for folk art and the natural environment, my designs tend to come from my imagination, which is my favourite place to dwell. I like to create my own sunshine through my art, and then share it with others. I am always surprised and delighted when someone likes my designs!
Rainbow Clouds Sketches
I am so excited to share my collections, Sunny Side Up and Carnivale Geo, with the Designer Project and Digital Fabrics. Woot! I quite often dream a pattern into being. I will wake up and scrawl a pattern I envisioned while asleep. That’s why my sketches are so brilliant! LOL. The sketches never quite match the dream, but I really love where they take me.
Fabric Swatches
I tend to create bold shapes with no outlines, but I do love a bit of hand drawn line and texture too. I am also entranced by the rhythms of meadow flowers, and I have tailored a rolling meadow and some sweet snowbells for this collection. Once I have the sketch scanned into Adobe Illustrator, I can begin creating the vector shapes and playing with a colour palette. Often the elements evolve way past the initial sketch, but it’s a sure-fire springboard (the peekaboo rainbows sketch is a great example!). Quite often my designs end up large scale like my sunrise and sunset blooms, and my lolly jumbo gingham. I love a chubby check!
Tamsin in her Studio Space
I hope you find something in this collection to bring a little fun and whimsy into your life. I’d love to see what you create with them, so be sure to tag me on Instagram @tamsin.smyth so I can share the love!
Sunshine and rainbows, Tamsin x
Bum Bag Baby Muse
Sunny Side Up is a curated collection with a little bit of everything that Tamsin loves. The sketch here called Bumbag Baby is the muse of this collection, and she encapsulates the sweet fun and playfulness of Tamsin’s 1970’s childhood. The Carnivale Geo collection is a retro rainbow of tumbling fun inspired by the Ballet Russes costumes and vintage carnivals. Both collections feature the soothing hues of the seventies: peach orange, yellow and pale pink with pops of purple and blue. These designs would be great for any number of applications such as fashion garments, swimwear & beach wear, cushions, beanbags, table linen, tea towels, hair towels and robes! Each of Tamsin’s designs are available to be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Simply head to our Fabric Shop online to view the whole collections and choose your favourite fabric!
Next up as our featured artist in The Designer Project is the wonderful Laura Armitage Vella from Monber and B Designs – with not one…but two textile collections ‘Sand in the Suitcase’ & ‘Winter Bunny’!
As part of Laura’s feature, the designer has also put together a guest blog which details her typical creative process as well as the things that inspire her! Keep reading to find out more!
Laura Armitage Vella
What a wonderful way to start the Winter Season, I’m so excited to be here to share some of my designs alongside the talented artist here at Digital Fabrics.
Sometimes I get asked what I do for work and I think it’s not really work – it’s just so much fun! I have always worked creatively studying fashion and working as a fashion designer for over 10 years. Before that, I was the kid in high school who spent lunchtimes in the art studio classroom working on creations and in primary school swapping other kids’ fruit roll-ups for drawings of dolphins. So it’s no surprise that I’m here doing pattern design and illustration, it did take me a while to get the message though but I’m so glad I did. Now I’m thrilled I get to share two collections with you here, Sand in the Suitcase and Winter Bunny.
Sand in the Suitcase Collection Sketches
My style of creating and coming up with ideas grows mostly in a very predictable order, I think after creating so many clothing ranges I find creative freedom in the predictability of order. I’m sharing a photo of both collections’ brainstorming pages – can you make sense of them? They are messy but the ideas come fast so I quickly jot down the feel of the collection, print ideas and names of each print.
‘Look Up’ design Original Sketches
I love working with photoshop but first I feel more flow working with pencil and paper and I like to play with the texture of paint and watercolour paper to get some saturated colour onto the page. I scan these into the computer and by this stage, the final print is really coming together in my mind and I wish sometimes I could work as fast as my imagination.
‘Shell Treasure’ design Original Sketches
As I work on the colour and scale of the elements I’m thinking about what the fabric will become, and what will it best be sewn into. ‘Sail Away’ print I have always imagined this in a skirt or a shoestring cami. I’m really looking forward to sewing this idea up though I’m a very slow sewer it may take me a while but I’ll share this with you as soon as it is done.
