Design Challenge

Announcing the Winners of the Whimsical Watercolor Abstract Design Challenge

May 11, 2017

Abstract deep blue by selmacardoso is the winner of the Whimsical Watercolor Abstract design challenge!

Big bold strokes of watercolor genius took center stage this week during the Whimsical Watercolor Abstract design challenge! Please put your hands together for first time design challenge winner, Selma Cardoso (selmacardoso), who took first place with her design, Abstract deep blue! Selma will be receiving the grand-prize of $200 in Spoonflower credit and a 1-year Skillshare Premium subscription. The 2nd place winner, appaloosa_designs, will receive $100 in Spoondollars and a 6 month Skillshare Premium subscription. The 3rd place winner, ceciliamok, will receive $50 in Spoondollars and a 6 month Skillshare Premium subscription. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. See all the top 10 winners.

1. 219 votes for Abstract deep blue by selmacardoso
2. 216 votes for Whimsical Orchard by appaloosa_designs
3. 215 votes for Daydreaming by ceciliamok
4. 214 votes for cosmic radiance abstract watercolor by mimipinto
5. 203 votes for Abstract watercolor waves by elena_naylor
6. 195 votes for abstract watercolour floral by cjldesigns
7. 185 votes for watercolour_voronoi by catashtrophe
8. 177 votes for Dreamy_Blue_Abstract by ed_designs
9. 172 votes for Abstract Watercolour (pastels) by cerigwen
10. 171 votes for Abstract Watercolor by minikuosi [Read more…] about Announcing the Winners of the Whimsical Watercolor Abstract Design Challenge

Announcing the Winners of the Whimsical Watercolor Fantasy Creatures Design Challenge

May 4, 2017

watercolor mermaids by mintedtulips is the grand prize winner!

While we can’t guarantee we’ll be seeing mermaids, yetis and dragons co-existing outside of the Spoonflower design challenge world, we can promise the winning designs will brighten your day with whimsy and fun! A round of applause is in order for FIRST TIME WINNER, Lindsey Marsh ( aka mintedtulip) for her design, Watercolor Mermaid! Lindsey will be receiving the grand-prize of $200 in Spoonflower credit and a 1-year Skillshare Premium subscription. The 2nd place winner, nouveau_bohemian will receive $100 in Spoondollars and a 6 month Skillshare Premium subscription. The 3rd place winner, heatherdutton will receive $50 in Spoondollars and a 6 month Skillshare Premium subscription. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. See all the top 10 winners.

Don’t forget, for the first time ever, all submissions into May’s design challenges are automatically entered to win the grand prize full of design goodies worth over $1000!

1. 351 votes for watercolor mermaids by mintedtulip
2. 324 votes for Mythica (sea foam) by nouveau_bohemian
3. 313 votes for Under The Sea – Nautical Mermaid Watercolor Blue by heatherdutton
4. 267 votes for WatercolorFairies by blairfully_made
5. 263 votes for In the Garden by susan_polston
6. 255 votes for Fire dragons in orange and blue watercolors by heleen_vd_thillart
7. 252 votes for Merry Mermaids in Watercolor by micklyn
8. 250 votes for sea unicorn by bruxamagica
9. 234 votes for sweet mermaids by cjldesigns
10. 219 votes for Nessie by artfully_minded [Read more…] about Announcing the Winners of the Whimsical Watercolor Fantasy Creatures Design Challenge

Announcing the Winners of the Birds and Blooms Design Challenge

April 27, 2017

Nesting in Blooms by Susan Polston is the winner of the Birds & Blooms design challenge!

It’s been raining all week at the Spoonflower HQ but it stopped just in time to crown a winner of the Birds and Blooms design challenge! While the extra rain may have helped the blooms in the employee garden, no rain was necessary for the blooms featured in Susan Polston’s winning design challenge entry, Nesting in Blooms! This is Susan’s third time winning a design challenge – our hats are off to her! Susan will be receiving the grand-prize of $200 in Spoonflower credit. The 2nd place winner, ottomanbrim will receive $100 in Spoondollars. The 3rd place winner, laurenthomasdesigns will receive $50 in Spoondollars. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. See all the top 10 winners.

