New Theme | Dark Flora

(Sources 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5)

First of all, how on earth is it September already? This time last year I had only a couple of weeks left in my first placement and this year I have just started my new job it really is unreal how much can change or happen in a year. Speaking of which, due to the fact I've moved back home, worked constantly, working on my new blog and spent time catching up with friends this blog has been neglected slightly and there has been no weekly content. I am trying to figure out where I want to take this blog as I have had the same structure for about two years now and want to push it more when I start my own projects. It will take time so stick with me whilst I sort it all out. But I am back to freelancing and working on designs ready for Premiere Vision which I am hoping will bring some success for my designs. You really never know how PV is going to go and there is a lot of competition but all it takes is that one meeting and that one design for someone to pick it up.

So the new theme is Dark Flora which is a theme I have wanted to do for months. Of course it is me, I love florals and so is a great them for me. As with any new project that I haven't really had the chance to do before it comes with is challenges, so the best thing to do at the beginning is to breathe, turn on the music and design away. It will need a lot of working in to and patience to get the layout, colours and florals right. I have this imagined in my head like I do at the beginning of every theme but it is all just about making it fun and enjoying the process of working in to the designs, layering, varying scales and using filters. I've found that during my research I didn't want to look to much in to what other designers have done as I would feel like I had to replicate that rather than take my on approach on it. Some designs can be oversized, smaller, darker, brighter, blurred, layered or mirrored. It really is all about experimenting and if it is not right then just try again or ask for some help. I really enjoyed creating this mood board for it after being inspired on Pinterest for the layout. It really helps to have a mood board for each project and it never has to be a final cut before you start the project as your inspiration can change. Like the name suggest, it just has to replicate the mood or feel of the theme and to pick out little parts from each image.

What do you think of the theme?

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A Life Update

How cute is this Art Hoop by the littlelow Etsy shop? I think her work is amazing and would love one to hang on my wall (hint if ever there was one). It is very true to life I think!

My aim for this blog was to only discuss my work and my career to keep family, friends and keen followers up-to-date with what is happening in the creative sense but, sometimes, I have found myself writing about life when certain things happen. If ever I go to write a life post on here I always try to make it as honest as possible as I never know who is reading, whether it be my mum (a frequent reader) or a student looking for some advice. 

The last time I wrote a blog post about life I had been made redundant, which was hard to write as I still hadn’t come to terms with how much it had change my career and life plans. Everything was truly up in the air and, I’m not going to lie, the whole situation knocked my confidence massively (quick shout out to all my family, friends and boyfriend for helping me through that). However, since becoming a crew member at Fat Face here in Nottingham and getting busy with freelance/blog work my attitude and confidence has completely turned around and I am finally excited and happy about all the goings on again and planning lots of exciting things I hope become reality. 

So I thought, whilst sitting in Starbucks on a rainy day, I wold type away about what has been going on and what is around the corner. I still have good and bad days when it comes to how my career is going and how slow my progression can be, but as long as I know I am working hard then that is sure to pay off. I have found it’s all about trusting yourself and your decisions and not rushing in to things. Inhale then exhale and keep going forward!

I am still freelancing (which comes to an end in a couple of months) so I want to produce as much work as possible which isn’t always easy as I work a lot of hours at Fat Face. I love being busy and knowing I have spent each day working as hard as I can juggling two jobs at once plus finding the time for a good gym session, time with the boyfriend before he goes to Borneo and a catch up with friends. But, overall, its a great challenge and I am aiming to take on more things very soon. I am moving back home to live with my parents for a adult pit stop (as I like to call it) in the next couple of weeks and will continue to work in fashion retail. Once my freelancing contract ends I plan on spending my spare time working on all the projects I have written down and new ones I think of continuously in my busy mind so I have a fresh, new portfolio that utilises all the skills I have learnt over this last year. Of course all this sounds achievable and exciting in my head but I know that in reality I will have to work harder than ever to stay focused and get stuff done. I’m quite excited to get back home, clear out my room from top to bottom to make it a little studio and begin working on new things such as these projects, working on my new personal blog I am setting up and getting back in to photography.