One of the most rewarding aspects of working in the creative industry is seeing how others interpret the patterns and what they will be created into. I would love to see what you would create with these prints or an idea you have if you would be ever so kind to share too.
Winter Bunny Collection Sketches
I’m always creating and sharing little ideas and projects through my instagram account and newsletter and would be super excited to see what you do with these beautifully printed fabrics so please share with me @monber_and_b and Digital Fabrics @digitalfabrics it would make my day!
Laura in her Studio
The Sand in the Suitcase collection is a trip down memory lane for anyone who has holidayed by the sea. Laura’s childhood was filled with holidays by the beach, waking up and going straight from pj’s to swimmers in the morning. Time was lost in the sand, creating games, building sandcastles and looking up close at all the small pieces of broken shells. Walking along the beach collecting shells only to look back to where you came from, and it is just a blurry dot in the distance. Eventually, the time comes to go home and on unpacking, there are always grains of sand in the bottom of the suitcase.
The Winter Bunny collection is inspired by the winter season – floating in the dreamy innocents of our little cherubs. This season is full of excitement and discovering pure joy for our winter wonderland. Crisp mornings delighting in finding the last of flowers. Winter Bunny, our elusive furry forest friend. If you are lucky, you’ll see a glimpse of his fluffy tail running across the field as the first light glitters on the dewy grass.
These designs would be great for a range of both Fashion & Interior projects! We’re thinking sweet pyjama sets and flowing dresses, or perhaps some cute cushions for your home? Each of Laura’s designs are available to be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Simply head to our Fabric Shop online to view the whole collection and choose your favourite fabric!
Next up as our featured artist in The Designer Project is the ultra-talented Meredith Gain from MGK Designs – with her textile collection ‘Beach Days‘!
She has put together the most wonderful blog post, diving deep into her creative process and inspirations for creating these amazing designs. Keep on read to find out more!
Meredith Gain
“Hi there
I’m Meredith Gain of MGK Designs and I’d like to share my inspiration and design journey for my fabric collection Beach Days that I’m so excited and proud to have available via Digital Fabrics and The Designer Project. I grew up in the carefree beachside suburb of Nth Curl Curl on the northern beaches NSW in the 70s where I spent my time swimming in the surf, exploring the rocks and generally having fun in the sun! My journey into surface pattern/textile design came about from my love of design and always the need to be creating! Prior to finding my way to textile design – after I had my 2 kiddos – I was creating delicious food as a chef for over 15years before I had my family and moved back to the beach for that carefree lifestyle I had growing up!
Creative Space
I now spend my days creating art for fabric, actually any surface that needs a design! And of course, I still love cooking! And always with music playing! I pursued my love of art and design via a surface design course at ISCD and won several awards at the time … This led to an opportunity to design a wallpaper and interior fabric range for Emily Ziz .. I now have 3 collections with them. Alongside my interior fabric collections, I also continue to create for several print studios for swimwear and women’s wear … and even have a few rugs and carpet designs! I am happy to create and adapt my style to many different briefs and clients, but my natural handwriting lends itself to an organic abstract very textural coastal vibe. I love to walk the many bush tracks and coastal paths of sunny Sydney; in fact, any coastline will do !
Peach Breeze in the making
I gain so much inspiration and joy from the surrounding nature and I find this comes out in my art via the mark making and line work that makes up much of my artworks. The designs I have available here for Digital Fabrics are in a lovely warm palette of pinks, peaches and oranges, reminiscent of a sunrise and the happy rosy glow after a day spent by the beach; with sunscreen, sunglasses and hat on of course!! I work mainly on my iPad in Procreate to experiment & muck around.Working with layers and effects that I then upload straight to my mac to work on further to put into repeat and play with colours. It’s usually straight to Illustrator and sometimes Photoshop but I’m definitely team Ai !
