Although I’ve made a lot repeating patterns in the past, they were always a small part of something else. I made patterns to incorporate into illustrations, or as components of larger design projects. They were always fun to make, but it never occurred to me until recently to create a pattern for it’s own sake. Turns out it’s a process I really enjoy.
I’ve spent the past few months learning about repeating patterns and the things to consider when designing them. The realization that a collection of repeating patterns can be a way to tell a story blew my mind. Storytelling is something I’ve always been drawn to, but unlike illustrating a picture book, the story in a pattern collection isn’t a narrative with a beginning, a middle, and an end; it’s more conceptual. It’s about communicating a theme, a mood, a feeling, and making connections between different ideas. I’ve been exploring a variety of themes and really thinking about what I want to say and how best to say it. I’m really loving that part of the process.
My first pattern collection is about small town life and the imagery was inspired by my own memories of growing up on the prairies. It’s almost ready to share and I can’t wait to get some feedback. I’m trying to finalize the scale and the colour palette right now, but once I have it figured out I’ll be offering it as fabric on Spoonflower.
Here’s a little peek at the hero pattern for my collection:
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