I’ve realised over the last few months that its ok to be sad and a bit down when things aren’t going right, just don’t allow the focus on that to take over and to get back up and “just deal with it”. I have had a lot of interviews and a lot of rejections which is always difficult to take when all you want to do is design and better yourself. But, hey, thats ok! I got this! It got to a point a few weeks ago when the stress of job hunting and constant interviews took its toll and made my body shut down with exhaustion for a couple of days and since then I have been a little easier on myself to slow down and focus on one move and one goal at a time. My goals haven’t changed, they are just a bit harder to grab right now and that’s ok! 

As Lauren Conrad once said in The Hills (and one of my  favourite quotes to use) “life’s tough, get a helmet”!

My current portfolio is up on Behance (click the portfolio link above) and you can follow me on Instagram @lisajaynetextiles

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Editorial Inspiration

My current freelance work is taking a lot of inspiration from the Valentino Spring Summer 2015 collection (see previous post) which is quite exciting now I've got my head around the drawing and technical issues I had creating the collection. The colours are gorgeous with dark blues, greens, reds and mustards. Primary colours in a more attractive manner.

The motifs are quite folky which means searching Pinterest for inspiration and then losing three hours due to how addictive it the site can be (of course I go of route to cute other things). I sometimes find that searching for editorials from the runway collection I am working on helps bring the mood together and I have come across the visually stunning and well put together editorial for the Valentino SS15 collection my Michal Pudelka. The clothes speak so loudly in the photos, nothing "fancy" needs to be done to make the garments stand out. It helps to see how the different repeat or placement patterns stand together and the contrast between them blend well together. I'm always pinning but to check out what all things folky I am looking at, follow me on Pinterest.

See the full editorial here.

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New Theme | Freelancing

(Source: Vogue UK)

After a little break from freelancing it's time to get back in to it and create as many design groups as I can before Premiere Vision. My last collection was a William Morris inspired one and this new collection is also based around the idea of his work, but more inspired by the Valentino Spring Summer 2015 runway collection. I achieved a good outcome with the last group and I'm very excited about this new theme. Of course, I'm a little wary and scared as I always feel about taking on a theme I haven't experimented with before. I have a constant look in my head of how I want the designs to look and try not to feel disappointed when the outcomes don't match the ideal look in my head. But, overall, it's about experimenting and testing myself and my design skills. There is always something to learn from designing a collection and to use those for future themes. 

So, lets get designing... 

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Competition | Bohemia

"Inspired by the catwalk shows of Etro, Valentino and Burberry, "A Travellers Dance" captures the Boho style. A colourful and unique print designed by hand that layers a fee-flwing repeat with a visually eye-catching boarder".

I recently entered the latest Textile Federation competition entitled "Bohemia" which I somehow manage to squeeze in to my busy schedule. I was quite excited by the project so wanted to give it a go and use this as a base to test my graphic tablet skills. I designed the print using various internet found paisley and indian woodblock designs which I then changed slightly using different brush marks that had a sketchy and relaxed edge to it. I then use copyright free designs for the boarder (which were slightly modified) that fit in with the half drop design of the main print. I was really inspired by the way Burberry had simple straight block repeats in a two colour way in their A/W 2015 collection (bottom right) and wanted this for the boarder rather than Etros dip-dye hem from their S/S 2015 garment (bottom left). This print, however, gave the the idea for the main repeat of my design which I decided to make slightly more busy and use warmer colours as well as the purples and blues. There is so much inspiration for the Boho style print and pattern so I could have spent a lot longer design this print in real depth, but competition deadlines call and submission is a must! I am quite pleased with the overall look which still carries my handwriting. Every project definitely teaches you something and this one taught me to not be afraid so much of an open brief. And yes the mood board is a great reference, but what it does and should do is in the name and allow that mood to be felt but not have to follow whats on the board so tightly and restrict design freedom.