Iceream Trek Original Art
Each design usually starts with a mark making frenzy when something inspires me. Again, mainly on the iPad but sometimes I like to spend a day and get the paints out to do a big batch of swirls, marks, shapes and lines that get used in my designs. Though I even recently did a piece using the only material I had on hand…a lipstick and a notepad!! I then take photos of the mark makings and digitise using image trace in Ai. This is where I like to play around with layers, textures, colour and scale. As it helps to visualise the end product, I like mockups to see how the designs might look on a skirt or swimwear. The colours are generally depending on if I have a brief or what I’ve recently seen that inspires me. On a recent girls trip away to Daylesford VIC I was so inspired by the scenery and the colours that I just had to create a mood board! It actually inspired the design SAND DRIFTS…even though I’ve changed up the colours for this collection!
Lipstick Art
My work is always evolving!
You can find my latest works in progress or my ‘just because I’m feeling it art’ on instagram @mgkdesigns and my website https://www.mgk-designs.com/“
Beach Days is a collection of organic, abstract, all-over patterns; inspired by coastal walks by the beach. Many things inspire and remind Meredith of her childhood, spent living by the beach: bark on the trees, bird footprints in the sand, coastal bushes, sand hills, beach debris and lazy summer days! These designs would be great for any number of applications such as sundresses, swimwear, cushions, beanbags, tablecloths & napkins, tea towels, scarves, sarongs and beach towels! Each of Meredith’s designs are available to be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Simply head to our Fabric Shop online to view the whole collection and choose your favourite fabric!
We’re super excited to announce that our next featured artist from The Designer Project will be ever so talented, Naomi Robinson!
Naomi is a watercolour and mixed media artist based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She works in a way that allows the mediums innate beauty and imperfect qualities to shine through. In doing so, reflecting nature’s charm and uniqueness and helping us re-connect to the truth of who we are. The ‘Follow Me Sunshine’ collection brings a playful, fresh Spring-time vibe; and reflects Naomi’s charming, organic and whimsy style.
Keep reading to find out more about Naomi’s wonderful floral designs!
Creekside Maiden enchants us with her earthy tones and delicate leaves. Softly hand-painted to create a timeless, sophisticated minimal print, practical for many uses. Keep a look out on your next rainforest walk and you may be charmed too!
Indoor Paradise is inspired by the lushness of a house full of plants and features wonderful tones of green and pink! Bring the feeling of an Indoor Paradise into your homes with this sumptuousness, alluring and refreshing pattern.
Circles of Allure is a flirtatious, fun and bright take on Banksia flowers, viewed from above. These gorgeous watercolour blooms range in size from 5-8cm diameter. A super versatile design that could be made into many lovely products; think tablewear, home decor, tote bags, baby products or women’s clothing.
Sweet Leaf is a cute, versatile coordinate pattern of hand-painted daisy leaves. Inspired by the profusely flowering wild daisies found along the roadside. Which burst to life after a Spring time shower! Perfect for women’s apparel, cushions, accessories and an array of home decor.
Dandy Wishes is a playful and delicately painted pattern, that would be ideal for making dresses, skirts, children’s clothing and even homeware items, like cushions and tea towels. Inspired by Dandelions with their bright golden pops of colour, that beam through the foliage in early Spring, reminding us of hope, rebirth and the end of Winter days.
Diverse Devotion features alluring watery effects and texture, which are a lovely display of the wonders of watercolour. Creating an alive and unique story of tropical rainforest leaves. Ideal for use on cushions, baby clothes, homewares, skirts and dresses. We are looking forward to seeing what you make with this beautiful design!
Peach Gingham is a quaint, charming and nostalgic Gingham design, which reminds us of the warm Spring days of our playful childhood, where possibilities were endless and days were long! A timeless print, perfect for use on tableware, napkins, cushions, dresses, skirts and baby wear. And would pair beautifully with the Strawberry Days pattern!
Bee Mine is cute and irresistible; childhood vibes of something sweet! Bee Mine features hand-painted strawberry vine flowers and would look great paired next to Strawberry Days and Peach Gingham. Could also be a loveable stand-alone print! We can see this sweet pattern on Summer dresses, baby’s clothes and kids clothing.
