We are very excited to release our first designs and fabrics for the autumn/fall season of 2012! It was requested I expand a little more on our steps and process involved in creating our textile designs. So here is a break down on how the print: Antoiller was developed.
STEP 1 - finding images that inspire:
I admit it, I am an image horder. I search and surf the web daily for interesting and inspiring images. As you have seen from my earlier posts this also includes photographing objects and patterns in nature. As I brainstormed and worked through ideas for this falls fabrics, I found myself drawn to beautiful images of white bucks and deer.
Beyond the beautiful deer I found the organic shape of the antlers inspiring and continued to dig further for images that celebrated them. (You will remember an earlier post on this)
STEP 2 sketching the elements into a representation of simple shape and form which captures your inspiration:
After a lot of photo gathering the sketching begins. A few pages in antler sketches later I finally found a look and felt I had a grasp of the shapes I wanted to represent.
STEP 3 I decide to go for black and white as the layout studies for the pattern began:
As the collection of antlers grew I began to explore the idea of weaving the shapes. As if the antlers were the threads of tapestry.
I decided early on not to repeat any two antlers within the repeat and to not allow any one antler to sit on top of the rest of the designs. So every antler is both below and above another, create a true woven patter. I also wanted to play with patterns within patterns, so I went for an organic ink style with the art. Allowing for variations in line work as shading or broken lines and dots. This helped further balance the weight of each antler and gave them motion.
Voila!
And finally the Fabric on Product:
This design and a few more from the collection will be up in our site next week!
