Interview with Michelle Parascandolo
For this month’s interview with an inspirational woman, we’re so thrilled to feature Michelle Parascandolo. Michelle is our latest design contest winner and her cover design will be launching soon! We hope you enjoy getting to know her.
Tell us about yourself!
Hi! I'm Michelle, a surface pattern designer and illustrator from New York City. I’ve lived in the city for my entire life and walking around and exploring New York provides me with a constant source of inspiration for my work. When I’m at home I love to cook and lately I’ve been pretty obsessed with podcasts - some favorites are Conan O’Brian Needs a Friend, Darknet Diaries, and Crime Junkie. I also have two cats, who love to listen to podcasts with me. Right now I’m really curious about hand lettering. I've been practicing a lot in my spare time and would really love to start working it into some of my floral illustrations.
What is the most important daily habit that contributes to your success?
There’s always stuff on my to do list that I just really don't want to do, but I find knocking off the worst tasks first thing in the morning sets me up for a productive day. It's hard for me to get into a creative mindset when in the back of my mind I know there is something annoying I have to do later on in the day. It will totally weigh on me and distract me from creating.
What keeps you creatively inspired?
Giving myself proper breaks is what really helps me stay creative and focused in the long run. When I'm beginning to feel uninspired, I can usually recognize that I just poured all of my creative energy into a project, and that I need some time to step back and recharge. I find that giving myself some time off makes me naturally eager to pick things back up again.
How do you come up with a new design? Walk us through your process.
My process tends to vary a bit. Sometimes I gather reference photos and have a clear goal of what I want to create, while other times I design in a more unstructured way; where I just draw from memory to see where the design takes me. I always begin by drawing on my iPad, in either Procreate or Adobe Draw. Once I'm happy with the motifs, I transfer them over to my computer, where I finalize the repeat in Illustrator. Once my design is complete, I begin to work on the color. Most of the time I have a rough color palette picked out beforehand, but in Illustrator I really rework the colors until I feel they fit perfectly with the specific design. Picking the color palette is the most important thing to me and what I really spend the most time working on.
Tell us about your Golden Coil cover design. What was the inspiration behind it?
Like most of my work, flowers and nature were the main inspiration! For this design, I didn't have a super clear goal of what I wanted it to look like, but more of the feeling I wanted it to create. I was imagining a whimsical, enchanted floral scene, and picked a color palette that really created that feeling for me.
What advice would you give someone interested in pattern design? Where should they start?
If you are planning to work digitally, I would highly recommend getting an iPad. It has really changed the way that I work, and has made the process a lot faster and easier for me. Also, begin sharing your work on Instagram or social media, even if you feel like you aren't "ready". It can feel intimidating to just put your work out there in the beginning, but it will get easier over time, and you never know who may see it.
For more of Michelle’s work, be sure to follow her on Instagram and check out her website.