Hello, hello my creative friends!
Can you believe we are at the end of the year? A few more days to Christmas and then new resolutions, new projects and a whole new exciting creative year ahead!
This year has been special for me, this is the year I have discovered my true passion in life: surface pattern design. This discovery might just change my whole life direction and purpose and I cannot wait to delve deeper into this world.
Since discovering surface pattern design I have studied every single day, by taking classes on Skillshare, or courses offered by other designers and by reading books on the subject.
One such book is “A Field Guide to Fabric Design: Design, Print & Sell Your Own Fabric; Traditional & Digital Techniques; For Quilting, Home Dec & Apparel” by Kim Kight”
I found this book to be perfect for beginners as it is a comprehensive crash course in the subject of fabric design. The Author is very knowledgeable and matter of fact and it draws you in from the very beginning.
A half-drop repeat I designed by hand following the instructions in the book.
The book has practical information but also detailed and clear instructions that can be followed easily. The many photographs and images do a fantastic job in supporting the processes discussed and, the most important think, it’s really fun!
There are many hands-on, step-by-step tutorials which, in my opinion, are not too difficult or overwhelming (I did the repeat shown here on the right in under two hours). You can learn how to design repeat patterns by hand but also by using programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. The topics of block printing and screen printing are also covered in the book, as well as the best inks to use. There are also sections on how the fabric is constructed which I found very interesting.
The author doesn’t overwhelm the reader with too much in-depth details, however she gives you plenty of information to get you started in fabric design. She gives an overview of the three main markets for retail fabric: home décor, fashion and quilting.
The book has a section called the “designers roundtable” where experienced designers share their opinions and creative processes, but also their thoughts on colour palettes, digital vs hand printing and current trends.
Throughout the book you can find very good practical advise and tips; she describes the most common repeat types (half-drop, square and brick repeats), the difference between random vs set layouts, spacing and scale, and there is also a description of other types of prints such as railroaded prints, craft panels and border prints.
All in all a great book for beginners as its contents broadly cover everything you need to know to get you started in fabric design.
What about you? do you have a favourite book or course on pattern design? If so please do let me know in the comments below, I am a firm believer that we never stop learning and there is always room for improvement :-)
Till next time
Create and be happy and…. have a wonderful Christmas!!!!! xox
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to the publisher nor the author of the book. This book review is the result of my personal reading and honest opinion.