Design development - part 1

We are playing catch up in the studio this week & wanted to share a selection of images showcasing Rachael's recent designs, we hope you like them!

All images are subject to Copyright © 2013, Rachael Taylor.

More e-course student success!

Since we launched 'The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)' back in November, 2011, we have been hearing more & more amazing success stories about our very talented students & graduates! We couldn't be more proud & we love sharing your stories!

Below we have news from two very talented graduates Anneline Gregory & Deborah Velasquez.

Anneline Gregory of 'Anneline Sophia Designs' recently signed TWO licensing deals within two months of finishing the e-course! Wow! They are with two of our studios fabulous licensing partners Iconemesis & Artscase. You can find & buy her designs from Iconemesis & Artscase by clicking on the links. You can also follow her Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.

Anneline Sophia Designs website

Anneline Sophia Designs on Artscase

Anneline Sophia Designs on Iconemesis

Deborah Velasquez had also been doing amazingly well & has recently licensed some of her fantastic typography designs with 'The World Art Group'. Deborah was on the first run of the e-course & we are so proud of her! You can buy her designs here or on Etsy. You can also find her typography in Marshalls & HomeGoods stores, amazing! Follow her on her blog, on Facebook & on Twitter.

Velasquez Design Studio blog

Velasquez Design Studio on The World Art Group

Velasquez Design Studio on The World Art Group

Velasquez Design Studio on Etsy

The next run of the e-course is on the 29th April, when Module 1 begins. Module 2 begins 19th August, & Module 3 begins on 29th April (for those already taking modules or for those who wish to take M3 on it's own), or on the 11th November (for those taking M1 April & M2 August). Find out more information on the website, & look out for Issue 3 of MOYO Magazine, packed with surface design goodness!

Mati McDonough

Recently Rachael announced that she is now a proud member of the Lilla Rogers Studio. For the next few months we have decided to feature a regular weekly showcase from Lilla's esteemed group of designers & Illustrators. Today we bring you the lovely Mati McDonough.

Mati McDonough is an artist based in San Francisco. Mati spends a lot of her time creating paintings of elephants, birds & florals. She creates stories within her paintings for hope & adventure for anyone across the globe, no matter what age they are. As well as using acrylic paints, Mati also brings collage into her paintings creating extra layers, bringing more textures & patterns into them.

Mati has exhibited at many shows around San Francisco. She has many clients including New Moon Girls Magazine, Oopsy Daisy & University Games. Mati has also taught at painting retreats in & round San Francisco as well as in Italy. Mati has published a book called 'Daring Adventures in Paint' which became available to purchase in July 2012. You can follow Mati on Facebook and twitter @matirose. She also has an inspiring blog sharing her paintings, inspiration & creativity regularly. Enjoy, Hannah.

Easy Living feature

With the run up to Home, London we were super hectic in the studio & we forgot to mention some of the lovely press received recently. We were lucky enough to feature on leading design blogs, have work showcased in glossy magazines along with finding out that we are published in two brand new design books! (More on that to come soon).

Here's a snippet of our wallpaper feature from the kind people over at Easy Living (you can view the full feature here). We were thrilled that they selected two of our favourite designs 'Organic Origin' & 'Ghost Leaves'.

"If you're a fan of the bold designs of Orla Kiely or quirky patterns and illustrations from Donna Wilson, then you'll love Rachael Taylor. The surface pattern designer and textile artist is known for her colourful, mood enhancing prints, from paisley designs with a twist to wacky free-drawn florals. There are all manner of gorgeous products, from kitchen accessories to duvet covers to iPad cases, but we're huge fans of her wallpaper - unique, striking and the perfect paper for creating a gorgeous feature wall" (December, 2012).

If you are interested in any of the wallpaper designs featured you can view them in our shop here.

LOVE

Happy Tuesday everyone, today we are pleased to announce that our LOVE cards are now available to buy in our online shop. The cards are 150mm square & have been professionally printed on to the popular GF Smith board (300gsm Accent Callisto soft white). Each card is decorated on both front & back with soft blue tonal accents on page 2 & 3 (the inside has been left blank for your own personal message). The design is perfectly complimented by a Manilla envelope.

Here are a few quick Instagram images. The cards are priced at just £2.50 & are perfect for various occasions such as weddings & anniversaries.

Evermade

Evermade are a fantastic company selling gorgeous art prints.

"Everyone’s an art collector! You don’t need a monocle and a moustache to own an art collection; with Evermade, you can find unique gems that your friends won’t have, without breaking the bank."

Evermade produces top quality prints with a selection of fresh & talented designers & they are always scouting for new artists.

Take a look at their cool website, follow them on their blog, Twitter or Facebook or have a gander at their shop!

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish By Chris Piasick

Hand Drawn Map of London By Jenni Sparks

2013 Year Planner By Kerry Hyndman

Life’s a Beach…and then you die By Sam Bevington

No Hats Indoors By Jamie Jones

“Art Is What You Can Get Away With” Andy Warhol Quote

Illustration By Chris Piasick

Smile at a Stranger By Jenny Cox

How do you like your eggs? By Emily Barraclough

Take a Chance

By Sam Bevington

Very special stationery!

I had the most lovey task recently to design my own stationery for a very special big day! The design itself was very simple to create & quite a relaxed, fun process but I just couldn't decide how to format it for print, so many decisions to make...insert, no insert, glossy, pearl or textured card, ribbon or twine? The list really does go on... all of the little things seemed to take longer than creating the artwork itself.

In the end I opted for a professional print service & used the fabulous Century Studios  (who also run CS Greetings). I'm known for my zingy brights so colour matching was really important, I was so impressed by their service & the final print results!

I created my design like a greeting card decorating all 4 pages & then I printed my own personalised insert for each guest. I wanted the invites to put a smile on people's faces therefore I chosen one of my signature colour palettes & contemporary relaxed styling. The invite comes with it's own coordinating decorative luggage tag & I also enclosed a beautiful illustration from my niece (I actually sent a 7 year old a design brief!). The whole wedding package is wrapped (like a little gift) in orange tissue & decorative coral twine. I also used coordinating manilla envelopes to contain any extras such as the accommodation information.

I've had a busy week creating inserts & wrapping but I'm pleased that I have now shipped out lots of pretty mail. I hope you like them.

(These are just quick snapshots & Instagram pics. I plan to get them professionally photographed).

Large luggage style swing tags (above & below)

Swing tag details (below)

Front of invite (below) textures, bright colour pops & surface pattern details

Page 2 of invite (below) soft blue accents

Back of invite which reads 'to love & be loved' (below)

My niece's illustration (below) 

Decorative twine  (below)

Copyright © Rachael Taylor 2013. All rights reserved.