As usual, I have the best ideas for Christmas presents at the eleventh hour. I’ve wanted to play with having fabric printed for years now, and when I saw the infinity scarf project on Laura Kemshall’s Design Matters website I knew I’d found the perfect excuse and project.
These sketchbook pages are in my “brush wiping” sketchbook – I use it to wipe excess colour off my brush, and every now and then I go back and add to it. I really like the colours, and I’m enjoying playing with the Woody pencils too – there’s something satisfying about the feel of them, somewhere between a pencil and a crayon or oil pastel.
I found some instructions for making a repeat pattern from an abstract painting, so I set to with Photoshop. Even with the instructions, it took a bit of working out (I don’t use it often enough to be that familiar with how it all works!).
The results on fabric aren’t perfect: the colours and designs are probably not ideal for printing on fabric (I’m regretting the bold, white lines – that was a big fat Posca pen!) but the fabric quality is great, and for a first attempt I’m pleased. I went for the biggest repeat I could, without losing image quality. If you’re interested in trying this, the printing company I used was Contrado.
Next, I just need to stitch up the scarves!
