Use Print-on-Demand to build your business identity
Print-on-demand, the ability to create custom items as needed—rather than in large quantities in anticipation of future needs—has become one of the defining phenomena of this digital age.
New: Subtle Backgrounds on Creative Market
Most of the time (but not all of the time), a website background should stay in the background. It should provide just enough color, just enough interest and style, and set the stage for your foreground content to do the talking.
We recently visited the historic Adamson House, home of the family that at one time owned the town of Malibu (plus a bit of the nearby Santa Monica Mountains). I don’t need to be convinced to head up that way, it’s so invigorating just to spend time between the low, mist-watered hills and the cool sea.
To promote my seamless patterns, I’m offering a colorful, high definition (2048 x 2048px) set of my most popular pattern, Leafy Vines, as a free mobile wallpaper.
New Downloadable Vector Pattern: Floral Interlock
Just added to my shop on Creative Market, this new pattern tile was sparked by a 17th century Dutch motif.
The inspiration was a beautiful Dutch reproduction…
Book Review: A Field Guide to Fabric Design
As a longtime designer for many media, I’m among the kajillions who took one look at the idea of fabric printing on demand (thanks to Spoonflower) and went wild. Here was a way to quickly flesh out and share fabric pattern ideas. I was in heaven.
Very quickly after that, I […]
New Fabric Designs: Heartwings
Here are three of the palette experiments I’ve been doing with my Heartwings pattern. It was originally inspired by a camouflage design contest on the Spoonflower website, but has long since sparked intriguing color ideas.
Photos are of samples on quilting weight cotton. Available on fabrics from upholstery weight twill […]
New Fabrics Available: More Tiny Argyles
Having photographed these on a black backdrop, I am reminded how much I love the black and lavender combo, which I did explore some last summer. I show off those in a previous post. To purchase (or just to see how they display on Spoonflower), click on […]
Fabric Design Online: Marketing Lessons from a Few Outstanding Independents
Creating and selling surface design work online is a side project I’ve been exploring since last summer. Can it become a viable business?
It depends.
There are a number of sites now that allow you to sell your fabric designs and receive a small commission. They are:
Spoonflower (US based, international shipping) […]
Seamlessly Tiling Wallpaper Posters
I learned about Hanna Werning’s brilliant wallpaper posters from a blog post on Colourlovers, and can’t stop admiring them. What a cool idea!
The patterns repeat seamlessly from poster to poster, and there is plenty of room for improvisation. For my favorite design, called Tiles, Hanna […]
Custom Fabric Prints: Chrysanthemum Pattern
Ahhh… Now I like them! Spoonflower did a fantastic job of capturing the nuances of the pencil work.
I tried a few different palettes with these outrageous mums, and what you see here are the happy successes. It’s time to pull together some photos of these in use—on upholstry as well […]
“Designing for publications is like dressing for a visit; Designing for textiles is like getting ready to move in.” —Me
These are the issues I am aware of now, at this stage in my exploration of textile and surface design:
Mature my personal, authentic vocabulary of motifs.
These are symbols (with all their archetypal […]
Tiny Argyles Fabric: Palette Tests
I’m documenting my newest set of test swatches. Many more successes this time, and this trio of blacks and whites is my favorite:
This set is a close second. It shimmers in the sun (a break in some otherwise grayish weather), and on the humblest of weaves:
I threw […]
Surface Design: The Evolving Oak Motif
I’m continuing to explore surface design on the Spoonflower site, and just received new fabric samples for an oak motif I’ve been developing over this past summer.
The quilting weight 100% cotton fabric in these photos is $18/yard. Some other fabrics they carry are sateen, knit, twill and canvas. Click here […]
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