1. 279 votes for Nesting in Blooms by susan_polston
2. 278 votes for Blue blooms and black birds by ottomanbrim
3. 272 votes for Blossom_and_Birds by laurenthomasdesigns
4. 264 votes for Poppy_Perch by divadeba
5. 255 votes for Lake Alexandra by melarmstrongdesign
6. 252 votes for birds, flowers and strawberries by mirabelleprint
7. 248 votes for Folk Art Birds and Blooms by j9design
8. 247 votes for Gracie’s Garden – Bird Floral by heatherdutton
9. 246 votes for Springtime Birds by sarah_knight
10. 245 votes for Spring Magpie by nicofennec

Announcing the Winners of the Limited Color Palette Succulents Design Challenge!

April 20, 2017

Succulents and Roses by Tory Sevas is the winner of the Limited Color Palette Succulents design challenge!

From prickly to pruned and terrariums to teacups, this week’s designers brought their best green (design) thumb for the Limited Color Palette Succulents design challenge. A big brava to Viktoria Sevastyanova for her winning design, succulents and roses! Tory will be receiving the grand-prize of $200 in Spoonflower credit. The 2nd place winner, beesocks will receive $100 in Spoondollars. The 3rd place winner, vo_aka_virginia will receive $50 in Spoondollars. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. See all the top 10 winners.

1. 273 votes for succulents and roses by torysevas
2. 259 votes for Soothing succulents by beesocks
3. 242 votes for Sunset succulents by vo_aka_virginiao
4. 241 votes for succulent_garden by nadja_petremand
5. 225 votes for Tea Cups & Succulents by honoluludesign
6. 191 votes for Succulent Garden – Black by heatherdutton
7. 178 votes for Spiky Succulents by samalah
8. 176 votes for Paisley succulents by camcreative
9. 171 votes for Lime Zinger Sedum Too by lindiart
10. 165 votes for Succulent Waltz – Peach by ceciliamok

Announcing the Winners of the Paper Cut Florals Design Challenge

April 13, 2017

Cut Flowers – Floral Collage design by Heather Dutton is the winner of this week’s Design Challenge

The flowers must have been in full bloom this week for designer Heather Dutton, who took first place with her colorful paper-cut floral design! While we’d love to send her a bouquet of fresh flowers, Heather will be receiving the grand-prize of $200 in Spoonflower credit. The 2nd place winner, Rocsanne Putri will receive $100 in Spoondollars. The 3rd place winner, Jody Mcmullen will receive $50 in Spoondollars. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. See all the top 10 winners.

1. 266 votes for Cut Flowers – Floral Collage by heatherdutton
2. 251 votes for Spoonflower_PaperCut_RocsannePutri by rocsanne_putri
3. 240 votes for Paper Florals by jody_mcmullen
4. 238 votes for Paper Meadow by mariaspeyer
5. 222 votes for Purple Paper Anemone Collage by micklyn
6. 220 votes for cutflower_poppy by torysevas
7. 217 votes for Spring Paper-Cut Bouquet by cherishedminky
8. 216 votes for paper florals by marta_strausa
9. 201 votes for Matisse’s Garden by gracedesign
10. 198 votes for ranunculas by wingmade
[Read more…] about Announcing the Winners of the Paper Cut Florals Design Challenge

Announcing May’s Design Challenge Themes

April 12, 2017

We are so excited to announce this month’s Challenges sponsored by Skillshare! Skillshare is an amazing e-learning platform with video classes covering a wide range of creative categories. The top winners each week will take home Spoonflower credit and a Skillshare Premium subscription to start learning everything from how to create a surface design using motifs (taught by Spoonflower community favorite SammyK) to “The Basics of Photoshop”, “Hand Lettering” and so much more! And, for the first time ever, all submissions into May’s design challenges are automatically entered to win the grand prize full of design goodies worth over $1000! Ready to get started? Then dust off your watercolors because this month’s themes are all about using this soft, painterly medium to create motifs and surface patterns. If you’re more of a digital kinda person, there are plenty of great watercolor Photoshop brush packs out there to give you a similar effect that are a lot of fun to play with. We can’t wait to see what you create!