Lesson learnt! Next project please!

See the design over at Textile Federation.

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Inspiration | Marc Jacobs A/W 15

I am a big fan of William Morris designs and so I was thrilled when I discovered my latest freelance print theme was designing all over Morris prints.
I had a brief research in to this trend that took the runway by storm and was instantly inspired my the Marc by Marc Jacobs Autumn / Winter 2015 collection.
The colours range from browns, green, blues and reds creating an exiting colour palette for me to work from. The prints are so bold and stand out on the jackets, trousers and skirts that Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley placed them on.
I am just hoping my designs come out as great as these.

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Project | Intimates Print

Another project under my belt this week was researching and creating a Spring / Summer 2016 print trend for underwear and nightwear. And so, I came up with the theme Elegance. A theme composed of a soft base colour, bright core colours and a dark accent colour that all compliment one another. The prints range from being very busy to spaced out and half drop, straight or all over repeats. It was a very quick project but if I had more time I would wanted to expand on the number of prints I created and combine elements a lot more.

Below are the florals and leaves I hand painted with inks and watercolours that were then indexed in Photoshop. Indexing, for those who are a bit unsure what I mean by that, is where I have made the drawings around only 5-6 colours so I could easily select and fill the different shades of my florals and leaves. These were then made in to three simple prints that were inspired by the prints on my mood board.

As I stated in my previous project post, I love to put together design mood boards that show my prints to their full potential. I placed the prints on the best underwear / nightwear garments suitable from WGSN. I love seeing my prints on simple working flats and presented nicely, it makes the print feel to me much more successful and professional.

Designing the prints was something I got stuck in to and went in to frantic design mode. It was a lot of fun creating prints that I hand drew and brought to life in Photoshop just like I used to at University. 

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Future Brightness!

JIMMY MARBLE - ETSY

How cool is this handmade banner by Jimmy Marble as featured on his Etsy store?

It's very true and nothing but relevant in my life at the moment. It has taken me a while to get my head around things and be brave enough to write this blog post. But I want my blog to be honest and for my readers who follow by designer / blogging journey whether it is going good or bad. Mostly, I want to look back at this in a fews years and realise how far I have come.

A couple of weeks ago the future seemed a bit murky and miserable as I was made redundant from my Junior Print Designer position. It came as a shock and hit me harder than I expected.. Despite knowing this job was a stepping stone to reach better things in the future, I was still quite upset. When all you've ever wanted to do was be a textile designer and it is taken from you it can knock your confidence a lot. I managed to stay positive and hide my disappointment from everyone as much as I could (I'm an ugly crier, so crying in public is not my favourite thing to share). But, my family, friends and boyfriend have been nothing but supportive (thanks dudes!).

Back on the job hunt just like I was five months previously felt tricky and I was scared. I didn't (and still don't if I'm honest) know where I wanted to take my career as I thought I had more time to figure it all out. I searched for many jobs using my tips and tricks that got me my first job and, before I knew it, I now have a few offers on the table.

Now, with a couple of doors I could open in the next coming weeks the future does look bright again. A few opportunities that have come along I couldn't have relinquished without my friends, so Thanks Gals / Guys!

I'm currently freelancing full time which has been a great learning curve and a challenge I've actually enjoyed. You can't always get things right first time, whether that be a design or a job. I'm still learning about designing, about myself as a designer and about the industry. It can all be overwhelming at times and doors may close unexpectedly, but other doors will open too.

In life, you can get things wrong and I'm slowly learning that its ok for this to happen. I did my best with the opportunity given and it just wasn't meant to be. What is next? Who knows. But the The Future DOES Look Bright if I want it to. No one but me can get me to my next job and my next learning curve as a designer. So, good luck to me I guess!

