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For those who don’t know, Make It In Design is home to the longest running online design school in the world! Several years ago, I stumbled on their surface pattern design courses by chance (I didn’t even know that surface pattern design was a thing back then!), and signed up for all the modules that were then offered. Since then, it’s been an adventure working towards achieving my design goals. I've achieved some, but have alot more to go! So I was honoured when MIID invited me to participate in the upcoming “Superstars of Make It In Design" Artist Panel Discussion, hosted by MIID Live on Facebook, coming this Friday Dec 2 at 9:30 PT/12:30 ET! For this FREE LIVE WEBINAR I will be joined by fellow Make it in Design alumni Luci Hebden, Leah Quinn and Annabel Tempest. We’ll share about our top tips on surviving, thriving and doing it your way! Join me and RSVP HERE! 
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My "Puppy Love" pattern design is my entry for NEXT week's Spoonflower "Funny Valentine" Design Challenge! Maybe it's more "cute" than "funny", but I kinda think the guy with the glasses and tall head is pretty funny! You can link to the Voting Page HERE, and Public Voting for this Challenge opens next Thursday DEC 1 (I had thought voting started this week, but there's a break for Thanksgiving!) Don't worry, I'll remind you next week! Happy Thanksgiving!  A DITSY print is a tiny-scale overall pattern that has a tossed or non-directional layout. I don't know about you, but when I think of ditsy prints I usually picture sweet little scattered flowers (ditsy prints don't have to be floral, btw) in pretty colours...For this week's Spoonflower "Delicious Ditsy" Design Challenge, I entered my new "Tutti Frutti" design! And I must say, a typical ditsy print, this is NOT!! Love it as cocktail napkins or as a tablecloth (see below), but wouldn't it make a FUN APRON?! Voting opens Thurs Nov 17 and you can link to the Voting Page HERE! . AND I couldn't resist...I had to make those Bananas and Berries into their own designs too! So scroll down to see my new "Banana-rama" and "Polka Berries" designs. All 3 coordinate together into my "Fruit-Tastic" Collection, and you can get them on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in 3 sizes in my Spoonflower Shop! See the FRUIT-TASTIC COLLECTION in my Spoonflower Shop! 
"Banana-rama" (above left) and "Polka Berries" (above right) are part of my
FRUIT-TASTIC COLLECTION! Just released! I am very pleased to announce that I have a new line of Phone Cases just released in collaboration with London-based HARPER & BLAKE! Be sure to check out the full range available now in the Harper & Blake Shop!
Even though I've just added my new "Bug's Life" repeat pattern design to my Spoonflower Shop, it actually has a very LOOONG history! The individual bugs are amongst my earliest designs created when I was very new to surface design. I originally sold them individually as Greeting Cards and Art Prints at various craft fairs and in my (now closed) Etsy shop. Then I revised and re-coloured them, and now sell them as Graphic Tees in my TeePublic Shop (check out my "Creature Features" Album there to see them, called "Retro Bugs")! AND THEN...I put them all together into one design to make this repeat pattern! They're now available in all 4 colours in Small-, Medium- and Large-Scale versions on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor! I guess I've never really been able to completely archive these colourful bugs over the years and always seem to return to them. And funny enough, for this repeat design, I went all the way back to those very first, original colours! I thought this design would be perfect to enter in this week's Spoonflower "Flash Tattoo Sheets" Design Challenge (I entered the first version on Hot Pink) because the strong outlines and colours would make some pretty darn cool tattoos IMHO! Public Voting for this Challenge opens today Thursday Nov 3, and closes next Tuesday Nov 8 at 3:00 ET! Check out the Voting Page to see this week's entries! Click the images to see the Medium-Scale versions in my Spoonflower Shop!