New to watercolor and need some help getting started? Check out our post from renowned Spoonflower watercolor designer, Emily Sanford to help guide you!

Whimsical Watercolor: Fantasy Creatures | Results Announced May 4

We couldn’t decide which mythical fantasy creature we loved best — fairies, mermaids, yetis, dragons, unicorns — they all capture our hearts and our imaginations. Use watercolors (or digital watercolor brushes) to create a whimsical surface patterns inspired by fantasy creature motifs. Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21″ x 18.” Submissions close April 25, 2017 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Voting begins April 27, 2017. See official rules.

Whimsical Watercolor: Abstract | Results Announced May 11

Big bold brushstrokes, paint drips, and gestural, broad swaths of color and shapes. The best abstract designs can change your mood and lift your spirits — and they just happen to be some of our favorite designs for garment sewing and wall art alike. Whip out the watercolors and give us your take on an abstract surface design! Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21″ x 18.” Submissions close May 2, 2017 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Voting begins May 11, 2017. See official rules.

Whimsical Watercolor: Fruit | Results Announced May 18

Sometimes we like to get our recommended 2 to 3 services of fruit in the form of a surface design. Nothing says spring and summer fun like a whimsical watercolor fruit pattern! Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21″ x 18.” Submissions close May 9, 2017 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Voting begins May 11, 2017. See official rules.

Whimsical Watercolor: Insects | Results Announced May 25

Creepy, crawly, and in some cases — surprisingly beautiful. Get inspired by your favorite backyard bugs (…or at least maybe just the ones that don’t totally freak you out!) and create a watercolor design worthy of collecting and saving forever in a shadow box! Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21″ x 18.” Submissions close May 16, 2017 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Voting begins May 18, 2017. See official rules.

Whimsical Watercolor: Cityscapes | Results Announced June 1

We were so inspired by our friend SammyK’s Skillshare class about creating motifs inspired by your city, that we knew we had to turn this theme over to our community! “Throw down for your home town” and create a watercolor design inspired by your locale or one of your favorite cities. Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21″ x 18.” Submissions close May 23, 2017 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Voting begins May 25, 2017. See official rules.

First Place

The 1st place winner will receive a 1-year Skillshare Premium subscription (valued at $96) and $200 in Spoonflower credit. Winner will also receive additional exposure in our email newsletters, professional photography of their printed designs, and social media mentions, the extent of which shall be in Spoonflower’s sole discretion.

Second Place

The 2nd place winner will receive a 6-month Skillshare Premium subscription (valued at $72) and $100 in Spoonflower credit.

Third Place

The 3rd place winner will receive a 6-month Skillshare Premium subscription (valued at $72) and $50 in Spoonflower credit.

The rest of the top 10

4th through 10th place winners will receive a $20 Spoondollar credit.

All of the top 25

Each of the top 25 entries, determined as set forth above, not receiving one of the foregoing prizes will be automatically proofed and made available for sale in the Spoonflower Marketplace (approximately a $5 value) (the “Runner Up Prize”) if Winners are verified sellers.

Randomly Selected Giveaway:

All design challenge entries submitted during the Skillshare partner design challenges (04/12/17 – 05/23/17) will be entered into a drawing; one lucky contest entrant will be randomly selected by Spoonflower for the Grand Prize on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The grand prize winner will receive a 1-year Spoonflower PRO membership (valued at $249), a 1-year Skillshare Premium subscription (valued at $96), one Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet (valued at $218) and a 1-year Adobe Illustrator Creative Cloud subscription (valued at $240). The grand prize winner will be announced Thursday, June 1, 2017.

Good luck, designers! We can’t wait to see what you come up with! See the current top 10 winners.

Announcing the Opposites Attract Employee Design Challenge Winners

April 6, 2017

Lines Meet Curves by Alexis P is this week’s winner!