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Woop! Yeah! Moment

It's always quite exciting when you reach the end of a design that has been challenging and taken you days and days to complete. It's even more of a Woop! Yeah! moment when it sells ... and it sells in New York. My first freelance design recently sold on a sales trip in New York and it couldn't have made the start of my freelancing career chapter better. I was excited to learn that my first collection, based around fragmented florals, who going to New York but I became ecstatic when I learnt I had sold a design that couldn't have been more painful to finalise.

Freelancing so far has been a great challenge. Yes, it has been a bit scary at times because you have to guide yourself a lot more and make your life fit in around designing for hours on end. But, the themes and ideas are endless excitement that only gets better when your work is greatly received.

So, here is to more of them Woop! Yeah! Moments. I hope there are more to come.

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Hello March

TUMBLR

Pinch, punch, it is the first of the month!

I cannot believe March has arrived already, where is the time going? It has been a crazy time for me recently, so please excuse the lack of blogging. I try to keep up to date with my blog as much as possible, as I enjoy writing down (mostly for my own benefit) how life and work is going. I think a lot of the time I want to blog about a lot of things, but have a confidence crash and believe no one will actually want to hear about my goings on or what I find inspirational. But, I love blogging and writing, so why stop huh? 

My I currently in the process of chaining my blog to make it more "me". I am creating a logo for myself (not easy when you have no idea about branding) and making my blog much more updated with a new layout. So, keep your eye peeled for that!

This year, as I promised myself, was the year of doing more and staying positive. So that means more blogging and staying positive about something I have built up slowly since the good old days of University. I am being more creative, but can't quite share any of that right now and I would certainly like to do more but spare time is spare for a reason. 

With the new season of Spring now upon us with more sightings of the sun and the spring showers about to begin, work is getting very busy with lots of request from all the stores we design for. It has been quite challenging recently, more for myself a designer and testing my boundaries than anything. I love (yes, I did say love) the routine that I have to put in 9-6 every day and the satisfaction of knowing I've worked my hardest when faced with all kinds of challenges. But, as much as I want to be more creative, I need to learn that it is ok to not be busy all the time. If I need a moment of doing nothing then thats what I need. I'm writing this with a cold because I have pretty much run my body down and its a tad tired now. Just remember, slow and steady always wins the race and sometimes instead of going slow you just need to stop and let yourself prepare for the next stage of the race.

It is still quite a scary time for me. Having just graduated a couple of months ago I am still working out what kind of designer I am, what I can now and what I will be able to do with more practice, patience and positivity. (The three P's is something I need to remember). I am someone who is slightly afraid of the unknown and not knowing what way my career will go is scary. But it can also be exciting as there are endless possibilities out there if I look hard enough and be brave to take the leap. Over the next month I will take another step forward in my career with as much determination as when I started it last year. 

So, HELLO MARCH! Lets see what you have in store shall we!?

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Autumn Winter 2015 | Topshop Unique

Between working, creating, gym, eating and sleeping I am slowly getting a chance to look at some of the A/W 2015 shows. London is one I have been very excited about with runway looks coming from Erdem, Burberry, Christopher Kane, Mary Kantrantzou and many more to look forward too. 

Of course, Topshop Unique is always on the "must see" list. I have been a fan of Unique since it started and based one of my second year collections around creating looks for this brand. (They do it a thousands times better than I did).

I loved the collection full of mixed coloured furs, dreamy creams, cable knits, luxurious embroided velvets, tweeds, corduroy blues and my favourite pieces (of course) included florals.

It was an English Garden for the English Chelsea Girl and I want every single piece that featured the wilds of the English countryside in the form of dandelions and thistles. 

The models were stunning also and provided us with a guide to create the simple English look for those cold months with the windswept, wavy hair and blushed cheeks. 

View the full collection here.

Follow me on Pinterest to see what A/W Looks I am pinning to my board and being inspired by.