Who doesn’t like quirky hand-painted strawberries!? Strawberry Days offers a playful, fresh, Spring-time vibe, and conjures up childhood memories of picking and eating fresh strawberries from our mother’s garden. Did someone say Garden Tea Party?! We think it would look super cute on picnic ware, tableware, tote bags and fun bold clothing!
All of our project ideas above are suggestions only as the sky’s truly the limit with Naomi’s stunning collection! Each of Naomi’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop, so head on over to be inspired for your next DIY project!
It’s come that time again to introduce our newest featured artist of The Designer Project…introducing the wonderful LeAnne Payne and her textile collections ‘Spring Picnic’ and ‘Australian Flora’!
LeAnne is the designer, and everything else, behind Leanne Mary Designs. She lives, works and creates in the beautiful Lake Macquarie area of NSW. Her style is all about texture, water colour layers, chalky pencil drawings or a combination, all brought together in digital form. LeAnne takes inspiration from the beauty of Lake Macquarie, the lake and the bushland.
What’s more fantastic is that the whole collection has been made available in our Fabric Shop online, meaning each of the designs can be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Below we’ve shared a bit about each of the designs and the types of projects we think they’d be great for so keep reading!
Spring Picnic Collection
Blue Floral with delicate White Leaves is a versatile design of complimentary blues, teamed with bright white. We love the combination of blue floral motifs against the white foliage and think this would be the perfect print for a mix of both Fashion and Homeware projects!
A Riot of Wildflowers, the name says it all! This design showcases a collection of wildflowers in an array of colours, which are sure to inspire you to go and pick some flowers from the garden. Although a very busy print, the muted tones of the colours create a calm vibe to this design. This is a divine print for Fashion projects such as sleepwear or a lovely summer dress!
Wobbly Check features a light grey base with pink and peach stripes, that cross over to create this wonderful check pattern. Checks are so on trend right now, but why have boring when you can have hand painted ones with a bit of a wobble! We think this print inspires Homeware and Fashion projects, such as fun cushions or a cute matching set.
Tree Line Gold is a hand drawn design, full of whimsical and quirky shapes that form tree lines, filled with all forms of doodles. We love the mix of Teal and Red, with that bold pop of Gold. This unique print would work so well for fashion garments! Think fun dresses or even kidswear.
Terracotta & Sage Tile Petal are classic prints that feature hand drawn petal motifs in an off-white shade. The petals are rotated to form a four-petal flower, as an outlined version with a Sage Green background or a solid version with a Terracotta background. These prints have a retro feel, making them a great choice for Home & Interior DIYs! Perhaps some designer Cushions or Tea Towels for your home.
Australian Flora Collection
Bottlebrush & Wattle features hand painted water colour motifs with ink details, that bring the Australian bush alive. We love the pairing of the Red and Green with the pops of that Wattle Gold! This design would work wonderfully for any fashion or homeware project! Personally, we would love to see it featured on a range of stunning summer garments.
Wind Blown Gum Leaves Terracotta & Darkest Blue showcase delicate line drawings of leaves and gum blossoms in what appears to be white but is actually a wonderful soft grey. It pairs perfectly against the Rust and Dark Grey Blue backgrounds. These beautiful prints would be the perfect choice for any Home & Interior projects, such as Cushion Covers, Tea Towels or even Table Linen!
Australian Gum Leaves & Blossoms is another design full of delicate line drawn leaves and gum blossoms, which cascade over a textured light blue back ground. We love the simplicity of this design, as it makes it a fabulous choice for a range of projects – both fashion and home related!
For our latest installment of The Designer Project, we’ll be featuring the wonderful work of artist Nicole Wilton!
Nicole Wilton is an Australian artist and surface designer. Born and raised in the country, her love of all things rural is reflected in hand-painted watercolour designs from her ‘Spring Harvest’ collection, inspired by everything the home paddock has to offer.
‘Spring Harvest’ captures the abundance of goodness and joy we receive from our veggie patch and array of fruit trees. Vibrant, hand-painted watercolour, and playful patterns celebrate the hope and promise of Spring. There are loads of lemons, and carrots ready to be pulled. The snow peas are at their peak, with the happiest sea of green foliage. Planting out seeds, watching them grow, and then eating of the harvest straight from the tree – it doesn’t get much better than that!