This week, the roles were reversed and Spoonflower staffers put on our design hats and competed in our Annual Employee Design Challenge! Our hats are off to Alexis P, Spoonflower’s own Senior Graphic Designer who scored first place with her geometrically contradictory design: Lines Meet Curves. Brava, Alexis! Alexis will be crowned with a Near & Dear Unicorn Wall Mount covered in her winning design and a $50 Etsy gift card. Congrats are also in order for Sprout Patterns Creative Director Caroline and her Sea and Sky design which earned her 2nd place and $100 in Spoondollars! The 3rd place goes to Social Media Manager Theresa, who will receive $50 in Spoondollars for her design, Inhale // Exhale. The remaining top 15 popularly voted designs will receive local North Carolina treats and designs will be automatically made available for sale (provided the designers are already verified sellers) in the Marketplace where they will receive 10% commission on every sale — no $5.00 swatch required! Check out the winner’s circle.

1. 404 votes for Lines Meet Curves by alexispdesigns
2. 374 votes for Sea and Sky Opposites Attract by brainsarepretty
3. 352 votes for inhale // exhale by trizzuto
4. 318 votes for Lines “Drawn to” Circles – Black & White by suz_pozzo
5. 264 votes for Night and Day Mudcloth by joe_w
6. 220 votes for Opposites: Venn Diagram by jennifer_spanos
7. 204 votes for Opposites Attract by bmunson
8. 194 votes for Opposites Attract – Vanilla and Chocolate by cdmackeyfree
9. 193 votes for Element of Life – Positive and Negative by kellyw
10. 190 votes for Black and White Botanicals by atate [Read more…] about Announcing the Opposites Attract Employee Design Challenge Winners

It’s time for the 2017 Employee Design Challenge!

March 31, 2017

Every week, Spoonflower employees watch from the sidelines as you, our creative community, participate in the weekly design challenges. For one week out of the year, the roles are reversed and employees step off the sidelines and onto the design field to create a design for the annual employee design challenge. This year, employees were tasked with creating a design inspired by the theme Opposites Attract. From organic to geometric and sea to sky, our talented staff got right to work creating their design challenge entries. Want to learn more about the designs for this year’s challenge? Read on to see how four team members created their designs and don’t forget to vote for your favorite designs by Tuesday at 3pm EDT!

Announcing the Winners of our Hexagon Design Challenge

March 30, 2017

Honey Bee Hexagon by Tiffany Heiger is this week’s grand prize winner!

Honey Bee Hexagon by Tiffany Heiger

Everybody’s been buzzing about Tiffany Heiger’s winning design: Honey Bee Hexagon! Tiffany hails from Delaware, USA, and this is her second Design Challenge win. Tiffany will receive $200 in Spoonflower credit. The 2nd place winner, Groovity, will receive $100 in Spoondollars. The 3rd place winner, Scrummy, will receive $50 in Spoondollars. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. The top 25 popularly voted designs (provided the designers are already verified sellers) will be automatically made available for sale in the Marketplace where they will receive 10% commission on every sale — no $5.00 swatch required! Next week, designers get to take a break as we run our annual tradition of a Spoonflower Employee Design Challenge! Vote now. [Read more…] about Announcing the Winners of our Hexagon Design Challenge

Announcing the Winners of our Tangram Design Challenge!

March 23, 2017

Calliope – Geometric Floral Aqua Pink & Gold by heatherdutton is the winner of this week’s Design Challenge

A big round of applause is in order for Heather Dutton who earned first place this week with her gorgeous springtime tangram design. Heather gets to take home the grand-prize of $200 in Spoonflower credit. The 2nd place winner, Sarah Treu will receive $100 in Spoondollars. The 3rd place winner, Elena Naylor will receive $50 in Spoondollars. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoonflower credit. See all the top 10 winners.

1. 278 votes for Calliope – Geometric Floral Aqua Pink & Gold by heatherdutton
2. 252 votes for Tangram Kites and Puppies by sarah_treu
3. 239 votes for Tangram goldfish and water lillies by elena_naylor
4. 237 votes for Modernist Owls Warm Tones Large by pinkowlet
5. 233 votes for Tropical Tangrams by designs_by_lisa_k
6. 231 votes for A shoal of tangram fish by ebygomm
7. 210 votes for Boxy Foxy by jenimp
8. 167 votes for Tangram Geishas by juliesfabrics
9. 165 votes for people puzzled by abstracthands
10. 161 votes for tangram town by scrummy [Read more…] about Announcing the Winners of our Tangram Design Challenge!