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Pre- Fall 2015

With the stores getting ready for the Spring/Summer fashion season it is time at work to start designing from the Pre-Fall collections.

It is quite excitement to get my teeth in to doing some in depth print designing from these amazing shows for a very well known high street store. There were so many key trends to not miss out on from retro florals, oversized florals, paisley, geometrics, print mixing and more. I've been working from Erdem and Carolina Herrera this past week.
Carolina's mix of filtered and hand drawn florals was definitely an exciting challenge for me, alongside Erdem's one floral flowing repeat. But, with successful outcomes, it has made me pretty excited to design some new prints next week and explore what other methods of design (from hand drawn to digital manipulation) that I can try.

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Textile Federation | Competition Entry

Please go and vote for my design over at - http://www.textilefederation.com/design/marble-motion/

Let me start by saying that this project was certainly not an easy one. Over the course of two days I designed this one off print for the Textile Federation Activewear Competition. I had never attempted active wear before, which is surprising as I am a bit of a gym lover. I tend to just through any old thing on, but since printed gym wear is everywhere at the moment one challenge of mine was to come up with an original idea that not only I would want to wear but others would too.

As described, the creation of the print started with various marble textures which I cut and pasted together on Photoshop using filters, the clone tool and feathering to blend the textures together. The colours came at me like a brick wall and became a big challenge when the initial repeat block print was designed. Were they too bright? No, active wear is very bright! Did the colours work well together? Did certain colours look too pixelated? Was there too much colour in one area? Was there just too much colour? No, lets read the brief again!

On the first day of starting the design I doubted my ability as to whether I could produce a competition and activewear worthy design. But, with fresher eyes on the second day, I woke up early and powered on through to the likes of Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding and Cheryl on Spotify. Before I knew it I was creating something quite different to anything I had designed before and something that could have potential if I played it right.

Creating the print just was not enough. I wanted to give it a bit more of an edge and make it more eye catching, so I decided to individually place the print inside triangles with some being more zoomed in than others. It gave it more definition and it made me feel as though I had made a real breakthrough in just designing a print. It made me question - what else can I do with this? Suddenly now I have grown a slight addiction to all things triangles. 

Thank you to everyone who has already voted for my print. Whether I win or not I am proud of this little design and the development skills it brought me as a designer with no support ... other than a good song to inspire me and lots of tea making. 

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Graduation

This week, after an 8 month wait, I finally graduated from the University of Derby with a BA (Hons) in Textile Design and what a whirlwind moment it was. With a mixture of nerves and excitement about graduating, being centre stage for just that one second when they say your name and seeing all my friends again I tried to stay calm and treasure every moment. After it was all over it made me want to have that experience all over again - so I should hurry up and decide what I want to study for my Masters so I can graduate again.

I wore a gorgeous fifties printed dress from H&M (I loved wearing something print to graduate in being a print designer and all) which was accessorised with a beautifully colourful floral necklace from the Topshop sale. All was covered by my gown and cap but I was not bothered at all, I felt confident and very happy.

Not wanting to come across big headed, but this was the first time I was extremely proud of myself for working through a challenging three years and to say I graduated in Textile Design. I have wanted to go to University since I was a little girl and I knew I wanted it to be in Textiles since I was around 13 years old and all these years later I finally achieved it all. Not only was University physically challenging it was also mentally challenging. Growing up as a person project by project and learning what type of designer you want to be was not easy and I still didn't know when I graduated. Now, after all these months of placements and work, I can say I am progressing in the knowledge of what designer I want to be and what it might take to get there.
Last year at my degree show, I wasn't as proud as I should have been and kept wishing I had done better and thought a lot of "what ifs". After the New Year it was time to let it all go and by doing so I could graduate with pride. The inspirational speeches made during the ceremony has made me think about how much I want to use my degree to good use by inspiring other Textile students across the UK (hopefully by doing presentations for them), becoming a better designer (which I know will take time and experience) and by continuously learning more about the industry I am so passionate about. I have lots of hopes and dreams for my career and by graduating after a three year effort it has made me realise with more determination I can do more over time.

