When watercolor artist Juliet Meeks moved into her New Orleans studio this past spring, she knew one thing was for sure: her signature watercolor style had to make an appearance. Looking to Spoonflower for a little help, Juliet transformed her watercolor florals into vibrant wallpaper (now available in her Spoonflower shop!) to instantly elevate the look and feel of the new studio. Whether she’s hosting workshops or painting her next design, Juliet’s studio welcomes guests with a cheerful vibe that is reflective of Juliet’s personality. Keep reading to get to know more about this New Orleans artist.
I fell in love with design when…
I realized how many possibilities design creates in the world! Having a way to express your personal vision is empowering.
What’s in your toolbox?
Watercolors by Winsor & Newton, gouache, my favorite brushes, cold pressed watercolor paper, my iPad with the Procreate app, and lately, I have been starting acrylic painting.
What is your process when creating a new design?
I usually like to have an inspiration photo, still life or fresh bouquet of flowers to paint from. But lately I have been trying to experiment more just from my imagination. My go-to is watercolor. When I’m painting, I usually don’t plan out a color palette first but just let each color guide the next intuitively. If I am making a repeating pattern, I will paint the elements individually, scan them in and clean them up in Photoshop, and then create the repeat tile there.
I actually have a class on Skillshare that shows this process and another new class on how to make a repeating pattern using the handmade method. I love to draw on my iPad while watching Netflix. I found that using the app Procreate has allowed me to experiment and create a whole new type of illustration style than I’m used to—I think because it helps to have an “undo” button!
When I’m in my studio, I feel…
Like I am knocking out my to do list on the best days. For example, it’s great if I get at least one painting or pattern done that felt inspiring to create. On a more challenging day, when there are so many different types of tasks ahead, it can feel insurmountable! Both inspiring and challenging days are always ahead. Running my art studio full-time for the past three years has taught me to take them both as they come, and that sometimes the quiet, in-between moments spent creating are the best.
Who or what influences or inspires your work and why?
Color is my biggest inspiration—I love finding unexpected palettes that work well with the sense of movement and texture I go for in my watercolors.
The secret to a strong collection is…
A cohesive color palette and elements that play off of each other.
What drew you to Spoonflower?
I ordered my very first sample swatch of my own fabric design from Spoonflower back in college! I still have that sample, and it was so exciting to see. When I opened my online shop in 2016, I used fabric from Spoonflower to sew zipper pouches to sell as one of my first products. Spoonflower is an amazing resource for artists, and not just because of the Design Challenges—it allows you to order small quantities of fabric which I have found is rare in the industry, and samples to test out designs. And now, its enabled me to have wallpaper of my own design in my new studio space. It’s been fun to say, “yes, that’s my design on the walls”!
Want to have Juliet’s designs on your walls too? You can now shop her watercolor designs on removable, renter-friendly wallpaper!
Photography by Gabby Chapin / @gabbychapin_photography
Beautiful, how do I get started? I don’t have a website. Just a Facebook page. I think I am already signed up with Spoonflower.
Hi there,
The great thing about Spoonflower is that anyone can be a designer! You can learn more about getting started and selling your designs here.