Right after Thanksgiving this past year there was a fabulous sale at Make Art That Sells. So I took advantage and bought myself an early Christmas present….MATS A. This is a self paced course which either runs 5 weeks, or however long you need. I started the middle of January, and finished the first two sections just before MATS Bootcamp started this year. The purpose of this course is to teach about 5 areas in the world of design. The first is Bolt Fabric, which I must admit is my whole purpose for learning how to make a repeat pattern. I love fabrics! MATS is set up in a way that you begin what Lilla Rogers calls a “mini”. In the mini, you begin to draw without knowing the project. It’s a warm-up and a way to start your process with a more open mind. I have begun to use this when I approach any project know, whether it’s illustration, hand lettering or logo. If you are able to take advantage of the sale, this is a great gift to you!
The mini may be my most favorite part of the project process. Above is a selection of sketches. The prompt was pyrex and pasta, but the idea is to draw whatever relates to those. All of my sketches are pencil and inked over. I scanned them into PhotoShop, clean them up and the final design is in Illustrator. That is not how all of my designs are created, but that was the process for this one. The mini process has really opened my ability to create a well thought out pattern.
From these initial sketches I came up with a concept to abstract the pasta and create patterns for potholders and pyrex dishes. These also will ultimately be used as coordinates for the main pattern. I had so much fun filling the potholders and using these sketches to make up the little details on the dishes.
I cannot wait to upload this collection to Spoonflower. I imagine making aprons, curtains and tea towels out of the fabric! There is so much insight in this course I will have to go back and go over it a few more times. Right now, I am currently through my 1st month of bootcamp, so I am slowly working through my 3rd section of MATS A. Happy Creating!!
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