We think this collection would be absolutely perfect for a range of Fashion and Homeware projects! Think of stunning dresses and Tea Towels, Cushions and Table linens + many more – the sky is the limit.
What’s more fantastic is that the whole collection has been made available in our Fabric Shop online, meaning each of the designs can be printed onto any of our stock fabrics. Below we’ve shared a bit about each of the designs so keep reading!
Loads of Lemons is a fresh and fruity print, with a slight vintage feel. Hand-painted in delicate watercolour, Loads of Lemons is playful yet elegant. A timeless and versatile design, there is no limit to what this delightful print can be used for.
Yellow Stripes is hand-painted in delightful watercolour. These stunningly simple Yellow Stripes bring all the joy of a warm Spring day with a gentle breeze and is bound to brighten your day.
Wilton & Co Posy was inspired by a dinnerware set which was gifted to Nicole for her wedding, It’s a simple and delicate pattern, using a single, hand-painted motif in gorgeous blue watercolour.
Tossed Snow Peas is a little bit quirky, but oh so fresh. Inspired by veggies straight from the garden and a dinnerware set. Delightful blue motifs are scattered amongst vibrant, green snow peas, all hand-painted in stunning watercolour.
Green Check is fresh and simple, made up of gorgeous green watercolour squares to create a classic print. This pattern works beautifully as a co-ordinate print or as a simple print to brighten your day.
Heirloom Carrots is another hand-painted design, full of vibrant watercolour. Pulled straight from the garden to your next sewing project! A playful tossed pattern, that pairs perfectly in the kitchen, but don’t let that limit you.
We truely hope you love this beautiful collection as much as we do, and can’t wait to see what you create- the ideas are endless! Each of Nicole’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop online.
We’ve absolutely adored sharing the delicious ‘Blooms & Bakes’ Collection by artist Jenni Rogers for this installment of The Designer Project!
As passionately described by Jenni, “When I bake the texture and colours consume me – there is never ending inspiration from these subjects. It’s life and it is a part of us all”. Jenni’s creative process starts with feelings that she gains from the observation of these subjects. Then her mind starts to envision how it could look, usually painting from still life, photos or real life as in plain air.
We hope that you have all loved Jenni’s beautiful collection as much as we have! Each of Jenni’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop online. Keep reading to find out more about Jenni’s work, inspirations and typical creative process!
Jenni Rogers
Hi, my name is Jenni Rogers, artist, surface pattern designer and chef and I’m based in the beautiful Byron Bay Hinterland. I love creating paintings/patterns that combine two of my favourite things – cooking and art.
And I’m super excited to be included in the Designer project with Digital Fabrics, thank you!
I thought I’d introduce myself by sharing a little behind the scenes look at how my patterns start, what my inspiration is and how my sketches and paintings evolve into the patterns you see here at Digital Fabrics.
Almost all of my initial inspiration comes from food in some way or another whether it be raw ingredients, like how vanilla paste sparkles in the sun on a teaspoon (that may sound odd to you…lol ) or a messy table after a great meal shared with family and friends, with serviettes, plates stacked, etc. Yes these are the things that capture my attention!
I find all aspects of food and cafes very emotional. I often associate memories to food. I know when I bake bread, I think of my dad in the kitchen baking these enormous loaves for our family, my Grandma and I making little, sweet jam mushrooms with icing and pastry stalks and my mum and I destroying the kitchen through cake decorating, every bowl and appliance in the house was used. Our favourite recipes remind us of our loved ones – when we create them, in a way, it brings them back to us. My paintings and then patterns are a way of capturing those images.
This is my initial process on how I create a pattern and it starts in the kitchen:
1/Photograph whilst making the recipe – usually cake!
2/ Eat baked goodies and share with family
3/ Sketch out different elements within the baking process to see what looks good and to plan how the recipe will read and if its easy to follow.
4/ play around with painting different parts of the process
5/ This is the finished painting below. I call it Recipe-art.
