New Work: Happy Birthday card

 Experimenting with layering my line work over opaque colour.

Likin' the effect.

#pattern #drawing #repeat #surfacedesign

Pattern in new colourways

Have done up my butterfly pattern in 2 new colourways: Blues/Greens + Purples.

Available for licensing.

Alphabet pattern mockup

My alphabet pattern mocked up as wallpaper

 

#pattern #wallpaper #fabric #repeat #illustration #type #lettering

copyright Alanna Cavanagh 2015

New: Beep! Beep! Pattern

Created for for kid's wallpaper, bedding or apparel.

New illustration: Ginger at the Beach

Inspired by J crew woodcut geo bathing suit and my love of halter tops!

#illustration #fashion #pattern

Working on New Patterns

My Doggie pattern reworked in Orange + Grey

 My Doggie pattern reworked in blue and grey

#pattern #wallpaper #doggie #whippet #beagle #bulldog #frenchbulldog

New Surreal Wallpaper pattern

Close up: Ochre + Grey colourway

Full pattern: Ochre + Grey

 

Pink + Grey colourway

Uppercase magazine: Special Surface Design issue

The latest issue of Uppercase magazine is out and it's a great one.

It's a Special Surface Design issue and includes interviews with all the big names in the surface design world:  Michelle Bencsko of Cloud9 fabrics, Marie Perkins of Print and Pattern, Stephen Fraser of Spoonflower, Victorine Lamothe of Te Neues* (who I just worked for - yay) and the always inspiring Lotta Jandotter. If you're interested in breaking into the world of pattern and design this issue is a must.

Issue 21 also includes a gallery of 100 surface designers. Below is my inclusion. 

*My boxed note cards for Te Neues will be out in June. 

They're called Victorian birdies and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you. 

New Boudoir pattern

New Doggie pattern

New Ring Ring pattern

This is brand new pattern I created this week which I will be showing at SURTEX this month.
I think it'd make a fun wallpaper in a girl's room. I could also see it being used on fabric.

Ring Ring comes in 3 colour ways: retro pink, mint, and grey.

Below are my initial sketches for the pattern - drawn with a glass of rosé in hand FYI!

I was inspired to draw them after settling into the latest episode of Mad Men on Sunday night and catching an image of Trudy picking up the receiver of a fabulous orange 60s telephone.
I often find my favourite sketches are those done when I'm relaxed and have just settled into doing something else. :-)

New patterns for SURTEX

I have been madly preparing for SURTEX- the Surface design show in NYC May 19-21st.

Here is a new Vintage ornaments pattern in pink colourway.

Here it is in Blue colourway. 

I'll have many more brand new patterns available which I'll reveal at my booth. 

If you're in NYC do pop by Booth 340 and say hello 

or send me an email to set up an appointment.

New patterns

This is "Dancing Desserts" in two different colourways.

Available for Licensing through i2iart.

New Work: Greek vases + bowls (in lime)

Available for licensing through my agency i2i art.

New Tulip Mobile Pattern

Tulip mobile in Pink



Tulip mobile in Ochre + Grey

These new pattern were inspired by the work of Textile designer Lucienne Day.
The texture in some of the tulips was created with pastels.
Better images can be seen on my Tumblr.
Available for licensing through my agency i2iart.

New Greek Vase pattern

This is a reworking of a pattern I originally posted about here.


Greek vases in Cerise
copyright Alanna Cavanagh 2012


Greek Vases in Limey green
copyright Alanna Cavanagh 2012


Above is my original pen + ink sketch which I used to created the patterns.

*If you would like to license this pattern please contact my rep Shelley Brown at i2i art.
shelley@i2iart.com www.i2iart.com 416 505 - 9522

Some experiments with pastel + collage

I've been experimenting with pastel and collage the past 2 weeks.
I find this medium and technique is helpful for warming up.
(The fat tulips + bridge shapes are influenced by Lucienne Day + Marion Mahler)




I love the effect one gets from cutting out shapes with scissors. They usually have a nice unplanned vibe to them which I like. (I learned this from Paul Rand and Martin Haake)



Above a repeat pattern I created from the leaf part of one of the red collages.
Might make a groovy wallpaper?

New vase pattern

Original pen and ink drawing

Yellow vases

Black + grey with background texture

Purple + orange

Today I took my recent pen + ink drawings of vases and played around with them in Photoshop to create some more pattern samples.
I think they'd be suitable for both wallpaper and fabric.

New Work: Birdcage pattern

New Birdcage pattern Lime + blue colourway

A peek behind the process

I first do lots of sketches by hand
The first few are always too stiff + perfect
It takes a while (+ music + coffee) to loosen up



Loosening up



Bird sketches which I had on file.

Then I scan my fave sketches into the computer and put the drawing together in Photoshop

Next step is to choose colour

For inspiration I go into my ongoing colour file that I keep on my desktop.
In this case I chose a fabric that I had photographed while at Anthropologie last week.
(Yes secret revealed!)
I thought the combo of lime, blue + taupe was just gorgeous plus it had a real retro look which I was after.



I make up a swatch of the colours

And then used them to colour my illustrations.
* Note: I slighty altered my technique today by opaquely colouring in over the linework of the birds and some of the cage. This gives the illustration a more vintage look as this technique was often used in the 1950s.

After completing 5 birds this way I used the cut + paste keys in Photshop to create a repeat pattern. I then added a light tan colour underneath.


Here are 2 more colourways.


Girly pink and red.


Retro orange + blue.