Inspiration from Golden Coil Designers
We hope you’re enjoying the process of designing a cover for this year’s contest! In order to give you a boost of inspiration, we got some advice from two of our designers: Emily Schramm and Abby Anderson!
Tell us about your Golden Coil cover design. What was the thought process behind it? What inspired you?
Emily: I like to use design contests as a way to fill in the gaps in my portfolio. I recognized that as a pattern designer, I needed more florals in my portfolio as that’s something that clients are often looking for. I also wanted to push myself to make something more intricate and detailed than I had done in the past. A meadow full of small, dainty flowers checked all of the boxes.
Abby: I have always been drawn to florals. I love the softness they bring to a design. But I also love a good contrast. In my design I wanted to marry soft watercolor florals with the hard line detail in the stems and leaves; allowing the lines to continue a free form flow but with a dark, defined line.
How do you come up with a new design?
Emily: I always start with a secret board on Pinterest where I gather reference images and get ideas flowing. I love when I have time to step away after that process, sit with all of those ideas for a bit and see what sticks with me. Then I do some sketching in my sketchbook and/or my iPad. I almost always bring those sketches into my computer, tracing over them or refining them in both Illustrator and Photoshop. My process is really loose and I do a lot of playing around and experimenting until I find something that I love. Lots of my favorite work is the result of happy accidents!
Abby: I typically take notice of current trends that I'm drawn to, and make note of why I'm loving them at the moment. Whether that be texture, color, design, etc. I then will take to nature and clear my head, with a sketchbook and camera in hand. For me, that looks like going on a hike or visiting the botanical gardens. The colors and shapes and raw beauty that nature inspires is seriously unending! I'll take pictures and sketch and jot down ideas along the way. I'll then come home and sketch out a rough design and start to play with my watercolors or gouache paints. From there the design will sort of work itself into a new direction. I will then leave it be for a few days and come back to it with fresh eyes. At this point, I'll make little changes and bring the design into digital format and fine tune the colors and details. I will try a few different color varieties to see what looks best and then get feedback from trusted artist friends for final touches.
What advice would you give someone designing a Golden Coil cover for the first time? Where should they start?
Emily: Is there a hole in your portfolio that needs to be filled in or a style or subject matter that you have wanted to explore but haven’t had the chance? Start there. Make this project an experience that will be beneficial for you even if you don’t win.
Abby: Stay in your lane. Create from where you find beauty and what you would be drawn to in everyday life. Take notice of colors you keep going back to, patterns that are essentially an extension of your personality. Make space and time to create and run wild with it!
