My first ikat inspired designs

I gave the ikat designs a try the other day and I'm pleased with the results. It was a lot of fun to play around with the brushed look. To create the designs, I pulled out the old paint and paper. I sketched the basic shapes I wanted to use for pattern-making with a pencil and then used a dry brush and black paint to create the look of fibers pulling down from the images. Then I scanned that in, created a .tif file in black and white, brought it into Illustrator and used the Live Trace function to create vector art. After that, the options were endless.

This is really a sneak peek into the designs I'm creating in preparation for the Surtex show at the Javits Center in NYC this May. I'll be exhibiting as a senior designer with the group A Fresh Bunch. Here is an idea of how I see these designs playing out into a tote bag.

I particularly like this colorway with the pinks, corals and reds. I have another color way with blues that I created with my sister Alex in mind. She loves blue and white patterns. It's funny, now that I think about it, we used to have sister outfits in those color ways. Mine was always in the pinks and reds and hers were in the blues. I remember getting kind of mad about that and insisting on blue things at one point, but funny how that kind of thing sticks with you.

Here is the photo that inspired the colors. I maintain a Pinterest board with images that inspire new color combinations here if you're interested.

Source: decorati.com via Margot on Pinterest