 Spoonflower's Craft Friday is a FREE online event happening on Black Friday (Nov 25) with the goal of offering a fun, crafty, creative alternative to the madness of one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Through a series of short-and-sweet video tutorials offered throughout the day and featuring varied creative projects taught by talented artists/makers, Spoonflower hopes to encourage families and friends to craft and make together, learn new skills, and possibly even create something to gift to loved ones during the holiday season. JOIN ME: “Make a Doodled Coloring Pages Gift Pack” At 2:00 ET I’m very excited to announce that my “Make a Doodled Coloring Pages Gift Pack” Video Tutorial will be included as part of Spoonflower's Craft Friday event this year, scheduled to go live Nov 25 at 2:00 ET! JOIN ME to learn how to make this low-cost, homemade, artistic gift idea, starting with my downloadable Doodle Prompt Pages which will set you off on your doodling journey. No artistic skill required! Once you have created your own collection of coloring pages, I’ll show you some quick ideas for packaging them up nicely, ready for gift giving. And don’t forget, now that you have a Doodled Coloring Pages Gift Pack (or someone gives you one!), you can then have tons of fun coloring them in too! You can make this Gift Pack on your own, with kids at home or in the classroom, and it makes a great party activity too. Fun to make and receive!
Get all the info you'll need to join in at this Spoonflower CRAFT FRIDAY Blog Post where you can download my Doodle Prompt Pages and see what simple supplies you’ll need to participate. And be sure to check out all the other FREE creative sessions that will be offered! Don't forget to PRE-REGISTER! Just in case you want more doodle inspiration, check out the surface designs I’ve created with some of my own doodles in my “Coloring Book Designs” Collection in my Spoonflower Shop!
Hope to see you at Spoonflower's CRAFT FRIDAY on November 25 at 2:00 ET!
This week's Spoonflower Design Challenge is "Barkitecture", described as decorating spaces specifically for our animal companions. I wanted to do something "stylish", so I thought about creating a straight-up 1980s Postmodern-style design. But given the theme I decided I needed to incorporate some paw prints! So here is my alliteratively-named "Postmodern Pet Paw Prints" design in the original Retro colour palette that I entered in the Challenge (first pic below)! Voting for this Challenge opens today Thursday Oct 27 and closes next Tuesday Nov 1. Check out the Voting Page HERE (I would love your vote)! . And this "Postmodern Pet Paw Prints" design now comes in several colourways and 3 sizes in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor! You can find them all in my "Pet Themes" Collection in my Spoonflower Shop. Scroll down to see the other colourways below!  In Retro Gray Turquoise Blush Blue Brown
 With thanks to @theindoorsyproject for this mockup.
 If you own a home with an attic or your rental home comes with a bonus attic space, there’s a chance the room has gone unused. Maybe the space is completely empty, or it’s the current home for your boxes of seasonal decorations, sporting gear, or home improvement tools. But there are plenty of ways you can spruce up your attic space to create a great escape.
For some inspiring attic design ideas, be sure to check out the new Redfin Article, “Create a Great Escape: Attic Design Ideas for the Ultimate Cozy Nook”, written by Alison Bentley and just published on the Redfin Blog on October 19 2022. Redfin reached out to me and asked if I could provide some thoughts for this article, and they’ve included my design tips and insights for decorating an attic space with WALLPAPER, together with more fantastic ideas from other design experts. Be sure to check out this article to find out how you can design your perfect attic getaway! Here is a sneak preview of the brand new "Prints & Graphics Sourcing Guide: Kidswear A/W 23/24" just out from WGSN, the world's leading consumer trend forecaster. The Guide includes several of my pattern designs in its identification of the key trends for Autumn/Winter 23/24 Kidswear. Please NOTE: You must be a WGSN subscriber to access this Guide.  This week's Spoonflower Design Challenge is "Unexpected Still Life Wall Hangings". Here is my entry, called "Flower Burst" which is also sized for Tea Towels on a Fat Quarter fabric size! I just decided to go crazy with flowers for this one. I entered the first Teal and Coral Orange one because it was the only one I managed to finish before submissions closed (adapted from a repeat pattern I created a little while ago), but I did create it in two other colourways too (see below)! All 3 colourways, Teal and Coral Orange, Purple Red Pink and Moody Neon Brights, are now available in my Spoonflower Shop! Do you have a favourite?! Voting for this Challenge opens tomorrow Thursday Oct 13 and you can link to the Voting Page HERE. I would love your vote for this one, thank you in advance as always! Or CLICK on the IMAGES BELOW to see each one in my Spoonflower Shop!  Teal and Coral Orange  Purple Red Pink  Moody Neon Brights Which colour palette is your favourite, I wonder?! I'd love to know, you can reply in the comments below!
