Create

Adding Contrast to an Art Journal Spread

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I created this journal spread to experiment with different ways to stylize river rocks. At first, I thought I was done at this point. But the more I looked at it, the more I thought it needed something else. I wasn’t happy with the contrast between the colors.

Finished journal spread with better contrast.

So, I grabbed my trusty white pen and added some dots. Ahhh, that looks better! Do you agree?

Photographing Pattern Inspiration

I love finding pattern inspiration wherever I go. On a recent city walk, I found this structure surrounding a stairway. I love the color, especially against the brick wall in the background, and the patterns in the walls. I had a great time walking around it and taking photos from a lot of different angles. Which one is your favorite?

Creating Color Variations

One of the creative exercises in Module 2 by Make it in Design is to choose a color palette and use it to create a pattern.

This color palette reminded me of the photos of flowers and berries I’d taken at my favorite nature preserve.

I chose a subset of the color palette and drew my motifs. I scanned the drawings, cleaned them up in Adobe Photoshop, and traced them in Illustrator.

Berries & Blooms in Jewel Tones — First, I created the pattern in the original color palette.

Berries & Blooms in Pastel Colors — Making different color palettes is a way to make any design more versatile, so I created 3 more versions. This palette tweaks the original colors to ones that suit my taste better.

Berries & Blooms in Earth Tones — This version uses earth tones.

Berries & Blooms in Cool Colors — Cool colors are featured in this version.

I added the 4 color versions to my Redbubble shop. Which one is your favorite?

You can also see some of the pattern variations I made with these motifs in my Creating Pattern Variations post.

From Photo to Sketch to Pattern

There were so many mushrooms in the woods that I explored this year. I took a ton of photos of all the varying shapes, sizes, and colors.

When I got home, I used my photos as references for sketches and collage elements in my art journal

I then used all these references to create a mushroom pattern for a creative exercise in Module 2 by Make it in Design. Below you can see the motifs I drew and the color palette I chose.

Then I scanned the motifs on to my computer, cleaned them up in Adobe Photoshop, and traced them, added color, and laid out the pattern in Adobe Illustrator.

And finally, I named the pattern Mushroom Meadow and uploaded it to my Redbubble shop on all kinds of products.

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Give My Designs This Holiday Season

Are you looking for unique gifts this holiday season? Check out my Redbubble shop for products with my whimsical patterns, designed with passion and wonder. Keep scrolling for some of my favorites.