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Tag Archives: floral

Sketchbook: Adding Color

31 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by Alice Frenz in sketchbook

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

colored pencil, floral, illustration, ink, motifs, pattern, Prang, QSDS, sketchbook, Susan Shie, watercolor

This week I’ve been trying out some of the new art supplies I purchased for the QSDS (Quilt and Surface Design Symposium) class I’m taking this weekend. The class is Lucky Drawing: Freehand Sketchbook 2 Day, with the wonderful, amazing artist and teacher Susan Shie.

I started at the top of my page with a set of Loew Cornell watercolor cakes that I already had. Then switched to my new Prang semi-moist 16 watercolor oval pan set recommended by Susan for the middle and bottom rows of flowers, leaves, and insects.

The Loew Cornell colors were very chalky and too opaque, covering up my ink line work. They also flaked off the paper when I tried adding colored pencil on top. The Prang colors were much more transparent; letting the ink line work show through. Colored pencils layered over the Prang watercolor paint very nicely. I definitely preferred the results with the Prang set.

You can find out more about classes taught by Susan Shie on her Turtle Moon Studio website.

©2017 Alice Frenz all rights reserved

 

Read about the scarf I design from this artwork in this post “Lady Beetles Scarf”.

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Psychedelic Succulent Motifs

07 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, pixels

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Tags

active wear, floral, mood board, motifs, pattern, psychedelic, succulents, textile design, trend

Op-and-Pop-Succulents-leaf-and-flower-motifs-and-mood-board-alice-frenz-750x485This mood and motif board is for my Op and Pop trend observation and corresponding leaf and flower motifs. I photographed succulents in my garden and drew the leaf and flower motifs in India ink pen in my sketchbook. I then selected my favorites, scanned them, cropped and retouched in Photoshop, then assembled my board layout in Photoshop.

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My idea is to combine the current popularity of succulents with a poster style reminiscent of Peter Max, in bright psychedelic colors. I also would like to incorporate some Op Art curving stripes into my final pattern inspired by the work of Op artists such as Bridget Riley.

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To me, the current popularity of succulents, Mason jars, and hand letter reminds me of the 60’s and ’70s popularity of mushrooms and snails motifs, organic typography, and the psychedelic neon color posters everyone hung on their walls. I think it’s something about their curvy shapes and casual beauty. Though I don’t recall snails and mushrooms being a decorating theme at any weddings I attended back then…

I had so much fun putting this board together! I hope you enjoy it.

©2016 Alice Frenz all rights reserved

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See my colorful Psychedelic Succulent design
created using these motifs here.

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Motifs for Boho Borders

06 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, pixels

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Tags

active wear, Adobe Illustrator, Boho, floral, mood board, motifs, women's

Boho-Borders-flower-arrows-2-alice-frenz-fiberandpixels-900x582-90I’m working on motifs for women’s active wear for a trend I found in the Vogue runway fashions for Fall 2016. I’m calling the trend Boho borders. I found designs that interested me in their pieced together look of multiple ornamental borders.

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I’m trying to build the sense of zigzag stripes and diamond shapes composed of the small flower buds and leaf shapes I created. I will probably combine these motifs with curved or angled abstract stripes, and linear textures to increase the feeling of empowerment and energy for the active wear market.

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I first drew the flower bud and leaf shapes in pen and ink. Then I manipulated scans of my drawings with Kaleidomatic by Stuffmatic to generate ideas for different arrangements and combinations of the smaller shapes.

Then I redrew the motifs I liked best in Adobe Illustrator as vector shapes. This allowed me to compose most of the motifs by reflecting and rotating copies of the vector shapes. I also composed the mood board in Adobe Illustrator.

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I have some very different flower and leaf motifs for the other trends I found and hope to get them organized to post tomorrow.  It was such a great treat to take time out to spend with the flowers and leaves in my gardens working on my sketchbook.

©2016 Alice Frenz all rights reserved

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May Sketchbook

16 Monday May 2016

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern play, sketchbook

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Tags

floral, hand, ink, lettering, M, Melissa, motifs, pen, sunflowers

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©2016 Alice Frenz all rights reserved

Lilacs and Bitty Bugs

23 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, pixels

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Tags

bugs, floral, lilac, pattern, purple, tiny, twigs

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This design is inspired by the tiny twigs and florets of my Spring lilacs, where I imagine purple bitty bugs hiding among the tufts of lilac florets.

This pattern will be available on Spoonflower soon.

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Jazz Trio

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, pixels

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Tags

design, floral, orange, pattern, purple, repeat, spoonflower

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A trio of abstract shapes, reminiscent of flower forms, appear to spin and pulsate to a sparkling jazz melody.

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November Sketchbook part 3

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, sketchbook

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Tags

acorns, bugs, design, eyes, fancy birds, floral, geometric, ink, line drawing, mandala, owl, pattern, sketchbook

More pages from my November pattern motif sketchbook.

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alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-flowers-acorns-lily-of-the-valley-2014-11-20-004-006
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-paisley-octopus-eyes-2014-11-21-001
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-paisley-owl-illustration-2014-11-21-002
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-flowers-mandala-2014-11-21-003
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-paisley-2014-11-21-004
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-floral-leaves-2014-11-22-001
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-flowers-daisies-2014-11-22-002
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-flowers-2014-11-23-001
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-flowers-floral-2014-11-23-002
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-pineapple-flower-turnip-2014-11-23-003
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-fancy-birds-peacock-star-cross-2014-11-24-001
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-illustration-sketchbook-fancy-birds-pill-bugs-2014-11-24-002
alice-frenz-pattern-motif-sketchbook-flower-tangle-2014-11-24-003

Motif Sketchbook part 2

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, sketchbook

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Tags

design, floral, geometric, ink, leaves, motif, owl, pattern, sketch, sketchbook, snail, sunflowers, turtle

Here’s more of my November 2014 pattern motif sketchbook.

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alice-frenz-november-2014-sketchbook-pattern-design-2014-11-15-002
alice-frenz-illustrated-pattern-motif-sketchbook-2014-11-18-001
alice-frenz-pattern-design-sketchbook-floral-motif-sketches-2014-11-16-003
alice-frenz-pattern-design-sketchbook-geometric-floral-motifs-2014-11-16-004
alice-frenz-pattern-design-sketchbook-floral-motif-sketches-2014-11-16-002
alice-frenz-pattern-design-sketchbook-2014-11-16-001
alice-frenz-pattern-design-sketchbook-geometric-motifs-2014-11-16-005

Pattern Motif Sketchbook

15 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Alice Frenz in pattern design, pattern play, sketchbook

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

acorns, design, fern, floral, hosta, jellyfish, oak leaves, ornaments, owl, paisley, pattern motif, sketch, sketchbook, snails, spiny, squid, thorns, urchin

My November sketchbook in progress.

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