A couple of weeks ago in the Colour Gang, the creative challenge was to create a tropical-themed pattern using one of 3 (or all 3!) colour palettes given. The one I decided on was called "Midnight Forest"...featuring dark grounds, exotic forests and their inhabitants. So here is my brand new "Dream" pattern design...can you spot the "inhabitant"?

Just thought I would share the 2 illustrations I submitted for the recent cover contest for one of my favourite magaazines, Uppercase Magazine! They didn't win the cover spot, but I was notified that one of my illustrations was chosen to be included in Issue 40 coming out in mid-December! At this point though I'm not sure which of my 2 submissions was chosen! 
The first theme was to celebrate the magazines 10th Anniversary in 2019 so my pairs of hands on which you can count to 10 are raised in celebration! Another of the requested themes was "maturity and longevity" so the botanical illustration depicts a plant as it grows through various life phases from seed to a variety of flowering blooms (kinda like how we all end up wearing many hats in our day-to-day lives, perhaps?) 
Tell me which of the 2 you prefer...I know which one I like best!

Happily, one of this month's creative challenges in The Colour Gang was to design an all-blue pattern design! Blue in all it's variations are favourites of mine: turquoise, azure, sky blue, cobalt, indigo, cerulean, cornflower, ultramarine, royal blue, lapis...I love them all. Blue is also calming and ethereal, so I thought what better subject but the lotus flower, often associated with spiritual enlightenment! Here is my "Lotus Pond" and "Enlightened" pattern designs. I also thought that the Lotus Pond pattern would be wonderful as wallpaper! Enjoy!

This week's challenge in The Colour Gang was to design "generic" occasion designs for multiple uses. So here are 3 new designs, each with a simple (but fun!) colour palette. I really pictured them as packaging on those beautiful artisanal chocolate bars I see in markets and foodie shops! And make no mistake, "generic" doesn't mean boring and well...generic! Contact me if you are interested in licensing these (or other) designs!

Just for fun today I stayed with the Colour Gang's monochrome colour palette challenge. I designed my Birds & Blossoms pattern and added a coordinate first, in black and white, but then decided to try it out in blue too! Then I decided to try the blue one with a lighter background! Which one do you like best?? I also might move away from the monochrome palettes and just go wild with colour too! Contact me to inquire about licensing my pattern designs!

My new "Ratatouille" pattern is yet another design in the collection I'm working on showcasing my love affair with fresh veggies! Here it is with my "Sweet Pea" and "Fresh-Picked" pattern designs...go make a salad!

Having just returned from Japan, I thought I would join the new group, The Colour Gang, from Make It In Design. As a warmup, I just did their first creative challenge: recolour one of your existing designs using a given colour palette that you wouldn't usually use! I decided to recolour my "Sweet Pea" pattern design, which I created just before leaving for Japan. Here is the result: the original colours are on the left ("fresh", "soft", "spring-y"?), and the recoloured design is on the right ("mod", "retro", "funky"?). So interesting how colour can really change the look and feel of a design...will look forward to more creative challenges! Stay tuned for the results!
BTW: Let me know which colour palette (left or right) you like best and why! It would be helpful to know!

I always love how re-vising pattern designs with new on-trend colours really makes such a difference and gives a pattern collection new life! Here is my "Be My Valentine" Collection with gorgeous new soft colours. These designs are available to license! And one week today until Blueprint Show 1 starts in NYC, followed by Surtex on May 20-22! Looking forward to feasting my eyes at both shows! Please join me there if you can!

Here are some of my tropical patterns which I designed last year...now that I see them altogether I am seeing the start of a tropical-themed pattern collection! What do you think?! These will be included in my brand new online Lookbook which will be available at Nerida Hansen Print & Textiles in the near future. I'll let you know when it is online and then you can request access via Nerida's website!