A Pattern Collection

It's been a while since I posted but that doesn't mean that I have dropped off the edge of the earth. I am still creating patterns and also taking a few more classes on pattern designs.
But first let me raise my glass to Elizabeth and her T Stands for Tuesday gang.

Icy Cherry

We had some cherries that were not tasting so sweet fresh, so I pitted them all and threw them into the freezer thinking that we could use it with ice cream. But I found this really simple recipe for an icy on the web. I made the simple syrup (one part water to one part sugar) with some lime zest and lime juice. My daughter blended the frozen cherries with ice and added the syrup to taste. We don't like drinks too sweet so we didn't add the full recommended amount. It was SUPER good. This recipe actually worked quite well with peaches and I am sure it will work just as well with other fruits.
Now going back to the classes ... the first one was part of the Make It In Design Module 1 class that I took a few months ago. This is a free Summer School that's 6 weeks long with 3 design briefs. I didn't submit to all of the design briefs because some of them I just simply couldn't come up with anything that I thought will be different or unique. So I winded up just looking at what everyone was doing. Of course now that I thought about it, I should have just turned the computer off and just do my own thing first.
The other was a free 3 days live broadcast class with Bonnie Christine called Design Surface Patterns From Scratch  put out by Creativelive. While the class was being broadcast live, it was free or you could buy it at a discount. You can purchase it right now. It is an incredible value for the price they charged for that class. Bonnie Christine is such a great designer and teacher. Check her out at her site called goinghometoroost. She showed not just her process but a lot of Adobe Illustrator techniques as well. I really can't say enough about how wonderful she was and somehow her process just clicked. At the end of the class she challenged all the students to create a 6 pattern collection for a chance to win a whole lot of prices. Also she had started a blog tour for any student who wants to join in the fun of showing their pattern designs. A few of us raised our hands after this initial blog tour list came out but she will be adding us to the tour and mine is October 28th. So keep an eye out for that.
Here's the inspiration board and the collection I did for the Design Surface Patterns From Scratch class. Most of the images are my own but a few were from the web. The pattern collection image may not show all the details for each pattern. But after reading about how some designers got their designs stolen and people are selling them as their own, I guess I should post only low resolution version. I am not sure if I will use this exact version for the blog tour, or tweak it or use a whole new collection. We'll see ...

Inspiration Board

Pattern Collection - My Sanctuary

Ok off to visit the T-gang!

Still Creating Patterns

I have not posted for a while but I am still creating patterns.  And since I am posting and it's Tuesday, I should raise a cup to Elizabeth and her Tuesday gang over at T Stands for Tuesday. I've really been into ginger mint tea since I planted some mints in the backyard. I have found that with very little effor, I could have a very refreshing drink of mint water. Just add the fresh mint in a glass (or cup for me)and muddled it and then add ice water. But don't over muddle if not your water will taste "green". Yuck!

I don't post too much because I have a tendency to ramble on and it winds up taking me a LONG time to do one post. So I will keep this short with mostly pics, so I can spend the time visiting the T-gang instead.
Here's a couple that was sketched using Sketchbook Pro, then pattern created with Adobe Illustrator.

I've used mainly Adobe Illustrators to create my patterns but lately I have started to learn how to do it with Photoshop. The motifs can be a bit more painterly. It's a lot of fun as well.

Missed 2 T's

So bad that I have missed a couple of T for Tuesday over at Elizabeth's. But wanted to join them this week. First off, what' in my cup today. Nothing fancy ... just felt like some good old Lipton and a bit of mint from the backyard. The container in the back are filled with cookies that my daughter made. But I was good and had my healthy oatmeal instead.

Black tea with Mint

The 5 weeks of Module 1 Surface Pattern Design at Make It In Design is over. Here's a sweet gift all the way from England (super sweet) for each student.

Even though the class is over, the private Facebook page is still buzzing. Everyone is producing a lot of work and setting up their web sites and coming up with their logo, etc. I am not as prolific but I am still doing what I like. I do find that the more I look at others work, the more influenced I am. That can be a good or a bad thing. I guess I will need to put a filter on what I am looking.
Here's one inspired by some jade plants in the backyard. I was very unhappy with the first color palette. I posted it at the class' private Facebook group and got some great feedback and encouragement and here's a few variations. Like always hours can be suck out just playing around with different color palettes. So much fun!

Ok now off to go visit the ladies at T for Tuesday!

Back to Patterns

Each day I spend some time surfing the web and get inspiration and there is certainly a lot of it. There are a lot of very creative and talented people out there. A lot of painting, mixed media and collages. I started this blog with posting patterns and some how along the way I've been distracted and wandered a bit. Some still are pattern related but not exactly surface pattern design like what I still prefer to do.
I realized that I need to stay focused on what I want to do right now. I need to learn and establish my own creative process. I need to balance the doing vs reading and watching others do great things and collecting inspirations. I don't DO enough.
So I did these tonight. I was going to submit this to Creative Every Day but I think I can only do this once a week. Oh well, maybe not then ... maybe next week. The first one has the colors I picked when I was doing the design.  I used the AI's re-coloring feature to change the colors in the 2nd and 3rd ones and I really like the color combinations. I like them more than the original colors.

