Behind every design on Spoonflower is an independent artist from around the world

It’s no secret that Spoonflower is the world’s largest marketplace of indie pattern designs (over 1 million designs and growing!), but did you know that you can print any design on our 20+ fabrics, 3 wallpaper offerings and on a growing collection of unique made-for-you home decor that you can’t find anywhere else? And, you can feel good knowing your purchase supports independent artists from around the world! Read below to get to know eight Spoonflower designers (and some of their favorite holiday traditions and memories) in this edition of our Artist Spotlight series.

Meet the Featured Artists

Katy Grünthaler

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Location: Germany

Design Style: Something between cute, funny and totally serious

IG Handle: @graf_katz_design

What does your creative process look like?
Most of the time, I first draw on paper because this feels most natural to me. I always use an HB—that’s my lucky pencil. Then I decide on a combination of colors in Procreate® by arranging a color palette. Next, I’ll import my sketch into Procreate to digitize and trace the drawing. Finally, I move to Photoshop® to work on the pattern because, for me, this is the best tool to arrange and create a great pattern.

Where do you find inspiration?
In all cute things; I love to try out new cute characters in my sketchbook. Eyes, for example, can be drawn in so many different ways and the position to place them can change the whole mood of the new character.

What’s your biggest dream for the year ahead?
I wish that the spread of the pandemic can be halted and that the world can come back to normality.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
Here in Germany, the Christ Child brings presents on the evening of December 24th. So, when I saw the Christ Child for the first time, I was really overwhelmed. Now I think it was my aunt dressed up in a wedding dress with a veil in front of her face and golden wings.

What does tradition mean to you this holiday season?
On Christmas, all of my friends visit our hometown, and I look forward to celebrating each year together with them. Unfortunately, this year will be different as I will celebrate only with the closest loved ones in my family. Nevertheless, happy holidays to all of you.


Geetanjali Behera

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Location: India

Design Style: Beautifully composed designs with extra love for details, and the color black

IG Handle: @geetanjali.b

What does your creative process look like?
It varies depending on the design as I love both digital medium as well as traditional. So I start by drawing motifs on my iPad or sketchbook, then transfer it to Photoshop or Illustrator® to create the layout and composition that make a repeat pattern. The final step is to add details.

Where do you find inspiration?
I love traveling and trekking, so nature has always been the first source of inspiration. I do spend a lot of time browsing the internet and I also love to read books on art history for reference.

Design in progress – Magical Herbs by geetanjali

What’s your biggest dream for the year ahead?
I am planning to set up my own design studio and I would love to help more aspiring artists to find their dreams.

What does tradition mean to you this holiday season?
I have always been very fond of Indian traditions and to me, it’s all about family, friends, festivals, food and fun.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
My fondest holiday memories are from last year’s trip to the US, North East India and Dharamshala. But this year we moved to Goa which is another beautiful holiday destination and I feel blessed to be living here. This festive season is extra special to me since my husband started his art and tattoo studio this Diwali.


Farheen Fatima

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Location: United Arab Emirates

Design Style: Cute, clean motifs inspired from nature and soft-color palettes

IG Handle: @farijazz

What does your creative process look like?
My creative process starts as soon as an idea pops into my mind. I make some rough sketches on paper then refine them with a black fine liner, then I scan and transfer it to my computer. I consider and finalize the color palette and then redraw all the motifs in Illustrator using the appropriate tools and finish with the repeat swatch. Making the coordinates and colorways afterward. Later I make mockups in Photoshop.

Where do you find inspiration?
I get my inspiration almost from anything—most of the time the ideas start popping into my mind when I lay down in bed to sleep. I keep a small sketchbook nearby to instantly transfer the ideas as a form of a rough sketch which I can get back to later. I usually take my small handy sketchbook in my bag everywhere and do quick drawings of the ideas when I am outside. I also take photos when I am out to gather ideas and textures; sometimes I really like a specific color or whole palette and I think of motifs to suit that palette.

What’s your biggest goal for the year ahead?
My goal for next year is to expand my experiences, learn new techniques and refine my style. I want to incorporate more watercolor and textural detail motifs in my design. I am learning Procreate and want to make a full portfolio of classical textile designs.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
My fondest holiday memory is spending the festive time with my Grandparents at their house relaxing and having fun with cousins and friends.


Taisya Kordiukova

Location: Russian born living in Bali

Design Style: Joyful and colorful stories

IG Handle: @uhuhualoha

What does your creative process look like?
I take everything in—do sketches and notes, draw in Procreate and after, I polish it in Photoshop with some retro textures.

Where do you find inspiration?
I live by the sea surrounded by the beach culture of Bali, so this is the source of my inspiration. Nature, ocean, surfing and happy people dancing in the water.

From Taisya’s Winter collection

What is your biggest dream for the year ahead?
I would love to go on a motorcycle trip in the Himalayas.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
The smell of mandarins always brings me back to my family’s holiday celebrations of my childhood. It is a very Russian tradition to eat tons of mandarins during Christmas and New Year time.


Asta Barrington

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Location: United Kingdom

Design Style: Detailed hand-drawn elements, lively compositions and a confident use of colour

IG Handle: @astabarrington

What does your creative process look like?
Once I have researched a theme/idea and settled on a colour palette I do some loose sketches to create a layout for a potential pattern. Then I either draw my motifs digitally with individual colour layers using Procreate on my iPad, collage together small geometric motifs on Photoshop or occasionally paint and draw imagery onto watercolour paper then scan at a high resolution. I like experimenting with lots of media but I find iPad drawing suits my busy lifestyle most. I compose the final repeat patterns in Photoshop then swap colours and tweak everything endlessly until I’m happy.

