surface pattern design
Meet the Designer: Crystal Walen
Mod Triangles Navy Mint Pink by crystal_walen
This week in our Meet the Designer series we’re highlighting one of our community favorites; Crystal Walen of crystal_walen. Over the last seven years, this Southern California-based artist has built a following in the Spoonflower Marketplace for her gorgeous watercolors. Within her shop of over 640 designs, you’ll find geometrics such as chevrons and ikats softened with hand-painted stripes, and roses and cacti composed in dreamy, romantic color palettes. Love that old-world meets new-world aesthetic too? This is one designer you won’t want to miss: her design style is both eternally timeless, yet unequivocally modern. Keep reading for a glimpse into how Crystal has built a successful career around surface pattern design.
When did you get started designing?
“I started designing patterns in high school which prompted me to study textile design in college. I have always been drawn to prints especially in terms of fashion. Growing up thrift shopping with my grandma for clothing and other vintage wares, I was often attracted to rich colors, prints and soft unique textiles.”
Photography by Jes Hoyda at @dotdot_baby | Vintage Blush Floral on Soft Sage by crystal_walen
Crystal working on Sparking Rosé Flora
How to Create a Seamless Repeat from a Drawing
Surface pattern design is not just for the professionals! If you’ve ever browsed our Marketplace for unicorn, confetti or even motorcycle fabric, there’s a good chance you’ve been curious to know how designers have created their seamless repeats. Today we’re putting the tools into your own hands (professional, aspiring or otherwise) with a simple step-by-step tutorial that shows one way to create your very own seamless repeat design, no fancy editing software required!
Tools required:
- Tape
- 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper
- Pens, pencils, markers or crayons
- A straight edge or ruler
- Craft knife or scissors
- Optional: Cutting surface
- Access to a scanner
Step 1: Create your drawing. The key is not to let any of your artwork go off the page—keep it contained!
[Read more…] about How to Create a Seamless Repeat from a Drawing
Meet the Designer: Annie Chen of Lemonni
Toucan – Navy by lemonni
For this week’s Meet the Designer series, we’re traveling to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to talk with self-taught surface pattern designer, Annie Chen who is known as lemonni in the Spoonflower Marketplace. With a deep passion for sleek colorful pattern that is both sophisticated and playful, Annie seeks to share happiness and style with the world through her home accessory line of the same name. We are in absolute awe over Annie’s imaginative body of work and can’t wait another second to dive in!
My day starts with:
“Coffee. I cannot function without a good cup of coffee. I usually check my emails first thing when I’m at my desk. And then I’d spend a few hours doing some admin work, such as replying to emails, following up on leads, maintaining my online shops or working on marketing. During the day I also spend a lot of time and energy taking care of my two fur babies (one senior bunny and one young dog), so I usually design and work on projects in the evening when I feel most focused and creative.”
Meet the Designer: Heather Dutton
Autumn Woods by heatherdutton
Welcome to another edition of Spoonflower’s Meet the Designer series! This week we’re introducing surface pattern designer, Heather Dutton, who resides in the quaint coastal town of Kennebunk right on the southern tip of Maine. Heather began her career as a fashion designer in San Francisco but she quickly fell in love with designing seamless patterns in the process. Shortly after, Heather diverted her career to follow her heart launching Hang Tight Studio. We’re so happy to share Heather’s story with the community today—we know you’ll gain your own dose of inspiration.
My day starts with:
“An embarrassing amount of coffee while I check my emails and look at yummy images on Flickr, Pinterest & Instagram. Once I’m fueled up I head to the beach for a long walk with my sweet Sussex Spaniel, Gracie Mae, before I settle into my studio for a day filled with designing and Netflix binging.”