Thursday 23 February 2012
Kate Hindley
Sorry it has been a while.... In the meantime Kate Hindley's characters caught my eye. Check out Kate's lovely work and character cushions at Etsy
Saturday 4 February 2012
Furry Feline Creatives
Monday 30 January 2012
Emily Kiddy - Print and Graphic designer
So far on Monster create and make, I have featured character designs for soft toys.
Another fascination I have is character design for the apparel market....one designers work that caught my eye is Emily Kiddy.
Emily Kiddy studied fashion enterprise and guest lectures at the University of Creative Arts in Epsom, Surrey. Emily designs for Jo Jo Maman Bebe. You can see Emily's designs for Jo Jo Maman Bebe here at emilykiddy.blogspot.com. Jo Jo Maman Bebe is just one in Emily's client list!
If you are interested in designing for the apparel market, Emily's blogs are a must read. A wealth of information about fashion can be found on Emily's other blog here fashionstudentshub.blogspot.com
Emily's talent covers everything from fashion, textiles, home-ware, gift, stationery and trendforcasting. Monster create and make loves Emily's designs and is very excited to have Emily feature. Emily has kindly answered a few questions about her designs. Thank you Emily for sharing with us
- Tell us more about yourself, what/who inspired you to design for the apparel market?
I’ve always
enjoyed creating things, ever since I was little. I would always be designing and making things
and would never be far from a pot of glue or a set of paints! When it came to leaving school I went on to
do my A-levels that were all in creative subjects. Then I went on to do an art foundation year
before going off to University to study for me degree in Fashion
Enterprise. I guess I just kept doing
what I loved and enjoyed and its gradually led me to where I am now.
- Emily your creative talent is wide ranging. Trend forecasting, fashion design, cards, gift wrap, pattern surface design. What is your favourite part of your job?
It’s hard
to say, I really do enjoy the whole process.
I do love researching at the beginning of the season and coming up with
all my trend stories. I always wonder
what sort of designs will come from them and its always the time I feel most
inspired.
- Do you keep a sketchbook? would you mind showing us a bit of your work in progress, from sketch to final piece?
All my
design work I do straight onto my computer so I don’t really keep a
sketchbook. I use a pen pad instead of a
mouse; this allows me to be very accurate with my hand drawing/sketch work. I use this like a pencil on paper and the
image appears straight on my screen.
I have been
working on some new print concepts of monsters today. I have created them by scanning fingerprints
onto my computer then tracing over them and making them into fun monster
characters.
I use both
a mac book pro and an i mac computer. I
use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for the majority of my work.
- I notice you have some characters on your blog. Stu and Dave are my Favourites. Do you have any more characters you can share with us?
I get
commissioned by various clients to do character work. Here are a few I have been working on recently.
- How do you decide on the type of fabric used in one of your apparel designs?
It depends
a lot on the type of garment as well as the application I’m going to put on it
e.g. an applique or print. I like to try
and get a lot of texture into my work which I think works great for kids
garments. I like putting jersey
appliques on denim and denim chambray appliques on jersey to make a really
layered tactile and fun application.
- When designing for a client, is there much deviation from your design to final piece?
Obviously
things change as different people offer input and opinions throughout the
design process! Also, with such big
challenges with garment cost at present, it’s important to use new and fun ways
of embellishing garments while keeping to a lower price point. This also means that some of my designs that
may start off highly embellished have to be simplified on occasions to meet competitive
price points too.
- Emily, one more question Cadburys creme egg or Kinder Surprise?
Definitely
Kinder Surprise…I love making something while I eat chocolate at the same
time! It’s the perfect treat!
Thursday 26 January 2012
Computer Arts-make a plush toy from your vector design
If you have ever wanted to make your character as a plush toy then this feature from Computer Arts magazine, will be useful. Using your vector artwork, this tutorial shows how you can make a pattern from your design and make your fabric plush. Click on the image above to download the tutorial.
Monday 23 January 2012
Book recommendation - Pictoplasma
In the year 2000, Pictoplasma was born. 'A platform for an extensive collection and archive of contemporary character design'. Pictoplasma, the book, is quite old now, I have owned it for many years. It is a joy to look through...again and again. Now if that is not a recommendation I don't know what is. The photos, above, were taken by me, and I apologise, the photographic quality is not brilliant. But why would I post more pictures of Pictoplasma? when I suggest buying a copy of your own. Pictoplasma would definitely be worth spending your hard earned cash on.
Saturday 21 January 2012
Michelle Romo - Master of a Universe
Michelle Romo is a creative force. Energetic, fun and colourful, it is true to say Michelle's work appeals to all ages. Michelle's company Crowded Teeth began in 2004. Following on from an illustration a day for one year to create a handmade limited edition book, Crowded Teeth next project is called Super Mini Universe. Take a look at this Kickstarter project by Michelle, it is amazing. The creation of a 2d illustration into a 3D version using a variety of media is very exciting. I will be following.....
Wednesday 18 January 2012
Tad Carpenter World of whimsy
The above video is a must see."The act of play. The importance of play" no truer word said. Tad Carpenter is a king of character design.
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