Heat transfer dyes with leaves

still life collage

To create an interesting and exciting pattern, i imitated the textures or still life objects such as string, a faux christmas tree and a woven rug using drawing and then cut out bottle shapes from the texture-filled paper.

I cut up this piece again into circles and re-applied to paper. I really like the colourful, unpredicted outcome and it's slight random, energetic appeal. 

I progressed this technique further onto photoshop where i could use mark-making lines and then cut out butterfly shapes in a similar way.  I have found both very effective in creating a quick interesting pattern. For myself, i believe the hand-drawn and cut has potential for a three-dimensional and organic effect, although I find the computer design has a sophisticated finish.

Thomas Grunfield's misfits

Here I am fascinated by Thomas Grunfield's mis-matched taxidermy sculptures since seeing penguin/peacock and sheep/dog on display in Norwich Castle Museum's recent "curiosity" exhibition.
The taxidermy have an extraordinary, eccentric edge but overall the concept is rather controversial.
The animals are stitched together so no seams are visible and therefore they create a bizarrely realistic vibe. I believe they reflect some of the strange curiosity's the victorian's were inspired by, for instance the supernatural and taxidermy. I would like to incorporate some of this into my own drawings in a similar way Kristjana S Williams illustrates the "blom and mynstur" imaginative scenes.

Beautiful Baroque Oil paintings

Exquisite baroque oil paintings which are inspiring my drawings for textile design. These also show a strong similarity to the Dolce and Gabbana Autumn Winter 2012/13 collection I looked at below.
 Still life by dutch artist Willem Van Aelst

James Sillett, a Norwich born oil painters beautiful painting "flowers and fruit"

Dolce and Gabbana autumn/winter 2012/13

Even though this is last year's collection from D&G, I am still in-love with the oil-painting style of their beautiful floral prints.
At the moment in my own personal designs I am inspired by the victorian era and this feeling of a dark, sombre elegance. I believe it is important to incorporate florals into designs often too, as they will always be appealing and popular on the textile market, for both fashion and interiors. This Dolce and Gabbana collection therefore draws together these ideas and shows how a timeless beauty can be portrayed into designs.

kristjana s williams

The graphic art and textile designs of Kristjana S Williams capture my attention with her beautiful illustrative other-worldly drawings. These are made outstanding with a very particular colour palette of bright pops of colour, highlighting the grey, tonal areas. The studio's elegant style reflected in their September 2013 "blom and mynstur" collection hint an influence of William Morris's timeless designs, but with a modern twist with"flowers and monsters". 

Kristjana S Williams illustrations for Triumph Lingerie

antoni and alison

I absolutely adore the fresh, unique look of Antoni and Alison's fashion garments. With a hand-painted quality or photographic effect, their pieces stand out as one-of-a-kind statements of art!

Spring/Summer 2013