Where do you find inspiration?
As a visual person, absolutely everything surrounding me inspires me and I am often overflowing with ideas! I particularly love rummaging at flea markets for vintage embroidered textiles, haberdashery and old toffee tins with their lovely lettering. I always find being near the sea a tonic (I was brought up in a British coastal town) and as my mother was Danish, I have an inherent respect and appreciation for all things Scandinavian. I also love to take online design classes because the communities there are so supportive and the assignments always push me in new unexpected directions that often become future designs.

What’s your biggest dream for the year ahead?
I’m really enjoying seeing my designs as Spoonflower wallpaper and textiles, for home decor is my favourite design area. I already have a really great licensing relationship with a Swedish tray brand called Jamida and I would love to expand my licensing portfolio with all kinds of other products with more companies to be able to see my designs being merchandised in some major shops. Like most people, I’m also yearning to travel again and get inspired by different cultures in real life. We had to cancel a trip to Lisbon at Easter and I was looking forward to getting inspired by all the tiled buildings.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
As a child the lead-up to Christmas was always so exciting to me—I particularly loved my mum’s hand-sewn felt Advent Calendar full of sweets and the boxes of painted glass baubles that came out annually (and broke one by one as the years passed). This year we will be getting out our ever-increasing collection of coloured baubles and fairy lights to celebrate the end of a very strange year and hope that we can get together with family again.


Aaron Gallén

Pronouns: he/him/his

Location: Spain

Design Style: Naïve language, flat illustrations and funny shapes of nature

IG Handle: @aaron_gallen

What does your creative process look like?
Well, my process it’s a bit chaotic. I think about an idea, maybe for days, and then I translate it on paper or directly into digital. Then I try different languages or styles: sometimes more realistic and sometimes more conceptual. The color palette is never clear, I always change it many times during the process.

Where do you find inspiration? 
I usually carry a small notebook in order to draw some sketches. Inspiration can be anywhere at any time—when I take care of my plants, when I see movies, on Social Media, when I take a walk…

Artist works in sketchbook drawing leaves and flowers with watercolors
Tea Towel that says " Visit Saturn: The Planet of the 82 Moons" and featuring a purple, red-orange, blue and black illustration of Saturn

Aaron’s winning design from the Vintage Travel Poster Tea Towel Design Challenge

What’s your biggest dream for the year ahead?
To grow professionally but always with passion and above all else, without losing my spirit and will for creation.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
The best holiday memories are always with my family, all together planning and preparing Christmas dinner. In the end, the most important things are those moments of joking and chatting with them.


Monika Drachal

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Location: Poland

Design Style: Adorable, playful patterns for babies, kids and the young at heart

IG Handle: @monikadrachal

What does your creative process look like?
My creative process usually starts with a spark of inspiration while scrolling through Pinterest before I go to bed at night. Then the next day, when my work hours start, I usually jump right in with whatever I have in mind. I sketch out and create the motifs on my iPad with an Apple Pencil, then I go to my computer, finalize the illustrations, tweak the colors and clean up or vectorize. I do the repeats in Photoshop or Illustrator.

Where do you find inspiration?
I love looking at photos of beautiful interiors, art and flower arrangements. Also, I must admit that I’m addicted to online shopping for my two young boys. This is like ongoing market research for me!

Christmas Baubles by monika_drachal

What’s your biggest dream for the year ahead?
To be honest, my dream for the year ahead is very simple; I feel so lucky to have a job that is also my passion and all I want is just to keep working, creating, evolving and expanding my skills.

What are your fondest holiday memories?
When we were little, after the Christmas Eve dinner, my parents told my big sister and me to go to our room and wait for the first star to appear in the sky. We stood by the window together and eagerly searched for this first bright spot. When we finally found something that we were convinced was a star (we were living near a busy, brightly lit street, so it’s doubtful that we were able to see any star at all) we rushed back into the living room. To this day, I am full of wonder how my parents were able to put out all the gifts so quickly and so discreetly under the Christmas tree. We were convinced that it was Santa and it felt very magical. Now, my sister’s presence is the one thing that I miss greatly each Christmas (she lives in Australia), but I hope to pass the same sense of wonder onto my kids.


Krecia White

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Location: United States

Design Style: Bold, illustration based and imaginative

IG Handle: @k.n.whitedesign

What does your creative process look like?
I homeschool three littles under 6, so my process is less about workflow and more about seizing the moment! I find time to work in the mornings or evenings as they go to sleep, and I will usually start a collection by putting together a mood board. After that, I’ll create a color palette and take it into Adobe Fresco. I do all of my drawings for each collection in Fresco before bringing them into Adobe Illustrator. From there I vectorize my elements and create my repeats. With three kids, I’ve found that digital artwork is more efficient (and involves less spilled paint water!).

Where do you find inspiration?
I find endless inspiration in color! I also draw from ideas in fairy tales, details in nature, my faith, and experiences with my family.

What’s your biggest dream for the year ahead?
Definitely to refine my style. I’m self-taught, and the more I learn the more my artwork evolves. I’m hoping by next year to have a style I feel is more distinct and consistent.

What does tradition mean to you this holiday season?
I come from a crafty family, and my favorite holiday traditions were always when we made something fun. This year I’m trying to focus on passing down skills and experiences, rather than events and expectations. Recently my children and I made some simple Christmas ornaments. It was a great opportunity to show them the sewing machine and how to use it. I love seeing their little projects hanging on the tree, and I hope they can feel proud of what we created together.


Have a design business you want to take to the next level? From the benefits of participating in the Weekly Design Challenges to photography and social media tips, don’t miss our Spoonflower Seller Handbook series made for artists like you. And, for more behind-the-design moments, be sure to browse the complete Artist Spotlight collection.