In my endeavor to share more behind the scenes, I decided to start the year off by showing you what goes into a product collection, how I go from an idea into sketches then into patterns and finally into products- the whole thing, start to finish in a collection. You'll get to see how I decide what makes the cut, what goes into the whole messy middle, and how I think with the end product in mind.
This goes against the perfectionist introvert tendencies I have that would much prefer to show you the beautiful end result instead of the not-yet-polished in-progress project. But when I think through some of the questions I had when I was figuring out my workflow, I would have loved to watch someone walk through their whole process, messes and all.
So here we go... we'll start with the Brainstorm.
This pear drawing I did is part of where we're headed. More to come...
Sometimes I have the full collection idea first and other times I start the other way around with a drawing that inspires a collection. When I start with the collection idea, I will sit and brainstorm words that fit in with the overall idea or theme and I do some very quick rough sketches of potential pattern layouts. I add notes about color palettes ideas, pattern types or textures I want included, and the general feel of the overall collection.
Yet sometimes the drawing inspiration comes first, like you'll see in the video for this collection. I always keep a drawing tablet & pencil near me. I'll frequently get inspired to just start drawing something, without an end product in mind. If I end up liking the sketch, I will go back and create a brainstorm sheet to see how I could build it out into a full collection. But giving myself the freedom to let either a drawing inspire a collection or a collection idea inspire a drawing really helps me in my overall flow.
I'm not sure if the name will stick, but I've started calling this mini collection, Partridge in a Pear Tree. I mean for it to be timeless, not just a holiday collection.
You can see from the video that I did the pear drawings first. Once I got into a rhythm, I just kept drawing more, knowing that if I liked them for a collection that I would need some variation of angles based on the style of patterns I like to create. The other thing about my style is that I like texture in just about every piece~ but I almost always pause when I'm 90% done with a pattern and switch to working on the rest of the collection, then come back to add that at the end, which you'll see when we get to that step. Part of that is because the texture layer slows Illustrator down and partly because I like for each piece to feel part of a whole and I want to see where the other patterns are headed before finalizing that for each design. Same with color palettes. I usually put some colors in as place holders but wait to finalize until just before adding texture.
I am creating this collection in real time to be able to walk you through it with me. What you see here is all that I have completed. I will be posting quick snippets on social media, because they only allow short videos. I will post the longer videos here. Inside the membership, I will have even more information, including providing any forms or templates I use, textures, color palettes, etc.
Next, I typically scan my drawings & vectorize them so I can start creating the first pattern. I'm sure most people start with their dream hero pattern first, but I really don't. I look for the simplest one usually to give me a quick win that helps me with momentum. I've found that if I start with the hardest one first, sometimes my enthusiasm for the whole collection wanes.
I think you can see that I already have an idea of where things are headed but getting each pattern to come out like what I envision is trickier than it appears. I really hope you enjoy seeing the process but if nothing else, hopefully it will inspire you to keep going with your designs.
Warmest regards,
P.S. If you want access to even more of the details, you can check out the membership page here. It walks you through creating your dream business plan, branding your business, designing in collections, product listings, and more. You can cancel anytime, no questions asked.
P.S.S. I also added this brainstorming template page to our Free Download Vault. You can get instant access by joining our email list.
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