Once the painting is finished, I then use some or all of the elements within the painting to create patterns. I start by scanning in my finished painting, basically pulling it apart on photoshop and then arranging them into repeat patterns. I usually end up with at least 50+ patterns from each recipe, its actually hard to stop!
High Tea Design WIP
And this is the finished pattern.
“High Tea” and it’s available to use now within Digital Fabrics.
I would love to see what you make with my patterns and I hope this has inspired you to get busy creating! Please tag both Digital Fabrics (@digitalfabrics) and myself on Instagram or Facebook.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetart_by_jenni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetartbyjenni
Happy Creating , Jenni
This photo below is where I paint smaller artworks and working in photoshop.
Jenni’s Art Studio
And this photo below is my art studio where I paint larger artworks and I can get a bit messy.
Jenni Rogers
If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!
We’re super excited to be bringing The Designer Project back for 2024 and can’t wait to share all of this year’s fantastic artists and their incredible work! To kick things off for the year we’re introducing you all to the ultra-talented artist and designer Jenni Rogers and her ‘Blooms & Bakes’ Collection!
Jenni is an Australian artist, surface pattern designer and chef, who is based in the beautiful Byron Bay Hinterland and delights in creating paintings that combine two of her favourite things – cooking and art. She bought her first cafe when she was just 16 years old – The Chelsea Teahouse in Avalon. It was only later in life that she discovered her love for painting. This love is what lead Jenni to go on to create artworks depicting beautifully presented food. Jenni is in her element whilst baking beautiful cakes, biscuits, pastries and turning them into works of art.
Below we’ve shared a bit about each of Jenni’s incredible designs from her ‘Blooms & Bakes’ Collection and the different types of projects we think they’d be perfect for!
Brunch is a fun colourful hand painted watercolour. This design has everything you need to bake lamingtons from the butter, vanilla , eggs and cocoa powder to the Kenwood chef mixer and not to mention my favourite Falcon oven.
Brunch would be perfect for any kitchen homewares such as aprons, tea towels and oven mits!
Sunset Poppy is a warm floral print with hand-painted watercolour golden poppies cascading over a deep rich earth red watercolour background.
Sunset Poppy would work great for table linen! Think Table Runners, Table Cloths and Napkins.
Sunshine Poppies, a floral print that has hand painted water colour poppies in various shades of red scattered over a golden yellow splashed water colour background. This multi-directional pattern is bursting with sunshine.
Sunshine Poppies is the sweetest print for any bedding or blankets!
Whisk & Spoon is a checkerboard style print with alternating hand painted whisk & spoons. Soft shades of pale yellow and blue make up this delightful kitchen print complete with a spotty background.
Whisk & Spoon would be perfect for any kitchen homewares such as aprons or tea towels!
High Tea is a hand painted pastel watercolour on a white background. Eclectic pink and blue tables & chairs fill this checker style print, with everything for a High Tea, complete with teapot, cups and lamingtons. This is a soft and delicate print.
High Tea would look wonderful as some sweet pyjamas!
Cream Tea is a hand painted pastel watercolour on a light blue pin stripe background. Eclectic pink and blue tables & chairs fill this checker style print, with everything for a High Tea, complete with teapot, cups and lamingtons. This is a soft and delicate print.
Cream Tea is the most perfect print for lounge wear garment projects!
Honeycomb is a patchwork style design with a delicate golden thread weaving in and around the honeycomb pattern. This is a multi-directional pattern with soft and delicate pinks and yellows.
Honeycomb is a fantastic print for any fashion project! We’re thinking a lovely springtime dress.
Let Your Light Shine is an abstract pattern created from one of Jenni’s oil paintings, “Red Table” and pieced back together with a delicate gold thread. Vibrant bold colours of deep reds, burgundy, yellow ochre, white and gold.
Let Your Light Shine is another amazing print for any fashion project!
Sunshine is a hand painted watercolour floral print in warm yellows, rich ochres and a touch of purple. Fun, bold and inviting is how I would describe the feel for this pattern.
Sunshine is also a perfect print for some custom bedding and blankets!
We truly hope you love this beautiful collection as much as we have, and can’t wait to see what you create- the ideas are endless! Each of Jenni’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop online.