Madpattern cmm Hearts-1

Madpattern cmm Hearts-2

Madpattern cmm Hearts-3

Also did a tiny bit of sketching this morning. That's another thing that I will need to do more of so I can do some paintly designs. I see and like a lot of them out there. I just flipped randomly to a page from an old magazine.

Santa Ana

I am not talking about a place or someone's name in this case. It's the kind of weather we are having here in So CA. It's great that it blows all the smog out but it's really bad for allergy and possible brush fires. Every year we have it but there seemed to be a few more this time. It's been really bad yesterday and maybe a bit less today but still blowing like crazy.
Here's a couple of patterns for this weather condition we are having.
The background color is a very light grey. Chose that because even though all the smog is blown out, there seem to be this hazy grey maybe from all the dust and dirt being in the air. When the wind finally stops and before all that smog moves back in the sky will be a very clear and bright blue.
The first one had the wind going in different directions which is how it feels like with the madness of that wind. But I think the second one depicted it better. The tighter pattern made it looked more severe which is closer to how the wind is ... howling.

Mad Pattern P2

Half Drop

Interesting that the color of the sun looked different between the two images but they were created using the same sun object in Illustrator.
I signed up at Creative Every Day before the start of this year and this will the 2nd submittal.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 20

This is pattern #20 but not "a pattern a day". But might be a good thing to keep count. Used the Madpattern template and this was a fast one to create. Even though it was fast or didn't take long to create, but it was still fun to do.

Seamless pattern using Madpattern PGG.

 Ok this is not the only thing I was working on. I started another pattern bird but it's not done yet.

Pattern Bird #3 WIP

Art Every Day Month (of November): Day26

A-Pattern-A-Day # 19

The title of the post is not really applicable anymore.  When I started it, I meant to create a repeat pattern a day. Thought if I put it in the title, it will motivate me to commit. But now some days I just doodle and others are patterns but not a repeat pattern. Ah ... but at least I am doing something everyday which is really the whole point. Of course signing up at Art Every Day Month at the creativeeveryday.com site sure helped too. I am all set to submit for Day 7!!!
Mad about Madpattern and had gone back to use Madpattern-p3m1 again. The first pattern below has the original colors that I picked myself while recreating the pattern. Of course after that version is done, got to try out other color palettes. Adobe Illustrator's recolor artwork feature is so evil ... because it's so addictive. I could click and cycle through different color schemes FOREVER! Got To Stop! I only saved 4 versions and the colors used in the second pattern showed the organic shapes within the triangle.

Seamless pattern #1 using Madpattern P3M1.

Seamless pattern #2 using Madpattern P3M1.

Art Every Day Month (of November): Day7

A-Pattern-A-Day # 18

Ooops ... I guess I just missed day 4. Oh well Day 5 it is for the Art Every Day Month at the creativeeveryday.com site.  Back to playing with the Madpattern templates. Here a repeat pattern with different color palettes.

Seamless pattern #1 using Madpattern PG.

Seamless pattern #2 using Madpattern PG.

Seamless pattern #3 using Madpattern PG.

Art Every Day Month (of November): Day5

A-Pattern-A-Day # 17

Day 2 of the Art Every Day Month at the creativeeveryday.com site.  I was looking through the Flickr groups and came across ronnies's work and saw one of her Zentangle patterns - Stella and thought maybe I could do that with Adobe Illustrator. I am still learning how to use AI and am not very good at it. Took me a while to recreate her pattern. I used it and made a couple of patterns.  I am leaving her a comment to let her know I used it.  I hope it's ok.
Another thing I am trying to do is do more doodling with pen and paper.  It's supposed to be relaxing but I keep seeing errors and wanting to erase. So I keep starting and switching to digital because I can undo.  Bad ... I know ... I will keep trying and learn to relax. Maybe when I learn how to relax, I will actually improve.

Based on Zentangle patterns - Stella

Repeat Pattern #1 based on Stella

Repeat Pattern #2 based on Stella

Art Every Day Month (of November): Day3

A-Pattern-A-Day # 16

Signed up for the Art Every Day Month at creativeeveryday.com with the hope that it will help motivate me.  But not a good start 'cause I missed the first day. Well better late than never ...

Seamless pattern using the Half Drop Swatch #3

Have never joined one of these challenges stuff. I think I am supposed to add the Art Every Day Month image. Hopefully I am doing this right. I will keep doing this until someone tells me I am doing it wrong I guess.

Art Every Day Month (of November): Day 2

 

A-Pattern-A-Day # 15

Swatch created using Madpattern P31M

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P31M above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 14

Swatch created using Madpattern P4M

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P4M above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 13

Half Drop Swatch # 2

Seamless pattern using the Half Drop Swatch #2 above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 12

Swatch created using Madpattern P6

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P6 above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 11

2nd Swatch created using Madpattern P4G-Rotated

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P4G-Rotated above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 10

Swatch created using Madpattern P4G-Rotated

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P4G-Rotated above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 9

Swatch created using Madpattern P4G

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P4G above.

A-Pattern-A-Day # 8

Swatch created using Madpattern P4

Seamless pattern using Madpattern P4 above.