Sketching with Wacom

I can't face rearranging my printing area today. In order for me to set it up, I have to tear everything down. Which means I have to get dirty. My 39 year high school reunion is tonight and I don't want to have to do with a complete style reno before heading out. So that I can see people who knew me only when I was on my worst possible behavior. What fun.

So instead of keeping with the plan, I'm going with the flow. These silly little birds have been keeping me entertained for days. The top was drawn in my sketch book and edited in PS. The bottom number was born and raised in Photoshop. I sketched it using my very cool Wacom Tablet. My sketches have none of the unconscious charm of a child's drawing, though they are childlike. If I'm going to create bad art, I'm going to need to disguise the fact that it's all I'm capable of.

Designing with Photoshop

Last week, I bought 2 yards of linen/cotton fabric and was sure I'd have a finished pillow by Monday. This did not happen. My tree stamp remains unmounted. And I have not ordered my textile ink. Plus, my print table is so loaded with junk that there's no room to print. Yet. I set printing aside and played with design.

The plan was to come up with three simple pillow designs that we can personalize. Instead, I got lost in pattern repeat. Using what I learned a couple of weeks ago from this tutorial, I created this design in Photoshop. I sketched these simple flowers, leaves and dots while watching Gator Boys. Go ahead. Judge me. I've already admitted to Toddlers & Tiaras. It's a short slide to the bottom.

I am not an artist. My drawings are primitive and uniformed - they call my style naive. I'd be embarrassed for anyone to see my sketch books. When I sketch, I rough out a design in pencil, go over it with my favorite Faber-Castell B brush point, then erase the pencil. I get great line quality that's easy to edit digitally. I have to tell you, the silliest drawings take on a whole new life in Photoshop. Filled with color and texture, even bad sketches transform.

These sketches were pattern filled (edit > define pattern) with collages created created out of color, texture, overlays & even a little bit of clip-art. Once they were filled, I laid them out using the instructions on this tutorial.  Viola! A cool new design. Creating repeats in PS involves cutting and reassembling layouts. Miscalculations result in visible flaws in the repeat. Like the slice running right down the middle of this design?

Our showroom & outlet is open to the public on the third weekend of each month. We take special order and give studio tours. It's supposed to be 85* this weekend. It will be very quiet. The plan? Rearrange the back corner of the studio. Last week, I was getting a new table. This week? I'm taking over the whole back corner of production. I've 100 pounds of crap to fit in that 50 pound corner, so it won't be pretty. But it will be mine. Mine. All mine.