Finally, I want to say another huge thank you again to my family. Without them all supporting me I wouldn't have gone to college which got me to University and I wouldn't have been able to experience my placements in the industry which got me a job as a print designer. It's now an exciting time to see where my degree takes me and the limits I can push myself to in order to achieve more goals. 

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Designing Slogans for the High Street

New Look Top

Since my first week at work slogans has been a major part of the work I do for hughstreet stores including Topshop, New Look and Tesco. This type of designing I had never approached before now, I wouldn't have even thought about teaching myself how to design slogans like I did a lot of other designs I have done. When you think of slogans for t-shirts, it sounds like an easy task but, I can assure you, it doesn't always come easy to some. I am one of those.

The font, layout, placement and scale are factors you have to consider and this is the tricky part of making a slogan look right on a t-shirt. The easy part is coming up with an original slogan or changing one that has already been done.

If you're a textile print student and thinking of going in to high street designing, I strongly recommend just attempting to try out designing some slogans, even if it is just a 3-4 to add to your portfolio. It is worth looking around the high street to see what is popular (French words are very popular) and what styles different stores offer. Pinterest is a great place for slogan inspiration with textile designers across the world adding new ones each day. I am lucky that my Head of Department guides me when I need it on how to create the perfect slogans, but Pinterest also offer a lot of help in how to achieve the right style. There a lots of tips on which fonts work well together and you can download a few to work with.  

For some, it does take time to get an understanding of the right fonts and the right layout for a certain slogan and for some it doesn't. The main thing to remember is have patience and it will work out eventually. It is better to have one or two great slogan tees rather than a large quantity that are not that marketable. 

Topshop & New Look

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New Job | New Label

When I left University back in May this year (honestly feel like years ago) I had hoped that one of my placements would offer me the chance to stay on and be a permanent member of the team, which sadly (but always luckily) that never happened. After two months of living in London and working for Pattern Textiles, I had grown in confidence, explored London, cried, laughed, learnt and overall my abilities to design repeats on Photoshop improved greatly. Two weeks at home followed, which I mostly spent designing using my new skills and knowledge after which I went off on my second placement to George @ Asda. A short, but tiring two week learning curve that opened my eyes to the world of clothing and print in a head office environment. I took part in a variety of meetings, designed my own mini collection to present to the team and once again grew in confidence.

After that it was back home and back to what life was like before (and during) University with my old sales role at New Look waiting for me. I applied for countless jobs, received numerous rejections and began to wonder how long it would be until anyone would at least give me an interview.
Out of nowhere I had some incredible luck come my way with not one, but two interviews. The first being for Dunelm Mill as a Quality Assurance in curtains, a job I was unsure about wanting but knew it was a start in the industry I would take to get where I wanted to be. After my interview, with a CV and reference in hand, I decided to walk to a company I have wanted to work for previously and knew was around the area I was in. Somehow confidence took over, I handed in my CV and so the bait begun.

Two days later, I was told I didn't get the job at Dunelm Mill, but had got an interview for the company I handed my CV in to, Knitmania UK. So, a week later I had my second interview and what I thought would not be my last. Somehow, I had managed to convince someone to give me a job after a portfolio interview and within a five days I had left New Look and starred my career with the new label of Junior Print Designer.
I feel so lucky to have left University and within 6 months got a fantastic job working with a brilliant and supporting team who have welcomed me in and answered all my questions. Between the two weeks of leaving George and getting on the career ladder, something in my mindset has change and I now approach things with a new found and slowly gained confidence and positive attitude. I was determined to never stop until I got a job within printed textiles not matter how many rejections I got and so the quote above is, in this case, quite true.

