My Design Process(Part One)

I get quite a lot of questions about my working process so I thought it would nice to show you how I approach a design and from start to finish.So this will be the first part.

One of the Spoonflower challenges is ROCOCO. You know that feeling when you know you probably haven’t got the time but you just want to give it a go as it sparks that excitement in your heart…I couldn't resist it.

 The use of pastel colours was an obviously draw as I tend to like soft shades and knew figures were often included but I wanted to research the style first. So setting aside my preconceptions of what Rococo was I went straight to one my favourite books called The Grammar of Ornament. I like to think of it as a design & pattern bible and I bought my massive hardback copy around twenty years ago when I didn't even know what surface pattern was. I knew I'd need it one day😉

I knew the style was theatrical and extremely decorative with scrolls and curving lines being very dominant but I hadn't observed the reoccurring motifs such as shells, fruit, vases and animals.

The subject matter included in Rococo decoration were often still routed in classical themes and this sparked an idea that I would like to include Aphrodite in my pattern. I always remember hearing about her riding a swan and the image of her elegantly gliding on her swan among garlands through my design took hold so I started sketching on large pieces of paper. This is my favourite part as I love pencil drawing and don't worry about making mistakes.

My Sketches Often Include Notes & Small Thumbnails

At this stage I'll decide which motifs I want to concentrate on and usually start with the most detailed as I feel when that is complete it will set the tone for everything else. I'll work out a loose idea of the repeat I want to create but know this will probably change as I put it together. So the next step is to photograph my sketches and redraw them digitally. I am currently trying out some new methods for this stage so next time will tell you how I got on and we'll see what happens next….Hope you've enjoyed looking at my messy sketches and scribbles!

Cassandra xx