New October Wallpaper, Discount Code and a Giveaway For Subscribers!
The new FREE October Wallpaper link was just sent to all the subscribers along with a discount code and giveaway information for this month! You can get yours by subscribing to my newsletter in the link to the right!
This month's giveaway is a 12" copy of my art print, "Microburst". You'll need to be a subscriber to enter.
Sketch and Screen Peek
Keeping busy here creating away and I thought I'd give you a little peek over my shoulder...
Here I was simply "watching" tv and studying zinnias... I may scan these in and do some work on these today in Illustrator.
And here is a sketch I also did while watching TV...
And, the same piece in Illustrator where you can see I'm loosely interpreting the sketch.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek... let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this.
Have a colorful day!
~Bari
A feature, a confession, and a discount code.
I'm super excited to tell you that I've been included in Uppercase Magazine's Surface Pattern Design Guide. Uppercase is a magazine run by two wonderful entrepreneurs who simply love design.
Ok got that out. Now the rest of this I've re-written this 10 times. I was simply going to do the standard, "hey look where I've been featured post", but I can't. I feel like I need to tell you a little more.
But I'm afraid you are going to think at best, I'm cheesy, and at worst, I'm an emotional mess. So please know that I've pulled on my big girl panties to tell you this.
Something about being featured in THIS publication has made me more proud than just the usual feature. You see, I've been at this for a decade. I started really getting into sewing all those years ago because I loved the designs on the fabric. The ride has been so crazy and dizzy since then, I'm not quite sure how I got where I am. And some of you may think, "Come on, she's so successful. How could she feel like this?". But the truth is, it's not easy to Actually. Make. A. Living. By. Creating. I'm not complaining about how I'm paid or what I'm paid. I have several great partners who I adore and am extremely grateful to have.
I'm just saying that to make it in surface design alone you have to reach a critical mass in the number of licenses you have and the number of surfaces that your work is on. That's just a fact. And it is NOT easy to get there.
Does being featured in this magazine mean I've made it? No. Certainly not. But the symbol of the recognition of being in this magazine... with the company I know I'm in... it is just one more thing that is keeping me going.
When I design, I feel like it's coming out of me from me feet up to the top of my head and out. I LOVE designing like it gives me life. There is nothing like believing in yourself and your work for getting you where you need to go. But a little recognition along the way is truly a boost.
Thank you, Janine and Erin. I'm am more than honored to be featured in your beautiful publication.
For a $15 discount on an Uppercase subscription, use code 'USPDG2014'.
Thanks for listening and not judging.
Have a colorful day,
Bari
11 things I learned or re-learned just yesterday...
1. If you pick up the phone and ask, you are likely to receive. (this goes with my mantra, "You don't ask, you don't get." Say that to yourself 10 times each morning.
2. I can take my designs that are finished in Photoshop and bring them to illustrator and update the colors. That one was a big "DUH".
3. Sitting in front of the computer in the same position for 12 hours will hurt your neck. And back. And other stuff too.
4. Productivity breeds productivity.
5. I am constantly losing my coffee cup. By time I find it, its stone cold. Even hours later, I deem it fit to heat back up in the microwave.
6. I love what I do. No. I really really LOVE what I do. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that because I'll get lost in the struggle instead of just enjoying the ride.
7. I have seriously awesome friends. I knew that already. But they are more awesome every day.
8. My kids can pick up ingredients for dinner at the grocery store, drive home and make it themselves.
9. My dogs always lie down where they know I will trip on them. They are doing this on purpose. It's conspiracy.
10. I'm addicted to Pinterest. So much so, that I am really going to have to park my phone away from the bed when I should be sleeping. Also, so much so, that I was in Pinterest Jail last night. (That's when you have too much action on there all at once and they think you are a trolling spammer so they lock up your account. Ooops.)
11. I used to love blogging, and I stopped because there were so many people doing it. I've decided to remember why I love it and not care what anyone else is doing.
Here's a cell phone cover piece I worked on late last night because I need a photo to fill this space. Words with no photos is still as boring as it was when I started this blog on May 1, 2007 and made "no photoless posts" a rule.
Dreaming in Paint
Well, this is new for me... I actually dreamed I was painting this last night. And, I got lucky and actually remembered my dream. That almost never happens!
Naturally, I went straight to the art supply store for a canvas this morning. She was begging to be painted. Who am I to turn her down? I hope I dream in paint again tonight.
WIP... 24"x24" acrylic on canvas.
Make Art That Sells Bootcamp
Hello and happy Sunday! As you may remember, last year I took a class from Lilla Rogers called Make Art That Sells. It was so great that I decided to take the bootcamp version of the class. In bootcamp we are given assignments to get the creative juices flowing. My hope was that it would help me get more collections done for Surtex. This month we were assigned cuckoo clocks as our inspiration. Here's my take on the assignment...
In designing my piece, I didn't want to be too literal. Afterall, there aer 500 people taking the course. And I'm assuming most people want to submit their work to art directors. Can you imagine art directions recieving all those cuckoo clocks? LOL. But rest assured, there are a huge many takes on the theme, some don't look like clocks at all.
If you are curious how these came together, they initially started out as watercolors on paper. I scanned them, and then re-drew them in Photoshop for a brighter look. For the coordinates, I made sure I kept all the bits in layers so that I could pull them out and create new pieces with them.
Hope you are having a great weekend! If you are interested in seeing these on actual phone cases, let me know. I may just upload the art to Society6.com.
Happy creating, you all!
Strike-offs. What are they? And what do designers do with them?
You may have heard the term "strike-offs" before from people in the fabric industry. Have you ever wondered what they are and what the heck we do with them? My next line "strike-offs" arrived today. These are basically just samples of your designs. They are printed on a very short run just so you can take a look and make final approvals.
So, what does the process of "correcting" samples look like? I imagine every designer looks for different things, but this is what I do... First I go through all of the colors I chose and make sure they are correct. I use Pantone colors. Some designers and companies just ask designers to send a paint chip or other sort of sample for the fabric mill to match to. But Pantone is the universal color language that designers in all areas use, so I find that this is the most accurate way to get the colors I want. I also look to make sure the screens were straight and no details were lost. Strike-offs also give me a last minute chance to see if colors and scale work the way I thought they would on the screen and on paper.
All in all, it's a tedious but exciting process. And it's always such a joy to see art that I created on an actual piece of fabric or product.
Feel free to ask any questions if I left anything out... I'd be happy to answer in the comments below.
Now, I think I shall go cut these babies up!
PS... These will be in the hands of sales people next month and I will update you on the name of the line and show more samples at that time! I hope you enjoyed this little preview!
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