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Mamas & Papas Competition

I was recently invited by Arts Thread to take part in the "Style a Stoller" competition for Mamas & Papas, in which I had to design a cute baby/toddler print for their Armadillo Pram collection. The print could be anything theme I could imagine would suit but was for the S/S 16 season so a bright and colour approach was necessary.
My theme outcome was woodland trees, leaves, flowers and animals with a traditional stripe of colour to make it a little unique. I wanted to make the print as unisex as possible, which became quite difficult at the drawing stage of the project where my mind went to flowing leaves and flowers with a girl aesthetic.

Go and check out my print on the pram and a little snippet about the project on my Arts Thread profile.

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Pattern Curator | Moodboard Inspiration

Whilst shooting around on Pinterest for some Spring/Summer 2015 inspiration, I came across this brilliant mood board based website called Pattern Curator.
I've always enjoyed putting together moodbaords and through my own projects and placements I am learning even more how to put them together, whilst also finding a style to suit my own handwriting. The have a range of themes to inspire you, including colour moodbaords. This website is perfect for anyone trying to find inspiration (they note all their sources for each image), gain ideas of how to put moodboards together or to just look at all things pretty.

They also have a Facebook page. But go over to their website to look at what print and pattern inspiration images they have to offer.

"Pattern Curator collects images and photos to create a visual short story. With insight from experience and friends in the fashion industry, we offer an opportunity to co-create. Our goal is to inspire and connect like minded creative individuals, like yourself. We offer a look at print, pattern & color trends in a minimalistic point of view. Each board is curated visually in a way that is directional, relevant & trend-right. Whether you’re in the industry, an artist, designer, student, blogger, or have an interest in pretty pics, we hope you are inspired to create something amazing."

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George @ ASDA Placement

After two very hectic and hard weeks, I have completed my George placement. It was an amazing experience and opened my eyes to the world of high street fashion and what it takes to work as team to create a range of garments suitable for a certain theme and customer.

There is a lot more to print design for the high street than just sitting and drawing on the computer all day. You have to research thouroghly for key trends and inspiration before creating a mood board for the story you are working on, which then leads on to the start of creating the prints. The print designers at George had to work quickly to meet the demand of the ladies wear team and on a variety of themes at one given time for seasonal trends next year.

I worked across the board on the jersey ladies wear department by supporting design, trend and strategy meetings, creating fabric trend books, selecting images for and producing key trend moodboards, attending fit meetings with buyers and fabric technicians and participating in sale meetings. Each day was different to the next and the hours were full of new things to learn and information to take it. At the end of most days I sat on the train scribbling down notes of what I had learned so I could always reference in the future.

The building itself was quite overwhelming due to the size of the building and the amount of people that worked there. It was an incredible chance to have the complete opposite experience of what my first placement offered me. And, as I have said to a lot of people, I am very lucky to have two placements that have offered me different positions, learning opportunties, skills, and knowledge for the industry I am keen to work in. The team were nothing but friendly and always at hand to answer any questions I had about the goings on of the industry.

I hope my next placement or experience, wherever that may be, is as rewarding and useful as this one.

Whilst I was at George I was given a short project to create a range of prints for a strong Summer 2015 trend. I decide to focus my attention on the 60's trend, as seen at Henry Holland and Orla Keily, with funky, cute florals and spots being my main detail. It was interesting how the print team created their prints, with new skills being learnt on how to design for rotary screen printing and recognising the difference between rotary and digital printing more now than what I did. 

I had the chance to make my collection look very professional with the use of garment cad and moodbaord headers. Moodboards are always something I have worked on, but the style and use of the George mood boards opened my eyes as to what to look for when creating them in the future. The don't have to be jammed packed full of images and have thousands of colours. Simple but effective is key. 

For all the prints I created at George, visit my online portfolio here. 

Leave a Comment designing, fashion, florals, moodbaords, placement, print, textiles, theme, work

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Experimenting Designing Cards

Leave a Comment designing, drawing, florals, handmade, print, work

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