Design Development

Here is a little sneak peek at one of the designs made from my mountain drawings.

When making patterns, the background colour was important. I played around with a few colours but found that a dark, dramatic bluey-purple was most effective. This made the colours pop. Dark colours seem to be making a wave in the interiors market. A lot of interior design magazines etc are featuring darkly painted walls, often with pops of colour to lighten them. 

Looking at some paintings that will form a part of my final collection. These paintings are based on mountain scenes in areas of India, including Bhutan and Pakistan. These paintings were initially inspired by The Valley of Flowers in the Himalayas. 

Below is an image of my fabric and wallpaper sitting alongside each other. The fabric is the first painterly fabric I produced which is inspiring the above forming collection. 

Over this project, I have been developing my painting skills. I look to artists to find inspiration on painting styles. Bluebellgray has been a big inspiration as she designs for the Interiors market also. Her large scale painterly designs are a real inspiration. I love how the colours in her watercolours bleed and create secondary colours - something I have been trying to achieve through watercolour but also through editing layers on Photoshop. 

However, Pinterest has also been very useful. Although sometimes the artist is unknown, it is often the place to find an artist you really like which you can research further. Here are a few I have found - and also a bit of Bluebellgray's work.

(Bluebellgray)

(John Lewis)

(Amy Sia)

Here are a few images of my drawings of flowers. I often start off by drawing a small image of the flower on A4 paper, then if I like it I draw it larger on A3 or A2 and put it into repeat. 

Making the repeats on Photoshop is something I really enjoy. I find it much more enjoyable to do it this way compared to doing it by hand. My photoshop skills are strong and it is very easy, whilst also challenging me when its a tough design.

I have found a great website to help me with my floral studies. As obviously I cannot visit India, my research is mainly secondary. Google is useful but can be inaccurate. This website - Flowers of India, has a subsection specifically about flowers growing upon the Himalayas. The Himalayas has become a keen focus for my design work since the main image I have worked from is the Valley of Flowers (shown in a previous post). 

It is clear from researching India; its surroundings and also the motifs in traditional patterns, that flowers are an underpinning factor. When thinking about how I want my final collection to be, I think I would like small mini collections within a larger collection. This enables me to mix patterns, something which I personally like. I like using multiple patterns in a room design - I am not a fan of 'safe' designs whereby there is one patterned fabric and then block colours. Being a lover of colour and pattern, I try and get as much in as possible.

Here are some images that I have been collecting when looking at the nature of India. I have found the mountains very interesting for the shapes and textures that are in them. Also, some are very colourful and floral. They seem to be the most interesting to paint and draw from so far.

Things have moved on from the previous post in the way that I have deviated from a 'typical Indian' brief. I am finding the patterns quite limiting - paisley and henna seem to have very similar motifs that are repeated in all designs. Therefore I have decided to look to the nature and surroundings of India.

As you may know from my previous post, I am doing a project on Indian Culture. I thought I'd share a little of what I've been doing. You can follow a more in-depth version of my journey into my final project on my Instagram - cbp_textiles

Up to now I have been doing lots of drawing, embroidery and painting. This week I will be experimenting with some screens to get my drawings onto fabric! 

I will post more soon!

Hello!

As you might know, I am doing my final project for University on Indian culture and all things paisley, mehndi, architecture etc.

If you think you can help with any information/pictures/fabrics etc, then please get in touch via my email -

chloebeatricedesigns@live.co.uk

Any help would be great, big or small!

Thanks!