Shattered - A Pattern Mini-Collection by gobennygo

Shattered is my new mini-collection I have designed with gift-wrap in mind. I think it could look great as a fashion fabric too, or on product packaging. In the right environment, the black and white shattered line patterns may even work well as a wallpaper. I may extend this collection at at later date.

Shattered - white, by gobennygo Design

To the Point - by gobennygo Design

To the Point (close up) by gobennygo Design

Dash About - by gobennygo Design

Shattered Black, by gobennygo Design

Shattered, Collection by gobennygo Design

I welcome licensing enquires for this collection. 

I'm off to bed now for an early night; feel a bit shattered myself today! I'm going to curl up with Homespun Style - Selina Blake's beautiful interiors book. Bliss!

Design Competition for The Makerie Sewing Retreat

As part of my Ecourse we had the option to take part in a live brief for The Makerie Sewing retreat. The brief was to create a design to go on the front of their 'goodie bags' which are a simple drawstring bag of 11" x 17". Suggestions were to create the design in black and white, incorporate the Makerie icon in a creative way, include The Makerie logo and space for a sponsor logo, and include 'designed by' with our name. The Makerie was looking for a design that fitted their aesthetic and words used to describe their brand ~ handmade, natural, organic, and modern. These were my two entries:

It is interesting what a difference the solid black line, as opposed to the stitched line, makes though I can't decide which I prefer. The winning entry by Brianna Tomlin of Creative Octopus is stunning; you can see it at The Makerie blog or at Brianna's blog.

Rambling Flower Mini-Collection by gobennygo

This is a mini-collection I created while working through my Ecourse. I would like to license it for use on products such as stationery or beauty products/fragrances.

Part of the mini-collection Rambling Flower by gobennygo

Part of the mini-collection Rambling Flower by gobennygo

 Part of the mini-collection Rambling Flower by gobennygo

Part of the mini-collection Rambling Flower by gobennygo

The design below was a chance for me to experiment with hand-lettering. I chose this quote to remind me to slow down, notice details, and enjoy this precious time with my two little ones.

 

"Let Us Enjoy This Fleeting Moment", Omar Khayyam

 Design Copyright  © 2013 gobennygo. All rights reserved.

The Beginnings of a Collection: Grace, Intricate

I recently completed Module Two of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. I didn't finish all the exercises but I still gained an enormous amount from it. If you are interested in surface pattern, I highly recommend the course. It is clear that founders Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholls have worked hard to create something unique and of real value to budding surface designers. In fact, I can't imagine even attempting to progress in this industry without the insider knowledge that this course provides. I designed these (below) as part of the Module Two exercises. They will become part of the collection 'Grace' that includes the design from my previous post. I intend to add more designs to this collection later as time allows. I'm imagining the feature design (Grace Intricate) on wallpaper or homewares.

Grace Intricate Persian - by gobennygo design

Grace Coordinate Persian - by gobennygo design

 Grace Intricate Poppy - by gobennygo design

 Grace Coordinate Poppy - by gobennygo design

Grace Intricate Black - by gobennygo design

Grace Coordinate Black - by gobennygo design

If you are considering doing the course, I say GO FOR IT; don't hesitate! But I recommend clearing your schedule for it, because it does take a reasonable investment in time and I have found it utterly frustrating to try to balance work, kids, blogging, other commitments, AND the Ecourse. You know what though, I've loved every bit and grown enormously despite the lack of time I've had available for study. I guess it's just been a bit like being a kid in a sweet shop with only ten cents in my pocket. I long for more!

Grace Fashion Fabric by gobennygo

Oh my goodness, what a terrible blogger I am! This is a design I did back in August for a Threadless challenge. Even with all that time passing, I am still happy with it. I would like to see it on a skirt, or possibly on a scarf or blouse. I imagine it on a light, flowing fabric like silk.

Grace by gobennygo

Grace by gobennygo

My vision for this design was to combine the strengths and style of vintage with a modern aesthetic to create a fresh look in a cheerful palette. This design is extremely versatile and can be used on clothing, homewares, or accessories. 

A Colourful Pattern Suited to Stationery

This design was created as another experiment in style. I completed it some weeks ago now but have not had a minute to post it. Since then, I have done many more experiments (that are soooooo different to this!) and I look forward to sharing them with you too when time allows.

I would like to create a feature design and a few coordinating patterns to turn this into a collection. I imagine it on gift wrap, gift or storage boxes, and all kinds of stationery including journals, address books, ring binders, writing paper and more. 

Inspired by a Magical Garden

This pattern was inspired by the time I spent recently with two very special people - Mike's parents - and their astoundingly beautiful and quite magical garden. When I have more time I would like to revisit this and make a few adjustments. I would also like to add more to it, as the garden that it was inspired by is packed with hidden surprises, statues, stones, and ornaments; it would be neat to go to town with it!





Vintage Teacups - A Style/Technique Experiment

This is my first of three experiments in style and technique. I created this using good old-fashioned pen and ink, then I coloured it digitally using paintbrushes and an eraser tool.

Vintage Teacups by gobennygo

It wasn't hugely enjoyable as my computer crashed a million times; I am wondering if I need to change to a Mac, or perhaps it is just time for an upgrade. Comparing working with bitmap to vector, my preference so far is for vector graphics. But we'll see...