This new collection called Bruny is named after the stunning island located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. It’s a regular holiday spot for our family where we visit the grandparents and enjoy the local foods plus the most breathtaking scenery each time we visit. Every visit always holds a special place in my heart so it was by no little chance that I have made a collection based on this piece of heaven.

There is always excitement when it comes to starting a collection. It's like a new book, I just find that writing down ideas and building inspiration always has me impatient to get started in building patterns, but I have learnt that a path direct to the end goal helps me stay focused throughout this process.

Finding my inspiration is great fun from foraging for raw materials to scan, sketching or walking around and taking photos of textures and grabbing a colour for my palette for the collection. Obviously all this research must go somewhere so I always create a mood board which helps keep me stay grounded on what style and feel I am wanting to have. Once I have my mood board together I take the time to create and sketch out 10-12 different pattern ideas from my mood board. This helps me to keep on track as I start creating my designs - and ultimately becomes the perfect reference point.

This is my creative process, if you are new to this process it may work for you too, but we are all unique and work in different ways but I am glad to share with you my process in case it does suit you.

Please feel free to comment below on what your creative path process is, I would love to hear how you're creative process works for you.

Many of my motifs for this collection were created from foraged flowers and leaves in which I flat pressed and then scanned them before I digitised them. Another method I also used is watercolour to create the soft hand strokes for my dahlia flowers. I also used this technique for textures in a few other designs in the collection. Plus, I never underestimate the amazing tools that my iPad Pro brings to the table.

Being an active mum I find myself on the move most of the time and grabbing what creative time I can, so my IPad Pro with the Apple Pencil has been a lifesaver. I am a big lover of working in vector so I tend to utilise Adobe Draw as it sends directly to Illustrator so I”m always working in Vector so I’m already a few steps ahead while I’m not being planted in front of my iMac. This doesn’t mean that I don’t work in Raster as I do love working with wet media in photoshop too but for this collection it is all vector.

The difference between Raster & Vector is:

Raster: Or otherwise known as bitmap image is created by lots of pixels arranged to display an image. The only thing I dislike about this format is that I need to know how big the print needs to be prior to designing as if it’s designed too small I will end up loosing resolution of my design.

Vector: These create designs through paths - a mathematical formula which tells the software what size shape and colour etc is. This allows me to create designs that can be scaled small or large with no restrictions for my work.

When it comes to creating my designs, I have an image in my mind of how I would like to utilise the motifs and a style to fit within the design brief. Sometimes I find myself not getting the result I was aiming for, as such, not all my patterns make it into the final collection. Some designs can come so easily and then there are those that I just can’t seem to get around. Those ones do require an additional cup of coffee to get through… and if I am not moving forward with a design I tend to take a break and review it later.

“Accept the challenges so that you can feel that exhilaration of victory.” - George S. Patton

Not all the steps for creating a collection are magical though, I would love to say that it's all smiles, but I do find that I am self-doubting myself and my work but I have come to the realisation that it's just being human. I have found that getting over self-doubt is never an easy process, when it comes to starting a new job, joining a new sports team or just putting myself out there - self doubt is always at the back of my mind. Throughout my journey I have found that my passion towards my endeavours helps me to dilute self doubt from my mind.

When I would second guess myself these questions always would always come to me:

I used to ask myself if I am the only one out there that second guesses their work, but after speaking with other creative minds out there in this beautiful world, they too confirm their fears that are so like my own. It was warming to know that I was indeed not the only one and that I just had to work out my own steps to my own confidence. One main question I was asked was if I enjoyed being a Surface Pattern Designer? Am I happy? Both answers are YES!!

I love being a designer as there is only one of me and what I see and create are unique to my style. I don’t need to be anyone else but me and while I grow as a creative I know I am growing as a person in my own confidence and in who I want to be. Not all the roads are easy and I have learned that taking the good with the bad is just part of the journey.

This collection will be available online for those who are sewing creatives this collection will be available on Spoonflower for your fabric, wallpaper needs and my Society6 & Redbubble Stores.

I'm also excited to announce a new joint venture with a new platform, so keep watch for my announcement to follow soon.

If you are interested in a collaboration or to discuss licensing please feel free to get in touch.