This week's Spoonflower Design Challenge is "Recipe Wall Hangings" and I was a bit stumped with what to do. But then I remembered I had created an illustrated recipe for this warming and delicious "African Yam and Peanut Soup" a little while ago, but then archived it. So I had a look at it and started fooling around with it...radically changed the colours, altered the layout, changed the text a bit...Then I thought, "Hey! I'll enter it!" So here it is, as entered! . Go have a look at the designs this week, they're all sized specifically for Spoonflower Wall Hangings and Tea Towels (on a Fat Quarter size)! You can link to the Voting Page HERE. As always, I would love your vote for this one! Voting opens tomorrow Thursday October 6. If you like, you can see this design in my Spoonflower Shop! It might make a nice gift for that upcoming, ahem, holiday...  If you're curious, I thought it would be interesting for you to see the original colours and layout of this design (see below). I LOVE how it is always possible to breathe new life into a design. As they say, NEVER throw anything away! I originally designed this illustrated recipe for the "They Draw" website (when it was still called "They Draw and Cook"). If you want to have a look there, click HERE!  Very pleased to announce that my "Be Kind" artwork was one of only 10 to be chosen for display in The City of Victoria's Art in Kiosks Public Art Program for 2022! The 2nd round of 5 artworks have now been installed in Downtown Victoria; mine is on the corner of Douglas and Broughton Streets, and will be on display until January 2023. Go have a look if you're in town! I originally created this design in the early months of the pandemic (sorry to mention it), but I think it still remains relevant and serves as a "gentle" reminder. You can read my Bio and Artist Statement and more about this Public Art Competition, and see the other 4 winning artworks currently on view, HERE!     If you don't know, FIKA is the Swedish tradition of taking time for a coffee and cake break every day. But aside from what you eat and drink, it's really more about taking time to pause and socialize with friends and colleagues. Sounds pretty good to me! I've entered my new "Fika Swedish Pastry and Coffee Break" pattern design in this week's Spoonflower "Fika (Swedish Coffee Break)" Design Challenge! Look closely so you can see just how fun these flowered mugs of coffee and pastries are! I created them in a puffy "balloon-style", using a tool that I just recently discovered in Adobe Illustrator. Voting for this Challenge opens today and closes Tuesday September 27. You can link to the Voting Page HERE. BTW: I couldn't help trying this Illustrator tool out on a few other designs. Scroll down to see the fun results! All these pattern designs are now available in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in 3 sizes! Click the images below to see them in my Spoonflower Shop in Medium-Scale (Small- and Large-Scale also available)!  Fika Swedish Pastry and Coffee Break  Breakfast (I LOVE the fried eggs!)  Cupcake Dreams (adapted from an earlier design in a "flat" style which is also available in my Spoonflower Shop!) When I snap a pic that for some reason I just really like, it's often because there's just "something" about the captured colours. Picking out these colours is one of my favourite ways to come up with new colour palettes for pattern designs. For example, here is a photo I took at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk while on a coastal roadtrip to California in June, and I just really love this pic of a vintage-inspired ride. So I picked out some gorgeous colours to create a new palette...Expect to see these colours in a new design! How do you come up with new colour palettes? Do you use your photos too?  Very honoured to see one of my designs in this absolutely gorgeous portrait of the iconic actor Tilda Swinton shot by photographer Chris Chapman in the Deadline Studio at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival 2022! I invite you to check out my Instagram Post to read more about this collaboration in Chris' own words!  |
AuthorJackie Tahara of UnBlink Studio Archives
November 2022
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All images on this website are Copyright © Jackie Tahara. All rights reserved.
If sharing, pinning or blogging my images, please always credit me and link back to my website. Supporting artists is a good thing to do! Thank you!
If sharing, pinning or blogging my images, please always credit me and link back to my website. Supporting artists is a good thing to do! Thank you!